WNTV Blog: Active Weather Continues Through the End of March

Minnesota Shaped Forest?
Alright, this takes the cake for one of the coolest things I've seen in a while! It's a Minnesota shaped forest, which you can view from a satellite mapping system. This is what the Minnesota shaped forest looks like in the Beltrami Island State Forest.



Here's how you can find it! Good luck!




Desert in Bloom!
Thanks to my good friend Rich Koivisto for this great picture from near Bullhead City, AZ. Looks like the desert is blooming!



Nevada Balloons
Here's another neat picture from near Spring Valley, NV of hot air balloons. Thanks to my good friend Stephanie Trindade who spotted these on her way to work Friday.



Highs Saturday
Temperatures in the Southwest certainly look appeasing this Saturday. Interestingly, temperatures in the Southwest are running pretty close to average.



Vegas!
Thanks to my good friend Jason Larson for this picture, who is enjoying some time in Vegas.



Back From the Iditarod
My good friend, Monica Zappa, just recently finished the Iditarod with a time of a little more than 13 days and 6 hours! First of all, CONGRATULATIONS and glad to see that one of your sick puppies is on the mend and doing well!

Here's a great story about Monica as she was preparing for the race. See the story from the local ABC station out of Anchorage HERE:



Friday Storms
Take a look at this Texas-sized hail out of Coperas Cove, TX. @timbofowler snapped a picture of this golf ball sized hail as thunderstorm passed by.



Alabama Rain
Heavy rain on Friday led to this at a golf course in Sylacauga, AL. Thanks to @FarmlinksGC for the picture below.



Stormy Weather
As of 5:53pm EDT Friday, this was the storm report map from Thursday and Friday.



Missouri Tornadoes
Here's a closer view of the storm reports from Thursday in Missouri. There was also a tornado report from Iowa as well.



2014 Tornado Count
As of March 27th, the PRELIMINARY tornado count across the nation was 63, which is significantly lower than the short term (2005-2013) average of 219 through that date. Note that since 2005, we've never seem this few of tornado reports through this date.



Tornado Warning Counts so far in 2014
This is an interesting graphic of how many tornado warnings have been issues by various weather forecast offices across the country. Note how few of these warnings have been issued so far through March 28th.

(Image courtesy: Iowa State University)



Continued Severe & Soggy Weather

Unfortunately, the start of our weekend will be quite soggy for many in the Southeast. Heavy rain and severe storms can't be rule out of some as the storm shifts east.

 
Saturday Severe Threat
Unfortunately, the multi-day severe weather threat is not over just yet. What started on Thursday, looks to continue through Saturday across the southeastern part of the nation.
Here's the latest thinking from the SPC:

"SOME POTENTIAL REMAINS FOR SLIGHTLY GREATER DESTABILIZATION WITHIN A NARROW CORRIDOR IN THE WAKE OF WARM CONVEYOR BELT CONVECTIVE BANDS AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. IF THIS OCCURS...THEN STRONGER HEIGHT FALLS SPREADING INTO THIS REGION WITH THE AMPLIFYING TROUGH SUGGEST THE POTENTIAL FOR A GREATER SEVERE WEATHER THREAT AS STORMS DEVELOP ALONG THE COLD FRONT FROM THE CAROLINAS INTO ERN GA...AND POSSIBLY SRN VA. FAVORABLE DEEP LAYER SHEAR WOULD SUPPORT STORM ORGANIZATION WITH DAMAGING WINDS THE PRIMARY THREAT. HOWEVER...VERTICALLY-VEERING LOW-MID LEVEL WINDS SUGGEST A TORNADO THREAT CANNOT BE RULED OUT."

See more from the Storm Prediction Center HERE:



Active Weather Continues
The storm system responsible for our latest severe weather reports in the middle part of the country will begin to lift north to the Northeast with additional heavy rain and winter weather potential. Meanwhile, another storm system developing in the Pacific Northwest begins to shift east towards the Midwest by the end of the weekend/early next week. Heavy rain/thunder can't be ruled out again in the middle part of the country, while heavy snow looks possible on the northern flank of the storm from the Dakotas to northern Minnesota. Stay tuned for further developments on this...



Northeast Weather Concerns
As this storm begins to move north, heavy precipitation will be cause for some concern through the end of the weekend. At this point flooding and heavy snow could be problematic for some.
Flood watches have been posted where 1" to 3" of rain and ice jams may be possible.
Winter Storm Watches have been issued where as much as 6" to 12" of snow can't be ruled out.



Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's HPC, the 5 day precipitation forecast suggests another heavy surge of moisture in the Northeast along with continued heavy moisture in the western part of the country. A piece of energy from the Pacific will transition into the central part of the country with another decent shot of heavier snow across the northern tier of the nation.



Snowfall Potential
Here's the U.S. snowfall potential through midweek next week. Note the heavier blobs of snow that could potentially pop up across the higher elevations in the West along with a pretty significant chance across the Upper Midwest and in parts of the Northeast. Unfortunately, wintry weather doesn't appear to be over just yet!



Temperature Outlook
The temperature outlook looks to take a bit of a roller coaster ride. Highs on Sunday look to be significantly warmer than average, but by Tuesday, we'll be much colder than average again!

Sunday



Tuesday



Thanks for checking in and have a great weekend ahead! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @TNelsonWNTV

WNTV Blog: Spring Storms Continue Through Saturday

Cherry Blossom Festival Continues
The Cherry Blossom Festival continues in Washington D.C., but we're lacking blossoms here at the end of March. Organizers still suggests that the peak will arrive around mid April, which gives us another couple of weeks. The snow and colder than average temperatures have been delaying the blooms so far.

See more from the National Cherry Blossom Festival HERE:



2nd Snowiest Winter For Washington D.C.
Thanks to the snowfall earlier this week, Washington Dulles International Airport is now considered to be at their 3rd snowiest winter in recorded history with a total of 52.8" (+31.3" above normal) !!



2nd Snowiest Winter For Philadelphia
Snow in Philadelphia, PA has been quite impressive this winter season too. In fact, we are now sitting at the 2nd snowiest winter in recorded history with 68" (+46.3" above normal) !!



Snow From Normal
Here is the wider view of seasonal snow departures from normal. Look at how many locations are dealing with double digit surpluses!



Brutal Winds
Take a look at this picture from Nova Scotia on Wednesday. The strong storm that clipped the the coastal communities in the Northeast also blew into Nova Scotia where eagletallion had a hard time bringing back a piece of paneling that blew down the street.

the video is pretty good from Instagram HERE:



Storm Damage
The storm was responsible for an 82mph wind gust at Nantucket, MA. The end result caused some damage and this unfortunate sight.



Strongest Winds Recorded
These wind gusts are insane and comparable to that of a category 1 or category 2 hurricane!



Visible Satellite from Midday Wednesday
It really was a beautiful storm... You don't see ones like this very often, but the visible satellite from Wednesday showed an impressive fully mature storm system.



California Tornado??
WOW! Take a look at this rare sight out of Willows, CA. The National Weather Service confirmed an EF0 tornado north of Sacramento, CA on Wednesday. Thanks to David Plank via Live Storms Media!



Here was another view of a funnel cloud near Sacramento, CA thanks to @LAFFEYC



@ButteWxSpotter snapped this pretty incredible picture with a funnel cloud and a rainbow! Wow!



California Tornado Reports
Here are some of the storm reports that were sent in on Wednesday:

Willows, CA:
EF1 TORNADO. TIME 530 PM TO 600 PM PDT. MULTIPLE TOUCHDOWNS ALONG COUNTY ROAD 39 BETWEEN ROADS P AND TT. DAMAGE PATH 24 FEET WIDE BY 1500 FEET LONG. WINDS UP TO 100 MPH
TORNADO ON GROUND BETWEEN WILLOWS AND GLENN. SPOTTER EL34.

Bluegum, CA:
CONFIRMED TORNADO ON THE GROUND, ABOUT 3-5 MILES EAST OF I-5, SPOTTER WAS LOCATED 2 MILES EAST OF I-5 AT COUNTY ROAD 39 AND ROAD P.

Roseville, CA:
EF0 TORNADO IN MARKET ST-FILLINGHAM LN-KIRIKTON LN-SYKE CT AREA OF WEST ROSEVILLE BETWEEN 615 PM-620 PM 03/26/2014 ESTIMATED 75-85 MPH WINDS, TORNADO WIDTH 10-20 YARDS,

Ordbend, CA:
ROW OF ALMOND TREES DOWN, CAR WINDOWS BLOWN IN, AND WALNUT TREES DOWN AROUND 2 MILES E OF I-5 AND CR 39 AROUND 543PM - 6PM 3/26/14.



California Hail
Hail can often be a precursor to a tornado as you tend to be closer to the updraft of a thunderstorm, which is where a tornado would be located. Here was a picture of hail falling near Willow, CA, which is where one of the tornadoes was found.




A Wet March in Seattle, WA
To say that this month has been wet is an understatement. It seems as if the spicket won't shut off. Thanks to my good friend Nicholas Shipes for the picture below from Thursday.



3rd Wettest March in Seattle, WA
As of Wednesday, the monthly precipitation tally was up to 8.01" and nearly 5" above normal. As of Wednesday, Seattle was at the 3rd wettest March on record.



To be honest, we don't need to much additional moisture to make it to the 2nd or even wettest March on record... Stay tuned!



Weather Outlook
Here's the weather outlook through AM Saturday. Note the fairly active setup that unfolds through that time frame. The biggest threat over the next couple of days is going to be the severe threat from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Southeastern coast. Hail and high winds look to be the primary threat, but isolated tornadoes can't be ruled, especially on Friday.



Severe Threat Increases
This was the view out at Port of New Orleans in New Orleans, LA on Thursday. New Orleans is set to get some strong to severe thunderstorms later Friday...



Future Radar
It's a stormy outlook for folks in the southeastern part of the country over the next couple of days. An area of low pressure will develop on the southwestern flank of the cold front and help to continue our unsettled ways through Saturday. Here's the weather outlook across the southeastern part of the country through AM Saturday.



Severe Threat Friday

Here's the latest thinking from NOAA's Storm Prediction Center:

SFC LI'S ARE FORECAST TO BE FROM -4 TO -6 AND THE CRAVEN/BROOKS PARAMETER IS FORECAST TO BE 40,000 M3/S3 OR GREATER DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. WITH AT LEAST A MODERATELY UNSTABLE BOUNDARY LAYER /2000-2500 J PER KG MLCAPE AND PERHAPS LOCALLY HIGHER/ IS EXPECTED BY AFTERNOON ACROSS EAST TX/ARKLATEX TO THE LOWER MS VALLEY. AIDED BY STRENGTHENING MID-LEVEL WESTERLIES...RELATIVELY LONG/SOMEWHAT STRAIGHT HODOGRAPHS WITH 40+ KT EFFECTIVE SHEAR WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPLITTING STORMS/SUPERCELLS DURING THE AFTERNOON. IT IS BELIEVED THAT LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARD THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...WITH SOME DAMAGING WIND/ISOLATED TORNADO RISK AS WELL. WITH TIME...STORMS SHOULD CONSOLIDATE/GROW UPSCALE INTO ONE OR MORE QUASI-LINEAR BANDS/POSSIBLE MCS AS EARLY AS LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING AS STORMS SHIFT EASTWARD TOWARD/ACROSS THE LOWER MS VALLEY. THIS COULD LEAD TO AN INCREASED DAMAGING WIND RISK BY EVENING ASIDE FROM SOME TORNADO POTENTIAL...ALTHOUGH VEERED/ONLY MODESTLY STRONG LOW-LEVEL FLOW WILL TEND TO TEMPER THE OVERALL TORNADO POTENTIAL.



Severe Threat Saturday

SCATTERED/POTENTIALLY NUMEROUS CORRIDORS OF SHOWERS/EMBEDDED TSTMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ONGOING SATURDAY MORNING ACROSS A BROAD PART OF THE REGION. ALTHOUGH LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE WILL BE INCREASING AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT...THE PREVALENCE OF EARLY DAY SHOWERS/TSTMS ARE LIKELY TO HINDER APPRECIABLE DESTABILIZATION...FURTHER COMPOUNDED BY THE EXPECTED WEAKNESS OF MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES ATOP THE WARM SECTOR. REGARDLESS...THE OVERALL SCENARIO/SOME HEATING MAY HELP SUSTAIN EARLY DAY STORMS ACROSS PARTS OF NORTH FL/GA...WHILE A MODEST AFTERNOON UPSWING IN TSTM DEVELOPMENT/INTENSITY COULD OCCUR ACROSS PARTS OF THE CAROLINAS/FAR SOUTHEAST VA. LINE SEGMENTS CAPABLE OF ISOLATED WIND DAMAGE WOULD BE THE PRIMARY HAZARD THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS.



Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's HPC, the 5 day precipitation outlook looks quite soggy for nearly every region across the country except for the Southwest and into parts of the Southern Plains.



Signs of Spring?
It appears that we will have a brief level of more spring like temperatures moving into the middle part of the country, but it will be brief. The forecast for departure from normal temperatures shows readings nearly 10F to 20F above normal across the middle part of the country on Sunday.

Sunday, March 30th



Tuesday, April 1st
Here's the temperature outlook for Tuesday, April 1st, which looks chilly once again for much of the nation.



Thanks for checking in and have a great weekend ahead! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @TNelsonWNTV

WNTV Blog: March Out Like a Lion

Massive Nor'Easter Clips Coast
Take a look at the two different webcams from midday Wednesday. Note that Boston, MA looked fairly quiet (other than very strong winds), while places in the southeastern part of Massachusetts were getting slammed!



Southeast Massachusetts
Here's a closer view of the southeastern part of Massachusetts around midday Wednesday, when near hurricane force wind gusts and horizontal winds were blasting through!



Martha's Vineyard
It's hard to grasp how crazy the weather was from these particular webcams, but the wind was strong enough to knock power out to several thousand customers during the storm!



Strongest Wind Gusts
Here were some of the strongest wind gusts that had been observed from midday Wednesday in Massachusetts, mainly along the coastal communities.



100mph+ Wind Gust?
Take a look at the buoy data here from just south of coastal Maine. First note the green line (pressure tendency) and look at how fast the pressure dropped from Tuesday evening to midday Wednesday! The red line indicates wind gusts (in knots), which was recorded to be near ~95knots midday Wednesday. Conservatively, 90knots converts to 103mph!



Buoy Location
This is the buoy that recorded the 103mph wind gust midday Wednesday as the center of the massive storm raced north.



Meteorological Specimen
Take a look at some of the images I captured from various sources during the day Wednesday of the massive storm. From satellites to radar to wind flow, the more I looked, the more I was amazed... enjoy!

Water Vapor



IR Satellite



Wind Flow Midday Wednesday



Satellite & Radar Midday Wednesday



Wind Flow Midday Wednesday



At this point in the day, the central pressure was estimated to be around 964mb, which had dropped from near 1009mb 24hours previous to that report.



Visible Satellite of Storm Center Midday Wednesday



Wind Flow Midday Wednesday



Western Snow
This is a nice sight! The webcam from Yosemite National Park on Wednesday showed reduced visibility from snow!




Sierra Snow Pack
I though this was interesting. This is the modeled snow coverage on March 26th, 2014 vs March 26th, 2012. Note how much more snow coverage there was two years ago at this time!



Additional Snow on the Way
The good news is that additional snow is on the way for the high elevations in the western part of the country. Snow amount could top out at 1ft. to 2ft. in parts of the Sierra Nevada range by midday Tuesday! Snow in the Colorado Rockies could approach 1ft. to 2ft as well by the end of the week.



Precipitation Next 7 Days
According to NOAA HPC 7 day precipitation, some of the heaviest moisture looks to fall across the western part of the country. Sure it's good news for areas dealing with drought, but recent heavy moisture is part of the reason for that devastating mudslide near Oso, Washington. Additional heavy precipitation in these areas may not be great news.



Storm System Moves East
A piece of energy from the Pacific will eventually find itself in the middle part of the country by late week. This storm will be responsible for widespread moisture from the Mississippi River Valley on east. Snow will be found across the international border, while strong to severe storms may be found a little farther south.



Severe Thunderstorm Threats Ahead

Thursday's Outlook from the SPC
"STRONG DEEP LAYER SHEAR FAVORS SUPERCELL DEVELOPMENT. SUPERCELLS THAT DEVELOP SWD TOWARD THE ARKLATEX WILL FORM WITHIN A MORE MOIST ENVIRONMENT WHERE SFC DEW POINTS MAY RISE INTO THE LOWER 60S. WHILE MUCAPE MAY NOT EXCEED 1500 J/KG AHEAD OF THE DRY LINE FORECAST SOUNDINGS WOULD SEEM TO SUPPORT THE POSSIBILITY OF VERY LARGE HAIL AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES...ESPECIALLY WITH DISCRETE ACTIVITY FROM SWRN MO SWD TO THE RED RIVER. HAVE INCREASED THE PROBABILITY OF SIG SEVERE ALONG THE DRY LINE TO INCLUDE THIS ENHANCED RISK. SEVERE THREAT WILL LESSEN DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AS CONVECTION SPREADS INTO MORE STABLE ENVIRONMENT NEAR THE MS RIVER."



Friday's Outlook from the SPC
LARGE HAIL SHOULD BE THE PRIMARY SEVERE THREAT INITIALLY...BUT UPSCALE GROWTH INTO A FORWARD PROPAGATING MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE SYSTEM SEEMS A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY AS ACTIVITY SPREADS EASTWARD TOWARD THE TENNESSEE VALLEY FRIDAY NIGHT. THIS MAY BE AIDED BY A 40-50+ KT LOWER/MID TROPOSPHERIC SPEED MAXIMUM...WHICH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE RISK FOR SEVERE WIND GUSTS.



Smoke Vortex
Can't say I've ever seen one of these before. A grass fire along with gusty winds near Weatherford, OK led to this big smoke vortex. Thanks to @westernokchaser for the image!



Massive Tornado Database
This is unreal! It's an interactive tornado database of every recorded tornado since 1980.

It was put together by Smithsonian.com, see more HERE:



Thanks for checking in and have a great rest of your week! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @TNelsonWNTV