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A tornado that blew through Garland, Texas, killing eight people Saturday night has been classified as an EF4, with winds up to 200 mph. It was one of two confirmed tornadoes that tore through North Texas in a storm that killed 11 people, including an infant. The National Weather Service confirmed that the tornado that touched… Continue reading Texas tornado’s winds topped 200 mph; 11 dead in storms |
Category Archives: National Weather
NOAA details the chances for a white Christmas for the United States
With our most recent snowstorm, the Colorado Front Range is likely to enjoy a white Christmas (defined as 1 inch of snow on the ground on Christmas Day). Other locations in the United States of course are not quite so lucky and historically, Colorado can be quite hit or miss.
Below is the latest narrative from NOAA. To the right is a probability map – click it to view full size.
Minnesota. Maine. Upstate New York. The Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Practically anywhere in Idaho. And of course, the Rockies or the Sierra Nevada Mountains. These are the places where weather history suggests you want to be if you’re looking for the best chance of a white Christmas.
The map at right shows the historic probability of there being at least 1-inch of snow on the ground in the Lower 48 states on December 25 based on the latest (1981-2010) U.S. Climate Normals from NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center. Dark gray shows places where the probability is less than 10 percent, while white shows probabilities greater than 90 percent.
The 1981–2010 Climate Normals are the latest three-decade averages of several climatological measurements. This dataset contains daily and monthly Normals of temperature, precipitation, snowfall, heating and cooling degree days, frost/freeze dates, and growing degree days calculated from observations at approximately 9,800 stations operated by NOAA’s National Weather Service.
While the map shows the climatological probability that a snow depth of at least one inch will be observed on December 25, the actual conditions this year may vary widely from these probabilities because the weather patterns present will determine the snow on the ground or snowfall on Christmas day. These probabilities are useful as a guide only to show where snow on the ground is more likely. For prediction of your actual weather on Christmas Day, check out your local forecast at Weather.gov.
You can locate Normals data for the observing station closest to you using the NCDC’sinteractive map.
If you would like to keep track of the snowfall across the United States on a daily basis, see the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center’s National Snow Analyses. For a more detailed assessment of the probability of a white Christmas as well as documentation of the methodology used to calculate the map’s underlying climatological statistics, see the scientific paper, White Christmas? An Application of NOAA’s 1981-2010 Daily Normals, by NCEI scientists and published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. You can also download a spreadsheet to see the full list of stations and their historic probabilities.
This post was adapted from an article first published by the National Climatic Data Center. It was first published on December 11, 2013, and is reviewed each year and updated as needed.
Weather Geek Stuff offers gifts for the weather enthusiast on your list
Not everyone gets excited about blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes and other types of extreme weather but many folks out there are passionate about Mother Nature. Weather Geek Stuff is an online shop just for those whose hearts race with the thrill of severe weather and they are offering special deals through the holiday season.
Weather Geek Stuff is an online store that provides a host of clothing items and novelties just for weather buffs. From the store’s custom ‘Weather Geek’ and ‘Weather Diva’ logoed merchandise to items imprinted with amusing weather warnings signs as well as Skywarn storm spotter logos, there is something there sure to please any weather lover.
Weather Geek Stuff’s merchandise was shown on the Weather Channel as a recommended gift so you know the quality is good. Stu Ostro, Weather Channel’s Senior Director of Weather Communications even sports a ‘Weather Geek’ t-shirt on his Twitter profile.
Kids and dogs aren’t left out of the weather fun either. There is a wide variety of clothing items sized just right for the little ones from babies to bigger kids. Canine companions as well can get shirts and bowls emblazoned with a weather-related logo.
The selection goes far beyond clothing too. Water bottles, clocks, mugs, bags and other novelties are part of the store’s offerings. For the tech types, cases for iPhones and iPads are available. Recently added products include laptop skins, clipboards and throw blankets.
Support ThorntonWeather .com
Weather Geek Stuff is owned and operated by the same folks that run ThorntonWeather.com. We provide ThorntonWeather.com as a no-cost service to the community and use the minimal amount of money made from Weather Geek Stuff to support the costs of running this website and the associated equipment. So remember, if you have a weather buff on your shopping list, by buying from Weather Geek Stuff you are supporting ThorntonWeather.com! You can also donate directly to fund the site here.
Weather system deluges eastern US coast as hurricane threat eases
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Sarasota, Florida (dpa) – The south-eastern US coast was likely to be spared the wrath of Hurricane Joaquin, but rainfall from a low pressure system drenched several states Saturday. Flood warnings were posted in several coastal states, reaching accumulations of up to 25 centimetres in already saturated areas. One of the worst hit was South Carolina,… Continue reading Weather system deluges eastern US coast as hurricane threat eases |
Tropical Storm Joaquin, Upgraded to Hurricane, May Head to East Coast
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Tropical storm Joaquin, which some meteorologists expect could be headed toward the East Coast of the United States over the weekend, was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday morning by the National Weather Service. Joaquin formed late Monday over the Atlantic Ocean and strengthened east of the Bahamas on Tuesday afternoon, with wind speeds… Continue reading Tropical Storm Joaquin, Upgraded to Hurricane, May Head to East Coast |
At Least 6 Dead In Southern Utah Flash Flood
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At least six people were dead and several others were missing after heavy rains in southern Utah triggered flash flooding, authorities said Monday night. Those missing are reportedly from Colorado City and Hildale area, near the Utah-Arizona border. Hildale officials reportedly said that a flash flood washed two vehicles off the road at Canyon Street and… Continue reading At Least 6 Dead In Southern Utah Flash Flood |
Terrifying videos capture man’s escape from California wildfire
Colorado has been extremely fortunate this summer with no truly notable wildfires. Other locations across the western U.S. have not been near as lucky. Highlighting this are videos taken by a northern California man as he fled the fast moving Valley Fire.
The Valley Fire broke out Saturday afternoon and quickly exploded forcing thousands to evacuate with little or no notice. Yesterday, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for Lake and Napa counties. As of this morning the blaze had already consumed 61,000 acres and firefighters only had 5% containment.
A YouTube user posted three videos yesterday showing a harrowing escape down roads in the Anderson Springs and Middletown areas. As he drives, flames burn, oftentimes reaching 10 or more feet into the air, lap the roadway and embers and debris blow across the road.
Watch the terrifying videos below.
California wildfire spreads; governor declares emergency
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A fast-moving wildfire left a path of devastation northwest of Sacramento, Calif., destroying homes and forcing and forcing residents to run for their lives. On Sunday morning, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Lake and Napa counties, noting that he fire forced large evacuations and damage to state infrastructure. The order mobilizes various… Continue reading California wildfire spreads; governor declares emergency |
Hurricane season is predicted to remain below average
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MIAMI — As the of peak the hurricane season approaches, forecasters predicted with confidence on Thursday that storm activity would remain low this year. “We have an even higher confidence that this year’s hurricane season will be below normal,” said Gerry Bell, the lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction… Continue reading Hurricane season is predicted to remain below average |
State of the Climate 2014: Warmer, wetter than normal in the U.S.
The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) has released its summary of the nation’s climate and weather for 2014. Its analysis shows that overall, the United States experienced warmer than normal temperatures and above average precipitation.
From NOAA / NCDC:
2014 U.S. temperature exceeds 20th-century average for the 18th consecutive year
Second warmest December boosted 2014 to 34th warmest year for contiguous U.S; eight weather and climate disasters exceeded $1 billion in damages
The 2014 annual average contiguous U.S. temperature was 52.6°F, 0.5°F above the 20th century average. Very warm conditions dominated the West, with four states having their warmest year on record, while the Midwest and Mississippi Valley were cool. This ranked as the 34th warmest year since we began keeping track in the 1895, while the temperature exceeded the 20th Century average for the 18th consecutive year.
The average contiguous U.S. precipitation was 30.76 inches, 0.82 inch above average, and ranked as the 40th wettest year in the 120-year period of record. The Northern U.S. was wet, and the Southern Plains were dry; the national drought footprint shrank about 2 percent.
In 2014, there were eight weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each across the United States. These eight events resulted in the deaths of 53 people. The events include: the western U.S. drought, the Michigan & Northeast flooding event, five severe storm events, and one winter storm event.
U.S. climate highlights: 2014
- The West was warmer than average for much of 2014. Nine states had a top 10 warm year.Alaska, Arizona, California, and Nevada each had their warmest year on record. Most locations from the Rockies to the East Coast were cooler than average, with the exception of New England and Florida. Seven states across the Midwest and Mississippi River Valley had a top 10 cool year. No state was record cold during 2014.
- The Pacific Northwest, Northern Rockies, Midwest, and Northeast were all wetter than average. Michigan and Wisconsin each had their seventh wettest year on record. The Southern Plains and parts of the Ohio Valley were drier than average, but no state was top 10 dry. The rest of the contiguous U.S. had near-average annual precipitation totals.
- The U.S. Climate Extremes Index (USCEI) for 2014 was 35 percent above average, ranking as the 19th highest annual USCEI in the 105-year record. The components of the USCEI that were much above average for the year included warm nighttime temperatures and 1-day precipitation totals. The USCEI is an index that tracks extremes (falling in the upper or lower 10 percent of the record) in temperature, precipitation, drought, and land-falling tropical cyclones across the contiguous U.S.
