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NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

 

FEBRUARY 2013

 

1st-9thTwo weather systems merged over the Northeast on Friday as a low pressure system moved eastward over the Great Lakes and another system moved northward up the East Coast. This pushed abundant moisture onshore, while the system to the north kept the region cool. This allowed for heavy snow showers to spread from the Great Lakes into the Northeast, while snow, freezing rain, and rain showers moved in from the south. Snowfall totals have ranged from 4 to 12 inches across Michigan, with 5 to 8 inches across western New York and Vermont. Mid-day snowfall totals reached up to 7.5 inches at Morrisville, Vermont, with 6.6 inches of snow reported at Portland, Maine. Rainfall totals over the Mid-Atlantic States have ranged from 2 to 3 inches. Heaviest rainfall was reported at Hatteras,North Carolina with a mid-day total of 2.85 inches of rain. Strong winds accompanied this system with gusts from 50 to 60 mph. Thus, blizzard warnings have been issued for parts of the Northeast, with hurricane force wind advisories issued for the coastal areas.

Out West, a low pressure system moved over the West Coast and into the Great Basin, producing more scattered rain and high elevation snow showers. Rainfall totals remained less than an inch, while snowfall totals across the Great Basin reach up to 7 inches at highest mountain peaks.

 

17th…23rdA major Winter storm tracked through the Southwest Wednesday, bringing heavy snow to the mountainous areas of Arizona and New Mexico. Winter Storm Warnings were posted in the area through Wednesday in anticipation of up to a foot of new snow by the time the storm departs the area. Meanwhile, a tremendous amount of moisture streamed into the southern and central Plains and produced another of heavy snow. The heaviest snow fell in Oklahoma and Kansas, making travel difficult and canceling many events in the region.

Wintry weather continued to move through the country on Friday, as a strong winter storm moved northeastward from the Central Plains and into the Great Lakes. The system created a frontal boundary that kicked up moderate to heavy snow showers across the Upper Midwest and into the Great Lakes. Snowfall totals ranged from 3 to 5 inches in most areas, with isolated amounts over 7 inches in Iowa and southern Minnesota. At the same time, a warm front extended eastward from this system and brought snow showers up the Ohio River Valley, into the Northeast. Snowfall totals in these areas remained less than 3 inches for these areas. Winter weather advisories have been issued from Minnesota through Michigan, and Ohio, into New York and Pennsylvania. To the south, a cold front extended southward from this system and kicked up more shower and thunderstorm activity across the Southeast from the Lower Mississippi River Valley through the Carolinas and Virginias. Some of these storms turned severe with heavy rains and strong winds. Nickel to quarter size hail was reported in Cranfield and Kingston, Mississippi.

 

Meanwhile out West, a low pressure system that moved into British Columbia from the Gulf of Alaska pushed a frontal boundary into the Pacific Northwest. This kicked up heavy rain and high elevations snow across Washington and Oregon, and moved into the Intermountain West Friday afternoon and evening.

 

24th-28thThe strong storm system of the West moved east to northeastward across the Southern Plains on Monday with plenty of precipitation. As the system trekked across the northern tier of Texas and met with ample moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, heavy rain and ongoing thunderstorms developed ahead of the low as well as ahead and along an associated cold front, from central and eastern Texas and Oklahoma into the Lower and Mid-Mississippi River Valleys. Additional heavy rain and thunderstorms also formed across the Southeast near the Gulf Coast as an associated warm front lifted northward across the Gulf Coast. Conditions across the Central and Eastern Gulf Coast States were favorable for severe storms and possibly rotating storms with threats of tornadoes and hail events. As of this afternoon, 1 tornado was spotted in Franklin County, Florida, while over a handful of quarter to lime sized hail (1.00 to 2.00 inches in diameter) events were reported with minor property damage near the Texas-Oklahoma-Arkansas and in southern Louisiana. Meanwhile, colder temperatures on the northern and western sides of this storm supported heavy snow development from areas of northern Texas into Kansas. Blizzard conditions developed from the Texas Panhandle through central Oklahoma and into southwestern Kansas as snow increased across the region through the day and strong winds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts to 55 mph created lowered visibilities to near white out conditions, snow drifts of up to 5 feet, and ultimately dangerous travel conditions. Snow accumulation in these areas were expected to range from 3 to 8 inches in the western Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles, 8 to 15 inches across the central and eastern Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles, and 6 to 12 inches in central Oklahoma and southwestern Kansas with locally higher amounts of 16 to 20 inches possible.

A strong storm continued moving through the eastern half of the country Wednesday as it moved from the Ohio Valley into the Great Lakes. This storm carried significant moisture northward with it, and produced widespread snow from Iowa through the Northeast. There were reports of 6 foot snow drifts in Wisconsin as the freshly fallen snow was blown around by strong winds that accompanied the storm. Some of the precipitation associated with the storm fell as rain along coastal areas of New England.

 

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



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