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

[Coast]

Storm cause traffic, flight problems in Las Vegas and California

LAS VEGAS — Intense thunderstorms drenched parts of the Southwest on Tuesday, delaying flights and stranding motorists in the Las Vegas area and flooding two mobile home parks in Southern California. East of downtown Las Vegas, television news video showed yellow school buses inching slowly along swamped roads in some neighbors and muddy brown water up to the lower window sills of stucco homes in others.

A Twitter photo showed dozens of cars submerged in water up to their headlights in a parking lot outside a University of Nevada, Las Vegas sports arena. But after responding to numerous 911 calls, officials in Clark County, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Las Vegas said Tuesday there were no confirmed reports of serious injuries. The National Weather Service issued severe thunderstorm and flash-flood warnings before and after almost an inch of rain was reported at McCarran International Airport just before 2 p.m. Departures were postponed and arrivals were delayed after the airport ordered a stop on fueling operations during lightning strikes, airport spokeswoman Linda Healey said.

National Weather Service meteorologist Michael Staudenmaier said more than 1.75 inches of rain were reported in downtown Las Vegas. Firefighters responded to more than 20 calls about people in stalled cars, county spokesman Dan Kulin said. A Las Vegas police helicopter was dispatched during the height of the storm to pluck several people from swamped vehicles on area roadways, Officer Bill Cassell said. Staudenmaier said the rainfall amounts put the region on pace to exceed the 4.5 inches of rain it normally gets in a year.

However, National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Sukup said the Nevada showers weren't part of the same storm system that doused parts of Southern California. There, a thunderstorm that dropped more than the average annual rainfall on parts of the Coachella Valley in one night alone caused flooding at two mobile home parks, forced road closures and dampened a school, officials said Tuesday. The early morning thunderstorm stalled for six to eight hours over Mecca and Thermal, two towns at the southern tip of the Coachella Valley 150 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Thermal is about eight miles from Indio, Calif., where the annual Coachella Music Festival is held. The storm dropped 5.51 inches of rain near Mecca and 3.23 inches of rain near Thermal, meteorologist Mark Moede said. The average annual rainfall in Thermal is just shy of 3 inches, he said. "That's an amazing amount of rain," Moede said. "It's unusual anywhere to get a storm that sits stationary for five to eight hours. The fact that it occurred in the southern part of the Coachella Valley is even more unusual because it's typically a very arid part of the country."

In Thermal, the downpour flooded the Desert Mobile Home Park better known as Duroville, causing the park to lose one of its wells and creating concerns about overflow from sewage ponds used to treat waste, said Ray Smith, a Riverside County spokesman.

County fire crews assessed the water and electrical systems and were providing water to the park. Residents also were advised to boil water, he said. Several Duroville homes remained without power late Tuesday afternoon. About 1,400 people live in the park, but it wasn't immediately clear if any evacuated due to the flooding. A voluntary evacuation center was established in Mecca.

St. Anthony's Mobile Home Park in Mecca also was affected, Smith said, but fared better than Duroville. Video clips showed Mecca residents wading through streets with water reaching their knees and cars creeping through flooded residential streets. Flooding also was reported at Mecca's Saul Martinez Elementary School, but students doubled up in some classes and the school remained open, The Desert Sun newspaper reported.

Meanwhile, some southern Utah residents also were dealing with flooding Tuesday because of a broken dike. Officials in Santa Clara were inspecting whether people could return to about 60 homes and 15 businesses that were evacuated after the Tuesday break sent floodwaters through town. City Parks and Recreation Director Brad Hays said a retention pond fed by the Tuacahn Wash filled up in the morning after heavy rains. Authorities ordered homes and businesses below the pond to evacuate around noon, and the dike broke about 45 minutes later. No injuries were reported

http://www.oregonliv...flight_pro.html

http://youtu.be/JWMepkv-i3U

[Coopsy]

its cold today!!

It was 7oC here that day and we had a snow shower for about a minute. I was in Sobeys and there were quite some shocked faces. The mountains got a good covering but with the sun and warmth back it is melting quite quickly up there. Hoping for a warm sunny weekend.

[Nick L]

First time I've been here that I've ditched shorts for jeans, didn't even make it to 20c today I don't think with on and off light rain. Like being back home!

[cheeky_monkey]

It was 7oC here that day and we had a snow shower for about a minute. I was in Sobeys and there were quite some shocked faces. The mountains got a good covering but with the sun and warmth back it is melting quite quickly up there. Hoping for a warm sunny weekend.

Yep 27-28c today which is 10c above norm today then back down with a bump..15/16 over the weekend..then between 19-23c all next week..no rain in the forecast

[Coopsy]

Yeah its looking good - we only got to 22oC so you did well. Looking like a great week ahead for us too - 7 days of sun and no cooler than 18oC.

[cheeky_monkey]

Yeah its looking good - we only got to 22oC so you did well. Looking like a great week ahead for us too - 7 days of sun and no cooler than 18oC.

you know its been such a nice summer..i have even considered taking up golf again!

[Coopsy]

Surely not lol

[cheeky_monkey]

Lovely autumnal weekend just gone..dry sunny and cool..this weeks looks like Indian summer is kicking in sunny and warm days...24/25c cool nights 5/6c...im finding September is the best month of the year in Western Canada by some distance..not too hot..not too cold..often very sunny with little in the way of rain.

[Coopsy]

Agreed it has always been the best month by a mile for us here. We had 20oC both days this weekend but def cool at night - 0oC this morning here at 8am.

This week is going to be a perfect week - low to mid 20's and sunny. Great for those long bike rides/hikes/fishing on the river and with the chnaging of the leaves its truly a special time of year. My first prediction for cool weather with a chance of snow/sleet will be around thanksgiving. I hope I'm wrong but then I'm in England for 3 weeks from mid October so no doubt I'll leave here sunny and cool and come back to a snowstorm lol.

[glosteroldboy]

Lovely autumnal weekend just gone..dry sunny and cool..this weeks looks like Indian summer is kicking in sunny and warm days...24/25c cool nights 5/6c...im finding September is the best month of the year in Western Canada by some distance..not too hot..not too cold..often very sunny with little in the way of rain.

St Johns since June has probably had one of it's best ever summers on record with not much rain and day after day of temps well into the 20's and by and large it's still continuing (the odd hurricane day aside!), all week dry with some sunshine and temps around 19-22 all week. Summer can be dire here most years apparently often never really arriving, I would say what the UK has been experiencing the last 4 months is more akin to what people normally get in a Newfoundland summer.

I suppose come the winter we will pay for it though I'm expecting a bad winter this year.

[Roger J Smith]

Very good summer here also, after a rather dismal June. August and so far September have seen almost no rain. The ground is baked dry here and the grass is still that dormant yellow colour, a bit unusual to see it this late as the rainy season usually begins to edge back into the picture in mid-September. Heading for about 25-27 C each day this week.

[Coopsy]

Its funny you mention the grass Roger as its the opposite here. Normally it would have been yellow for a while but with the great weather, warm and sunny and lots of rainstorms at nights its the first time I have seen the grass green all through the summer since May/June ish

[Styx]

Would be interested to see a temperature anomoly map for Canada from time to time!

Haven't been successful in locating one via a a basic search. Using wrong terms I suspect.

As I understand it, southern Canada was very warm over summer, but what about the north?

[Coast]

Tornado for New York later?

For Greater New York, it’s deja vu all over again as another rash of severe weather moves through on Tuesday, with extremely strong storms possibly bearing a tornado or two.

The threat comes just 10 days after the city’s last tornado outbreak, in which two tornadoes moved through Queens and Brooklyn, causing roof and tree damage and disrupting the final matches of the U.S. Open. The highest chance of tornado formation should be around the morning rush until mid-afternoon. It’s still too early to know just where the worst individual storms may strike.

As of Monday afternoon, the forecast was still in flux, with the local office of the National Weather Service so far holding back on calling for a large scale outbreak. Should temperatures warm more than forecast, boosting the storm’s energy reserves, the Storm Prediction Center (the country’s highest tornado authority) is ready to upgrade the day’s risk to their second-highest level, with a tentative bulls-eye right over the tri-state. Greater New York has already endured two such days at this threat level so far this year — a threat that is typically reached locally just once every six years or so.

Of greater certainty is the heavy rain and strong straightline winds that will move in during the evening hours after the tornado threat diminishes. Three to six hours of winds approaching 50 to 60mph are possible, along with driving heavy rain. The result may feel similar to a weak landfalling tropical storm. Heavy rain is the most certain of all, with the National Weather Service’s official forecast for Tuesday night showing a confident 100% chance of rain with totals approaching three inches.

A close examination of Tuesday’s threat shows an incoming weather system that bears strong similarities to the one that spawned the region’s latest tornado outbreak only 10 days ago. However, the potential is also there for a long-lived damaging straightline wind event, similar to the derecho earlier this summer. So the result may end up being a blend of both previous storms.

A possible limiting factor on Tuesday is that the forecasted high temperatures should remain below 80 degrees. The strongest types of severe weather usually need temperatures warmer than that to fuel themselves — and potential convective energy for the impending storms indeed seems to be a bit on the low side. However, the dynamics of the system appear close to being off the charts, with an extremely strong jet stream and favorable positioning of the strongest winds such that any individual storm cells that do manage to get going have a good chance at fostering rotation and funnel clouds. The motion of individual storms also looks to be incredibly fast — on the order of 60mph or so — raising the fear that potential tornadoes could offer fewer minutes than normal for affected areas to take shelter and race quickly northward once they form.

Tuesday’s Greater New York forecast roundup:

WSJ Headquarters in Manhattan:

Actual High: 77; High feels like: 78

Actual Low: 63; Low feels like: 65

Weather: Strong storms hit

• Brooklyn: 78/65
• Queens: 79/66
• Bronx: 78/65
• Staten Island: 78/64
• Poughkeepsie, N.Y.: 72/59
• Trenton, N.J.: 79/63
• Islip, Long Island: 77/66
• New Haven, Conn.: 75/66

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012/09/17/weather-journal-threat-of-severe-storms/

[cheeky_monkey]

Would be interested to see a temperature anomoly map for Canada from time to time!

Haven't been successful in locating one via a a basic search. Using wrong terms I suspect.

As I understand it, southern Canada was very warm over summer, but what about the north?

It has been a very warm 12-14months across most of Canada including alot of the North..we seem to be stuck in a repetitive cycle that started July 2011..it has been mostly dry and warm/mild with very short cooler/cold interludes.

[Coast]

It has been a very warm 12-14months across most of Canada including alot of the North..we seem to be stuck in a repetitive cycle that started July 2011..it has been mostly dry and warm/mild with very short cooler/cold interludes.

Historical:

Winter 2011/12:

Spring 2012:

Trend 1948 to 2012:

Summer 2012 map isn't in yet:

http://www.ec.gc.ca/...en&n=4CC724DA-1

[BornFromTheVoid]

Would be interested to see a temperature anomoly map for Canada from time to time!

Haven't been successful in locating one via a a basic search. Using wrong terms I suspect.

As I understand it, southern Canada was very warm over summer, but what about the north?

Here ya go!

................ .............. June ........ .... ..... .... ..... ..... .... July ....... .... ...... .... .... ........ August .... .... ........ .... ..... ....... September (Up to the 14th)

June 1st to September 14th (different scale to the others)

It's interesting to note the clear effect of the -ve PDO, and in the September the heat release from the Arctic ocean as we enter Autumn.

http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/data/composites/day/

[Coopsy]

It has been a very warm 12-14months across most of Canada including alot of the North..we seem to be stuck in a repetitive cycle that started July 2011..it has been mostly dry and warm/mild with very short cooler/cold interludes.

Tis true - Last winter wasnt a winter really in Canada terms. I have a strong feeling after 2 relatively warm winters and summers that this winter could be very different

[cheeky_monkey]

Tis true - Last winter wasnt a winter really in Canada terms. I have a strong feeling after 2 relatively warm winters and summers that this winter could be very different

Not sure about 2 warm winters...2010-11 was cold and very snowy..2009-10 was mild with little snow..and of course last winter as you say never even got going.

[Coopsy]

Its funny how different our winters were. In 2010-11 here it was very snowy, especially Spring, but often we had chinook winds and warm temperatures throuhout the winter. Thats the benefit of mountains in the winter sometimes

[Coast]

Stormy Weather – be careful what you wish for

New York is on ‘tornado watch.’ As I type, rain is lashing against the little windows of my flat, and I am huddled in front of my laptop, reduced to eating leftovers and refreshing weather.com rather than venture outside for more groceries and a first-hand look at the weather.

As I mentioned last week, I had to return to the UK for an academic conference this weekend. This morning, when I boarded the plane at sunny Heathrow, I looked forward to arriving eight hours later at an equally bright JFK. Despite being a frequent flyer, I hate being airborne and can only bring myself to relax after the first complimentary G&T has been poured. By the end of most transatlantic flights, however, I am too bored and impatient to fear landing – I just want to be back on solid earth. But today’s flight was something else.

The captain had warned us that New York was going to be a little blustery upon arrival, and – thank goodness – his skill for understatement was only matched by his ability to land the plane in what seemed to me like a biblical storm. I might be slightly exaggerating here (only a little, mind you), but the bumping and screeching sounds that we all experienced as our plane descended jerkily towards the foggy runway were truly terrifying. I usually calm my own nerves whilst flying by watching the air hostesses – if they seem to be relaxed, I can release my vice-like grip from the arm rest, or the arm of the poor passenger next to me. But the air-hostesses in view appeared to be tightening their own seat-belts. I saw one of them mouth to another, “What is going on?†and the other hyperventilating in reply. I said my goodbyes.

The sharp-witted amongst you, dear readers, will realise that the plane landed safely and all precious cargo (including my duty-free gin and stash of Dairy Milk) arrived in one piece. But this dramatic arrival, coupled with the news of ‘tornado watch,’ reminded me of a conversation I had a few days ago with some European students.

At the conference, some of the other students were asking me about the differences between studying in Europe and America. After listing various pros and cons of studying stateside, I remarked upon how much I enjoy real weather. When it rains, I said, it really rains. When it is sunny, the sun shines bright and warm. I repeated my ongoing love for America’s big blue skies, and said how I appreciate feeling seasonal variation in temperature. Now I must have been tempting fate, because just days after my celebration of extreme weather, I experienced today’s toe-curling touchdown.

This has been a tempestuous month for New York. Just ten days ago two tornados struck New York City – one in Queens, and another in Brooklyn. Both tornados caused little more than shock and minor damage to local areas, and photographs and mobile phone videos were quickly trending online as New Yorkers were thrilled – but not terrified – by this unusual phenomenon.

Tonight’s tornado watch and storm have caused little disruption so far, though the Mets and the Yankees have both cancelled their home games this evening and high winds have caused problems for train lines and airplane landings in the New York area. Now I am safely tucked away in my apartment, I can revel in Mother Nature’s drama. But as I braced myself for the worst as my plane bounced around in the stormy skies above Manhattan earlier today, I cursed my celebration of real weather. All I can say is be careful what you wish for.

http://my.telegraph....t-you-wish-for/

[cheeky_monkey]

Yet another hot and sunny weekend coming up..i think every weekend in the last 3 months has been the same..seems to be no end in site to this dry sunny weather...looks dry sunny and warm all the way to the end of the month.

[Coopsy]

I agree - My wife and I were actually talking alst night about when the last time it rained during the day and we cant remember and every weekend we have managed to get out and enjoy it. Got a touch of sunburn going for a bike ride yesterday - 25oC and sunny - outlook , as you say, looks amazing!

[cheeky_monkey]

knocking on the door of 28c yet again yesterday.

Edited September 29, 2012 by cheeky_monkey

[Coopsy]

I might be wrong but I'm sure this is the first time since I've lived here that we are going into october with no snow on the mountains. Hot and sunny again today. Love it. Snow next week?