Friday Daily Weather Summary

ONLINE DAILY WEATHER SUMMARY

Friday, 5 March 1999

WINTRY WEATHER MOVES THROUGH THE NORTHEAST
UNSETTLED WEATHER IN THE MIDWEST
A CHILLY START ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST
A RESPITE IN THE NORTHWEST
YESTERDAY'S TEMPERATURE EXTREMES IN THE LOWER 48
ALASKAN WEATHER
HAWAIIAN WEATHER
HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS

WINTRY WEATHER MOVES THROUGH THE NORTHEAST -- The storm system that brought strong winds, heavy precipitation and thunderstorms to the Northeast on Wednesday night was centered over eastern Quebec and the lower St. Lawrence Valley on Thursday night. Widely scattered snow continued across New England and Upstate New York, accompanied by brisk northwesterly winds.

Earlier on Thursday a large widespread area of snow fell across the eastern Great Lakes into the Appalachians, partly due to the intense counterclockwise circulation around the storm system that carried moisture from the Atlantic around the north and west sides of the storm and party from the lake-enhanced snow associated with northwesterly wind across the lakes. Some locations across the Northeast experienced blizzard and whiteout conditions as strong winds to as high as 40 mph along with the heavy snow reduced visibility in the blowing snow. More than 18 inches of new snow had fallen across the high terrain of West Virginia, central Pennsylvania and western New York State. As of late Thursday afternoon, Rochester, NY had received 24.3 inches of snow, the second highest 24 hour snowfall in station history. At times, snow fell at a rate of 2 to 3 inches per hour.

As the storm system continues to move toward the northeast on Friday morning, the pressure gradient should relax and the strong northwesterly winds of Thursday should weaken. A winter weather advisory continued into Friday for portions of New York State's Mohawk Valley for several inches of additional snow.

UNSETTLED WEATHER IN THE MIDWEST -- Light snow moved eastward from the northern Plains into the Upper Midwest on Thursday night along an east-west running stationary front that extended from the western Great Lakes westward to the northern Rockies. Accumulations of up to inch or so are possible.

Farther to the southwest, a warm front ran from a low pressure area in northern Kansas eastward into the mid-Mississippi Valley. A broad southerly wind flow south of this warm front is expected to create "overrunning" on Friday. The air in the southerly wind flow would be carried up and over cooler air near the surface, producing widespread precipitation to the north of the front. On Friday the low in the Plains is expected to intensify, resulting in several inches of snow to fall from the Mississippi Valley eastward into the lower Great Lakes.

To the south of the warm front, the southerly flow of warm moist Gulf air could also increase the possibility of severe weather. A slight risk of strong to severe thunderstorms exists on Friday for the lower and mid-Mississippi Valley. An intensifying pressure gradient over the western Plains necessitated issuing a wind advisory for north Texas, where southerly winds could reach speeds of 30 mph.

MOUNTAIN SNOWS -- Snow fell across the central Rockies on Thursday in association with a trough of low pressure located in Colorado. Additional snow was expected to continue from the Colorado and Wyoming Rockies to the Wasatch Front in Utah, where snow advisories were posted.

A CHILLY START ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST -- A large region of high pressure centered over east Tennessee on Thursday night dominated the weather across the Southeast. With the ingredients for radiational cooling -- clear skies, low atmospheric humidity and weak winds under high pressure -- overnight low temperatures across the Southeast could fall to the upper 20s. As a result, freeze advisories were posted for much of South Carolina and east central Georgia.

A RESPITE IN THE NORTHWEST -- After nearly a week of being battered by storms, the Pacific Northwest experienced quieter and drier weather as high pressure moved into the region. As of late Thursday night, the high pressure ridge extended westward from the Oregon Coast. Some widely scattered rain and snow lingered along the mountains along the northern flanks of the ridge as onshore winds continued to interact with the mountain barriers in western Washington State and Oregon. This high pressure ridge is expected to build eastward into interior sections of the Northwest on Friday morning. Light upslope rain and snow may be found over the northern Cascades.

A frost advisory was posted for California's Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys as high pressure develops across the region and the cool, dry air mass will permit temperatures to fall into the mid 30s. Freeze warnings were also posted for Mendocino County in Northern California.

YESTERDAY'S TEMPERATURE EXTREMES IN THE LOWER 48 -- The lowest temperature on Thursday was 9 degrees below zero at Ironwood, MI and Eagle River, WI, while the day's high was 86 degrees at Laredo, TX.

ALASKAN WEATHER -- A sprawling ridge of high pressure centered over the Yukon Valley brought relatively cloud-free skies and unseasonably cold weather to much of the Alaska mainland on Thursday. A storm system over the Gulf of Alaska off the coast of the Panhandle brought low clouds to the Panhandle and eastern Gulf Coast, while snowshowers were confined to coastal sections of the Panhandle. Another storm system in the western Bering Sea spread clouds and precipitation across the Aleutians. Shemya had snow for much of Thursday, while Adak had pre-dawn rain and snow, with winds gusting to 41 mph.

Strong northerly and northwesterly winds developed as a result of the pressure gradient between the high pressure over interior Alaska and the Gulf low pressure system. At some locations, winds increased as they were channeled through mountain passes. Valdez had gusts to 62 mph, Whittier reported gusts to 46 mph and Kodiak experienced 36 mph gusts. Wind advisories were posted for both Seward and Valdez. The strong winds helped produce some large temperature rises across south central Alaska on Thursday morning. A shift in wind direction coupled to a 30 mph increase in wind speed in the region between Wasilla and Willow destroyed the strong temperature inversion, mixing warm air downward into the cold surface layer and causing the temperature to rise 15 degrees within 2 hours. These off-shore winds also cleared the clouds from along the north Gulf Coast.

The statewide overnight lowest temperature as of Thursday morning was 38 degrees below zero at Fort Yukon. The midafternoon highest temperature was 43 degrees at Klawock.

HAWAIIAN WEATHER-- A ridge of high pressure located to the northeast of Hawaii brought pleasant weather with relatively cloud-free skies to the islands. This ridge is expected to weaken and move slightly to the southwest, resulting in a slight weakening of the wind speeds to less than 20 mph and a turning of the winds to a easterly or southeasterly direction. With weakening of the trade winds, the locally driven sea breeze circulation regime should become more dominant, with light afternoon rain showers especially over the interior sections of the islands. This pleasant weather should continue through the weekend. High surf advisories were in effect for the north and west shores of the islands.

HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS - 5 March

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

...1960...Eastern Massachusetts' greatest March snowstorm of record began to abate. The storm produced record 24 hour snowfall totals of 27.2 inches at Blue Hill Observatory, 17.7 inches at Worcester, and 16.6 inches at Boston. Winds gusted to 70 mph. (3rd-5th) (The Weather Channel)
...1962...A tremendous storm raged along the Atlantic coast. The great Atlantic storm caused more than 200 million dollars property damage from Florida to New England. Winds along the Middle Atlantic Coast reached 70 mph raising forty foot waves, and as much as 33 inches of snow blanketed the mountains of Virginia. The Virginia shoreline was rearranged by historic tidal flooding caused by the combination of the long stretch of strong onshore winds and the "Spring Tides". (David Ludlum)
...1987...A storm in the western U.S. produced heavy rain and high winds in California. Up to six inches of rain soaked the San Francisco Bay area in 24 hours, and winds gusted to 100 mph at the Wheeler Ridge Pumping Plant near the Tehachapi Mountains. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1988...While snow blanketed eastern Kansas and northern Oklahoma, eight cities in North Dakota reported new record high temperatures for the date. The afternoon high of 61 degrees at Bismarck, ND was 27 degrees warmer than that at Chanute, KS. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1989...Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the southeastern U.S. A strong (F-2) tornado killed one person and injured six others in Heard County GA. A strong (F-3) tornado injured 23 persons and caused more than five million dollars damage around Grantville, GA. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1990...Thunderstorms over eastern Colorado, developing ahead of a major storm system, produced up to three inches of small hail around Colorado Springs in the late morning and early afternoon. Strong thunderstorms swept through southeastern sections of the Denver area during the evening hours. These strong thunderstorms also produced up to three inches of small hail, along with wind gusts to 50 mph, and as much as 2.4 inches of rain. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

6 March

...1872...A cold wave hit the East Coast sending the mercury plunging to 8 degrees below zero at Boston. It was the most severe March cold wave in modern history. (David Ludlum)
...1900...A chinook wind blowing down the slopes of the Rockies through Havre, MT raised the temperature 31 degrees in just three minutes. (The Weather Channel)
...1954...Florida received its greatest modern-day snowfall of record, with 4.0 inches at the Milton Experimental Station. Pensacola, FL equaled their 24-hour record with 2.1 inches of snow. (The Weather Channel)
...1962...The Great Atlantic Coast Storm of 1962 destroyed over $200 million worth of property from Florida to New England. The storm caused major shoreline erosion from North Carolina to Long Island. A 3 mile long boardwalk in Ocean City, MD was wiped out. The storm caused greater alteration of the coastline from Cape Hatteras, NC northward than any previous storm, including hurricanes. A new inlet was cut through Hatteras Island and more than 10 miles of outer banks barrier dunes were obliterated. Winds of up to 75 mph raised waves to heights of 40 feet. Forty two inches of snow fell at Big Meadows, located in the mountains of Virginia -- a state record. (Intellicast)
...1984...Heavy rains soaked Florida for 24 hours with rainfall totals reaching as high as 9 inches at Whigham and 9.55 inches at Marianna. (Intellicast)
...1987...Twenty-eight cities in the north central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. Pickstown, SD was the hot spot in the nation with a reading of 83 degrees. The high of 71 at Saint Cloud, MN smashed their previous record set in 1983 by 21 degrees. (The National Weather Summary)
...1988...Wintry weather developed in the Rockies and the Plateau Region as arctic air swept in from the northwest. Blizzard conditions in southeast Idaho claimed the lives of two teenagers. Thunderstorms developed in Utah and Idaho. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1990...Colorado's strongest winter storm of the season moved northeastward across the state producing 50 inches of snow at Echo Lake, 46.5 inches on Buckhorn Mountain, and 46 inches near the top of Coal Canyon. Snow fell at the rate of several inches per hour during the height of the storm, while winds gusted above 50 mph. A the University of Denver High Altitude Lab, Mount Evans reported 50 inches of snow in a 24 hour period and winds gusting up to 40 mph caused whiteout conditions. Several hundred rush hour commuters, including the state governor, were stranded in blizzard conditions along Highway 36 between Denver and Boulder. Drifts up to twelve feet high had to be cleared southeast of Boulder. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
...1992...Severe thunderstorms dumped large amounts of hail over sections of Georgia and Florida. Hail accumulated to a depth of 6 inches at Marietta, GA. Hail the size of golf balls covered the ground 3 to 4 inches deep uniformly at Longwood and Altamonte Springs, FL. Hail damage was extensive with broken windows and vehicle and roof damage widespread. Total damage in Florida amounted to 25 million dollars, the most damaging hailstorm in Florida's history (until 25 March 1992). (Intellicast)

7 March

...1717...The "Great Snow", a composite of four winter storms to hit the eastern U.S. in nine days, finally came to an end. Snow depths averaged 60 inches following the storm. Up to four feet of snow fell around Boston, MA, and snow drifts 25 feet high were reported around Dorchester, MA. There was no traveling or rural church going for 3 weeks. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
...1932...A severe coastal storm set barometric pressure records from Virginia to New England. Block Island, RI reported a barometric pressure reading of 28.20 inches. (David Ludlum)
...1987...Forty-five cities in the north central and northeastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. Huron, SD hit 80 degrees, and Pickstown, SD reached 81 degrees. Rochester, MN and Rockford, IL smashed their previous record for the date by sixteen degrees. (The National Weather Summary)
...1988...High winds along a sharp cold front ushered snow and arctic cold into the Central Rocky Mountain Region and the Northern Plains. Snowfall totals in Utah ranged up to sixteen inches at Brighton. Winds gusted to 66 mph at Rapid City, SD. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1989...Blustery northwest winds ushered arctic cold into eastern U.S. Burlington, VT reported a record low of 14 degrees below zero. Snow and ice over the Carolinas replaced the 80 degree weather of the previous day. High winds and heavy surf caused five million dollars damage along the North Carolina coast. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1990...A major ice storm left much of Iowa under a thick coat of ice. It was the worst ice storm in at least twenty-five years for Iowa, perhaps the worst of the century. Up to two inches of ice coated much of western and central Iowa, with three inches reported in Crawford County and Carroll County. As much as five inches of ice was reported on some electrical lines. The ice downed 78 towers in a 17-mile stretch of a high voltage feeder near Boone costing three electric utilities fifteen million dollars. Damage to trees was incredible, and clean-up costs alone ran into the millions. Total damage from the storm was more than fifty million dollars. (Storm Data)
...1996...6.5 inches of snow fell at Boston, MA on this date to bring its seasonal total to 96.4 inches -- the city's snowiest winter in 105 years of record keeping. The old record was 96.3 inches set in the 1993-94 winter season. Now all major cities along this East Coast had broken their seasonal snowfall records in the 1995-96 winter season. (Intellicast)