Tag Archives: winter weather

National Weather

From Philly to Washington to New York, East Coast slammed by blizzard

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The adjectives to describe last week’s record-setting snowstorm no longer seem adequate to describe the winter weather striking from the Mid-Atlantic to New York. A second potentially more severe storm that the National Weather Service described as ‘life threatening’ is battering Washington D.C., Baltimore, New York City and every place in between.

Storms that dumped more than two feet of snow last week were bad enough but the latest storm has introduced another element – wind. Gusts of 35 mph to 45 mph are expected and coupled with snowfall amounts of more than a foot, snow drifts to four feet are forecast for some areas.

Widespread power outages are likely to become common as the wind and heavy snow takes its toll on an already taxed infrastructure. Road crews who were still working to clear the snow from the last storm are now struggling to stay ahead of the mounting snow totals.

Blizzard Warnings have been posted for Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Baltimore, and New York City. Forecast snow accumulations range from 6 to 12 inches in Washington to 12 to 22 inches in Philadelphia and 10 to 16 inches in New York City. Underscoring the dangerous conditions from the wind and snow, the National Weather Service warning said, “This is a life threatening situation for anyone who becomes stranded.”

Officials were urging all area residents to hunker down and wait the storm out. Public schools, businesses and even the federal government have ceased operations for the day.

There's more to this story on Examiner.com!For more details including the travel mess the storms have created and the astounding snow totals, see the complete story on the Natural Disasters Examiner.

National Weather

‘Snowmageddon’ spotted by NASA satellite

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e extent of snowfall from the major winter storm that struck the Mid-Atlantic states last week is easily seen from NASA satellites. (NASA) See a larger version below.
The extent of snowfall from the major winter storm that struck the Mid-Atlantic states last week is easily seen from NASA satellites. (NASA) See a larger version below.

This past Friday and Saturday the Mid-Atlantic states were smashed by a record-setting snowstorm that left more than two feet of snow in many areas. The snow brought the nation’s capital to a grinding halt and now the extent of the storm’s wrath can be seen from space.

NASA’s Terra satellite flew over the area on Monday and was able to capture amazing imagery showing the widespread snow cover. The image to the right and the larger version below clearly show Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia buried under a significant blanket of white.

Even as area residents continue to dig out from the snow and power companies try to restore power to tens of thousands, a second blast of winter is set to arrive today. That storm may generate nearly as much snow and will certainly push most major cities in the area to record seasonal snowfall totals.

Heavy Snow around U.S. Capital – February 8, 2010 (NASA)
Heavy Snow around U.S. Capital - February 8, 2010 (NASA)

National Weather

Mid-Atlantic digs out from historic snowstorm as another looms

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Schools, businesses and even the federal government were shut down across the Mid-Atlantic Monday as the region tries to recover from a record-setting snowstorm. There will be little rest for the snow-weary however as another storm looms and threatens to add to the already tremendous snow totals.

A two-day storm that started Friday left a wide swath from Virginia across Maryland and Pennsylvania and into New Jersey left historic snowfall in its wake. Dulles International Airport recorded 32.4 inches, Baltimore / Washington International recorded 24.8, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport recorded 17.8 and Philadelphia measured 28.5. All were record-setting or at least ranked in the top five snowstorms in those cities’ history.

On Sunday the area had time to begin digging out but the task was gargantuan and continues today. The federal government which employs 230,000 workers in the area was closed as were many local government offices. Businesses and school districts similarly left their doors shuttered to give the area time to recover.

Travel across the area continues to be problematic at best as airports struggle to clear the snow and resume flights. Reagan National Airport remained closed Monday morning with hopes of opening later in the day. Baltimore / Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport opened one runway Sunday night and Dulles International was open although both warned passengers to expect continued delays and cancelations.

There's more to this story on Examiner.com!Get all the details on the record setting storm from the Natural Disasters Examiner.

National Weather

Digging out: Mid-Atlantic begins to recover from record setting blizzard

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Astounding snow totals normally reserved for the Rocky Mountains were recorded in the area around the nation’s capital as a two day storm pounded the area. As the storm moved out late Saturday, the digging out process begins on Super Bowl Sunday.

In the wake of the storm, numerous snowfall records were set. Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C. recorded an astounding 32.4 inches, easily eclipsing the previous snowstorm record for that facility of 23.2 inches set in 1996.

Similarly, Baltimore / Washington International recorded 24.8 inches which ranks the storm second on Baltimore’s list. That city’s top storm occurred in 1922 and dumped 26.3 inches of snow. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport recorded 17.8 inches putting the storm as the fourth biggest for Washington. Philadelphia measured 28.5 inches which is more in a single storm than the city has received in all but four seasons in the last 30 years.

The monster storm has spurred on a flurry of catchy nicknames. Whiteout at the White House. Snowpocalypse. Snowmageddon. Even President Barack Obama referred to the storm as ‘snowmageddon’ in remarks on Saturday. The storm even prevented the president from using his limousine and he was forced to use an SUV to attend an event.

There's more to this story on Examiner.com!Get all the details on the storm with the latest news and photos from the Natural Disasters Examiner.

National Weather

Washington D.C. set to be walloped by record setting storm

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A major winter snowstorm has begun in the nation’s capital and forecasters are warning that by the time it is over, it may amount to Washington D.C.’s biggest snowstorm on record. Much of the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States was bracing for blizzard conditions and snowfall amounts that could exceed two feet.

The National Weather Service warned of ‘extremely dangerous’ weather conditions that will winds that will turn the snow into a blizzard. “Travel is highly discouraged tonight and will be very dangerous,” the service said. Winter Storm Warnings have been posted from North Carolina to Pennsylvania and from Indiana to Delaware.

Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration which oversees the National Weather Service took the unusual step of issuing her own statement prior to the storm arriving. “An epic snowstorm has the mid-Atlantic region in its crosshairs. At this time, personal safety must be first and foremost,” Lubchenco said.

Travel across the region began to come to a veritable halt Friday as airlines canceled flights and trains stopped running. Delta, Southwest and other airlines were stopping flights out of Washington, Philadelphia and Baltimore and were unsure when they would resume service. Amtrak canceled most train service from Washington southward.

There's more to this story on Examiner.com!Get complete details on this potentially historic winter storm in the nation’s capital on the Natural Disasters Examiner. 

National Weather

From the Rockies to the Atlantic, cold weather grips the nation

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Calling the recent weather that has gripped the eastern two thirds of the nation a ‘cold spell’ does not do it justice. From the eastern side of the Rockies to Florida and north to New England, much of the nation has seen extraordinarily cold weather in recent days that will continue through the weekend.

To the west, Denver will begin to warm up finally this weekend but that comes in the wake of Arctic cold that saw the Mile High City see high temperatures in the teens on Thursday and a low temperature down to -16. Just a bit further east on the plains, Kansas and Nebraska were similarly cold and were forced to cope with snow and ice that turned roadways treacherous.

In the Midwest, the cold weather had tragic results. On Thursday, an icy highway caused a tractor trailer to lose control and swerve into oncoming traffic impacting a bus transporting disabled adults. Three passengers and the bus driver were killed, six other passengers were injured as was the truck driver.

The nation’s railway system was impacted as Amtrak was forced to cut its daily train between Chicago and Denver on Friday because it could not make it through snow drifts in Nebraska. Passengers on the train Thursday arrived in Denver a day late after having been stuck on the plains for 23 hours. The California Zephyr from California to Chicago finally arrived Friday after being delayed 18 hours.

The southern part of the nation found itself gripped in the cold and unprepared to deal with it. Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and even Florida saw temperatures dipping into record setting territory. Shelters in the states were packed with the homeless seeking someplace warm to spend the nights.

There's more to this story on Examiner.com!For more on this story and to view some of the amazing photos from the winter weather, visit the Natural Disasters Examiner.

World Weather

Great Britain gripped by cold and snow – seen from space

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NASAs Terra satellite captured this image of London and the surrounding countryside covered under a blanket of snow. See a larger image below. (NASA)
NASA's Terra satellite captured this image of London and the surrounding countryside covered under a blanket of snow. See a larger image below. (NASA)

Cold winter weather that has been called the worst in 50 years has gripped England and turned deadly. Showing the widespread extent of the snowfall, NASA released imagery today from its Terra satellite showing the nation under a blanket of white.

The severe cold in the country has turned deadly and claimed 22 lives since it first struck last month. Schools across the nation have been forced to close and air and road travel has been severely impacted. Many homes have found themselves without power.

The nation found itself unprepared by the cold as it was facing shortages of road salt and more critically, natural gas for heating. Suppliers of salt said they were having a hard time keeping up with demand and may very well run out before the cold weather is finished. Companies in northern England have been ordered to shut down in order to preserve natural gas supplies.

Unusually heavy snow and cold has affected not only Great Britain but large swaths of the Northern Hemisphere. The eastern two thirds of the United States was experiencing far below normal temperatures and Asia found itself dealing with snow and cold as well.

For a larger image, please check out the story on the Natural Disasters Examiner.

Climatology, National Weather, Natural Disasters

Deadly cold envelops Northern Hemisphere from U.S. to China

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Severe cold weather has enveloped the northern half of the globe from the United States to Britain to China. Across the continents, many places are reporting record setting temperatures and lives have been lost due to the Arctic chill.

The eastern half of the United States saw cold, Arctic air pulled down from the north plunging temperatures below freezing in normally mild places as far south as Florida. The widespread cold gripped most of the nation east of the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Seaboard.

Across the Midwest, temperatures plunged to well below freezing as parts of Iowa recorded temperatures as low as -15 degrees. Jeff Johnson, National Weather Service meteorologist, told the Des Moines Register, “”We’re a solid 30 degrees below normal.” Minneapolis, Minnesota and Chicago, Illinois were seeing wind chills below 0 degrees Tuesday morning.

In Miami, residents accustomed to short sleeve shirts and shorts bundled up as temperatures dropped to freezing. Further north in the state, Orlando saw a low temperature of 21 degrees.

The National Weather Service issued hard freeze warnings across parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida as the cold threatened the agriculture industry in those states. Freeze watches in Tennessee highlighted the severe cold and came on the heels of reports that four people have died in that state from the cold.

There's more to this story on Examiner.com!The United States is not alone as the cold has turned deadly across the globe.  Get all the details and see some amazing photos at the Natural Disasters Examiner.

National Weather

White Christmas brings joy and misery

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Two thirds of the contiguous United States had a white Christmas. (NOAA)
Two thirds of the contiguous United States had a white Christmas. (NOAA)

Christmas 2009 may have granted some people’s wishes for a white Christmas but for millions it equated to misery. A series of snowstorms blanketed two thirds of the nation in snow and snarled holiday plans for many.

From Texas to North Dakota and Nevada to Minnesota the breadth of the storms was tremendous. Holiday travelers were forced to spend their Christmas in airports and shelters while those already at home devoted their holiday to digging out from the heavy snowfall.

Dallas, Texas experienced its first white Christmas in 80 years. The three inches of snow that fell Christmas Eve was a record for the date and lasted long enough for residents to wake up to a cover of white early Christmas morning.

Oklahoma bore a big hit from the storms as 14 inches of snow was recorded in Oklahoma City on Christmas Eve, easily eclipsing the previous record for the date of 2.5 inches. Blizzard conditions forced Governor Brad Henry to order every interstate and highway in the state closed Christmas Eve due to the dangerous conditions. Will Rogers World Airport shut down for a period and was finally able to clear one runway Christmas Day.

There's more to this story on the Denver Weather Examiner's site!For a complete look at the havoc wreaked by the snowstorms and some of the photos from across the nation, please view the complete story at the Natural Disasters Examiner.