The Weathervein - Episode 19

A monster winter storm is taking shape in the center of the nation and will barrel its way eastward over the next two days. The storm, which is already being called historic, will feature severe blizzard conditions from Oklahoma to Missouri through Illinois and Michigan, all the way into southern Canada. Hefty snowfall amounts throughout the Plains, Midwest and interior Northeast could exceed 1 to 2 feet, meanwhile a severe ice storm is set to cripple the Ohio Valley to New York City. In this episode of The Weathervein, get the latest on this developing storm and find out what you could expect in your neighborhood! Stay safe!



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Blizzapolis Satellite Imagery!

This image, courtesy of Weather.com, shows current snow cover left behind in the wake of the big blizzard. Notice how this was a truly an I-95 eastward storm. Few areas west of the major interstate saw significant snowfall accumulations, while areas east saw up to 35 inches.




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Big Blizzard in New York City - December 26, 2010

We've been tracking a potentially historic snowstorm along the east coast for the better part of the week, and alas, after much confusion, speculation and flip-flop, the models verified on this monster of a nor'easter!

This blizzard, the latest in a series of "North American Blizzards of 2010" proved to be the most intense of all, and is showing that 2010 will go out with a bang!

The post Christmas day event lasted less than 24 hours for many and was responsible for dumping greater than 30 inches of snow in some areas, and producing 80 mph wind gusts in others.


Blizzard history map, courtesy of AccuWeather.com


Blizzard observed snowfall map courtesy of AccuWeather.com

The New York City metro area, including the eastern half of New Jersey, bore the brunt of of the storm.

Captured here is my footage during the epic nor'easter yesterday, December 26, 2010.



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El Niño, NAO Fade Fast... So What's Next?

Two Major Weather Phenomenon Losing Presence as Climate Variability Now Rules

For the past year we've blamed any and every weather extreme on El Niño and its interaction with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Wait, the NAO? Look, I'm not just talking to myself again. The NAO was really present this past winter and it, along with the famous El Niño warm-water effect in the Pacific Ocean, sent moisture-soaked air up from the Gulf of Mexico as a linebacker high pressure block kept the jet stream on a steady ride up the East Coast, therefore forcing Arctic air deep into the South and throwing a plume of wintry precipitation along the I-95 corridor.

The result: record-breaking cold east of the Mississippi, powerful and damaging tornadoes in the southern plains, dozens of snowstorms and even several epic blizzards across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, and historic flooding in the Ohio Valley.

But what about this past weekend's torrent in Tennessee, which caused the city of Nashville to become water-logged, causing the famous Grand Ole Opry to flood? Well, climatologists say that El Niño has weakened so much already that it likely had very little impact on the event, and the NAO has pretty much spun itself out by now. That said, our weather pattern is now largely going to be affected by climate variability, or pretty much whatever happens, happens.

Ever-changing and unpredictable! This blog post has been brought to you by reason # 198,765,499,876,534 why I love weather! Enjoy it, it's the only weather you've got!

The March Superstorm of 1993

What happens when a cold front plunges into the deep south while three strong jet streams merge along the Atlantic Seaboard? A Superstorm!!!

Today marks the anniversary of one of my favorite snow events I've lived through -- the March Superstorm of 1993. This epic winter weather event, also known as The White Hurricane or The Great Blizzard of 93, was unique for its intensity, massive size and wide-reaching effects.

Bringing with it three days of crippling snow, whirling seas, coastal flooding, blizzards, tornadoes and bone-chilling cold, the March Superstorm of 1993 was definitely a freak of nature. It all started on Friday, March 12 when a cluster of powerful thunderstorms formed in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and then merged with a narrow band of snow and rain that was pushing in from the West Coast. The two storm systems collided with the jet stream causing this to happen...

The amount of snow and rain that fell during the storm was nothing short of incredible! Areas as far south as central Alabama and Georgia received 8 inches of snow and areas such as Birmingham, Alabama, received up to 16 inches. Even the Florida Panhandle reported up to 4 inches, with hurricane-force wind gusts and record low barometric pressures.

Between Louisiana and Cuba, hurricane-force winds produced high storm surges in the Gulf of Mexico, which along with scattered tornadoes killed dozens of people.

Northward up the Atlantic Seaboard and Appalachian Mountains, and extending all the way to the Canadian Maritimes, there was over 40 inches of snow and ice, absolutely crippling everything in its path.

This winter storm is the largest one-piece storm in recorded history!

Too Cold For Fast Food? You Betcha!

So it turns out that fast food junkies don't like severe winter weather! Who knew!?!

Burger King announced this week that its North American sales were negatively impacted during the past two months as a result of 'adverse weather conditions' in the Central and Eastern portions of the United States. I guess that is what we are calling the back-to-back-to-back Nor'easters?!?

BK says sales declined 8.2 percent in the two-month period that ended February 28, compared to positive 3.1 percent in the same period last year. More than 75 percent of BK's restaurants are located in the snow weary regions.

Other fast food chains are also reporting that extreme winter weather impacted sales. Among them are Wendy's, Arby's, McDonald's and Ruby Tuesday.

Meanwhile, sporting goods retailers such as Dick’s Sporting Goods are posting better-than-expected quarterly profits on strong demand for cold weather gear. Hmmm... I foresee some opportunity here. Perhaps the fast food giants can partner with the sporting goods retailers to offer hamburger hand warmers!

Speaking of fast food and severe winter weather, Mint Oreo® Blizzard® is DQ's Blizzard® of the Month! Yummz!

Around the City, After the Snowicane

The record snow stopped falling overnight and today I ventured out around the city to run some errands. While doing so I snapped some photos. It's amazing how well New York cleans up after a major snowstorm! Here are just a few of the photos I took today.

Snowicane Exceeds Expectations and Proves Historic

Late this afternoon I decided to go back out into the Snowicane and snap some more photos, and of all those that I took, I think there are two that perfectly capture the intensity of the storm. Check out these shots looking crosstown from the east side to the west side of Manhattan (looking down 42nd Street).

As I made my way home and settled in to thaw my frozen toes and fingers I captured this clip on the local news. This, I think, really provides great detail on the awesome scope of the Snowicane, which continues to dump heavy snow squalls in New York City and points north and east.



It will be interesting to see where we end up as far as total snowfall for the city. As I blogged about earlier, this storm broke records! Will we make the top 3 heaviest snowfalls ever recorded in New York? We are extremely close and I will provide updates to the previous blog post, "Snowicane Breaks Records in NYC!" so check back often!

I wanted to also say thank you to everyone who is following along as I experience this epic winter weather event, which has clearly exceeded all expectations and is now one for the history books! It's been an amazing couple days and I am glad I can share it with you!

Snowicane Breaks Records in NYC!

UPDATE 11:00 A.M. (2-27-10) The National Weather Service in New York City has updated its record books once again! Yesterday's snowfall also broke daily records for that day particularly. 11.5 inches of snow fell yesterday alone, breaking the old record of 8.4 inches set in 1991.

UPDATE 6:00 P.M. At 21 inches this snowstorm is now tied for the third heaviest for New York City. Below is where we stand among the top 3.

1. 26.9 inches in February 2006
2. 26.4 inches in February 1947
3. 21 inches in March 1888 AND TODAY, February 26, 2010

Original post:

As of 2:00 p.m. 20.8 inches of snow was reported at Central Park, making the Snowicane the fourth heaviest (so far) snowstorm on record! The all time record stands at 26.9" on February 11 – 12, 2006. We will continue to climb towards that over the next several hours and through the evening – possibly exceeding it by tomorrow morning. Even if we do not exceed the all time heaviest snowfall, as the snow does continue to fall, the Snowicane may very well at least slip into the top three!

Speaking of records, I’ve got another one for you! Regardless how much more snow falls from this storm, the Snowicane has allowed the previous monthly record snowfall of 30.5 inches in March 1896 to be squashed! February 2010 is now the all time snowiest month ever recorded with a record 35.9 inches (so far)!

As snow continues to fall these figures and records will be updated!

Snowicane Continues... 17" and Still Accumulating!

Shortly after I hit the publish button on the blog last night I did my normal 10-minute check out the window to see how the snowfall was progressing... and what a sight I saw! Within minutes the snowfall literally doubled in intensity. I could hardly see out my window and the street went from slushy to snowrific in the blink of an eye. And honestly, it has not let up much since.

The snow continues to come down this morning at quite an impressive rate. I think at its peak overnight we reached somewhere near 3 inches per hour, accompanied by gusty winds near 50 mph. Oh and did I mention the thunder? Yes, there was even thundersnow, which is an extremely rare occurrence and something that usually only takes place within the most intense Nor'easters. This definitely classifies!

So as I was saying the snow has not let up all that much. I am looking out the window as I type this and it's still coming down at about an inch per hour, sometimes heavier.

Latest snowfall totals as of 8 a.m. in Central Park are 17 inches! We have at least another 24 hours to go until the steady accumulating snow subsides, just to be replaced with squally snow showers, which in themselves could produce heavy, accumulating snow in bursts.

Accordingly, the National Weather Service once again upgraded the snowfall projections which now stand at 18 to 24 inches for the immediate New York City area. Points north and west could see as much as 30 inches. Slightly less as you move south of the city into New Jersey and east of the city onto Long Island.

In true form I could hardly sleep last night and woke up today at the crack of dawn to take some shots of the city in the snow! Here they are, along with a video I took in Madison Square Park. I hope you enjoy them!

I will post another update later!

12 Hours into the Snowicane, 36 Hours to Go!

It's after 9:00 p.m. and the snow has been falling for over twelve hours now. The snow comes in bands and waves. No matter how heavy or light the precipitation across the tri-state area has been, it has not stopped since pre-dawn. Many areas are already reporting over a foot of snow, while some are still seeing rain. However, even those areas are finally beginning their transition to snow.

For snow lovers like myself it's quite interesting, and somewhat depressing, living in New York City during storms like this... because when I look outside my window on a busy midtown street, all I see is wet roads. No snow covered grass. Just damp concrete. Not much accumulation. Meanwhile uptown just thirty blocks at Central Park there is clear evidence that we are well on our way to a foot of snow in the city. The trees and park benches are plastered white. The park is literally buried. But not my street -- the heat from the cars, the subway, the foot traffic, the buildings -- it all melts my snow. And it drives me absolutely insane!

I am tired of running to the park each time it snows just to see how much there is. But even that hope is shot right now because the authorities are warning people to stay off the streets and out of the parks. The weight of the heavy, wet snow is too much for the trees and power lines to handle. They are falling left and right, and today in Manhattan someone was killed by falling trees. In fact, a tree even fell on a city bus. Trees are also lining the streets in the Upper East Side. As you can imagine its quite dangerous out there.

So as the night progresses so will the heavy snow and wind. By morning we can expect double the amount of snow we have already seen, and additional accumulations are expected through the day tomorrow. There are some hints that the storm will not completely move away from the area until Sunday, but right now we are thinking Saturday morning... which is why the Winter Storm Warnings have been extended until that time.

Overall, the immediate New York City areas accumulation projections have been raised to 12 to 18 inches. On western long island 6 to 12 inches can be expected and on the eastern part of the island about 3 to 6 inches and 1 to 3 inches respectively. Moving westward from the city, however, we are looking at accumulations approaching two feet, if not more in the higher elevations.

Winds are kicking up and will continue through Friday, sometimes gusting near hurricane force.

All in all, the Snowicane continues. I just wish I could see more of it outside my window.

Snowicane Progressing Nicely!

Well, its been snowing since about 7 a.m. in New York City. A heavy, wet snow that started as rain in the early morning hours will continue through the rest of today, into tonight and through the day Friday (some indications are that we won't be out of it until Sunday -- but more on that later).

The storm should peak in intensity during the overnight tonight when snow will fall at rates greater than 2 inches per hour at times, accompanied by wind gusts approaching 60 mph in some areas. This combination will lead to white out conditions, downed trees and power outages. But not for all! That's right... just miles away in Nassau County on Long Island, heavy rain and wind has been reported throughout the day, with over an inch already on the south shore.

Such a tight gradient between who gets heavy snow and who gets heavy rain has proved challenging for weather forecasters -- but it was expected. Check out the rain/snow line on this radar image today at 2:30. It has not moved much all day.



This should prove interesting for people commuting to and from the city this evening. You could go from dangerous, blizzard-like conditions to blinding rain within minutes. Be careful out there!

We'll provide a storm update this evening!

A ‘Snow Hurricane’ -- Because Blizzard May Not Do Justice

You heard blizzard many times this winter... but not like this!

Severe winter weather watches and warnings are grabbing the attention of millions across the country as all eyes are on a developing storm system that threatens to absolutely slam the northeastern states with extremely heavy snow, fierce hurricane force winds, torrential rains on the coast, along with battering waves and coastal flooding. A Snow Hurricane if you will -- a storm which has been quoted as "a decade of storms rolled into one," and "the perfect storm part two," or "nothing short of a monster!"

Well over a foot of snow is forecast in locations just inland from the coast from New Jersey to Maine northward to the Canadian border and beyond. And if you go even further inland, you could be looking at accumulations approaching 30 or 40 inches in the higher elevations. Snow drifts will be at least three to five feet in areas. The heavy wet snow, combined with winds in excess of 40 mph will cause dangerous blizzard conditions for hours on end. This will likely lead to downed trees, power outages and impassible roads.

Coastal regions from Long Island to northern Maine will receive hurricane-force winds at the storm’s peak, along with several inches of windswept rain. These areas could also expect to see coastal flooding from the onshore flow literally pushing the ocean onto land.

And to top it off... this is a long duration event! Beginning overnight Wednesday and lasting until Saturday for some areas. This is because the developing low pressure will approach the area, stall, begin to move away, then actually hook back... and as it does so it will deliver round after round of severe wintry weather before finally moving back out to sea late Friday.

When all is said and done this storm will be one for the record books. Its unique track, its extreme force and its ability to affect millions of people in its path will all need to be taken into consideration.

Blizzards Shatter I-95 Weather Records!

Yesterday’s blizzard, the second to slam the I-95 Corridor from Washington, DC to New York City within just a few days, marked the third severe snowstorm this winter to slam that region (the first being the December 19, 2009 blizzard).

Yesterday’s storm dumped an additional 10.8 inches on Washington, DC – a city that received more than double that amount of snow this past weekend. The extreme events concluded that this winter is now the national capital’s snowiest, with a total of 55.9 inches. This broke the old all-time winter snowfall of 54.4 inches set in 1898-1899.

Baltimore, MD shattered its previous all-time snowiest winter record as well. The 19.5 inches of snow that fell there during the past 24 hours brought this winter's snow total to 79.9 inches. The winter of 1995-96 and its 62.5 inches recently held the record.

15.8 inches of snow fell on Wednesday in Philadelphia. That brings this winter's snowfall total to 71.6 inches, breaking the previous record of 65.5 inches set in 1995-1996.

This winter is also now the all-time snowiest in Atlantic City, NJ and Wilmington, DE. So far this winter these cities received 48.7 inches and 66.7 inches, respectively.

I am sure I don’t have to remind anyone that winter is not over yet…

Big Blizzard in the Big Apple - A Video Journal

A major blizzard affected a large portion of the country today, from the mid-west to the east coast.

Direct from New York City, we recorded all day in the storm and posted the videos here and on our Facebook Fan Page. The evening videos as compared to the ones shot earlier in the day really show the rapid development of the Nor'easter and the deteriorating conditions associated with the blizzard.

Oh, and check out these photos The Northeast Quadrant blogger, Devin, took today in Central Park with The Weather Channel's Chris Warren.

It was truly a great day for a great snowstorm! Our Facebook fans thought so as well. Below these videos you will find a slideshow of photos submitted by them during the storm!













... and now for the Facebook fans' photo slideshow!

Nor'easters: Winters Most Ferocious Storms!

Time for a Meteorology Lesson

Everyone has been asking why there has been so much snow! What is causing this crazy, abnormal winter pattern? No matter what the cause is, which is likely ‘attributable’ to El Niño, atmospheric conditions this winter have been absolutely perfect for Nor'easters to form.

But what is a Nor'easter? The term has been thrown around in the news more times this winter than in the past decade, but what is it? For those inquiring minds, here's some insight.

A Nor'easter is a large-scale cyclonic storm with extremely deep low pressure that forms along the east coast of the United States. Conditions need to come together perfectly for a Nor’easter to form, and that is usually when the very cold Labrador current meets the warm Gulf Stream current (see image 1). Typically this will take place between 50 and 250 miles off the southeast United States. At the same this is occurring there needs to be a steady flow of arctic air from the north. The friction that occurs from the cold air to the north moving across the North American continent, and the warm air being pulled up from the Atlantic, causes the developing low pressure to begin to spin and move northeastward along the jet stream (see image 2). As it does so a Nor’easter is born and its tight rotating center of circulation will cause fierce winds from the northeast to affect any land in its path. Coastal areas are often battered by high seas and coastal erosion, and just inland you’ll find crippling snowfall amounts, deadly wind chills, damaging winds and torrential rains.

In addition to the impending blizzard tonight into tomorrow, recent memorable Nor'easters are the DelMarVa Blizzard of February 2010, the December 19 Blizzard of 2009, the Blizzard of 2006 (absolutely epic for NYC, three feet of snow in three hours / total snowfall near 30 inches in less than 24 hours), the Blizzard of 2003 (also known as the President's Day Storm II), and let's not forget a very, special Nor'easter that occurred in the off-season this past Autumn: Nor'Ida! Nor'Ida developed from the remnants of Hurricane Ida which after crossing the Gulf Coast, rode up the Atlantic seaboard, causing extremely heavy rain, coastal destruction and damaging winds! In New Jersey alone Nor'Ida caused coastal flood damage that left $168 million in losses.

Next Storm Another East Coast Blizzard?!?

It's the weekend and we are preparing for a fun blog post tomorrow that will re-cap the February 5 - 6, 2010 DelMarVa Blizzard, which will include an awesome slideshow of photos submitted by our Facebook fans on the Facebook Fan Page!

Until then, read this analysis from Accuweather.com on the possibility of next week's Tuesday-Wednesday storm becoming ANOTHER BLIZZARD!!!

It seems the operational models are going towards another major blizzard along the Mid-Atlantic (AND Northeast) Wednesday.

Here's what we know...

1. Looks like this one will be a much colder storm as the polar vortex dumps right into the East.
2. Storm should bomb out as the polar vortex catches up with the southern stream system.
3. GFS has a blizzard with snow ratios of 20:1 to 30:1 from BWI to Boston.
4. New Euro has 995 mb low off of Atlantic city NJ Wed AM. That would mean heavy snow for areas from Maryland to new England.
5. DGEX model has the blizzard from NE PA into New England with NYC getting smacked.
   
6. JMA goes along with the DGEX model, so all operational models are going for a major storm Wednesday.
7. Also, wide swath of wind blown snow of 3-6 inches will start in Kansas and move east through Illinois and Ohio to PA before we even get the bomb developing along the coast.

If we get the storm as per the operational models, this would be an unprecedented winter with 4 major blizzards in the East and 3 major blizzards in the Plains and Midwest. With the exception of the 2005 hurricane season, I can not remember a 3 month stretch of such intense storms. 1978 comes to mind, but I think there were only 3 storms that year.