Record rains and flooding swamp Rhode Island and Massachusetts
Record rains from a slow-moving and extremely wet Nor'easter have triggered historic flooding in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, with several rivers exceeding their 100-year flood levels. The 16.32" of rain that has fallen on Providence, Rhode Island, this month is the most rain recorded in any month, besting the previous record of 15.38" set in October 2005. Blue Hill Observatory in SE Massachusetts also set a record for wettest month ever, with 18.79" (previous record: 18.78", August 1955.) Records extend back to 1905 and 1885 at the two sites. The Rhode Island all-time state record for heaviest precipitation in a month was smashed as well, thanks to the 19.62" observed this March at North Kingstown. The old state record was 16.70", set at North Foster in October 2005. Many locations in the Northeast recorded their wettest March ever, including New York City and Boston.
Figure 1. Observed precipitation for the month of March. Image credit: NOAA.
From a historical perspective, river flooding in parts of Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts is expected to rival or exceed the all-time record floods of August 1955, when Hurricanes Connie and Diane hit within one week of each other. Several rivers in the region that set their all-time flood heights just two weeks have set new records this week. It's pretty remarkable that we are having record rainfall and record flooding in the cold season month of March. It's much easier to set records in August, when there is much more moisture in the air available for record rains.
Here is a summary of the major flooding occurring, courtesy of the National Weather Service:
* Pawtuxet River in Rhode Island...flooding will exceed what occurred in middle March. Record-shattering flooding is forecast along the Pawtuxet River through Thursday. Records at the Cranston gauge date back to 1939.
* Blackstone River in Rhode Island...flooding at Woonsocket is forecast to be the worst flooding since the flooding associated with Connie and Diane in 1955. However...due to the heavier rains which have fallen below Woonsocket...flood impacts approaching the 1955 event may be realized.
* Charles River at Dover Massachusetts...near record flooding is forecast. This is expected to be the worst flooding since the flooding associated with Connie and Diane in 1955.
* Neponset River at Norwood Massachusetts...major flooding has already occurred...with a crest of 11.2 feet. This crest is well below the record crest of 14.65 feet which occurred in August 1955 with Connie and Diane.
* Sudbury at Saxonville Massachusetts...record flooding is forecast. This will be the worst flooding since the April 1987 flood.
While the storm responsible for the rains has moved out to sea, there will be a prolonged period of urban and small stream flooding...which should last for at least a couple of days. To keep track of the flood situation, use our wundermap with the USGS river layer turned on.
Severe weather season is here
Two tornadoes occurred near Charlotte, NC on Sunday, March 28, 2010. One of these twisters passed within a few miles of one of the FAA's high-resolution TDWR Doppler radars. Our tornado expert, Dr. Rob Carver, has written an excellent post showing high-resolution images and animations of this tornado.
I'll have a new post on April Fool's Day.
Jeff Masters
Reader Comments
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I agree with you 100%
I hope you plain on attending a school that offers a Meteorology degree.
I would hate to see you waste your weather knowledge.
Levi32 7:24 PM GMT on March 31, 2010 Hide this comment.
Quoting Drakoen:
Africa has been receiving below average rainfall as confirmed by positive OLR anomalies and % of normal rainfall precipitation estimates.
Drak, the Sahel doesn't get rainfall during the northern hemisphere winter. That map is a little misleading. Climatologically there is never any significant precipitation north of 9N over Africa between December and March. The average northern extent of any rainfall whatsoever in March is 10N. The Sahel region of western Africa that we care about for the Atlantic hurricane season is all north of 10N. At this time of year so little falls north of 10N that it's hard to even have an anomaly.
Absolutely correct. Beginning in December the ITCZ has shifted far enough south that rains begin falling in southern Africa (ie. Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia) I lived in Zambia for several years and have experienced this first-hand. In mid-April the rain begins tapering off as the ITCZ begins to shift northwards across DR Congo, Tanzania, and Kenya.
For half of the year in the Sahel, they expect it to *not* rain. Likewise, from May through November it simply does not rain in southern Africa. I can't even describe how dry it becomes by November, in the depth of hot/dry season. Every square in of Zambia is burned by then, the landscape begins to look like a foreign planet - grey and charred and dirt brown.
The country of South Africa (including Lesotho and Swaziland) is the exception - it is far enough south that their weather is less dependent upon tropical convergence and more upon temperate latitude systems.
Climatological for the same period:
Right. But if it is hitting a layer that is effectively devoid of moisture and acting as a "cap" on convection, tropical formation can't get off the ground.
Hey Storm :)
Haha, we shall see.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brb.
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune
October 05, 2009, 9:46PM
Chevron Canals Dug thru the Se La. Wetlands
A new study for the federal Minerals Management Service concludes that the construction of pipelines related to oil and gas production in the Outer Continental Shelf of the Gulf of Mexico "can cause locally intense habitat changes, thereby contributing to the loss of critically important land and wetland areas."
The report is part of ongoing research by the Minerals Management Service to understand the effects of the production of oil and gas in federally controlled Gulf waters.
Louisiana officials have long argued that the federal government should share a greater financial burden in restoring coastal wetlands and land areas because of the effects of such offshore development.
For the study, the authors used computer models to interpret satellite and other data, gauging the impacts of pipelines and navigation channels on coastal areas in Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and Mississippi. They also conducted more in-depth reviews of the effects of individual pipelines and man-made canals.
The study said that in Louisiana the Outer Continental Shelf pipelines covered 480 square miles of wetlands and land, and the navigation channels covered 137 square miles. That represents about 11 percent of the Louisiana coast.
The biggest impacts were found to be the greater loss of wetlands and land areas associated with Outer Continental Shelf-related pipelines and canals in Texas and Louisiana. The effects varied according to the construction methods used.
Dredging of flotation canals, for instance, caused far more damage than installing pipes using a push-pull method in ditches that were backfilled, or by using directional drilling to put the pipes underground.
A flotation canal, about 250 feet wide, is dredged with a drag line or backhoe mounted on a barge, with the pipeline placed in a ditch within the canal. Dredged material often is used to build spoil banks along the canal.
The less damaging push-pull method uses machinery on a barge to place the pipe into a 10-foot ditch within a canal usually no more than 125 feet across.
In the case of directional drilling, a third method, a pipe is placed into the ground beneath the marsh and soil surface, using a horizontal drilling rig. It requires removal of soil or marsh only at the point where the pipe enters and exits the ground.
The report found direct impacts from dredging and indirect impacts from construction of canals and spoil banks. They included altered flooding patterns for adjacent wetlands caused by the spoil banks or saltwater intrusion from the Gulf through the canals.
But the report also concluded that those impacts "can be greatly minimized or avoided with proper application of mitigation techniques."
The report also suggested that "the cumulative effect of hundreds of pipelines contributes to regional trends in land loss."
Pipeline mitigation should include the keeping of adjacent marsh areas at pre-construction heights and restoring local hydrology to pre-construction conditions, the report said.
The report also recommended that if more than one construction method is suitable, "the least damaging and most easily mitigated method can be used."
For navigation canals that are still being used for petroleum exploration, or by other boat traffic, the report concluded that direct impacts may be difficult to avoid. But keeping the canal banks in place and building wetlands with material dredged from the canals can mitigate damaging effects, the report said.
The report found a strong relationship between the time period when the canals and pipelines were built and the amount of space used for their construction to the amount of land loss occurring within 500 feet of individual pipelines and within 1,640 feet of navigation canals studied in Louisiana's delta and chenier plains.
In Louisiana, the loss was consistently higher near pipelines than the regional loss rates, the report said. The same pattern held true for navigation canals in Louisiana delta areas east of the Atchafalaya River.
The loss rates were highest soon after the pipelines or canals were built, and dropped off in later years for all areas, except the Texas chenier plain area east of Galveston Bay.
The highest rates of land loss within 500 feet of Outer Continental Shelf-related pipelines were highest in Louisiana and lowest in the Mississippi and Alabama coastal areas.
Higher wetland loss rates in Louisiana's delta are explained in part by the high density of pipelines located there, including a large number of open pipeline canals, combined with a high rate of subsidence -- sinking soils -- in that area, which is exacerbated by the lack of sediment reaching wetlands.
Lower wetland loss rates on Texas's barrier islands and the Mississippi and Alabama coastal area can be explained in part by the use of more environmentally friendly construction methods, the report said. In fact, it noted, the Mississippi and Alabama area experienced an 8 percent gain in wetlands from the 1950s to the 1990s.
For navigation canals, the greatest land loss rates occurred in the Texas chenier plain, with rates a bit lower in Louisiana and the lowest in Alabama and Mississippi.
. . . . . . .
Mark Schleifstein can be reached at mschleifstein@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3327.
Hey, Storm! How's Orlando?
Dont let it pass, start making plans for the future. You could find yourself setting in the NHC and not believing your there.
IM OUT
Thats quite far off for models to be predicting a Tropical Cyclone to form.. and a lot of uncertainty. Can I have a link to these long range models?
Link
Sounds about right for a May system. Likely it would take a similar path to Barry in terms of strength and intensity. That would be incredible to have 4 straight years of tropical cyclones in May. They might have to extend the season to May 15th if it becomes much more common (2007 actually had TWO tropical cyclones form in May, Andrea and TD2 which became Barry the next day, although TD2 was not classified while active)
Phil is great. He looks like 14 year old kid, but he's got a superior mind when it comes to tropical systems. Interesting to get a read on where he prefers to get his info...
I think it would only be necessary to do something like that when the AMO is in its warm phase, like now. However, June 1st is fine for when the AMO is in its cold phase.
I don't think it is necessary to extend the season at all, since any way you slice it, the season still holds over 95% of all tropical storms.
I just finished editing a new YouTube video. This video is a test of the roll-bar mounts of the new GoPro HD Hero cameras our XtremeHurricanes.com team are using for this upcoming hurricane season. As you can see from the image below which was captured from live video, this camera puts out 1280 X 720 HD with 170 degrees of non-distorted wide-angle. Awesome! :)
They never mentioned once in the story that Florida was hit by the storm. When a word is placed in quotes, it isually is to point out a flaw or even indicate sarcasm, which I believe was their intent. I am sure they did not believe it was a "twister" Even then, the entire article was an example of high-brow sarcasm which was very popular in American journalism in the 1950's.
Yep - that is kinda like saying, "If models verify, the sun will rise in the East tomorrow morning."
This year it might be closer to the 3rd week of June. The N GOM is several degrees cooler than normal, due to our exceptionally cold winter in the S Plains and the SE US, into FL.
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
The IRS announced Wednesday it is extending certain deadlines, including individual income tax returns, to taxpayers who have been victims of the storms and flooding that began March 12.
The deadline has been extended to May 11 for individual income tax returns, making income tax payments and making 2009 contributions to income retirement accounts, or IRAs.
To be eligible for the extension, people must live or do business in the counties which President Obama declared federal disaster areas. Those are Bristol, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk and Worcester counties. more..
I live well to the north of Charlotte, closer to where a bigger one hit. A 140mph tornado hit the downtown city of High Point, North Carolina. All in all, there was a reported 6 twisters that hit our state that Sunday night.
It was actually the 26th anniversary of one of the biggest tornado outbreaks in NC that night..
Someone from Youtube captured 1 of the 2 twisters that hit the city of High Point.
Witness off of the interstate captures it..
Link
Below is what one portion of High Point looked like from above the next morning.
Link
Below is another video of some people running for cover in High Point as they capture the pending EF3 tornado. few bad words, but they were looking at an EF3 coming at them its kind of funny if you watch it all.
Link
This last video starts out bad but gets better as the twister develops in High Point. Insane near the end!
Link
I was kind of surprised this tornado did not make it on the blog when a weak one hit near Charlotte did??
Excellent videos thanks Walshy!
Few reports of baseball size hail, and 600 structures damaged by that tornado.
The city of High Point did declare state of emergency.
in preparation for XtremeHurricanes.com 2010 Season
* From: AFP
* April 01, 2010 9:36AM
DONOR countries attending a major fundraiser for Haiti have pledged $US5.3 billion ($5.78 billion) for the next two years to put the quake-ravaged nation back on its feet, UN chief Ban Ki-moon has announced.
The tally far exceeds the target of $US3.8 billion ($4.14 billion) over the next 18 months that had been set by organisers of the conference.
"The (UN) member states and international partners have pledged $US5.3 billion ($5.78 billion) for the next two years and $US9.9 billion in total for the next three years and beyond,'' Dr Ban said.
"Friends of Haiti have acted far beyond expectations."
The aim of the conference was to help the battered country "build back better" after the 7.0-magnitude quake on January 12 levelled parts of its capital Port-au-Prince, killing at least 220,000 people and leaving 1.3 million homeless.
The biggest contributions came from the United States and the 27-member European Union.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, co-hosting the conference with Dr Ban, offered $US1.15 billion ($1.25 billion), saying the funds would go toward supporting Haiti's plan "to strengthen agriculture, energy, health, and security and governance".
The EU meanwhile pledged an additional $US1.6 billion ($1.74 billion), with France offering to disburse €180 million ($264.97 million) in 2010-2011 for food and the restoration of government authority.
Some 138 countries, international bodies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, non-governmental organisations and representatives of Haitian expatriates took part in the one-day conference.
The $US3.8 billion ($4.14 billion) sought by organisers was meant to represent a first instalment on the estimated $US11.5 billion in aid needed for reconstruction over 10 years.
The radar estimates that Dr. Masters posted show a large area of 10-15 inch rain amounts through Massachusetts and Connecticut for the month of March, but the TRMM satellite rainfall estimates only show a maximum area of about 6 inches across Long Island and Connecticut, with only 4 inches tops in Massachusetts.
Which is more accurate? I would guess the radar is, but I really wasn't expecting to see this much of a difference between the two.
Radar-estimated Precipitation for March:
TRMM March Accumulated Rainfall:
About the TRMM product:
"The browse images and data show the global monthly accumulated rainfall [mm/month]. However, the standard products of PR and "TRMM and Others Combined" only include the monthly mean rain rate [mm/hour]. Therefore, we also calculate and include the monthly accumulated rainfall of those products in the data set for intercomparison of those rainfall products. In addition, the monthly mean of "TRMM and Others Combined" were derived from all pixels regardless of rainfall existence. On the other hand, pixels in which rainfall exists were used for calculation of the PR monthly mean value."
And one has to expect that it doesn't see all rain, of course, as it is not a geostationary satellite.
Probably okay for relative comparisons from one location to another and not so good for actual total rainfall.
More details: http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/TRMM/imgdt/L3_data/readme.htm
Achoo!
Yeah. We have pollen "drifts" on the ground in SE LA in the piney woods, currently.
Sniffle.
Yeah....I guess it would do ok for the anomalies, if they are based on TRMM's own climatology, which is only since 1998 so it's not a great base period yet. I've been trying to figure out exactly how reliable satellite measurements are, especially the ones like Precipitation where continuous temporal observation is needed to make it accurate.
Sunspot Update - Both Sunspots 1057 in the north and 1059 in the south remain quiet. There is only a small chance for C-Class flares.
Farside CME - A CME took place Tuesday off the farside of the sun. You can see the cloud billow away from both the Southeast and Northwest Limbs. A photo is below and click HERE to view the latest Lasco movie showing the explosion.
Being located in North Central TX we are so fortunate to get the pollens from everything from A to Z. Yesterday, the Pollen Count was over 3700 grains/cubic meter of air, which is pretty close to the highest we get here.
For me, it's not an issue, yet, I mean, as only certain pollen types bug me, usually in late Spring. Everything is coated with a light green/light brown film each and every day. I feel bad, there are 6.5 million people in the DFW, TX Metro and hundreds of thousands suffer real bad each year!
Today's Pollen Count was just shy of 3000 grains per cubic meter of air:
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