NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY
FEBRUARY 2010
1st-6th…Snowy
weather returned to the Central and Northern Plains on Monday as a low pressure
system moved off the Rockies. This system created a warm front that extended
eastward from the High Plains and from Nebraska and into the Midwest. Not much
moisture was associated with this system as it previously triggered snow over
the Cascades and Northern Rockies. Thus, snowfall totals remained near and inch
over the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Upper Midwest. Slightly warmer air accompanied
this system with highs in the teens over most of these areas. To the south, cool
and dry conditions persisted over the Southern Plains with highs in the 40s.
The
Southeast, however, saw another rainy day as another low pressure system
developed over the Gulf of Mexico and moved northeastward through the Gulf
states. Flow around this system picked up abundant moisture from the Gulf and
spread light and scattered showers over the surrounding coasts. Rainfall
remained less than a half of an inch on Monday. To the North, high pressure
built in from the Plains and hovered over the Great Lakes and Northeast, and
stretched down the Mississippi River Valley. Overcast skies developed as moist
flow moved off the Great Lakes and into the Northeast and New England. Also, a
few snow showers persisted early Monday morning along the shores of the Lower
Great Lakes. Meanwhile, out West, a low pressure system spun offshore and pushed
a moist cold front over northern California and Oregon. This kicked up light
showers with less than a quarter of an inch.
Wet
weather continued to develop throughout portions of the West today as an eastern
Pacific storm sat off the Pacific Northwest coast and another storm system
advanced toward the Southwest. Energy and moist flow from the eastern Pacific
storm fueled light rain and high-elevation snow showers across the Pacific
Northwest, the northern Intermountain West, and the northern portions of Nevada
and Utah. A few light showers reached into northern California today, while the
remainder of the state experienced mostly dry conditions due to a little ridge
of high pressure. To the south, widespread clouds and unsettling weather
activity covered the Southwest as a potent storm system in northern Mexico
advanced northeastward toward the region. The system continued to draw moisture
from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico to produce areas of scattered rain
and snow showers with areas of freezing fog across Arizona, New Mexico, and
western Texas. The heaviest concentration of rain fell across the Texas
Panhandle during the afternoon. Rainfall in this area began to change into snow
during the late afternoon and created difficult driving conditions for
commuters. In the East, active weather across the Mid-Atlantic and portions of
New England began to taper off through the day as low pressure along the coast
trekked further into the Atlantic Ocean. Elsewhere, cold high pressure kept the
Midwest under dry and cold weather conditions through the afternoon, while the
Southeast experienced dry and pleasant weather activity.
A
major, possibly historic storm blasted the East on Friday. The storm originated
in the Gulf of Mexico before pressing to the northeast toward the Mid-Atlantic.
Because of its path, it carried a tremendous amount of moisture that produced
heavy rain in the Southeast. This rain sparked widespread flooding concerns from
Mississippi through the Southeast Coast. The heaviest rain was along the
Southeast Coast late in the afternoon as the cold front was on the verge of
moving into the Atlantic Ocean. The hardest hit area was the Mid-Atlantic as the
air in the area was just cold enough to produce very heavy snow. Winter weather
advisories were posted from Illinois through the Mid-Atlantic as record-breaking
snow was possible in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area by the time the storm is
finished. This means that over 2 feet of new snow is possible in the area. This
amount of snow has caused dangerous cold and travel conditions for the area and
will continue into the evening.
Meanwhile in the West, another Pacific storm pushed onto the West Coast and
renewed rain and high elevation snow in California and the Southwest. The
easily-flooded ground in Southern California showed signs of saturation with
this new precipitation. Several inches of snow also fell in the Sierra Nevadas.
The Northeast rose into the 20s and 30s, while the Southeast saw temperatures in
the 40s, 50s, and 60s. The Northern Plains rose into the 20s and 30s, while the
Northwest saw temperatures in the 40s and 50s.
A
major, historic storm continued to pile snow on the Mid-Atlantic on Saturday.
While snow diminished from west to east as the storm moved off the eastern
seaboard and into the Atlantic Ocean, it did remain a problem for the middle
portion of the coast. Winter Storm Warnings remain posted from the Ohio Valley
through the Mid-Atlantic and many areas received well over 2 feet of new snow.
This will make the current storm one of the strongest on record. As the storm
moved away from the area in the afternoon, precipitation diminished and allowed
the Nation's Capitol to begin the process of digging out. Cold air continued to
stream in behind the aforementioned storm, with temperatures near freezing into
Oklahoma. Another Pacific storm renewed rain and high elevation snow in
California and the Southwest. Widespread showers were noted in Southern
California, sparking some flooding concerns in the hills that either have little
or no vegetation. The Northeast rose into the 20s and 30s, while the Southeast
saw temperatures int he 30s, 40s, and 50s. The Northern Plains rose into the 20s
and 30s, while the Northwest saw temperatures in the 40s and 50s.
7th-13th…Snowy
conditions spread over most of the Central part of the nation on Monday as a
strong system moved through the region. A low developed over the Rockies and
pulled ample moisture up from the Gulf of Mexico as it moved through the Plains.
In addition to cool air over the Plains and Mississippi River Valley, the front
associated with this system triggered periods of heavy snow. The front tracked
through the Upper Midwest and into the Upper and Mid-Mississippi River Valley,
and also wrapped into the Central and Southern Plains. This kicked up snowfall
totals between 3-5 inches in the Upper Midwest, while northern Texas saw mainly
1-2 inches of snow thus far. Fritch, Texas reported 2 inches of new snow and
Piedmont, Oklahoma saw up to 3 inches of a sloppy mixture of frozen rain and
sleet. Behind this system, high pressure system built over the Northern Rockies
and Northern Plains. This allowed for cool Canadian air to pour into the Central
US, thus, highs in the North remained near zero. However many areas saw strong
winds and allowed for wind chills in the -20s. Dickinson, North Dakota saw wind
gusts up to 23 mph and up to 30 mph in North Platte, Nebraska. To the east, this
system pushed overcast clouds over the Mississippi River and up the Ohio River
Valley, but snow has not yet been triggered. Just to the south, a small ridge of
high pressure lingered over the East Coast and allowed for sunny skies and highs
in the 50s over the Southeastern states. The extreme Northeast saw a few light
flurries again as a low pressure system in the Atlantic pushed some moisture
onshore. Meanwhile, the West Coast saw cloudy skies as a low pressure system
hovered offshore and pushed a cold front closer to the region. Precipitation has
not yet been reported over California or the Pacific Northwest.
Widespread clouds covered the northeastern quadrant of the nation today as a
raging blizzard engulfed the northern Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. This
strong storm continued to crank out heavy snowfall, blustery winds, and minimal
visibility levels from Virginia through New York as it intensified off the
Northeast coast. As the storm strengthened, strong winds gusted over 40 mph
across a large portion of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S., causing a larger
region of blizzard conditions with blowing and drifting snow. This combination
of hazardous weather activity continued to paralyze the Northeast and the
northern Mid-Atlantic with delayed to grounded travel conditions, property
damage, and power disruptions. Out West, gloomy skies covered the Pacific
Northwest as an eastern Pacific front pushed toward the Pacific Northwest coast
and an offshore trough of low pressure ushered a surge of Pacific moisture into
the region. Energy and moisture from these systems produced areas of scattered
coastal and valley rain showers and high-elevation snowfall through the day.
Some of this precipitation spread southward into northern California, while most
of the state experienced a brief period of dry weather during the afternoon.
Meanwhile, another storm in the Southwest produced patches of precipitation from
southwestern California through portions of Arizona and New Mexico.
An
active storm pattern over the Southern US continued on Thursday as another low
pressure system developed in the Western Gulf. The storm brought heavy rain to
southern Texas and Louisiana while snow fell from just southwest of Dallas north
and east into Oklahoma and northern Louisiana. As of early afternoon, the Dallas
area had seen anywhere from 3-8 inches and heavy snow continued into the late
afternoon. Snow was expected to last into the evening then taper off after
midnight. In addition to problems due to winter weather, this storm on top of
the recent wet period helped to continue flood concerns throughout the Gulf
Coast. While the South saw inclement weather, the Northeast had a gorgeous day
to dig continue to dig out from the mid-week snow storm. Temperatures remained
chilly, but sunny skies prevailed east of the Appalachians for the most part.
West of the mountains, cold winds blowing over the Great Lakes brought overcast
skies to much of the Mid-West.
In the
West, dense cloud cover moves into the Northwest as a strong front approached
the region. Precipitation fell off the coast, but by mid-day hadn’t reached
land. Southern California also saw cloud cover develop, but most of this was
high wispy clouds. Temperatures throughout the region were cooler than normal,
in some places by more than 5 degrees.
It was
a miserable day across the southern states Friday as heavy precipitation fell
throughout the region. A storm system tracked eastward across the Gulf of Mexico
and continued to intensify. This system combined with large amount of Gulf
moisture and cold air from the north resulted in areas of freezing rain and
moderate to heavy snow from eastern Texas across the lower Mississippi Valley to
northern Southeast. In addition, widespread rain and thunderstorm pounded
through the Gulf Coast, southern Georgia and Florida Peninsula. Moving to the
West, a Pacific cold front pushed ashore Thursday night and brought rain and
mountain snow to the Northwest and Northern California into Friday morning.
Areas of heavy snow occurred as well especially over the western slops of the
Rockies. As the cold front weakened, another storm system approached the Pacific
Coast and brought another round of precipitation to the Pacific Northwest Coast
and far northwestern California Friday afternoon. Elsewhere, some residual
moisture kept snow showers going over the eastern Great Lakes and Central
Appalachians. Light snow also fell in parts of the Central Mississippi Valley.
14th-20th…The
large storm system that dominated across the East continued to produce widely
scattered snow showers and coastal rain showers east of the Mississippi Valley
Tuesday. This system intensified off eastern Long Island Tuesday afternoon and
generated bands of heavy snow especially from Boston Metro area to Worcester
Fitchburg and Lawrence. Another area of moderate to heavy snow was over western
Connecticut and southwest Massachusetts. Counties like Tolland, Norfolk and
Washington had received more than 4 inches of snow since Monday morning. Parts
of West Virginia saw more than 10 inches of snow. Moving southward, the cold
front that associated with this storm system pushed southeastward across
southern Florida Tuesday morning and spread rain showers and scattered
thunderstorms. Out West, a Pacific system pushed ashore Tuesday morning and kept
coastal rain and mountain snow going over the Northwest. As the system weakened
in the afternoon, precipitation tapered off. The rest of the West experienced a
dry and mild day as high pressure held in place.
Temperature wise, a bitter cold day persisted across much of the central and
eastern parts of the nation Tuesday. The coldest region was over the Northern
Plains, where highs only reached into the teens and 20s. On the other hand,
another beautiful and warm day prevailed across the Southwest. Afternoon
temperatures were mostly in the 60s and 70s, above seasonal averages, with parts
of the Desert Southwest in the 80s.
A
broad low pressure system located in the Gulf of Maine continued to grip the
northeastern quadrant of the nation on Wednesday. Anti-cyclonic circulation
around this system brought cold, moist northwest winds into the Great Lakes,
Northeast, and the Northern and Central Appalachians, producing scattered snow
flurries through the afternoon. Afternoon temperatures across these regions
remained cold with highs in the 20s and 30s. Meanwhile in the South, cool and
dry weather persisted across the Southern Plains and the Southeast as a trough
of low pressure hung over the Eastern Seaboard and high pressure sat over the
Mississippi River Valley. Dry and breezy conditions with relative humidity
levels below 25 percent created fire danger conditions along the Mississippi
coast and across Florida. Out West, pleasant weather persisted throughout the
Pacific Northwest and California as high pressure remained near the West Coast.
After areas of morning fog, the regions experienced a fair amount of sunshine
with mild to warm temperatures during the afternoon. High pressure also kept the
Intermountain West under mostly dry conditions through the afternoon. A few snow
showers developed throughout north-central Montana as a frontal boundary reached
across the state.
A
Pacific low pressure system moved into Southern California and provided rain and
some high elevation snow to that area of the state as well as Arizona. In
addition, scattered snow made its way into Utah and Colorado and Winter Storm
Warnings where posted in these states. In the East, a small low pressure system
continued to move northeastward through the Plains towards the Upper Mississippi
Valley. Some moisture was associated with this storm, thus a mixture of rain and
snow fell from eastern Kansas through the Ohio Valley. Much of this
precipitation diminished in the afternoon. A high pressure system over the
eastern third of the country provided dry conditions along the eastern seaboard.
Some isolated snow showers were reported, however, in northern New York. Low
humidity in the Southeast sparked fire worries and thus Red Flag Warnings were
posted for some areas. The Northeast rose into the 30s and 40s, while the
Southeast saw temperatures in the 60s and 70s. The Northern Plains rose into the
20s and 30s, while the Northwest saw temperatures in the 40s.
21-28th…A
winter storm and it's associated fronts brought unsettling weather activity to
the eastern third of the nation on Monday. Rich moisture associated with this
storm combined with cold temperatures to produce swaths of snow, sleet, and cold
rain from eastern Michigan through the Lower Great Lakes as the system trekked
through the Ohio Valley. Periods of heavy snowfall fell through the afternoon
and produced significant snow totals across the thumb of Michigan. The city of
Brighton in Livingston County reported 7.0 inches of snowfall, while Garden City
in Wayne County reported 6.6 inches. Port Huron also saw heavy snowfall and
reported a snow total of 4.9 inches. Precipitation continued to advance eastward
into the Lower Great Lakes during the afternoon, creating slick and hazardous
roads for travelers. To the south, waves of energy associated with this storm
combined with ample moisture over the Mid-Atlantic and the Southeast to produce
additional rainfall and isolated embedded thunderstorms from the Mid-Atlantic
and Southeast coastline to areas along the central Gulf Coast.. Nearby coastal
areas remained under Flood Warnings due to persistent rainfall during the
afternoon. In the West, multi-level clouds covered most of the Four Corners on
Monday as a disturbance over the Great Basin dropped southeastward into the
Southwest. The system continued to spark light rain showers and high-elevation
snowfall throughout portions of Arizona and New Mexico. Further West, a weak
ridge of high pressure produced dry and pleasant weather to most of California
and the Pacific Northwest. Elsewhere, a cold dome of high pressure kept cold and
quiet weather over the Central U.S.
Several weather system brought plenty of active weather to the nation on
Tuesday. In the East, several waves of low pressure dominated much of the
Eastern Seaboard with areas of wet weather and cold temperatures. Moist,
wrap-around flow from low pressure located just off the Mid-Atlantic and
Northeast coasts triggered a mix of light rain, sleet, and snowfall to eastern
New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Meanwhile in the south, a winter storm
system over the Southern Plains brought a mix of light to moderate rain and snow
with freezing fog to the Southern Plains. Out West, the first strong Pacific
storm of the week reached the Pacific Northwest and northern California with
moderate rain showers and high-elevation snow with locally strong winds.
Meanwhile, weak offshore flow kept southern California under dry and fairly
quiet weather with seasonal temperatures. Elsewhere, high pressure kept
scattered clouds with fairly dry weather conditions and chilly temperatures over
the Intermountain West and the Northern and Central Plains.
A
major winter weather outbreak struck the Northeast on Thursday as an intense low
pressure system moved up the coast. This storm brought heavy snow to portions of
the Mid-Atlantic and New York. Snow fall amounts in the region hadn't been
exceptionally high, with 12 hour snow totals generally less than 6 inches, but
as the storm lingers over the weekend, much more snow is expected to fall. In
New England, snow hadn't been much of a problem due to strong winds blowing off
the relatively warm ocean. Temperatures along the New England coast were much
too warm for snow, with Boston at 42 degrees and Portland Me, reaching 39
degrees. Between the snow and rain, mixed precipitation was making roadways
messy as well.
As far
as precipitation was concerned, the Northeast was the big story on Thursday. A
few showers made their way ashore in Northern California, and light rain and
sleet fell south of Dodge City KS. Some snow was mixed in with this
precipitation, but snow accumulation was generally less than an inch or so.
Elsewhere in the nation, generally pleasant and cool weather shaped up through
the day. A few clouds were noted in the High Plains and Rockies, but outside the
areas of precipitation, sunny skies were noted for most locations.
A
major storm continued to ravage the Northeast on Friday with heavy snow and
extremely strong wind. The storm approached the New England coast from the
Atlantic Ocean and remained intense into the Mid-Atlantic where Wind Advisories
were posted. Wind in excess of 30 mph and gusts over 40 mph were noted and will
continue into the evening. The heavy snow that fell in Central Park in New York
pushed the city past its record February snowfall. As of Friday morning, 36.8
inches of snow fell on the park for the month of February, passing its previous
record of 27.9 inches set in 1934. Meanwhile many areas of the Northeast were
under siege from heavy snow. Nearly two feet of new snow fell in parts of New
Jersey, while widespread reports of snow in excess of one and two feet were
reported throughout New England. Snow showers and breezy conditions spread into
the Great Lakes as well. This storm will continue to bring breezy conditions and
widespread snow through the evening. In the South, another low pressure system
made its way through Texas, instigating areas of moderate rain and even
additional snow. In the West, a strong Pacific storm slammed into the West
Coast, renewing rain and high elevation snow from Washington through Northern
California. This activity will increase into the evening as it pushed into
Southern California. The storm will also bring breezy conditions to the Central
Valley of California. The Northeast rose into the 30s, while the Southeast saw
temperatures in the 50s and 60s. The Northern Plains rose into the 20s and 30s,
while the Northwest saw temperatures in the 40s.
Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com
