Hello guys, another year has flown by and for weather lovers, 2012 did not disappoint! The Northeast experienced its share of wild weather and I would like to present a recap of what my favorites of 2012 were based on my first-hand accounts and their significance and overall impact. Without further ado, here is my list from number five to number one:
5. March Heat Wave and Drought
 |
| April 17th U.S. Drought Monitor shows severe drought across Southern New England |
As you may know, last winter was one of the most lackluster seasons following the incredible, "once-in-a-lifetime" October nor'easter (dubbed "Snowtober" by media outlets) which I will remember for a long, long, long time. But it is not easily forgotten the winter of 2011-2012 brought together an incredible heat wave during the month of March. Warm air surged from the south into the Midwest and Northeast and broke numerous high temperature records everywhere. Locally, between March 18th-23rd, temperatures rose above 70 degrees and even lower 80s were seen in the Springfield area. On March 22nd, the thermometer reached 82°F in Springfield. Normal highs for this time of year is mid 40s! If my math is correct, that is 30°F+ above average! Remarkable! In some days, daily lows were higher than normal highs. Crazy. I think many could attest that it was very strange wearing shorts and short sleeved shirts outside while the calendar still showed March.
Also, the heat wave caused abnormally dry conditions in Southern New England and during the time we saw Red Flag Warnings hoisted due to the lack of precipitation. On April 4th, a major brush fire damaged 52 acres in Brimfield, MA. In mid-April, at its worst, the U.S. Drought Monitor had Southern New England under a moderate to severe drought. Beneficial rains finally arrived near the end of April and slowly but surely, the drought eventually subsided.
4. May 29th Moderate Risk
 |
May 29, 2012 4:23PM EDT - Squall line producing a ton of lightning. At that
time, a tornado warning was issued for Vermont. |
Here in New England, boring spring rainstorms are an ordeal you have to go through before thunderstorms start appearing in the summertime. There already a few severe ones as early as March but none that matched the scope of this one. On the morning of May 29th, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued a moderate risk across the border in eastern NY for severe thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes. Since the date was very close to the first anniversary of the Springfield tornado, I became concerned about potential damage from this latest severe weather outbreak. NWS Albany issued a Tornado Watch for Eastern NY and Berkshire County in Western Mass out ahead of the massive squall line that had taken shape across VT stretching all the way down into TN! It was huge! Looking at radar images, the squall line possessed amazing structure and I was excited but concerned at the same time because the line was bearing down on my area. Despite a few tornado warnings issued in NY and VT, the line weakened upon approach and we were spared from the worst. An EF0 tornado did touchdown in the Northeast Kingdom of VT but fortunately it was in a rural area.
3. August 10th "Landicane"
 |
August 10, 2012 4:27PM EDT - Mesoscale Convective Vortex over Hartford
prompting tornado warnings. Rotation evident on radar. |
Landicane is a made up term for a phenomenon called mesoscale convective vortex (MCV). Basically, on radar, it looks like a hurricane on land hence the name. A distinctive "eye" could be seen along the center of the swirling low pressure system. On August 10th, the center of a beautiful mesoscale convective vortex went across the Connecticut River Valley prompting severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings. A confirmed tornado touched down on Block Island in Rhode Island, a first for that area on record. As the center moved toward Hartford, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning east of the city. That tornado warning extended into the Monson area which was a region devastated by the tornado last year. What was strange throughout was the fact that there were few lightning detected, if at all! It looked and felt like a tropical cyclone on land. Thankfully, nothing really came out of it and thereafter it began to lose its structure as it moved northward.
2. July 26th Northeast "Derecho"
 |
| WHOA is right! |
 |
July 26, 2012 5:52PM EDT - "Derecho" at its late stage approaching CT. It
moved southeast and weakened. |
Entering this event, there was a lot of hype about another derecho following the one that barreled through the Mid-Atlantic causing widespread damage everywhere. SPC issued a moderate risk in its Day 2 Convective Outlook...an unprecedented move here in the Northeast! Something big was cooking. The line began over Lake Erie and spread across Ohio and Pennsylvania prompting severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings along its path. The line really began to bow. During the peak of its life, the SPC became very concerned and even thought about issuing a HIGH RISK for the Northeast. Say what? High risk? The only other time the Northeast had a high risk was on May 31, 1998. So basically it's very rare to see one issued. If they did go ahead and place my area under a high risk, I would have fallen out of my seat! Anyways, as almost all promising storms do, once it neared Southern New England, the line weakened into a mere gusty rainstorm and by the end of it, I was just lucky to hear thunder. However, places in New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio bore the brunt of the storm and widespread power outages occurred there. An EF1 tornado touched down in Elmira, NY causing extensive damage.
1. Hurricane Sandy
 |
| Satellite image of Hurricane Sandy |
Overwhelmingly, the top weather story of 2012 belongs to Hurricane Sandy. There's no words to describe the damage done along the coastlines of New Jersey, New York City, and Connecticut. Devastating. It's all too real when you see stories of people that don't have anywhere to go after their homes were severely damaged from flooding and winds. It reveals just how vulnerable the Northeast is to hurricanes. Even though it was a Category 1 upon landfall (yeah, I'm not going to go into the story about how the NHC failed to issue hurricane warnings), the storm was MASSIVE, even larger than Hurricane Irene last year. I felt like people failed to take proper precautions until the final days when it appeared imminent, like they didn't think it would happen to them until reality strikes them. Even making the situation worse were the mixed messages government officials made in the handling of Sandy. The mayor of New York City, Mayor Bloomberg, at first opted not to evacuate low-lying areas of the city before doing a 360 and saying the storm was "serious and dangerous" and called for immediate evacuations in certain zones. Really? You should have told us in the first place or better yet if you're unsure, not say anything until details were clearer.
Anyways, rant over. Even though management could be improved, this is not to take away the power and devastation of Sandy. Computer models were showing a potentially significant hurricane hitting the Northeast weeks ago. Usually hurricanes that make it to the Northeast race north and weaken into an extratropical cyclone as it encounters colder waters. Sandy took a very unusual track never before seen; it swerved right out to sea before turning north and eventually northwest toward the East Coast. Also, Sandy strengthened due to baroclinic instability even though Sandy was barely Category 1 strength, the enormity of Sandy and the flooding rainfalls associated with it made Sandy a formidable storm, a "superstorm" as coined by media. And not to mention Sandy formed near the end of October, a time usually unfavorable for hurricane development. Sandy made Irene of last year a walk in a park. Although Sandy was impressive, I still think it doesn't match the power of the 1938 New England hurricane. I can't imagine the Northeast today withstanding a repeat of the 1938 hurricane. Power grids could be knocked out for months on end. Overall, I hope Sandy taught us many lessons going forward and I hope we can apply those lessons toward future hurricanes. It's not a question of if, but when the next one may strike. And as history has shown, it could be even stronger than Sandy.
Notables
Northern MA March Severe Thunderstorms
 |
| March 14, 2012 1220AM EDT - TVS indicated in severe cell near the Fitchburg area |
The incredible March heat wave contributed to a round of severe thunderstorms. On the night of March 13th, a small line of thunderstorms moved through northern MA. It became severe just east of Greenfield and the National Weather Service in Taunton issued a rare severe thunderstorm warning in winter. As it continued its trek, another severe thunderstorm warning was issued for the Fitchburg area 10 minutes after midnight. Reports of hail came in. What was most amazing and why it deserved to be notable was the fact that a TVS (Tornado Vortex Signature) was spotted on radar showing signs of broad rotation. Crazy for winter! Thankfully, the radar was wrong and no tornadoes touched down.
Maine Earthquake
 |
October 16, 2012 7:12PM EDT - 4.0 earthquake struck 4km west of Hollis
Center, Maine |
I know, technically not a weather event, but I love earthquakes as much as the weather. So when an earthquake strikes the East Coast, I become excited because they are rare and far in between. The Virginia earthquake last year provided me a thrill because it was the first time I ever felt an earthquake! On October 16th, a 4.0 earthquake struck Maine. There were reports of it being felt across New England. This time around, I did not feel a thing though others near it would say otherwise. Fortunately, no damage was reported. Who would have thought we have two earthquakes along the East Coast in a span of two years? We're not California, jeez. ;)
November Nor'easter
 |
November 7, 2012 9:45PM EST - Satellite image of the nor'easter exiting
out to sea |
About 10 days after Hurricane Sandy made landfall, a rare, early-season nor'easter hit regions that were devastated by Sandy. Talk about insult to injury! The weird thing was I received next to nothing because of the dry air in place north of the Mass Pike while the coast got drilled by inches of snow. Accumulating snow along the coastlines damaged by Irene hampered recovery efforts.
December 29th Nor'easter
This happened recently. Refer to my last few blog posts for details. :-)
I hope you enjoyed reading! Odds are 2013 will bring another round of active and exciting weather!
No comments:
Post a Comment