Winter In The USA 2014-15

[Mark]

Rapid City sees earliest snowfall since 1888

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[Mark]

◾Chicago recorded the third earliest snow on record this morning, beginning at 6:58 am CDT.
◾In Chicago, the earliest traces of snow on record dating back to 1881 were September 25, 1928 and September 25, 1942.

◦Temperature ◾Chicago set a record low maximum temperature today of 47 degrees.
◾The previous record low maximum temperature for Chicago on this day was 48° in 1935.
◾To put this in perspective, the average minimum temperature for this date is 46.  The average high is 67.
◾The record low temperature of 32 degrees (set in 1989) was not reached.  Today's low was only 35.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=lot&storyid=104553&source=0

[Mark]

The shortest was 114 days in 1901, followed by 133 days in 1912,

says the Hays (Kansas) Daily News.


The Daily News reported that an all-time (114-year) record was broken on September 13, 2014, when the thermometer dipped to 31 degrees F.

The low of 31 degrees not only was a new record for the day, but a new record for the first frost of the fall.

It also means this year’s growing season — at 134 days — is the third shortest on record in this bread basket of the U.S.. The shortest was 114 days in 1901, followed by 133 days in 1912.

Previously, the earliest fall frost in 117 years of record keeping at the Kansas State University Agricultural Research Center was Sept. 17, recorded twice in 1901 and again two years later in 1903.

That means this year’s first frost broke the previous 114-year-old record by five days.

Many other areas also dropped to near- or below-freezing temperatures the following day, raising the specter of a double-whammy in those areas.

Late maturing grain sorghum crops the most likely to be affected

Corn, grain sorghum and soybeans are susceptible to freezing temperatures, said Kansas State University Agricultural Research Center chief Bob Gillen,.

Already, leaves on pumpkin plants growing at the research center have turned black as a result of the freezing temperature, and the upper third of a field of already drought-plagued forage growing east of Hays had turned brown.

Gillen said many corn fields already are at a stage where they won’t be hurt too badly by the freeze, but that’s not the case for many grain sorghum fields.

And don’t forget. After a “sharply wetter-than-normal July,” farmers had to wait before they could get in the field and plant grain sorghum this summer.

Now, with all of the recent rain, Gillen is also starting to worry about farmers being able to get wheat in the ground on a timely basis.
HDNews.net - an online service of the Hays Daily News

[Mark]

Temperatures only reached a high of 71 degrees in Miami, breaking a record set at 73 degrees in 1949. In West Palm Beach, temperatures peaked at 69 degrees, breaking the 1964 record of 72

Cold snap sets records in Naples, South Florida - Naples Daily News

[Mark]

Arctic air associated with the polar vortex will lunge into the North Central United States early next week and will expand southward and eastward to affect about 200 million people as the week progresses

The polar vortex is a large pocket of very cold air, typically the coldest air in the Northern Hemisphere, which sits over the polar region. Occasionally, this pocket of very cold air can get dislodged farther south than normal, leading to cold outbreaks in Canada and the U.S.

The coldest weather of the season so far will extend from the Dakotas to Texas and the Interstate-95 corridor by the end of the week. The outbreak of arctic air will be long-lasting and may linger well past the middle of the month
Polar Vortex to Blast 200 Million People With Arctic Air

[Mark]

Meteorologist Tim Buckley of WFMY-TV writes on Facebook:

"All 50 states have low temperatures BELOW freezing tonight. (Monday night)

Yes, even Hawaii. Tall mountain peaks there regularly get below freezing, and even get snow.

This typically happens a few times during winter, but is very rare this early in the season.

Pretty neat!"

The low temperature forecast for tonight shows the cold continuing nationally, with perhaps a second night of below freezing temperatures in all 50 states:

T8_conus[1]

https://www.facebook.com/MeteorologistTimBuckley?fref=photo

[PaulMy]

Somewhat serious snow in Buffallo, New York...  https://ca.news.yahoo.com/photos/buffalo-n-y-shut-down-by-several-feet-of-snow-slideshow/wintry-weather-new-york-photo-1416356553745.html

Appealing for hiring people to help shovel the stadium for Sunday's Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets Football game, for $10.00 and hour and ticket to the game .
http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCYQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fglobalnews.ca%2Fnews%2F1680938%2Fwant-to-see-buffalo-bills-game-sunday-bring-a-shovel%2F&ei=8nFtVN_MAsX9yQStv4LwBQ&usg=AFQjCNFxBI9zuFr_O8DwNXdap2BtNCHrQA

Paul

[Mark]

Good links Paul.

I have heard on News that they have had more snow This November than what they would get in a normal winter.

[JennyLeez]

Found this on the cumulus forum, imagine opening the door in the morning to this.

Originally posted up:
http://www.wned.org/

Also some amazing snow photos through these headlines:

http://news.wbfo.org/

[Mark]

ＢＵＦＦＡＬＯ, ＷＥＳＴＥＲＮ ＮＥＷ ＹＯＲＫ ＢＵＲＩＥＤ ＢＹ ＡＮＯＴＨＥＲ ＷＡＶＥ ＯＦ ＳＮＯＷ

second band of lake-effect snow pounded cities and towns near Buffalo, New York, early Thursday, piling more misery on communities already paralyzed by a 5-foot blanket of snow. Authorities confirmed an eighth death blamed on the storm.

“A few areas are getting close to a foot right now, but the worst of it is the additional accumulation and that will occur today,” The Weather Channel’s Michael Palmer said. “So its just going to prolong people getting in and trying clearing the snow away — that’s just not going to happen until the weekend.”


 

 



The Buffalo area was buried under as much as 5½ feet of snow Wednesday. Two additional feet were expected in some areas during the day, topping off with another 5 to 8 inches on Thursday night.

The eighth death was a 60-year-old man who had a heart condition and was stricken while operating a snowblower, said authorities in Erie County, which includes Buffalo.

Because wet air blowing in from Lake Erie is so much warmer than the prevailing air in the region, the result will again be thunderstorms that drop snow, not rain — the oddity called thundersnow.

video - Buffalo, Western New York Buried by Another Wave of Snow - NBC News

[kaihoka]

Blame This Arctic Superstorm For Brutal U.S. Winter Weather | Popular Science

[Mark]

By Blake Mathews, Weather producer, meteorologist, bmathews@wjxt.com.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - 
Thursday morning not only broke an "ancient" record from 1873, but we also dropped to the second coldest temperature ever recorded in the month of November in Jacksonville.

According to the National Weather Service, for the second morning in a row, Jacksonville set a new cold weather record. Thursday mornings temperature dropped to a bone chilling 24 degrees breaking the old record of 30 degrees set in 1873.

If that wasn't cold enough for you, Thursday's 24 degrees also marks the second lowest temperature ever recorded in the month of November, beaten out only by the year 1970 when the mercury dropped to 21 degrees in Jacksonville in November.

Some areas around Woodbine, GA flirted with the upper teens as the temperature officially there dropped to 20 degrees.

Any thoughts that the winter of 2014-2015 wouldn't be as bone-chilling as last year's may have just been put on thin ice. And it's only November.

Tuesday morning was the coldest Nov. 19 across the United States since 1976, some 38 years, according to Dr. Ryan Maue, meteorologist with WeatherBell. The average temperature across the entire country was just 19.4°.

An astounding 226 million people in all 50 states, that includes the tropical paradise of Hawaii, were below freezing at the same time putting an exclamation point on an already paralyzing winter season -- that hasn't even officially started yet.
141 year old cold weather record falls in Jacksonville | Weather - Home

[Mark]

Not just the day, not just the week, not just the month, we’re talking the entire year.


“None of us have never experienced a year as cold as 2014,” says CBS Chicago’s website.

“The last time the average annual year-to-date temperature was this cold was back in 1904.

“According to the Gerontology research group, there is nobody from Illinois born before 1904 that is still living. Nationwide, there are 18 people older than 110 years old.”

And there’s a “good chance that temps could drop to below average for most of this winter season.”

2014 Chicago Has Been Coldest In 110 Years « CBS Chicago

[Mark]

16 Dec 2014 – Since the beginning of the month, San Francisco has recorded more than 9.14 inches (23.2 cm) of rain, says National Weather Service meteorologist Charles Bell. The previous record of 7.10 inches was set in 1889. Data go back as far as 1849.

Not only San Francisco, major cities in the Bay Area are experiencing record rainfall during the first half of December, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.

Oakland beat the previous record set in 1950, while San Jose has endured (or celebrated?) the wettest December since 1906.

More rain was expected today.

Nine inches of rain drench San Francisco :: SFBay | San Francisco Bay Area News and Sports

[Mark]

CHICAGO (AP) - Snow, ice and rain fell Saturday in the Midwest and eastern parts of the U.S., a prelude to the Arctic temperatures due to arrive in the next few days.

The mix of precipitation affected a swath from the Oklahoma Panhandle - where several inches of snow were in the forecast - to southern New England, where up to a quarter-inch of ice is possible in the eastern Berkshires.

A mix of rain and ice factored into numerous accidents in Michigan and Ohio and threatened an outdoor hockey game in Toledo.

And parts of the southern U.S. saw heavy rain and thunderstorms, leading the National Weather Service to issue tornado watches and warnings in Mississippi and Louisiana and a flash flood watch for portions of Arkansas.

The weather service said a tornado was reported on the ground in the area of Oak Vale, Mississippi. Authorities had no initial reports of injuries or major damage.
Mix of snow, ice, rain a prelude to bitter cold - AOL.com

[Mark]

Will this week be worse than the polar vortex? Deadly cold snap to strike half of the US, bringing sub-zero temperatures, heavy rain and snow to 50 MILLION
•Series of 'dangerously cold' air masses will strike half of US this week
•First arctic blast will hit on Monday - followed by a colder one Tuesday
•Will send temperatures plummeting to 10 to 20 degrees below average
•'This arctic cold is potentially deadly and dangerous,' say forecasters
•It will affect more than '50million people in 24 states' throughout week
•Will rival last January's arctic outbreak that was linked to 'polar vortex'
•New York City will be 'lucky' to see temperatures of above 20 degrees
•Meanwhile, five inches of snow could hit Chicago by Tuesday morning
Worse than the polar vortex? Deadly cold snap to strike half of the US today, bringing sub-zero temperatures, heavy rain and snow to 50 MILLION | Daily Mail Online

[Mark]

Temperatures across much of the northern and eastern US are plunging to "dangerously cold" levels, the National Weather Service says.

High winds mean wind-chill temperatures are forecast to drop as low as -50F (-45C) in Minnesota.

The freeze has led to the closure or late running of schools from north to south, from the Dakotas to Alabama.

Winter weather warnings have been issued for 17 US states and for Ontario and southern Quebec.

In other developments:

heavy snow and blizzards forecast in North and South Dakota
temperatures will plunge to -44F (-42C) in Fargo, North Dakota
schools are closed in Chicago, in -28F (-33C) temperatures
a storm dumped about a foot (30cm) of snow in northern New York
another foot of "lake-effect" snow is expected in parts of New York state over the next two days
In the north-east, temperatures were expected to drop further on Wednesday following an arctic blast of air that could produce wind gusts of up to 40mph (64km/h).
BBC News - 'Dangerously cold' temperatures and snow across US

[Mark]

As much as two feet (60 cm) of snow,  potentially pushing on 3 feet (90 cm) of snow.”

[Martin4Jay]

Hope everyone will be safe

[JennyLeez]

Residents in northeast hunker down in face of 'historic' storm

(CNN)Manhattan is a ghost town. The Boston Common is buried in white. The New England coastline is being whipped by near hurricane-force winds and waves.

Welcome to the blizzard of 2015.

Snow is falling 2 to 4 inches and hour at times and is especially heavy along the coast.

Blizzard warnings are in place from New Jersey to Maine. Boston is forecast to receive 20 to 30 inches of snow, and in some cases a bit more.

Up to 58 million people could be put into the deep freeze. And the storm could have a far-reaching economic and political impact, even beyond the region directly hit.

Flying into and out of the Northeast is a non-starter.

More than 4,300 flights have been canceled for Tuesday, the flight-tracking website Flightaware.com said. That's on top of 2,800 scrubbed on Monday. Hundreds more have already been canceled for Wednesday.

Amtrak said it was suspending Northeast Regional and Acela Express service between New York and Boston for Tuesday because of severe weather.

Further reading here:
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/27/us/weather-storm/index.html