Friday Daily Weather Summary

ONLINE DAILY WEATHER SUMMARY

Friday, 5 February 1998

NEW ENGLAND DODGES A BULLET
A LOBE OF ARCTIC AIR MOVES ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST
WET WEATHER MOVES INTO THE SOUTHWEST
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST GETS A MOMENTARY LULL
YESTERDAY'S TEMPERATURE EXTREMES IN THE LOWER 48
ALASKAN WEATHER
HAWAIIAN WEATHER
HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY -- Today, 5 February, is National Meteorologist's Day (formerly called National Weatherman's Day), the anniversary of when in February 1870 that the U.S. Congress sent legislation for President U.S. Grant's signature forming a telegraphic weather service within the U.S. Army Signal Service. This organization is a predecessor to the present National Weather Service. The day has been said to also commemorate the birthday of John Jeffries in 1744. He was one of America's first weather observers, taking daily weather observations in Boston starting in 1774. Jeffries also took the first balloon observation in 1784.

NEW ENGLAND DODGES A BULLET -- The storm system that moved across the northern tier of states over the last several days reached the Atlantic Seaboard on Thursday and could have produced snow for the Northeast. This system consisted of two low pressure centers, one over Canada and the other farther south along the trailing front. Intensification of the southern surface low occurred after the system moved out over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. By late Thursday night the one weak low pressure center was situated in the St. Lawrence Valley of Quebec while the more intense low pressure system was located several hundred miles to the southeast of Cape Cod, MA. Coastal New England, from Downeast Maine to Rhode Island had some rain, as most of the precipitation was located offshore in association with the southeastern low. Northern Maine was expecting some light snow. However, New England and portions of Upstate New York did experience strong northwesterly winds circulating around the storm system. A wind advisory for winds gusting to 45 mph was posted for Cape Cod and adjacent islands through Friday.

A LOBE OF ARCTIC AIR MOVES ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST -- A small pool of arctic air moved into the Upper Midwest on Thursday, producing some relatively chilly conditions, especially compared with neighboring regions of the country. The arctic air was part of the high pressure system that by Thursday night was located over the southern Great Lakes. The coldest air was over the eastern Dakotas and northern Minnesota, on the poleward side of a series of fronts that stretched across the region.. Afternoon high temperatures across this region were between 5 and 10 degrees colder than the long-term average highs for this time of year.

A low pressure system located over the Black Hills of South Dakota on Thursday night was expected to move east-northeastward on Friday. Precipitation associated with the advancing warm front could be a mixture of rain and freezing rain across the central Plains and into the Upper Mississippi Valley as warm air flows up and over the cold air near the surface. Some snow is expected farther north into the southern Canadian Prairie Provinces.

WET WEATHER MOVES INTO THE SOUTHWEST -- Several storm systems with a more tropical flavor spread an extensive precipitation shield northeastward into southern California and then into the Southwest, as a flow of moist tropical air was being fed into these systems. As of late Thursday night, multiple low pressure centers were located over west central Arizona and southern California. Significant rains fell at San Diego, CA and in the Los Angeles Basin. Four inches of snow had fallen along the Mogollon Rim in central Arizona, with several more inches anticipated in the snow advisory that also included the mountains of northern Arizona.

The region of precipitation is expected to expand across the southern and central Rockies along with a region of low pressure. Snow and blowing snow advisories were posted for the mountains of northern New Mexico for several inches of snow and for the San Juans of southwestern Colorado, where as much as 8 inches of snow were expected. A low is expected to develop along the eastern slopes of the Rockies on Friday.

THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST GETS A MOMENTARY LULL -- After several storms moved across the Pacific ocean and battered the Pacific Northwest, the residents of that region had a one day reprieve in the stormy weather on Thursday. While the precipitation ended, windy conditions remained. through the Columbia gorge into the interior of Oregon and Washington, where winds gusted to 60 mph near Pendleton, OR.

The next storm system, located several hundred miles west of the coast is forecast to reach the coast late on Friday. High wind watches have been issued for coastal regions of Oregon and southern Washington, where sustained wind speeds were anticipated to reach 40 mph with gusts to 80 mph along the headlands by Friday night. Gale warnings were posted for marine interests from Cape Flattery, WA to Point Arena, CA. A winter storm watch was posted for the Olympics and Washington Cascades for as much as 18 inches of new snow by Saturday.

YESTERDAY'S TEMPERATURE EXTREMES IN THE LOWER 48 -- The lowest temperature on Thursday was 16 degrees below zero at Grand Forks, ND, while the day's highest temperature was at 83 degrees at Brownsville and McAllen, TX.

ALASKAN WEATHER -- A large ridge of high pressure over the northwest quadrant of the state continued to keep arctic air over much of northern Alaska on Thursday, the tenth day of the current cold wave. This ridge extended eastward from a high pressure center over Siberia in Russian Far East into northwest Alaska. Overnight low temperatures in the interior fell to 50 degrees below zero or lower at many locations. Denali Park Headquarters had a low temperature of 51 degrees below zero on Thursday morning, a record low temperature for the month of February and one degree above the all-time record for the Headquarters set on 20 January 1925. Daily record low temperatures were set at Galena (62 below), Tanana (60 below) and Valdez (10 below). Clouds moved over the eastern interior of the state on Wednesday night, providing some minimal relief from the cold conditions. Afternoon high temperatures in many locales remained between 30 and 45 degrees below zero. Fairbanks was adding to a string of ten consecutive days where the high failed to reach 20 degrees below zero. In fact, as of early Thursday evening, the high temperature for the day at Fairbanks has been 42 degrees below zero, a record low maximum temperature for the date, an also the latest date in winter with a high of 40 below or lower.

Several storm systems continued to move eastward across the North Pacific to the south of Alaska. One low pressure system was situated to the south of the Aleutians and another near the Alaska Peninsula. Several other low pressure systems were found in the Gulf of Alaska.

The strong pressure gradient between the high and low pressure systems across south central Alaska generated strong wind gusts from Prince William Sound west to the central Aleutian chain. Whittier had a peak gust of 58 mph, Cold Bay reported a 54 mph gust and Seward had gusts to 48 mph. A high wind watch was continued for the outer coast of southeast Alaska south of Cape Fairweather, to include the southern inner channels. The winds, combined with the low air temperatures, produced some dangerously low wind-chill equivalent temperatures to as low as 90 degrees below zero. A variety of wind-chill warnings and advisories were posted across Alaska.

The state's overnight lowest temperature on Thursday morning was 63 degrees below zero at Tanana and the mid-afternoon highest temperature in Alaska was 36 degrees at Metlakatla.

HAWAIIAN WEATHER -- Brisk northeasterly trade winds continued across the islands on Thursday with only a slight reduction in speed. These winds were spiraling out of the equatorward flank of a strong high pressure cell located approximately 1000 miles to the north of the islands. As this high moved slowly to the southeast and weakened, the trades began to subside, with speeds between 15 and 30 mph anticipated on Friday. Partly cloudy skies with trade showers were found across the windward slopes of the islands. Because of the strong trade winds, a gale warning was in effect for the Alenuihaha Channel between Maui and the Big Island, while small craft advisories remained in effect for coastal waters. A high surf advisory was in effect for the northwest and east shores of the islands.

HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS - 5 February

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

...1887...San Francisco, CA experienced its greatest snowstorm of record. Nearly four (3.7) inches was reported in downtown San Francisco, and the western hills of the city received seven inches. Excited crowds went on a snowball throwing rampage. (David Ludlum)
...1986...A supercell thunderstorm tracked through the Tomball area northwest of Houston, TX and produced 4 tornadoes along with damaging microburst winds and up to tennis ball size hail. An F3 tornado killed 2 people, injured 80, and devastated a mobile home park and the David Wayne Hooks airport. Three hundred aircraft were either damaged or destroyed. Much of the larger hail was propelled by 60 to 80 mph winds, resulting in widespread moderate damage. Total damage from this storm was about 80 million dollars. (Intellicast)
...1987...Thunderstorms in the Southern Plains Region caused flooding in parts of south central Texas. Del Rio, TX was soaked with two inches of rain in two hours prior to sunrise. (The National Weather Summary)
...1988...Cold and snow invaded the southern U.S. Roswell, NM was buried under 16.5 inches of snow in 24 hours, an all-time record for that location. Parts of the Central Gulf Coast Region reported their first significant snow in fifteen years. Strong winds in Minnesota and the Dakotas produced wind chill readings as cold as 75 degrees below zero. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
A rare snow event occurred in southern Louisiana as 2 to 4 inches fell from East Baton Rouge Parish to St. Tammany and Washington Parish. This was the most snow in southern Louisiana since 1973. (Intellicast)
...1989...Severe cold gripped much of the nation. Thirty cities reported new record low temperatures for the date. Morning lows of 9 above at Astoria, OR and 27 below zero at Ely, NV were records for February. In Alaska, Point Barrow warmed to 24 degrees above zero, and Nome reached 30 degrees. (The National Weather Summary)
...1990...For the second time in two days, and the third time in a week, high winds plagued the northwestern U.S. Winds in Oregon gusted to 60 mph at Cape Disappointment, and wind gusts in Washington State reached 67 mph at Bellingham. The first in a series of cold fronts began to produce heavy snow in the mountains of Washington and Oregon. Ten inches of snow fell at Timberline, OR. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1996...The "great arctic outbreak of '96" began to wind down, but not before one more frigid morning. Raleigh-Durham, NC dropped to zero degrees for its coldest February temperature on record. Lakeland and Orlando, FL recorded subfreezing temperatures with 24 and 26 degrees, respectively. The temperature of 10 below zero at Lynchburg, VA tied its all-time record low. Some of the coldest temperatures in 20 years for southern New England were experienced. Shrewsbury, MA recorded 23 below and Willimantic, CT fell to 22 below. (Intellicast)

6 February

...1807...It was the famous "Cold Friday" in the Midwest and South. The temperature did not rise above zero in Ohio and Kentucky. (David Ludlum)
...1856...A lee shore snowburst at Oswego, NY on Lake Ontario dropped an estimated 6 feet of snow. (Intellicast)
...1978...A massive nor'easter buried the cities of the northeastern U.S. Storm totals included 18 inches at New York City, 16 inches at Philadelphia, and 14 inches at Baltimore. The Boston, MA area received 25 to 30 inches in "The Great New England Blizzard of '78", and the mayor outlawed travel in the city for an entire week. By the time the storm ended late on the 7th, Boston had 27.1 inches of new snow to set an all-time single storm snowfall record. Up to 50 inches fell in northern Rhode Island. A tremendous east-northeasterly gradient was set up as the low (984 millibars) bucked up against an enormous 1052 millibar high to the north. Winds gusted to 92 mph at Chatham, MA. East facing coastal sections were devastated by 4 successive high tides. The 14 foot tide recorded at Portland, ME was perhaps the highest this century. Seventy five people were killed and total damage was 500 million dollars. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
...1987...Brownsville, TX was deluged with seven inches of rain in just two hours, and flooding in some parts of the city was worse than that caused by Hurricane Beulah in 1967. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1989... Much of the western half of the country was in the midst of one of the most severe arctic outbreaks of the century. Temperatures in the Yukon of western Canada were comparable to those prior to the arctic blasts of December 1983, and winds above 100 mph ushered the bitterly cold air into western Montana. Forty-one cities in the western U.S. reported new record low temperatures for the date. Lows of 30 degrees below zero at Ely, NV and 33 degrees below at Richfield, UT were all-time records for those locations. Morning lows of 31 degrees at San Francisco, CA and -15 degrees at Reno, NV were records for February. Logan Canyon, UT was the cold spot in the nation with a low of 54 degrees below zero, and Craig, CO hit 51 degrees below zero. (The National Weather Summary) (Intellicast)
...1990...A second cold front brought more heavy snow to the high elevations of Oregon, with 12 inches reported at Sunset Summit. Ten inches of snow blanketed Crater Lake and Mount Bachelor. Heavy snow also blanketed northeastern Nevada and parts of Washington State. In Nevada, up to a foot of snow was reported between Spring Creek and Lamoille. Stevens Pass, WA received 14 inches of snow in 24 hours. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

7 February

...1861...The temperature at Gouverneur, NY dropped 70 degrees in one day from 30 degrees above zero to 40 degrees below zero. Two days later the mercury hit 55 degrees. (David Ludlum)
Hanover, NH plunged plummeted 69 degrees from 37 degrees at 1 PM on the 7th to 32 degrees below zero at 7 AM on the 8th, and West Cummington, MA plummeted 80 degrees to 32 degrees below zero. Boston, MA plunged from 46 degrees to 14 below, and on the 11th was back up to 60 degrees. (7th-8th) (The Weather Channel)
...1920...A great 4 day snow and sleet storm came to an end over New England and southeastern New York. Accumulations of 15 to 20 inches of ice, sleet, and snow were common, stalling traffic for weeks. (Intellicast)
...1978...The worst winter storm of record struck coastal New England. The storm produced 27.5 inches of snow at Boston, and nearly 50 inches in northeastern Rhode Island. The fourteen foot tide at Portland, ME was probably the highest of the century. Winds gusted to 79 mph at Boston, and reached 92 mph at Chatham, MA. A hurricane size surf caused 75 deaths and 500 million dollars damage. (David Ludlum)
...1987...Low pressure in Manitoba, Canada, pulled warm air up from the Gulf of Mexico, and more than forty cities in the north central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date, including North Platte, NE and Rapid City, SD with readings of 73 degrees. (The National Weather Summary)
...1988...Twenty-two cities in the eastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, including Binghamton, NY with a reading of 5 degrees below zero. For the second time in 3 days, significant snow fell in southern Louisiana, with 1 to 4 inches of snow falling south of a Deridder - Morgan City line, and three inches reported at Cameron. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
...1989...Twenty-five cities in the western U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date. Lows of 16 at Las Vegas, NV, 26 at Bakersfield, CA, -29 degrees at Milford, UT, and -16 degrees at Reno, NV were February records. The low of 43 degrees below zero at Boca, CA was a state record for the month of February. In Utah, lows of -32 degrees at Bryce Canyon, -27 degrees at Delta, -29 degrees at Dugway, and -38 degrees at Vernal were all-time records for those locations. (The National Weather Summary)
...1990...A slow moving cold front spread heavy snow across the state of Utah. Storm totals ranged up to 31 inches at Alta, with 24 inches at reported Brighton and 23 inches at Snowbird. Bitter cold weather prevailed across Alaska for the thirteenth day in a row, with morning lows of -42 degrees at Fairbanks, -48 degrees at Nenana, and -54 degrees at Bettles. Anchorage, AK reported a record low of 23 degrees below zero. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)