Friday Daily Summary

DATASTREME ATMOSPHERE DAILY SUMMARY

Friday, 12 January 2007

This DataStreme Atmosphere Daily Summary contains Historical Weather Events for this date. A sample DataStreme Daily Summary similar to those that appear when the DataStreme course is being offered is available via the homepage. Current weather data are available on the homepage as usual. If you are looking for an alternative description of daily weather, you could try:

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/stormcenter/front.htm (USA Today)
or
http://www.weather.com/newscenter/fcstsummary.html (The Weather Channel)

DataStreme Atmosphere Daily Summaries and Investigation files will return with the Spring 2007 DataStreme Atmosphere course during Preview Week on Monday, 15 January 2007.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

Sunday (14 January 2007) would be the first of January according to the Julian calendar. This calendar was used across much of Europe from the time of Julius Caesar until the Gregorian calendar reform of 1582. Ultimately, this older calendar was dropped from use except for some Eastern Orthodox religious observances. The Julian calendar inserts one day once every four years overestimates the time for the earth to orbit the sun by 11 minutes 14 seconds. Consequently, a difference in approximately 14 days has accrued since the time of Julius Caesar.

HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS - 12 January

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

...1888...A sharp cold front swept southward from the Dakotas to Texas in just 24 hours spawning a severe blizzard over the Great Plains. More than 200 pioneers perished in the storm. Subzero temperatures and mountainous snowdrifts killed tens of thousands of cattle. (David Ludlum) [Editor's note: This blizzard is the subject of a recent book by David Laskin entitled "The Children's Blizzard", so named since many of the deaths included school children on their way home from school. EJH]
...1912...The morning low temperature of 47 degrees below zero at Washta, IA established a state record for the Hawkeye State. (The Weather Channel) (This record was tied in February 1996 at Elkader).
...1981...The temperature fell to 35 degrees below zero at Chester, MA, setting an all-time record low temperature for the Bay State. (NCDC)
...1982...Freezing temperatures penetrated into south Florida. Vegetables were destroyed as far south as Homestead, where the temperature fell to 29 degrees, and citrus was damaged at Orlando, where the mercury fell to 23 degrees. A low-pressure area on the Gulf spread snow and freezing rain over the central and southern Gulf States. Amounts were generally 5 inches from northern Louisiana into northern Florida. Snow and freezing rain paralyzed Atlanta, GA. (Intellicast)
...1985...A record "snowstorm of the century" struck portions of western and south central Texas. The palm trees of San Antonio were blanketed with up to thirteen and a half inches of snow, more snow than was ever previously received in an entire winter season. Del Rio measured 5.5 inches, which was also their most snow ever in 24 hours as well as for any season.(Weather Channel) (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
...1987...Twenty-seven cities in the Upper Midwest reported new record high temperatures for the date. Afternoon highs of 72 degrees at Valentine, NE and 76 degrees at Rapid City, SD set records for the month of January. (National Weather Summary)
...1988...Parts of North Dakota finally got their first snow of the winter season, and it came with a fury as a blizzard raged across the north central U.S. Snowfall totals ranged up to 14 inches at Fargo, ND, winds gusted to 65 mph at Windom, MN, and wind chill readings in North Dakota reached 60 degrees below zero. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1989...A dozen cities in the southeastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date as readings warmed into the 70s and 80s. Fort Myers, FL reported a record high of 86 degrees. (National Weather Summary)
...1990...Gale force winds produce squalls with heavy snow in the Great Lakes Region. Totals in northwest Pennsylvania ranged up to eleven inches at Conneautville and Meadville. Barnes Corners, in western New York State, was buried under 27 inches of snow in two days. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1996...The fourth and final in a series of snowstorms to strike the East Coast in only ten days dumped 36 inches of snow at Oakland, PA, 26 inches at Franklin, NY, and 25 inches at Montrose, PA. Another 4 to 6 inches fell in the Washington, DC- Baltimore, MD area. The 10.8 inches at Harrisburg, PA raised its monthly snowfall to 38.8 inches -- the city's snowiest month ever. After this snowfall, many places had over 40 inches of snow on the ground, including Grafton, NH (50 inches), Danville, PA (49 inches), Jaffrey, NH (46 inches), and West Granville, MA (43 inches). Oddly enough, this deep snow cover would be completely eradicated in most areas over the next two weeks from warm temperatures and heavy rains, setting the stage for major flooding. (Intellicast)

13 January

...1862...The "Noachian flood of California" created a vast sea in the Sacramento Valley. San Francisco had a January rainfall total of 24.36 inches. (Intellicast)
...1886...A great blizzard struck the state of Kansas without warning. The storm claimed 50 to 100 lives, and eighty percent of the cattle in the state. (David Ludlum)
...1888...The mercury plunged to 65 degrees below zero at Fort Keogh, located near Miles City, MT. The reading stood as the all-time lowest temperature record for the continental U.S. for sixty-six years. (David Ludlum)
...1912...The temperature at Oakland, MD plunged to 40 degrees below zero to establish a state record. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders - 1987)
...1913...The temperature rose 64 degrees in 14 hours at Rapid City, SD. (Intellicast)
...1950...The coldest and snowiest month on record (57.2 inches) at Seattle, WA was highlighted by a major snowstorm on this date. Twenty inches of snow fell at the Seattle-Tacoma airport. (Intellicast)
...1964...A large, slow moving snowstorm hit the mid-Atlantic and New England states. Williamsport, PA was buried under 24 inches of snow. Scranton, PA checked in with 19 inches and Nantucket, MA recorded 19 inches. (Intellicast)
...1987...Dry and mild weather prevailed across the country. Nineteen cities in the Upper Midwest reported record high temperatures for the date, including Grand Island, NE with a reading of 67 degrees. (National Weather Summary)
...1988...A fast moving cold front ushered arctic cold into the north central and northeastern U.S. Mason City, IA reported a wind chill reading of 51 degrees below zero, and Greenville, ME reported a wind chill of 63 degrees below zero. Winds along the cold front gusted to 63 mph at Rochester, NY, and a thunderstorm along the cold front produced wind gusts to 62 mph at Buffalo, NY, along with snow and sleet. (National Weather Summary)
...1989...Friday the 13^th was bad luck primarily for the south central U.S. as an upper-level weather disturbance spread a mixture of snow and sleet and freezing rain across Texas and Oklahoma. Snowfall totals in central Oklahoma ranged up to 8.5 inches at Norman. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1990...A winter storm in the southwestern U.S. produced more than a twelve inches of snow in the mountains of California and Nevada. In northern California, Huntington Lake was buried under 40 inches of snow, and up to 20 inches was reported in northeastern Nevada. Heavy rain soaked some of the lower elevations of California. Gibraltar Dam, CA was drenched with 5.33 inches of rain in two days. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

14 January

...1863...The greatest snowstorm of record for Cincinnati, OH commenced, and a day later twenty inches of snow covered the ground. That total has remained far above the modern day record for Cincinnati of eleven inches of snow in one storm. (David Ludlum)
...1882...Southern California's greatest snow occurred on this date. Fifteen inches blanketed San Bernardino, and even San Diego reported a trace of snow. (David Ludlum)
...1888...A cold wave hit California, with temperatures of 20 degrees at Eureka and 29 degrees at San Francisco. (Intellicast)
...1974...After 2 weeks of very cold temperatures, unseasonably warm temperatures accompanied by Chinook winds and heavy rains, as much as 10 inches in a 4 day period, resulted in disastrous flooding over northern and central Idaho. The severe flooding was called the worst natural disaster in the history of the state. Mudslides blocked and washed out sections of U.S. 95, Idaho's main north-south highway. Total damage was about $50 million. (Intellicast)
...1979...Chicago, IL was in the midst of their second heaviest snow of record as, in thirty hours, the city was buried under 20.7 inches of snow. The twenty-nine inch snow cover following the storm was an all-time record for Chicago. (David Ludlum)
...1987...Arctic cold invaded the north central U.S. By evening blustery northwest winds and temperatures near zero at Grand Forks, ND were producing wind chill readings of 50 degrees below zero. (National Weather Summary)
...1988...A powerful Pacific storm produced rain and high winds in the western U.S. In Nevada, the strongest wind gust ever recorded at Reno Cannon International airport was reported at 11:24 PM, 78 knots or 90 mph, resulting in considerable damage around the area. Wind gusts reached 106 mph southwest of Reno and a wind gust to 94 mph was recorded at nearby Windy Hill. Rainfall totals in Oregon ranged up to six inches at Wilson River. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
...1989...A winter storm spread snow and sleet and freezing rain from the Middle Mississippi Valley to the northeastern U.S. Freezing rain in West Virginia caused fifteen traffic accidents in just a few minutes west of Charleston. Tennessee was deluged with up to 7.5 inches of rain. Two inches of rain near Clarksville, TN left water in the streets as high as car doors.
...1990...A winter storm in the southwestern U.S. blanketed the mountains of southwest Utah with 18 to 24 inches of snow, while sunshine and strong southerly winds helped temperatures warm into the 60s in the Central Plains Region. Five cities reported record high temperatures for the date, including North Platte, NE with a reading of 63 degrees. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1992...A low pressure area deepened 18 millibars in only 12 hours (a land bomb) and bottomed out at 969 millibars (28.62 inches) as it tracked from the Tennessee Valley to northern New York State. It produced quite a range of nasty weather. Heavy snow with blizzard conditions prevailed in Ohio and eastern Michigan. Detroit, MI reported thunder and lightning with heavy snow and received a total of 11 inches -- the biggest single storm snowfall in nearly 10 years. An unusual severe weather outbreak for the time of the year so far north occurred in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and southeastern New York. Tornadoes touched down at Moosic and Lumberville, PA. Dime size hail fell at Orange, New Jersey and thunderstorm winds gusted to 87 mph at Gettysburg, PA. Small hail fell at the National Weather Service office in Newark, NJ -- the first time hail had ever fallen at this location in January. (Intellicast)