It was bound to happen because it was only a matter of time.
Phoenix finally set a new all-time record yesterday for the most 110° days in a single calendar year. It became official at 5:05 PM Mountain Standard Time when Sky Harbor International Airport recorded its high temperature of 113°, marking the 29th time this year it has been at least 110°. It surpassed the previous record of 28 days in 1979 and 2002. It also tied the record high temperature for yesterday's date (113° in 1981).
While the southern Great Plains and southeastern United States have grabbed the headlines this summer (triple-digit heat in both regions, flooding rains in Texas and Oklahoma and the severe drought in the southeast such as in Alabama), Phoenix has quietly stayed out of the spotlight for the most part. But today, it is worth mentioning this very interesting record.
Here is where 2007 stands now amongst the hottest summers in Phoenix with days of 110° or higher. The National Weather Service has not updated its data posted on their Phoenix forecast office site yet, so I don't have the new annual frequency of 110° days listed by decade for you right now.
Top 10 years with highs of 110° or greater at Phoenix
1. 2007*... 29
T-2. 1979 and 2002... 28
T-3. 1936, 1974, 1985, 1989... 27
8. 2003... 26
T-9. 1981 and 1995... 25
*through August 29, 2007
The all-time monthly record is in June 1974 and July 1989.
To put this in perspective, this is not yet the hottest summer on record in Phoenix based on the average temperature in a meteorological summer season (June 1st to August 31st). At the same time, here are the top four all-time single day record-high temperatures for Phoenix as provided by KPHO-TV (you can see it in the video clip).
1. 122°... June 26, 1990
2. 121°... July 28, 1995
3. 120°... June 25, 1990
4. 118°... July 27, 1995
And here is some local coverage of the new annual record for most 110°+ days in a year. The KNXV-TV links are video clips.
Arizona Republic (August 30):
Tired of the 110° days? It could be worse.
East Valley Tribune (August 30):
Hot-weather records stuck on "replay"
KPHO-TV (Phoenix) (August 30):
New heat alert on heels of record
Crunching the numbers (video clip)
KSAZ-TV (Phoenix) (August 30):
Record heat by day, lightning by night
Working through heatwave no picnic
Coolidge schools closed
KPNX-TV (Phoenix) (August 30):
See video clips from home page:
"Record heat"
"Phoenix breaks all-time record for most days above 110 degrees"
Record heat continues for your Thursday
KNXV-TV (Phoenix) (August 30):
Hot in Phoenix? The understatement of the summer.
Is this the hottest summer ever?
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Hurricane Katrina two-year anniversary arrives
Today's date is somber reminder of what major weather event impacted our country by significant proportions.
After we just finished watching Dean march across the Caribbean Sea and slam into Mexico last week, today marks the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall on the Gulf Coast region of the United States.
I still remember where I was when Katrina struck New Orleans and especially the Mississippi coastline. The catastrophic devastation has made the recovery effort a daunting, but not impossible task for the region. Headlines have ranged from the failing levees flooding 80% of New Orleans to damage of the Louisiana wetlands to near-total destruction of cities such as Biloxi and Gulfport. But Katrina's large wind field as it reached the Gulf Coast undoubtedly had effected other cities such as Lake Charles (later more impacted by Hurricane Rita) and Mobile. On August 29, 2005, I was visiting one of my closest friends in the Long Island town of Lake Ronkonkoma, New York and had recorded onto VHS tape three time periods of coverage from The Weather Channel, including the moment Katrina made landfall. So in the future, if you see any video clips from that tape, the current conditions site is from Islip, New York instead of the site for my own local coverage area (White Plains, New York).
Most of the post-Katrina attention has been on New Orleans where devastation is well-documented. The massive failure of the levees flooded out the city, especially The 9th Ward section with the most visible damage. Some residents that had no means to evacuate the city took refuge in the Louisiana Superdome, a venue that suffered significant damage to its roof (just look at the aerial photos and video from after the storm). The New Orleans Police Department has had their hands full dealing with widespread crime in the weeks and months since Katrina hit (they still don't have a headquarters building). The federal government early on failed to implement an effective gameplan to help in the recovery effort and many critics blame those running the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA's mismanagement in providing swift and immediate aid to especially those desperately in need of assistance still is even discussed today. Even how New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin has managed the rebuilding process has been well-scrutinized and criticized for especially how slow the process has been and what steps have yet to be met to insure a full recovery for the Crescent City. One skeptic that I heard make such statements in which he has his doubts New Orleans ever will is Glenn Beck. He had coverage to ask the question if the Crescent City can be a viable place to live anymore. Regardless of what Beck thinks, the levees are being rebuilt slowly but surely, however New Orleans remains extremely vulernable to another hurricane only two years removed from Katrina. About two-thirds of the original 455,000 population have reportedly either stayed throughout or returned within the last 24 months. For visitors that come to New Orleans, there is a company that daily gives a three-hour tour of the city called "Katrina Tours" to show first hand the devastation Katrina caused and the progress New Orleans has made in the rebuilding process.
However, we have seen signs of promising progress to a point where even their two major sports franchises have made a commitment to remain in New Orleans. The Saints made a trimuphent return last fall to a renovated Superdome and defeated the Atlanta Falcons before a national television audience. The main theme of this game was to celebrate New Orleans' rebirth. Meantime, the Hornets return to New Orleans full time this upcoming NBA season after spending the previous two in Oklahoma City and will even host the 2008 NBA All-Star Game next February.
In Biloxi and Gulfport, notable progress has been made as businesses are re-opening and numerous rebuilding projects have given those that are deeply involved a sense of optimism for the region. From new hotels to casinos to bring in revenue to downtown revitalization plus the rebuilding of neighborhoods, those along Mississippi's Gulf Coast region have reason to believe again in where they call home. Their two-year anniversary observance today will provide them a look back at what residents are recovering from.
President George W. Bush paid a visit to New Orleans today for the two-year anniversary events. Despite the mismanagement and ongoing challenges the city faces today, Bush said New Orleans is now in better shape than at this time two years ago (of course it is, Katrina was battering the city at the time) and expressed his hope for full recovery.
While I was quickly surfing the internet during my lunch hour, I see that The Times-Picayune has a special archive section of articles from August 29, 2005. It is definitely worth checking out.
I'm unsure if I'll be tuning in to The Weather Channel tonight for coverage on the Katrina anniversary, but I'm sure those that did two years ago remember the 2005 Hurricane Katrina theme music played during the "Local on the 8s" forecast segments. The Mets-Phillies and Red Sox-Yankees series are of higher interest to me tonight. I cannot post a direct link to Steve Arnold's full-length song to provide a reminiscent look back at memorable sounds we heard on The Weather Channel that day because it would for me be illegal to do so online. I wouldn't be surprised if Jim Cantore (my all-time favorite TWC meteorologist), Jeff Morrow, Mike Seidel and Stephanie Abrams are all on location at the same places they were during Katrina. I expect the lovely Julie Martin to also provide live reports from New Orleans, too.
Overall, it is a tough day for many that were affected by Hurricane Katrina, but at the same time it reminds us how much we need to continue moving forward in the rebuilding process. The hope and resilence needs to be there if places such as New Orleans, Biloxi and Gulfport are to fully recover and possibly stronger than before Katrina caused widespread destruction.
After we just finished watching Dean march across the Caribbean Sea and slam into Mexico last week, today marks the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall on the Gulf Coast region of the United States.
I still remember where I was when Katrina struck New Orleans and especially the Mississippi coastline. The catastrophic devastation has made the recovery effort a daunting, but not impossible task for the region. Headlines have ranged from the failing levees flooding 80% of New Orleans to damage of the Louisiana wetlands to near-total destruction of cities such as Biloxi and Gulfport. But Katrina's large wind field as it reached the Gulf Coast undoubtedly had effected other cities such as Lake Charles (later more impacted by Hurricane Rita) and Mobile. On August 29, 2005, I was visiting one of my closest friends in the Long Island town of Lake Ronkonkoma, New York and had recorded onto VHS tape three time periods of coverage from The Weather Channel, including the moment Katrina made landfall. So in the future, if you see any video clips from that tape, the current conditions site is from Islip, New York instead of the site for my own local coverage area (White Plains, New York).
Most of the post-Katrina attention has been on New Orleans where devastation is well-documented. The massive failure of the levees flooded out the city, especially The 9th Ward section with the most visible damage. Some residents that had no means to evacuate the city took refuge in the Louisiana Superdome, a venue that suffered significant damage to its roof (just look at the aerial photos and video from after the storm). The New Orleans Police Department has had their hands full dealing with widespread crime in the weeks and months since Katrina hit (they still don't have a headquarters building). The federal government early on failed to implement an effective gameplan to help in the recovery effort and many critics blame those running the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA's mismanagement in providing swift and immediate aid to especially those desperately in need of assistance still is even discussed today. Even how New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin has managed the rebuilding process has been well-scrutinized and criticized for especially how slow the process has been and what steps have yet to be met to insure a full recovery for the Crescent City. One skeptic that I heard make such statements in which he has his doubts New Orleans ever will is Glenn Beck. He had coverage to ask the question if the Crescent City can be a viable place to live anymore. Regardless of what Beck thinks, the levees are being rebuilt slowly but surely, however New Orleans remains extremely vulernable to another hurricane only two years removed from Katrina. About two-thirds of the original 455,000 population have reportedly either stayed throughout or returned within the last 24 months. For visitors that come to New Orleans, there is a company that daily gives a three-hour tour of the city called "Katrina Tours" to show first hand the devastation Katrina caused and the progress New Orleans has made in the rebuilding process.
However, we have seen signs of promising progress to a point where even their two major sports franchises have made a commitment to remain in New Orleans. The Saints made a trimuphent return last fall to a renovated Superdome and defeated the Atlanta Falcons before a national television audience. The main theme of this game was to celebrate New Orleans' rebirth. Meantime, the Hornets return to New Orleans full time this upcoming NBA season after spending the previous two in Oklahoma City and will even host the 2008 NBA All-Star Game next February.
In Biloxi and Gulfport, notable progress has been made as businesses are re-opening and numerous rebuilding projects have given those that are deeply involved a sense of optimism for the region. From new hotels to casinos to bring in revenue to downtown revitalization plus the rebuilding of neighborhoods, those along Mississippi's Gulf Coast region have reason to believe again in where they call home. Their two-year anniversary observance today will provide them a look back at what residents are recovering from.
President George W. Bush paid a visit to New Orleans today for the two-year anniversary events. Despite the mismanagement and ongoing challenges the city faces today, Bush said New Orleans is now in better shape than at this time two years ago (of course it is, Katrina was battering the city at the time) and expressed his hope for full recovery.
While I was quickly surfing the internet during my lunch hour, I see that The Times-Picayune has a special archive section of articles from August 29, 2005. It is definitely worth checking out.
I'm unsure if I'll be tuning in to The Weather Channel tonight for coverage on the Katrina anniversary, but I'm sure those that did two years ago remember the 2005 Hurricane Katrina theme music played during the "Local on the 8s" forecast segments. The Mets-Phillies and Red Sox-Yankees series are of higher interest to me tonight. I cannot post a direct link to Steve Arnold's full-length song to provide a reminiscent look back at memorable sounds we heard on The Weather Channel that day because it would for me be illegal to do so online. I wouldn't be surprised if Jim Cantore (my all-time favorite TWC meteorologist), Jeff Morrow, Mike Seidel and Stephanie Abrams are all on location at the same places they were during Katrina. I expect the lovely Julie Martin to also provide live reports from New Orleans, too.
Overall, it is a tough day for many that were affected by Hurricane Katrina, but at the same time it reminds us how much we need to continue moving forward in the rebuilding process. The hope and resilence needs to be there if places such as New Orleans, Biloxi and Gulfport are to fully recover and possibly stronger than before Katrina caused widespread destruction.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Dean makes second landfall and soaks central Mexico
The Weather Channel, Accu-Weather, NBC Weather Plus, CNN, FOX News Channel and local stations provided viewers plenty of coverage on Hurricane Dean throughout the week and even more so on Wednesday.
Dean made its anticipated second landfall around 11:30 AM Central Daylight Time on Wednesday as a category 2 hurricane in Tecolutla, Mexico. The storm regained some strength after moving across the Yucatan Peninsula with peak winds around 100 miles per hour. The good news coming from this entire weather event was that there was less damage than many observers (including me) expected given the strength of the storm. Much of that can be contributed to where both landfalls occurred in remote areas where the population was small. If anything, the south shore of Jamaica can make claim to having the most damage with toppled trees and power lines and some buildings in Kingston now in need of repair. There was also some flooding and mudslides on Jamaica's east side.
This storm lasted 10 days, caused $3.8 billion of damage so far and to date and has resulted in 37 deaths (as of August 24th). In its final hours as a tropical cyclone, Dean simply drenched central Mexico with heavy rain over the Sierra Madre Oriental more than anything else. Mudslides have also been a major concern across the region. Rain from Dean didn't spare the largest metropolis in North America of 8.7 million residents. Some Mexico City neighborhoods had to deal with sewage canal overflow and as a result homes suffered flood damage.
And by the way, Carl Parker... you may want to clarify your source next time you state a statistic on The Weather Channel. You made reference to Greater Mexico City as the second-most populous metropolitan area on earth. Last time I checked, as of 2006, the New York City metropolitan area is ranked #2 with over 21.9 million and the Mexican capital region at #3 with 19.4 million. The Tokyo-Yokohama region is #1 in the world at nearly 35.2 million people. But regardless of my argument (true or not), this former hurricance affected many people in central Mexico.
The question remains, will the remnants of Dean affect the United States? There's no definitive answer to that, but if that is the case, the possibility some of Dean's moisture may move northward into the southern portion of the country. Texas certainly doesn't need it as that state is still recovering from Erin.
Dean made its anticipated second landfall around 11:30 AM Central Daylight Time on Wednesday as a category 2 hurricane in Tecolutla, Mexico. The storm regained some strength after moving across the Yucatan Peninsula with peak winds around 100 miles per hour. The good news coming from this entire weather event was that there was less damage than many observers (including me) expected given the strength of the storm. Much of that can be contributed to where both landfalls occurred in remote areas where the population was small. If anything, the south shore of Jamaica can make claim to having the most damage with toppled trees and power lines and some buildings in Kingston now in need of repair. There was also some flooding and mudslides on Jamaica's east side.
This storm lasted 10 days, caused $3.8 billion of damage so far and to date and has resulted in 37 deaths (as of August 24th). In its final hours as a tropical cyclone, Dean simply drenched central Mexico with heavy rain over the Sierra Madre Oriental more than anything else. Mudslides have also been a major concern across the region. Rain from Dean didn't spare the largest metropolis in North America of 8.7 million residents. Some Mexico City neighborhoods had to deal with sewage canal overflow and as a result homes suffered flood damage.
And by the way, Carl Parker... you may want to clarify your source next time you state a statistic on The Weather Channel. You made reference to Greater Mexico City as the second-most populous metropolitan area on earth. Last time I checked, as of 2006, the New York City metropolitan area is ranked #2 with over 21.9 million and the Mexican capital region at #3 with 19.4 million. The Tokyo-Yokohama region is #1 in the world at nearly 35.2 million people. But regardless of my argument (true or not), this former hurricance affected many people in central Mexico.
The question remains, will the remnants of Dean affect the United States? There's no definitive answer to that, but if that is the case, the possibility some of Dean's moisture may move northward into the southern portion of the country. Texas certainly doesn't need it as that state is still recovering from Erin.
Tuesday's 59° high in New York City equals their lowest August high temperature
As mentioned in my previous blog entry, it was a very unseasonably cool day in the Big Apple on Tuesday. So much so that it turned out to be the coldest August day on record for Central Park.
Tuesday's high temperature which occurred at 2:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time was only 59°. That set a record for the lowest high temperature for August 21st which previously was 64° in 1999, but it wasn't for the entire day (overnight low of 53° in 1922). But the bigger story was that it tied the all-time record for the month with the lowest high temperature set in 1911.
This weather story was certainly talked about on the local newscasts such as at WCBS-TV's web site showing the headline, "Arctic August: NYC sets record for coldest day". Arctic August? That's quite a stretch. Long Island Newsday had a nice clever headline, "August heat takes a chill pill". For nearly a week, that dose of weather medicine lasted much longer than your average cold medicine can provide... ya know, those that claim it can for 24 hours?
It certainly did not feel like summer outside, but instead was a true autumn preview. What happened on three days ago is typical for November 1st, not August 21st. While I personally cannot wait for fall to arrive, summer weather will return today as it will be back in the mid 80s this afternoon. Five straight days of below normal temperatures made New Yorkers feel spoiled compared to our friends down south.
Tuesday's high temperature which occurred at 2:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time was only 59°. That set a record for the lowest high temperature for August 21st which previously was 64° in 1999, but it wasn't for the entire day (overnight low of 53° in 1922). But the bigger story was that it tied the all-time record for the month with the lowest high temperature set in 1911.
This weather story was certainly talked about on the local newscasts such as at WCBS-TV's web site showing the headline, "Arctic August: NYC sets record for coldest day". Arctic August? That's quite a stretch. Long Island Newsday had a nice clever headline, "August heat takes a chill pill". For nearly a week, that dose of weather medicine lasted much longer than your average cold medicine can provide... ya know, those that claim it can for 24 hours?
It certainly did not feel like summer outside, but instead was a true autumn preview. What happened on three days ago is typical for November 1st, not August 21st. While I personally cannot wait for fall to arrive, summer weather will return today as it will be back in the mid 80s this afternoon. Five straight days of below normal temperatures made New Yorkers feel spoiled compared to our friends down south.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
unseasonable cool and damp conditions in northeastern United States
For the past four days, the northeastern United States has seen unseasonably cool temperatures and at least for today, it is damp as well. As I posted earlier today in my August 21st report, raw conditions can be felt in the New York City metropolitan area with rain and readings only in the upper 50s to low 60s. It sure felt like a fall preview around here.
This rare occasion where the jetstream is parked to the south in the mid-Atlantic region and a stationary front down there as well, refreshing Canadian air has filtered into the region. We are at least 20° below normal for a typical day in the second half of August (normal high temperature at Central Park is 82°). However, summer will make a big comeback by the upcoming weekend with temperatures around 90°. For now, rain will remain in the forecast through the rest of today and tonight before conditions improve for tomorrow in New York. While the threat of showers and thunderstorms are possible on Thursday, it will be warmer as readings will return to normal in the low 80s.
What is in store as we close out August? I still cannot believe September is around the corner. I have to admit it has been a better summer than we average here. It could be a lot worse, just go to Memphis with their just-broken streak of 8 straight days of record-high temperatures of at least 100° (August 9th to August 17th) where only one of them didn't set a new daily record.
This rare occasion where the jetstream is parked to the south in the mid-Atlantic region and a stationary front down there as well, refreshing Canadian air has filtered into the region. We are at least 20° below normal for a typical day in the second half of August (normal high temperature at Central Park is 82°). However, summer will make a big comeback by the upcoming weekend with temperatures around 90°. For now, rain will remain in the forecast through the rest of today and tonight before conditions improve for tomorrow in New York. While the threat of showers and thunderstorms are possible on Thursday, it will be warmer as readings will return to normal in the low 80s.
What is in store as we close out August? I still cannot believe September is around the corner. I have to admit it has been a better summer than we average here. It could be a lot worse, just go to Memphis with their just-broken streak of 8 straight days of record-high temperatures of at least 100° (August 9th to August 17th) where only one of them didn't set a new daily record.
Hurricane Dean grazes Jamaica, then slams into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula
As Erin drenched Texas and Oklahoma, the first hurricane of the 2007 season developed into a nasty storm as it made its way across the Caribbean Sea over the last four days.
Hurricane Dean developed into a category 4 storm packing winds closest to its concentric eyewall of over 140 miles per hour as the eye passed 50 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica late Sunday. Dean flooded the capital city and some building damage was reported. The country's power company turned off electricity on Sunday in anticipation of a direct hit from Dean. Heavy rain that fell north of Kingston triggered mudslides in the mountainous portions of the country.
Dean then set its sights on the Yucatan Peninsula as it progressed on a generally westward track and strengthened into a category 5 storm, the highest rating on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The popular resort city of Cancún was spared the worst of the damage as Hurricane Dean made landfall early this morning near Costa Maya, Mexico, just north of the Belize border. Dean became the first category 5 hurricane to make landfall since Hurricane Andrew did so on August 24, 1992 in Homestead, Florida where winds were at 165 miles per hour and at 920 millibars of pressure. Cancun was devastated from Hurricane Wilma two years ago and had just been recovering back to pre-Wilma conditions when Dean beared down on the Yucatan Peninsula over the last 24 hours.
But Chetumal wasn't as lucky with the city of over 150,000 residents having lost power and took the brunt of 165 miles per hour winds being close to the eye of the storm. Dean is now making its way across the southern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula this afternoon. Thanks to the flat landscape, Dean has maintained above minimal hurricane-strength winds at 85 miles per hour as of 2:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time and is expected to move into the Bay of Campeche tonight. The hurricane may briefly regain strength as at least a category 2 storm before making a second landfall tomorrow possibly near Tampico, Mexico.
Hurricane Dean developed into a category 4 storm packing winds closest to its concentric eyewall of over 140 miles per hour as the eye passed 50 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica late Sunday. Dean flooded the capital city and some building damage was reported. The country's power company turned off electricity on Sunday in anticipation of a direct hit from Dean. Heavy rain that fell north of Kingston triggered mudslides in the mountainous portions of the country.
Dean then set its sights on the Yucatan Peninsula as it progressed on a generally westward track and strengthened into a category 5 storm, the highest rating on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The popular resort city of Cancún was spared the worst of the damage as Hurricane Dean made landfall early this morning near Costa Maya, Mexico, just north of the Belize border. Dean became the first category 5 hurricane to make landfall since Hurricane Andrew did so on August 24, 1992 in Homestead, Florida where winds were at 165 miles per hour and at 920 millibars of pressure. Cancun was devastated from Hurricane Wilma two years ago and had just been recovering back to pre-Wilma conditions when Dean beared down on the Yucatan Peninsula over the last 24 hours.
But Chetumal wasn't as lucky with the city of over 150,000 residents having lost power and took the brunt of 165 miles per hour winds being close to the eye of the storm. Dean is now making its way across the southern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula this afternoon. Thanks to the flat landscape, Dean has maintained above minimal hurricane-strength winds at 85 miles per hour as of 2:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time and is expected to move into the Bay of Campeche tonight. The hurricane may briefly regain strength as at least a category 2 storm before making a second landfall tomorrow possibly near Tampico, Mexico.
Erin floods Texas and Oklahoma, Dean not likely to do the same
Just when we thought this would be another extremely quiet hurricane season for the Atlantic basin, it has finally gotten active. As Hurricane Dean formed in the central Atlantic Ocean, a tropical disturbance organized into a tropical depression one week ago in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. It later became a minimal tropical storm as it approached the Texas coastline.
As it turned out, Tropical Storm Erin made landfall just north of Corpus Christi, Texas during the overnight hours last Thursday (August 16th) and produced flooding rains to rain-soaked southern and western Texas and later in Oklahoma over the following three days. The last of the remnants of Erin developed into severe thunderstorms and even tornadoes to eastern Nebraska last night.
Prior to Erin's arrival, Corpus Christi already received a record rainfall total of over 18 inches of rain last month and nearly 33 inches for the entire year, so area residents hoped Erin wouldn't cause any serious flooding this time around. But Corpus Christi lucked out with just .18 of an inch of rain from the tropical storm as the bulk of the precipitation ended up being north of the area.
Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport had daily record rainfall for last Thursday and ended up with a storm total of 2.92 inches. However, other parts of the city such its southwest side received as much as 9 inches and flooded many streets and major highways. San Antonio didn't fare much better as Erin caused some serious flooding in parts of that city as well. While San Antonio International Airport received only .06 of an inch of rain last Thursday, the San Antonio River had overflown its banks from South San Antonio toward the Gulf Coast from 8 to 18 feet above flood stage.
Erin marched northwestward into the western half of Texas bringing more heavy rain to areas that didn't need it. The remnants of this storm then moved into Oklahoma over the weekend and flooded out central and eastern parts of the state with over 9 inches of rain. For Saturday, Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City received a record 3.82 inches of rain for that date while locales well to the east such as Kingfisher, Oklahoma had significant flooding thanks to the Cimarron River overflowing its banks.
Neither of these two states will have to be seriously concerned with Hurricane Dean at this point as the forecast track takes that storm well south of the region into central Mexico. But for right now, Texans and Oklahomans have a massive cleanup job ahead of them.
As it turned out, Tropical Storm Erin made landfall just north of Corpus Christi, Texas during the overnight hours last Thursday (August 16th) and produced flooding rains to rain-soaked southern and western Texas and later in Oklahoma over the following three days. The last of the remnants of Erin developed into severe thunderstorms and even tornadoes to eastern Nebraska last night.
Prior to Erin's arrival, Corpus Christi already received a record rainfall total of over 18 inches of rain last month and nearly 33 inches for the entire year, so area residents hoped Erin wouldn't cause any serious flooding this time around. But Corpus Christi lucked out with just .18 of an inch of rain from the tropical storm as the bulk of the precipitation ended up being north of the area.
Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport had daily record rainfall for last Thursday and ended up with a storm total of 2.92 inches. However, other parts of the city such its southwest side received as much as 9 inches and flooded many streets and major highways. San Antonio didn't fare much better as Erin caused some serious flooding in parts of that city as well. While San Antonio International Airport received only .06 of an inch of rain last Thursday, the San Antonio River had overflown its banks from South San Antonio toward the Gulf Coast from 8 to 18 feet above flood stage.
Erin marched northwestward into the western half of Texas bringing more heavy rain to areas that didn't need it. The remnants of this storm then moved into Oklahoma over the weekend and flooded out central and eastern parts of the state with over 9 inches of rain. For Saturday, Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City received a record 3.82 inches of rain for that date while locales well to the east such as Kingfisher, Oklahoma had significant flooding thanks to the Cimarron River overflowing its banks.
Neither of these two states will have to be seriously concerned with Hurricane Dean at this point as the forecast track takes that storm well south of the region into central Mexico. But for right now, Texans and Oklahomans have a massive cleanup job ahead of them.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Flossie passes by Hawaii with little fanfare
Over the previous few days, the development of Hurricane Flossie into a category 4 storm and where it was going certainly gained some attention. Flossie had peak winds around 145 miles per hour and was heading toward our 50th state. As the hurricane approached Hawaii on Tuesday, watches and warnings were issued and residents braced for some rough weather for at least 24 hours.
However, there was a collective sigh of relief when Flossie was torn apart by wind shear as she passed to the south of the Big Island during the overnight hours of yesterday morning. The most Hawaii saw from Flossie was minimal tropical storm winds and some rain. When I posted an early-morning report for Honolulu, there were only two reporting sites that had even drizzle for precipitation. Everywhere else across the state had variable cloud cover.
So, with the rapid weakening of Flossie by the time she reached Hawaii, this storm didn't live up to expectations. But that is a good thing. It's been 15 years since any hurricane made a direct hit on Hawaii and Flossie didn't inflict any serious damage to populated areas. Some weather watchers even got to enjoy the high surf crashing onshore, including where storm tracker Jim Cantore was located when he filed live reports for The Weather Channel from South Point, Hawaii on Tuesday night.
Now local and national television channels turn their attention to two other storms on this Thursday and Flossie is now history.
However, there was a collective sigh of relief when Flossie was torn apart by wind shear as she passed to the south of the Big Island during the overnight hours of yesterday morning. The most Hawaii saw from Flossie was minimal tropical storm winds and some rain. When I posted an early-morning report for Honolulu, there were only two reporting sites that had even drizzle for precipitation. Everywhere else across the state had variable cloud cover.
So, with the rapid weakening of Flossie by the time she reached Hawaii, this storm didn't live up to expectations. But that is a good thing. It's been 15 years since any hurricane made a direct hit on Hawaii and Flossie didn't inflict any serious damage to populated areas. Some weather watchers even got to enjoy the high surf crashing onshore, including where storm tracker Jim Cantore was located when he filed live reports for The Weather Channel from South Point, Hawaii on Tuesday night.
Now local and national television channels turn their attention to two other storms on this Thursday and Flossie is now history.
Dallas finally has first 100° day of 2007
It was mentioned a number of times over the course of the summer and especially this month. When the ongoing heat wave first made its presence felt in the southern portion of the United States, on-camera meteorologists at The Weather Channel kept saying Dallas had yet to record a 100° day this calendar year. Well, that changed back on Saturday.
August 11, 2007 will be remembered for the short term by many as that first day it finally reached 100° when Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport recorded it at 3:22 PM Central Daylight Time that day. The one reason it gained any attention is that it has been a very unusually wet year for Texas, including Dallas. Typically every summer is hot and more times than not, pretty dry. We aren't talking about desert dry. But it is not normally oppressively humid in northern Texas either as observers would see along the Gulf Coast, in Florida and during heat waves in the northeastern United States. Take it from someone that lives in the New York City metropolitan area. When the mercury is above 90° here, much more often than not it is really humid where monitoring the heat index is a common practice.
From Saturday to yesterday (Wednesday), here are what the high temperatures were for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport:
August 11, 2007 - 100°
August 12, 2007 - 104°
August 13, 2007 - 104°
August 14, 2007 - 104°
August 15, 2007 - 102°
Dallas is known for its hot summers, but definitely not as much as the desert southwestern cities such as Phoenix and Las Vegas. Even so, it's been a below-average summer this year. During the peak of the season, Dallas normally reaches the mid 90s for high temperatures. Metroplex residents probably thought they'd get off easy in 2007. That quickly was foiled when a very strong upper-level high pressure took residence in the southern United States. Atlanta has been setting new records for over a week now. In the Carolinas, cities such as Columbia have done the same. Memphis was cooking yesterday as this Tennessee city topped out at a record-high 106°. You wonder how Elvis Presley fans could put up with the heat when paying their respects to the legendary singer on the 30th anniversary of his death at Graceland.
As it turned out, Saturday marked the 6th-latest date during a given summer that Dallas recorded its first triple-digit reading. Keep in mind that the National Weather Service forecast office in Fort Worth does not provide archived daily weather roundups for Love Field in Dallas. This explains why The Weather Channel announced this 100° high temperature for Dallas on August 11th by using Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport's data. Here are the top ten latest dates that Dallas recorded its first 100° day in a given summer season as stated by the National Weather Service. As you can see, only twice has Dallas failed to do so.
T-1. 1906, 1973 - NONE
3. August 23, 1989
4. August 19, 1905
5. August 16, 1903
6. August 11, 2007
7. August 10, 1992
8. August 8, 1968
T-9. August 7, 1908 and August 7, 1919
Other notable statistics include...
Earliest 100° day in any calendar year: March 9, 1911
Latest 100° day in any calendar year: August 23, 1989
Average date of first 100° day: June 30th
Average number of 100° days in a calendar year: 16
Most 100° days in a calendar year: 69 in 1980
The 100°+ heat wave should come to an end today as the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin will move into central and northern Texas from the Gulf Coast. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area won't see the moderate to heavy rain that Corpus Christi, Brownsville, Victoria and Houston are getting, but any rain will help bring some relief.
August 11, 2007 will be remembered for the short term by many as that first day it finally reached 100° when Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport recorded it at 3:22 PM Central Daylight Time that day. The one reason it gained any attention is that it has been a very unusually wet year for Texas, including Dallas. Typically every summer is hot and more times than not, pretty dry. We aren't talking about desert dry. But it is not normally oppressively humid in northern Texas either as observers would see along the Gulf Coast, in Florida and during heat waves in the northeastern United States. Take it from someone that lives in the New York City metropolitan area. When the mercury is above 90° here, much more often than not it is really humid where monitoring the heat index is a common practice.
From Saturday to yesterday (Wednesday), here are what the high temperatures were for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport:
August 11, 2007 - 100°
August 12, 2007 - 104°
August 13, 2007 - 104°
August 14, 2007 - 104°
August 15, 2007 - 102°
Dallas is known for its hot summers, but definitely not as much as the desert southwestern cities such as Phoenix and Las Vegas. Even so, it's been a below-average summer this year. During the peak of the season, Dallas normally reaches the mid 90s for high temperatures. Metroplex residents probably thought they'd get off easy in 2007. That quickly was foiled when a very strong upper-level high pressure took residence in the southern United States. Atlanta has been setting new records for over a week now. In the Carolinas, cities such as Columbia have done the same. Memphis was cooking yesterday as this Tennessee city topped out at a record-high 106°. You wonder how Elvis Presley fans could put up with the heat when paying their respects to the legendary singer on the 30th anniversary of his death at Graceland.
As it turned out, Saturday marked the 6th-latest date during a given summer that Dallas recorded its first triple-digit reading. Keep in mind that the National Weather Service forecast office in Fort Worth does not provide archived daily weather roundups for Love Field in Dallas. This explains why The Weather Channel announced this 100° high temperature for Dallas on August 11th by using Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport's data. Here are the top ten latest dates that Dallas recorded its first 100° day in a given summer season as stated by the National Weather Service. As you can see, only twice has Dallas failed to do so.
T-1. 1906, 1973 - NONE
3. August 23, 1989
4. August 19, 1905
5. August 16, 1903
6. August 11, 2007
7. August 10, 1992
8. August 8, 1968
T-9. August 7, 1908 and August 7, 1919
Other notable statistics include...
Earliest 100° day in any calendar year: March 9, 1911
Latest 100° day in any calendar year: August 23, 1989
Average date of first 100° day: June 30th
Average number of 100° days in a calendar year: 16
Most 100° days in a calendar year: 69 in 1980
The 100°+ heat wave should come to an end today as the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin will move into central and northern Texas from the Gulf Coast. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area won't see the moderate to heavy rain that Corpus Christi, Brownsville, Victoria and Houston are getting, but any rain will help bring some relief.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
EF-2 tornado touches down in Brooklyn
It was all over the local news stations in New York City as much of their evening and late night newscasts had at least half of their airtime devoted to this story.
Heavy storms rolled through the New York City metropolitan area between 5:00 AM to roughly 7:30 AM Eastern Time yesterday morning. While I had lied in bed, nasty thunderstorms moved through dumping heavy rains, clogging major road arteries and caused a great deal of problems on the city's transit system. But the very big story confirmed by the National Weather Service was that amongst these storms, an EF-2 tornado touched down in the Bay Ridge, Brooklyn section of New York City. It is the first time since 1889 that a tornado touched down in this borough of the city and is the strongest on record. Actually, the tornado originated in the Tompkinsville, Staten Island section of the city, then reformed and touched down in Bay Ridge.
Earlier this summer, there was a tornado that ripped through a neighborhood in the Long Island community of Islip Terrace, New York and another last year touched down on Long Island as it went through Massapequa. The most notable tornado from last year was about 2 to 3 miles from me with an F-2 tornado causing damage in central Westchester County town of Hawthorne, New York.
My father's side of the family has roots in Bay Ridge and I was most recently there last December. Only from what I know right now, the block where my father grew up wasn't where the damage was. Unless I hear otherwise as far as that news is concerned, I'm relieved.
What really strikes a nerve with me is how just a minor weather event such as very strong thunderstorms could wreak havoc on New York City's transit system and cause so many headaches for commuters. Many trying to make it to work yesterday morning dealt with numerous delays on major roadways, at the airports and especially the subway system. Apparently, flooding of subway tracks partly shut down the system causing overcrowding on those subways that were running and others that decided to use transit buses and cabs were out of luck with overcrowding as well. Many critics aired their frustrations where if the city has issues like yesterday, how in God's name will New York City be ready when a real natual disaster hits? Interestingly, this event comes just three days after the Discovery Channel aired Superstorm, a movie that gives viewers a look at a "what if" scenario should a major hurricane directly strike the Big Apple.
Here is more local coverage on the EF-2 tornado on Staten Island and especially in Brooklyn.
The Weather Channel's Abrams & Bettes page (August 8):
Tornadoes touch down in New York City (video clip)
WNBC-TV (New York City) (August 8):
Brooklyn cyclone
WNYW-TV (New York City) (August 8):
New York storms: Tornado tears into Brooklyn
WABC-TV (New York City) (August 8):
After the tornado in Brooklyn
New York One (NY 1) (August 8):
National Weather Service confirms tornado touched down in Brooklyn
News 12 Brooklyn (August 8):
Tornado touches down in Brooklyn
City works to clean up Brooklyn after tornado
New York Daily News (August 9):
Brooklyn becomes Tornado Alley!
New York Post (August 9):
Brooklyn cyclone
New York Times (August 9):
That wind that left part of Brooklyn upside down? It was a tornado, all right.
AM New York (August 9):
Tornado, storm wreaks havoc in New York City
Heavy storms rolled through the New York City metropolitan area between 5:00 AM to roughly 7:30 AM Eastern Time yesterday morning. While I had lied in bed, nasty thunderstorms moved through dumping heavy rains, clogging major road arteries and caused a great deal of problems on the city's transit system. But the very big story confirmed by the National Weather Service was that amongst these storms, an EF-2 tornado touched down in the Bay Ridge, Brooklyn section of New York City. It is the first time since 1889 that a tornado touched down in this borough of the city and is the strongest on record. Actually, the tornado originated in the Tompkinsville, Staten Island section of the city, then reformed and touched down in Bay Ridge.
Earlier this summer, there was a tornado that ripped through a neighborhood in the Long Island community of Islip Terrace, New York and another last year touched down on Long Island as it went through Massapequa. The most notable tornado from last year was about 2 to 3 miles from me with an F-2 tornado causing damage in central Westchester County town of Hawthorne, New York.
My father's side of the family has roots in Bay Ridge and I was most recently there last December. Only from what I know right now, the block where my father grew up wasn't where the damage was. Unless I hear otherwise as far as that news is concerned, I'm relieved.
What really strikes a nerve with me is how just a minor weather event such as very strong thunderstorms could wreak havoc on New York City's transit system and cause so many headaches for commuters. Many trying to make it to work yesterday morning dealt with numerous delays on major roadways, at the airports and especially the subway system. Apparently, flooding of subway tracks partly shut down the system causing overcrowding on those subways that were running and others that decided to use transit buses and cabs were out of luck with overcrowding as well. Many critics aired their frustrations where if the city has issues like yesterday, how in God's name will New York City be ready when a real natual disaster hits? Interestingly, this event comes just three days after the Discovery Channel aired Superstorm, a movie that gives viewers a look at a "what if" scenario should a major hurricane directly strike the Big Apple.
Here is more local coverage on the EF-2 tornado on Staten Island and especially in Brooklyn.
The Weather Channel's Abrams & Bettes page (August 8):
Tornadoes touch down in New York City (video clip)
WNBC-TV (New York City) (August 8):
Brooklyn cyclone
WNYW-TV (New York City) (August 8):
New York storms: Tornado tears into Brooklyn
WABC-TV (New York City) (August 8):
After the tornado in Brooklyn
New York One (NY 1) (August 8):
National Weather Service confirms tornado touched down in Brooklyn
News 12 Brooklyn (August 8):
Tornado touches down in Brooklyn
City works to clean up Brooklyn after tornado
New York Daily News (August 9):
Brooklyn becomes Tornado Alley!
New York Post (August 9):
Brooklyn cyclone
New York Times (August 9):
That wind that left part of Brooklyn upside down? It was a tornado, all right.
AM New York (August 9):
Tornado, storm wreaks havoc in New York City
heat wave in south and mid-Atlantic coast
The big story through the first week of August is the crippling heat wave in the southern United States as well as the mid-Atlantic region. Roughly 40 cities in 22 states across the country either equaled or set new records for yesterday (August 8th). One of the surprises I see made the list was Atlantic City, a coastal casino-driven city in southeastern New Jersey.
What was even more stunning was the absolutely oppressive conditions in our nation's capital where at 3:15 PM it was exactly 100° in downtown Washington with a relative humidity of 79% and a dew point of 75°. What does that make the heat index? A whopping 112°. Undoubtedly very dangerous conditions to be in. I was surprised that the air quality forecast was not upgraded higher than "unhealthy for sensitive groups". But I guess that's up to the National Weather Service.
I was surprised that I was only able to find one reporting station in Texas had a new record high. Then again, not all reporting stations have their daily records available at the National Weather Service's web site. The Lone Star State has been relatively cooler this summer (to their standards) than what we have seen in recent years. Dallas hasn't even reached 100° yet this calendar year, but that might change in the next few days. Remember much of that state was in a drought last year and it's the complete opposite this year with an amazing amount of rain through about two weeks ago.
Here is a list of those cities that set new record high temperatures for yesterday's date.
August 8, 2007 – heat wave record high temperatures
Florence, South Carolina… 106°
Columbia, South Carolina… 105°
Greensville, South Carolina… 104°
Richmond, Virginia… 104°
Anniston, Alabama… 103°
Augusta, Georgia… 103°
Borger, Texas… 103° (tied)
Montgomery, Alabama… 103°
Baltimore-Washington International Airport… 102°
Charlotte… 102°
Athens, Georgia… 102°
Louisville… 102°
Macon, Georgia… 102°
Raleigh… 102°
Tuscaloosa, Alabama… 102°
Washington (Ronald Reagan National Airport)… 102°
Washington (Dulles International Airport)… 101°
Atlantic City, New Jersey… 101°
Danville, Virginia… 101°
Jackson, Tennessee… 101°
Charlottesville, Virginia… 100°
Cincinnati… 100°
Norfolk, Virginia… 100°
Paducah, Kentucky… 100°
Roanoke, Virginia… 100°
Georgetown, Delaware… 99°
New Bern, North Carolina… 99°
Charleston, West Virginia… 98°
Lynchburg, Virginia… 98°
Wilmington, North Carolina… 98°
Wallops Island, Virginia… 97° (tied)
Columbus, Ohio… 96°
Bridgeport, Connecticut… 95°
Blacksburg, Virginia… 94°
Jackson, Kentucky… 94°
Bluefield, West Virginia… 91°
Beckley, West Virginia… 89°
What was even more stunning was the absolutely oppressive conditions in our nation's capital where at 3:15 PM it was exactly 100° in downtown Washington with a relative humidity of 79% and a dew point of 75°. What does that make the heat index? A whopping 112°. Undoubtedly very dangerous conditions to be in. I was surprised that the air quality forecast was not upgraded higher than "unhealthy for sensitive groups". But I guess that's up to the National Weather Service.
I was surprised that I was only able to find one reporting station in Texas had a new record high. Then again, not all reporting stations have their daily records available at the National Weather Service's web site. The Lone Star State has been relatively cooler this summer (to their standards) than what we have seen in recent years. Dallas hasn't even reached 100° yet this calendar year, but that might change in the next few days. Remember much of that state was in a drought last year and it's the complete opposite this year with an amazing amount of rain through about two weeks ago.
Here is a list of those cities that set new record high temperatures for yesterday's date.
August 8, 2007 – heat wave record high temperatures
Florence, South Carolina… 106°
Columbia, South Carolina… 105°
Greensville, South Carolina… 104°
Richmond, Virginia… 104°
Anniston, Alabama… 103°
Augusta, Georgia… 103°
Borger, Texas… 103° (tied)
Montgomery, Alabama… 103°
Baltimore-Washington International Airport… 102°
Charlotte… 102°
Athens, Georgia… 102°
Louisville… 102°
Macon, Georgia… 102°
Raleigh… 102°
Tuscaloosa, Alabama… 102°
Washington (Ronald Reagan National Airport)… 102°
Washington (Dulles International Airport)… 101°
Atlantic City, New Jersey… 101°
Danville, Virginia… 101°
Jackson, Tennessee… 101°
Charlottesville, Virginia… 100°
Cincinnati… 100°
Norfolk, Virginia… 100°
Paducah, Kentucky… 100°
Roanoke, Virginia… 100°
Georgetown, Delaware… 99°
New Bern, North Carolina… 99°
Charleston, West Virginia… 98°
Lynchburg, Virginia… 98°
Wilmington, North Carolina… 98°
Wallops Island, Virginia… 97° (tied)
Columbus, Ohio… 96°
Bridgeport, Connecticut… 95°
Blacksburg, Virginia… 94°
Jackson, Kentucky… 94°
Bluefield, West Virginia… 91°
Beckley, West Virginia… 89°
Welcome to my weather blog!
I had wrestled with the idea for quite a while now, but I decided to act on it just like I did for one about the National Hockey League. I know I'm not the only "weather geek" on the internet to start a blog. I do visit and post on a couple of weather forums regularly, but I felt there was a need to do something more. So this might be the best way I can also express my interest in the meteorology on some sort of "weather diary" of my own.
Without a doubt, I will be expanding on this blog and building it over time, both from the content to the look of the site. Expect plenty of my thoughts on what is going on regarding any weather headlines or stories that have any importance. Readers are always welcome to post their comments on anything I discuss. More to come, so stay tuned!
Without a doubt, I will be expanding on this blog and building it over time, both from the content to the look of the site. Expect plenty of my thoughts on what is going on regarding any weather headlines or stories that have any importance. Readers are always welcome to post their comments on anything I discuss. More to come, so stay tuned!
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