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

[cheeky_monkey]

im at the top of the map there, i see it shows a high of -8F and a low of -17F for my location thats translate max of -22c and min of -27c...which is spot on what it is has been..plus a fair amount of snow again although the wind has dropped out a bit compared to the last few days.

Still no end in sight to this exceptioonally cold start to March has been some 20 degrees below normal for the last 10 days.

Edited March 3, 2011 by cheeky_monkey

[stewfox]

im at the top of the map there, i see it shows a high of -8F and a low of -17F for my location thats translate max of -22c and min of -27c...which is spot on what it is has been..plus a fair amount of snow again although the wind has dropped out a bit compared to the last few days.

Still no end in sight to this exceptioonally cold start to March has been some 20 degrees below normal for the last 10 days.

Have you ever had such temps there in early March ? Max -22c in March http://forum.netweather.tv/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif

[cheeky_monkey]

Have you ever had such temps there in early March ? Max -22c in March http://forum.netweather.tv/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif

dont know this is only my second march in Edmonton..last year the temp of this day was +5c and only once in the whole month was the daytime max below freezing. Then i think it was a very mild march..this year its started very cold.

[Coopsy]

dont know this is only my second march in Edmonton..last year the temp of this day was +5c and only once in the whole month was the daytime max below freezing. Then i think it was a very mild march..this year its started very cold.

This is my 6th March and definitely the coldest, however March in Alberta is always a wild swing of weather events. This time last year it was so warm from late fev through to summer, although the summer was very cool and extremely wet. This is a La Nina year so the cold was predicted for the 2nd half of winter. I am hoping this prolonged cold bodes well for a long hot summer, esp as the forectas for the next 2 months is a lot cooler than usual

[knocker]

This is my 6th March and definitely the coldest, however March in Alberta is always a wild swing of weather events. This time last year it was so warm from late fev through to summer, although the summer was very cool and extremely wet. This is a La Nina year so the cold was predicted for the 2nd half of winter. I am hoping this prolonged cold bodes well for a long hot summer, esp as the forectas for the next 2 months is a lot cooler than usual

Your not kidding it's cold in Alberta. Just had a quick gander at the 1200z temps. Violet Grove -23F, Whitecourt -20F and High Level -34F. And I note that you are at 4,500 feet. Streuth. Mind there must be many on here weeping copiously when they see this.

[johnholmes]

best to remind folk they are in F NOT C; hard to imagine some of those values

[Coopsy]

Your not kidding it's cold in Alberta. Just had a quick gander at the 1200z temps. Violet Grove -23F, Whitecourt -20F and High Level -34F. And I note that you are at 4,500 feet. Streuth. Mind there must be many on here weeping copiously when they see this.

It was minus 32oC here the other morning and minus 40oC with wind chill. I did curse, had enough now. We expect that in January, but in March it is harsh. This is when a lot of people head south to mexico or over the Hawaii. I went out at 9am this morning and it was a relatively warmer minus 17oC. Hoping to hit high of minus 10oC with light snow

Funny that even the locals are getting fed up of it, as am I. I await the first plus oC day...I will be walking around in shorts lol

[cheeky_monkey]

Funny that even the locals are getting fed up of it, as am I. I await the first plus oC day...I will be walking around in shorts lol

i second that...really looking forward to spring weather now...i drove to Jasper yesterday and between Edmonton and Edson at 8am the temp was -36c and -28c when i arrived in Jasper.

Today it was still -30c on my drive into the office...but things are a changing at long last..could be above freezing by sunday

[Roger J Smith]

Well some of my relatives who live in Alberta or Saskatchewan say they think the winter has been as cold as they can remember, and certainly heavier snowfalls than usual (this affects a zone from Edmonton to Regina into North Dakota).

Here on the coast, it has been a little less extreme, the temperature has been between 2 and 5 degrees much of the time and we've only had slightly more snow than usual near sea level, although a lot more than normal in the local mountains. The most noticeable thing here is that spring has not made much if any progress, normally by now there would be some green showing on bushes and trees, and some shrubs and trees well into their blossoming, but so far nothing showing here at all, just the hardy crocus and down by the seafront a few daffodils can be found.

Meanwhile, a huge snowfall took place on Monday across parts of southern Quebec, and nearby northern Vermont and the northeast corner of New York state. Much of this region is hilly or mountainous but the event was largely synoptic scale 20-30 inch snowfalls with 40 inches reported in some higher elevations at ski resorts. Burlington VT had one of its five heaviest snowfalls of all time from the storm. Now the threat turns to flooding as the next storm seems likely to move further north bringing rain and temperatures of 8-10 C for several days to this heavy snow pack (there was already 1-2 feet of snow on the ground when all this came down too). The same storm brought mild air and rain to southern New England and removed that 1-2 foot snow pack from much of the region south of central Vermont to Maine.

We don't mess around when we do weather on this continent.

[EMids WeatherWatcher]

Looking intersting in the deep south US, squall lines going thru with tornado potential.

Edited March 9, 2011 by EMids WeatherWatcher

[EMids WeatherWatcher]

Storm Reports...12 tornadoes so far

Today's Storm Reports (1200 UTC - 1159 UTC)< 110308 Reports 110309 Reports > Note: All data are considered preliminaryTornado Reports (CSV) (Raw Tornado CSV)(?)TimeLocationCountyStateLatLonComments1212KENNER JEFFERSON LA29989025METEOROLOGIST REPORTS RAIN WRAPPED TORNADO NEAR KENNER MOVING INTO LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN. (LIX)1438THEODORE MOBILE AL30558818NEAR INTERSECTION OF THEODORE DAWES RD. AND OLD PASCAGOULA RD ... CANOPY RIPPED OFF BP STATION ... SEVERE DAMAGE TO HARDWARE STORE ... DAMAGE TO POPEYES RESTAURANT ... HOUSE DA (MOB)1438TILLMANS CORNER MOBILE AL30598817CONFIRMED TORNADO NEAR TILLMANS CORNER AFFECTING OLD PASCAGOULA ROAD AND THEODORE DAWES ROAD. BP STATION AWNING/ROOF DAMAGED. TREES DOWN. (MOB)1440THEODORE MOBILE AL30558818PUBLIC REPORT OF TORNADO NEAR SCHILLINGER AND THEODORE DAWES RD. CLEAR VORTEX CONTAINING TREE LIMBS AND BUSHES. (MOB)1449BELLEFONTAINE MOBILE AL30498810TORNADO SIGHTED BY THE PUBLIC NEAR BELLEFONTAINE. (MOB)15211 S ROBERTSDALE BALDWIN AL30548771DEBRIS SPOTTED SWIRLING IN THE AIR BY A MEMBER OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. (MOB)1522WALNUT HILL ESCAMBIA FL30898751TORNADO SPOTTED NEAR THE CORNER OF MAYHILL ROAD AND HIGHWAY 99. (MOB)1523WALNUT HILL ESCAMBIA FL30898751DAMAGE TO AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF HOMES WERE REPORTED WITH TREES DOWNED ON THE HOMES. CONFIRMED BY EMERGENCY MANAGER. (MOB)1531SILVERHILL BALDWIN AL30558775BALDWIN COUNTY EMA REPORTING DAMAGE IN THE FORM OF SEVERAL ROOFS BLOWN OFF HOUSES. STREETS AFFECTED INCLUDE FIRST AND FOURTH STREET AS WELL AS HIGHWAY 104 AND FOURTH ST (MOB)1616MILTON SANTA ROSA FL30628703STREET SIGN BENT OVER AND A TREE DOWN IN YARD NEAR THE FIVE THOUSAND BLOCK OF ALABAMA STREET. (MOB)1910DOERUN COLQUITT GA31328392EMERGENCY MANAGER RELAYED REPORT FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT OF TORNADO ON GROUND NEAR WORTH-COLQUITT COUNTY LINE. (TAE)19201 NE DOERUN COLQUITT GA31338391TREES DOWN AND DEBRIS ON GROUND ON EVERGREEN ROAD. (TAE)

[greybing]

Does anybody know of any good web sites which go in to detail about the driving mechanisms which dictate the north american continental weathr.I know very little about the drivers and would like to learn more as the weather in the north america,canada etc is ....well interesting,thankyou.

[cheeky_monkey]

Does anybody know of any good web sites which go in to detail about the driving mechanisms which dictate the north american continental weathr.I know very little about the drivers and would like to learn more as the weather in the north america,canada etc is ....well interesting,thankyou.

Im no expert but im sure the Rockies and the prairies are a big drivers in our weather. Both funnel cold and warm air north and south across the continent and where they meet full on wild storms, tornadoes and blizzards form depending on the time of year. Because of the Rockies the pacific has much reduced influence on the continent than the atlantic has on Europe.

[greybing]

Im no expert but im sure the Rockies and the prairies are a big drivers in our weather. Both funnel cold and warm air north and south across the continent and where they meet full on wild storms, tornadoes and blizzards form depending on the time of year. Because of the Rockies the pacific has much reduced influence on the continent than the atlantic has on Europe.

Yes,I would agree with that.I think topography certainly has a major impact on climate in general.In Europes case the fact that there is a lot of water around it I think makes for a general moderating effect.Europe sort of resembles [not aesthetically as such] America but on its side,ie, if you imagine America and Euraisia as a giant triangles, then America's point is obviously to the south but Europes point is to the west.With the prevailing winds west to east this,i think, has a huge impact on th ir respective climates.Obviously there are many,many other factors that make up these two places climates.

I am no expert as may be obvious and I would certainly welcome any comments on the above statement.

Edited March 12, 2011 by greybing

[Roger J Smith]

North American weather is generally more intense than most other continents, because of two factors. One, the distribution of land and water is ideal to create maximum air mass contrast with a good supply of moisture into the warmer air masses. Compare Asia where the supply of moisture is in some cases too low for extreme weather to develop, and in other cases the dynamics are similar but the air masses are more stretched out. This is because of a second factor -- probably because of the configuration of the magnetic field, the upper flow is squeezed into a tighter configuration over central North America than anywhere else on the globe. This keeps vastly different air masses in constant interaction.

All other continents have the same potential as North America to create severe or extreme weather, and east Asia comes close to duplicating (the tropical theatre there is in fact more intense at least statistically), but in terms of frequency North America tends to lead on all "fronts" because the upper level winds rarely relax below at least moderate intensity. There can be periods of blocking, split flow and slack flow, but the climate keeps re-creating intense patterns that favour extreme development.

The role of the Rockies is to anchor upper level ridges and to help force the creation of a mid-continent trough which is ideally located to pull in warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. The Great Lakes are large enough to create a reinforcing mechanism for intensification, just around the time systems might be expending much of their dynamic energy, they often encounter the thermal contrasts of the Great Lakes and in winter or spring, the moisture source relative to dew points.

The weather in Europe always looks bland and unfocused to a North American eye, although on occasion it can ramp up to something relatively intense, but usually the dynamics in Europe are counter-productive for intense weather patterns. There is more retrograde flow which always tends to dampen intensity. The sea surface temperature distribution is awkward for cyclogenesis, with cool water in places that warmer water would feed explosive potential. A storm track from Spain to France to Scandinavia would be helpful for more intense weather also, but rarely materializes and when it does, gets ripped apart by downsloping and wrong-way thermal gradients from land to ocean. Eastern Asia is too monsoonal to keep up to the North American pace. South America is similar but too narrow to generate frequent large contrasts, and also the Antarctic air has to cross more water and is therefore only marginally cold by our standards. Australia has interesting dynamics but they seem like a scale model of our dynamics at best. Africa is too close to the equator with water in the place of greatest atmospheric gradient, so it tends to have subdued climates. Western Asia basically lags behind also with some situations that remind one of North American intensity. Western Russia is perhaps the most similar weather region and this comment extends into eastern Europe to some extent. But I would give it a 6-7 on the 10 point scale of comparison. Everything that happens here can be found there on a less frequent basis.

I would go nuts if I only had European weather to observe, I find it interesting in a subtle way, but day after day of partly cloudy with showers -- that's the climate I have here on the west coast and it is considered "way" boring by eastern and central time zone weather folk over this way. And I tend to agree, we get 2-3 interesting weather events a year here, and otherwise you have to keep reminding yourself what month of the year it is.

The climate in the Great Lakes region is especially intense with so many meso-scale climatic effects that include snowfall zones that regularly deliver 15-30 cm falls and sometimes much, much more. The Great Lakes also set up numerous lake breeze boundaries that factor into severe thunderstorm climatology. About 50-100 miles north of Toronto they get 30-40 days a year with thunder and 5-10 with severe storms compared to 5-10 days with thunder and 1-2 days of severe weather at the east end of Lake Ontario.

Another factoid that favours severe weather in North America is the relatively flat terrain that reduces friction, between the Rockies and the Ozarks and/or the Appalachians. You could drive from Denver CO to Pittsburgh PA and not see a hill higher than 100 feet above your road elevation. And most of the land has been cleared for agriculture so there is not much to hold back the wind in that vast area.

Air mass contrast in North America is extreme especially in spring, autumn and winter ... there are times when arctic air masses with -15 to -30 temps are in direct contact with subtropical air masses with temps 15-20 C. This makes for very intense frontal zones that you almost never see on maps in other regions. The most extreme climates are found in a zone from central SK south to about Oklahoma. This is where various air masses converge and form the greatest contrasts. The standard deviation of temperatures in March in some places would be over 10 C deg. I've actually seen the mercury in a thermometer visibly rising during a warm frontal passage. I've also seen it falling as much as 15 C deg in one hour. With dynamics like that, anything more extreme could create weather events "off the scale" and these might not be naturally sustainable. But as I say, anything that happens in this weather laboratory could theoretically happen in other continents, it just rarely does and never quite as dramatically.

[Evening thunder]

The weather in Europe always looks bland and unfocused to a North American eye, although on occasion it can ramp up to something relatively intense, but usually the dynamics in Europe are counter-productive for intense weather patterns. There is more retrograde flow which always tends to dampen intensity. The sea surface temperature distribution is awkward for cyclogenesis, with cool water in places that warmer water would feed explosive potential. A storm track from Spain to France to Scandinavia would be helpful for more intense weather also, but rarely materializes and when it does, gets ripped apart by downsloping and wrong-way thermal gradients from land to ocean. Eastern Asia is too monsoonal to keep up to the North American pace. South America is similar but too narrow to generate frequent large contrasts, and also the Antarctic air has to cross more water and is therefore only marginally cold by our standards. Australia has interesting dynamics but they seem like a scale model of our dynamics at best. Africa is too close to the equator with water in the place of greatest atmospheric gradient, so it tends to have subdued climates. Western Asia basically lags behind also with some situations that remind one of North American intensity. Western Russia is perhaps the most similar weather region and this comment extends into eastern Europe to some extent. But I would give it a 6-7 on the 10 point scale of comparison. Everything that happens here can be found there on a less frequent basis.

I would go nuts if I only had European weather to observe, I find it interesting in a subtle way, but day after day of partly cloudy with showers -- that's the climate I have here on the west coast and it is considered "way" boring by eastern and central time zone weather folk over this way. And I tend to agree, we get 2-3 interesting weather events a year here, and otherwise you have to keep reminding yourself what month of the year it is.

That just makes me feel depressed by living here and the weather of the UK/Europe.. I don't get why many seem to say stuff like we have such a varied interesting climate and were lucky to live in the UK or we are one of the better countries to live in for weather??

There are a few interesting features I guess though, here there are local 'microclimates' at times with the English Channel to the south.

Edited March 18, 2011 by Stormmad26

[cheeky_monkey]

That just makes me feel depressed by living here and the weather of the UK/Europe.. I don't get why many seem to say stuff like we have such a varied interesting climate and were lucky to live in the UK or we are one of the better countries to live in for weather??

Actually the UK is a great country to live in including for weather..dont forget we are talking about the continent as a whole..there are many areas of North America where the weather is pretty boring too. Edited March 18, 2011 by cheeky_monkey

[Evening thunder]

Actually the UK is a great country to live in including for weather..dont forget we are talking about the continent as a whole..there are many areas of North America where the weather is pretty boring too.

Thinking about it, comparing the UK to some places like N Africa for example it does seem far more interesting, Maybe it's just the fact nearly everywhere at our latitude seems to have more annual temp range than us or perhaps I'm suffering from a case of 'the grass is greener on the other side'

However a few more thunderstorms and more snow in winter would be nice! We just don't get temp ranges like Oklahoma one point this winter I think it was, -21C one night then +26 6 days later but that's probably cherry picking places.

[Coopsy]

weather warning just as spring nears. 15-25cm's possible, I think in part due to upsloping

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/warnings/report_e.html?ab4

[cheeky_monkey]

Spring has still yet to spring here..had couple above freezing days here last week..however it is mostly been below or well below tis -4c and snowing again right now. Looks to be another coldish week ahead too.

[Coopsy]

Well guess how much we got form the snowstorm? that's right nothing, not a drop. How wrong a forecast can you get. Also they forecast another 15cm's today and everyone to the east has got it, nothing here. Funny. Still cold though

[knocker]

Spring has still yet to spring here..had couple above freezing days here last week..however it is mostly been below or well below tis -4c and snowing again right now. Looks to be another coldish week ahead too.

A quick glance at the the 1200z station plots and I see there is quite widespread snow. Continuous slight at Cold Lake, Lloydminster, Red Deer, Calgary and Lethbridge.

Edited March 22, 2011 by weather ship

[cheeky_monkey]

Weather today is almost identical to yesterday... cold bit windy with snow off and on...i think it could be April before snow melt commences.

[Coopsy]

yeah so fed up now lol. snow showers temps around freezing, still 2 feet of snow in the back yard. Think easily April before snow melts consdierably. Very different story to last year. I was running outside with no snow on the ground from Feb 19. Still havent gone out yet, too cold and messy for a British boy lol

[cheeky_monkey]

Spring looks like it will arrive early next week...warming nicely may hit +8c by wed/thur next week..currently still below freezing..only had two days that have managed to get above all March.

Edited March 25, 2011 by cheeky_monkey