This Date in Weather History

In late February 2007 arctic cold had most of the western half of nation in its’ grip, at the same time warm and humid weather covered the eastern states. It was a classic set up of a clash of air masses, that usually results in a violent weather outcome. By the early morning of March 1st a powerful storm was organizing in the southern Rockies. That system would take a track across New Mexico and Oklahoma and then head toward the Ohio Valley. Snow began to fly in the central Rockies and then...

Mild weather had been the rule across the Pacific Northwest for most of the winter of 1994. In fact, when the winter was over it turned out to be the 10th warmest winter in more than 100 years. But in the later days of February an artic airmass that had been building across the Yukon began to slide southward. By the morning of February 28, 1994 it has settled in over Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Record cold gripped the region. Burns Oregon recorded a low temperature of 22 below zero...

For folks suffering in the throes of a harsh winter thoughts often turn to warmer climates and the dream of laying out on the beaches of Hawaii. In fact, the normal high temperature on February 27 is close to 80 in Honolulu. But there are high mountains on the Hawaiian Islands, 3 volcanic peaks extend well above 9,000 and because temperatures can drop as much as 5 ½ degrees for every 1000 feet of elevation that’s a difference from the ground at sea level to that 9,000-foot elevation of about...

The winter of 1645 had been relatively mild across New England. Population growth of European settlers in the region had been slow with only 3,000 living in the area in 1630. But by 1640 14,000 lived in the region and mild winter had encouraged more to come from England and other European lands and by 1645 close to 20,000 where spreading through the area. By February 26 some thought they might get through the winter with no real harsh weather. But it was not to be. A storm churning up the...

From the morning of February 25, 1961 until the next day sheets of rain pounded the Montreal area, at the same time cold air hugged the lowest several thousand feet of the atmosphere, and the result was one of the worst ice storms in history to strike North America. With temperatures in the 20s and winds gusting between 50 and 70mph through the day the rain was pushed into every nook and cranky of the city and suburbs, causing ice to form everywhere that got wet. Ice accumulated as much as 2...

In February 1969 arctic cold had been holding New England in its grip for most of the month and a series of storms had brought snow all across the region. In some places 1-3 feet of snow had already been reported in the first 3 and a half weeks of the month. It was only the beginning. On February 24, 1969 at 1:35am snow began in Boston. The snow continued, almost without let up for 5 days. By the time the snow ended just after noontime on February 28, 26.3” was measured at Boston’s Logan...

On February 23, 1802 a great snowstorm raged across New England, by nightfall when the snow stopped flying, drifts in places near Boston piled up to 4 feet high. In those early days of the republic how did people get around in cities? How were the streets cleaned? According to Marketplace.org; before the mid-1800s, there wasn’t really any effort to get snow off roads. Before 1862, people didn’t use snow plows, they used snow rollers. The way people travelled through snow was by attaching...

Fog and low clouds have been the bane of travelers since the beginning of time. As more people travel in groups and because of modern technology those going from place to place sometimes find themselves at the mercy of the low clouds and fog with no way to escape. From the recent tragic helicopter crash involving Kobe Bryant and his companions to a pile up of cars on an interstate highways, low visibility or lack of visibility at all, contributes to the horrible outcome. Despite the best...

The Pineapple Express is a non-technical term for a meteorological phenomenon characterized by a strong and persistent flow of moisture and associated with heavy rain and snow from the waters near the Hawaiian Islands and extending to locations along the Pacific coast of North America, mainly California. Such weather patterns set up every few years during the winter, the winter is the rainy season on the west coast of the US. In February of 1980 an extreme version of this pattern set up and...

A massive storm developed in Georgia, on February 18th, 2016 spreading snow up the Appalachians and into New England. Blizzard conditions developed in Pennsylvania by the 19th. These conditions forced a closing of Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania. Winds clocked at up to 50 mph during the storm shipped snow into drifts as deep as 20 feet in some sections of north Central Pennsylvania. Drifting snow stranded thousands of motorists, as radio stations remained at full power during the night...

February 16, 1958 marked the end of a massive snowstorm that had developed in the lower Mississippi Valley a few days earlier. The system moved slowly eastward all day on the 14th gathering moisture from the Gulf of Mexico rain fell along the Gulf Coast with increasing intensity. Just as the storm was moving into position to turn up the eastern seaboard an injection of bitter arctic air moved out of eastern Canada and down the coast settling as far south and North Carolina. As the storm...

The Texas Gulf coast is known for hot steamy weather and has been the site of some of the most destructive and deadly hurricanes ever to strike the United States, but on February 15, 1895 a weather extreme of another sort struck the region. In the days leading up to the February 15th artic cold plunged into the south with a vengeance. At the same time a storm was spinning inland in southern California. The cold weather was firmly established by the 14th and that western storm was forced...

On February 14, 1958 in Haleyville, AL 16” of snow fell, an extreme snow event for that area of the country. Because of the snow’s high water equivalent, that is the total water content of the snow, the weight was extremely heavy and it caused many chicken coops in the poultry region to collapse leading to the crushing of many of the chickens inside. The coops were not constructed to withstand the heavy wet snow that fell, since the entire average winter’s snowfall in the region was a mere...

By February 13, 1899 much of the nation had been suffering under the icy grip of the worst arctic outbreak since the founding of the republic. Records that stand even to today had been set in the days previous to February 13, 1899 and more were to fall in the next few days. Because of the persistent week-long cold, Ice flows had formed in Gulf of Mexico causing a hazard to navigation. The temperature on the morning of February 13, 1899 along the Gulf coast sat at incredibly low readings; -16...

February 1899 marked the arrival of perhaps the coldest airmass in move into the United States in recorded history. For more than a week the bitter arctic cold ravaged North America with Blizzards and ice. Records were established that hold even today more than century later. By February 12, 1899 the cold was already firmly established. In previous days the mercury had already dipped to minus 20 in Columbus and Pittsburgh. The day before on the 11th parts of Montana had seen temperatures...

February 11, 1994 dawned cold across the Tennessee Valley, an air mass that originated in the arctic snow fields of the Yukon had in previous days blasted across the northern plains state and by the 11th had settled into much of the nation east of the Rockies. Far to the south a storm was brewing on the Texas Gulf coast and pulling plenty of moisture northward out ahead of it. The cold air was holding on stubbornly in the lowest several thousand feet of the atmosphere in the Tennessee and...

Calama, Chile is one of the driest cities in the world with average annual precipitation of just 0.20”. Located on the Atacama Desert, a plateau in South America. The desert is one of the driest places in the world, as well as the only true desert to receive less precipitation than polar regions. In many locations in the desert it rains but once every 10 years and then in small amounts. But on February 10,1972 a torrential downpour depositing several inches of rain caused catastrophic floods...

On February 9 1969 the fortunes of New York City Mayor John Lindsay were riding high. Mentioned often as possible Presidential contender in the upcoming decade of the 70’s he had done much to win the support of Democrats and Republicans, serving a Democratic city as a Republican. His policies where often hailed as progressive and finically responsible. But his future in politics was about to be undone by the weather. Warned in advance of an impending storm his administration was ill...

Citrus, namely oranges have been farmed commercially in Florida groves since the early 1800s. The first citrus was brought to the Western Hemisphere in 1493 by Christopher Columbus. In the mid-1500s one of the early Spanish explorers, most likely Ponce de Leon, planted the first orange trees around the current location of St. Augustine, Florida. Florida's unique sandy soil and subtropical climate proved to be ideal for growing the seeds that the early settlers planted and have flourished...

The first week of February 2008 was a tough one for the western US as a powerful storm moved onshore. The storm’s height culminated on February 7. There were several areas of very heavy rain with some places having nearly 10“ while winds gusted to more than 100 mph. Loma Prieta, CA had nearly 10“ of rain and Marysville, Ca had just over 9“. Winds gusted to 163 mph near Tahoe City, CA with a 149 mph wind gust at Mammoth Mountain. Snow was also impressive with a whopping 132“ in Kirksville, CA...