Weather history miscellany

Life and death at sea and in the Arctic
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MODIS Image of the day



Cloud Streets and Lake Effect Snow near the Great Lakes(1/21/2025 )

In this type of image, snow and ice appear bright electric blue, deep water looks dark blue, vegetation is green, while open land shows in shades of tan. In addition, clouds usually look white, but high, cold clouds carrying ice crystals often are tinted with electric blue.
The widespread, striking cloud formations are known as “cloud streets,” because lines of cloud line up parallel to each other much like lanes on a busy highway. These rows of cumulus cloud form in winter, when extremely cold air moves over unfrozen, relatively warm water. Under these conditions, columns of warm air begin to rise off the lake surface. Once the warm air reaches the frigid air, moisture condenses to form clouds. The rising air then begins to cool and rolls to either side. As the air sinks, clouds dissipate. The rising and sinking motion creates parallel cylinders of rotating air that line up along the direction of the blowing wind.
Frigid air over open water can also trigger another well-known phenomenon seen in winter along the Great Lakes: lake effect snow. This is heavy snow that falls along the southeastern edge of the Great Lakes when icy wind from Canada sweeps across the lakes. The wind carries the relatively warm, moist air from over the lakes and pushes it over land, where the air is cooler. When the moist air encounters cooler temperatures over land, the water condenses into precipitation, creating a dense band of snow that usually does not travel very far inland. A band of lake effect snow is clearly visible along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, beginning just as the cloud streets end.


https://www.geonames.org/5007990/saginaw-bay.html
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https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_Jan_24

1967: A tornado outbreak across the Central U.S. was the furthest north ever recorded in the winter up to that time. Severe weather occurred across a good portion of the southeast and east-central Iowa. Two-inch hail fell at Armstrong, and over two dozen tornadoes were reported. Five miles north of Fort Madison, one fatality occurred from a tornado, along with six injuries. A tornado causing F4 damage killed 3 people and injured 216 in St. Louis County, Missouri. Storms also affected parts of northern and central Illinois. One strong tornado in Mason County killed one person and injured three others. Another tornado moved across the Champaign-Urbana metropolitan area, injuring five people. Other strong tornadoes were reported across Carroll County in Mt. Carroll, where 12 people were injured, and near Gladstone in Henderson County. Funnel clouds were reported across the southwest section of Chicago, IL. Iowa had never recorded a tornado in January before this outbreak. 32 total tornadoes occurred, 14 of them in Iowa. Nine twisters occurred in Missouri, 8 in Illinois, and 1 in Wisconsin. Click HERE for more information from the NWS Office in Davenport, Iowa.
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Southern States Frozen Over(January 22, 2025)

Temperatures plunged into the single digits in southern Texas and Louisiana on January 22, when an arctic airmass met with a low-pressure system over the Gulf Coast. The airport in Baton Rouge recorded a temperature of 7 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 14 degrees Celsius), the lowest measured there in 95 years of record keeping.
Bands of winter weather brought blizzard conditions to southwestern Louisiana, a region unaccustomed to snow and ice. Wind gusts of 30 to 40 miles per hour accompanied the heavy snow and led to limited visibility. Several cities saw all-time records for snow totals on January 22, including New Orleans, Louisiana; Mobile, Alabama; and Pensacola, Florida. About 8 inches of snow fell in New Orleans and 5 inches in Pensacola.
The rare storm brought more snow to New Orleans than has fallen in Anchorage, Alaska, since the start of meteorological winter, noted the National Weather Service.


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https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_Jan_25

1821: The Hudson River was frozen solid amid the coldest winter in forty-one years. Thousands of persons crossed the ice from New York City to New Jersey, and refreshment taverns were set up in the middle of the river to warm pedestrians.

1937: Las Vegas, Nevada dropped to 8 degrees above zero, setting a record low for the city.


1949: Las Vegas, Nevada, recorded 4.7 inches of snow. This brought the monthly snowfall total to 16.7 inches which still ranks as their snowiest month on record.
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NASA Earth Observatory - 2015





The Electric Eye of Cyclone Bansi(January 12, 2015)

Bansi formed in the southwestern Indian Ocean on January 11, 2015. By the time this photo was taken on the following day, Bansi had achieved tropical cyclone strength, with sustained maximum winds over 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour. The cyclone would reach category 4 strength before becoming a weak extra-tropical system on January 19.
The dim swirl of the cloud bands covers the ocean surface in both night images. The eye of the cyclone is brilliantly lit by lightning in or near the eye wall. The low-light settings of the camera used to take the image accentuate the contrast.


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https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_Jan_26

1937: The wettest month ever in Cincinnati, Ohio, is January 1937, when 13.68 inches fell. Their average January amount is 3.00 inches of precipitation. The overabundance of precipitation over the Ohio River basin caused near-record to record flooding in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. On this day, the river gauge reached 80 feet in Cincinnati, the highest level in the city's history. The Ohio River reached 57 feet in Louisville, Kentucky, on the 27th, setting a new record by ten feet. Seventy percent of the city was underwater at that time. The NWS Office in Louisville, Kentucky, has an informative webpage on this event.
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https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_Jan_27

1989: Bitter cold air gripped most of Alaska during January 1989. Tanana, near Fairbanks, saw a low temperature of 76 degrees below zero on this day. The high for the day was 60 degrees below zero. With an average temperature of 68 degrees below zero, Tanana saw an average temperature of nearly sixty degrees below normal. McGrath, Alaska, recorded a wind chill of -100°F. This is the lowest wind chill ever observed in the U.S. at a populated location. You can read more about this event from the Alaska Dispatch News by clicking HERE.

https://www.geonames.org/5868547/mcgrath.html
https://www.geonames.org/5875808/tanana.html
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Fire in Baja California(January 23, 2024)

Mexico’s National Forestry Commission reported that the fire began on January 22 and had burned nearly 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) by January 24. According to Baja California’s Civil Protection Office, winds exceeded 80 kilometers (50 miles) per hour as the fire burned. The region is also experiencing extreme drought conditions, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System.
Forecasters expect the region to get some relief soon. They predict that winds should ease in the coming days and a developing storm will likely bring rain.


https://www.geonames.org/4006702/ensenada.html
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https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_Jan_28

1887: Snowflakes "as large as milk pans" fell at Fort Keogh of Montana. The flakes, which were said to measure 15 inches across and 8 inches thick, hold the unofficial size record!

Feb 15, 1887 – 1 · St. Albans Daily Messenger (Saint Albans, Vermont) · Newspapers.com

1969: Heavy rains of tropical origin that began on 1/18 ended on this day. As much as 50 inches of rain fell at 7,700 feet. 31 inches of rain fell on the south slopes of Mt. San Gorgonio, 15.5 inches at San Jacinto Peak, around ten inches at Banning, less than one inch from Indio southeast. 91 were reported dead from flooding and mudslides all over California and state-wide.

The image above is from a tweet by the NWS Office in San Diego, California.

1977: The Blizzard of '77 was one of the worst winter storms to hit southern Ontario and upstate New York. With the rapid onset of the storm, about 2,000 students in the Niagara region were stranded overnight in schools. Click HERE for more information from Gray Roots and Museum.
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https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_Jan_29

1921: A small but intense windstorm resulted in the "Great Olympic Blowdown" in the Pacific Northwest. Hurricane-force winds funneled along the mountains downed vast expanses of Douglas fir trees, and the storm destroyed eight billion board feet of timber. Winds at North Head, WA, gusted to 113 mph. On January 31, 1921, the International News Services reported from Aberdeen, Washington, "It is reported that thousands of dollars in damage was done to buildings and storms in Aberdeen and Hoquiam. The wind velocity was estimated at from 125 to 150 miles an hour. Four steel smokestacks reaching almost 200 feet into the air were the first to collapse before the terrific onslaught of the gale. The giant chimneys crashed down on dwellings crushing them like houses of cardboard." Click HERE for more information from the Office of the Washington State Climatologist.

1947: On this date through the 30th, a fierce winter storm buried southern Wisconsin under two feet of snow. Strong northeasterly winds piled drifts up to 10 feet high in the Milwaukee area, shutting down the city for two days.

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https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_Jan_30

1607: The Bristol Channel floods in England resulted in the drowning of many people and the destruction of a large amount of farmland and livestock. Recent research has suggested that the cause may have been a tsunami [not according to the two articles below]. Cardiff was one of the most badly affected towns, with the foundations of St. Mary's Church destroyed.

1607 Bristol Channel Floods: 400-Year Retrospective
The great flood of 1607
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NASA Earth Observatory - January Puzzler



Every month on Earth Matters, we offer a puzzling satellite image. The January 2025 puzzler is shown above. Your
challenge is to use the comments section to tell us where it is, what we are looking at, and why it is interesting.
Reply here.
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https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_Jan_31

1911: Tamarack, California, was without snow the first eight days of the month, but by the end of January, they had been buried under 390 inches of snow, a record monthly total for the United States. By March 11, 1911, Tamarack had a record snow depth of 451 inches.

1979: A winter storm that started on the previous day and ended on this day spread 2 to 4 inches of rainfall in 24 hours over much of coastal Southern California and two inches of snow in Palm Springs. Snow fell heavily in Palm Springs, and 8 inches fell at Lancaster. All major interstates into Los Angeles were closed. Snow drifts shut down Interstate 10 on both sides of Palm Springs, isolating the city.

1989: The barometric pressure at Norway, Alaska, reached 31.85 inches (1078.4 mb) establishing an all-time record for the North American Continent. The temperature at the time of the record was about 46 degrees below zero. The severe arctic cold began to invade the north-central U.S. The temperature at Grand Fall, Montana, plunged 85 degrees in 36 hours. Valentine, Nebraska plummeted from a record high of 70 degrees to zero in just nine hours. Northwest winds gusted to 86 mph at Lander WY, and wind chill readings of 80 degrees below zero were reported in Montana. Sixty-four cities in the central U.S. reported record highs for the date as readings reached the 60s in Michigan and the 80s in Kansas.
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MODIS Image of the day

January 16, 2025
January 25, 2025
Snow in the Tennger Desert

Although the intensely arid desert receives very little rain, precipitation in the form of light snow can be expected at least a few times each winter.

https://www.geonames.org/1793045/tengger-shamo.html
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https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_Feb_01

1947: January 30th through February 8th, a great blizzard occurred in Saskatchewan, Canada. All highways into Regina were blocked. Railway officials declared the worst conditions in Canadian rail history. One train was buried in a snowdrift over a half-mile long and 36.7 feet deep.

The photo above is of a C.N.R. train buried by a snowstorm of February 9, 1947,
near Weyburn, and effort to dig it out. SK Archives Photo R-A9033-8.


1951: An ice and sleet storm began in late January and ended on February 1st rendered many roads impassable. Electricity and telephone service was disrupted. The graphic below is from a tweet by the NWS Office in Little Rock, Arkansas.


1955: Seen first as a "well-defined cone-shaped funnel" over the Mississippi River, this F3 tornado cut a path from Commerce Landing to Clark in northeastern Mississippi. This tornado killed 20 and injured at least 141 individuals. Most of the deaths were in a plantation school. The following is from Thomas Grazulis, "Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991" book: "Despite the fact that a funnel was seen, that heavy objects were thrown long distances, and that the tornado was in a forecast box, the event was not officially called a tornado. A survey team state that since all debris was thrown in one direction, the event should not be listed as a tornado." Click HERE to read more about this event from the Monthly Weather Review.

2011: One of the most significant events of the 2010-2011 winter season affected a widespread region from Texas to the Midwest and Northeast from February 1st to 3rd 2011. The system produced widespread heavy snow with blizzard conditions and significant freezing rain and sleet to other locations. Snowfall amounts of 10 to 20 inches were common from northeast Oklahoma to lower Michigan. The storm produced 20.2 inches at Chicago, the third heaviest snowfall in the city since their records began in 1886, along with a peak wind of 61 mph. Kansas City received just under 9 inches of snow. The high temp was 17 degrees. Click HERE for more information from the Weather Prediction Center.

The graphic above is from a tweet by the NWS Office in St. Louis, Missouri.
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Not-so Snowy Alaska

Since December 2024, temperatures across the state were 5–10 degrees Fahrenheit (3–6 degrees Celsius) above normal, according to NOAA, with isolated areas experiencing even greater anomalies. The warm temperatures caused existing snow and ice to melt and new precipitation to fall as rain. In early December, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Anchorage (northeast of this image) issued a warning of potential flooding and ice jams due to melting ice, according to news reports.
Warm conditions and melting continued into January 2025, by which time little snow clung to the ground of the lower elevations near King Salmon, Alaska. The average snow depth (between 1998 and 2025) at the NWS office in Anchorage on January 29 is about 13 inches (33 centimeters), but this year, the station measured no snow on the ground on that date.


https://www.geonames.org/5858047/bristol-bay.html
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https://www.weatherforyou.com/weather_history/2-2

1987 - A fast moving arctic front brought snow and high winds to the north central U.S. Winds gusted to 69 mph at Brookings SD. Big Falls MN reported nine inches of snow. Record warmth was reported just ahead of the front. Burlington IA reported a record high of 59 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989 - Bitter cold air covered much of the central U.S. Butte MT reported a wind chill reading of 91 degrees below zero, Salt Lake City UT was blanketed with 11.9 inches of snow in 24 hours, and winds around Reno NV gusted to 80 mph. Unseasonably warm weather continued in the southeastern U.S. Twenty-eight cities reported record high temperatures for the date, including Wilmington NC with a reading of 80 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

2011 - A high temperature of 44°F registered at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, AZ, sets an all-time February record for the coldest high temperature for the city. The Weather Doctor
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Colorful Tampa Bay(May 27, 2024)

Tampa Bay is composed of several arms and smaller bays, such as Old Tampa Bay and Hillsborough Bay, and is characterized by its shallow, calm, and colorful blue-green waters. Deeper waters appear darker blue and shallow waters lighter blue. In some areas, vegetation and sediment entering the bay from the mouths of rivers make the water appear green or light brown. Sediment can also come from white sand beaches, carried out to sea by the currents.

https://www.geonames.org/4174759/tampa-bay.html
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https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_Feb_03

1947: The record-low temperature for continental North America was recorded in Snag in the Yukon Territory, Canada. The temperature was 81.4 degrees below zero. Click HERE for more information from the World Meteorological Organization Global Weather & Climate Extremes Archive.
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