WES

WATER WEEK

Monday, 3 July 2000

WELCOME TO WES - This Weekly Summary represents one of the products that you will routinely use in the Water In the Earth Systems (WES) Project. We would like to welcome all the participants to this exciting project.

Sincerely,

Ed Hopkins

CONCEPT OF THE WEEK
WATER IN THE NEWS
HISTORICAL EVENTS

CONCEPT OF THE WEEK -- HISTORICAL DROUGHTS
Many locations around the United States routinely experience drought conditions every several years. One of the most significant droughts in US history occurred during the 1930s when more than 50 million acres across the Plains were affected by drought and extremely high temperatures. During several months this period, at least 60 percent of the country was under severe or extreme drought conditions. This drought helped produced the Dust Bowl Era and was coincident with the Great Depression.

http://enso.unl.edu/ndmc/impacts/dustbowl/1930s1.htm

Looking at past records, scientists have concluded that for a ten year interval commencing in 1930, much of the nation experienced several distinct drought episodes. The distinct drought that could be identified to include 1930-31, 1934, 1936, and 1939-40.

http://enso.unl.edu/ndmc/climate/palmer/pdsihist.htm

WATER IN THE NEWS --

Heavy rains accompanying thunderstorms caused flooding across portions of the Midwest on Sunday and Monday. Some locations near St. Louis, MO and Milwaukee, WI received between 4 and 6 inches of rain.

According to the most recent Palmer Drought Severity chart (1 July 2000) severe to extreme drought conditions continue across much of the Southeast (South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida), the Plains (western Iowa, Nebraska, Texas and Montana east of the Divide), the Rockies (southwest Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico), the Great Basin (to include Arizona, Utah, Idaho and Nevada) and portions of southern California. Many of these areas have had dry conditions for more than one year. Several areas have moist to extremely moist conditions (sections of the Dakotas, Oklahoma, southern Wisconsin, New York State and western New England) as the result of recent heavy rains accompanying frequent storm systems.

A tropical storm system named Kirogi intensified to become a typhoon in the Philippine Sea on Tuesday. This typhoon with sustained surface winds of at least 75 mph was to the east of the Philippine Islands. It was moving northward and could affect the Japanese Islands later in the week. Typhoons are the Western Pacific Ocean’s equivalent of hurricanes. The Joint Typhoon Center in Guam was monitoring this system.

The United States Geologic Survey (USGS) recently released Fact Sheet 024-00, "Significant Floods in the United States During the 20th Century-USGS Measures a Century of Floods". The fact sheet is available at http://ks.water.usgs.gov/Kansas/pubs/fact-sheets/.

This past weekend's release of the movie entitled the "Perfect Storm" has created a renewed interest in a complex and powerful storm system that battered the Northeast U.S. at the end of October 1991. The National Climatic Data Center has a narrative and satellite images of the late October 1991 storm system at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/satellite/satelliteseye/cyclones/pfctstorm91/pfctstorm.html.

During the last week several state of Maryland and Federal governmental agencies announced plans for a restoration of Chesapeake Bay that would increase oyster production and reduce the loss of watershed land along this fragile estuary

http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/062900sci-environ-bay.html.

AN INVITE -- If you witness some interesting phenomena that involve water in our environment or would like to share some related experience with others in the WES, we cordially invite your contributions. Please email these to the address appearing below. Some of these may appear in the section titled "Reports from the Field"

HISTORICAL WATER EVENTS - 3 July

From the files of the Aviation Weather Center, Kansas City, MO and Intellicast

The "Dog Days" traditionally begin this day of the year. The hot weather period received its name from Sirius, the brightest visible star in the sky and known as the dog star. Sirius rises in the east at the same time as the sun this time of the year. (The Weather Channel)
...1989...Showers and thunderstorms produced locally heavy rain in the eastern U.S. Bowling Green, KY was soaked with 4.99 inches of rain during the morning hours, and up to ten inches of rain deluged Oconee County, SC. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

4 July

...1876...Severe thunderstorms hit the Midwest and a dam failed at Rockdale, IL. Flood destroyed a railroad bridge and swept through the town. Forty two people perished. (Intellicast)
...1956...A world record for the most rain in one minute was set at Unionville, MD with a downpour of 1.23 inches. (The Weather Channel) (The National Severe Storms Forecast Center)
...1969...Severe thunderstorms produced winds to over 100 mph and very heavy rains across northern Ohio. From 4 to 15 inches of rain fell from late evening into the next morning producing major flash flooding. Forty one were killed, 559 injures and damage exceeded $66 million. (Intellicast)
...1987...Thunderstorms around the country provided extra fireworks for Independence Day. Thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 82 mph at Clearwater, KS, eight inches of rain in four hours at Menno, SD, and three inches of rain in just fifteen minutes at Austin, KY. Morning thunderstorms drenched Oneonta, AL with 8.6 inches of rain, their greatest 24 hour total in thirty years of records. The heavy rain caused mudslides and serious flooding, claiming two lives. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1988...Thunderstorms produced heavy rain over the Central Gulf Coast Region for the second day in a row. Monroe, LA was deluged with 3.75 inches in two hours. (The National Weather Summary)

5 July

...1882...A trace of snow was reported at Newton, NJ and other parts of the Northeast. (Intellicast)
...1891...Sixteen horses were killed by hail, and many more have to be put to death due to injuries from a hailstorm at Rapid City, SD. (The Weather Channel)
...1900...A spectacular three-day fire began when a bolt of lightning struck the Standard Oil refinery in Bayonne, NJ. Damages were over $2 million. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
...1916...An early season hurricane produced 82 mph winds, an 11.6 foot tide, and a barometric pressure of 28.92 inches at Mobile, AL. (David Ludlum)
...1989...Moisture from what once was Tropical Storm Allison triggered thunderstorms over the Middle Atlantic Coast Region, which deluged Wilmington, DE with a record 6.83 inches of rain in 24 hours, including 6.37 inches in just six hours. Up to ten inches of rain was reported at Claymont, northeast of Wilmington. July 1989 was thus the wettest month in seventy years for Wilmington, with a total of 12.63 inches of rain. Alamosa, CO reported an all-time record high of 94 degrees, and Pierre, SD hit 113 degrees. Denver, CO reached 101 degrees, topping 100 for the second straight day, only happened once before in 1972(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
...1993...Heavy rains deluged the Central Plains as the one of the greatest floods in U.S. history began to unfold. Twenty four hour totals included 5.90 inches at Columbia, IA, 5.15 inches at Centralia, KS and 4.80 inches at Haddam, KS. (Intellicast)

6 July

...1928...A hailstorm at Potter, NE produced a stone which was 5.5 inches in diameter, and seventeen inches in circumference, weighing a pound and a half. (David Ludlum)
...1986...Thunderstorm rains during the mid morning hours, and again during the evening, produced major flash-flooding at Leavenworth, KS. The official rainfall total was 10.37 inches, but unofficial totals exceeded twelve inches. At nearby Kansas City, the rainfall total of 5.08 inches was a daily record for July. (Storm Data)
...1987...Thunderstorms produced severe weather in twenty-one states east of the Rockies, with severe weather reported in Kentucky and Indiana for the second day in a row. A thunderstorm produced more than five inches of rain in one hour near Reynolds, IL. Rochester, NY was soaked with 3.25 inches, a record 24 hour total for the month of July. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

7 July

...1981...Montana was in the midst of a snowstorm that dumped ten inches at Glacier National Park, and produced winds to 90 mph. (The Weather Channel)

8 July

...1788...Hail fell at Canterbury, CT to a depth of 34 inches. Serious flooding resulted when it melted. (Intellicast)
...1935...Ten inches of rain at Cortland, NY in 48 hours caused damaging floods on the Susquehanna and Hudson River Valleys. (Intellicast)
...1816...Frost was reported in low places throughout New England. (David Ludlum)
...1950...The town of York, NE was deluged with 13.15 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a state record. (The Weather Channel)

9 July

...1882...Ice formed on the streets of Cheyenne, WY during a rare summer freeze. (David Ludlum)
...1968...Columbus, MS received 15.68 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a record for the state. (The Weather Channel)
...1989...Morning thunderstorms produced very heavy rain in southern Lower Michigan and northern Indiana. Up to 5.6 inches of rain was reported in Berrien County, MI. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

10 July

11 July

...1888...Heavy snow reached almost to the base of Mt. Washington, NH, and the peaks of the Green Mountains in Vermont were whitened. (David Ludlum)
...1988...Thunderstorms produced heavy rain in southern Texas, with totals ranging up to 13 inches near Medina. Two men drowned when their pick-up truck was swept into the Guadalupe River, west of the town of Hunt. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
...1989...Afternoon and evening thunderstorms produced severe weather from North Dakota to Indiana. Thunderstorms in North Dakota produced tennis ball size hail at Carson. Thunderstorms in Indiana produced wind gusts to 75 mph at Fort Wayne. Five cities in the Southern Atlantic Coast Region reported record high temperatures for the date, including Lakeland, FL with a reading of 100 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1990...Most costly hailstorm in U.S. history battered the Colorado Front Range from Estes Park to Colorado Springs. A supercell dropped a swath of hail the size of baseballs which dented tens of thousands of cars, defoliated thousands of trees, knocked out power and phone service for thousands. Denver was hardest hit. Total damage reached $625 million. (Intellicast)

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