A SNOW-PRODUCING STORM DEPARTS -- A storm system moved out of the eastern Great Lakes on Sunday night. This system produced varying amounts of lake-enhanced snow along the snow-belt regions on the downwind shores of the eastern Great Lakes, and the mountainous areas extending from West Virginia northward to northern New England. The center of the storm system was located over the St. Lawrence Valley near Montreal late Monday night. An occluded front extended toward the east across the Maritimes, with a warm and cold front well off to sea.
A tight pressure gradient, as indicated by the close packing of the isobars on the surface analysis, produced brisk northwesterly winds to the west of the storm. Snow from the storm system and lake-enhanced snow continued to fall in the cold air to the west of the system, in a region that stretched from the Ottawa River Valley between Ontario and Quebec southward across western New York and Pennsylvania. Some locations received between 1 to 5 inches of snow. With temperatures in the 30s, much of the snow quickly melted. In the higher elevation locations of New York and Pennsylvania, amounts were as much as 8 inches. Locations close to the Atlantic coast had rain. A late-afternoon thunderstorm was reported in New York City.
By Tuesday morning the storm system should have traveled northeastward to central Quebec. The region of precipitation from Upstate New York to northern New England should diminish or move into Canada. However, before ending, some areas of the Laurel Highlands of western Pennsylvania may still receive several more inches of snow by dawn.
FORMATION OF A NEW STORM SYSTEM -- As of Monday night, several low pressure systems were moving eastward across the Plains states. One low was located over Kansas and another low over northwest Minnesota. Light precipitation was falling across the Dakotas and Nebraska. A cold front along the US-Canadian border was moving southward ahead of some colder air that was located across the Prairie Provinces.
A more organized storm system should evolve that is situated over the Mississippi Valley on Tuesday morning. The southern storm should move to near St. Louis, MO and initially spread rain across the mid-Mississippi Valley. The cold front is expected to swing southeastward and change the rain to snow across the upper Mississippi Valley as colder air is swept into the Midwest.
THE WEST BRACES FOR THE NEXT STORM -- A storm system located in the Pacific Ocean to the northeast of Hawaii is expected to intensify and move toward the northeast, reaching the West Coast late on Tuesday. However, as the warm front ahead of the storm approaches, increased cloud cover, the possibility of rain and increased winds should be detected.
Gale warnings were posted for portions of the California coast near Santa Cruz Island. Ocean swells generated by a strong storm in the North Pacific reached to a height of 13 feet along the California coast, causing heavy surf advisories to be issued for the coast from Point Arena to Point Piedras Blancas, as well as for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties.
Winter storm watches were posted for Tuesday night for the Washington and Oregon Cascades and Siskiyous and the mountains of northern California, where snow accumulations upward of 8 inches at elevations above 5000 feet and strong winds were expected.
Several rivers in the Pacific Northwest remain at or above flood stage because of the recent heavy rains and snowmelt.
WARM CONDITIONS ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST -- Afternoon high temperatures across the Plains states were above the climatological average high temperatures for the date, with some locations reaching 20 degrees above the average highs. Del Rio, TX had a daily record high temperature of 93 degrees, while in Colorado, Alamosa and Pueblo tied records with 61 and 76 degrees, respectively. Record high temperatures were set in Utah at Blanding (67 degrees) and Hanksville (72 degrees).
TEMPERATURE EXTREMES IN THE LOWER 48 -- The lowest temperature in the lower 48 states on Monday was 9 degrees above zero at Silver Bay, MN and the highest temperature was 95 degrees at Laughlin AFB, TX.
ALASKAN WEATHER -- Several regions of low pressure covering the Gulf of Alaska on Monday afternoon were responsible for spreading a cloud cover and precipitation across southeastern portions of Alaska, from the Panhandle and the eastern Gulf Coast into portions of the interior. One nearly stationary low center was situated near the Kenai Peninsula, another dissipating low pressure center was found along the southern Panhandle and a third system was moving eastward across the southern Gulf of Alaska. Snow fell along the northern Gulf Coast, especially around Prince William Sound and over the coastal mountain ranges. Alyseka received 20 inches of snow and Portage approximately 14 inches. Light snow was also reported across the Yukon and Tanana Valleys. Rain and snowshowers were found across the Panhandle and the eastern Gulf Coast. Well to the west, another large area of low pressure was a storm system that was situated near the Kamchatka Peninsula in the western Bering Sea, with widespread clouds along a frontal zone from Far Eastern Russia across the western and central Aleutians to the North Pacific Ocean. Rain and snow were associated with this system. Adak reported wind gusts to 48 mph.
An elongated ridge of high pressure separated these two major low pressure systems. The ridge extended from the Chuckchi Sea through the Bering Strait and across portions of the eastern Bering Sea, western Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula. The region dominated by this ridge was relatively clear and cold. Light snow fell across portions of the North Slope and along the Arctic Coast.
The overnight lowest temperature in the state as of Monday morning was 27 degrees below zero at Ambler, Galena and Aniak, while the midday highest temperature was 47 degrees at Ketchikan and Annette.
While many locations in the lower 48 experienced a relatively mild February, much of Alaska was cold, following the "Cold Snap of 1999". Kodiak just experienced the second coldest February on record, with an average monthly temperature of 21.7 degrees; only February 1896 was colder. Anchorage had the fourth coldest February, while Fairbanks registered the ninth coldest. Yakutat received a record breaking 84.0 inches of snow during the month of February.
HAWAIIAN WEATHER -- A weak low pressure system passed to the north of Hawaii on Monday and by late afternoon was located to the northeast of the islands. As a result, light northwesterly winds remained over the islands. The more typical northwesterly trade winds should return once the low moves farther away to the northeast and an eastward moving high pressure cell passes to the north of the islands. Clouds and widely scattered showers associated with a weak trough line extending southwestward from the low was located over Kauai on Monday afternoon. This trough line, remnants of a cold front, should move southeastward, passing across Oahu on Tuesday.
CLOSING THE BOOKS ON FEBRUARY -- As the month climatological data for February are being compiled and analyzed, several noteworthy statistics should be mentioned.
Dry conditions were found across the Gulf Coast states. Mobile, AL suffered through its driest February on record, with only 1.09 inches of rain, smashing a 144 year old record, while Pensacola measured only 0.76 inches of rain, for the second driest February. Abilene, TX had no rain during the entire month, equaling earlier records set more than 90 years ago. On the other hand, monthly precipitation records were set in the Pacific Northwest. In Washington, Olympia had 15.50 inches of rain and the Quillayute Airport Forks had 26.20 inches. Eureka, CA experienced 25 days during the 28 day month with measurable rainfall (0.01 inches or more), one day shy of the record set last year.
Binghamton, NY had a three-month (DJF) average temperature of 27.9 degrees, tying this just concluded meteorological winter for the fourth warmest winter on record.
THE FIRST OF TWO -- Today marks the first of two full moons during the month of March. The full moon that occurs at 0658 Z today (1:58 AM EST, 12:58 AM CST, etc.) for the month of March is traditionally called the "Sap Moon", "Crow Moon" or "Lenten Moon". The second full moon will be on 31 March and is called a "Blue Moon".
AIR PRESSURE CHANGES -- For details describing variations in air pressure with time, see Tuesday's optional electronic Supplemental Information.
From the files of the Aviation Weather Center, Kansas City, MO and Intellicast
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Prepared by Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
© Copyright, 1999, The American Meteorological Society.