Tag Archives: National Weather Service

Nor’easter could bring 8 inches of snow to parts of New England

A weekend Nor’easter could hit parts of northern New England with up to 8 inches of snow before Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service warned on Friday morning.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for northern parts of New Hampshire and Maine, saying a low pressure system off the Atlantic Coast could produce heavy snow in the area. The service said snow was expected to begin falling later tonight and continue through Saturday afternoon, and between 4 and 8 inches were expected to accumulate in those regions.

The National Weather Service also said there was a chance for freezing rain, sleet and rain elsewhere in New England, but had yet to issue any specific warnings as of early Friday. Temperatures in southern New England were expected to remain above the freezing point.

A large storm was bringing rain to the southeastern United States on Friday, and the National Weather Service said it was expected to intensify as it made its way toward New England. But the storm wasn’t expected to bring significant rainfall — forecasts called for a high of about 2 inches in coastal parts of South Carolina. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for those regions.

Separately, the National Weather Service issued winter storm watches for parts of Washington, Oregon and California, as more snow was expected to arrive on Saturday. Snowfall totals were expected to reach 1 to 2 feet on Mount Rainier, according to the National Weather Service, while other mountainous areas of Washington were expected to receive between 6 and 10 inches.

Totals were expected to be lighter in Washington’s valleys, Oregon and California, but still significant. Forecasts were calling for anywhere between 3 and 6 inches of snow in watch areas.

The National Weather Service encouraged people that may be affected by the storm to keep an eye on updated local forecasts.

California Rattled By Heavy Rains, Snow, Earthquake

Large portions of California were bracing for more heavy rain and snow Wednesday as El Niño pushed powerful storms toward the state, threatening to cause flash flooding and other damage.

The National Weather Service issued numerous flash flood watches along the California coastline and also issued winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories for areas in higher elevations. The service’s office in San Diego also warned of a chance for mudslides, particularly in areas where recent wildfires burned.

National Weather Service forecasts called for 2 to 4 inches of rain to fall across Southern California on Wednesday, accompanied by peak wind gusts of up to 60 mph that could be strong enough to topple trees and power lines. The rain comes a day after 1.42 inches fell at Los Angeles International Airport, smashing a daily rainfall record that stood for more than 36 years. Other parts of California received more than 3 inches of rain, National Weather Service data indicated.

The National Weather Service was calling for 5 to 10 inches of snow in higher elevations on Wednesday, but said mountain peaks could see 18 inches. Near-blizzard conditions were expected in some places. More storms were expected to drop additional precipitation tonight and Thursday.

Meanwhile, the United States Geological Survey reported a magnitude 4.5 earthquake occurred just outside of Banning, California, at 6:42 a.m. local time. The California Highway Patrol’s website indicated it received reports of small rocks and mud across state Route 243 a few minutes after the earthquake, though it wasn’t clear if the earthquake triggered the landslide.

Banning is located about 80 miles east of Los Angeles.

The National Weather Service also issued a flash flood warning for parts of Ventura County, just northwest of Los Angeles, cautioning that heavy rain could cause mud and debris to slide across busy Highway 101.

The storms were being blamed on El Niño, a weather pattern known for producing atypical and extreme weather throughout the world. It occurs when part of the Pacific Ocean is warmer than usual, which sets off a ripple effect that has a wide-reaching result. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said that the United States is expected to see the effects of this El Niño over the next three months as one of the strongest instances of the phenomenon on record may sway temperatures and precipitation totals across significant portions of the nation.

Los Angeles opened up several shelters to help the city’s homeless population weather the storms.

NASA: Potent El Nino Shows No Signs of Slowing

The United States likely will not see the full force of a powerful El Nino until early next year and the weather phenomenon has not shown any sign of slowing down, NASA announced Tuesday.

El Nino occurs when part of the Pacific Ocean is warmer than usual, setting off a far-reaching ripple effect that brings atypical and often extreme weather throughout the world. A variety of weather experts, including those with the United Nations, have said this year’s pattern is shaping up to be one of the three strongest in the past 65 years, but NASA said that the latest satellite images suggest the United States probably has yet to see the worst of the weather.

The images show “a striking resemblance to one from December 1997,” captured during the strongest El Nino on record, according to NASA. While the National Weather Service previously said that the pattern “matured,” NASA said Tuesday that the latest images indicate El Nino “shows no signs of waning,” and the fact that some elements of the Pacific Ocean are different now than they were 18 years ago could mean the weather pattern might actually intensify.

“Although the sea surface height signal in 1997 was more intense and peaked in November of that year, in 2015, the area of high sea levels is larger,” Josh Willis, a project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told NASA’s website. “This could mean we have not yet seen the peak of this El Niño.”

The announcement comes in the wake of deadly flooding throughout the central United States that has sent multiple river gauges to historic levels and forced mandatory evacuations. This El Nino has already been blamed for historic flooding in coastal India, widespread wildfires in Indonesia and several crop-damaging droughts and floods across the globe, according to NASA.

NASA says it’s still not clear when El Nino will make its full presence felt in the United States, or the effects it could have. Generally, the National Weather Service has said the southeast is likely to see more precipitation and colder temperatures, while the northwest is expected to see hotter temperatures and less precipitation. However, that’s not an all-encompassing forecast, and NASA noted past El Ninos have been known to produce extreme storms such as a massive ice storm that slammed the northeast United States and parts of Canada in January 1998.

The National Weather Service has said El Nino is likely to linger into early summer.

White Christmas? Try A Hot One Instead

If you’re dreaming of a White Christmas, you might get a hot one instead.

Temperatures are expected to be warmer than usual across most of the United States this Christmas, according to forecast maps released this week by the National Weather Service.

Meteorologists are all but guaranteeing it’ll be hotter than usual in the eastern United States, placing the chance that temperatures will be above their historical averages above 90 percent.

The probability of above-average temperatures decreases to about 33 percent the further you travel west, but even states in the Great Plains are expected to see a hotter Christmas than usual.

The only states expected to see cooler-than-usual Christmases are Alaska, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Arizona, as well as parts of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. Every other state is expected to see average or above-average temperatures.

That’s in line with what the United States has seen for much of December.

According to the National Climate Data Center, more than 2,300 daily high temperature records have been tied or broken through the first 16 days of December. If these new forecasts pan out, that means there’s a chance this Christmas could be the hottest one many people have ever seen.

The forecasts come at a time when a strong El Niño is present in the Pacific Ocean.

Weather experts have noted that this year’s El Niño is on track to be one of the three strongest in the past 65 years. The phenomenon occurs when part of the ocean is abnormally warm, setting off a ripple effect that brings atypical and sometimes extreme weather to all corners of the world.

Record snows and storms to affect holiday travels

The first snowfall brought amounts amounts of snow ranging from a few inches to 20 inches from South Dakota through Michigan over the weekend as temperatures plunged southward.

Chicago recorded its second-heaviest snowfall during a single storm in November  causing hundreds of flights to be cancelled and others to be delayed.

According to the National Weather Service, Saturday’s snowfall of 11.2 inches recorded Friday and Saturday was beat only by a snowstorm ending on November 26 in 1895 that saw 12 inches of snow.

For Thanksgiving, a storm system will have a mix of soaking rain, snow, cold winds and possible ice on the central part of the United States.

According to Accuweather, the Thanksgiving Day storm will center itself between warmer air in the Eastern U.S. and brisk cold air in the west as it plunges southward.  Rain and snow with a potential for a narrow zone of ice threatens the central states.

Heavy rain across Oklahoma, Eastern Kansas and Western Missouri lie within this storm zone.  Freezing rain and sleet could develop from portions of southeastern Nebraska to southwestern Kansas and southeastern Colorado on Thanksgiving Day.

Stay tuned to weather reports as you make your plans for the Thanksgiving week and check with your airline for any delays.

Area Near Charleston, South Carolina Reports Extensive Damage after Tornado

The South Carolina coast saw extensive damages in the early hours of Friday morning as a tornado came through the areas of West Ashley and Johns Island at approximately 12:40 a.m. ET.

The National Weather Service issued a warning for the area before the tornado hit after seeing debris from the tornado on the radar.

“The tornado was especially dangerous because it spun up quickly when it did,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said. “That can make the situation even more dangerous as people go to bed for the night and are not aware of the tornado warning that may be issued.”

A local resident, John Bercik, woke up to heavy rain and heard a howling noise similar to that of a train.

“When the roar started I was terrified. It was a very intense moment,” Bercik said.

When Bercik left his bedroom door, the rest of the house had been destroyed. The roof was missing, walls blown in, and his floor had been spun and moved. He used an umbrella to keep the rain off as he searched the wreckage for his cell phone.

While Bercik’s house was dealt the most damage, local fire officials stated that 10 homes suffered heavy damage. Other officials reported trees had fallen onto roads, bringing down powerlines. AccuWeather reported at least 9,000 SCE&G and Berkeley Electric Cooperative customers didn’t have power as a result of the storm.

The National Weather Service sent a team to asses the damage Friday morning.

Massive Bug Swarm Appears on Weather Radar

A swarm of bugs in northern Texas and southwest Oklahoma was so intense Wednesday that it appeared as a rainstorm on weather radar in the region.

Rangers at Copper Breaks State Park in Quanah, Texas confirmed the bug storm was made up of grasshoppers and beetles to the National Weather Service.

The swarm filled the air up to 2,500 feet and covered 50 miles.

Forrest Mitchell, Observations Program Leader at the National Weather Service of Norman, Oklahoma, told Popular Science that the fact they can pick up major insect swarms is a nod to the sensitivity of current weather forecasting equipment.

“It doesn’t take a whole lot of bugs to cause that on radar,” Kurtz said. “It’s not like biblical proportions. There was just enough out there that the radar picked it up.”

The Texas swarm was not the only major swarming of insects in the last week.

In Sabula, Iowa highway crews had to use winter snow plowing equipment to remove a swarm of mayflies from a bridge connecting Iowa and Illinois.

The crews not only used the plows to clear the bridge but laid down sand in an attempt to combat the slick conditions caused by cars crushing the bug swarm.

Officials say they will keep the lights on the bridge off during the next few weeks in an attempt to keep the bugs from swarming.

Almost 50 Million Americans Under Tornado Threat Monday

The National Weather Service says that Monday could bring afternoons and evenings of severe weather to almost 50 million Americans.

The predictions for heavy rain, damaging winds and lightning stretches from the deep south through Wisconsin.

The storms struck some parts of the Midwest early Monday as Chicago’s O’Hare airport had to close for a short period during the morning rush hour.  Additional storms are expected through the evening at O’Hare.

Weather Channel lead forecaster Kevin Roth said “quite a few states” will be affected and that while many will not see a tornado, severe thunderstorms with damaging winds could be a distinct possibility.

Straight-line wind damage was seen in Belleville, Wisconsin where a home weather station reported a 74 m.p.h. gust.  At least one roof was taken off a home in that town.  WE Energies reported 30,000 customers without power in the region.

All weather experts reviewed for this story urge anyone who receives a weather warning tonight or tomorrow to seek shelter immediately as the storms are very dangerous.

More Texas Flooding; Death Toll Climbs

The Brazos River in Texas is continuing to swell, driving more families out of their homes with local officials saying that it might not crest until Friday at the earliest.

Parker County Judge Mark Riley ordered a community of RVs and trailers along the river to be evacuated after predictions the river could rise another nine feet before cresting.  Other low-lying neighborhoods in the areas around the river were also placed under mandatory evacuation.

The National Weather Service reports thunderstorms, hail and tornadoes are possible throughout the flooded regions on Thursday.  Meteorologist Steve Goss said the storms will be “intense and slow moving.”

The town of Wharton, around 8,000 residents, is being evacuated along the Colorado River due to fears of a massive rise over the banks.  Flood stage is 39 feet, with the river already at 36 feet.  Predictions of a 46 foot crest on Friday night would not only flood the homes along the river but also wash away a school.

Houston continues to be hammered by flooding.  Another victim of the flood, a 73-year-old woman, was identified Wednesday.  The San Jacinto River was three feet over flood stage and officials say that some subdivisions could be cut off for up to a week because of flood waters.

The death toll in the U.S. is now at 21 people.

The storms on Wednesday left three workers at a gas drilling rig in the Texas Panhandle wounded when a tornado destroyed the rig.

Deadly Storms Rage Through Texas and Oklahoma

Officials in Texas and Oklahoma say that at least 11 people are dead and over a dozen missing following a massive storm front that roared through the two states.

Record rainfall fell in many communities and flooding caused mass devastation.

Houston officials say that two people were found Tuesday and that they likely drowned in the massive flooding in the area.  Authorities were telling residents to not leave their homes.   Over 70,000 customers are without power in the Houston area.

The National Weather Service reported 11 inches of rain in six hours throughout southwest Houston.  Over 130 water rescues had to be conducted throughout the city.  The weather was so severe that the Houston Rockets NBA team told the people who came to their playoff game to stay inside the arena in their seats until the passing of the storm.

“We’ve seen flooding before, but not nearly to this extreme,” said Gage Mueller, a Houston resident for the past 40 years and Houston Rockets employee who stayed overnight at the Toyota Center because it wasn’t safe to go home. “It rains and it rains and it rains, and there’s really nowhere for the water to go. … It’s ridiculous.”

Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared disasters in 37 counties.

“You cannot candy coat it. It’s absolutely massive,” Abbott told reporters after he viewed the devastation in the region.

One of the storm’s victims was 18-year-old Alyssa Ramirez, president of the student council at Devine High School who was driving home from her senior prom.  She called 911, she called her father and then the flood waters rose too fast for her to be rescued.

The flooding was so strong that a vacation house next to the Blanco River was pushed off the foundation and rushed downriver into a bridge.  Only parts of the home have been found.  At least one person was killed by the flooding of the Blanco river.

A dam near Highway 71 broke causing the highway to be blocked.