NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

 

DECEMBER 2013

 

1^st-7^th…A strong cold frontal boundary extended from the southern Plains to the central Great Lakes on Thursday, while an arctic air mass continued to impact the West Coast. A cold front stretched from southern Texas to Lake Erie on Thursday, which pushed an active weather system across the central and eastern thirds of the country. Temperatures were 10 to 30 degrees below normal in the southern Plains, the lower Mississippi Valley and across the Appalachians as Ice storm warnings, winter storm warnings, and flood watches were issued. This cold front triggered freezing rain, sleet and snow showers across Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois and Indiana. Boise City, Okla., reported a midday total of 2.0 inches of snow, while Sherman, Texas, reported a midday total of 0.10 inches of ice accumulation. Meanwhile, rain and thunderstorms impacted a handful of states, as the strongest thunderstorms moved across the Tennessee Valley and the Ohio Valley. Nashville, TN, reported a midday total of 1.80 inches of rain, while Cincinnati, Ohio, reported a midday total of 0.98 inches of rain. The northern Plains and upper Midwest avoided precipitation on Thursday, although frigid, blustery conditions lingered over the two regions.

A mixture of rain, snow, and freezing rain moved across the Eastern states on Friday as a strong cold front continued to make its way eastward throughout the day. The system pulled moisture in from the Gulf of Mexico, while also pulling cool air in from Canada. This allowed for rain and snow to develop from eastern Texas into the Northeast. 2.60 inches of sleet was reported at Macon, Arkansas, while 7.3 inches of snow was reported southwest of Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. The ice storm moved out of eastern Texas early Friday morning, with overnight sleet accumulation up to 3.5 inches at Little Elm, Texas. The northern side of this system brought heavy snow from Missouri through the Ohio River Valley. Snowfall reports ranged from 12 inches at Chester, Illinois to 9 inches at Frederickstown, Missouri. Meanwhile, out West, below normal temperatures continued across the Western states as another strong low pressure system moved in from the Pacific Ocean. This system brought rain and snow showers to northern California and Oregon, with snowfall totals across the Cascades ranging from 3 to 5 inches. Snow levels continued to drop as this system brought more cold air in from the north. Snow levels dropped to 1,000 feet across far northern California and into Oregon.

 

8^th-14^th…A cold frontal boundary extended from the Southeast to the eastern portion of the Great Lakes on Monday. A cold front drove showers and thunderstorms across a handful of states in the Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic on Monday as the front interacted with a warm air mass along the Gulf of Mexico. The strongest showers and thunderstorms impacted Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. Franklin, N.C., reported a midday total of 1.92 inches of rain, while Cartersville, G.A., reported a midday total of 1.72 inches of rain. Meanwhile, snow fell across parts of New England due to a low pressure system off of the coast of Massachusetts. Millinocket, Maine, reported a midday total of 1.50 inches of snow, while Bridgton, Maine, reported a midday total of 1.30 inches of snow.

 

22^nd-28^th…I

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The ice that snapped utility poles and knocked out power to more than half a million people in the U.S. and Canada was stubbornly hanging on Wednesday as frigid temperatures cloaked a region from the Great Lakes to New England.CBS Boston station WBZ's chief meteorologist Eric Fisher tracks the storm that is causing trouble for millions traveling home for Christmas. At least 24 deaths have been linked to the storm, some from carbon monoxide poisoning as people struggle to stay warm.In the U.S., the nationwide death toll from the storm reached at least 14 on Tuesday, when a 50-year-old man in Maine was overcome by carbon monoxide fumes from a generator. It was the second reported death attributed to fumes from a generator during the storm. In Canada, five people were reported dead from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning. Police said two people in Ontario died after using a gas generator to heat their blacked-out home northeast of Toronto. Utility crews from Maine to Michigan and into Canada made progress getting the lights back on Wednesday and people were slowly trickling out of shelters to spend Christmas Day at their finally-warm homes. The number of customers in Maine without power had dropped to 60,000 by Wednesday. In Michigan, about 156,000 people were still without power Wednesday afternoon, down from more than 500,000 at the storm's peak. Snow is falling across most of the state and temperatures are in the teens and 20s. The cold means ice isn't melting off lines and limbs, while wind gusts of more than 20 mph could bring down more branches. Two to 6 inches of snow in places on Thursday will hamper line crews trying to get to remote spots. The ice storm last weekend was one of the worst to hit during a Christmas week and repair crews were working around the clock to restore service. States that weren't hit were sending crews to help. Christmas day in New York City was partly sunny, with a high near 28 degrees, according to the  National Weather Service, and tomorrow the city will see a "slight chance of snow showers before noon, then a slight chance of rain showers between noon and 3pm." In Canada, about 160,000 customers were without power Wednesday. There were 72,000 customers without power in Toronto, down from 300,000 at the height of the outages, and Mayor Rob Ford said some may not have power restored until the weekend.

By WEATHER UNDERGROUND The Associated Press

Updated: 2013-12-25T22:10:33Z

A cold frontal boundary extended from the northern Plains to the upper Midwest on Wednesday, while a frontal boundary lingered along the southern coast of Florida. A low pressure system moved over the western portion of the Great Lakes, as winter weather advisories were issued across Minnesota and Michigan. Snow showers pushed across Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan as a result of this system. Luce, Mich., reported a midday total of 12.0 inches of snow, while Manistee, Mich., reported a midday total of 4.60 inches of snow. An onshore flow from the Atlantic triggered scattered showers and thunderstorms along the coast of the Carolinas and into western Florida. A similar type of flow pushed across southern Texas from the Gulf of Mexico, which ushered showers across the area.

 

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com