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Joe’s Disco Weather Central Time Capsule
Hi
everybody and welcome! It looks like the winter of 2002-2003 is going to be a
really harsh one with a line up of storms marching across the U.S. from the
West Coast. Last weeks storm followed the jet stream through the central part
of the country and picked up lots of tropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico
and turned into a major nor’easter. As I write this column, there are at least
two more threats to the Northeast over the next 10 days. A lot of this can be
blamed on El Nino. Speaking of El Nino, Prof. William Grey released his
extended forecast for the 2003 hurricane season. The 2003 hurricane season will
run from June 1st till November 30th of 2003. He predicts
we will have 12 named storms, 8 of them will be hurricanes. There will be 65
named storm days, 35 of them will be hurricane days. He predicts there will be
3 intense hurricanes and 8 intense hurricane days. The probability for at least
one major category 3,4 or 5 hurricane making landfall in each of the following
areas are as follows:
1.
Entire U.S. coastline is 68%. The average for the last century
is 52%.
2.
U. S. East Coast including the peninsula of Florida is 48%.
The average for the last century is 31%.
3.
Gulf Coast from the Florida panhandle west to Brownsville
Texas is 38%. The average for the last century is 30%.
4.
There is an above average risk for a major hurricane to make
landfall in the Caribbean.
As you can see the 2003 season
looks to be very active in part due to the influx of El Nino. These forecasts
will be updated next year as the season moves closer. I will update this
information as it becomes available.
Now, on to
the Time Capsule.
Here are some past National Weather
Events.
- December
13, 1962 -- A severe Florida
freeze occurred. Morning lows reached 35 degrees at Miami, 18 degrees at
Tampa, and 12 degrees at Jacksonville. It was the coldest December weather
of the 20th century and caused millions of dollars damage to crops and
foliage. In Georgia, the morning low of 9 degrees below zero at
Blairsville established a state record for the month of December.
- December 13, 1987 -- A major winter
storm produced high winds and heavy snow in the Southern Rockies and the
Southern High Plains. Snowfall totals in New Mexico ranged up to 25 inches
at Cedar Crest, with up to three feet of snow reported in the higher
elevations. Winds of 75 mph, with gusts to 124 mph, were reported
northeast of Albuquerque N.M.. El Paso Texas was buried under 22.4 inches
of snow, including a single storm record of 16.8 inches in 24 hours. The
snowfall total surpassed their previous record for an entire winter season
of 18.4 inches. Record cold was experienced the next three nights as
readings dipped into the single numbers. High winds ushering unseasonably
cold air into the southwestern U.S. gusted to 100 mph at Grapevine Calif
- December 14, 1924 -- . The
temperature at Helena Montana plunged 79 degrees in 24 hours, and 88
degrees in 34 hours. The mercury plummeted from 63 above to 25 below zero.
At Fairfield Montana the temperature plunged 84 degrees in just 12 hours,
from 63 at Noon to 21 below zero at midnight.
- December 14, 1987 -- A powerful storm
spread heavy snow from the Southern High Plains to the Middle Mississippi
Valley, and produced severe thunderstorms in the Lower Mississippi Valley.
During the evening a tornado hit West Memphis Tenn. killing six persons and injuring two
hundred others. The tornado left 1500 persons homeless, and left all of
the residents of Crittendon County without electricity. Kansas City Mo.
was blanketed with 10.8 inches of snow, a 24 hour record for December, and
snowfall totals in the Oklahoma panhandle ranged up to 14 inches. Strong
winds, gusting to 63 mph at Austin Texas, ushered arctic cold into the
Great Plains, and caused considerable blowing and drifting of snow.
- December 14, 1989 -- High winds and
heavy snow prevailed from Montana to Colorado. Snowfall totals in Wyoming
ranged up to 20 inches at Burgess Junction, leaving up to 48 inches on the
ground in the northeast sections of the state. Wind gusts in Colorado
reached 87 mph south of the town of Rollinsville. Strong northwesterly
winds continued to produce heavy snow squalls in the Great Lakes Region.
Totals in northeastern Lower Michigan ranged up to 29 inches at Hubbard
Lake, with 28 inches reported at Posen. Two day totals in northeastern
Wisconsin ranged up to thirty inches.
- December 15, 1839 -- The first of
triple storms hit Massachusetts Bay. The storm produced whole gales, and
more than 20 inches of snow in interior New England. There was great loss
of life at Gloucester Mass.
- December 15, 1987 -- A major winter
storm hit the Great Lakes Region, intensifying explosively as it crossed
northern Illinois. High winds and heavy snow created blizzard conditions
in southeastern Wisconsin. Winds gusted to 73 mph, and snowfall totals
ranged up to 17 inches at LaFarge. The barometric pressure at Chicago Ill.
dropped three quarters of an inch in six hours to 28.96 inches, a record
low reading for December. Up to a foot of snow blanketed northern
Illinois, and winds in the Chicago area gusted to 75 mph. O'Hare Airport
in Chicago was closed for several hours, for only the fourth time in
twenty years. High winds derailed train cars at Avon Ind.. Light winds and
partly sunny skies were reported near the center of the storm, a feature
typical of tropical storms.
- December 16, 1835 -- New England
experienced one of their coldest days of record. At noon on that bitterly
cold Wednesday the mercury stood at four degrees below at Boston, 15
degrees below at Norfolk Conn., and 17 degrees below at Hanover N.H.. The
temperature at Boston was 12 degrees below zero by sunset. Gale force
winds accompanied the severe cold, and that night a great New York City
fire destroyed much of the financial district.
- December 16, 1989 -- Fifty-seven
cities from the Southern and Central Plains to the Appalachians reported
record low temperatures for the date, including North Platte N.D. with a
reading of 17 degrees below zero. Squalls in the Great Lakes Region
produced 18 inches of snow at Syracuse N.Y., and 30 inches at Carlisle
Ind.. Low pressure brought heavy snow to northern New England, with 18
inches reported at Derby Vt. and Saint Johnsbury Vt.
- December 18, 1957 -- A tornado swept
across Jackson County, Williamson County and Franklin County in southern
Illinois killing eleven persons.
- December 18, 1986 -- A strong winter
storm, which developed off the coast of New Jersey and moved out to sea,
lashed the northeastern U.S. with high winds, heavy rain, and heavy snow.
The storm left snowfall amounts of up to 30 inches in Vermont, 24 inches
in Massachusetts, and 20 inches in New Hampshire. The highest rainfall
amounts approached four inches in southern New England, where winds gusted
to 70 mph.
- December 17, 1924 -- The Riverside
Ranger Station in Yellowstone Park Wyoming reported a low of 59 degrees
below zero, a December record for the U.S.
- December 17, 1957 -- A tornado, 200
yards in width, killed two persons along its 15-mile path from near Waldo
to near Bueana Vista in southwestern Arkansas. People from one house were
carried 250 yards, and cars were said to have been carried 600 yards.
- December 18, 1836 -- A famous cold
wave occurred in central Illinois. A cold front with 70 mph winds swept
through at Noon dropping the temperature from 40 degrees to near zero in a
matter of minutes. Many settlers froze to death. Folklore told of chickens
frozen in their tracks and men frozen to saddles. Ice in streams
reportedly froze to six inches in a few hours.
- December 20, 1987 -- Heavy snow fell
in the northern mountains of Colorado, with 15 inches reported in the Mary
Jane ski area. Strong and gusty winds prevailed from the Northern High
Plains to the Great Lakes. Winds gusted to 54 mph at Buffalo N.Y., and
reached 66 mph at Livingston Montana. Rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow
fell across New England, with up to seven inches of snow in Maine.
- December 20, 1989 -- Brutal northwest winds ushered bitter
cold arctic air into the north central U.S. International Falls Minn. and
Warroad Minn. tied for honors as the cold spot in the nation with morning
lows of 34 degrees below zero. Minot ND reported a wind chill reading of
81 degrees below zero. Squalls produced more heavy snow in the Great Lakes
Region. Erie Pa. received 21 inches of snow, including four inches in one
hour, to bring their total snow cover to 39 inches, an all-time record for
that location.
Now for some local past weather events…
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December 13-14, 1962 -- Statewide -- Severe Cold
Outbreak caused by a huge arctic high brought all-time record lows for December
to over 3-dozen cities. Lows ranged from the single digit and teens in north
Florida to the 20s central and low 30s south. Lows reached 5 degrees in
DeFuniak Springs, 30 in Fort Lauderdale, 22 in Melbourne, 27 in Naples, 12 in
Gainesville, 22 in St. Petersburg, and 29 in Hollywood.
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December 13, l984 -- Santa Rosa Co., Milton -- Tornado
damaged six houses and destroyed four mobile homes.
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December l4, l952 -- north Florida -- Snow and Sleet --
Trace of snow or sleet at or near Pensacola, Crestview, DeFuniak Springs,
Quincy, Carrabelle, Tallahassee, St. Marks, Monticello, Madison, Mayo, Live
Oak, Lake City, Glen St. Mary, and Hilliard. Frozen precipitation occurred
before noon at most points, but occurred in the afternoon at Mayo and Lake City
and near Hilliard. Temperatures were above freezing and snow or sleet melted as
it fell.
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December 14, 1953 -- Jackson Co. -- Sleet was reported
in Marianna.
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December 15, 1947 -- Escambia Co., Pensacola -- A
Tornado caused major damage to several buildings, injuring four people.
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December 15-16, l992 -- Martin and West Palm Beach Cos.
--High winds caused high waves and beach erosion along the east coast. A
50-year-old beach house on Jupiter Island tumbled into the ocean after sand eroded
beneath it.
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December l6, l974 -- Several small tornadoes touched
down in Sarasota, Charlotte, and Palm Beach Cos., toppling trees and damaging
some roofs.
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December l7, l97l -- S. West Palm Beach Co. -- A Funnel
Cloud was sighted.
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December l8, 1929 -- Santa Rosa County -- A tornado
struck Cedar Grove, damaging a church and five houses. One woman was injured.
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December 18, l95l -- Jacksonville -- Tornado caused
major damage to roofs of two houses and minor damage to roofs of seven others.
-- Evening -- St. Petersburg -- A Tornado demolished a storage shed, wrecked a
garage, and caused other lesser damage to buildings and signs. --Evening --
Frostproof, Lake Moody -- Tornado uprooted some citrus trees and damaged the
fruit of many others.
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December 19-21, 1901 -- statewide --Major Freeze with
low temperatures of 17 degrees reported at Tallahassee, 19 at Gainesville, 20
at Ocala and 25 at Orlando.
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December 19-20, l991 -- Broward, Dade, Martin, Palm
Beach Co. -- High Winds -- Strong easterly winds and heavy surf pounded the
lower east coast. Winds gusted to 44 mph at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood
International Airport, causing significant beach erosion due to the pounding
surf. Parts of A1A were closed as sand blew across the roadway.
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December 19, 1995 -- Gadsden Co. 1 mile north of Mt.
Pleasant --An F2 tornado destroyed a mobile home carrying the two residents
over 125 yards. The men were found four hours later. One man (50)
was dead, while the other, his brother, was severely injured. Items from
the dwelling were found three miles away.
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December 20, l993 -- Walton Co., Sandestin -- two
workers were injured when lightning struck near a construction site.
That’s it for this week’s Time Capsule, I hope you enjoy it.
If you have any weather questions or want me to cover a certain topic in the
column, please e-mail me at JOESDISCOWEATHER@AOL.COM.
As always for the latest in severe and winter weather updates go to
JOESDISCOWEATHERCENTRAL.COM! You can also join me every Saturday morning for a
free cup of coffee and a free copy of the Hometown News at the Stuart K Mart
Garden Center!