More October Snowfall Records Reported

Image (click to enlarge): October daily snowfall records broken ("X") or tied on October 30, 2011, from National Climatic Data Center

The number of all-time October daily snowfall records set on October 29 has now increased to 27. In addition to the records previously reported are the following (previous record in parentheses):

Hartford CT     12.3" (1.7", 1979-10-10)
Bridgeport CT    3.5" (0.5", 1987-10-04)
Worcester MA    11.4" (7.5", 1979-10-10)
Concord NH      13.6" (2.1", 1969-10-22) 

An additional 69 records were reported broken yesterday (October 30). These were primarily cooperative reporting stations, but the official station at Portland, Maine reported a new record of 5.2", vs. the old record of 3.6" (1969-10-22) in a 91-year snowfall history.

October Snow: Historical Context

The current October snowfall in the northeastern U.S. has certainly been impressive, particularly in the areal extent, but the historical record shows that autumn snowstorms were both earlier and more frequent in the mid-19th century. In his definitive history, "Early American Winters", David Ludlum lists records of early season snowfalls in 21 of the 50 years from 1821 to 1870, including many in September and several in late August. The mid-1830's were particularly prolific, with 3 events before the middle of October in 1836, including at least "some snow" as far south as South Carolina.

1821: Oct. 25-26, Salem MA: "sufficient to cover the ground"

1823: Sept. 29, Worcester County MA: "snow in several parts of the county"

1829: Sept. 3, Sherburne VT: "an inch and a half deep"

1832: Aug. 25-26, New Hampshire: "White Mountains covered by snow apparently several inches deep"

1833: Oct. 30, Somerset PA: "Two inches snow, the fourth fall of the autumn"
Oct. 29-30, Philadelphia PA: "Houses whitened by snow"

1835: Sept. 30, northern New England: 6-12" in Franklin County, Vermont; 6" at Kilkenny New Hampshire

1836: Sept. 28: Hamilton NY 4", Bridgewater NY 3", Rochester NY 1"
October 5-6: Onondaga County NY 2 feet, Auburn NY 24-26" Cortland NY 18", Hollidaysburg PA 26", Sideling Hills MD 10", Loudoun County VA 5", Yorkville SC "some snow"
October 11-12: Hamilton NY 35" "measured as it fell", Madison NY 12", Bridgewater NY 18", Oxford NY 12"

[More reports to be added later]

Early-Season Snow Sets Mid-Atlantic October Records

Image (click to enlarge): Storm total snowfall ending 10 am EDT, October 30, 2011, from National Weather Service


October 31 Update: Snow totals updated with final reports from National Weather Service. The highest reported amount was 32" at Peru, Massachusetts.

11 AM Update: The Weather Channel is reporting via tweet that Jaffrey NH had a storm total of 31.4". A National Weather Service report has increased the Plainfield MA amount to 30.8".

Original Post:
What was little more than a very heavy frost in the Washington, DC metro area yesterday set some all-time October daily snowfall records at higher elevations and north of the Mason-Dixon line. Preliminary data indicate that 20 October daily records were set from West Virginia through New York. Among the major reporting locations, New York's Central Park had the longest period of record (135 years), with the 2.9" smashing the previous record of 0.8" on October 30, 1925. It was therefore the first time that over 1" of snow had been observed in Central Park in October. Other October daily records included (previous record in parentheses):

Newark NJ       5.2" (0.3", 1952-10-20)
La Guardia NY   1.7" (1.2", 1962-10-26)
Kennedy NY      1.5" (Trace, 2002-10-30)
Islip NY        0.3" (0.0")
Harrisburg PA   9.7" (Trace, 1965-10-28)
Wilkes-Barre PA 9.1" (4.4", 1962-10-26)
Allentown PA    6.8" (1.2", 1972-10-19) 

The largest amounts of snow from this storm were in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, where totals of 2 feet or more were reported; the highest was 27.8" at Plainfield. The highest amounts reported by the National Weather Service by state through Sunday, October 30, included:

...CONNECTICUT...
BAKERSVILLE                          18.6                     
WINSTED                              18.0                     
DANBURY                              17.2                     
BRISTOL                              17.0                     
LITCHFIELD                           16.5                     
RIDGEFIELD                           15.5                     
THOMASTON                            13.5                     
WINCHESTER CENTER                    13.5                     
NEW PRESTON                          12.8                     
OXFORD                               12.3                     
NORTH CANAAN                         12.0 

...MASSACHUSETTS...
PERU                                 32.0                     
PLAINFIELD                           30.8                     
WINDSOR                              26.0                     
ASHFIELD                             25.5                     
GOSHEN                               25.0                     
TOLLAND 2 S                          25.0                     
BUCKLAND                             24.0                     
HEATH                                24.0                     
SAVOY                                24.0                     
WORTHINGTON                          24.0                     
TYRINGHAM                            23.0                     
BECKET 5.6 SSW                       22.6                     
BLANDFORD                            22.0                     
LEYDEN                               22.0                     
ROYALSTON                            22.0                     
TEMPLETON                            22.0                     
WASHINGTON                           22.0                     
WORCESTER                            14.6                     
BOSTON                                1.0 

...MARYLAND...
FROSTBURG 1 N                        11.6                     
SABILLASVILLE                        11.5                     
FROSTBURG                             9.5                     
THURMONT 6 W                          8.5                     
ELDERSBURG 2 NW                       7.8                     
SMITHSBURG 3 NE                       7.3                     
MANCHESTER 5 NW                       7.0                     
REDHOUSE                              7.0                     
WOLFSVILLE                            7.0                     
WOODLAND 1 W                          7.0    

...MAINE...
ACTION 1 N                           20.0                     
BRIDGTON                             17.4                     
NEWFIELD 4.0 WSW                     17.0                     
CORNISH 1 SSW                        14.8                     
OTISFIELD 1 W                        14.0                     
GRAY NWS OFFICE                      12.9                     
PARIS 4 E                            12.0                     
S CASCO                              11.0                     
WATERVILLE 2.5 NNE                   11.0                     
HOLLIS                                9.8                     
VAUGHAN WOODS 2 ESE                   9.0                     
PORTLAND 5.1 NW                       6.5                     

...NEW HAMPSHIRE...
JAFFREY                              31.4                     
BOW 1.6 NW                           25.8                     
TROY                                 25.0                     
PETERBOROUGH                         24.0                     
WEST SWANZEY                         24.0                     
FITZWILLIAM                          23.0                     
CONCORD ASOS                         22.2                     
HILLSBORO                            21.5                     
BEDFORD                              20.8                     
GILFORD 3 SSE                        20.0                     
WASHINGTON 1 ESE                     19.5                     
NORTHFIELD                           19.1                     
MERRIMACK                            19.0                     
NORTH PEMBROKE 2 E                   19.0                     

...NEW JERSEY...
WEST MILFORD                         19.0                     
LAKE HOPATCONG                       17.0                     
SPARTA                               16.8                     
ROCKAWAY TWP 0.7 NE                  16.6                     
MARCELLA                             16.4                     
ROCKAWAY                             16.4                     
LONG VALLEY                          16.0                     
RANDOLPH TWP 0.8 W                   14.5                     
HARDYSTON TWP 3.2 SE                 14.1                     
NEWARK                                5.2                     

...NEW YORK...
MILLBROOK                            21.6                     
BLOOMINGBURG 2 SW                    17.7                     
YANKEE LAKE                          16.5                     
HARRIMAN                             16.0                     
HOPEWELL JUNCTION 2.4 SSE            14.8                     
WOODRIDGE 5.5 S                      13.6                     
TAGHKANIC                            13.1                     
COPAKE FALLS                         13.0                     
ARMONK                               12.5                     
MILLWOOD                             12.4                     
HIGHLAND MILLS                       12.0                     
KENT CLIFFS                          12.0                     
MIDDLETOWN                           12.0                     
MONROE                               12.0                     
SOMERS                               12.0                     
ALBANY 1 SW                           3.8                     
NEW YORK CENTRAL PARK                 2.9                     

...PENNSYLVANIA...
HAZLETON 1 E                         16.0                     
HUFFS CHURCH                         16.0                     
SPRINGTOWN                           16.0                     
FREELAND 1 S                         14.0                     
TOBYHANNA                            13.3                     
MOSCOW                               13.0                     
WILLIAMS TWP                         13.0                     
ARENDTSVILLE 6 NW                    12.5                     
TOWAMENSING TWP                      12.5                     
LAUREL SUMMIT                        12.2                     
ALBRIGHTSVILLE                       12.0                     
BLUE KNOB                            12.0                     
FAYETTEVILLE 6 ENE                   12.0                     
PHILADELPHIA                          0.3                     

...RHODE ISLAND...
WEST GLOCESTER                        6.6                     
NORTH FOSTER                          6.5                         
                
BURRILLVILLE                          4.5                     
GREENVILLE                            4.0                     

...VIRGINIA...
SKYLAND                               9.0                     
BIG MEADOWS                           8.0                     
LINDEN 2 N                            8.0                     
WILDE ACRES 1 N                       7.4                     
BETHEL 2 ESE                          6.5                     
CEDAR GROVE 2 NE                      6.0                     
FRONT ROYAL                           5.6                                      
WINCHESTER                            5.0                     

...VERMONT...
WEST HALIFAX 0.2 SE                  16.0                     
BRATTLEBORO 2.0 SW                   15.1                     
WILMINGTON                           13.0                     
SPRINGFIELD                           9.5                     
LUDLOW                                7.0                     
WOODSTOCK                             6.0                                     

...WEST VIRGINIA...
MOUNT STORM 2 SSE                    14.0                     
KIRBY 4 WNW                          12.0                     
CHERRY GROVE 6 WSW                   10.0                     
MOUNT PISGAH 2 E                     10.0                     
TERRA ALTA                           10.0                     
BLOOMERY 1 SW                         8.0                     
FRANKLIN 4 W                          8.0                     
SMITH CROSSROADS 1 W                  7.3                     
CORTLAND 2 SW                         6.5                     
ROMNEY 4 E                            6.4                     

Early Mid-Atlantic Snow: Seasonal Harbinger or Freak Event?

Today's remarkably early snowfall "battered" (seriously, the term used by a major media outlet) the Washington, DC metro area with widespread traces of snow. Here at the climate capitalist capitol, at least 100 meters higher than the official reporting location, there are white areas on grass and car tops. The official daily totals through 5 pm (and likely final amounts as the storm moves off to the northeast) are:

Washington National  Trace
Washington Dulles    0.6"
Baltimore BWI        Trace 

The National and BWI amounts tied daily records from 1925 and 1952, respectively. The Dulles amount was a record for the date. However, all 3 totals fell short, in both amount and timing, of the records set for earliest measurable snow on October 10, 1979.

If March snow is rare in Washington, October snow is even rarer. Prior to today, a trace or more of snow had been observed in only 10 Octobers since official snowfall records began in 1888. Only 3 of those had measurable amounts:

1925 2.2"
1940 1.5"
1979 0.3"  

Does such early snowfall have any significance for the remainder of the season? The record says a resounding "No". The chart shows the October snowfall totals (dark blue) along with the entire seasonal amounts for each of the 10 seasons (lighter blue). Three of the snow seasons (1892-93, 1917-18 and 1957-58) had substantially above-average amounts of 30" or more. On the other hand, 3 other seasons had single-digit totals of under 7", including 1972-73, which had the lowest seasonal total on record of 0.1" (tied with 1997-98). Overall, the average of the 10 seasons with October snow was 18.9", just barely above the historical average of 18.2" for all seasons from 1888 through 2011 (green bars on the right).

Image (click to enlarge): October snowfall vs. full-season totals for Washington, DC, 1888-2011; CapitalClimate chart from National Weather Service data, background image © Kevin Ambrose (www.weatherbook.com)

Exceptional Texas Drought Slightly Dented

Images (click to enlarge):
- Texas drought monitor for week ending October 11, 2011 from NOAA/USDA
- Weekly Texas drought conditions from July 2010 to October 2011, CapitalClimate chart from U.S. drought monitor data
- 24-hour precipitation ending 9 am CDT, October 9, 2011 from National Weather Service
- U.S. seasonal drought outlook, October 6 to December 31, 2011 from Climate Prediction Center/NWS

Long-awaited precipitation in the past week has put the first significant dent in the ongoing Texas extreme drought conditions, but 92% of the state remains in the extreme (D3) or exceptional (D4) category. Exceptional drought, the highest category, has dropped from the peak of 88% of the state last week to 73% currently.

Rainfall in the past week as high as 8" in portions of north-central Texas were as much as 6 times the normal amounts, but larger quantities over a more sustained period are needed to continue reducing the extreme drought. Some 24-hour precipitation totals through 9 am CDT, Sunday, October 9, include:

Comanche          8.30”
Dublin            6.10”
Stephenville      5.78”
Cleburne          5.53”
Mineral Wells     5.14”
Goldthwaite       5.00”
Weatherford       4.79”
Breckenridge      4.77”
Hico              4.72”
Waco Lake         4.35”
Waco Airport      4.28”
Palo Pinto        4.00”  

The current drought outlook, released October 6, shows drought persisting through the end of the year in most of Texas, with the exception of some improvement in the panhandle region and adjacent areas of Oklahoma. The outlook was published before the heavy rains of the past weekend, however.

PBS Uses Slow News Day to Cover Keystone XL Pipeline

Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.

The PBS NewsHour used the slow news cycle of the Columbus Day holiday today to cover the Keystone XL pipeline issue:

A Canadian company wants to build a $13 billion, 1,700-mile pipeline to carry crude oil from the so-called tar sands region in Alberta through six states and a major aquifer to Texas for refining. Correspondent Tom Bearden reports from Nebraska on the high-stakes environmental and economic battle over the Keystone XL project.

PBS, which seems to be increasingly outsourcing its news gathering operations, presented a comment by one "JASON BERRINGER, Laborers International Union Local 1140", who said:

I worked with TransCanada before on another pipeline. And I have never had a company like them that took care of environmental issues like they have. They really care about the environment.

This would be the same Jason Berringer who was spotted in a paid pro-pipeline ad on a commercial cable news network within an hour or so of the PBS broadcast.

Speaking of outsourcing, there was no mention of the glaring conflict of interest represented by the State Dept. outsourcing the environmental review to a company with close ties to Keystone:

A few days into the demonstrations, the State Department released the final environmental impact statement on the project, a study three years in the making. It says the pipeline would carry a blend of synthetic crude oil and diluted bitumen and poses no significant impact to the environment.

In a classic example of false equivalence, the feckless reporter concludes, "Both sides accuse each other of playing fast and loose with the truth."

Mid Atlantic Record Low Daily Maximum Temperatures Set or Tied;Update: Washington Ties Record for 2nd Consecutive Day

Image (click to enlarge): U.S. daily high temperatures for October 2, 2011, from Unisys

October 3, Midnight Update: The National Weather Service reported today that Salisbury, Maryland also set a new record low daily maximum temperature for October 2 (Sunday). The high of 55° beat the old record of 56° in 1940. Salisbury climate records date back to 1900.

October 3, 5:30 PM Update: A late surge of sunshine could change the final result, but today's high temperature so far of 53° at Washington National is tied with the record daily low maximum from 1974. The 51° at Dulles has already missed the record of 49°, also from 1974. Baltimore has also missed the record with 56°, vs. the record of 52°, again from the same year.

October 3, 12 PM Update: The preliminary daily high temperatures are confirmed.

Original post:
Unless temperatures inexplicably jump several degrees in the next hour or so, daily record low maximum temperatures for October 2 will be set or tied at all 3 major reporting locations in the Washington/Baltimore area. The high of 58° at Richmond, however, is 4° above the daily record low maximum. The high of 56° at Philadelphia has also missed its record, which is 53° in 1899. Today's preliminary highs and the previous records for the date in parentheses from National Weather Service climate data:

Washington National 52 @ 1253 PM  (52, 1939) 
Washington Dulles   50 @ 1226 PM  (54, 1974)
Baltimore BWI       51 @ 1120 AM  (53, 1939)