Weather History Topics - Global Weather & Climate Center

How a Satellite Can Give Insights Beyond a Storm's Impacts! (credit: NOAA NWS Aberdeen, South Dakota)

7/4/2018

DISCUSSION: As atmospheric science continues to evolve with time, there is no question that higher-resolution satellite imagery continues to change the way in which we study and evaluate severe weather events. First off, higher resolution satellite imagery allows atmospheric scientists to make much more precise detections of pre-convective initiation signals as well as the timing of convective initiation itself by way of there being a much clearer and real-time view of severe weather events as they unfold with passing time.

Furthermore, much finer detail associated with high-resolution satellite imagery from satellites such as the MODIS and/or MODIS-TERRA satellite platforms allow atmospheric scientists to make much more detailed assessments of severe weather impacts than ever before in human history. Thus, the presence of higher-resolution satellite imagers has forever revolutionized the way in which deep convective storms are analyzed and examined both during their existence and well after their demise. A fitting example for how atmospheric scientists use such high-resolution satellite imagery to enhance their analysis is included above from a recent severe weather event which unfolded on 29 June 2018 (i.e., within the past week).

As shown above, back on 29 June 2018 there was a potent supercell thunderstorm which traveled a little over 420 miles during its existence which is quite impressive just by itself. However, to boost such an impressive distance feat, this storm also went as far as to leave behind a solid hail scar in its wake. This hail scar was later observed via the MODIS satellite imager (as captured in the graphic above) to verify the path length and width over which this lengthy hail scar could be found across.

Although there were fortunately no fatalities immediately reported in association with this severe weather event, it goes without saying that a severe thunderstorm moving through this region does not bode well for crops since hail can be very damaging to crops. So, in a sense, even if a severe storm is not directly impacting people, there is always a solid likelihood across the Central Plains states that a severe storm is still indirectly impacting the livelihood or safety of animals or livestock belonging to various families or farmers.

To learn more about other interesting weather history events from around the world, be sure to click here!

© 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz

When Heat Fights Back: The Battle of Monmouth, 1778 (Photo Credit: worldatlas.com)

6/28/2018

Discussion: On June 28, 1778, General George Washington led the Continental Army in an attack against the British Army at the Battle of Monmouth in Monmouth County, New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War. In May of 1778, British troops, led by General Sir Henry Clinton, began evacuating from Philadelphia to New York, traveling over land through New Jersey. The Continental Army saw this as a perfect opportunity to strike. Ultimately, this battle ended in a draw as the Continental Army was able to hold the field, but the British were still able to escape to New York. However, this battle is considered a significant battle in the American Revolutionary War, as the Continental Army was able to hold its own against what was considered one of the best armies in the world. Additionally, this battle holds significance in weather history due to the impact heat may have had on the number of casualties in this battle.

The weather conditions during this historical battle were less than favorable with extreme heat prevailing throughout the day. For much of the duration of the battle, temperatures were said to have exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit. To put this in perspective, heat stroke can occur when your internal body temperature reaches 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Prolonged exposure to hot temperatures in addition to physical exertion can raise your internal body temperature. According to some accounts, an American woman named Mary Hays heroically traversed the battlefield through the rain of musket balls and cannonballs just to bring water to over-heated soldiers. She was even said to have taken her husband’s place at the cannons after he collapsed on the field. Unfortunately, many deaths from this battle were attributed to heat stroke. Some accounts report that the extreme heat may have taken more lives than musket fire. It is hard to say whether the weather influenced the overall result of this battle, but it is clear that the high temperatures on this day did make the conditions of battle that much harder.

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©2018 Meteorologist Stephanie Edwards

The Evolving History of U.S. Doppler Radar Development (credit: This Day in Weather History)

2/16/2018

DISCUSSION: Over the past 6 to 7 decades, there has undoubtedly been tremendous progress made in the field of radar meteorology. From the earlier systems (i.e., the Army radar landing systems) which were very basic in terms of their ability to observe the lowest part of the troposphere during the earlier part of the 20th Century. Attached below are exact excerpts from the "This Day in Weather History" team and the Radarscope team which help to further explain the background behind the history of weather radar evolution across the United States.

"Today, there are over 150, NEXRAD or Next Generation Radars in service across the county. However a mere 71 years ago, there were none. On February 13th, 1947, the Civil Aeronautics Administration asked Congress for funds to install surplus Army radar landing systems at 20 terminal airports. Radar landing systems permit planes to land "blind" in bad weather. The first Weather Surveillance Radar was installed in Washington D.C. in March 1947. By early July 1947, newspapers across the country ran a story about how weather forecasters may be able to track down tornadoes by radar. Today, radars can detect a tornadic debris signature (TDS), often referred to as a debris ball. A TDS is an area of high reflectivity on weather radar caused by debris lofting into the air, usually associated with a tornado."

The next two excerpts are quoted from the article entitled "A Brief History of Weather Radar courtesy of the Radarscope team which is owned by Weather Decision Technologies.

"During the 1960s, the electronics industry underwent a great deal of change. Electronic components could be made smaller due to the transistor. A group of engineers formed Enterprise Electronics Corporation to design and manufacture more advanced radars. Their first radar was installed in 1969 at a television station in Tampa, Florida. A year later, a second radar was installed in Jackson, Mississippi. Funding obtained in 1976 allowed the NWS to replace the older radars with newer radars. These radars became known as the WSR-74C."

Following the deployment of the WSR-74C, two laboratories that were instrumental in radar development, the NOAA National Severe Storms Lab and the Air Force Geophysics Laboratory, combined forces to work on the Joint Doppler Operational Project. The path to the development of what would eventually be called NEXRAD began in 1978. Some 12 years later, the first WSR-88D was installed near Norman, Oklahoma. A total of 158 of these radars are now installed across the country. The WSR-88D was the first radar with Doppler capabilities, which not only allows the radar to detect an echo, but also determine the motion of that echo."

To learn more about the particulars of the article from the Radarscope team, feel free to click here!

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© 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz

Remembering the Sudden Freeze of 1836 (Image courtesy of Newberry.org)

1/28/2018

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

Historic Snowfall Across the Gulf Coast Region of the United States (credit: This Day in Weather History)

1/18/2018

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

Reminiscing about the Historic Blizzard of 1996 (credit: The Washington Post)

1/9/2018

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.

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© 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz

Going Back in Time to the 1887 American Frontier Blizzard (credit: Smithsonian.com)

1/8/2018

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.

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© 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz

A Flashback to Ice-Bowl of December 1967 (credit: NWS Green Bay, Wisconsin)

1/2/2018

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!

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© 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz

Remembering the Boxing Day Blizzard! (Photo Credit: WPC, NOAA, Joe DeLizio)

12/26/2017

DISCUSSION: This day in weather history remembers the Boxing Day Blizzard of 2010. The Boxing Day blizzard was a record breaking storm for many in the Northeast United States, as well as my personal favorite storm. Widespread heavy snowfall fell from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast as a coastal low developed across the Gulf of Mexico and tracked along the coastal waters of the eastern United States.

The image above is an analysis of the atmosphere based on the NAM on the 27th of December, 2010, at 00Z. The upper left panel represents the jet stream at 300 mb, with heights in decameters, and wind speed in knots, filled. The upper right panel shows 500 mb heights in decameters, wind barbs in knots, and vorticity (s^-1) filled. The lower left panel plots 850 mb temperatures and wind barbs and the lower right panel plots sea level pressure (mb), 1000-500 mb thicknesses in decameters, and convective precipitation from 00Z to 12Z on the 27th. Let’s break this down. There is a strong jet streak present along the southeast coastal waters, putting the left exit region of the jet across the northern Mid-Atlantic to portions of Southern New England leading to strong vertical motion.

Accompanied with this, as seen in the 500 mb map, a strong, elongated, intense area of vorticity is present from the deep south states stretching along the east coast and into Long Island and Southern New England. This is leading to positive vorticity advection across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and into all of New England, and therefore, upward vertical motion, matching well with the upward vertical motion based on the jet dynamics. Neutral temperature advection is shown in the lower left-hand panel, as much of the 850 mb wind barbs, while strong, are parallel to the isotherms.

And to wrap this diagram up, the lower right-hand panel shows thickness lines below 540 decameters all across the northern Mid-Atlantic into the Northeast, indicative of all snowfall at this time where precipitation is falling. The NAM analysis has the low pressure off the New Jersey coastal waters, as the model shows convective precipitation developing across Southern New England which is evidence for weak stability, and hence heavy snowfall rates. Weak stability is an ingredient for bombogenesis, which our storm underwent, as the pressure dropped by 32 mb in 24 hours from 00Z on the 26th to 00Z on the 27th.

As we look at the snow totals from this event, heavy snows fell from all of eastern New Jersey, southern New York State, far western Massachusetts, and southern Vermont, with another heavy snow area across eastern Massachusetts. In-between these areas, as represented by the two circles on the figure above, much less snow fell. Why did this occur when all our synoptic scale features pointed to strong upward vertical motion and hence heavy snowfall all across the northern Mid-Atlantic and Southern New England?

When plotting 850 mb frontogenesis (as well as sea level pressure) from the NAM 00Z, forecast hour 03Z, the answer becomes clear. There are two areas of frontogenesis, shaded, that are of interest. One is the large strong band from eastern Long Island to far eastern Southern New England. The other is a narrow band across central New Jersey and into southern portions of New York State. These areas of frontogenesis create a thermally direct circulation in response to the frontogenetic thermally indirect circulation at the surface. This secondary circulation causes warm air to rise along these frontogenetic regions, while the cold air sinks in-between where the frontogenesis is not present, in essence Le Chatelier's principle.

Looking at a radar imagery around the time of this analysis shows a very heavy snow band from eastern New Jersey up through southern New York state, and into southern Vermont. A second heavy snow band set up shop across far southeast Southern New England. These two areas match well with the two areas of frontogenesis plotted, and the “snow holes”, aka sinking air, show up well across central portions of Southern New England and in western NJ and eastern PA. This frontogenesis played a key role in who received over 20 inches of snow, like what fell in my backyard, and a couple of inches a few miles away.

To finish off this discussion, let’s look at the model guidance on the morning of Christmas Eve, 2010. Virtually every single model had this storm well off into the Atlantic with minimal impacts, except for the GFS and its ensembles. This was a difficult forecast because of this discrepancy in the models, not to mention the extreme totals in isolated regions, but the GFS obviously caught on to something before all the other guidance, at least at this time.

That wraps up this discussion of the Boxing Day Blizzard, but if you want to learn more about weather history, be sure to click here for further stories!

©2017 Forecaster Joe DeLizio