Thursday, February 12, 2009

New Maine All-Time Record Low Temperature Confirmed

Images (click to enlarge): Maine low temperatures Jan. 16, 2009 from National Weather Service; U.S. temperature departure from average Jan. 11-17, 2009 from Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin, NOAA/National Agricultural Statistics Service

PM Update (Feb. 13): It's getting big play from the usual suspects in certain layers of the blogosphere, but Dr. Jeff does his usual Masterful job of putting this particular stat in proper perspective today:

Record -50°F confirmed for Maine; is this inconsistent with global warming?

BTW, Cold Weather Guys, how's your forecast for a "MEMORABLE wintry weather period" this week working out for you?

Original post:
The National Weather Service confirmed on Tuesday that the low temperature of -50°F (-45.3°C) recorded Jan. 16 at Big Black River in far northern Maine is a new all-time record low for the state. This ties a previous all-time record low in Vermont for the lowest in the 6 New England states. The NWS statement says:
On the morning of January 16, as New England was under the grip of an arctic blast, an all-time low temperature of -50° Fahrenheit was recorded for Maine. It was recorded at 7:30 a.m. EST at a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stream gauge on the Big Black River near Depot Mountain in northwestern Aroostook County. The previous record, -48° Fahrenheit, was set in Van Buren, Maine almost 84 years earlier, on January 19, 1925.

"It is exciting to be a part of this historic event," said George Jacobson, Maine State Climatologist and Member of the State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC), the group that vetted this measurement for consideration as a new all time minimum temperature record for the State of Maine. "But the real benefit to the State is in good weather and climate data being recorded daily by the NWS, USGS and other partners in the scientific community."

The lowest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. was -80° Fahrenheit on January 23, 1971 at Prospect Creek, Alaska, according the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). The lowest temperature recorded in the lower 48 states was -70° Fahrenheit on January 20, 1954 at Rogers Pass, Mont.
Some Maine low temperatures for Jan. 16 were:
LOCATION            MIN TEMPS    TIME/DATE    COMMENTS
DEGREES OF
(F) MEASUREMENT

MAINE

...AROOSTOOK COUNTY...
BIG BLACK RIVER -50 731 AM 1/16 USGS BBRM1
NINEMILE BRIDGE -48 841 AM 1/16 USGS NINM1
ALLAGASH -47 722 AM 1/16 COOP ALGM1
DICKEY -45 833 AM 1/16 USGS DICM1
LILLE -45 717 AM 1/16 AR034
MASARDIS -45 840 AM 1/16 USGS MASM1
CLAYTON LAKE -44 832 AM 1/16 COOP CLTM1
GRAND ISLE -44 722 AM 1/16 SPOTTER
OXBOW -43 842 AM 1/16 COOP OXBM1
FORT KENT MILLS -41 853 AM 1/16 AR054
STOCKHOLM -41 717 AM 1/16 SPOTTER
VAN BUREN -41 845 AM 1/16 COOP VANM1
EAGLE LAKE -40 902 AM 1/16 COOP EGLM1
FORT KENT -40 851 AM 1/16 COOP FISM1
FOX BROOK -40 835 AM 1/16 COOP FOXM1
PRESQUE ISLE -39 758 AM 1/16 AWOS KPQI
LIMESTONE -38 917 AM 1/16 COOP LIZM1
CARIBOU WFO -37 718 AM 1/16 ASOS KCAR
MADAWASKA -37 832 AM 1/16 AR037
SHERMAN -37 902 AM 1/16 AR072
HOULTON -35 838 AM 1/16 ASOS KHUL
LIMESTONE -35 717 AM 1/16 AR035
FRENCHVILLE -30 835 AM 1/16 ASOS KFVE
ASHLAND -28 716 AM 1/16 SPOTTER
KNOWLES CORNER -18 839 AM 1/16 COOP KNCM1

...HANCOCK COUNTY...
WALTHAM -30 725 AM 1/16 SPOTTER
PENOBSCOT -20 717 AM 1/16 HA037
BAR HARBOR -15 831 AM 1/16 AWOS KBHB
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK -10 830 AM 1/16 COOP ANPM1
PROSPECT HARBOR -10 842 AM 1/16 COOP PPHM1
STONINGTON RAINWISE -5 844 AM 1/16 COOP STOM1

...PENOBSCOT COUNTY...
GRINDSTONE -38 837 AM 1/16 USGS GRNM1
SHIN POND -38 843 AM 1/16 USGS SBSM1
CORINNA -31 852 AM 1/16 COOP CORM1
OLD TOWN -30 841 AM 1/16 COOP OLDM1
MATTAWAMKEAG -29 840 AM 1/16 USGS MATM1
WEST ENFIELD -28 845 AM 1/16 USGS WENM1
BANGOR -24 831 AM 1/16 ASOS KBGR
MILLINOCKET -24 841 AM 1/16 ASOS KMLT
PATTEN -24 842 AM 1/16 COOP PATM1
SUNKHAZE N.W.R. -22 843 AM 1/16 COOP SHZM1
DIXMONT -12 833 AM 1/16 COOP DIXM1

...PISCATAQUIS COUNTY...
KOKADJO -39 839 AM 1/16 COOP KKJM1
ABBOT VILLAGE -37 811 AM 1/16 USGS ABTM1
BLANCHARD -35 831 AM 1/16 USGS BLAM1
GUILFORD -35 723 AM 1/16 COOP GULM1
RIPOGENUS DAM -35 843 AM 1/16 COOP RIPM1
SEBEC LAKE -32 838 AM 1/16 COOP GREM1
DOVER-FOXCROFT -31 852 AM 1/16 COOP DFXM1
MILO -24 851 AM 1/16 COOP MLDM1
GREENVILLE -21 837 AM 1/16 ASOS KGNR

...SOMERSET COUNTY...
SAINT AURELIE -44 844 AM 1/16 COOP STAM1
TURNER BROOK RAWS -38 845 AM 1/16 COOP TNBM1

...WASHINGTON COUNTY...
DANFORTH -35 833 AM 1/16 COOP DANM1
WESLEY -31 845 AM 1/16 USGS WSLM1
CHERRYFIELD -28 831 AM 1/16 USGS CFDM1
EPPING -26 835 AM 1/16 USGS EPPM1
MOOSEHORN N.W.R. -26 841 AM 1/16 COOP MWRM1
MACHIAS -25 840 AM 1/16 USGS MACM1
DENNYSVILLE -24 834 AM 1/16 USGS DVLM1
PRINCETON -22 842 AM 1/16 COOP PNNM1
WHITING -21 801 AM 1/16 WS038
GRAND LAKE STREAM -20 836 AM 1/16 COOP GLSM1
TOPSFIELD -20 852 AM 1/16 COOP TOPM1
WAITE -20 722 AM 1/16 WS034
EAST MACHIAS -18 852 AM 1/16 COOP ESTM1
JONESBORO -14 838 AM 1/16 COOP JONM1
JONESPORT RAINWISE -13 839 AM 1/16 COOP JPTM1
CUTLER RAINWISE -12 833 AM 1/16 COOP CUTM1
MILBRIDGE -12 723 AM 1/16 WS031
EASTPORT -9 834 AM 1/16 COOP EPOM1

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

More Mid-Atlantic Marks Made
Temperature Records Tied, Set in Virginia Through New York

Images (click to enlarge): U.S. temperatures at 3 pm EST, from Unisys; Month-to-date mean temperature and departure from average, Climate Prediction Center/NWS/NOAA

AM Update, Feb. 12: The NOAA NCDC reports that 54 new daily maximum temperature records were set nationwide on Feb. 11, for a total month-to-date of 677. The number of minimum temperature records is 81, for a ratio of over 8 to 1 in favor of warm records.

PM Update (4:45): Other records have been broken from West Virginia through New York:
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 71 DEGREES WAS SET AT WASHINGTON DULLES DC TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 67 SET IN 1999.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 64 DEGREES WAS SET AT ALLENTOWN, PA
TODAY. THIS BROKE THE OLD RECORD OF 61 SET IN 1981.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 69 DEGREES WAS SET AT ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
TODAY. THIS BROKE THE OLD RECORD OF 63 SET IN 1960.

AT 152 PM...THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 58 DEGREES IN WILLIAMSPORT. THIS
SURPASSES THE OLD RECORD OF 55 SET IN 1960. THE TEMPERATURE WILL
LIKELY CONTINUE RISE THIS AFTERNOON.

AT 140 PM...THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 60 DEGREES IN HARRISBURG. THIS
BROKE THE OLD RECORD OF 59 LAST SET IN 1999. THE TEMPERATURE WILL
LIKELY RISE A FEW MORE DEGREES THIS AFTERNOON.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 58 DEGREES WAS SET AT ISLIP NY TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 52 SET IN 2002.
Martinsburg, WV broke a record at 68°.
Other regional highs (not records):
Washington National 72
Baltimore (BWI) 70
Hagerstown 68
Charlottesville 70
Richmond 72
Salisbury 68
Norfolk 74

Original post:
The 2 pm temperature at Washington Dulles of 69° was 2° above the previous record for Feb. 11.

Danville, VA tied its record at noon:
THE HIGH TEMPERATURE SO FAR TODAY AT DANVILLE VIRGINIA WAS 70
DEGREES. THIS TIES THE RECORD MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR FEBRUARY 11TH
LAST SET IN 1999. WITH WARMER READINGS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON...A
NEW RECORD MAXIMUM IS LIKELY.

Other records were tied or broken yesterday:
IN WEST VIRGINIA...

THE HIGH OF 67 AT THE AIRPORT IN BLUEFIELD IS A NEW RECORD HIGH FOR
THE 10TH OF FEBRUARY...BREAKING THE OLD RECORD OF 66 SET IN 1965.

IN ADDITION...THE MORNING LOW IN BLUEFIELD WAS 53...WHICH MAY BE A
NEW RECORD HIGH MINIMUM FOR THE DATE. THE CURRENT RECORD IS 49...
SET IN 1960.

IN VIRGINIA...

IN DANVILLE...THE HIGH OF 72 TIES THE RECORD SET IN 1954.

IN ROANOKE...THE HIGH OF 71 TIES THE RECORD SET IN 1959.

IN BLACKSBURG...THE HIGH OF 66 TIES THE RECORD SET IN 2001.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

More Temperature Records Set in Carolinas, West Virginia
DC misses by 1°

Image (click to enlarge): U.S. temperatures at 3 pm EST, from Unisys

Here's some news you won't see at the cold-mongering IceCap.

Some daily temperature records for Feb. 8 reported by the National Weather Service:
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 74 DEGREES WAS SET AT CHARLOTTE TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 73 SET IN 1925.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 74 DEGREES WAS SET AT NORTH MYRTLE
BEACH SC TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 72 SET IN 1999.

THE TEMPERATURE AT RALEIGH-DURHAM INTL AIRPORT REACHED 75 DEGREES AT
309 PM. THIS BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 74 FOR THE DATE WHICH WAS
SET IN 1965.

THE TEMPERATURE AT PIEDMONT TRIAD INTL AIRPORT REACHED 72 DEGREES
AT 307 PM. THIS BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 71 FOR THE DATE
WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY SET IN 1937.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 68 DEGREES WAS SET AT CHARLESTON WV TODAY.
THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 68 SET IN 1925.
Washington's high of 67° missed the record set in 1900 by 1°.

Total U.S. daily temperature records so far this month:
Lowest minimum: 59
Highest maximum: 316 (includes 115 on the 7th alone, across 11 states)

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Daily Temperature Records Set, Tied in Mid Atlantic Through Carolinas
Washington Dulles Exceeds Old Mark by 6°

Image (click to enlarge): U.S. temperatures at 3 pm EST, from Unisys

Several daily temperature records were tied or broken in Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, and North Carolina today. Preliminary reports from the National Weather Service:
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 68 DEGREES WAS SET AT CHARLESTON WV TODAY.
THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 68 SET IN 1925.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 65 DEGREES WAS SET AT WASHINGTON DULLES DC TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 59 SET IN 2005.

THE TEMPERATURE AT ROANOKE WAS 68 DEGREES AT 3 PM...WHICH TIES THE
RECORD HIGH FOR FEBRUARY 7TH SET IN 1927. IF THIS TEMPERATURE RISES
THIS AFTERNOON...ANOTHER RECORD EVENT REPORT WILL BE ISSUED LATER.

THE TEMPERATURE AT LYNCHBURG WAS 68 DEGREES 2 PM...WHICH TIES THE
RECORD HIGH FOR FEBRUARY 7TH SET IN 1925. THE TEMPERATURE IS
EXPECTED TO CLIMB A FEW MORE DEGREES THIS AFTERNOON...SO ANOTHER
RECORD EVENT REPORT WILL BE ISSUED LATER.

THE TEMPERATURE AT DANVILLE WAS 69 DEGREES AT 2 PM...WHICH TIES THE
RECORD HIGH FOR FEBRUARY 7TH SET IN 1950. THE TEMPERATURE IS
EXPECTED TO CLIMB A FEW MORE DEGREES THIS AFTERNOON...SO ANOTHER
RECORD EVENT REPORT WILL BE ISSUED LATER.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 71 DEGREES WAS SET AT THE RALEIGH
DURHAM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TODAY. THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 71
SET IN 1999.

THE HIGH TEMPERATURE REACHED 70 DEGREES THIS AFTERNOON AT THE
GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG AIRPORT. THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 70 SET
IN 2007.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 57 DEGREES WAS RECORDED AT THE
HARRISBURG AIRPORT IN MIDDLETOWN TODAY. THIS EXCEEDED THE PREVIOUS
RECORD OF 55 DEGREES SET IN 1990.
A CONTINUOUS WEATHER RECORD HAS BEEN KEPT FOR HARRISBURG SINCE 1888.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 61 DEGREES WAS SET AT GEORGETOWN DE TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 60 SET IN 1965.
(Note the cherry-picking inherent in the sub-headline: Dulles records go back only 45 years. The old Feb. 7 record was highly vulnerable, since it was the only date in February never to have exceeded 60°.)

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Snow Continues Travel Disruption in UK
Deniers Drooling While OJ Takes a Bath


Feb. 6 Update: Number of daily records for Feb. 5:
Highest maximum temperature 11
Lowest minimum temperature 6

Original post:
The UK Guardian reports today that snow is continuing to disrupt travel and schools across England and Wales, with salt supplies running low in some areas:

Forecasters said the worst of the weather was likely to be in the Midlands with as much as 10cm (4in) of snow, however the south and west of England and Wales ground to a halt today after waking up to their heaviest falls of snow this week.
Michael Fish, Britain's longest-running TV weather forecaster, notes that the snowfall is the heaviest since 1991, while Charlie English, author of The Snow Tourist, gives some British snow history, including:
The snowiest British winter of the 20th century was in 1947 (the coldest was 1963), when snow fell somewhere in the UK every day from 22 January to 17 March.
The latest forecast from the UK Met Office:

This Evening and Tonight:
Patches of sleet and snow edging southeastwards across England and Wales, with locally heavy snow developing across parts of southern and eastern England later. Scotland and Northern Ireland will have scattered wintry showers. Widespread ice will form across the UK.

Friday:
Locally heavy snow across southern and eastern England, especially during the morning. Elsewhere, brighter with some sunshine, but cold. Scattered wintry showers will affect northern and western areas.

The cold weather blog is still eating it up, while drooling over the no-skill 252-hour forecast for Feb. 15.

Florida cold

Don't forget the record cold in Florida; you guys must have made a killing betting on OJ:
"Orange-Juice Futures Slide 8.3% as Florida Crops Skirt Cold Snap".
ACTUAL LOWS/RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 5:
ORIGINAL
THIS RECORD LOWS RECORDS
LOCATION MORNING FOR FEB 5 BEGAN

ARCHBOLD :ACHF1 27 26 IN 1980 1969
ARCADIA :ARCF1 *26 26 IN 1996 1899
AVON PARK 2 W :AVPF1 28 25 IN 1966 1901
BARTOW :BARF1 28 27 IN 1996 1892
BROOKSVILLE CHIN HILL :BROF1 23 21 IN 1996 1892
BUSHNELL 2 E :BSHF1 24 22 IN 1996 1948
CHIEFLAND 5 SE :CHIF1 19 **17 IN 1996 1956
FORT MYERS/PAGE FIELD :FMY 34 29 IN 1996 1902
INVERNESS 3 SE :INVF1 25 23 IN 1996 1948
LAKELAND LINDER FIELD :LLDF1 27 **24 IN 1996 1948
MOUNTAIN LAKE :LWLF1 29 26 IN 1996, 1935
1966 & 1935
MYAKKA RIVER STATE PARK :MKCF1 26 24 IN 1996 1956
PARRISH :PARF1 NA **24 IN 1996 1957
PLANT CITY :PLCF1 29 25 IN 1996 1892
PUNTA GORDA 4 ESE :PNTF1 30 **27 IN 1996 1965
ST LEO :STLF1 27 22 IN 1996 1895
ST PETE/ALBERT WHITTED :SPG 37 **28 IN 1996 1914
SARASOTA-BRADENTON :SRQ 31 **24 IN 1996 1948
TAMPA INTERNATIONAL APT :TPA 32 25 IN 1996 1890
TARPON SPRINGS :TRPF1 NA 23 IN 1996 1892
VENICE :VNCF1 29 **26 IN 1996 1955
WAUCHULA 2 N :WAUF1 NA 27 IN 1996 1933
& 1958
WEEKI WACHEE :WEEF1 NA 22 IN 1996 1969
WINTER HAVEN :WHNF1 29 26 IN 1996 1941

* NEW OR TIED RECORD LOW FOR FEBRUARY 5
** RECORD LOW FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY


Total number of daily maximum temperature records set in the entire U.S., Feb. 1-4: 76
Total number of daily minimum temperature records set in the entire U.S., Feb. 1-4: 9

Git out the mukluks and the mastodon traps, maw, the Ice Age is nigh!

And Al Gore is still fat!

Images: Train arriving at Clapham Junction station, London, from UK Guardian; UK weather forecast for 6 am Friday from Met Office; orange juice futures prices from Wall Street Journal

Weathering Economic and Meteorological Storms

Anne Applebaum's op-ed column in today's WaPo, "Relearning How To Weather a Storm" draws an interesting analogy between the current economic situation and the reaction of certain English-speaking world capitals to snowstorms:
"Trudging around snowy London, it was impossible to escape another thought: Surely what's true of the weather is true of other kinds of unexpected change, too. People who no longer remember slow economic growth, for example, might not be able to cope with negative growth, let alone a severe recession. In London, it hasn't snowed much for 18 years, so no one owns a snow shovel -- and if they do, they don't know how to use it. In the United States, the economy hasn't really collapsed since 1929, so no one knows how to save string and tinfoil -- and if they did, they wouldn't know what to do with them. A whole set of skills, from cooking with leftovers to recycling bottles (not because it's green, but because it's thrifty) has been lost during two generations of prosperity, in much the same way the British have forgotten how to drive their cars through slush."

Monday, February 2, 2009

Heavy Snow Strikes Nation's Capital
Washington Extends Drought With a Trace on Monday



Video from the BBC is here.

Washington is not the only world capital which finds it difficult to cope with snow and ice. Heavy snow virtually paralyzed some areas of Britain on Monday, with as much as 8" in parts of London. The UK Guardian reports:
The heaviest snowfall for 18 years paralysed swaths of the country yesterday, bringing chaos to roads, railways and airports, closing thousands of schools and businesses, and costing the economy an estimated £1.2bn in lost working hours.

Although the snow had been forecast since last week, much of Britain was overwhelmed, with conditions forcing one in five workers to stay at home, as many as 3,000 schools closed and many non-urgent hospital operations were postponed.

The south-east bore the brunt of the snow, which settled to a depth of 25cm (10in) in Kent and Surrey, and saw all flights cancelled at Heathrow and London City airports, leaving thousands stranded.

London's public transport system buckled under the stress, with all but a handful of bus routes cancelled yesterday morning and 10 of the 11 underground lines either completely or partly suspended.
The cold weather hype machine is loving it. This just in, however, the seasons haven't been repealed: "Despite global warming, snow still exists".

The UK Met Office's latest forecast calls for the snow to be moving northward on Tuesday.

As of midnight, the National Weather Service reports the following snow totals in the Washington, DC region:

********************STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL********************

LOCATION STORM TOTAL TIME/DATE COMMENTS
SNOWFALL OF
(INCHES) MEASUREMENT


MARYLAND

...FREDERICK COUNTY...
SMITHSBURG 2.0 725 PM 2/2
FOXVILLE 1.0 1155 PM 2/2
MYERSVILLE 0.4 805 PM 2/2 1265FT

...MONTGOMERY COUNTY...
DAMASCUS 0.8 955 PM 2/2 COOP OBSERVER

...WASHINGTON COUNTY...
HAGERSTOWN 1.5 848 PM 2/2
HAGERSTOWN 1.0 820 PM 2/2
KNOXVILLE 1.0 755 PM 2/2

VIRGINIA

...AUGUSTA COUNTY...
CHURCHVILLE 2.0 830 PM 2/2 ALL SURFACES
SWOOPE 1.0 825 PM 2/2 GRASSY ONLY

...CITY OF HARRISONBURG...
HARRISONBURG 1.5 725 PM 2/2

...CITY OF STAUNTON...
STAUNTON 1.2 638 PM 2/2

...CITY OF WAYNESBORO...
WAYNESBORO 2.8 1000 PM 2/2 2 WEST

...CITY OF WINCHESTER...
WINCHESTER 1.0 845 PM 2/2
WINCHESTER 0.3 724 PM 2/2

...CLARKE COUNTY...
BOYCE 1.8 835 PM 2/2 ALL SURFACES
BERRYVILLE 1.0 920 PM 2/2

...FAIRFAX COUNTY...
HERNDON 0.1 849 PM 2/2

...FAUQUIER COUNTY...
OPAL 2.0 919 PM 2/2

...FREDERICK COUNTY...
GORE 2.0 848 PM 2/2

...HIGHLAND COUNTY...
MONTEREY 5.5 900 PM 2/2 ALL SURFACES

...LOUDOUN COUNTY...
LEESBURG 0.5 824 PM 2/2

...MADISON COUNTY...
HAYWOOD 0.5 739 PM 2/2

...PAGE COUNTY...
STANLEY 2.5 1028 PM 2/2
LURAY 1.8 1025 PM 2/2
LURAY 1.0 715 PM 2/2 5MI W
LURAY 0.5 849 PM 2/2
SHENANDOAH 0.3 722 PM 2/2

...PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY...
HAYMARKET 1.8 1001 PM 2/2 ELEV. 1200FT

...ROCKINGHAM COUNTY...
MASSANUTTEN RESORT 4.0 1128 PM 2/2

...SHENANDOAH COUNTY...
NEW MARKET 1.5 845 PM 2/2 ALL SURFACES
STRASBURG 0.8 845 PM 2/2 ALL SURFACES

Seasonal Outlook

Latest seasonal forecast: Click here.


Latest 3-month temperature outlook from Climate Prediction Center/NWS/NOAA.