March 11, 1889 was a rainy, chilly Sunday in New York City. The U.S. Army Signal Service weather forecast for the twenty four hours beginning at 5 p.m. that day read as follows...
“Fresh to brisk easterly winds with rain will prevail tonight, followed on Monday by colder, brisk westerly winds, with fair weather over the Lake regions, the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys. Diminishing northerly winds with slightly colder, fair weather in the Gulf region. Light to fresh variable winds with higher temperatures in Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado." The forecast was incorrect, to say the least.
On the 11th, morning weather maps showed low pressure over Georgia and South Carolina. This storm had dumped 4.03 inches of snow on Pensacola the day before. The began to wind up incredibly as it turned up the East Coast.
During the early morning hours on Monday, the rain changed to snow and strong northerly winds began to blow in New York City. By dawn on Monday, the city was experiencing a full blown blizzard with ten inches of snow already on the ground. As the day went on, the snow and wind increased in intensity until 20.9 inches of snow had fallen, whipped into drifts up to 20 feet deep, covering the first two floors of some buildings.
Transportation ground to a halt, including the Brooklyn Bridge. The city was completely cut off from the outside world. Only the telegraph wires to London were working. Nearly all electrical power was cut off.
The Blizzard of 1888 would go down in history as one of the greatest snowstorms of all time. Saratoga, NY reported 58 inches of snow. 46.7 inches of snow fell at Albany NY. 42 inches fell at New Haven CT. Over 400 people were killed, 200 of them in New York City.
The White Hurricane
March 10, 2006, 10:37 pm
by Bill Murray
in General Thoughts
More Damage Pictures
March 10, 2006, 6:31 pm
More damage pictures from last night's storms... these coming from the Nauvoo/Spring Hill area, taken by Gina Ritter:
by James Spann
in Pictures
Hodgepodge...
March 10, 2006, 4:26 pm
A couple of notes from the e-mail bin...
SKYWARN TRAINING
From our friend Matt McCracken, the EMA director for Marion County:
SKYWARN training will be held March 16th @ 1 pm at the Hamilton City Hall, and at 6 pm at the South Hamilton Baptist Church. Jim Stefkovich, the Birmingham Meteorologist In Charge, will be teaching these sessions. This will be a great chance to learn how to spot severe thunderstorms and tornadoes if you live in Northwest Alabama.
RED DIAMOND VULCAN SOCCER TOURNAMENT
This will be over the weekend at various fields across Jefferson and Shelby Counties... Over 3,000 8 to 16 year olds are in town. They will have to dodge a few showers or storms tomorrow, but Sunday should be mostly dry.
SKYWARN TRAINING
From our friend Matt McCracken, the EMA director for Marion County:
SKYWARN training will be held March 16th @ 1 pm at the Hamilton City Hall, and at 6 pm at the South Hamilton Baptist Church. Jim Stefkovich, the Birmingham Meteorologist In Charge, will be teaching these sessions. This will be a great chance to learn how to spot severe thunderstorms and tornadoes if you live in Northwest Alabama.
RED DIAMOND VULCAN SOCCER TOURNAMENT
This will be over the weekend at various fields across Jefferson and Shelby Counties... Over 3,000 8 to 16 year olds are in town. They will have to dodge a few showers or storms tomorrow, but Sunday should be mostly dry.
by James Spann
in General Thoughts
Moist Air Returns Tonight
March 10, 2006, 3:25 pm
The Friday afternoon map discussion video is on the server:
http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb
NWS crews from Birmingham and Jackson are out in the field doing storm damage surveys this afternoon... see the results here:
Birmingham Jackson
Moist air will return to the northern half of the state, and a few scattered showers could show up after midnight. Scattered showers and storms are possible tomorrow as well. The WRF is suggesting the best chance of showers might come during the morning, followed by a mostly dry afternoon. The chance of rain here looks relatively small on Sunday as the surface boundary will be north of us. Temperatures will most likely reach 80 degrees in some spots on Sunday afternoon.
MORE ACTIVE STORMS: The major trough will lift out of the southwest U.S. Monday, and will bring another line of strong storms to the state Monday night. Looks like the best chance of those storms will be from about 6:00 p.m. until midnight. Dynamics won't be as strong as the system yesterday, but instability levels will be higher. We will be reviewing lots of data over the weekend, so watch the blog for updates on the threat. Straight line winds would seem to be the primary concern with the squall line.
Cooler air slips into the state on Tuesday, with highs in the upper 50s.
We might see a few showers Thursday of next week with a cold front, but at this point it does not look like a big rain event. Another shot of cooler air arrives by Friday (one week from today).
SPRING BREAK WEEK: The GFS has not been very consistent in the look for spring break week... the latest run (12Z) brings in rain on Monday March 20, and then again on Wednesday March 22. After that, colder air moves in for the latter half of the week. But, I would take this with a grain of salt right now... this is all voodoo land.
Sure enjoyed seeing a big home school group today at Community Presbyterian Church in Moody... look for the kids, moms, and dads on the KIDCAM today at 5:00 on ABC 33/40 News. It has been a long week... I am looking forward to a little down time this weekend. Spend some quality time with your family and have a few laughs together! Brian Peters will be handling web duty here on the blog over the weekend with map discussion videos as well....
http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb
NWS crews from Birmingham and Jackson are out in the field doing storm damage surveys this afternoon... see the results here:
Birmingham Jackson
Moist air will return to the northern half of the state, and a few scattered showers could show up after midnight. Scattered showers and storms are possible tomorrow as well. The WRF is suggesting the best chance of showers might come during the morning, followed by a mostly dry afternoon. The chance of rain here looks relatively small on Sunday as the surface boundary will be north of us. Temperatures will most likely reach 80 degrees in some spots on Sunday afternoon.
MORE ACTIVE STORMS: The major trough will lift out of the southwest U.S. Monday, and will bring another line of strong storms to the state Monday night. Looks like the best chance of those storms will be from about 6:00 p.m. until midnight. Dynamics won't be as strong as the system yesterday, but instability levels will be higher. We will be reviewing lots of data over the weekend, so watch the blog for updates on the threat. Straight line winds would seem to be the primary concern with the squall line.
Cooler air slips into the state on Tuesday, with highs in the upper 50s.
We might see a few showers Thursday of next week with a cold front, but at this point it does not look like a big rain event. Another shot of cooler air arrives by Friday (one week from today).
SPRING BREAK WEEK: The GFS has not been very consistent in the look for spring break week... the latest run (12Z) brings in rain on Monday March 20, and then again on Wednesday March 22. After that, colder air moves in for the latter half of the week. But, I would take this with a grain of salt right now... this is all voodoo land.
Sure enjoyed seeing a big home school group today at Community Presbyterian Church in Moody... look for the kids, moms, and dads on the KIDCAM today at 5:00 on ABC 33/40 News. It has been a long week... I am looking forward to a little down time this weekend. Spend some quality time with your family and have a few laughs together! Brian Peters will be handling web duty here on the blog over the weekend with map discussion videos as well....
WEATHER BY THE NUMBERS + My Tiny Corner Of The World
March 10, 2006, 11:31 am
* 293 is the number of high wind reports that the Storm Prediction Center received from yesterday's severe weather episode
* 47 was the number of hail reports
* 2 was the number of tornado reports, both in SW Mississippi. However, after surveys are made, some of those high wind reports may become confirmed tornado reports. Jeff Craven, from the NWS office in Jackson, tells us that an NWS survey team will be in Bolivar and Sunflower Counties Mississippi today to evaluate the damage in the Cleveland and Indianola areas. The NWS storm report from that area yesterday went like this: "Numerous trees and powerlines down through Indianola. Severe communications problems in Sunflower County. Numerous buildings and homes with roof damage. Structural damage also."
* 31 is the number of high wind reports in Alabama (at least). Jamey Mays from Winfield reports the most destructive winds he has seen in his 30 years around Winfield. Much roadside and roof damage around Winfield with trees down everywhere. NWS/Birmingham teams will be checking out some of those areas today...including Lamar County and others
* 93 in Laredo, Texas was the USA hot spot yesterday. They recently had 100.
* 15 below zero was the coldest in the lower 48 in Stanley, Idaho
* 43 below zero was the coldest in Alaska this morning at Atqasuk and Wainwright
* 68 below zero was the wind chill this morning in Nuiqsut, Alaska this morning. They are not having fun like we are with today's delightful weather.
* 62 below was the wind chill in Barrow and 60 below in good old Deadhorse
* 3 is the number of hours I have spent with Little Miss Molly this morning trying to make up to her for having no time to spend with her yesterday...not a single ballgame
MY TINY CORNER OF THE WORLD:
Time to lighten up a bit...one of the most delightful walks ever with my Little Miss Molly this morning...oddly enough when she crawled out of bed this morning and did her usual stretching, she wanted to play ball even before going to her great outdoor bathroom...she was so happy to get to play ball that I believe she felt like she was playing in the World Series...everything was so fresh on the walking track. Spring is everywhere...the Old Crow Creek was running again after last night's 1.06 inches of rain in our corner...never heard so many birds singing at one time...when we first stepped outside, a mockingbird was loudly entertaining the community...birds were criss-crossing the walking track in all directions and most of them singing...toward the end of the track, we finally heard some old crows singing bass...that always makes our trip more enjoyable...Molly had to stop near the backyard of three different homes where she knows she has genuine friends and she is always hoping they will come out and pat her on the head or give her a tummy rub...when we got back home, she got her usual treat and another ballgame and now I am behind on my weather work, so get away from me Miss Molly. Life goes on.
* 47 was the number of hail reports
* 2 was the number of tornado reports, both in SW Mississippi. However, after surveys are made, some of those high wind reports may become confirmed tornado reports. Jeff Craven, from the NWS office in Jackson, tells us that an NWS survey team will be in Bolivar and Sunflower Counties Mississippi today to evaluate the damage in the Cleveland and Indianola areas. The NWS storm report from that area yesterday went like this: "Numerous trees and powerlines down through Indianola. Severe communications problems in Sunflower County. Numerous buildings and homes with roof damage. Structural damage also."
* 31 is the number of high wind reports in Alabama (at least). Jamey Mays from Winfield reports the most destructive winds he has seen in his 30 years around Winfield. Much roadside and roof damage around Winfield with trees down everywhere. NWS/Birmingham teams will be checking out some of those areas today...including Lamar County and others
* 93 in Laredo, Texas was the USA hot spot yesterday. They recently had 100.
* 15 below zero was the coldest in the lower 48 in Stanley, Idaho
* 43 below zero was the coldest in Alaska this morning at Atqasuk and Wainwright
* 68 below zero was the wind chill this morning in Nuiqsut, Alaska this morning. They are not having fun like we are with today's delightful weather.
* 62 below was the wind chill in Barrow and 60 below in good old Deadhorse
* 3 is the number of hours I have spent with Little Miss Molly this morning trying to make up to her for having no time to spend with her yesterday...not a single ballgame
MY TINY CORNER OF THE WORLD:
Time to lighten up a bit...one of the most delightful walks ever with my Little Miss Molly this morning...oddly enough when she crawled out of bed this morning and did her usual stretching, she wanted to play ball even before going to her great outdoor bathroom...she was so happy to get to play ball that I believe she felt like she was playing in the World Series...everything was so fresh on the walking track. Spring is everywhere...the Old Crow Creek was running again after last night's 1.06 inches of rain in our corner...never heard so many birds singing at one time...when we first stepped outside, a mockingbird was loudly entertaining the community...birds were criss-crossing the walking track in all directions and most of them singing...toward the end of the track, we finally heard some old crows singing bass...that always makes our trip more enjoyable...Molly had to stop near the backyard of three different homes where she knows she has genuine friends and she is always hoping they will come out and pat her on the head or give her a tummy rub...when we got back home, she got her usual treat and another ballgame and now I am behind on my weather work, so get away from me Miss Molly. Life goes on.
NW Alabama Storms
March 10, 2006, 10:06 am
This is from Jamey Mays of Winfield:
The most destructive winds I have saw in my 30 years of life,
worse I think than Ivan or Katrina. Much roadsign and roof damage in Winfield,
trees down everywhere and roof and sign damage in Haleyville.
1st picture is of the hail at 6pm when I got home (2 hours after
the 4pm "event")
2nd picture is of roof damage at our building in Winfield on old
78
by James Spann
in Pictures
Moisture Not Too Far Away
March 10, 2006, 5:53 am
The Friday morning map discussion video is on the server:
http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb
Drier air is over the northern half of the state this morning in the wake of yesterday's active weather day. The dewpoint in Birmingham is 46... but Mobile is reporting a dewpoint of 66, and that moisture will be heaaded northward later today. Still, I think we have a dry day today with a partly sunny sky and temperatures well into the 70s.
The surface boundary over South Alabama will lift northward as a warm front tonight, and a few showers are possible tonight ahead of it. We will also need to mention a chance of a few showers or storms around here tomorrow as the moisture feed returns. But, it won't rain all day and there will be intervals of sunshine.
By Sunday, the boundary is north of here, and the chance of rain looks relatively small at this point. Sunday should also be a warm day, with some spots possibly reaching 80 degrees.
Over the weekend there will be a risk of severe storms in the general area from northeast Texas to the southern parts of Illinois and Indiana, in a disturbed southwest flow aloft on the east side of the major western U.S. trough. Severe storms are possible as far east as Mississippi, where the air will be pretty unstable.
MORE SEVERE WEATHER FOR ALABAMA? The big western trough lifts out Monday, and a surface low will run from near Goodland, KS to Chicago. Looks like the trailing line of storms moves through here Monday night. This might mean a few strong to severe storms along the line, but the system will not be as potent as the one we dealt with yesterday, and the dynamics will be passing north of Alabama. However, surface dewpoints will be up in the mid 60s making for a more unstable atmosphere. We will keep an eye on it over the weekend, but it looks like a long squall line with gusty winds for now.
Cooler air slips in here on Tuesday, and the rest of next week looks dry. A pretty decent spring break week.
COLDER DAYS? The GFS is hinting at a mean eastern U.S. trough in the March 17-25 period. If this is correct, that would suggest temperatures below normal here with no severe weather problems.
TODAY: I will be out in Moody today speaking to a home school group, but I will be back in the office for the afternoon video update which should be ready by 3:30. Also, NWS survey teams will be out over Lamar, Fayette, Marion, Walker, and Winston counties doing damage surveys... will be interesting to see what they find!
http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb
Drier air is over the northern half of the state this morning in the wake of yesterday's active weather day. The dewpoint in Birmingham is 46... but Mobile is reporting a dewpoint of 66, and that moisture will be heaaded northward later today. Still, I think we have a dry day today with a partly sunny sky and temperatures well into the 70s.
The surface boundary over South Alabama will lift northward as a warm front tonight, and a few showers are possible tonight ahead of it. We will also need to mention a chance of a few showers or storms around here tomorrow as the moisture feed returns. But, it won't rain all day and there will be intervals of sunshine.
By Sunday, the boundary is north of here, and the chance of rain looks relatively small at this point. Sunday should also be a warm day, with some spots possibly reaching 80 degrees.
Over the weekend there will be a risk of severe storms in the general area from northeast Texas to the southern parts of Illinois and Indiana, in a disturbed southwest flow aloft on the east side of the major western U.S. trough. Severe storms are possible as far east as Mississippi, where the air will be pretty unstable.
MORE SEVERE WEATHER FOR ALABAMA? The big western trough lifts out Monday, and a surface low will run from near Goodland, KS to Chicago. Looks like the trailing line of storms moves through here Monday night. This might mean a few strong to severe storms along the line, but the system will not be as potent as the one we dealt with yesterday, and the dynamics will be passing north of Alabama. However, surface dewpoints will be up in the mid 60s making for a more unstable atmosphere. We will keep an eye on it over the weekend, but it looks like a long squall line with gusty winds for now.
Cooler air slips in here on Tuesday, and the rest of next week looks dry. A pretty decent spring break week.
COLDER DAYS? The GFS is hinting at a mean eastern U.S. trough in the March 17-25 period. If this is correct, that would suggest temperatures below normal here with no severe weather problems.
TODAY: I will be out in Moody today speaking to a home school group, but I will be back in the office for the afternoon video update which should be ready by 3:30. Also, NWS survey teams will be out over Lamar, Fayette, Marion, Walker, and Winston counties doing damage surveys... will be interesting to see what they find!
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