 DISCUSSION: This article details the “sudden freeze”, a strange meteorological event in 1836 that caused hardships for pioneers in Illinois. The day was December 20, 1836, central Illinois had been experiencing relatively warm temperatures for the previous few days. That day there was light rain, with some reports claiming snow on the ground was turned into slush due to said rain. Then around noon, a dark cloud, or according to one report, clouds suddenly appeared from the northwest bringing with it a roaring sound and high wind speeds of up to 70 mph. These clouds and high winds were because of an intense cold front that moved through the area. It also brought with it a great drop in temperature, from around 40 degrees Fahrenheit to about 0 degrees Fahrenheit in a matter of minutes.
This sudden change in temperature apparently caused streams to freeze and thicken in ridges, that’s right, ridges of six to twelve inches in just a few hours. Livestock left out in the open were frozen in their tracks, with several of them freezing to death as no one was there to melt or break away the ice from their extremities. The sudden change took people by surprise, with some far away from their homes or without the resources to build a fire, leading to multiple deaths due to freezing. One report of the event claims that a man who had been riding on his horse in the rain had his wet jacket frozen to him while he was also frozen to his saddle. The front moved through the area with it reaching the border of Pennsylvania and Ohio by midnight, bringing cold weather to those areas as well. The next day, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and parts of Iowa and Illinois experienced sub-zero temperatures. This sudden change in weather was very disastrous for the people of central Illinois .Especially considering people back then didn’t have modern weather forecasting, radar, air conditioning or heating systems, warning systems, and other modern technology to assist them like have now. Such widespread death of people and livestock could have been prevented had they had these conveniences. To learn more about other past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! © 2018 Meteorologist Noah Hardy
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DISCUSSION: Over the past few days, a weak storm system began developing across portions of the Southeastern United States. The combination of very persistent as well as deep cold air facilitated a good portion of the precipitation which was generated by this particular low-pressure system to fall as snow. Thus, many places across the SE United States bore witness to their first accumulating snowfall event in many years in most cases. During the particular snowfall event captured in the footage above from Shreveport, Louisiana, temperatures hovered in the lower 20's F with dew point values hovering between 10 and 15 F. Thus, there is no question that this was an unusual turn of events, but certainly not out of the realm of possibility as it is historically plausible for such events to occur even in the Deep South.
To learn more about other past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! © 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz  DISCUSSION: As we look back to the first week of January 1996, we arrive at the occurrence of a rather historic snowstorm in United States weather history. There is no question as this particular winter storm was rather complicated from a larger-scale weather pattern standpoint. This event occurred predominantly as a result of strong, efficient warm-air advection occurring out ahead of an area of low-pressure developing across the interior Southeastern United States. It is also worth noting that by studying the total snowfall map attached above, there was a clear orographic precipitation enhancement (i.e., a terrain-based enhancement) associated with the snowfall bands which developed out ahead of the associated low-pressure system. Attached below is an exact excerpt pertaining to the summary of this particular historic winter weather event (courtesy of the This Day in Weather History team).
"A severe nor'easter paralyzed the East Coast on January 6 to the 8th, 1996. In Washington D.C., this storm is also known as the "Great Furlough Storm" because it occurred during the 1996 federal government shutdown. Snowfall amounts from this event includes: 47 inches in Big Meadows, Virginia; 30.7" in Philadelphia; 27.8" in Newark; 24.6" at the Dulles International Airport; 24.2" in Trenton; 24" in Providence; 22.5" in Baltimore; 18.2" in Boston; 17.1" in D.C.; and 9.6" in Pittsburgh." To learn more about this particular weather event, click on the following link. To learn more about other past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! © 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz  DISCUSSION: As turn the clocks back to the Winter of 1887, we arrive at the occurrence of the infamous 1887 blizzard. There is no question that this was one of the more historic blizzards in recorded North American history. Attached below is an exact excerpt of the story from Smithsonian.com as written by Laura Clark who is a writer and editor based over in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
"Through much of the late 1870's and into the 1880's, cooler summers and mild winters meant that feeding the animals was relatively easy: grass and feed was typically pretty plentiful. But everything changed in the disastrous winter of 1886-1887. A blazing hot summer had scorched the prairies, so when snow started falling in early November much of the frontier’s livestock were already starving and ill equipped for a hard winter. The problem became a catastrophe when, on January 9, 1887, a blizzard hit, covering parts of the Great Plains in more than 16 inches of snow. Winds whipped, and temperatures dropped to around 50 below. Few farmers had hay stored for their cattle, so many cows that weren’t killed by the cold soon died from starvation. When spring arrived, millions of the animals were dead, with around 90 percent of the open range’s cattle rotting where they fell. Those present reported carcasses as far as the eye could see. Dead cattle clogged up rivers and spoiled drinking water. Many ranchers went bankrupt and others simply called it quits and moved back east where conditions appeared less punishing. They called the event “The Great Die-Up,” a macabre play on the term “round-up.” Ultimately, the disaster altered not just the development of the west, but also the direction of America’s agriculture. Ranchers stopped keeping such gigantic stocks of cattle and began larger farming operations in order to grow food for the animals they had. Most also quit the open range, where livestock could roam far from grain reserves, in favor of smaller, fenced in grazing territories. The winter of 1886-1887 signaled the beginning of the end to the days of roving cowboys and the untamed western wilderness. To learn more about this particular story, click on the following link. To learn more about past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! © 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz Remembering the Historic January 2nd, 2006 Tornado Event (credit: NWS Peachtree City, Georgia)1/2/2018  DISCUSSION: As we look back to January 2nd, 2006, a very impressive tornado event unfolded across portions of western and central Georgia. There is no doubt that considering this severe weather event occurred during the pre-Dual Polarization radar observation era, this was a scary event for many since our observation capabilities were somewhat reduced during the course of this event. That is due to the fact Dual Polarization radar capabilities allows for atmospheric scientists to view convective storms in both the vertical as well as the horizontal. Whereas, with this loop above (which captures the essence of this particular tornado event), this was based on the reflectivity signatures received by the WSR-88D Doppler radar in place at the Peachtree City, Georgia National Weather Service office. Attached below is an exact excerpt from the summary for this severe weather event courtesy of the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City, Georgia.
"A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service and confirmed by Emergency Managers from both Pike and Meriwether counties concluded that an F3 tornado touched down one mile southeast of Hollonville in northwest Pike county and traveled east for approximately 3 miles, terminating at a point about 4 miles east-southeast of Hollonville in north central Pike county. Five homes along the path were extensively damaged or destroyed. One home was moved 60 feet from its foundation. Two vehicles were thrown 250 yards. Several farm structures were also damaged in the area. A number of trees and power lines were also down in the area. Three injuries were reported during the event. Two men that were working in a barn were injured when the tornado blew the barn away. A third man was injured while clinging to a fence post that the tornado ripped from the ground. The tornado had an overall path length of 3 miles with a path width of 1/4 mile. One interesting note is that family photographs from one of the homes destroyed near Hollonville were found as far away as Williamson, near the Spalding county line." To learn more about this particular severe weather event from back in January 2006, be sure to click on the following link and this link. To learn more about other past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! © 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz  DISCUSSION: As we turn the clocks back towards the end of December 1967, we arrive at the occurrence of a truly historic football which was later coined the Ice Bowl game back on 31 December 1967. This football match-up was between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys. Attached below is an exact excerpt from the National Weather Service office at Green Bay, Wisconsin in which this particular event is described in greater detail.
"The 1967 NFL Championship Game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers, played on December 31 at Lambeau Field, is known as the Ice Bowl, arguably one of the greatest games in NFL history.The game was played in brutal cold and windy conditions. The kickoff temperature in Green Bay was -13°F, with a wind chill of 36 below zero. Temperatures were so cold, in fact, that referees had to shout signals so that the metal whistles wouldn't stick to their lips. Even so, nearly 51,000 fans watched the coldest game in league annals. Several players were treated for frostbite and a fan in the stands died of exposure to the cold." Thus, there is no debate whatsoever that this was one of the more historic football games in recorded history based on the fact that there was a combination of historically cold weather for that part of the 20th century. In addition, on top of the ridiculously cold temperatures which were in place during that game, there were also fairly strong winds as well which led to dangerous frigid wind-chills. To learn more about this famous football weather story, click here! To learn more about past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! © 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz |
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