14-18 March 2011

ITEMS OF INTEREST

• Major earthquake off Japan generates large tsunami waves --
  A major earthquake near the east coast of Honshu, Japan last Friday (0546 Z on 11 March 2011 or 2:46 PM Japan time) caused widespread destruction near Tokyo and created a sizable tsunami that traveled across the North and South Pacific Ocean. According to early estimates from the US Geological Survey, this earthquake that occurred was a magnitude 8.9 earthquake with an epicenter located off Miyagi Prefecture, approximately 230 miles northeast of Tokyo. Arguably, this earthquake was the most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in recorded history. This near-surface earthquake (epicenter depth of 24.9 km below the surface) occurred due to thrust faulting on or near the subduction zone interface plate boundary between the Pacific and North America plates. This thrust faulting produced a large displacement of ocean water that resulted in a large tsunami that propagated out across the North and South Pacific Oceans as shown by NOAA's Center for Tsunami Research; note that this site has a YouTube animation of the propagation of the Honshu tsunami, computed with the NOAA forecast method using MOST (Method of Splitting Tsunami) model with the tsunami source inferred from DART® (Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis) system data. A 10-meter high tsunami wave inundated coastal sections of Miyagi Prefecture on Japan's east coast. Traveling rapidly, the tsunami reached Adak, AK in the Aleutian Islands in less than five hours after the initial earthquake, Hawaii in slightly more than seven hours, and locations along the California coast at times that ranged between ten and twelve hours. In anticipation of the tsunami, NOAA's West Coast & Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, AK and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach, HI issued tsunami warnings, watches and advisories to 20 countries around the rim of the Pacific basin. Waves of nearly seven feet were reported in the harbor at Maui, HI and to 8.1 feet at Crescent City, CA. Some damage associated with the tsunami was reported to coastal communities in Hawaii and North America. Several photographers were swept out to sea by a wave at McKinleyville, CA (near Eureka); one of these people died.
• Time change does not affect climate records --
Daylight Saving Time went into effect yesterday morning for essentially the entire nation -- the exceptions include Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and about 18 counties in Indiana. These changes have been mandated by the U.S. Congress in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which extended Daylight Saving Time across the nation, with the start on the second Sunday in March (13 March 2011) and end on the first Sunday in November (6 November 2011). Most of Canada also observes changes to Daylight Saving Time at the same time [National Research Council Canada]. In other words, following the old adage of "spring ahead, fall behind", you will need to turn your clocks ahead by one hour to conform with the local time observance.
What does this time change mean to you (other than later sunsets)? Contrary to a popular belief that has surfaced at times, the change from Standard to Daylight Saving Time does not add an extra hour of daylight to the day nor does it affect climate record keeping. The daily high and low temperatures, along with the 24-hour precipitation taken by essentially all stations across the nation are based upon local Standard time, not Daylight time. Therefore, the daily entries in the Preliminary Local Climate Data (CF6) for any of the more than 200 cities around the nation will remain on Standard time throughout the year.
While many people want additional daylight after work, some health experts say that the change to Daylight Saving Time is hard on human health, as it affects the natural sleep cycle and circadian rhythms. Increases in traffic accidents and heart attacks have been seen during the first several days after the time change. [Hartford Courant]
• Notice the Equinox --
The vernal equinox, which marks the commencement of astronomical spring, will occur late next Sunday afternoon (officially at 2321Z on 20 March 2011 or 5:21 PM EDT, 4:21 PM CDT, and so forth). If you checked the sunrise and sunset times in your local newspaper or from the climate page at your local National Weather Service Office, you would probably find that by midweek, the sun should have been above the horizon for at least 12 hours at most locations. As discussed previously, the effects of atmospheric refraction (bending of light rays by the varying density of the atmosphere) along with a relatively large diameter of the sun contribute to several additional minutes that the sun appears above the horizon at sunrise and sunset.
• "Earth-Sun Day"--
Since next Sunday is the vernal equinox, this coming Saturday (19 March 2011) has been declared Earth-Sun Day, which is includes a series of programs and events that occur throughout the year culminating with a celebration on the Spring Equinox. This year's theme is "Ancient Mysteries-Future Discoveries", designed to provide a deeper understanding of the Sun and its impact on societies across the ages. A live Sun-Earth Day Webcast, developed in conjunction with NASA EDGE (Exploration Systems Mission Directorate), will originate from several sites including Chaco Canyon (New Mexico), Hovenweep (Utah), Chichen Itza (Mexico), Cahokia Mounds (Illinois), and Sunspot (New Mexico).
• Flood Safety Awareness --
Many locations around the nation annually experience spring floods. Therefore, the National Weather Service has designated that this coming week of 14-18 March 2011 as Flood Safety Awareness Week. Check the website http://www.floodsafety.noaa.gov/ for information concerning flooding caused by excessive rain events, rapid snowmelt, ice jams and debris flow, along with useful flood safety and mitigation measures. At least one half of the 50 states are also observing this week with special activities.
• Linking weather and climate --
Find out how atmospheric scientists have extended weather forecasting efforts used to predict the weather over the next few days into monthly and seasonal (3-month) climate outlooks in this week's Supplemental Information...In Greater Depth.

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

• Review of national weather and climate for February 2011 and the 2010-11 winter --
  Based upon preliminary data, scientists at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center reported that the average temperatures across the coterminous United States for February 2011 and the recently-concluded meteorological winter season (December 2010 through February 2011) were approximately 0.7 Fahrenheit degrees below 20th century averages. The western half of the nation experienced below to much below average temperatures during February, while sections of the Southeast, the Ohio Valley and the Middle Atlantic States had above average temperatures. On the other hand, most areas east of the Rockies had below average winter temperatures, while California and Nevada had above average temperatures.
  Nationwide, February precipitation was approximately 0.2 inches below the long-term (1901-2000) average, with the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast States experiencing below to much below average precipitation. Sections of the upper Mississippi Valley and the northern Great Lakes also were extremely dry. On the other hand, sections of the eastern Lakes, the Midwest and the central Rockies reported much above average February precipitation. December through February precipitation across the West North Central States was within the top ten wettest winters since records began in 1895, while the precipitation across the South and Southeast were within the ten driest winters on record. [NOAA News]
• State and city weather extremes for December 2010 --
The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) has posted a listing of some of the notable extremes in temperature, precipitation and other weather elements across the nation for the month of December 2010 "Selected U.S. City and State Extremes for November 2010." Note that this site may be updated during the following several weeks as more data are received and analyzed.

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

• Natural variability appears as a major cause of deadly Russian heat wave --
  Meteorologists with NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado in Boulder claim that last year's deadly Russian heat wave was mainly due to natural variations associated with weather extremes rather than upon to changes in climate. They based their findings upon scientific observations and computer climate models to evaluate the possible roles of natural and human-caused climate influences on the severity of this heat wave. [NOAA News]
• Upper Midwest faces soggy conditions --
Sections of North Dakota and Minnesota are facing high water conditions during the next several months due to two different kinds of flooding that are related to changes in climate. One of the flooding events is beginning along the northward flowing Red River of the North. Communities such as Fargo and Grand Forks in North Dakota and others in neighboring Minnesota will experience high water due to ice jams and the spring melt from this past winter's extensive snow cover across the northern Plains and upper Midwest. The winter precipitation across the region was one of the greatest since extensive climate records began in 1895. How much flooding will depend upon the timing of the spring thaw. The other type of flooding is longer term and is found around northeastern North Dakota's Devils Lake, which has been expanding in size over the last 70 years with the greatest increase since the mid-1990s. A change in climate that has favored increased precipitation appears responsible for an increase in the lake level of Devils Lake. NOAA scientists along with colleagues from the USGS North Dakota Water Science Center are studying the future response of the lake. [UCAR/NCAR]
• Melting polar ice sheets losing mass at a faster pace --
Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of California, Irvine report that their analysis of nearly 20 years of satellite data shows that the ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica are losing mass at an accelerated pace, which is approximately three times faster than the loss from mountain glaciers and ice caps. Two sets of independent measurement techniques were used in their analysis. They also determined that in 2006, the mass loss by the polar ice sheets would raise global sea level by an average of 0.05 inches during the year. [NASA JPL]
• An All-Hazards Monitor --
This Web portal provides the user information from NOAA on current environmental events that may pose as hazards such as tropical weather, fire weather, marine weather, severe weather, drought and floods. [NOAAWatch]
• Global and US Hazards/Climate Extremes --
A review and analysis of the global impacts of various weather-related events, including drought, floods and storms during the current month. [NCDC]

CLIMATE FORCING

• Spacecraft monitoring effects of solar wind --
  For the first time in slightly more than 21 years, scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory maneuvered the agency's Voyager 1 spacecraft to allow the onboard Low Energy Charged Particle instrument to collect data on the outer region with charged particles emanating from the Sun known as the heliosheath. Launched in September 1977, Voyager 1 was approximately 10.8 billion miles away from the Sun early last week. Its sister spacecraft, Voyager 2, launched slightly more than two weeks earlier on a different trajectory, is 8.8 billion miles from the Sun. [NASA JPL]
• Study of Earth's core provides some climate insights --
A recent study by researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and France's Université Paris Diderot - Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris of data on Earth's rotation and movements in Earth's molten core along with global surface air temperatures has uncovered interesting interrelationships. They also suggest that the changes in the Earth's rotation and its magnetic field provide evidence that humans are affecting Earth's climate. [NASA JPL]
• Results from Gulf Oil Spill air pollution study have applications elsewhere --
A multi-agency effort designed to assess the atmospheric consequences that last year's BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill had on the air quality was conducted by researchers from NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory and colleagues from the University of Colorado-Boulder, the University of Miami, the University of California, Irvine and Carnegie Mellon University using one of NOAA's "hurricane hunter" aircraft. One of the findings from the special NOAA-led airborne mission that sampled the air quality in June was the discovery of an important new mechanism by which air pollution particles form from the heavier organic compounds. This newly discovered pollution mechanism could change the way urban air quality is understood and predicted. [NOAA News] [University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science]

CLIMATE FORECASTS

• Superstorm hitting California could be costliest US disaster --
  An economist at the University of Southern California has calculated that a superstorm with hurricane-force winds that is expected to hit California once every 200 years would cause devastation to the state's businesses, with monetary losses that would be greater than those sustained by the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Such a superstorm, based upon a plausible simulation made by US Geological Survey scientists and termed "ARkStorm - or "atmospheric river storm", was patterned after the US West Coast storms that devastated California in 1861-62. Some climate scientists said increasing global temperatures due to climate change could increase the chances of another superstorm of this magnitude. In addition, ocean levels would be higher, which would create higher storm surges and more disastrous flooding in coastal areas of California. [University of Southern California News]

HUMAN BIOCLIMATOLOGY

• Study pinpoints effects of air pollution on heart health --
  Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center recently conducted a study in which they tracked changes in the blood of patients with Type 2 diabetes in response to breathing ultra-fine airborne particulate matter. These particles apparently can activate blood platelets that can contribute to cardiovascular disease. [University of Rochester Medical Center]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

• Some people believe in "global warming", others in "climate change" --
  Psychologists at the University of Michigan have found that in a question wording experiment as part of an online survey, more people believe that "climate change" is a more serious problem than "global warming." The researchers found that the responses to the survey were influenced by political affiliation. [University of Michigan News]
• Website for human dimensions of climate change --
An interagency effort within the US federal government that included NOAA, the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service, has resulted in a website called HD.gov (for HumanDimensions.gov) that provides users, such as natural resource managers, with information on the human dimensions on a variety of topics of interest such as climate change. [HD.gov]
• Earthweek --
Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Concept of the Week: Start of the Growing Season

As we move through spring, the increases in daylength and air temperature across many areas of the nation make backyard gardeners as well as farmers contemplate the start of the growing season. For many crops, the soil has to be tilled and prepared for planting before the growing season really commences. Soil temperatures and moisture levels often influence when fieldwork can start.

The term growing season depends upon the plant species, as well as the climate of the locale, meaning that several ways can be used to define the growing season. In most mid latitude climates, the growing season is often used synonymously with the frost-free season, loosely defined as the length of time between the last killing frost in spring and the first killing frost in the autumn. The National Climatic Data Center has produced climatological tables that identify those median dates (a 50 percent occurrence) during spring and fall when the temperature at a station falls to 36, 32, 28, 24 or 20 degrees Fahrenheit for the last time in spring or the first time in autumn. While the exact time span that a plant survives would vary by plant type, the growing season for climatological purposes is often related to the interval when the daily minimum temperature remains above 32 degrees.

Across the continental U.S. the typical lengths of the frost free regions range from about 120 days along the Canadian border to about 220 days in Oklahoma and north Texas and over 320 days in southern sections of Florida and California. Mountainous areas provide a complex pattern, with some higher elevations having lengths that are less than 100 days. By accessing the NOWData (NOAA Online Weather Data) feature on the Climate page of your local National Weather Service, you can find the "first/last dates" for various climate reporting stations around your area.

Many crops, especially vegetables and fruits, are sensitive to relatively low air temperatures. In spring, when many crops are emerging and in various stages of development they are more vulnerable to air temperatures near 32 degrees Fahrenheit. But by fall, many of these plants have become hardy. Generally speaking, a spring killing frost would occur when the plant has become well emerged and the temperature around the plant would fall to a point that would kill most tender vegetation. Sometimes, other terminology is used.

Concept of the Week: Questions

(Place your responses on the Chapter Progress Response Form provided in the Study Guide.)

1. Many emerging crops would succumb if the spring air temperatures fell to [(36),(33),(28)] degrees.
2. The frost-free season in states bordering Canada would probably be about [(60),(90),(120)] days.

Historical Events:

• 14 March 1944...A single storm brought a record 21.6 inches of snow to Salt Lake City UT. (The Weather Channel)
• 14 March 1984...A coastal storm dumped very heavy snow over northern New England. Caribou, ME received 28.6 inches of snow in 24 hours, by far its greatest 24-hour snowfall on record. (Intellicast)
• 15 March 1892...A winter storm in southwestern and central Tennessee produced 26 inches of snow at Riddleton, and 18.5 inches at Memphis, resulting in the deepest snow of record for those areas. (David Ludlum)
• 15 March 1906...The temperature at Snake River, WY dipped to 50 degrees below zero, a record for the U.S. for the month of March. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders -1987)
• 15 March 1952...Over 72 (73.62) inches of rain fell on Cilaos, Reunion Island in the western Indian Ocean, the greatest global 24-hour total rainfall. (The Weather Doctor)
• 15 March 2004...Rain at Brownsville, TX broke a century-old precipitation record for the greatest daily rainfall accumulation for March with 3.23 inches . (The Weather Doctor)
• 16 March 1975...A single storm brought 119 inches of snow to Crater Lake OR establishing a state record. (The Weather Channel)
• 16-17 March 2002...A snowstorm dumped 28.7 inches of snow on Anchorage, AK breaking the old daily record of 15.6 inches. Snow amounts ranged from 24 to 29 inches at lower elevations. (The Weather Doctor)
• 17 March 1906...The temperature at Snake River, WY dipped to 50 degrees below zero, a record for the coterminous U.S. for the month of March. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders -1987)
• 17 March 1998...Calgary, Alberta experienced its worst March snowstorm in 113 years, measuring 13 inches of snow at the airport and from 15 to 18 inches in other parts of the city. (The Weather Doctor)
• 17-24 March 1999...Intense Tropical Cyclone Vance (Category 5) moved across portions of Western Australia. A record wind gust for the Australian mainland of 167 mph was recorded at the Learmonth Meteorological Office. (The Weather Doctor)
• 18 March 1914...San Francisco, CA reached its highest temperature ever recorded in March. The mercury rose to 86 degrees. (Intellicast)
• 18 March 1925...The great "Tri-State Tornado" occurred, the most deadly tornado in U.S. history. The tornado, which claimed 695 lives (including 234 at Murphysboro, IL and 148 at West Frankfort, IL), cut a swath of destruction 219 miles long and as much as a mile wide from east central Missouri to southern Indiana between 1 PM and 4 PM. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
• 18 March 2002...A snowstorm over coastal British Columbia produced the latest and heaviest single-day snowfall on record for the city of Vancouver of 2.55 inches. (The Weather Doctor)
• 19 March 1950...Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood reported 246 inches of snow on the ground, a record for the state of Oregon. (The Weather Channel)
• 19 March 1964...Up to 39 inches of snow fell at Cape Whittle for Quebec's greatest one-day snow total. (The Weather Doctor)
• 20-21 March 1948...Juneau, AK received 31.0 inches of snow, to set a 24-hour snowfall record for Alaska's capital. This snowfall record pales compared to the state's 24-hour snowfall record of 62.0 inches set at Thompson Pass on 28-29 December 1955. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 20 March 1986...A wind gust of 173 mph was recorded in the Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland, the highest ever recorded in the United Kingdom. (The Weather Doctor)

Return to DataStreme ECS website

Prepared by Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
© Copyright, 2011, The American Meteorological Society.