New England Anomalous Events

[wxmanmitch]

I should definitely throw in the December 9, 2005 tropopause folding, bombogenesis event. It's not likely we'll see something like this anytime soon. An absolutely amazing event meteorologically.

[CoastalWx]

I should definitely throw in the December 9, 2005 tropopause folding, bombogenesis event. It's not likely we'll see something like this anytime soon. An absolutely amazing event meteorologically.

No doubt. Good one.

[nzucker]

Meh on Jan 04. Given what happened in dec 89 I think jan 04 is blah.

I agree that December '89 is more impressive...having lows getting into the single digits basically every night in early December is crazy for Massachusetts.

[ORH_wxman]

If we could go back 20 years, I'd put September 30, 1992 on there...we had a snow shower that afternoon with a sick early season airmass. It was a rain shower at first but then it came down harder and big flakes mixed in to the point of briefly almost all snow.

But that is nuts for September here. Usally reserved for Mt. Washington or the majestic 4,000 foot peaks around Mt. Mansfield.

[CapturedNature]

How about October 2005? 10+ straight days of measurable rain. We had over 15" of rain and parts of New Hampshire (Alstead), Massachusetts and Connecticut had some of their worst flooding since the 50s. The only thing that saved us was it had been so dry that summer. I know it wasn't the worst in some areas, but it others it was. When old timers start bringing up pictures from 1955 and they compare with 2005, I'd say it was pretty anomalous.

Also, I'd like to submit January 2011 as an "event". I know it was a serious of events but getting 50"+ of snow in a month is pretty rare, especially in SNE.

I agree with the others about the 1998 Ice Storm in NNE and Canada and Dec. 89 if we're going to beyond 10 years.

[CapturedNature]

May 18, 2002 is close enough to 10 years ago to include it....that was definitely very anomalous...snow of any kind in May is very rare, but to have it happen nearly 3 weeks into May is even more anomalous and have it sticking to grass/car tops/foliage

I don't think I'd put it in my top 5, but its close.

I'd agree and the fact that it happened after such a mild winter (at least here) and a couple weeks after we had a heat wave, it makes even more special.

[CoastalWx]

Majestic

[CT Rain]

How about October 2005? 10+ straight days of measurable rain. We had over 15" of rain and parts of New Hampshire (Alstead), Massachusetts and Connecticut had some of their worst flooding since the 50s. The only thing that saved us was it had been so dry that summer. I know it wasn't the worst in some areas, but it others it was. When old timers start bringing up pictures from 1955 and they compare with 2005, I'd say it was pretty anomalous.

Also, I'd like to submit January 2011 as an "event". I know it was a serious of events but getting 50"+ of snow in a month is pretty rare, especially in SNE.

I agree with the others about the 1998 Ice Storm in NNE and Canada and Dec. 89 if we're going to beyond 10 years.

Agreed on oct 05 and jan 11 for this area.

Some of these are just do far ahead of the others like Aug 55, Oct 11, and dec 89 in terms of departures from clim the others don't come close for SNE.

[ORH_wxman]

How about October 2005? 10+ straight days of measurable rain. We had over 15" of rain and parts of New Hampshire (Alstead), Massachusetts and Connecticut had some of their worst flooding since the 50s. The only thing that saved us was it had been so dry that summer. I know it wasn't the worst in some areas, but it others it was. When old timers start bringing up pictures from 1955 and they compare with 2005, I'd say it was pretty anomalous.

Also, I'd like to submit January 2011 as an "event". I know it was a serious of events but getting 50"+ of snow in a month is pretty rare, especially in SNE.

I agree with the others about the 1998 Ice Storm in NNE and Canada and Dec. 89 if we're going to beyond 10 years.

January 2011 was definitely up there for a lot of CT....I think it falls short to January 2005 in most of MA however. January 2005 in SE MA and especially Cape Cod is near the very top of their anomalous list...Some spots had nearly 60" of snow that January.

I think some areas in SW CT probably havent had a month like Jan 2011 in the modern era in terms of total snowfall and snow pack...maybe sometime before 1930.

[NECT]

In no particular order...

1978

1938

1955 (CT Floods)

October 2011

And maybe the floods in Central/NNE last year from Irene

[nzucker]

The cold I experienced in Jan of 2007 up in VT was pretty crazy...spitting and having it freeze before it hit the ground was awesome. It was like 2 weeks straight without the temperature getting above 0 and I remember one day the high temp got into the low 30's and it felt so warm I was outside with only a light jacket!!!!!!!

Wiz, I remember it being cold only after January 17th when an arctic front passed through the Northeast. The first half of January was extremely mild, and it was raining steadily when I returned to campus shortly after New Year's for the start of my second semester at Middlebury. The stretch from 1/17 to the Valentine's Day blizzard was well below average, as you recall.

May 18, 2002 is close enough to 10 years ago to include it....that was definitely very anomalous...snow of any kind in May is very rare, but to have it happen nearly 3 weeks into May is even more anomalous and have it sticking to grass/car tops/foliage

I don't think I'd put it in my top 5, but its close.

We had close to 1" at 1500' in the Poconos...still have pictures I took with my first digital camera of that event.

January 2011 was definitely up there for a lot of CT....I think it falls short to January 2005 in most of MA however. January 2005 in SE MA and especially Cape Cod is near the very top of their anomalous list...Some spots had nearly 60" of snow that January.

I think some areas in SW CT probably havent had a month like Jan 2011 in the modern era in terms of total snowfall and snow pack...maybe sometime before 1930.

The stretch from Jan 20, 1961 to Feb 4, 1961 may have been similar as there were two major blizzards and another moderate snowfall, as well as blisteringly cold temperatures, but it didn't occur in one calendar month of course. I question how historical the 2010-11 winter was in Westchester...the 69.5" of snow here was less than 60-61, 95-96, and 57-58...but it was tied with 66-67. It was the second longest stretch of snow cover at Central Park but for Winter 47-48. Snow depth ranged from about 25" in my backyard after the 1/27 storm to over 30" in shaded cols of the woods near 400' elevation. Although no one factor stood out here in Westchester in 10-11 (biggest snowstorm, biggest seasonal total, coldest temperature, coldest month), the combination of factors may compete for history itself.

[ORH_wxman]

The stretch from Jan 20, 1961 to Feb 4, 1961 may have been similar as there were two major blizzards and another moderate snowfall, as well as blisteringly cold temperatures, but it didn't occur in one calendar month of course. I question how historical the 2010-11 winter was in Westchester...the 69.5" of snow here was less than 60-61, 95-96, and 57-58...but it was tied with 66-67. It was the second longest stretch of snow cover at Central Park but for Winter 47-48. Snow depth ranged from about 25" in my backyard after the 1/27 storm to over 30" in shaded cols of the woods near 400' elevation. Although no one factor stood out here in Westchester in 10-11 (biggest snowstorm, biggest seasonal total, coldest temperature, coldest month), the combination of factors may compete for history itself.

The 2010-2011 winter itself really can't quite measure up to a several others because it ended early and didnt start exceptionally early either...but the month of January 2011 in some of those spots in CT probably is unmatched...at least in the modern era...those areas that got 24" in the Jan 12 storm...got 6-10" in the Jan 7-8 norlun event...and got slammed again on Jan 27 with like 14-16". Just amazing for pretty much anywhere in SNE, but even more so for S CT.

[dryslot]

Feb 22-28 1969, Who remembers those dates and what happened???

[ORH_wxman]

Feb 22-28 1969, Who remembers those dates and what happened???

Its the storm in your avatar. Probably the greatest snowstorm on record for NNE...though most of E MA did plenty well also with 2-3 feet of snow....it was just overshadowed in E MA 9 years later by Feb '78 blizzard....but Feb '69 remains the #1 snowstorm in several spots like Blue Hill, Ray's area (Reading coop), most of NE MA actually...its the #3 all time storm at BOS.

Probably the least talked about of the monsters that hit NE...it did give most of CT and W MA the shaft though.

[dryslot]

Its the storm in your avatar. Probably the greatest snowstorm on record for NNE...though most of E MA did plenty well also with 2-3 feet of snow....it was just overshadowed in E MA 9 years later by Feb '78 blizzard....but Feb '69 remains the #1 snowstorm in several spots like Blue Hill, Ray's area (Reading coop), most of NE MA actually...its the #3 all time storm at BOS.

Probably the least talked about of the monsters that hit NE...it did give most of CT and W MA the shaft though.

Yes Will, Spot on, Storm stalled in the GOM that year for a few days, Blizz 78 was mostly a miss here but i remember that year as being a very cold winter as i worked construction and we had a stretch of sub zero temps(-20's) and a stretch of single digits and below daytime temps in Feb

[OKpowdah]

How about October 2005? 10+ straight days of measurable rain. We had over 15" of rain and parts of New Hampshire (Alstead), Massachusetts and Connecticut had some of their worst flooding since the 50s. The only thing that saved us was it had been so dry that summer. I know it wasn't the worst in some areas, but it others it was. When old timers start bringing up pictures from 1955 and they compare with 2005, I'd say it was pretty anomalous.

Also, I'd like to submit January 2011 as an "event". I know it was a serious of events but getting 50"+ of snow in a month is pretty rare, especially in SNE.

I agree with the others about the 1998 Ice Storm in NNE and Canada and Dec. 89 if we're going to beyond 10 years.

yeah I mentioned October 2005 also. Epicenter was pretty much in my backyard

[nzucker]

Its the storm in your avatar. Probably the greatest snowstorm on record for NNE...though most of E MA did plenty well also with 2-3 feet of snow....it was just overshadowed in E MA 9 years later by Feb '78 blizzard....but Feb '69 remains the #1 snowstorm in several spots like Blue Hill, Ray's area (Reading coop), most of NE MA actually...its the #3 all time storm at BOS.

Probably the least talked about of the monsters that hit NE...it did give most of CT and W MA the shaft though.

68-69 had a weird 500mb pattern for a weak Niño, but it worked out. If I recall correctly, that El Niño was west-based, however, which tends to be the most favorable. The following year was more east-based, and led to a cold but slightly less snowy winter (at least for NYC, where 68-69 was considered the better of the two years...30.2" fell total including 15.3" in the Lindsay storm, while 69-70 had just 25.6"). That was one of the few times we've seen two official Niños in a row, although 86-87/87-88 was a stronger pair of warm ENSO events. In terms of the 500mb, February '69 was a little bit similar to February '10 in terms of an historic -NAO block leading to multiple notable snowstorms...in 1969, it was the 9-10 and 22-28 (100 hr storm) whereas in 2010 we had storms on the 5th, 10th, 24th, and 25th...

The Pacific was very poor in Feb '69, which may have caused waves to eject further north and limit the major snows to NYC north:

In 2010, although some degree of Pacific troughing limited our cold air source, the -PNA was weak and some ridging from the monster -NAO hooked up with a high pressure north of AK, allowing the mid-Atlantic to benefit:

[free_man]

Feb Windstorm '10?

My 'hood...good luck getting home, nevermind electricity. That low level jet was ridiculous.

[dendrite]

Feb Windstorm '10?

My 'hood...good luck getting home, nevermind electricity. That low level jet was ridiculous.

Nice event. If you go out further than 10 yrs, Nov 1950 trumps it with the widespread 100mph gusts.

[tamarack]

Anybody want to guess the coldest avg Jan temp in Caribou?

Coming late to the thread so somebody has probably answered already...

Jan 1994 is CAR's coldest, mean was a bit under -1.

ORH's top 5 look reasonable, though only 2 (1/04 and 3/12) did much up my way. Jan '04 was only 8th coldest for Farmington, though the high of -8 on 1/14 ties 2/13/67 for 3rd coldest maximum. Both 12/30/17 and 1/9/68 topped out at -11. Their coldest Jan was 1982, 5.2F colder than 2004, with #2 - 1994 - only 1F less cold than 1982.

I'd also add March 2012, even though it wasn't as warm, on avg, as March 2010. However, Farmington's all time high for the month had been 79, and this year they had 80/82/83 on consecutive days - their normal high for those dates is 42, and that 40-41F positive departure is the greatest for any daily maximum in their 119-yr records.

I also support those who wish to extend the period to 15 years to capture Jan 1998. The ice storm did more to affect my routine (and as a forester, my job), and also that for many many others, than any other wx event of my experience. For me, only the 1953 ice storm in NNJ comes close.

Where does Patriot's Day 2007 fit?

[HoarfrostHubb]

The 1998 Ice Storm has to be one of the top 5 New England wx events in the last 100 years, never mind the last 10-15...

Maybe top 10 (edit)

[dryslot]

The 1998 Ice Storm has to be one of the top 5 New England wx events in the last 100 years, never mind the last 10-15...

Maybe top 10 (edit)

1.25-1.75" was common with 2-4" ice execration in a lot of places was devastating up here, It was +RN all night long and temps holding steady at 24F, It was a constant sound of trees snapping and transformers popping....

[tamarack]

Feb 22-28 1969, Who remembers those dates and what happened???

Farmington...43" and 84" total snow depth.

Long Falls Dam...56".

Pinkham Notch...77" and something like 156" OG.

That 1961 stretch 1/19-2/5 was incredibly anomalous for NNJ. I didn't measure the snow depth IMBY on 2/5 but it was over 40". The three nearby (10-15 miles) reservior COOP sites got to 52", 50", and 47". The one hitting 50" also got to 41" in Jan 1948. I can find no other NJ snow depth over 36". I also read that 1/2 to 2/3 (depends on who was estimating) of the NNJ deer herd perished that winter.

Edit: 1998 accretion IMBY was 1.5" to 1.75". Greatest I saw was on the top of Greenwood Hill (state land in Hebron, the old W.Maine Sanitorium) where I measured ice 3" by 2.25" on a 0.2" twig. Size of a Pringles tube.

[Baroclinic Zone]

Dec 9, 2005.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&ved=0CFMQFjAF&url=https%3A%2F%2Fams.confex.com%2Fams%2Fpdfpapers%2F126185.pdf&ei=jwslUID8AaOM6QHulIDwBA&usg=AFQjCNHbUJxC-jLBGKMkJ-Sm1jQ9RAGi0A&cad=rja

[ORH_wxman]

The 1998 Ice Storm has to be one of the top 5 New England wx events in the last 100 years, never mind the last 10-15...

Maybe top 10 (edit)

Yes it probably is...top 5 in the past 100 years would likely be:

1. Hurricane of '38

2. 1955 Floods

3. October 2011 Snowstorm

4. December 1989 (if you thought -14 was an impressive departure, spots in NNE had a -20)

5. January 1998 Ice storm

There's a few others you could argue belong in top 5 over the '98 ice storm...but its def top 10 either way. Some others in the past 100 years that def could be worthy are:

-1953 ORH tornado (ridiculous event but obviously tornadoes do not affect a huge area like synoptic events)

-Blizzard of '78

-Hurricane Carol

-Nov 1950 wind storm

-Feb 1934 cold outbreak

-Sept 1953 heat wave

-May 1977 snowstorm

[dendrite]

Yes it probably is...top 5 in the past 100 years would likely be:

1. Hurricane of '38

2. 1955 Floods

3. October 2011 Snowstorm

4. December 1989 (if you thought -14 was an impressive departure, spots in NNE had a -20)

5. January 1998 Ice storm

There's a few others you could argue belong in top 5 over the '98 ice storm...but its def top 10 either way. Some others in the past 100 years that def could be worthy are:

-1953 ORH tornado (ridiculous event but obviously tornadoes do not affect a huge area like synoptic events)

-Blizzard of '78

-Hurricane Carol

-Nov 1950 wind storm

-Feb 1934 cold outbreak

-Sept 1953 heat wave

-May 1977 snowstorm

Pretty much agree. May want to include the Aug 2012 dewpoints too.

[CoastalWx]

The 1955 floods were extreme when you look back at some of the reports and damage.

[CT Rain]

Yes it probably is...top 5 in the past 100 years would likely be:

1. Hurricane of '38

2. 1955 Floods

3. October 2011 Snowstorm

4. December 1989 (if you thought -14 was an impressive departure, spots in NNE had a -20)

5. January 1998 Ice storm

There's a few others you could argue belong in top 5 over the '98 ice storm...but its def top 10 either way. Some others in the past 100 years that def could be worthy are:

-1953 ORH tornado (ridiculous event but obviously tornadoes do not affect a huge area like synoptic events)

-Blizzard of '78

-Hurricane Carol

-Nov 1950 wind storm

-Feb 1934 cold outbreak

-Sept 1953 heat wave

-May 1977 snowstorm

I agree with this list. In terms of anomalies I wonder if 1938 is not as anomalous as we're giving it credit for. Return time of 100 years? Seems like some of the other events may have long return times.

[CT Rain]

The 1955 floods were extreme when you look back at some of the reports and damage.

30" in a few days... pretty exceptional.

[ORH_wxman]

Pretty much agree. May want to include the Aug 2012 dewpoints too.

I'm actually probably forgetting an event or two that could be on there as well. Maybe the August 1944 heat wave...but I think Sept 1953 is more impressive so I didn't include it...but it was a long heat wave. One of the longest for the region. Ditto for the tornado last year...crazy impressive event, but not up to par versus 1953.