DATASTREME DAILY SUMMARY
Friday, 9 November 2001
- WINTRY WEATHER MOVES ACROSS NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND
- HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS SOUTHEAST PRESENTS PROBLEMS
- RAIN ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS
- WINDY WEATHER ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES
- WESTERN RECORDS
- UPPER AIR
- TEMPERATURE EXTREMES ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL US
- ALASKAN WEATHER
- HAWAIIAN WEATHER
- PUTTING A WRAP ON OCTOBER
- A SOMBER ANNIVERSARY
- HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS
TAKE A MOMENT - Since Sunday is Veteran's Day,
formerly called Armistice Day, take a moment to remember this country's
veterans, especially those who never made it home.
The following highlights of the national weather have been extracted from
the surface weather map for Thursday night:
WINTRY WEATHER MOVES ACROSS NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND -- A storm system
moving across the Northeast was spreading some snow across northern Maine on
Thursday night. The storm consisted of a low pressure center located along the
St. Lawrence River just to the north of Upstate New York. A warm front extended
southeastward across New England, while a cold front trailed southwestward
across the eastern Lakes, the Ohio Valley and into the southern Plains. Snow
was falling in the cold air to the north of the surface low pressure center and
warm front from Maine into Quebec and New Brunswick, while rain was found
farther south along the cold front across southern New England, New York State
and Pennsylvania.
The storm system is expected to continue moving northeastward along the St.
Lawrence Valley, reaching the Gulf of St. Lawrence by Friday evening. A winter
weather advisory was posted for northwest Maine until daybreak Friday as 3 to 6
inches of snow are anticipated.
While wintry weather was found in the cold air to the north of the low
pressure system, relatively mild conditions were found to the south of the low
pressure center. High temperatures on Thursday were on the order of 15 degrees
above the long-term average highs across the eastern Lakes and the Ohio Valley
as a result of the southwesterly wind flow across the region in advance of the
cold front.
HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS SOUTHEAST PRESENTS PROBLEMS -- Much of the
Eastern Seaboard continues to be dominated by a large ridge of high pressure
that extends off the coast into the western North Atlantic Ocean. While the
presence of this high has produced a long string of pleasant weather in many
locales, the lack of significant rain in several months has become a serious
problem. Many of the states along the Eastern Seaboard extending from the
Carolinas northward to Maine have experienced increased wildfire dangers. Major
wildfires have been burning in South Carolina near Myrtle Beach and in Kentucky
and neighboring West Virginia.
RAIN ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS -- Rainshowers and isolated
thunderstorms were found along the southern and western portions of the cold
front that trailed southwestward from the low pressure center near New England.
Most of the precipitation was found across Oklahoma, western Arkansas and north
Texas.
As the cold front drifts southward to the Rio Grande Valley more rain is
expected across Texas. As much as 0.4 inches are anticipated across South Texas
from Friday to Saturday morning. A dense fog advisory was posted along the
Texas Gulf Coast in the vicinity of Houston late Thursday night as the humid
Gulf air cooled to the dewpoint.
Chilly weather spread southward behind the southward advancing cold front.
Snow fell on Wednesday and early Thursday across the higher terrain of
Colorado. High temperatures on Thursday across the southern Rockies and
adjacent Plains to the east were on the order of 10 degrees below the average
highs for the date.
WINDY WEATHER ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES -- A relatively tight
pressure gradient between high pressure situated over the Rockies and the Great
Basin and lower pressure over the Prairie Provinces produced a strong westerly
wind flow across the northern Rockies. A high wind warning was in effect for
northern Rocky Mountain Front in northwest Montana near Glacier National Park
as winds were expected to reach 45 mph with gusts to 65 mph. The westerly
downslope winds were also responsible for producing relatively mild conditions
across the northern Plains where high temperatures were 10 to 15 degrees above
average. The downslope winds warmed as a result of compressional heating.
WESTERN RECORDS -- With relatively dry air associated with a large
high pressure system located across the Intermountain West, temperatures tend
to fall rapidly during the night. As a result, a record low temperature was
established on Thursday morning at Wenatchee, WA (24 degrees). Fog was also a
problem in the Columbia Basin as air cooled to saturation. A dense fog advisory
was posted on Thursday night through Friday morning for the Columbia Basin as
fog was expected once again.
The presence of the high pressure cell to the east meant that western
Oregon had an easterly wind flow. As a result, coastal communities were did not
experience the cooling effects of winds from off the Pacific Ocean. Brookings,
OR reached a record high temperature of 76 degrees.
UPPER AIR -- An increased amplitude in the upper level wind flow
became apparent on the 500 and 300 mb charts for 00Z Friday. A trough in the
height contours developed across the Great Lakes while a more distinct ridge
formed across the West. As a result, the jet stream at 300 mb contained
westerly winds over the Pacific Northwest, then becoming more northwesterly
across the Plains and then finally turning into westerly and southwesterly
winds across the East.
TEMPERATURE EXTREMES ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL US -- Thursday's lowest
temperature was 9 degrees at Stanley, ID and at Wolf Point and Butte, MT.
Thursday's highest temperature was 90 degrees at Riverside, CA and Gila Bend,
AZ.
ALASKAN WEATHER -- An arctic air mass remained anchored over much of
Alaska on Thursday. This air mass was associated with a large high pressure
center located over the Arctic Ocean. Subzero temperatures were found across
interior Alaska at midday. A stationary front marking the southern limit of
this air mass extended from north of Cold Bay in the eastern Bering Sea and
Bristol Bay eastward along the north Gulf Coast to southern Yukon Territory and
across northern British Columbia. While the North Slope and northwest Alaska
had cloudy skies, interior and portions of south central Alaska had relatively
few clouds. Snow was reported at Deadhorse and Nuiqsut on the Arctic coast. To
the south of the stationary front, several low pressure systems affected the
Gulf of Alaska. One system that moved from the eastern Gulf of Alaska into
western Canada helped bring heavy snow across the northern Panhandle, to
include a foot of new snow near Yakutat. Snow continued to fall at Yakutat,
in the Anchorage Bowl and in the Haines-Skagway area, while rain was reported
across the Panhandle south of Lynn Canal. Another low pressure center was
located in the western Gulf south of the Alaska Peninsula. This low along with
an elongated storm system over the south central Bering Sea produced strong
winds and rain across the Alaska Peninsula and the Bering Sea. Rain was
reported at Cold Bay.
The lowest overnight temperature in Alaska on Thursday morning was 24
degrees below zero at Fort Yukon, Galena, Paxson and Slana, while the
mid-afternoon highest statewide temperature was 48 degrees at Annette.
HAWAIIAN WEATHER -- Gusty trade winds continued from the east to
northeast across the islands at speeds ranging between 10 to 25 mph. High
pressure was located to the northwest of the islands. High clouds remained
across the Aloha State on Thursday. Afternoon showers and isolated
thunderstorms developed over the slopes of the Big Island as convection
developed during the afternoon solar heating.
By afternoon surf along the north shore of Oahu was reported in the 15 to
25 foot range with occasional sets to 30 feet. This surf originated from a
strong storm system off the Kamchatka Peninsula at the start of the week. As a
result, high surf advisories were posted for the northwest facing shores of all
the islands.
PUTTING A WRAP ON OCTOBER -- The National Climatic Data Center
(NCDC) has produced a list of various noteworthy extremes in snowfall across
the United States during the recently concluded month of October at
http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/extremes/2001/october/octoberext2001.html.
Updates to this list to include extremes in temperature and precipitation may
appear later.
A SOMBER ANNIVERSARY -- Tomorrow is the 26th anniversary of the
sinking of the Great Lakes ore carrier, Edmund Fitzgerald, during a powerful
storm on Lake Superior. Last year the National Weather Service Forecast Office
at Marquette, MI created a
web page
commemorating the sinking and describing the advances in marine weather
forecasting over the last quarter century.
HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS - 9 November
From the files of the Aviation Weather Center, Kansas City, MO and
Intellicast
- ...1913...The "Freshwater Fury", a rapidly deepening cyclone,
caused unpredicted gales on the Great Lakes. Seventeen ships, including eight
large ore carriers on Lake Erie sank drowning 270 sailors. Cleveland, OH
reported 17.4 inches of snow in 24 hours, and a total of 22.2 inches, both
all-time records for that location. During the storm, winds at Cleveland
averaged 50 mph, with gusts to 79 mph. The storm produced sustained winds of 62
mph at Port Huron, MI, wind gusts to 80 mph at Buffalo, NY and buried Pickens,
WV under three feet of snow. (9th-11th) (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
- ...1926...An F-3 tornado in Charles County of southern Maryland killed
seventeen persons. The tornado struck a small school near La Plata killing 14
students. The school was lifted, thrown into a grove of trees and blown apart.
The body of one child was found in a tree 300 feet away. (The Weather Channel)
(Intellicast)
- ...1982...Seven tornadoes touched down in southern California, three of
which began as waterspouts. The waterspouts moved ashore at Point Mugu, Malibu,
and Long Beach. Two of the storms that struck Long Beach and Van Nuys reached
F-2 status. The Long Beach tornado traveled inland ten miles causing much
damage. (The Weather Channel) (Intellicast)
- ...1987...Showers and gusty winds associated with a cold front helped
extinguish forest fires in the Appalachian Region and clear out smoke in the
eastern U.S. Thunderstorms produced locally heavy rains from eastern Texas to
the Tennessee Valley. Longview, TX received 3.12 inches of rain, including two
inches in two hours, Tupelo, MS was soaked with 2.80 inches of rain. (The
National Weather Summary)
- ...1988...Thunderstorms developing ahead of a strong cold front produced
severe weather from eastern Oklahoma to central Indiana. Hail more than two
inches in diameter was reported around Tulsa OK. (The National Weather Summary)
(Storm Data)
- ...1989...High winds prevailed along the eastern slopes of the Rockies from
the afternoon of the 8th into the early morning hours of the 9th. Winds of 50
to 80 mph prevailed across the northwest chinook area of Wyoming, with gusts to
100 mph. Winds in Colorado gusted to 97 mph at Fritz Peak (located near
Rollinsville) the evening of the 8th, and early in the morning on the 9th,
gusted to 78 mph west of Fort Collins. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm
Data)
- ...1991...Champaign, IL shivered at 9 degrees, Calico Rock, AR dropped to
13 degrees, just two of 70 record lows for the date. (Intellicast)
10 November
- ...1835...A severe storm crossed the Great Lakes with 19 ships lost and 254
sailors killed. (Intellicast)
- ...1915...An unusually late season violent F-4 tornado struck the central
Kansas town of Great Bend killing eleven persons along its 35 mile track. The
tornado destroyed 160 homes in Great Bend killing 11 persons and causing a
million dollars damage. Debris was carried 85 miles. Hundreds of dead ducks
dropped from the sky northeast of the track's end. (The Weather Channel)
- ...1975...Another "freshwater fury" hit the Great Lakes. A large
ore carrier on Lake Superior, the Edmund Fitzgerald, sank near Crisp
Point with the loss of its crew of 29 men. Eastern Upper Michigan and coastal
Lower Michigan were hardest hit by the storm, which produced wind gusts to 71
mph at Sault Ste Marie, MI and gusts to 78 mph at Grand Rapids, MI. Severe land
and road erosion occurred along the Lake Michigan shoreline. A popular hit song
by Gordon Lightfoot was inspired by the storm. (David Ludlum)
- ...1987...A cold front brought snow to the Appalachian Region and freezing
temperatures to the central U.S. Up to nine inches of snow blanketed Garrett
County of extreme western Maryland. Freezing temperatures were reported as far
south as El Paso, TX and San Angelo, TX. Gale force winds lashed the Middle
Atlantic Coast and the coast of southern New England. Thunderstorms brought
fire quenching rains to Alabama, and produced large hail and damaging winds to
eastern North Carolina. Ahead of the cold front, seven cities in Florida and
Georgia reported record high temperatures for the date as readings warmed into
the 80s. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
- ...1988...Strong winds circulating around a deep low pressure system in
southeastern Ontario buffeted the northeastern U.S., with the Lower Great Lakes
Region hardest hit. Winds in western New York State gusted to 68 mph at
Buffalo, to 69 mph at Niagara Falls, and to 78 mph at Brockport. Four persons
were injured at Rome, NY when a tree was blown onto their car. (The National
Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
- ...1989...Strong southwesterly winds prevailed along the eastern slopes of
the Rockies in Montana and Wyoming. Winds of 80 to 90 mph prevailed across the
northwest chinook zone of Montana, with gusts to 112 mph. Unseasonably warm
weather accompanied the high winds. Shortly after midnight the temperature at
Kalispell, MT reached a record 59 degrees. Windy and wet weather prevailed
across Washington State. Strong southerly winds gusted to 70 mph at Rattlesnake
Ridge, near Hanford. Six rivers in western Washington State rose above flood
stage between the 9th and the 11th of the month, following eight days of
moderate to heavy rain. Rainfall over the western slopes of the Cascade
Mountains between the 3rd and the 10th ranged from 14 to 24 inches. High
freezing levels also caused the early snowpack to melt, adding to the runoff in
the rain-swollen rivers. Damage was heaviest in Whatcom County, where the
Nooksack River caused nearly six million dollars damage, mostly to roads and
bridges. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
- ...1990...A rapidly deepening coastal storm produced severe weather in
North Carolina. A strong F2 tornado touched down on Hatteras Island. Winds
gusted to 78 mph at the airport. (Intellicast)
11 November
- ...1911...The central U.S. experienced perhaps its most dramatic cold wave
of record. During the early morning, temperatures across the Central Plains
ranged from 68 degrees at Kansas City to 4 above at North Platte, NE. In Kansas
City, the temperature warmed to a record 76 degrees by late morning before the
arctic front moved in from the northwest. Skies became overcast, winds shifted
to the northwest, and the mercury began to plummet. By early afternoon it was
cold enough to snow, and by midnight the temperature had dipped to a record
cold reading of 11 degrees above zero. Oklahoma City also established a record
high of 83 degrees and record low of 17 degrees by midnight that same day
(11/11/11), followed by 14 degrees, another record low, by the next morning. In
southeastern Kansas, the temperature at Independence plunged from 83 degrees to
33 degrees in just one hour. The arctic cold front produced severe
thunderstorms and tornadoes in the Mississippi Valley, a blizzard in the Ohio
Valley, and a dust storm in Oklahoma. On this 11/11/11 date, Janesville, WI was
hit by an F4 tornado killing 9 and injuring 50. Within an hour of the tornado,
the survivors were digging out in blizzard conditions and shivering in zero
temperatures. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel) (The Kansas City Weather
Almanac) (Intellicast)
- ...1940...The "Armistice Day" storm, one of the most powerful and
destructive winter storms on record, raged across the Great Lakes Region and
the Upper Midwest. A band of heavy snow fell, with 26.6 inches at Collegeville,
MN and 16.2 inches at Minneapolis, MN. Winds gusted to over 60 mph. A blizzard
left 49 dead in Minnesota, and gales on Lake Michigan caused ship wrecks
resulting in another 59 deaths. Up to seventeen inches of snow fell in Iowa,
and at Duluth, MN the barometric pressure reached 28.66 inches. The blizzard
claimed a total of 154 lives, and killed thousands of cattle in Iowa. Whole
towns were isolated by huge snowdrifts. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
- ...1955...An early arctic outbreak set many November temperature records
across Oregon and Washington. The severe cold damaged shrubs and fruit trees.
Many new temperature records were set as temperatures plunged to near zero in
western Washington, and dipped to 19 degrees below zero in the eastern part of
the state. (David Ludlum)
- ...1987...A deepening low pressure system brought heavy snow to the east
central U.S. The "Veteran's Day storm" produced up to 17 inches of
snow in the Washington, DC area snarling traffic and closing schools and
airports. Afternoon thunderstorms produced five inches of snow in three hours.
This amount of snow is rare in winter let alone the middle of fall. Thunder and
lightning accompanied the snow for several hours. Gale force winds lashed the
Middle and Northern Atlantic Coast. Norfolk, VA reported their earliest
measurable snow in 99 years of records. (Storm Data) (The National Weather
Summary)
- ...1988...Low pressure brought snow to parts of the Rocky Mountain Region.
Totals in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado ranged up to 10
inches at Summitville. Evening thunderstorms produced large hail in central
Oklahoma and north central Texas. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
- ...1989...Veteran's Day was an unseasonably warm one across much of the
nation east of the Rockies. Temperatures warmed into the 70s and 80s from the
Southern and Central Plains to the southern half of the Atlantic coast.
Thirty-four cities reported record high temperatures for the date, including
Saint Louis, MO with a reading of 85 degrees. Calico, AR and Gilbert, AR
reported record highs of 87 degrees. (Storm Data) (The National Weather
Summary)
- ...1991...Thunderstorms dumped golfball sized hail at Montyville and
Norwich in southeastern Connecticut during the early morning hours.
(Intellicast)
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URL Address: datastreme/learn/f_sum.html
Prepared by Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email
hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
© Copyright, 2001, The American Meteorological Society.