Tuesday Daily Weather Summary

ONLINE DAILY WEATHER SUMMARY

Tuesday, 30 March 1999

WET WEATHER ALONG THE GULF COAST
PLEASANT WEATHER ACROSS A LARGE AREA
STORMY WEATHER CONTINUES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
TEMPERATURE EXTREMES IN THE LOWER 48
ALASKAN WEATHER
HAWAIIAN WEATHER
WIND OBSERVATIONS
HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS

WET WEATHER ALONG THE GULF COAST -- A slow moving storm system continued to spread rain across the Louisiana and Texas Gulf coasts on Monday. The low pressure system was located over the Gulf of Mexico approximately 100 miles south of the entrance to Galveston Bay as of late Tuesday night. An extensive area of precipitation was located to the north of the system, stretching from east Texas to Mississippi. The slow movement of this system has meant that more than an inch of rain has fallen in some locations.

While the surface feature appears as a weak low, the storm system consists of a cold pool of air aloft in the mid to upper troposphere at altitudes above 20,000 feet. This pool of air has become detached from the main westerly flow of air and as a result, has become sluggish. Little movement of this storm system is expected by Tuesday morning, as rains continue to fall on essentially the same locations.

PLEASANT WEATHER ACROSS A LARGE AREA -- High pressure was situated over the Ohio and mid-Mississippi Valleys on Monday night. Relatively cloud-free skies and mild weather were the rule for much of the country to the east of the Rockies. Brisk conditions were found along portions of the East Coast as a cold front quickly moved eastward, replaced by northwesterly winds on the eastern flank of the high pressure system.

A broad southwesterly wind flow on the west limb of the ridge produced warm conditions across the Plains states on Monday.

A slow eastward movement of the high pressure center is expected by Tuesday morning.

STORMY WEATHER CONTINUES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST -- Wet and windy conditions persisted across portions of the Pacific Northwest on Monday as several storm systems affected the region.. A cold front associated with a storm system in the North Pacific made landfall and moved inland on Monday. Nearly all-day rains fell across the lower elevations of western Washington and Oregon. Southerly wind gusts to 47 mph were reported from near Snoqualmie Pass in the Washington Cascades, where 18 inches of snow fell overnight.

By late Monday night, the cold front trailed southwestward from a low pressure center in southeastern Alberta across Montana and Idaho into central California. At the same time, a new low pressure system that was located along the British Columbia coast to the north of Vancouver Island brought more precipitation and windy conditions to the Pacific Northwest.

Rain is expected along coastal regions through Tuesday, while snow is anticipated at higher elevations. As cold air rotates in behind the storm system, the snow level is expected to descend to less than 1000 feet in the higher terrain around Seattle. Snow advisories have be posted for Monday night across the Olympics and Washington Cascades for as much as 11 additional inches of snow, while in the Oregon Cascades should receive 6 inches of new snow.

The storms in the Gulf of Alaska continued to generate large ocean swells that propagate southward along the Pacific Coast of Lower 48. Some swells reached heights of 25 feet and could produce large breakers that range from 25 to 35 feet in some locations. Heavy surf advisories were continued until Tuesday for the Washington and Oregon coasts extending from Port Flattery, WA south to Florence, OR, and then along the California coast southward to Point Piedras Blancas.

TEMPERATURE EXTREMES IN THE LOWER 48 -- The lowest temperature in the lower 48 states on Monday was 13 degrees at Alamosa, CO. Monday's highest temperature was 90 degrees at Bullhead City, AZ.

ALASKAN WEATHER -- A large elongated ridge of arctic high pressure dominated the eastern half of Alaska on Monday, producing another round of cold weather to Alaska. The center of the ridge, with a central pressure in excess of 1040 mb, remained located over the Arctic Ocean north of the Chuckchi Sea. A ridge line, or axis of high pressure, ran to the southeast toward Great Bear and Great Slave Lakes in northwest Canada. Except for a few high clouds, relatively cloud-free skies associated with this high were found across the eastern half of the state. Clear skies and the arctic air were responsible for the record low temperatures that were set on Monday morning at Umiat with a overnight low of 45 degrees below zero and at Prudhoe Bay/Arco Tower, a record low of 43 degrees below zero. On Monday afternoon, the high temperature of 32 degrees below zero at Prudhoe Bay/Arco was the lowest daily high temperature for so late in winter. Wind-chill warnings were posted for the Koyukuk, the upper Kobuk and the Noatak Valleys near the Brooks Range, where wind-chill equivalent temperatures had fallen to 75 degrees below zero, as well as the northwest Chuckchi Sea coast in the vicinity of Point Hope, where winds gusted to 40 mph.

A storm system moving across the Bering Sea spread clouds, scattered precipitation and high winds from across the western Aleutians to the western Alaskan mainland. Light snow fell at Cold Bay on Monday morning. A wind-chill advisory was posted for St. Lawrence Island, where winds gusted to 40 mph. Winds increased across the Pribilofs where winds gusted to 30 mph and blowing snow reduced visibility to a half mile. Wind advisories were in effect for the Pribilofs.

Another trough of low pressure was found along the coast of the Gulf of Alaska. One low pressure center was located along the British Columbia coast between the Queen Charlotte and Vancouver Islands, while another low center was situated near the Kenai Peninsula. Light snow fell over the higher elevations of the Kenai Peninsula, in the vicinity of King Salmon and in a band from Ilimana and Port Alsworth to McGrath, Unalakleet, Koyuk and Deering.

The lowest overnight temperature in the state as of Monday was 44 degrees below zero at Deadhorse and Kuparuk. The midafternoon high was 49 degrees at Klawok.

HAWAIIAN WEATHER -- Gusty trade winds continued across the islands into Monday as a large ridge of high pressure was located approximately 1000 miles to the north-northeast of Hawaii. Trade wind showers continued across the islands as sufficient moisture was available. These winds are expected to weaken late Tuesday as the ridge weakens and drifts southwestward. The winds will become more northeasterly in direction. Drier weather is also expected. Gale warnings were continued for all inter-island channels and small craft advisories remained for coastal waters.

WIND OBSERVATIONS -- So how can we make our own wind observations, and what can we learn from our observations? If you are curious, refer to the optional Supplemental Information for Tuesday.

HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS - 30 March

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

...1823...A great Northeast storm with hurricane force winds raged from Pennsylvania to Maine. The storm was most severe over New Jersey with high tides, uprooted trees, and heavy snow inland. (David Ludlum)
...1899...A storm which buried Ruby, CO under 141 inches of snow came to an end. Ruby was an old abandoned mining town on the Elk Mountain Range in the Crested Butte area. (The Weather Channel)
...1977...Hartford, CT hit 87 degrees to establish a record for the month of March. (The Weather Channel)
...1987...A storm spread heavy snow across the Ohio Valley and Lower Great Lakes Region. Cleveland, OH received sixteen inches of snow in 24 hours, their second highest total of record. Winds gusting to 50 mph created 8 to 12 foot waves on Lake Huron. The storm also ushered unseasonably cold air into the south central and southeastern U.S., with nearly one hundred record lows reported in three days. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1988...A winter-like storm developed in the Central Rockies. Snowfall totals in Utah ranged up to 15 inches at the Brian Head Ski Resort, and winds in Arizona gusted to 59 mph at Show Low. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1989...Thunderstorms developing along and ahead of a slow moving cold front produced large hail and damaging winds at more than fifty locations across the southeast quarter of the nation, and spawned a tornado which injured eleven persons at Northhampton, NC. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1990...Low pressure produced heavy snow in central Maine and northern New Hampshire, with up to eight inches reported in Maine. A slow moving Pacific storm system produced 18 to 36 inches of snow in the southwestern mountains of Colorado in three days. Heavier snowfall totals included 31 inches at Wolf Creek Pass and 27 inches at the Monarch Ski Area. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)