Kentucky Tornado Upgraded to EF-4; Only Second Equivalent March Storm in State

The National Weather Service late this afternoon upgraded the status of the March 2 tornado near Crittenden and Piner, Kentucky to EF-4. According to National Climatic Data Center records, this is only the second tornado of EF-4/F-4 intensity to occur during March in the state of Kentucky. The previous one, on March 4, 1964 caused 3 deaths and 24 injuries in Calloway and Marshall counties. From the NWS summary:

LOCATION...CRITTENDEN AND PINER IN GRANT AND KENTON COUNTY KENTUCKY
DATE...MARCH 2 2012
ESTIMATED TIME...430 PM EDT
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF4
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...175 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...ONE HALF MILE
PATH LENGTH...10 MILES
BEGINNING LAT/LON...38.791N/84.633W
ENDING LAT/LON...38.8324N/84.459W
* FATALITIES...4
* INJURIES...8  

IMMEDIATELY AS THE TORNADO CROSSED FROM WEST TO EAST OF INTERSTATE 
75...THE STORM STRENGTHENED TO EF4 LEVEL WITH WINDS ESTIMATED AT 175 
MPH. WHILE A TOTAL OF FIVE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES WERE DESTROYED TO 
THEIR FOUNDATIONS IN THE AREA...AT LEAST TWO OF THESE HOMES MET THE
EF4 CRITERIA OF SUFFICIENT FOUNDATION STRAPPING/BOLTING.

ALL 4 FATALITIES WITH THIS TORNADO OCCURRED WITHIN THE AREA OF EF4 
LEVEL DAMAGE.

THE EF4 LEVEL DAMAGE WAS FOUND FROM THE EAST SIDE OF INTERSTATE 75 
TO THE NORTH END OF OLD LEXINGTON PIKE...WHERE 2 HOMES AND MULTIPLE 
OUTBUILDINGS WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED. BOTH HOMES WERE BRICK 
STRUCTURES WITH FOUNDATION BOLTING OR STRAPPING. THE EF4 LEVEL WINDS 
CONTINUED ACROSS ROUTE 25/DIXIE HIGHWAY...AND ENDED NEAR THE BAGBY 
ROAD AREA. AT LEAST 2 VEHICLES WERE CARRIED...WITH ONE CARRIED OVER 
1800 FEET. TREES WERE STRIPPED OF NEARLY ALL BRANCHES...WITH MUCH OF 
THE BARK ALSO STRIPPED. 

Image (click to enlarge): EF-4 tornado track near Crittenden and Piner, Kentucky, March 2, 2012, from National Weather Service

Record High Temperatures in Central/Northern New England

Most of the major National Weather Service climate reporting locations from northeastern New York through central and northern New England observed record high temperatures yesterday (March 8). Listed by state, the records set or tied included:

State   Location Record Previous/Date Period of Record
MA BOSTON      68  67 3/8/1995    92 
MA BLUE HILL   65  63 3/8/1995   119 
MA WORCESTER   64  64 3/8/1987    63 
ME HOULTON     62  55 3/8/1995    61 
ME PORTLAND    60  56 3/8/2010    92 
ME AUGUSTA     59  56 3/8/1987    63 
ME BANGOR      59  52 3/8/2010    66 
ME CARIBOU     58  50 3/8/1995    72 
NH CONCORD     66  66 3/8/1995    90 
NY GLENS FALLS 65  59 3/8/2000    66 
NY MASSENA     60  59 3/8/1995    63 
VT MONTPELIER  61  57 3/8/1987    63 
VT BURLINGTON  61  61 3/8/2000   106  

Image (click to enlarge): Daily high temperature records set or tied on March 8, 2012, from National Climatic Data Center

Deluge "Obliterates" Hawaii Rainfall Record

The National Weather Service reports that the 8.64" of rainfall at Lihue, Hawaii yesterday "obliterates" the old daily record for March 5 of 1.14" set in 1974. The 3.31" on Sunday was also a record for March 4. According to NWS records, the all-time daily rainfall record at Lihue was 6.71" on March 14, 2006. Official climate records in Lihue began in 1946. In the 3 days from March 3 through 5 Lihue reported 12.76" of precipitation. Some other rainfall reports from Kauai and Oahu as of Monday afternoon:

KAUAI  
/HNIH1/ HANALEI                                26.95  
/WLLH1/ MOUNT WAIALEALE RAINGAGE               24.44  
/WLDH1/ WAILUA DITCH - USGS                    22.66  
/WNHH1/ PH WAINIHA                             21.63  
/KPIH1/ KAPAHI                                 16.68  
/WUHH1/ WAILUA UH EXP STN                      14.02  
/LIHH1/ LIHUE VRTY STA                         12.40  
/KLOH1/ KILOHANA RG - USGS                     12.11  
/HLI  / LIHUE AIRPORT                           9.88  
/ANHH1/ ANAHOLA NO.2                            8.86  
/MLDH1/ MOLOAA DAIRY                            8.32  
/WLGH1/ WAIALAE RG - USGS                       4.42  
/OMAH1/ OMAO                                    4.29  
/KHEH1/ KALAHEO                                 4.26  
/KOKH1/ KOKEE                                   3.48  
/HBK  / BARKING SANDS ASOS                      3.31  
/MCRH1/ MOHIHI CROSSING - USGS                  3.28  
/WKRH1/ WAIAKOALI - USGS                        3.17  
  
OAHU  
/PNSH1/ PUNALUU STREAM - USGS                  12.65  
/OFRH1/ OAHU FOREST NWR                        11.35  
/MOGH1/ MOANALUA - USGS - USGS                 10.37  
/KNRH1/ KAHANA STREAM RG - USGS                 9.12  
/WPPH1/ WAIHEE PUMP                             8.78  
/AHUH1/ AHUIMANU LOOP                           8.10  
/NUUH1/ NUUANU UPPER                            7.92  
/LULH1/ LULUKU                                  7.42  
/WITH1/ WILSON TUNNEL                           6.70  
/WHSH1/ WAIAHOLE STREAM - USGS                  5.14  
/HNG  / KANEOHE MCAS                            5.06  
/STVH1/ ST. STEPHENS SEMINARY                   4.88  
/MAUH1/ MAUNAWILI                               4.85  
/HNL  / HONOLULU AIRPORT                        4.78  
/HAKH1/ HAKIPUU MAUKA                           4.78  
/KTAH1/ KAHUKU TRAINING AREA                    4.60  
/KAHH1/ KAHUKU                                  3.79  
/OFSH1/ OLOMANA FIRE STN                        3.76  
/KFWH1/ KII                                     3.25  
/WMLH1/ WAIMANALO NONOKIO                       3.13  

Second Warmest Winter in 80 Years at Chicago, Warmest at Fargo, Top 10 Elsewhere in Midwest

The National Weather Service reported this morning that the winter of 2011-12 was the second warmest in 80 years at Chicago and tied for the 9th warmest overall. It was also the warmest in records dating back to 1881 at Fargo. As shown in the chart from the Midwest Regional Climate Center, temperatures ranged as much as 9° above normal in the upper Midwest.

CHICAGO...

THE WINTER HAD AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 32.8 DEGREES...WHICH WAS
6.4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS TIES THE WINTER FOR THE 9TH WARMEST
IN THE PAST 140 YEARS (SINCE 1872)...AND WAS THE SECOND WARMEST
WINTER IN THE PAST 80 YEARS. THIS WAS THE WARMEST WINTER SINCE
1997-1998.

RANK    WINTER      AVERAGE WINTER TEMP
---------------------------------------
1.     1877-1878           37.2
2.     1931-1932           35.7
3.     1879-1880           35.2
       1881-1882           35.2
5.     1889-1890           34.7
6.     1875-1876           33.6
7.     1997-1998           33.2
8.     1918-1919           33.1
9.     2011-2012           32.8
       1920-1921           32.8



ROCKFORD...

THE WINTER HAD AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 30.2 DEGREES...WHICH WAS
6.0 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS RANKS THE WINTER AS THE 3RD WARMEST
ON RECORD IN THE PAST 106 YEARS (SINCE 1906). THIS WAS THE WARMEST
WINTER SINCE 2001-2002.

RANK    WINTER      AVERAGE WINTER TEMP
---------------------------------------
1.     1931-1932           32.0
2.     2001-2002           30.9
3.     2011-2012           30.2
4.     1997-1998           30.1
       1920-1921           30.1
6.     1930-1931           29.9
7.     1982-1983           29.2
8.     1991-1992           29.0
9.     1908-1909           28.7
10.    1943-1944           28.5

CITY                  RANK
------------------------------
CHICAGO IL         9TH WARMEST
CLEVELAND OH       7TH WARMEST
FARGO ND             WARMEST
GRAND RAPIDS MI    2ND WARMEST
GREEN BAY WI       2ND WARMEST
KANSAS CITY MO     7TH WARMEST
MILWAUKEE WI       4TH WARMEST
MINNEAPOLIS MN     4TH WARMEST
ROCKFORD IL        3RD WARMEST
ST LOUIS MO        6TH WARMEST  

Indiana/Kentucky Tornado Areas Hit With 4-5" of Snow

Some of the same areas in Indiana and Kentucky hit with strong tornadoes on Friday got 4-5" of snow, with some higher amounts, Sunday night into Monday morning (maps from National Weather Service, click to enlarge):

Southern Indiana EF-4 Tornado Occurred a Month Earlier Than Only Previous Comparable Event

The National Weather Service reports this evening that the March 2 EF-4 tornado in Washington, Jefferson, and Clark counties in Indiana had a total track length of 49 miles with a maximum path width of as much as half a mile. It appears that this storm, although a month earlier, was at least comparable to the only other recorded event of similar magnitude in that region. The infamous outbreak of April 3-4, 1974, the worst in U.S. history up to that point, was the only previous event with F-4 or stronger tornadoes in those 3 counties since official records began in 1950, according to NOAA/NCDC historical data.

Image (click to enlarge): Track of southern Indiana EF-4 tornado on March 2, 2012, from National Weather Service; Indiana county map from digital-topo-maps.com

Top 5 Warmest Winter in Minnesota, Western Wisconsin

The National Weather Service reports that the winter of 2011-12 was in the top 5 warmest in much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. St. Cloud, Minnesota tied the warmest winter temperature on record. The top 10 warmest data from Minneapolis, St. Cloud, and Eau Claire: