North American Weather (U.S.A & Canada)

[BLAST FROM THE PAST]

Speaking of bitterly cold, the 08z temperature at Uranium City, SK was -46 C (this is on Lake Athabasca in northwestern SK), and it's below -40 C at a number of other stations in northern SK, northern Alberta, and the NWT and Yukon, -47 C being the lowest there.

These are not quite all-time records but probably date records.

Also, it is snowing quite heavily here at present, could be 15-25 cms on the ground here by tomorrow night as a Pacific low slides down the coast and enters Washington state to our south. Looks lovely from inside. It's about -3 C with a 20 mph ENE wind, about as cold and snowy as it gets here.

Having a good winter then Roger? http://nwstatic.co.uk/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif Crap over here as per normal. I must say there is some astonishing cold in Canada and sinking into the US. All this coming from a record ice minima year? Now thats making this cold even more noteworthy. Currently 9c here...brrrrrrrrr

BFTP

[WhiteFox]

You've got to admire the people out here. There's a saying that you know you're a Montanan if you think 0oF is a 'bit chilly'. In a town where the temperature can literally plummet in a few minutes it's to be expected I suppose. One wonders how they have coped in the days before accurate weather forecasting gave decent warnings of such shifts. I read a book recently called 'The Children's Blizzard' about a massive storm back in 1876. I'll provide some more detail when I get back from New York.

I read in the Weather Almanac in the local paper today this little nugget:

'A balmy chinook wind brought Helena's temperature to a record-setting 58 degrees in the pre-dawn hours of this date [29th Jan] in 1989, but then the wind shifted and the temperature fell 33 degrees in ten minutes.'

People are very stoical here. The average January maximum is 0oC believe it or not, despite the fact that sub -40oC temperatures have been recorded. Go a few hundred miles further East and it is a completely different story.

Anyway I just walked back from the nearby bar and it feels much more pleasant tonight. I even remarked to the receptionist that it's not so cold tonight. 'Damn good to hear it' he said. I was helping myself to some fresh coffee when another guest walks in: 'It's warmer out there' he says.

I just checked the latest obs for Helena: 2oF (-17oC)!

[Roger J Smith]

Now here's a weather observation to bring a smile to your face:

Cleveland Lakefront Airport (Ohio) for 07z

-1 C, heavy snow, and winds W 53 mph gusting to 62 mph.

the previous hour, 7 C and rain.

[Roger J Smith]

Brutal conditions in Buffalo NY this morning (local time) as winds increased to 70-80 mph, widespread power outages, blowing snow on top of local flooding from yesterday's mild weather, now it is -12 C after 12 C around midnight. Locally severe in southern Ontario and Michigan as well.

[johnholmes]

hard to imagine that from this part of the world, 24C change and that is not unusual for parts of the N American continent either.

[debs]

Brutal conditions in Buffalo NY this morning (local time) as winds increased to 70-80 mph, widespread power outages, blowing snow on top of local flooding from yesterday's mild weather, now it is -12 C after 12 C around midnight. Locally severe in southern Ontario and Michigan as well.

Hi Roger,

We have strong wind warning in place for this evening with freezing rain. Is this the same weather yo are having at present. I hate not having a TV to see whats happening in our area, so any information is greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Debs

[Coopsy]

Much warmer today, approx temps at 12pm are minus 18oC, feeling much nicer after day time highs over the past few days of minus 25-27oC

[johnholmes]

those numbers are difficult to comprehend to us with 'cold' being anything near zero C !

[Coopsy]

I think that Roger and Debs both said this earlier, but honestly, minus 18oC wrapped up in the right clothes feels like zero in the UK, just purely because it is so dry and in the UK the cold is damp. Hard to comprehend but true none the less for me

[Roger J Smith]

Your thermostat changes with the different climates. When I lived in Peterborough, Ontario, -20 without a wind didn't feel that cold to me, -30 would feel sort of cold and -40 was very cold (let's say for ski-ing, I would go at -22 or even -25 but not at -30).

Now that I live on the soft and flabby west coast here, I am almost becoming like the locals, moaning about 2 C and any kind of a wind.

I still crack up on the golf course when somebody says, "man is it humid today" and it's like 23/17 -- people out here have no concept of what 34/23 feels like (temp/dp in case it's not obvious). So, I never feel too hot here, when it does get up near 30 C in Vancouver it is usually quite a dry heat.

Same goes for snow, when I lived in the snow belt for several years, only the worst storms really caught my attention, otherwise you get used to driving in snow all the time. But here in Vancouver, people panic when there is any snow at all, and the road maintenance is much different, they can't afford the large fleets of sanders and snowploughs when they would not use them 99% of the time, so they try to do everything with a small fleet, and half the time they rely on the idea that the snow will melt so they don't bother at all. They got caught out with that approach last night, there was a bit more snow and it stayed colder until noon, so the roads basically iced up big-time in most of the city.

Anyway, Debs, if you read this, I don't think it will stay below freezing where you live, maybe a bit further north the freezing rain will be bad again, but it's that Great Lakes storm heading towards you, and it should warm up to about 4-6 C this evening before the cold front rips through. Then you could have an hour of freezing rain before it starts to snow for a few hours, and it will quickly clear up Thursday and turn much colder. Winds won't be as strong as Buffalo, but pretty strong, 80 km/hr I would say, from the south tonight, and west tomorrow.

Note in edit -- Debs, I just remembered, you said you are moving, so my forecast applies to where I think you are, did you move very far from Saint John? The warm front is now well north of Moncton and Fredericton, so no chance of freezing rain before the cold fronts arrive this evening. These are still in Maine.

Edited January 30, 2008 by Roger J Smith

[WhiteFox]

A chinook has set in over Montana. Temperatures rose from about -14oc to about -2oC by lunchtime. It actually felt mild! The only problem was that the winds were blowing the lying snow around quite a lot. Driving was pretty awkward given the bright sunshine and the blowing snow.

[WhiteFox]

Looks like a lot of winter cancelling going on over here right now. Certainly the pattern seems set for above average for the forseeable future. Once this current Arctic blast exits, and it will do as fast as it arrived, temperatures look to rise right through to the middle of February. The current Arctic outbreak doesn't actually make it to New York, instead it exits up by Debs somewhere and a ridge builds in behind. This means at least two weeks of mild temperatures with pretty zonal conditions across the CONUS; by this I mean the we are not looking at much amplification at all. Aside from the West Coast (including Roger!) all looks above average.

The way things are shaping up, winter looks to be drawing to an early close; New York is showing nothing on the ensembles beyond the odd run showing a brief foray into sub -10 air:

The same is true of Chicago. A four day spell of -10 to -15 850s indicated, but for Chicago in February, that is not a great deal at all!

Finally, Minneapolis, the coldest big city in the US:

Again, mainly above average other than a brief dip below -15. -5 850s for Minneapolis in February is pretty mild!

Much talk of a possible change to cooler conditions towards the end of the month. Apparently La Nina influenced March tends to be colder than average. For New York and the East Coast that is probably too little, too late. History tends to suggest that a blockbuster storm in March usually follows a season where storms have been pretty regular already. Given the propensity for stomrs to track inland this year and leave the East Coast in rain and milder temperatures, I'd be surprised to see New York make it to double-figures for snowfall inches for the second year running.

I'm glad I get to travel and got some snow in Chicago and Montana!

If there's anyone in the UK who wants to see almost guaranteed snow, get yourself to Minneapolis sometime between December and February; it's just great to see snow on the ground the way I used to remember it!

[debs]

Hi Roger,

Not moving away from St Martins just to a different house with the beach as my back garden......great for the summer, so I am still 30km east of Saint John. Thanks for the weather update.

TTFN

Debs

Edited February 1, 2008 by debs

[WhiteFox]

About 2.5 inches of snow from a shower earlier on this evening. Enough to prompt a snow and blowing snow adisory from the NWS anyway! There are still a few showers just over the Rockies, some of which are potent enough to make it over here to Helena. Many of the lighter ones die out as they are lifted over the mountains just to the West of here. Helena sits at about 5000 feet and there are a few peaks to the West which make it to 8000 to 11000 feet. Enough to ensure that Helena only averages about 12-13 inches of liquid per year.

[Roger J Smith]

You may have read about the snow in Utah in another thread. This storm is heading for the central plains states and will eventually draw up very warm air into the eastern states and lower Great Lakes. Could see 15-20 C highs by Tuesday into Wednesday in such places as DCA to NYC, in fact DC could go past 25 C as the 564 dm thickness is shown at that location.

Meanwhile, a windstorm is approaching the west coast, White Fox take note, Tuesday will become very windy in a similar pattern to the Nov 11-12 storm when we crossed paths before. Hope your work goes well.

Debs, this big thaw will move into Saint John in somewhat modified form, a big melt is due across New York state, Ontario, southern Quebec and New England, but that will put a lot of fog into the air mass, so I'm not too sure if you'll get a complete thaw there, it will however be close with 8-10 C and rain by mid-week.

What a topsy-turvy weather pattern we are in this winter, no overall theme, just a bit of everything.

[WhiteFox]

You may have read about the snow in Utah in another thread. This storm is heading for the central plains states and will eventually draw up very warm air into the eastern states and lower Great Lakes. Could see 15-20 C highs by Tuesday into Wednesday in such places as DCA to NYC, in fact DC could go past 25 C as the 564 dm thickness is shown at that location.

Meanwhile, a windstorm is approaching the west coast, White Fox take note, Tuesday will become very windy in a similar pattern to the Nov 11-12 storm when we crossed paths before. Hope your work goes well.

Thanks Roger. Took your advice today and drove over to Port Renfrew. A very pleasant drive and very scenic to boot. Started heading off towards Lake Cowichan, but decided it was getting late, so I plugged the hotel into the Sat Nav. It took me down some really uncomfortably unpaved roads and I was getting concerned that my car would get stuck in some snow in the middle of nowhere so I turned around. Unfortunately, I followed some tyre tracks at a junction and promptly 'beached' the car. The snow in the middle of the road had turned into solid ice and the front tyres could not get a grip. Eventually a big 4x4 turned up and towed me free. An interesting journey!

[debs]

Hi Roger,

Cheers for the update. Temps are rising, it was a beautifully warm day yesterday at -3 and the sunshine, had the doors open for the fresh air. Sun shining again today (-10) and its nice to see a little green grass, although thats mostly in Saint John not here, but still nice to see.

Makes you look forward to summer.

TTFN

Debs

Edited February 4, 2008 by debs

[Snow Leopard]

Just seen a report on the UK MetO site saying that Hawaii has been hit by heavy rain. Reports of 27cm of rain !!! Thats over 10 inches in 24 hrs!! Never seen/heard of anything like it. Amazing

[debs]

Hi All,

Well shocked yesterday to see snow, it certainly wasn't forecast and we had about 5cm in a few hours. Its just flurries at the moment. Temps are about -3. More snow expected but only light snow with accumulations of 1 - 3 cm.

TTFN

Debs

[Yozzer]

Well, my little house in the great north woods of New Hampshire is currently getting buried again after a (relatively) benign January. Up to a foot of snow is expected over Northern New England by the end of Weds night, with a number of storms progged for the following week or so, and an arctic airmass arriving this weekend and temps below -20.

Looks like the gopher was right!!

[Joneseye]

Just seen a report on the UK MetO site saying that Hawaii has been hit by heavy rain. Reports of 27cm of rain !!! Thats over 10 inches in 24 hrs!! Never seen/heard of anything like it. Amazing http://nwstatic.co.uk/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

27cm of rain in 24 hours is not uncommon in tropical regions, particularly with tropical storms and hurricanes. Within the last few years an area of Mumbai had 900+ mm in a 24 hour period, now that is difficult to comprehend!

[WhiteFox]

27cm of rain in 24 hours is not uncommon in tropical regions, particularly with tropical storms and hurricanes. Within the last few years an area of Mumbai had 900+ mm in a 24 hour period, now that is difficult to comprehend!

Parts of upstate NY had similar figures in June 2006. A persistent band of rain set up on moist southerly winds and travelled over the same area for about 36 hours. I think some areas received considerably more than 10 inches.

[Roger J Smith]

Debs, the warmer air that was headed your way on the models last week, has decided to stay south of NS as the strong low over the Great Lakes associated with yesterday's tornado outbreak tracks due east today. It now looks as though you won't be getting a thaw at all, and more snow likely as this system passes to your south. Probably a good thing, you don't need that sort of mess around this time of year.

Yesterday's storm on the west coast was relatively tame, although winds peaked at about 55 mph in gusts across parts of southwestern BC and there were some ferry cancellations and minor power outages. We seem to be stuck in a pattern of cold storms without much snow at low elevations, so golf season indefinitely postponed. http://nwstatic.co.uk/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

The severe weather and record high temps in the eastern US well documented in the virtual storm chase thread. The death toll from yesterday's outbreak (which continued well into the overnight) stands at about 50 now, Arkansas and Tennessee hardest hit. The parent low of this cold front has tracked through Ohio into western NY, bringing snow and freezing rain to southern ON and upstate NY. Meanwhile it is close to 24 C in Washington DC at the present time.

[Yozzer]

Threat of more severe weather now over Maryland and Virginia with temps there 20+ and dew points 15+, air very unstable with threat of thunderstorms, very large hail and tornadoes. The east is certainly not out of the woods yet.

Seen some of the devastation in Kentucky and Arkansas, can't really imagine what those unfortunate folk went through, my heart goes out to them. Very sad.

[WhiteFox]

Well, my little house in the great north woods of New Hampshire is currently getting buried again after a (relatively) benign January. Up to a foot of snow is expected over Northern New England by the end of Weds night, with a number of storms progged for the following week or so, and an arctic airmass arriving this weekend and temps below -20.

Looks like the gopher was right!!

Maybe he's right for Northern New England, but he's looking wrong for PA, much of the East Coast and Midwest. The trend iis fairly mild after a shot of Arctic air this weekend. Incidentally, 150 miles makes a big difference this year; New York City is still stuck on about 3 inches of measurable snowfall this winter. The figure may increase by a bit this weekend as a clipper moves through, but not by much. Further north in Albany though, they have been buried a few times.