Friday Daily Weather Summary

DAILY WEATHER SUMMARY

Friday, 2 January 2015

This Daily Weather Summary contains Historical Weather Events for this date. Current weather data are available on the homepage as usual. If you are looking for an alternative description of daily weather, you could try:

http://www.weather.com/news (The Weather Channel)
or
http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/hpcdiscussions.php?disc=pmdspd (The National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center)

In addition, new items will appear in this week's Weekly Weather and Climate News for other weather and climate information from this past week.

Happy Holidays and best wishes on your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

Ed Hopkins

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

IN CLOSE -- Earth reaches perihelion, the point in its orbit that is closest to the sun (147.1 million kilometers or 91.2 million miles), on this coming Sunday, 4 January 2015 at 07Z (2 AM EST, 1 AM CST, etc. on 4 January)
AN "OLD" FULL MOON -- A full moon will occur late Sunday evening, as the moon will reach the full phase, officially at 0453Z on 5 January (11:53 PM EST, 10:53 PM CST, etc. on the 4th). The January full moon is often called the "Old Moon."

HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS - 2 January

From the files of the Aviation Weather Center, Kansas City, MO and Intellicast

...1885...The lowest temperature ever recorded at Duluth, MN occurred on this date. The temperature plunged to 41 degrees below zero. (Intellicast)
...1893...Little Rock, AR had its greatest 24 hour snowfall, with 13 inches that covered the ground. . (Intellicast)
...1904...A severe snowstorm began in New England. Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, MA had 19 inches of snow in 24 hours. . (Intellicast)
...1910...A great flood in Utah and Nevada washed out 100 miles of railroad between Salt Lake City, UT and Los Angeles, CA causing seven million dollars damage. (David Ludlum)
...1955...Hurricane Alice battered the Leeward Islands with sustained winds of 85 mph on this day. Alice was upgraded as a full tropical system on 31 December 1954, making Alice the latest and earliest hurricane on record in the Atlantic Ocean. (Intellicast)
...1961...The lowest temperature of record for the state of Hawaii was established with a reading of 14 degrees atop Haleakala Summit. (David Ludlum) (This state record has been eclipsed in May 1979.)
...1987...A winter storm moving up the Atlantic coast brought heavy snow and high winds to the northeastern U.S. Total snowfall in the storm which began on the 1^st, by the morning of the 3^rd amounted to two feet at Salem, NH and Waterboro, ME, 22 inches at Lowell, MA, 14 inches at Worcester, MA, 22 inches at Nashua, NH, and 18 inches at Portland, ME. Wind gusts reached 82 mph at Trenton, NJ and Southwest Harbor in Maine. Significant coastal flooding occurred as the storm coincided with unusually high astronomical tides. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
...1988..."Old Man Winter" took a siesta, with snow a scarcity across the nation. For the second day in a row, Alamosa, CO reported a record low of 31 degrees below zero. (National Weather Summary)
...1989...Strong and gusty winds prevailed along the eastern slopes of the northern and central Rockies. Winds gusted to 71 mph at Colorado Springs, CO and Livingston, MT. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1990...The first winter storm of the new year and decade developed in the southwestern U.S., and blanketed the northern mountains of Utah with 12 to 23 inches of snow. Up to 22 inches of snow was reported in the Alta-Snowbird area. The storm brought Las Vegas, NV their first measurable precipitation in four and a half months, since the 17^th of August. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1992...Miami, FL recorded 4.16 inches of rain in 24 hours ending at 7 am EST. This set a new 24-hour precipitation record for January. The previous record was 3.07 inches set on January 30, 1953. (Intellicast)
...1993...In the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, the Sugar Bowl ski patrol reported a snow depth of 90 inches at the 7000-foot level. A depth of 150 inches was measured at 7800 feet. Since 29 December 1992, a total of 72 inches had fallen at the 7000-foot elevation, with 93 inches at 8300 feet. (Intellicast)
...1994...High winds buffeted the Northern Front Range of Colorado during the morning hours. Peak wind gusts included 105 mph atop Squaw Mountain near Idaho Springs and 89 mph at Fort Collins. A fast moving "Alberta Clipper" brought up to six inches of snow to Iowa. Up to a foot of snow blanketed the Snowy Range Mountains in southeastern Wyoming. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

3 January

...1777...An overnight freeze enabled George Washington and his troops to flank the British at Trenton, cross their lines at Princeton, and seek security in the hills of northern New Jersey. (David Ludlum)
...1913...The barometer at Canton, NY read 28.20 inches of mercury (955.0 millibars), which is the lowest ever recorded at an inland station. (Intellicast)
...1949...Warren, AR was hit by an F4 tornado, which killed 55 people and injured 435. Total damage was $1.3 million. (Intellicast)
...1961...A three-day long ice storm was in progress over northern Idaho that produced an accumulation of ice eight inches thick, a U.S. record. Heavy fog, which blanketed much of northern Idaho from Grangeville to the Canadian border, deposited the ice on power and telephone lines causing widespread power outages. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
...1970...An exceptionally high barometer reading of 31.43 inches (1064.4 millibars) was recorded at Barrow, Alaska. (Intellicast)
...1987...A powerful Pacific coast storm blasted the western U.S. with high winds, heavy rain and heavy snow. Winds gusted to 96 mph at Cape Blanco, OR, and snowfall totals reached 20 inches in the Sierra Nevada Range of California. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
A 3-inch snowfall broke the record for this date at Little Rock, AR. The previous record was 2.5 inches in 1942. This snowfall was deeper than the amount of snow received during the entire year for 1986, when a total of 2.7 inches fell. (Intellicast)
...1988...After a day of rest, "Old Man Winter" came back as a triple threat, hitting both coasts with winter storms, and blasting the central U.S. with cold arctic air. Snow and ice in the eastern U.S. caused 4.5 million dollars damage to homes and vehicles in North Carolina. The storm in the western U.S. produced two feet of snow in the Lake Tahoe area of Nevada, while temperatures in North Dakota plunged to 30 degrees below zero, with wind chill readings as cold as 95 degrees below zero. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1989...Thirteen cities in the southeastern U.S., and five more in Washington and Oregon, reported new record high temperatures for the date. Highs of 78 degrees at Galveston, TX and 82 degrees at Lake Charles, LA were records for the month of January. (National Weather Summary)
...1990...A winter storm in the southwestern U.S. spread snow across Colorado and New Mexico. Heavy snow fell in southwestern Colorado, with 13 inches reported at Wolf Creek Pass. Snow spread into the Central Plains Region during the day, with six inches reported at Garden City, KS. (National Weather Summary)
...1994...A heavy wet snow blanketed much of the state of Ohio, with 12 to 18 inches reported in counties along the Ohio River. Newport received 21 inches. Thunder and lightning accompanied the snow, with five inches reported in Washington County and Noble County between 7 AM and 8 AM Tuesday. Parts of Washington County were without electricity for eight days following the storm. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1996...The first in the series of snowstorms to strike the eastern U.S. over the next ten days was in progress over New England, New York, and Pennsylvania. Rochester, NY was buried under 23 inches of snow in 24 hours for the city's greatest 24 hour snowfall on record, while 21 inches was recorded at Oswego, NY and 18 inches fell at Batavia. Other snowfall totals included 16 inches at Milton, MA, 14 inches at Montpelier, VT, 13.3 inches at Montrose, PA and 13.1 inches at Boston, MA. (Intellicast)

4 January

...1780...A great snowstorm and gale struck George Washington's headquarters in Morristown, NJ, burying his army and buffeting the British supply fleets at sea. (Intellicast)
...1859..."Deep snow" fell in New England when 26 inches fell at Middletown, CT and 36 inches at Hartford, CT. 30 inches fell in 12 hours at Goffstown, NH. (Intellicast)
...1888...Sacramento, CA received 3.5 inches of snow, an all-time record for that location. The heaviest snow in recent history was two inches on 5 February 1976. (4th-5th) (The Weather Channel)
...1917...An F3 tornado cut a 15 mile path through Pittsburg county in Oklahoma. Sixteen people were killed. (Intellicast)
...1971...A blizzard raged from Kansas to Wisconsin, claiming 27 lives in Iowa. Winds reached 50 mph, and the storm produced up to 20 inches of snow. (David Ludlum)
...1981...The second record cold blast engulfed the northeast during the 1980-81 winter season. Record low temperatures included 27 degrees below zero at Burlington, VT and Caribou, ME, 18 below at Portland, ME, 7 below at Providence, RI and 8 below at Pittsburgh, PA. Other low temperatures included 42 degrees below zero at Old Forge, NY and East Haven, VT, and 41 below at Enosburg Falls, VT and Houlton, ME. (Intellicast)
...1982...Milwaukee, WI was shut down completely as a storm buried the city under 16 inches of snow in 24 hours. It was the worst storm in thirty-five years. (David Ludlum)
...1987...A storm moving off the Pacific Ocean spread wintry weather across the southwestern U.S., with heavy snow extending from southern California to western Wyoming. Up to 15 inches of snow blanketed the mountains of southern California, and rainfall totals in California ranged up to 2.20 inches in the Chino area. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1988...Frigid arctic air invading the central and eastern U.S. left Florida about the only safe refuge from the cold and snow. A storm in the western U.S. soaked Bodega Bay in central California with 3.12 inches of rain. (National Weather Summary)
...1989...Up to a foot of snow blanketed the mountains of West Virginia, and strong winds in the northeastern U.S. produced wind chill readings as cold as 60 degrees below zero in Maine. Mount Washington, NH reported wind gusts to 136 mph along with a temperature of 30 degrees below zero! (National Weather Summary)
...1990...A winter storm moving out of the southwestern U.S. spread heavy snow across Nebraska and Iowa into Wisconsin. Snowfall totals in Nebraska ranged up to 7 inches at Auburn and Tecumseh. Totals in Iowa ranged up to 11 inches at Carlisle. In Iowa, most of the snow fell between midnight and 4 AM. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1992...A subtropical low pressure area developed explosively over the Gulf Stream waters east of Cape Hatteras, NC and apparently deepened 18 millibars in just 3 hours. The central pressure dropped from 994 to 976 millibars and bottomed out at 968 millibars 3 hours later. An offshore buoy recorded a pressure drop of 9.2 millibars in just one hour. Major coastal flooding and beach erosion occurred along the New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia coasts as the storm "made landfall". A wind gust to 83 mph was recorded at Indian River, Delaware and a gust to 89 mph occurred at Chincoteague, VA. Ocean City, MD was hit "very hard" with winds sustained at 50 mph and gusts to 70 mph. At the Ocean City airport, the runway flooding was the worst ever observed. Substantial beach erosion was reported at Rehoboth Beach, DE that rivaled damage one by the Great March 1962 storm. Total damage reached $45 million in New Jersey alone. Rainfall at inland locations over the mid-Atlantic was very heavy in some places with Witts Orchard, VA checking in with a 24-hour total of 7.56 inches. (Intellicast)
...1994... A major coastal storm was in progress across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states, blanketed much of the region with heavy snow. Elkins, WV recorded 6 inches of snow in one hour and Syracuse, NY had 5 inches of snow per hour for two consecutive hours. Syracuse measured 18 inches for the storm. Other big snowfall totals included 20 inches at Renovo, PA and 18.5 inches at Tully, NY. More than two feet was reported in northwestern Pennsylvania, with 33 inches at Waynesburg. Ten heart attacks and 185 injuries were attributed to the heavy snow in northwest Pennsylvania. Whiteout conditions were reported in Vermont and northeastern New York State. As the storm passed off the New Jersey coast, a gravity wave was induced near Allentown, PA. The barometric pressure plunged 22.4 millibars from 997.7 to 975.3 mb in just 45 minutes at Allentown, and then rebounded almost as much in only 15 minutes. The gravity wave propagated northeastward and produced similar pressure fluctuations in New England. Boston, MA recorded a wind gust to 66 mph as the wave passed, along with heavy sleet. A wind gusts to 75 mph was clocked at Shaftsbury, VT. In the Adirondacks of eastern New York State, the town of Tupper reported five inches of snow between 1 PM and 2 PM. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) (Intellicast)

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