Spring Banter

[dmillz25]

It was the closest that I ever experienced to little ice age conditions. I wish there were satellite images

available at the time to show all the ice on the local waterways. The May northeast snowstorm was

possibly the best latest event since the early 1800's.

NY Times Headline..

The Last Hurrah of a Feisty Winter Brings the Latest Spring Snow Ever.

The winter of 1976-77 was an exceptionally cold one in the central and eastern U.S., during which snowflakes were seen in metro Miami

The latest spring snowstorm ever recorded in the New York metropolitan region blustered over much of the Northeast...closing schools, snarling traffic and cloaking newly plowed fields and the delicate blossoms of May in a harsh reprise of winter.

In New York City, snow fell briefly in midmorning and in the early afternoon as a day of intermittent rain, sleet and hail passed drearily. The snow on May 9 was the latest record in any spring since record-keeping begain in 1869. The previous record for the latest spring snow was May 4 set in 1946. And that was just sleet.

May 9, 1977 -- A late season snowstorm hit parts of Pennsylvania, New York State, and southern and central New England. Heavier snowfall totals included 27 inches at Slide Mountain New York and 20 inches at Norfolk, Connecticut. At Boston it was the first May snow in 107 years of records. The heavy wet snow caused extensive damage to trees and power lines. The homes of half a million people were without power following the storm.

Snowfall Amounts included:

Norfolk: 20"

Hartford: 1.3" (all on 5/9)

Worcester: 12.7" (11.4" on 5/9; 1.3" on 5/10)

Boston: 0.5" (Trace on 5/9; 0.5" on 5/10)

New York City: Trace (all on 5/9)

Newark: Trace (all on 5/9)

Providence: 7.0" (6.7" on 5/9; 0.3" on 5/10)

That looks like something that would happen in Denver

[bluewave]

That's insane, near 2 feet in May?

 

 

That looks like something that would happen in Denver

 

Or further back in time.

 

https://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/record-late-season-snowfalls

 

Some Historic Pre-NWS Late Season Snowstorms

The May 4th Snowstorm in 1774

A general snowfall of around 4” occurred from northern Virginia to southern New England. Both Philadelphia and New York City reported “a considerable quantity of snow”. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both noted the event in their diaries.

The Great April Fools Day Snow of 1807

Probably the deepest April snowfall in modern history occurred on April 1, 1807 from Illinois to the Mid-Atlantic. The track of the storm was not the usual coastal nor’easter variety that normally produces great snows but rather the low moved northeast from the lower Tennessee Valley and across the mid-Atlantic states and offshore around New York City. To the north of the storm path incredible snowfalls were reported. The westernmost report we have came from Vincennes on the Illinois-Indiana border with an 11” accumulation but it was in Pennsylvania, New York and New England that astonishing snowfall was reported including: 52” at Montrose, Pennsylvania near Scranton; 54” at Utica, New York, 52” at Lunenburg, Vermont; 60” at Danville, Vermont; 48” at Montpelier, Vermont; and 42-48” at Norfolk, Connecticut.

The June 1816 Snows of the ‘Year without Summer’

Most famous of all cold and snowy late season events would have to be the infamous 1816 ‘Year without Summer’ and the snowfall in June that occurred in the eastern U.S. and Canada. On June 6th accumulating snow was observed as far south as the Catskills in New York (where one inch was reported) and highlands of central and northwest Pennsylvania. Snowflakes were seen at sea level as far south as ten miles north of tidewater on the Hudson River just north of New York City. The deepest accumulations were reported in the mountains of Vermont where drifts of 12-18” were measured. Quebec City in Canada reported 12” on level with drifts up to two feet deep.

The even Greater Snow of June 1842

It should be noted that June snowfall in the Northeast is not a unique event to 1816. On June 11, 1842 widespread snow fell over northern New York and New England and snowflakes were observed in Cleveland, Ohio; Boston, Massachusetts; and even Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (a low elevation site). Accumulations of 10-12” were common in Vermont, so this event was actually more extreme than the more famous snow of June 1816.

[NorthShoreWx]

I know the greatest extent was 76-77.

 

 

2.4.1.1 Freezing of Long Island Sound

There is evidence that substantial portions of Long Island Sound have frozen, significantly impacting vessel transits. Although unable to locate historical records confirming ice formation across the Sound, as part of this Report, COTP Long Island Sound surveyed commercial operators with extensive histories of operation on the Sound, to determine the extent of ice formation. From the mariner information, it is apparent that large portions of Long Island Sound have indeed frozen over sufficiently to impede vessel traffic.

In 1977, from the first week in January through the second week of February, most of Long Island Sound was frozen over. The waters at Execution Rock on the western end of the Sound were solid ice. Commercial deep draft vessel traffic was not impeded in the Sound as the shipping lanes remained open, but operation in the harbors was limited strictly to daylight. Riverhead Platform was inaccessible by tankers or barges due to the pressure created by ice pushing on vessels, making mooring exceptionally difficult and causing mooring lines to break once vessels were moored up. Lighted aids to navigation in the sound were off station or missing, and were extinguished; ice buoys replaced buoys for navigation. Ice was 2-3 feet thick in certain portions of the Sound.

During the winter of 1967-68, the Port Jefferson to Bridgeport ferry was unable to transit out of Port Jefferson Harbor due to ice that extended out past the entrance to the harbor to a thickness where a crew was able to conduct welding operations on one of the Port Jefferson ferries from the ice. Also that year, there was heavy pack ice between the Connecticut River and the Thames River, causing difficulty of passage for commercial vessels. That same winter, Gardiners Bay, Long Island, froze completely across.⁸³ During the winter of 1917 to 1918, cars were apparently driven across the Sound in the vicinity of Port Jefferson, NY.⁸⁴ 

Historic data also indicates that, during the winter of 1779-1780, "Long Island Sound was almost completely clogged with ice, and people were able to cross from Long Island to the vicinity of Stamford" Connecticut for several days, and that people were able to cross other areas of the western Sound, including from Connecticut to Lloyd’s Neck, Long Island.⁸⁵ 

 

 

This was only last year (Feb 28 2015) at Short Beach in Smithtown:

 

[donsutherland1]

This was only last year (Feb 28 2015) at Short Beach in Smithtown:

 

20150228SeaIce-218e1s800.jpg

Amazing image.

[uncle W]

1977 was a crazy year and the weather was also...January was the second coldest on record...March was a top ten warmest...the coldest temp was 24 on the 25th...three days later it was in the low 80's...April had a cold wave with temperatures in the mid 20's on the 9th...three days later the temp hit 90...at the time it was the earliest 90 day on record...buy the end of the month there was a cold rain with min of 38...it was 36 degrees with wet snow May 9th...it hit 90 again on May 17th...June 77 was a relatively a cool month...July and August were hot...

[bluewave]

Big congrats to our poster WxMidwest on getting his paper published.

 

http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/MWR-D-15-0289.1

[Jason WX]

Oklahoma dealing with tornadoes as usual. 

[HailMan06]

Oklahoma dealing with tornadoes as usual.

And my seasonal allergies are picking up again from last year.

[donsutherland1]

Big congrats to our poster WxMidwest on getting his paper published.

 

http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/MWR-D-15-0289.1

Agreed. This is great news.

[masomenos]

May 1977 was pretty incredible. I believe the polar vortex was displaced all the way down to Philly at one point. Crazy stuff

[Drz1111]

You don't even need to go that far back for LATE May snows in the northeast. How quickly they forget May 18, 2002. I swear to god, I thought I was having a drug-induced hallucination when I looked out the window after I woke up.

[Jason215]

That's a really good question, and I've often thought of it myself. To be honest, I'd say it'd be the Spring equivalent of a late April snow. Maybe somewhere between the 20th and the 30th. It contradicts my previous date by a little, but I usually compare October to May, November to April, and December to March. Keep in mind, the beginning of October would be more like the end of May, and the end of October would be more like the beginning of May. Same goes for the rest of them. My reasoning is that in the Fall you're going from warmer to cooler temps, and in the Spring cooler to warmer. Now, the average temps won't align exactly, and that's just my un-scientific system I like to use. Someone else might be able to help you out a little better.

u.

I agree with your comparisons, but I think It's slightly easier to snow on April 1st vs Nov 30th.. I can only recall 2 November snowstorms in my life. One was on Thanksgiving in the late 1980s and the other was a week after hurricane Sandy.. I think during the same timeframe we've had maybe half a dozen April snows..

And I also feel March has slightly better odds than December.. I can remember so many warm Decembers or at the very least kiss the first half goodbye because of balmy weather..with March, I always felt like we had hope for snow for the first half.. When we had that blizzard on Dec 5th 2003 or 2004.. It really stood out.. My Dad said back in the "old days" December used to be cold.. Perhaps there has been a shift or a delay in the onset of winter weather in December over the last 30 ..40+ years..

Jason

[Jason215]

That's a really good question, and I've often thought of it myself. To be honest, I'd say it'd be the Spring equivalent of a late April snow. Maybe somewhere between the 20th and the 30th. It contradicts my previous date by a little, but I usually compare October to May, November to April, and December to March. Keep in mind, the beginning of October would be more like the end of May, and the end of October would be more like the beginning of May. Same goes for the rest of them. My reasoning is that in the Fall you're going from warmer to cooler temps, and in the Spring cooler to warmer. Now, the average temps won't align exactly, and that's just my un-scientific system I like to use. Someone else might be able to help you out a little better.

u.

I agree with your comparisons, but I think It's slightly easier to snow on April 1st vs Nov 30th.. I can only recall 2 November snowstorms in my life. One was on Thanksgiving in the late 1980s and the other was a week after hurricane Sandy.. I think during the same timeframe we've had maybe half a dozen April snows..

And I also feel March has slightly better odds than December.. I can remember so many warm Decembers or at the very least kiss the first half goodbye because of balmy weather..with March, I always felt like we had hope for snow for the first half.. When we had that blizzard on Dec 5th 2003 or 2004.. It really stood out.. My Dad said back in the "old days" December used to be cold.. Perhaps there has been a shift or a delay in the onset of winter weather in December over the last 30 ..40+ years..

Jason

[Jason215]

Mid to later in April since that would be the same average temperatures as the end of October.

Early May would be even more extreme than the end of October since the average daily

temperature is closer to 60 instead of 53 near the end of October.

;Do you think besides air temperature, other factors can play into this.. Such as SSTs or would SSTs already be factored into the air temperature averages? For example, for the October 30th 2011 event, the entire immediate North Shore of LI had no snow on the ground due to it's proximity to the relatively warm LI sound, do those same locales have a higher air temperature average in October than places say 5-10 miles removed from the water? For some reason, I feel the Oct 30th event was so very special because even a 2.9 inch snowfall for KNYC a month later on Nov 30th would still be quite a rare event..

Thanks Bluewave, I really enjoy reading your very informative posts!

-Jason

[Jason215]

Mid to later in April since that would be the same average temperatures as the end of October.

Early May would be even more extreme than the end of October since the average daily

temperature is closer to 60 instead of 53 near the end of October.

;Do you think besides air temperature, other factors can play into this.. Such as SSTs or would SSTs already be factored into the air temperature averages? For example, for the October 30th 2011 event, the entire immediate North Shore of LI had no snow on the ground due to it's proximity to the relatively warm LI sound, do those same locales have a higher air temperature average in October than places say 5-10 miles removed from the water? For some reason, I feel the Oct 30th event was so very special because even a 2.9 inch snowfall for KNYC a month later on Nov 30th would still be quite a rare event..

Thanks Bluewave, I really enjoy reading your very informative posts!

-Jason

[Jason215]

Based on average temperatures, mid-April.

http://www.weather.gov/media/okx/Climate/CentralPark/DailyAvgTNormals.pdf

Thank you Don, great chart.

Jason

[Guest Pamela]

Wow, really interesting. I bet a lot of people believed it considering how bad the Winter they had that year was.

 

The severity of the winters of  the late 1970's is being so overdone here it is hard to believe.  Fortunately, I am here to set the record straight.

 

The idea that the harshness of that troika of winters was unprecedented was one of the unchallenged assumptions of my (slightly) younger years...and I must confess that I approach the debunking of this myth with considerable trepidation. 

 

The first one, 1976-77, *was* extremely cold...especially January 1977...but produced less than 25 inches of snow for the entire winter.  The ground was bare most of the time.  Buffalo had an amazing winter, NYC was not invited to the party.

 

The 1977-78 winter...really the most severe of the three...was almost snowless until mid January in NYC.  NYC missed an ice storm (barely) around 16 January (it was a very good ice storm on LI)...and then got the first big January snow event (13 inches in CPK) on the 21st.  It was under forecast so it seemed worse than it was.  It melted in a week because of the huge Ohio Valley Blizzard (a lake cutter) near the end of January.  The last storm was on 6 February (17 inches at CPK...around 12 inches at LGA...though LGA *may* have under measured)...and nothing the rest of the month.  There was a small event in March.

 

The 1978-79 winter was basically nothing...a decent snow event at the end of a severe cold wave in mid February (PD I)..about 13 inches in NYC...followed by a quick thaw thereafter...and that's it.

 

Those three winters do not come anywhere *near* the severity of what we experienced in say '10, '11, '14, or '15. 

 

Despite the passage of time lending "classic" or "historic" significance to what was...when viewed objectively...a rather pedestrian three year interval...the myths persist.

 

Those three winters were OK...they were certainly notable.  But I put them in the same category I would put the 2005-06 season...the winter looks good...if you don't look too close.

[Guest Pamela]

;Do you think besides air temperature, other factors can play into this.. Such as SSTs or would SSTs already be factored into the air temperature averages? For example, for the October 30th 2011 event, the entire immediate North Shore of LI had no snow on the ground due to it's proximity to the relatively warm LI sound, do those same locales have a higher air temperature average in October than places say 5-10 miles removed from the water? For some reason, I feel the Oct 30th event was so very special because even a 2.9 inch snowfall for KNYC a month later on Nov 30th would still be quite a rare event..

Thanks Bluewave, I really enjoy reading your very informative posts!

-Jason

 

Out on Long Island...the chances of snow the last 15 days of November and the first 15 days of April are pretty close...April snows have been pretty rare recently though. 

 

The average ocean temperature off LI is about 60 F in mid November...and around 40 F at the start of April...thus one of the reasons snow on LI is pretty uncommon before mid December.  But the overlooked element is that the general storm track for December is not a snow track for this area...most significant mid latitude cyclones cut into the Lakes or up the St Lawrence Valley or ride along the US / Canadien border...the Hatteras to Cape Cod Track does not usually establish itself until mid January due to the various semi permanent pressure systems around the globe and the climatology they both reflect and affect.

[Guest Pamela]

u.

I agree with your comparisons, but I think It's slightly easier to snow on April 1st vs Nov 30th.. I can only recall 2 November snowstorms in my life. One was on Thanksgiving in the late 1980s and the other was a week after hurricane Sandy.. I think during the same timeframe we've had maybe half a dozen April snows..

And I also feel March has slightly better odds than December.. I can remember so many warm Decembers or at the very least kiss the first half goodbye because of balmy weather..with March, I always felt like we had hope for snow for the first half.. When we had that blizzard on Dec 5th 2003 or 2004.. It really stood out.. My Dad said back in the "old days" December used to be cold.. Perhaps there has been a shift or a delay in the onset of winter weather in December over the last 30 ..40+ years..

Jason

 

The mean December snowfall in Central Park from 1970 -1999 was about 2 inches...there was a large snowstorm on 30 December 2000...actually close to historic in parts of N. Jersey.

[Guest Pamela]

That's insane, near 2 feet in May?

 

That event (May 1977) was quite the anomaly...but it was a once in a hundred years type deal. 

 

Also, do not be terribly impressed with the 20 inch total at Norfolk, Connecticut.  Well known as "The Icebox of CT"...Norfolk had an *average* annual snowfall of 110 (yes, one hundred ten) inches per winter from the mid 1950's to the mid 1970's.  They saw 177 inches of snow during the 1955-56 winter...including 73 inches in March 1956 *alone*.  They are at an elevation of 1337 feet in far NW Litchfield County in the foothills of the Berkshires.  During the aforementioned interval (mid 1950's to mid 1970's) their *mean* April snow average was about 10 inches.  They have a history of very big snows...the 110 inch average was on par with what Caribou in far northern Aroostook County in Maine would measure in a typical winter.

 

The mere 1.3 inches recorded just to the east at Hartford / Windsor Locks shows the enormous difference in sensible (or absurd, in this case) weather between the close to sea level Connecticut River Valley and the lower extension of the Green Mountains / Berkshires / Litchfield Hills off to the west...

[Guest Pamela]

The best of times is now
What's left of summer
But a faded rose?

The best of times is now
As for tomorrow well, who knows...

 

So hold this moment fast
And live and love
As hard as you know how
And make this moment last
Because the best of times is now

Now...not some forgotten yesterday
Now...tomorrow is too far away
So hold this moment fast
And live and love
As hard as you know how

 

And make this moment last
Because the best of times is now!

 

 

*Smiles happily*

[codfishsnowman]

That event (May 1977) was quite the anomaly...but it was a once in a hundred years type deal. 

 

Also, do not be terribly impressed with the 20 inch total at Norfolk, Connecticut.  Well known as "The Icebox of CT"...Norfolk had an *average* annual snowfall of 110 (yes, one hundred ten) inches per winter from the mid 1950's to the mid 1970's.  They saw 177 inches of snow during the 1955-56 winter...including 73 inches in March 1956 *alone*.  They are at an elevation of 1337 feet in far NW Litchfield County in the foothills of the Berkshires.  During the aforementioned interval (mid 1950's to mid 1970's) their *mean* April snow average was about 10 inches.  They have a history of very big snows...the 110 inch average was on par with what Caribou in far northern Aroostook County in Maine would measure in a typical winter.

 

The mere 1.3 inches recorded just to the east at Hartford / Windsor Locks shows the enormous difference in sensible (or absurd, in this case) weather between the close to sea level Connecticut River Valley and the lower extension of the Green Mountains / Berkshires / Litchfield Hills off to the west...

thank you for posting this reply, yes it snowed to the valley floor but it was clearly a late season elevation event and there was enough forcing/dynamics that lower elevations in central/northern RI got into some of the goods......but overall it was not that high of an impact event where many folk in sne live

 

this system gets way way too much press

[nzucker]

thank you for posting this reply, yes it snowed to the valley floor but it was clearly a late season elevation event and there was enough forcing/dynamics that lower elevations in central/northern RI got into some of the goods......but overall it was not that high of an impact event where many folk in sne live

this system gets way way too much press

6" on Boston Common on May 10, 1977 is reason for press.

[nzucker]

You don't even need to go that far back for LATE May snows in the northeast. How quickly they forget May 18, 2002. I swear to god, I thought I was having a drug-induced hallucination when I looked out the window after I woke up.

Got an inch from that in NE PA above 1700'...

[NEG NAO]

[bluewave]

Wow, really interesting. I bet a lot of people believed it considering how bad the Winter they had that year was.

 

It was the widespread and intense nature of the cold across the US during the late 70's that

made it such an historic three year period for cold. 78-79 was the coldest winter on record

since 1895 for the US. 76-77 was NYC's last top ten winter and coldest on record for portions

of the East. 77-78 was also a top ten US coldest winter and was the only one out of the

three that could compete with the 2000's in the snowfall department for our area.

NYC had a long stretch from 77-78 to 93-94 without a 50" or greater snowfall season.

 

 

[uncle W]

• May snowfalls...

May 1, 1967 - Blizzard across the Dakotas; 16" snow in Lemmon, S.D. and 30" in the Black Hills.

May 3, 1990 - Record snow in Pueblo, Colo.; 9.4" snow.

May 4, 1812 - Philadelphia to Maine; 12" near Keene, N.H.

May 9, 1966 - Record snow in northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania; 3.1" in Pittsburgh.

May 10, 1977 - Interior southern New England slammed; 20" in Norfolk, Conn. and 9.5" at Bedford, Mass. (but only 0.5" in Boston). 

May 11-12, 1946 - Minnesota; 8" reported in Virginia, Minn. (photo above)  

May 14, 1834 - Greatest May snowstorm for northern Atlantic coastal states; 2-3' in higher elevations of N.H.

May 20 and 24, 1894 - Twin snowstorms in central and eastern Kentucky; 2-8" with the first, up to 6" with the second.

[donsutherland1]

 

• May snowfalls...
• May 1, 1967 - Blizzard across the Dakotas; 16" snow in Lemmon, S.D. and 30" in the Black Hills.
• May 3, 1990 - Record snow in Pueblo, Colo.; 9.4" snow.
• May 4, 1812 - Philadelphia to Maine; 12" near Keene, N.H.
• May 9, 1966 - Record snow in northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania; 3.1" in Pittsburgh.
• May 10, 1977 - Interior southern New England slammed; 20" in Norfolk, Conn. and 9.5" at Bedford, Mass. (but only 0.5" in Boston). 
• May 11-12, 1946 - Minnesota; 8" reported in Virginia, Minn. (photo above)  
• May 14, 1834 - Greatest May snowstorm for northern Atlantic coastal states; 2-3' in higher elevations of N.H.
• May 20 and 24, 1894 - Twin snowstorms in central and eastern Kentucky; 2-8" with the first, up to 6" with the second.

 

Another notable May snowfall occurred on May 7-8, 1803. That storm’s heavy wet snow was “destructive” to the trees in and around Philadelphia and New York City.

 

Poulson’s Daily Advertiser published the following account from Philadelphia:

 

On Saturday morning last [May 7] there was ice, in and near this city, the thickness of a dollar; & during the night of Saturday and the morning of Sunday, there was a fall of snow which did considerable damage to the vegetable world. The Lombardy Poplars, in the streets and gardens of this city, were generally injured—the weight of the snow which adhered to the leaves and branches in some instances bore down the whole tree, and in most others, it stripped them of their tops and principal branches. Many who slept in chambers contiguous to those trees were awakened by the cracking of the falling limbs, to behold the singular spectacle which they exhibited.

[NEG NAO]

[brooklynwx99]

The Euro and CMC have a signal around that time period as well. Looks like a highly amplified trough.