Severe weather threat on the horizon.

February 01, 2016

Severe weather threat on the horizon for Tuesday. This is the Storm Prediction Center’s Day 2 outlook for tomorrow, Tuesday February 2, 2016.February 01, 2016day2otlk_0700Sunday’s afternoon highs were plenty warm in the Southern United States to support a bout of spring-like severe storms in the dead of winter.February 01, 2016maximumfor2016Blog - BlogCopy

The jet stream and surface features in almost perfect alignment for severe weather in the SPC’s outlook area. Below are 500mb and surface forecast for 21z Tuesday afternoon.

February 01,2016forcast45hrTuesFeb02Capture -Blog Copy

Now compare the forecast 500mb for later today, 00z February 02, 2016February 01, 2016Bloggfs_namer_024_500_vort_ht

with 12z February 05, 2008, the beginning of the Super Tuesday Outbreak that produced 87 tornadoes over two days killing 56.  The features the two maps have in common would include the event driving deep upper low vicinity Colorado/New Mexico Border, the kicker, just west of the Pacific Northwest, the next disturbance in the series and the polar vortex well north over Hudson’s bay.

February 05, 2008mb500for2016Blog

So, heads up, weather folks are all bent out of shape about this one for a reason. If you do live in the yellow slight risk area, or orange enhanced region there is a real threat for damaging weather with the passage of this weather system.

Southern California wind observations from Sunday January 31, 2016 showing the wind energy of our approaching weather system.

Santa Barbara Island gusting to 79mph.           San Clemente gusting to 56 mph.

January 31, 2016surfsouthcalifornia840pm - Copy

Floods, snowstorms, and tornadoes oddly enough are all in my latest e-book El Niño:  The WILD side of the weather cycle…What we know, what we don’t, and WHY you should care!

I show how this years Pacific water temperatures compare to the 1983 and 1998 events and highlight the kind of weather episodes that these stronger El Niño’s tend to bring.

El Niño at work, increase in cloud over the High Sierra.January 28, 2016milkranch0530pm - Copy

If you like the blog you will love the book.

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El Niño winter delivers record snowstorm.

January 28, 2016

Our El Niño winter has delivered an incredible snowstorm to Washington, Baltimore and New York City.

January 24, 2016 snowstorm totals for selected Washington, Baltimore and New York locations.

Location                                    Storm total                                                                 record/storm
DULLES INTERNATIONAL  29.3  1230 AM  1/24  AIRPORT                        32.4 Feb 05, 2010
BWI AIRPORT                          29.2  1230 AM  1/24  AIRPORT                       26.8 Feb 16, 2003

Location                                   Storm total                    calendar day  total      record/day
CENTRAL PARK                     26.8   100 AM  1/24  ASOS                      26.6 / 24.1 Feb 12, 2006 NYC/JFK AIRPORT                 30.5   100 AM  1/24  FAA OBSERVER   30.3 / 21.6 Feb 17, 2003
NEWARK AIRPORT               28.1   100 AM  1/24  FAA OBSERVER  27.5 /  25.9 Dec 26, 1947
NYC/LA GUARDIA                 27.9   100 AM  1/24  FAA OBSERVER  27.9 / 23.3  Feb 12, 2006

There are many different ways to report snow amounts. There are storm totals, calendar day amounts(Midnight to Midnight), and amounts in other 24 periods,(example, daily obs are 12z or 7amEST).  So it can get a little confusing when determining what is an actual record and what is close to a record.

For the Baltimore Airport and most of the New York City area these are indeed record amounts of snow.

700mb charts below show the storm blossom and slide more east than north focusing the punch at the Mid-Atlantic. However mature circulation does manage to reach as far north as NYC area by Saturday morning the 23rd.

Friday morning 22nd                              Friday evening 22nd                 Saturday morning 23rd

January 23, 2016mb700 NewCopy

17th, …. 5 days before Blizzard subtropical plume from El Niño region already established.  The plume reaches from the equatorial Pacific across Mexico and the Gulf Of Mexico into Georgia, Florida and the Southeast.January 17, 2016satellitepage0345z - BlogCopy

19th, … Disturbance over SE has moved away but the tropical plume remains.January 19, 2016satellitepage0345z - BlogCopy

21st, … new disturbance southern plains, tropical plume broadens January 21, 2016satellitepage0645z - BlogCopy

22nd early, … new disturbance gaining strength while approaching but not yet directly connected to the plume.January 22, 2016satellitepage0645z - BlogCopy

22nd late, …maturing storm system mergers with tropical plume,January 22, 2016satellitepage2215z - BlogCopy

23rd early, … and throws the moisture into below freezing air across Mid-Atlantic.January 23, 2016satellitepage0615z - BlogCopy

Quite impressive,   impressive enough to challenge all time snowfall records in several major East Coast cities.  Below other El Niño related events in recent weeks, ….

January 08, 2016  Bonnet Carre Spillway to open to divert water out of Mississippi River.

January 09, 2016  CAPE CORAL TORNADO EF-2                                                                                            January 15, 2016   FORT MYERS TORNADO EF-1                                                                                  January 17, 2016   SARASOTA TORNADO EF-2, Fatalities 2                                                                      January 27, 2016   POMPANO BEACH EF-1

Mississippi River floods, East Coast snowstorms, and Florida tornadoes oddly enough are all in my latest e-book El Niño:  The WILD side of the weather cycle…
What we know, what we don’t, and WHY you should care!

I show how this years Pacific water temperatures compare to the 1982 and 1997 events and highlight the kind of weather episodes that these stronger El Niño’s tend to bring.

If you like the blog you will love the book.

Update on the west coming soon,

Crater Lake entrance in December:annesprings15-12-07-01

Crater Lake entrance Tuesday January 26, annesprings16-01-26-01

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Thunder, lightning and rotation just off of Santa Barbara.

January 07, 2015

Thunder, lightning and rotation just off of Santa Barbara in the overnight hours.

1208am   Composite Reflectivity                                     and                Storm Relative Motion

January 07, 2016santabarbaracouplet0804z - blog2Copy

1253am   Composite Reflectivity                                     and                Storm Relative Motion

January 07, 2016santabarbaracouplet0848z - Copy

If you like the blog you will love the book.

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Another record warm month in the 3.4 Niño region

January 07, 2016

December (12) 2015 is Another record warm month in the 3.4 Niño region.

Warmest monthly SST’s for the 3.4 Niño region
YR   MON   NINO3.4    ANOM
1982  12      29.21    +2.64
1983   1        29.36    +2.79

1997  11     29.32    +2.67
1997  12     29.26    +2.69

2015  10    29.15   +2.46                                                                                                                                     2015  11    29.60  +2.98                                                                                                                                2015  12   29.39   +2.82     

November and December of 2015 achieved the two highest monthly averages for the 3.4 Niño region since 1950 eclipsing the warmest months of both 1997 and  1982.                 

Weekly SST comparison of this season to 1997 for the 3.4 Niño region since July.  First number at months end represent three month or 13 week averages,  Second column is an average of three consecutive sets of 13 week averages.   These values are similar to values in the ERSSTv3b data set for determining the ONI.    

Date             temp  anomaly                          Date             temp  anomaly

01JUL2015       28.9 1.4                                     02JUL1997     29.0 1.5                                     08JUL2015      28.8 1.5                                    09JUL1997     28.9 1.6
15JUL2015      28.9 1.7                                    16JUL1997     29.0 1.8
22JUL2015      28.8 1.6                                    23JUL1997     28.8 1.7
29JUL2015      28.8 1.7   1.246 1.054           30JUL1997     28.9 1.9  1.308

05AUG2015      28.9 1.9                                     06AUG1997     28.8 1.8
12AUG2015      28.9 2.0                                    13AUG1997     28.9 2.0
19AUG2015      28.9 2.1                                    20AUG1997     28.9 2.1
26AUG2015      29.0 2.2   1.631 1.318           27AUG1997     28.8 2.0  1.670  1.254

02SEP2015      28.9 2.1                                     03SEP1997     28.9 2.1
09SEP2015      29.0 2.3                                     10SEP1997     28.9 2.2
16SEP2015      29.0 2.3   1.900 1.592          17SEP1997     28.9 2.2
23SEP2015      29.0 2.3   1.931 1.603          24SEP1997     28.9 2.2  1.931  1.636
30SEP2015      29.1 2.4   1.964 1.614          01OCT1997     29.1 2.4  1.964  1.647

07OCT2015      29.1 2.4                                  08OCT1997     29.2 2.6
14OCT2015      29.1 2.4                                  15OCT1997     29.2 2.5
21OCT2015      29.2 2.5                                  22OCT1997     29.3 2.6
28OCT2015      29.4 2.7   2.277 1.957        29OCT1997     29.2 2.6  2.254  1.963

04NOV2015      29.5 2.8                                  05NOV1997     29.2 2.6
11NOV2015      29.7 3.0                                  12NOV1997     29.3 2.7
18NOV2015      29.7 3.1                                  19NOV1997     29.3 2.7
25NOV2015      29.6 3.0   2.562 2.268       26NOV1997     29.4 2.8  2.477  2.231

02DEC2015      29.5 2.9                                  03DEC1997     29.2 2.6
09DEC2015      29.4 2.8                                  10DEC1997     29.2 2.7                                                       16DEC2015       29.5 2.9                                   17DEC1997     29.3 2.7
23DEC2015      29.3 2.7                                  24DEC1997     29.3 2.7
30DEC2015      29.3 2.7   2.762  2.534       31DEC1997     29.2 2.7  2.654   2.462

Evidence of El Niño at work  in the Sierra Nevada.

December 11, 2015Halfdome15-12-11-05 - Copy

December 27, 2015December 27, 2015yosemite -blog Copy

January 06, 2016Halfdome16-01-06-02 - Copy

We may have just seen the first major storm in Southern California, but it has been snowing in the Cascades and Sierra Nevada for weeks now. Visible evidence  shows snow depths increasing above Yosemite Valley.

Learn more in my latest e-book El Niño:  The WILD side of the weather cycle…
What we know, what we don’t, and WHY you should care!

I show how this years Pacific water temperatures compare to the 1982 and 1997 events and highlight the kind of weather episodes that these stronger El Niño’s tend to bring.

If you like the blog you will love the book.

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Available at Amazon

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Stormy period for Southern California

January 03, 2016

Pictured in this late evening satellite image is the first two of perhaps four separate waves of moisture that will pass through South California between Monday and Friday.  The waves, or periods of stormy weather will be Southern California’s first widespread significant rain of this El Niño  season.

January 03, 2016Blogwestcoast0300z Closeup

Another image showing atmospheric moisture content also shows two narrow bands of tropical moisture feeding up from equatorial regions into the approaching storms. Also notice the fat ribbon of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to Europe. While the U.S. endured record warmth, tornadoes and flooding for the Holidays, The British Isles were swamped by stormy weather as well. All signs El Niño continues to have a major influence on  weather Worldwide.January 03, 2016BlogMorphed0300z - Close

One last image to try and answer the question of why the Mighty Mississippi is in flood in January. The dark red over Central Missouri indicates up to 10 inches of rain over a 300 mile stretch from St. Louis to Joplin. Most of that rain occurring in the last seven days.

December 30, 2015rainfall14day - Copy

In coming days we will look at January’s cold turn in the East where record warmth ruled the Christmas Holiday.

Below, a cloud covers the summit of Mt. Lassen on the 1st day of the year.Lassen Peak16-01-01-01

Learn more in my latest e-book El Niño:  The WILD side of the weather cycle…
What we know, what we don’t, and WHY you should care!

I show how this years Pacific water temperatures compare to the 1982 and 1997 events and highlight the kind of weather episodes that these stronger El Niño’s tend to bring.

If you like the blog you will love the book.

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Available at Amazon

Wild Bill.

Finally some rain for Southern California

December 30, 2015

 

Finally some rain may be in the forecast for Southern California. After a record warm Christmas in New York, historic flooding in Missouri, deadly winter tornadoes, and a healthy snowfall in El Paso, it may finally rain in Los Angeles. The warm Christmas in NYC, the flooding in Missouri,  and the Christmas week snow in El Paso all happened in the last  few days AND are all repeats of events in December 1982.

Parts of The Cascades are buried, 9 feet around Crater Lake. The Lake Tahoe area has seen feet of snow in recent weeks as has portions of the Northern and Central Sierra. The last piece of the puzzle is Southern California rain.

Finally some rain may be in the forecast for Southern California. Two distinct short waves approach Southern California Sunday and Tuesday of the upcoming week.

Forecast 500mb flow for midday Sunday January 03, 2016.

December 30, 2015Bloggfs_namer_114_1000_500_thick

Forecast 500mb flow for midday Tuesday January 05, 2016.

December 30, 2015Bloggfs_namer_162_1000_500_thick

Learn more in my latest e-book El Niño:  The WILD side of the weather cycle…
What we know, what we don’t, and WHY you should care!

I show how this years Pacific water temperatures compare to the 1982 and 1997 events and highlight the kind of weather episodes that these stronger El Niño’s tend to bring.

If you like the blog you will love the book.

Cover2 redo

Available at Amazon

Wild Bill.

Contrast highlights Holiday weather across the nation

December 28, 2015

Not just a warm Holiday for some in the East, but a record warm Christmas Holiday. This is just a sample of the hundreds of record high temperatures that have been set across the eastern half of the nation in recent weeks. Some locations like New York’s Central Park set a high temperature record on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  Albany New York was 15 degrees warmer than any other Christmas Eve on record and Burlington Vermont was 17 degrees warmer than the previous record. In places like  Vermont, where a White Christmas is expected, temperatures nearly 40 degrees above normal are not only noticeable but crippling to the ski and winter industries. Ice and snow just don’t hold up to temps in the 60s and lower 70s.

December 24, 2015 Record Highs Christmas Eve

Central Park NYC          72R  1131 AM  63    1996
Albany ALB                      72R    220 PM  57    1941
Boston BOS                     69R    359 PM  61    1996
Hartford BDL                  69R    259 PM  59    1996
Providence PVD            69R    404 PM  64    2014
Burlington BTV              68R    154 PM  51    1957

December 25, 2015 Record Highs Christmas Day

Central Park NYC                   66R  1231 AM  64    1982
John F. Kennedy JFK           64R    256 PM  58    1982
Providence PVD                     64R    228 PM  63    2014
Worchester ORH                    60Rt  153 PM  60    1964

Philadelphia PHL                  68Rt   225 PM  68    1964
Washington Dulles IAD          70    215 PM  71    1982

Atlanta ATL                            75R      452 PM  72    1987
Athens AHN                           77Rt     254 PM  77    1982

The unusually warm weather not only set records, but also set the stage for several rounds of deadly severe weather.  Several fatalities occurred across Mississippi and Tennessee from a long track EF-3 tornado on Wednesday the 23rd. An EF-2 tornado struck a Birmingham suburb on Christmas Day. Damage was significant but no fatalities occurred.  A new storm system on the 26th was still able to take advantage of the unusually warm weather.  An EF-4 steamrolled the Dallas suburb of Garland killing eight in the early evening hours.

Brief review of Holiday severe weather:

December 23, 2015, …10 fatalities were reported in Mississippi, six were killed in Tennessee. One tornado producing thunderstorm tracked 145 miles from the Mississippi River across the state and into Tennessee killing 7. Other fatalities occurred due to tornadoes, straight-lines winds and flooding.

December 25, 2015, … EF-2 tornado swirled across portions of McCalla and Bessemer Alabama, immediate suburbs of Birmingham, collapsing houses but not killing anyone.

December 26, 2015, …11 died in Texas after several tornadoes were reported in the Dallas area.  In Garland, a suburb of Dallas, eight people died Saturday from an EF-4 tornado, three others died in Collin County just to the north.

In contrast,  the Cascades of Oregon looked quite wintry on the Holiday. Below are images from last Christmas, this Christmas and June 1st.

The Steel Visitors Center Crater at Lake National Park on Christmas Day 2014.steelvisitorcenter 14-12-25-1

The Steel Visitors Center Crater at Lake National Park on Christmas Day 2015.

At 7050 feet the snow depth listed for Christmas Day 2015 was 111 inches, or a little over 9 feet. That is a full size van parked back left and the snow banks are well above.steelvisitorcenter15-12-25-03

The Steel Visitors Center Crater at Lake National Park on June 01, 2014.                                 Even in a drought year the snow cover lingers until June.steelvisitorcenter 14-06-01-1

Just to show anyway you look at it,  Crater Lake was buried for this Holiday.  A series of West Coast storms have left there mark on the mountains of the West.

Learn more in my latest e-book El Niño:  The WILD side of the weather cycle…
What we know, what we don’t, and WHY you should care!

I show how this years Pacific water temperatures compare to the 1982 and 1997 events and highlight the kind of weather episodes that these stronger El Niño’s tend to bring.

Central Park NYC                   66R  1231 AM  64    1982

If you like the blog you will love the book.

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Wild Bill.

Warm in the days before Christmas for a third year.

December 18, 2015

It looks like warm weather across the parts of the East in the days before Christmas for the third year in a row.

Maximum temperatures December 22, 2013, … 60’s to low 70s across Mid-Atlantic StatesDecember 18, 2015blogmaxtempwarmeastdec22,2013

Maximum temperatures December 24, 2014, … not as warm as 2013, but well above freezing. 60 at Pittsburgh however,  is only 2 cooler than its 2013 reading.December 18, 2015blogmaxtempwarmeastdec24,2014

Forecast for this December 23, 2015 also looks quite warm. The forecast for Pittsburgh is for a daytime high near 60. This will make three years in a row Pittsburgh will have been near 60 degrees in the days before Christmas. Normal high for December 23 for Pittsburgh is 37, making a high of 60,  23 degrees above normal.

Well below normal temperatures were experienced in Pittsburgh on December 22, 1989 when the high was only 7 above, and December 25, 1983 the high for Pittsburgh was zero.

So do not move to Pittsburgh and expect 60 degree pre-Christmas weather every year, but right now it certainly is in the forecast again this year, for the third year in a row.

December 18, 2015Bloggfs_namer_132_1000_500_Dec23, 2015

Red lines in the image above relate to above freezing temperatures. Note no blue line anywhere near Pennsylvania on this Dec. 23.  How are today’s kids suppose to relate to “A Charles Brown Christmas” when there is no ice on the ponds and no snow on the ground for the third year in a row.

Learn more in my latest e-book El Niño:  The WILD side of the weather cycle…
What we know, what we don’t, and WHY you should care!

I show how this years Pacific water temperatures compare to the 1982 and 1997 events and highlight the kind of weather episodes that these stronger El Niño’s tend to bring.

If you like the blog you will love the book.

Cover2 redo

Available at Amazon

Wild Bill.

Feeling the effects of warm Pacific water

December 14, 2015

Various conditions at the entrance to Crater Lake National Park at times during the past week.

ANNIE SPRINGS, OR.  ANSO3  (SNOTEL)
Elev: 6010 ft; Latitude: 42.87007; Longitude:  122.16518                                                                                                snow                     total

(PST)                                                        (f)                                                                    Depth(inches) Precip(inches)
06 Dec 11:00 pm PST 35 23.00 11.50

annesprings15-12-06-01

Above recent heavy snow with temperatures slight above freezing, below rain and 42.

07 Dec 2:00 pm PST 42 21.00 12.20

annesprings15-12-07-01

Finally colder, slightly below freezing air,  several days later and the snow depth doubles from 21 to 42 inches. So what you cannot see is nearly four feet of snow on the ground at the lowest elevation in Crater Lake National Park.

12 Dec 2:00 pm PST 30 42.00 17.20

annesprings15-12-12-01

All the above quite the contrast to a record warm weekend. Sunday was the second weekend day of records highs in mid December over parts of the eastern half  of the nation.

December 13, 2015max temps - Copy

We were very lucky there was not more serious severe weather this past weekend.

Record warm mid December temperatures and a favorable 500mb flow for severe weather were both present this weekend in the middle of the country. Map on the left from this Sunday evening 00z the 14th, in the blue on the right, Sunday morning November 22, 1992, the middle of a 3 day tornado outbreak.

December 14, 2015500mb00zcomparenov92 - Copy

Learn more in my latest e-book El Niño:  The WILD side of the weather cycle…
What we know, what we don’t, and WHY you should care!

I show how this years Pacific water temperatures compare to the 1982 and 1997 events and highlight the kind of weather episodes that these stronger El Niño’s tend to bring.

If you like the blog you will love the book.

Cover2

Available at Amazon

Wild Bill.

New storm spreads threats south into California

December 10, 2015

New storm spreads threats south into California.

Below one of the last visible pictures of the day showing the next system approaching.December 09, 2015satellitewest2345z - Copy

Below are some rather strong statements from the NWS late Wednesday concerning various Marine threats as far south as Ventura County in Southern California. Sounds more like an El Niño season for Southern California, but this is not the big wet pattern that is highly anticipated for LA and San Diego, just a passing wave. The hope of course, in time, more waves and a jet stream a little farther south and an active winter is in business.

709 PM PST WED DEC 9 2015

LARGE POWERFUL SWELL EXPECTED THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY…

A LARGE WEST TO NORTHWESTERLY SWELL IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE
BREAKING WAVES AT THE MORRO BAY AND VENTURA HARBOR ENTRANCES
THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. THESE CONDITIONS HAVE A HISTORY OF
CAPSIZING VESSELS OF VARIOUS SIZES RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY OR
DEATH…EVEN TO THE MOST EXPERIENCED MARINERS. MARINERS ARE URGED
TO STAY CLEAR OF THESE HARBOR ENTRANCES.

* IMPACTS…THE CENTRAL COAST COULD SEE SURF FROM 16 TO 22 FEET.
BEACHES SOUTH OF POINT CONCEPTION COULD SEE SURF FROM 8 TO 12
FEET. THERE IS A CHANCE THAT THESE WAVES WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH
  TO DAMAGE COASTAL STRUCTURES…SUCH AS PIERS. THERE IS THE
POTENTIAL FOR MINOR FLOODING IN AND AROUND BEACH AREAS.

Below, image showing trail of water vapor across Pacific into the West Coast. Another trail of moisture stretches from the Caribbean across the Atlantic to the British Isles.  Both areas have seen flooding rains in recent days.

December 09, 2015vapormorphed2245z -Blog - Copy

December 09, 2015vapormorphed2245z - Copy

Standard full disk IR showing Pacific system racing toward  West Coast. But also shows our El Niño region feeding clouds across Mexico and into the Atlantic. Here is a rare look at simultaneous full disk images  showing a trail of clouds from the tropical Pacific all the way to Europe.  Between our Pacific Northwest and the British Isles I would not think  England would see the more serious flood because of excess El Niño moisture. But these current images tell a clear story.  West Coast flooding could be a worse if there were a direct link to the El Niño  region of the Pacific.

December 09, 2015satepage0935z - BlogCopy - Copy

December 09, 2015satellitepage2115z - Copy

All this active West Coast weather is not only finally going to bring some increment weather to Southern California. But will push east into the United States and bring many a stormy weekend. More on all that in the next day or two. Think ahead, stay safe.

Learn more in my latest e-book El Niño:  The WILD side of the weather cycle…
What we know, what we don’t, and WHY you should care!

I show how this years Pacific water temperatures compare to the 1982 and 1997 events and highlight the kind of weather episodes that these stronger El Niño’s tend to bring.

If you like the blog you will love the book.

Cover2

Available at Amazon

Wild Bill.