Oklahoma Battered by Softball-Size Hail.

Oklahomans awakened to power outages, downed trees, cracked windshields, and flooding Wednesday morning after a series of severe thunderstorms developed late Tuesday and continued through the night.  Another round of severe thunderstorms developed Wednesday night across parts of the Sooner State.  Thunderstorms began around 7 p.m. local time Tuesday in northwest Oklahoma and gradually developed southeastward into the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.  The Weather Channel's Tornado Hunt crew had to take evasive action at one point as softball-size hail -- over four inches in diameter -- began to fall on them from a storm along the Canadian-Kingfisher county line northwest of Oklahoma City.  Nearby, a spotter reported giant hail estimated to be five inches in diameter.  A separate storm, moving northeastward along Interstate 44, then collided with this storm right over the city just before 9 p.m. local time.  A brief tornado was reported near the suburb of Piedmont, Okla., as the merger occurred; but most of the damage in the Oklahoma City area came from a prolonged period of damaging winds and hail up to the size of baseballs.

Hail storm pelts Okla.

Oklahoma hailstorm creates power outages.

Why This Tornado Season Has Been a Mild One

Tornado season this year started off with a bang — an above-average number of twisters churned across the United States in the early months of 2012 — but lately, the storms have been more subdued.
And this spring hasn't seen the terrible twisters that devastated parts of the country last year.
So what's behind the quieter spring? Thank the jet stream, weather experts say.

U.S. Storms
02 March 2012
Source: NASA Earth Observatory

On March 2^nd, severe thunderstorms led to one of the worst March tornado outbreaks in U.S. history. A preliminary count of 120 tornadoes, as reported by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center, left massive destruction in their wake across parts of the Midwest and Southeast. At least 39 people were killed in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Alabama, and Georgia. Hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed in about a dozen states. The average number of tornadoes for the entire month of March is 80. One of the hardest-hit areas was Clark County, Indiana, where an EF-4 tornado, with winds whipping up to 175 mph (282 km/hr), struck the town of Henryville. In its entirety, the tornado left a 49-mile (79-km) long path of "total devastation", as described by an Indiana state police sargeant.

Hawaii Record Hailstone
Source: NOAA's NWS A severe thunderstorm affected eastern Oahu, Hawaii on March 9^th. The storm spawned a waterspout that moved onshore, thus becoming a weak tornado. The EF-0 tornado caused damage to several homes and downed trees in the towns of Lanikai and Kailua. Tornadoes are rare in the Hawaiian Islands, averaging one tornado per year. This was the first tornado on Oahu since February 2009. The storm also produced large record-breaking hail. Hail of 2 to 3 inches in diameter were reported. In the town of Kailua a hailstone 4.25 inches long, 2.25 inches tall, and 2 inches wide was reported—the largest hailstone on record for the state of Hawaii. The previous record was 1 inch in diameter. Prior to this event there were no reports of hail bigger than an inch since the Hawaiian hailstone records began in 1950.

In the contiguous U.S., spring storms brought a mix of severe weather across the central and southern regions of the nation on March 18^th, threatening the region with tornadoes, heavy downpours, and vicious winds. Preliminary reports state that the storms spawned a total of 55 tornadoes across the region. Thunderstorms produced five tornadoes (1 EF-0, 1 EF-1, 1 EF-2, and 2 EF-3) in Lincoln county, Nebraska which caused damage to homes and outbuildings, and downed power lines and trees in several locations. Five people were reportedly injured. In Gardendale, Texas, the strong winds produced by the severe storms overturned a mobile home, injuring the two residents. On March 19^th, a tornado touched down in San Antonio, Texas, leaving 50 homes either damaged or destroyed. Fortunately, no fatalities or injuries were reported.
A severe storm with strong winds affected the Australian city of Townsville (located in the state of Queensland) on March 20^th. The storm produced what was locally called a "mini-tornado" since local meteorologists did not officially call the weather phenomenon a tornado. The "mini-tornado" downed trees and power lines and caused roof damage to nearly 60 homes. Thirteen people were reportedly injured.

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Tropical Storm Irina
01 March 2012
Source: NASA Earth Observatory

Tropical Storm Irina skirted down the western coast of Madagascar during the first few days of March, killing at least 65 people, mostly in the town of Ifanadiana. The storm affected nearly 68,000 people and left more than 21,000 homeless. Tropical Cyclone Giovanna struck Madagascar just a few weeks earlier, and Irina destroyed roads and residences already weakened by the effects of Giovanna. The storm also affected countries in southern Africa, resulting in four fatalities in South Africa and eight in Mozambique (including five fisherman off the nation's coast). In Durban, waves reached 16 feet (three meters), closing beaches and forcing ships to remain in port.

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Citing This Report

NOAA National Climatic Data Center, State of the Climate: Global Hazards for March 2012, published online April 2012, retrieved on May 31, 2012 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/hazards/2012/3.

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Questions?

For questions on technical or scientific content of this report, please contact:

Jessica Blunden:
Jessica.Blunden@noaa.gov

For general climate monitoring questions, please contact:

CMB.Contact@noaa.gov

For climate data orders, please contact the National Climatic Data Center's Climate Services and Monitoring Division:

NCDC.Orders@noaa.gov

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• Climate Monitoring
• State of the Climate
• Hazards
• Help

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/index.php
Downloaded Thursday, 31-May-2012 12:52:45 EDT
Last Updated Monday, 16-Apr-2012 10:56:36 EDT by Jessica.Blunden@noaa.gov
Please see the NCDC Contact Page if you have questions or comments.

Spring 2011 U.S. Climate Extremes

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Climatic Data Center

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• Introduction
• Tornadoes
• Flooding
• Drought and Wildfire
• Synopsis
• Full Report

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Note: Data in this report are compiled from preliminary statistics

Briefing Package presented by Tom Karl, Ed O'Lenic and Harold Brooks on June 15th (PDF)

Introduction

The spring (March-May) of 2011, particularly April, brought extreme weather and climate events to many parts of the United States. Tornadoes, flooding, drought, and wildfires ravaged many parts of the country during the period, and each of these extremes broke long-standing records and have been compared to the 'worst such cases' in history. While similar extremes have occurred throughout modern American history, never before have they occurred in a single month. According to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC), there were 751 tornadoes during April alone, and the confirmed number of tornadoes surpassed the all-time monthly record of 542 tornadoes set in May 2003. Record rainfall along the Ohio River Valley, punctuated with snowmelt across the upper Midwest, caused record flooding along the mid and lower Mississippi River, with water levels surpassing the historic floods of 1927 and 1937. Above-normal precipitation and vegetative growth during 2010, followed by dry and windy conditions the first five months of 2011, created ideal wildfire conditions across the Southern Plains where millions of acres of land burned. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM), the same region experienced Extreme-to-Exceptional [D3-D4] drought following consecutive months that were record to near-record dry.

April 2011 Tornado Reports

April brought an active weather pattern across the contiguous U.S., with strong storms moving through the center of the country, tapping into moisture from the Gulf of Mexico as they matured across the mid-Mississippi Valley. These storms caused widespread severe weather across the Southeast and widespread heavy precipitation across the Ohio Valley. Both the number and magnitude of the severe weather events, as well as the amount of precipitation across the Ohio Valley, broke all-time records, according to preliminary data. Meanwhile, the storm track essentially blocked Gulf of Mexico moisture from entering the Southern Plains.

Lower Mississippi River Flooding

Across the Upper Midwest rapid melt of an above-average snowpack during late March through mid-April swelled rivers and caused near record river crests along the Red River in North Dakota and Minnesota. Farther east, across Minnesota and Wisconsin, a significant portion of the snowmelt water found its way into the Mississippi River and moved southward towards the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, the above-average rainfall across the Ohio Valley, combined with snowmelt, caused the Ohio River to swell to near-record levels. At the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, the above-average water flow of each combined to cause the Mississippi River to crest at record to near-record levels from Illinois to Louisiana, flooding hundreds of thousands of acres. After judicial directives, the Army Corps of Engineers opened spillways and destroyed levees, flooding rural areas to save major population centers and infrastructure.

April Statewide Precipitation Ranks

On a statewide level, during April, above-normal precipitation was widespread across the northern half of the country, while the Southern Plains and Southeast had near- to below-average precipitation. Below-normal precipitation was observed for the previous six months across the southern Plains, exacerbating drought conditions there. At the beginning of May, 73 percent of Texas was experiencing Extreme-to-Exceptional [D3-D4] drought conditions. Texas had its second driest November through April period, third driest January-April, and driest February-April and March on record. The prolonged dryness fueled several large wildfires, which burned 1.79 million acres (0.72 million hectares) nationally during the month, shattering the previous April record.

New Mexico’s record wildfire.

The total acreage burned was reported early this morning at 190,269 acres — a growth of about 20,000 acres from yesterday’s number of 170,272.  The blaze has surpassed last year’s Las Conchas Fire near Los Alamos that burned 156,293 acres and was New Mexico’s previous record wildfire, according to this morning’s Albuquerque Journal.

NM's Gila Fire

Attempts to predict earthquakes may do more harm than good (Alejandra Delgado)

Almost every time a large earthquake strikes an inhabited area questions are raised in the media about why the event was not predicted. The argument is that a successful prediction would greatly reduce the loss of life, if not necessarily the economic damage, by permitting dangerous buildings to be evacuated, tsunami-prone areas to be cleared, and hospitals and rescue teams to be prepared and on standby.

Woodward, OK Tornado 2012: Warnings Saved Lives In Deadly Midwest Storms (Alejandra Delgado)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Forecasters who issued dire warnings ahead of last weekend's tornado outbreak in the Midwest deemed the effort a success Monday, largely because dozens of tornadoes hit yet caused only a handful of deaths. But they expressed concern about future public complacency.

The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center issued a rare high-risk warning days ahead of the storms, sternly urging residents across several states to prepare for "life-threatening" weather. State officials and residents in communities where tornadoes hit praised the effort, noting only six lives were lost.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/16/woodward-oklahoma-tornado_n_1427559.html

Allstate leads insurers to best start since 2003

"Allstate Corp. is leading property and casualty insurers to the best start since 2003 amid a decline in tornadoes and forecasts for fewer major hurricanes. 

Twisters killed six people from April 1 to May 28, compared with 541 deaths in the two months last year, the U.S. National Weather Service said. Insured losses from severe weather in the United States were about $1 billion last month, lagging behind losses of roughly $16 billion from tornadoes and other severe weather in April and May of last year, broker Aon Plc estimated. 

Insurers that raised prices after last year's disasters are gaining as claims costs drop. Allstate's net income jumped to the highest since 2007 in the first quarter and operating profit at New York-based Travelers Cos. beat analysts' estimates. Companies may benefit further as forecasters predict a below average Atlantic hurricane season, which officially begins June 1..."

Severe Weather Prep for People with Disabilities

Mayo Clinic Expert Offers Tips on Severe Weather Prep for People with Disabilities

"Newswise — ROCHESTER, Minn. -- With severe weather season now in full swing, people with disabilities must ensure they can quickly escape their homes in an emergency. Patients in Mayo Clinic’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation are educated about large-scale disasters, such as floods, tornadoes and hurricanes, as well as small-scale events, such as home fires..."

Scientists suspect thunderstorms as climate culprit

Scientists will chase thunderstorms this spring and summer in three states, in part to look at the role the storms play in pulling pollution from the surface up into the stratosphere.

The $10 million field study, known as the "Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry" (DC3) project, started May 15.

Through the end of June, more than 100 scientists from about 30 universities and governmental organizations are studying thunderstorms in the diverse weather environments of Oklahoma, Colorado and Alabama.

Thunderstorms act like elevators, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In what are called "updrafts," the storms suck up air and pollution (both man-made and natural) from near Earth's surface and transport it for many miles into the upper atmosphere.

The scientists will study changes in the chemistry of the air — and the pollution — that goes into and comes out of thunderstorms, using both airplanes and ground-based equipment, according to scientist Don MacGorman of NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/research/story/2012-05-30/thunderstroms-pollution/55287438/1?csp=ip

Massive wildfire becomes largest in New Mexico history

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A massive wildfire that has burned more than 265 square miles in the Gila National Forest has become the largest fire in New Mexico history, fire officials confirmed Wednesday.

The erratic blaze grew overnight to more than 170,000 acres, surpassing a blaze last year that burned 156,593 acres in Los Conchas and threatened the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the nation's premier nuclear facility.

The Gila forest fire is also the largest currently burning in the country. It formed last week when two lightning-sparked blazes merged in an isolated mountainous area in southwestern New Mexico, where it has destroyed about a dozen homes and prompted evacuations of nearby towns and health alerts for some of the state's largest cities.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wildfires/story/2012-05-30/new-mexico-wildfire/55285074/1?csp=ip&loc=interstitialskip

Ronny Roger

Climate Warming Helps British Butterfly Spread

Wynne Parry, LiveScience Senior Writer

Date: 24 May 2012 Time: 02:01 PM ET

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Warming has allowed the brown argus butterfly to rapidly expand its range in England and Wales. CREDIT: Image courtesy of Louise Mair View full size image

Warming in Great Britain appears to have given a little brown and orange butterfly an edge. The brown argus butterfly has spread about 49 miles (79 kilometers) northward on the island over 20 years, observations indicate.
Although it's well known that climate change can prompt plants and animals to shift the ranges in which they live, the brown argus (Aricia agestis) has widened its living quarters with unusual speed, according to an analysis of decades of data collected by British volunteers.










http://www.livescience.com/20559-butterfly-spread-climate-change.html

Ronny Roger

'Normal' 2012 Hurricane Season Predicted

Andrea Mustain, OurAmazingPlanet Staff Writer

Date: 24 May 2012 Time: 12:54 PM ET

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The GOES-13 satellite saw Hurricane Irene on August 27, 2011 at 10:10 a.m. EDT after it made landfall at 8 a.m. in Cape Lookout, North Carolina. Irene's outer bands had already extended into New England. CREDIT: NASA/NOAA GOES Project View full size image

The outlook for the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season is "normal to near-normal," according to researchers who unveiled their predictions for the number and severity of storms likely to spin up over the Atlantic basin in the coming months.
Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the federal agency that studies and tracks severe weather, made the announcement at a press conference today in Miami. Hurricane season officially begins on June 1 and ends on Nov. 30, though storms can, and have, formed outside of those dates when conditions were favorable.
The outlook indicates a near-normal season is likely, with a total of nine to 15 named storms for the Atlantic in 2012. (Named storms include tropical storms and hurricanes.) Of those storms, between four and eight are likely to become hurricanes — organized, rotating storms with sustained winds of 74 mph (119 kph) or faster. Between one and three are likely to become major hurricanes, defined as Category 3 storms or above — hurricanes with winds of at least 111 mph (179 mph).

http://www.livescience.com/20561-2012-hurricane-season-forecast.html

Ronny Roger

Article:

Winter of 2012 Named 4th-Warmest for US

Wynne Parry, LiveScience Senior Writer

Date: 07 March 2012 Time: 12:40 PM ET

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Cherry blossoms on March 4, a sign of early spring in Brooklyn. CREDIT: Wynne Parry View full size image

For many living in the lower 48 states, winter felt unusually warm. Now, it's official.
Today, March 7, the U.S. National Climatic Data Center named this winter — collectively December, January and February — the fourth-warmest for the lower 48 states since record-keeping began more than a century ago. The record for the warmest winter remains with 2000.
Above-average temperatures were most notable in the Northern Plains, Midwest, Southeast and Northeast, according to the Center. Twenty-seven states had winter temperatures that ranked among their 10 warmest. New Mexico was the only state that had winter temperatures below the 20th-century average.
In spite of record cold in January, the rest of the winter was kinder to Alaska, bringing the state to just below its seasonal average. (Because Alaska is outside the lower 48 states, its data did not figure into the 4th-warmest ranking.) [6 Signs Spring Has Sprung]

Precipitation was low overall, too, particularly in the West. Most notably, California had its second-driest winter on record. The central U.S., however, had more precipitation than usual.
Meteorologists have attributed the unusually mild weather in much of the United States and southern Canada to the behavior of high-altitude westerly winds called the jet stream. The polar branch of the jet stream has kept cold, Arctic air bottled up farther north than usual. A break in this pattern resulted in the frigid spell centered on Eastern Europe beginning in late January; North America, however, was not affected.
While this unusually mild winter weather may bring to mind global warming, climate scientists are loath to directly connect short-term weather, even over the course of a season, with much longer-term shifts in climate.
Even so, they say, this strangely warm winter isn't coming out of the blue; the planet has been warming up steadily. For instance, the last decade that began in 2000 was the warmest on record for more than a century.
You can follow LiveScience senior writer Wynne Parry on Twitter @Wynne_Parry. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.


http://www.livescience.com/18896-fourth-warmest-winter-2012.html

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New model will help NOAA forecasters study the eyewall of hurricanes this season

When the first hurricane emerges from the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico this season, NOAA will use a new statistical model to help predict the start of the “eyewall replacement cycle,” a key indicator that a storm’s strength and size is about to change dramatically. This new tool adds to a suite of forecast products NOAA uses to warn coastal communities of imminent threats.
An eyewall is an organized band of clouds that immediately surround the center, or eye, of a hurricane. The most intense winds and rainfall occur near the eyewall. Within a hurricane, eyewall replacement cycles occur when a second concentric eyewall forms around the original and eventually overtakes it. This phenomenon especially happens in strong, long-lived hurricanes.

Warmest Spring on Record for US

The U.S. is well on its way to crush the record for warmest spring since national temperature data began in 1895. Here's an indication of just how far that record could go. The previous record spring in 1910 had a national average temperature of 55.1°. However, the March 2012 temperature exceeded March 1910 by 0.5° to set a new record for the month. April 2012 then exceeded April 1910 by 1° (see the charts to the right).