Friday Daily Weather Summary

ONLINE DAILY WEATHER SUMMARY

Friday, 12 March 1999

ACTIVE WEATHER IN TEXAS
A MAJOR STORM DEVELOPS
COOL CONDITIONS ACROSS THE EAST
WARM AIR FROM THE NORTHEAST
ANOTHER PACIFIC STORM
YESTERDAY'S TEMPERATURE EXTREMES IN THE LOWER 48
ALASKAN WEATHER
HAWAIIAN WEATHER
A REMINDER
HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS

ACTIVE WEATHER IN TEXAS --A nearly stationary warm front that stretched in an east-west direction across Texas provided the focus for some heavy rain and thunderstorms on Thursday. Warm, humid air flowing northward from the Gulf of Mexico was lifted along the frontal surface. The slow movement of the front meant that many of the storms continued to fall over the same area, resulting in some impressive rainfall totals. Flooding rains fell in Ft. Worth, TX on Thursday morning, when more than three inches of rain was estimated by Doppler radar. By Thursday evening, only 1.67 inches had officially fallen in 18 hours at the airport station. Just before noon, a funnel cloud was reported by the public near the Texas Gulf coast south of Victoria. Severe thunderstorms dropped large hail across north Texas on Thursday evening.

A MAJOR STORM DEVELOPS -- A trough of low pressure that was situated over the southern Rockies on Thursday night was poised to move eastward across the Plains and become a major storm system affecting portions of the Midwest by early in the weekend. This trough, containing one low pressure center in Colorado and another in southern New Mexico, was expected develop along the leeslopes of the Rockies on Friday morning before moving eastward Some snow was falling across the mountains of New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Arizona. Winter storm warnings were posted Thursday night and Friday for the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico.

A precipitation shield associated with this developing system is expected to expand. To the north of the low, heavy snow is expected across the southern Rockies into the central Plains by Friday morning. During the day, heavy snow should expand eastward across Kansas. Some freezing rain is possible across the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle. Winter storm watches had been posted for portions of Colorado and Kansas through Friday night for as much as 7 inches of possible snow. In the warm sector to the south and east of the anticipated storm's path, a slight risk of severe thunderstorms is anticipated to exist over north Texas and southern Oklahoma until Friday morning; this area is expected to expand eastward to include the lower Mississippi Valley during the next 24 hours.

COOL CONDITIONS ACROSS THE EAST -- An expansive ridge of high pressure cell extended southward across the western Great Lakes and the Upper Mississippi Valley from the center of the high that was located to the west of Hudson Bay. Cool, but relatively tranquil weather was found from the Middle Atlantic States westward to the Plains. Under clear skies and weak winds, record low temperatures were set on Thursday morning at Elkins (2 degrees below zero) and Parkersburg (11 degrees) in West Virginia.

The ridge of high pressure is expected to slide slowly to the southeast across the western Lakes on Friday morning.

WARM AIR FROM THE NORTHEAST -- A somewhat unusual situation continued on Thursday as sufficiently warm air permitted rain to fall in Downeast Maine, while colder air to the south and west caused snow to fall at Portland, ME. The reason for this apparent juxtaposition was a warm Atlantic air being carried around the northern quadrants of a storm that was located east of Nova Scotia. As of late Thursday night, a stationary front essentially bisected the state of Maine, with rain to the east, and snow to the west, that extended into New Hampshire, Vermont, Upstate New York and Massachusetts. The precipitation was produced along the front as a result of the moist air moving westward from the Atlantic being lifted over the cooler air to the west.

Some slight westward movement of the front and associated precipitation is forecast by Friday morning.

ANOTHER PACIFIC STORM -- A warm front associated with a storm system located well to the north in the Gulf of Alaska was moving toward the Pacific Northwest coast on Thursday night. Precipitation is expected to develop along the coastline on Friday as the warm front continues to the east.

The afternoon high temperature at UCLA station in Los Angeles reached only 56 degrees on Thursday, setting a new record low maximum temperature for the date.

YESTERDAY'S TEMPERATURE EXTREMES IN THE LOWER 48 -- The lowest temperature on Thursday was 8 degrees below zero at West Yellowstone, MT. Thursday's high was 88 degrees at Laredo, TX.

ALASKAN WEATHER -- A large storm system in the northern Gulf of Alaska spread clouds across much of southern Alaska. The low pressure center was nearly stationary over the northern Gulf of Alaska near the Kenai Peninsula and an occluded front extended eastward from the low center along the entire Gulf coast to the southern tip of the Panhandle. In addition to the coastal regions, clouds spread into the interior, to include the lower Yukon and Kuskokwim Valleys, the Tanana Valley and the Copper River Basin. Snow fell at Homer, Whittier and at Seward, where upwards of eight inches of snow fell. In the Anchorage Bowl, Girdwood and Portage received between 6 to 18 inches of new snow fell over the previous 24 hours. A mixture of rain and snow fell at Valdez, while rain was reported along the Panhandle and the north Gulf coast. A strong pressure gradient surrounding the storm system produced windy conditions. In southeastern Alaska, Metlakatla had gusts to 51 mph, in south central Alaska Kodiak reported 30 mph gusts and in the southwest, Cold Bay had gusts to 35 mph. Another storm system of smaller size was located in the central Bering Sea, bringing clouds to the central Aleutians, the Pribilofs and the Alaska Peninsula.

High pressure over the Arctic Ocean was responsible for mostly clear skies across the North Sloop and northwest Alaska. However, coastal fog was reported near Barrow and Prudhoe Bay, and clouds were found over Barter Island. Relatively cloud-free skies were found across the upper Yukon Valley of eastern interior Alaska and over the northern portions of the Bering Sea, to include coastal portions of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

The lowest overnight temperature in the state on Thursday morning was 49 degrees below zero at Deadhorse and Nuiqsut. The highest afternoon temperature was 45 degrees at Gustavus.

HAWAIIAN WEATHER -- High pressure located approximately halfway between Hawaii and the California Coast maintained pleasant trade weather across the islands on Thursday with mostly cloud-free skies and northeast trade winds. Some trade showers have been found along the windward slopes of the mountain peaks on each of the islands. This pattern should continue through Friday. Another large high pressure system that was located to the west of the International Dateline is expected to move eastward, reaching a position to the north of the islands on Saturday. An attendant increase in the speed of the trade winds is expected by Saturday, with an increase in trade wind showers by Sunday as another cloud band approaches.

A REMINDER -- Next week is Spring vacation week for Online Weather Studies. While no new Activiity files will be posted next week, all other Online Weather Products will be available throughout the week on the Online Weather Studies Homepage. If you have any questions, check with your instructor.

HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS - 12 March

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

...1888... One of the most vicious blizzards ever to strike the US was in progress across Northeast. Southeastern New York State and western New England were paralyzed. When the storm finally ended on the 13th, 58 inches of snow had fallen at Saratoga, NY, and 50 inches at Middletown, CT. Winds to hurricane force whipped drifts over 30 feet deep. The blizzard was followed by record cold temperatures, and the cold and snow claimed 400 lives. New York City received 20.9 inches of snow, Albany, NY reported 46.7 inches. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel) (Intellicast)
...1923...The record low pressure of 28.70 inches for Chicago, IL was set during a storm which produced heavy snow, a thick glaze, gales, and much rain which caused $800,000 damage. (Intellicast)
...1954...A blizzard raged from eastern Wyoming into the Black Hills of western South Dakota, while a severe ice storm was in progress from northeastern Nebraska to central Iowa. The ice storm isolated 153 towns in Iowa. Dust from the Great Plains caused brown snow, and hail and muddy rain over parts of Wisconsin and Michigan. (11th-13th) (The Weather Channel)
...1967...A tremendous four day storm raged across California. Winds of 90 mph closed mountain passes, heavy rains flooded the lowlands, and in sixty hours Squaw Valley, CA was buried under 96 inches (eight feet) of snow. (David Ludlum)
...1987...Unseasonably cold weather prevailed in the southeastern U.S., with gale force winds along the Middle Atlantic Coast. A storm in the Pacific Northwest produced rain and gale force winds. Crescent City, CA received 2.27 inches of rain in 24 hours. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1988...A powerful storm produced high winds and heavy snow in the Upper Mississippi Valley and the Upper Great Lakes Region. Winds gusting to 70 mph produced snow drifts six feet high in Minnesota, and sent twelve foot waves on Lake Superior over the breakwalls of the ship canal at Duluth, MN. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1989...An early season heat wave continued in the southwestern and central U.S. Nineteen cities reported record high temperatures for the date. Wichita Falls, TX, which six days earlier reported a record low of 8 above, reported a record high of 95 degrees. Childress, TX was the first spot in the country in 1989 to hit the century mark. (The National Weather Summary)
...1990...Unseasonably warm weather prevailed from the Southern and Central Plains to the Southern and Middle Atlantic Coast, with afternoon highs in the 70s and 80s. Over 90 high temperature records for this date were broken or tied. Many of the records were topped by 15 degrees or more and some of the records broken had been set 100 years ago or more. Downtown Baltimore, MD was the hot spot in the nation with a record high of 95 degrees, which smashed their previous record for the date by nineteen degrees. Other record highs included 89 degrees at both Washington, DC and Richmond, VA and 90 degrees at Raleigh, NC. (The National Weather Summary) (Intellicast)

13 March

...1924...Heavy wet snow blanketed a large part of northern and central Alabama. The snow clung to everything and caused a lot of damage and major interruptions in communications. Final accumulations ranged from 6.5 inches in Birmingham to 1.4 inches at Montgomery. (Intellicast)
...1951...The state of Iowa experienced a record snowstorm. The storm buried Iowa City under 27 inches of snow. (David Ludlum)
...1953...An F4 tornado cut a 18 mile path through Haskell and Knox counties in Texas. 17 people were killed and a 8 block area of Knox City was leveled. (Intellicast)
...1989...Residents of the southern U.S. viewed a once in a life-time display of the "Northern Lights". Unseasonably warm weather continued in the southwestern U.S. The record high of 88 degrees at Tucson, AZ was their seventh in a row. In southwest Texas, the temperature at Sanderson soared from 46 degrees at 8 AM to 90 degrees at 11 AM. (The National Weather Summary)
...1990...Thunderstorms produced severe weather from northwest Texas to Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska during the day, and into the night. Severe thunderstorms spawned 59 tornadoes, including twenty-six strong or violent tornadoes, and there were about two hundred reports of large hail or damaging winds. Forty-eight tornadoes were reported in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, and some of the tornadoes in those three states were the strongest of record for so early in the season, and for so far northwest in the United States.
The most powerful tornado of the day was one rated F5 on the Fujita scale which tore through the central Kansas community of Hesston, where one person was killed. . Another tornado formed close to the Hesston tornado while it was weakening and absorbed it. This new tornado was also a F5 and killed one person in Gossel, Kansas. These tornadoes injured sixty, and caused 22 million dollars along their 67-mile path. The tornadoes had a life span of two hours. A family of tornadoes, rated up to F4 in intensity, tracked 124 miles across southeastern Nebraska injuring eight persons and causing more than five million dollars damage during its three hour life span. In York county, 12 farms were hit and 10,000 geese were killed. (Storm Data)
...1993...What was to become the "Great Blizzard of '93" developed over the western Gulf of Mexico. As the low pressure area moved eastward and intensified, howling north winds exceeding hurricane force behind the storm were reported by platforms in the Gulf, with winds gusting to 99 mph. As the low crossed the coast around midnight near Panama City, FL, the central pressure was already down to 980 millibars (28.94 inches). During the late evening into the early morning hours of the 13th, a vicious squall line swept through Florida and spawned 11 tornadoes resulting in 5 fatalities. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 110 mph at Alligator Point and 109 mph at Dry Tortugas. Extremely high tides occurred along the western Florida coast. A 13 foot storm surge occurred in Taylor County, FL, resulting in 10 deaths with 57 residences destroyed. A 5 to 8 foot storm surge moved ashore in Dixie County. Over 500 homes were destroyed with major damage to another 700 structures.
This "Great Blizzard of '93" clobbered the eastern US on this day and produced perhaps the largest swath of heavy snow ever recorded. Heavy snow was driven to the Gulf Coast with 3 inches falling at Mobile, AL and up to 5 inches reported in the Florida Panhandle, the greatest single snowfall in the state's history. 13 inches blanketed Birmingham, AL to set not only a new 24 hour snowfall record for any month, but also set a record for maximum snow depth, maximum snow for a single storm, and maximum snow for a single month. Tremendous snowfall amounts occurred in the Appalachians. Mount Leconte in Tennessee recorded an incredible 60 inches. Mount Mitchell in North Carolina was not far behind with 50 inches. Practically every official weather station in West Virginia set a new 24 hour record snowfall. Farther to the north, Pittsburgh, PA measured 25 inches, Albany, NY checked in with 27 inches, and Syracuse, NY was buried under 43 inches. The major population corridor from Washington, DC to Boston, MA was not spared this time as all the big cities got about a foot of snow before a changeover to rain. A rather large amount of thunderstorm activity accompanied the heavy snow. Winds to hurricane force in gusts were widespread. Boston recorded a gust to 81 mph, the highest wind gust at the location since hurricane Edna in 1954. Numerous cities in the south and mid Atlantic states recorded their lowest barometric pressure ever as the storm bottomed out at 960 millibars (28.35 inches) over Chesapeake Bay. 208 people were killed by the storm and total damage was estimated at 6 billion dollars -- the costliest extratropical storm in history. (Intellicast)

14 March

...1870...The term "blizzard" was first applied to a severe storm which produced heavy snow and high winds in Minnesota and Iowa. The "new" word appeared in the "Estherville (Iowa) Vindicator".(David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
...1933...A strong (F3) tornado cut through the center of Nashville, TN. 1400 homes were damaged or destroyed. 11 people were killed and total damage was 1.5 million dollars. (Intellicast)
...1960...Northern Georgia was between snowstorms. Gainesville, GA received 17 inches of snow during the month, and reported at least a trace of snow on the ground 22 days in March. Snow was on roofs in Hartwell, GA from the 2nd to the 29th. (The Weather Channel)
...1987...A powerful storm in the western U.S. produced 15 inches of snow in the Lake Tahoe Basin of Nevada, and wind gusts to 50 mph at Las Vegas, NV. Thunderstorms in the Sacramento Valley of California spawned a tornado which hit a turkey farm near Corning. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1988...Squalls in the Great Lakes Region continued to produce heavy snow in northwest Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, and produced up to 14 inches of snow in northeast Ohio. Poplar, WI reported 27 inches of snow in two days. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1989...High winds in Colorado and Wyoming gusted above 120 mph at Horsetooth Heights, CO. High winds in the Central Plains sharply reduced visibilities in blowing dust as far east as Kansas City, MO. Winds gusting to 72 mph at Hill City, KS reduced the visibility to a city block in blowing dust. Soil erosion in northwest Kansas damaged nearly five million acres of wheat. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1990...Fifty-three cities reported record high temperatures for the date as readings warmed into the 70s and 80s from the Gulf coast to the Great Lakes Region. Charleston, WV was the hot spot in the nation with a record high of 89 degrees. It was the fourth of five consecutive days with record warm temperatures for many cities in the eastern U.S. There were 283 daily record highs reported in the central and eastern U.S. during between the 11th and the 15th of March. (The National Weather Summary)
...1993...Record cold followed in the wake of the "blizzard of '93" over the eastern US with 57 daily record low temperatures broken. Birmingham, AL plunged to 2 degrees, by far breaking its previous march record low of 11 degrees. Orlando, FL recorded 33 degrees to smash its old daily record low by 9 degrees. It was also the coldest temperature ever recorded for so late in the season. (Intellicast)