Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog

Record snows hit New England; Brazilian floods kill 350; Brisbane underwater
Posted by: Dr. Jeff Masters, 16:16 GMT le 13 janvier 2011 +4
The Northeast U.S. is digging out today from the winter's third major snowstorm, and the nation's South continues to deal with travel disruptions caused by the nasty coasting of ice, snow and sleet the storm left behind early this week. Yesterday's Nor'easter has exited into Canada, and the storm is over for the U.S. It was a pretty average Nor'easter as far as intensity goes--the storm's central pressure bottomed out at 982 mb, and just the Massachusetts coast was subject to high winds that merited blizzard warnings. The storm did generate one hurricane-force wind gust--Provincetown airport on the tip of Cape Cod had sustained winds at 43 mph, gusting to 79 mph, at 6:35am EST yesterday, and a personal weather station at Humarock Beach in Scituate, southeast of Boston, recorded a wind gust of 64 mph at 5:51am EST yesterday.


Figure 1. A bit of work today needed before one can step out of the door in Southborough, Massachusetts! Image credit: wunderphotographer Megmdp.

But what was remarkable about the January Nor'easter of 2011 were its snow amounts. This rather ordinary-strength Nor'easter managed to assemble the perfect mix of conditions needed to transport moisture to a region of the storm highly favorable for heavy snow formation. Many heavy snow bands with snowfall rates up to 3 inches per hour formed over New England, with some of these bands intense enough to generate lightning and thunder. Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont all came within an inch of setting all-time state 24-hour snowfall records yesterday. North Haven, Connecticut received 29.5", falling just short of the 30.2" 24-hour snowfall record for the state, set at Fairfield in February 2006. Savoy, Massachusetts received 34.5", falling just short of that state's all-time 24-hour snowfall record, the 36" recorded at Milton in February 1997. Wilmington, Vermont got 36" in yesterday's storm, just missing the state record of 37", set at Peru in March 1984. The capital of Connecticut, Hartford, had its greatest snowstorm in history yesterday, with 24". The old record was 23.5", set in a February 1899 storm.

Some selected storm total snowfall amounts, taken from the latest NOAA storm summary:

New York City, NY 9.1"
Albany, NY 13.2"
Worcester, MA 21.1"
Boston, MA 14.6"
Augusta, ME 14.5"
Portland, ME 9.2"
Concord, NH 22"
Somerset, PA 15"
Philadelphia, PA 5.2"
Providence, RI 9.5"
Brattleboro, VT 19"
Elkin, WV 10"
Danbury, CT 17.9"
Wilmington, DE 4.3"

According to our weather historian, Christopher C. Burt, in his latest blog post titled, "Snowstorms in the South: A Historical Perspective", the 8.9" that fell on Huntsville, Alabama from this week's storm was that city's third heaviest snow on record. The post has a nice summary of the remarkable heavy snow storms that have hit the South in the past.


Figure 2. Flooding at São José do Vale do Rio Preto in Brazil photographed on Thursday, January 13, 2011.

Brazilian floods, landslides kill at least 350
The globe's parade of massive flooding disasters in recent months continued yesterday in Brazil, where heavy rains of up to 10 inches in 24 hours inundated the region about 60 miles north of Rio de Janeiro. At least 350 are dead and 50 people missing, and the death toll is expected to go much higher once rescuers reach remote villages that have been cut off from communications. Brazil suffers hundreds of deaths each year due to flooding and mudslides, but the past 12 months have been particularly devastating. Flooding and landslides near Rio in April last year killed 246 people and did about $13 billion in damage, and at least 85 people perished last January during a similar event.


Figure 3. A woman trapped on the roof of her car awaits rescue during the Toowoomba flash flood on Monday. Image credit: Wikipedia.

New floods ravage Australia's 3rd largest city
Flood waters swept today into Brisbane, Australia's 3rd largest city, inundating 14,400 homes and businesses, partially submerging another 17,200, and cutting power to 118,000, as the Brisbane River peaked at its highest level since 1974. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, who has called the recent floods in Queensland the greatest natural disaster in their history, said, "What I'm seeing looks more like a war zone in some places. All I could see was their rooftops...underneath every single one of those rooftops is a horror story. We are facing a reconstruction effort of post-war proportions." Much of Brisbane's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, including 55,000 miles of roads. The Port of Brisbane, one of Australia's busiest, has been closed because of debris, and the city's largest sports stadium is under several feet of water.

The search for bodies continues in Toowoomba, about 60 miles west of Brisbane, where freak rains of 6 inches in just 30 minutes triggered a flash flood that killed 12 and left 61 missing on Monday. The flood waters from the Toowoomba disaster poured into the Brisbane River, contributing to its rampage through Brisbane yesterday. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) reported that only scattered light rains less than 1/3" fell in the Brisbane area over the past 24 hours, and no further significant rains are forecast in the Brisbane area until Tuesday next week, so the worst of the flooding is now over for Queensland. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, the December - January floods in Queenland are the most significant flooding event in Australia since at least 1974. In 2010, Australia had its wettest spring (September - November) since records began 111 years ago, with some sections of coastal Queensland receiving over 4 feet (1200 mm) of rain. Rainfall in Queensland and all of eastern Australia in December was the greatest on record, and the year 2010 was the rainiest year on record for Queensland. Queensland typically has its rainiest years when La Niña events occur, due to the much warmer than average ocean temperatures that occur along the coast. The BOM notes, "Previous strong La Niña events, such as those of 1974 and 1955, have also been associated with widespread and severe flooding in eastern Australia. Sea surface temperatures off the Queensland coast in recent months have also been at or near record levels." The BOM's annual summary also reported, "Sea surface temperatures in the Australian region during 2010 were the warmest value on record for the Australian region. Individual high monthly sea surface temperature records were also set during 2010 in March, April, June, September, October, November and December. Along with favourable hemispheric circulation associated with the 2010 La Niña, very warm sea surface temperatures contributed to the record rainfall and very high humidity across eastern Australia during winter and spring." Beginning in December, the Queensland floods have killed at least 22, and damage estimates are now as high as $20 billion. Queensland has an area the size of Germany and France combined.

2010 tied for warmest year in Earth's history
Earth's warmest year in history occurred in 2010, NASA reported yesterday. The globe's temperature beat the previous record set in 2005 by just .01°C, so we should consider 2010 and 2005 tied for the warmest year on record. Reliable global temperature records go back to 1880. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also announced yesterday that 2010 was tied with 2005 as the warmest year on record, with temperatures during 2010 1.12°F (0.62°C) above the 20th century average. I'll have a full blog post on the subject Friday morning.

Jeff Masters
storm car burried (slimfast)
on a lowell mass street 1/12/11 taken off hampshire street lowell mass our streets are buried in snow we have 24-36" of snow we had unsafe intersecting roads every where un safe driving also large buildings with flat roofs are unsafe many colapsed buildings
storm car burried
Brilliance..2 (suzi46)
a brilliant mid-Winter's day..blue skies and sunshine on the clear ice of the brooks creating wonderful images..
Brilliance..2
How Many Cars? (stoneygirl)
Can you tell how many cars are under all that? We had a whopping 2 plus FEET of snow today and the snow drifts were upwards of 3 and 4 feet. Gotta love winter.
How Many Cars?
Categories: Flood Winter Weather
  Permalink | A A A
Reader Comments
Display: 0, 50, 100, 200 Sort: Newest First - Order Posted
Viewing: 301 - 351

Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18Blog Index

301. atmoaggie 22:41 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Quoting JFLORIDA:
Wheres that article atmo?
I posted a touch of logic yesterday. You couldn't handle it.

You don't remember yesterday? That's your problem.

But to go on complaining that no one is posting just what you couldn't handle 24 hours ago is a little sad.
Member Since: 16 août 2007 Posts: 6 Comments: 12461
302. HaloReachFan 22:42 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Some people just argue to argue that is what this is. Nobody in here will ever change their mind on AGW. Some believe it some don't. One side bashes other's arguments the other side apparently just sits and laughs when posting.

But there will never be an agreement on this situation even when the world temperature is way way way below average and nobody can leave their homes because of the ice age going on. People just argue to argue.
Member Since: 15 septembre 2010 Posts: 1 Comments: 563
303. RitaEvac 22:43 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
That's it......I'M BURNING EVERYBODY AT THE STAKE! get in line damn it.
Member Since: 14 juillet 2008 Posts: 1 Comments: 8875
305. RitaEvac 22:44 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    

Member Since: 14 juillet 2008 Posts: 1 Comments: 8875
306. DontAnnoyMe 22:45 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Member Since: 21 septembre 2010 Posts: 1 Comments: 3690
307. RitaEvac 22:45 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
This snow pack will help cool the planet, and everybody will sing Koom bye yaaaa.
Member Since: 14 juillet 2008 Posts: 1 Comments: 8875
308. Levi32 22:47 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Quoting JFLORIDA:


Think about it.

If unreasonable and exclusionary tactics are allowed at the beginning of a discussion - the discussion is incidental. It will not be correct. Or the level of correctness in the result will be arbitrary.

If reasonable discussion is exclusively employed a result will be reached.

If it is reasonable civility will occur regardless. Simply because incivility aka argumentum ad hominem is an unreasonable argument methodology unless it is occurring within a pre framed context virtually non existent in scientific argument.

Its more of a set theory kind of thing.


If you're carrying on a reasonable discussion then you are already being civil. Period. Nothing about incivility in a discussion is ever reasonable.
Member Since: 24 novembre 2005 Posts: 586 Comments: 25441
311. RitaEvac 22:48 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
It's kinda comical, poles are melting, arctic is warming, rising sea levels, polar bears gonna dissapear, but in the lower 48 people cant even leave the freaking house because of snow piled up 2 feet up the door and a skating rink in Georgia called freaking ice
Member Since: 14 juillet 2008 Posts: 1 Comments: 8875
313. RitaEvac 22:51 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
If there is no ice at the North pole......WE ALL ARE GONNA DIE!!!!!1
Member Since: 14 juillet 2008 Posts: 1 Comments: 8875
314. Levi32 22:51 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Cyclone Vania is having major issues due to upwelled cold water behind her, caused by her nearly stalled movement over the last several days in the same area. Notice the lack of convection to the north (behind her direction of travel) due to the cold water, resulting in only half of a disorganized core.

Member Since: 24 novembre 2005 Posts: 586 Comments: 25441
317. TomTaylor 22:54 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Quoting RitaEvac:
If there is no ice at the North pole......WE ALL ARE GONNA DIE!!!!!1


What was the point of that post?
Member Since: 24 août 2010 Posts: 18 Comments: 3886
318. Patrap 22:55 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Spock was good at 3 Dimensional Chess if I recall.
Member Since: 3 juillet 2005 Posts: 370 Comments: 111244
319. Levi32 22:55 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Quoting MichaelSTL:


How deniers react to localized cold:



LOL

PS: Here is December 2010:



Though according to the same GISS data, the global average temperature dropped from +0.96C in November to +0.49C in December, a quite significant drop , and the largest month-to-month drop I can find since 1980 (not gonna look over the whole list right now).
Member Since: 24 novembre 2005 Posts: 586 Comments: 25441
320. RitaEvac 22:56 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
I love these maps.... anybody can make up whatever they want. You actually gonna believe a bunch of stupid dots on a global map?
Member Since: 14 juillet 2008 Posts: 1 Comments: 8875
322. BahaHurican 22:57 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Hi all....

Are we still flogging the AGW horse? I thought we had a couple of interesting tropical cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere last night... how are they doing?

If we aren't going to talk about anything else but AGW, I may as well get a jump start on some work for tomorrow... lol
Member Since: 25 octobre 2005 Posts: 19 Comments: 17602
324. RitaEvac 22:59 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    

Quoting TomTaylor:


You make some of the most illogical and irrational posts on this blog.


Straight to the point sonny boy
Member Since: 14 juillet 2008 Posts: 1 Comments: 8875
325. NRAamy 22:59 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
You make some of the most illogical and irrational posts on this blog.


Phew.... I thought that was me.....
Member Since: 24 janvier 2007 Posts: 315 Comments: 31937
327. Patrap 22:59 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Sheesh.

The site is viewed by younger Members Globally and they see that from members, and I draw my own conclusion.

Yup,time to disregard some.


Shrimps,,,ummmm.

Yup, 5pm CDT

Old Bay and more salt please


Member Since: 3 juillet 2005 Posts: 370 Comments: 111244
328. RitaEvac 23:00 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Every year in Siberia it gets that cold


Member Since: 14 juillet 2008 Posts: 1 Comments: 8875
329. Levi32 23:00 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Quoting RitaEvac:
Last I checked Russia is -40- to -70 below 0 in Siberia, so some jackwagon colored in red all over Asia.%uFFFD I'd print that map with those dots and wipe my ass with it because that's all lt's good for.


Well eastern Siberia did have a ridge in December. Here's the MSU anomalies for the lower troposphere. Though they agree with GISS in Siberia, there certainly are some areas with some apparent conflicts, especially in the Southern hemisphere.



Obtained from Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorological Institute Climate Explorer Temperature scale in degrees Celsius.
Member Since: 24 novembre 2005 Posts: 586 Comments: 25441
332. RitaEvac 23:07 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Yea, the cold air just moved to a different location that's all, no biggie
Member Since: 14 juillet 2008 Posts: 1 Comments: 8875
334. RitaEvac 23:09 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
I don't think the thermometers back in the old days were reading correctly, they showed it cooler than what it was, today's readings are more high tech, which therefore show a higher temp which makes it seem the world is warming especially the poles
Member Since: 14 juillet 2008 Posts: 1 Comments: 8875
335. Levi32 23:09 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Quoting MichaelSTL:
By the way, here is proof that it has been warm in Canada:









All of these have been over 10°C above average for the past month (some for the past THREE months). And here is the yearly graph for one area:



(check out the scale(!) on the 31 day running mean)


Yeah. The polar regions can put up double-digit temperature anomalies (C) quite routinely when the ruling hemispheric pattern puts a blocking ridge directly over top of them.
Member Since: 24 novembre 2005 Posts: 586 Comments: 25441
338. RitaEvac 23:12 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    

Quoting MichaelSTL:


Yup, and the ice isn't really melting - LOL!


It's all due to pattern shifts, can't stay frigid and iced up at a location forever, has to balance itself out
Member Since: 14 juillet 2008 Posts: 1 Comments: 8875
340. RipplinH2O 23:18 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Quoting Patrap:
Sheesh.

The site is viewed by younger Members Globally and they see that from members, and I draw my own conclusion.

Yup,time to disregard some.


Shrimps,,,ummmm.

Yup, 5pm CDT

Old Bay and more salt please


Holler when they're ready, I'll bring beverages...
Member Since: 30 juillet 2010 Posts: 0 Comments: 491
342. Skyepony (Mod) 23:21 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
This just keeps getting worse...


381 die in Brazil slides, survivors relate horrors

TERESOPOLIS, Brazil (AP) - The power was out, but lightning flashes illuminated the horror as villagers watched neighbors' homes vanish under a wall of mud and water, turning neighborhoods into graveyards. Survivors dug at the earth barehanded Thursday, but all they found were bodies.

It was a scene of muddy destruction in mountain towns north of Rio, where at least 381 people were killed when torrential rains unleashed mudslides in the pre-dawn hours Wednesday, burying people alive as they slept.

more here
Member Since: 10 août 2005 Posts: 144 Comments: 29267
343. atmoaggie 23:22 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Here is the emission spectra plot for sun and earth.

CO2 is important for the earth part, only. This, in layman's terms, is the radiation released by the Earth's surface organized by wavelength. The wavelengths in which earth does so, is in a part of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum we call infrared, or, commonly, heat.


(From: http://bouman.chem.georgetown.edu/S02/lect23/lect23green.html)

In the range of IR wavelengths emitted by earth, the bulk of it is shown in the following plot. This plot is the outgoing longwave radiation escaping to space after passing through the earth's atmosphere:


Note the big section in the middle where CO2 has absorbed 100% of the outgoing radiation that left the surface as heat, but did not escape to space.

This means that 100% of heat leaving the surface at that wavelength was absorbed by the CO2 in the atmosphere and reemitted in all directions (some went back to the surface, of course). Atmospheric molecules, nay all molecules that absorb heat cannot directionally reemit it. All directions, all the time.

Now, to zoom into the more busy 2 to 6 micron spectra, more CO2-opaque windows (parts of a spectrum, such as this):


More major co2 absorption bands. But these are also already absorbing 100% of heat leaving the surface of the earth, or nearly so.

I have seen the talking points handbook response where it is said: "In 1970, NASA launched the IRIS satellite that measured infrared spectra between 400 cm-1 to 1600 cm-1. In 1996, the Japanese Space Agency launched the IMG satellite which recorded similar observations. Harries 2001 compared both sets of data to discern any changes in outgoing radiation over the 26 year period. The resultant change in outgoing radiation was as follows:

Figure 1: Change in spectrum from 1970 to 1996 due to trace gases. 'Brightness temperature' indicates equivalent blackbody temperature (Harries 2001).

What they found was a drop in outgoing radiation at the wavelength bands that greenhouse gases such as CO2 and methane (CH4) absorb energy. The change in outgoing radiation over CO2 bands was consistent with theoretical expectations. Thus the paper found "direct experimental evidence for a significant increase in the Earth's greenhouse effect".
"

So, now the question is: At what wavenumber or wavelength did CO2 successfully absorb more than 100% of heat leaving the surface of the earth? Well, that is clear if the Harries study is anything but bogus. (though it is obvious that there is something wrong to anyone familiar with this field, given that if the earth in 1970 was cooler than the earth in 1996, as postulated, then much of the last plot would be above zero.)

Okay, so then how did we all have such a wrong understanding of the OLR for so long? To think that the transmission into space of certain bands was 0.0? If it was 0.0 and then more was absorbed in that same band, that would have to mean that our satellite sensors have been warming CO2 molecules from above! (Not likely.)

So, the challenge to warmistas is to explain how more than 100% of heat gets absorbed by adding CO2 to the atmosphere. Give us a physics lesson on how 0.0 transmission to space was made even less by CO2 increases, when negative numbers would mean that heat from a body in space with a similar temperature as the earth would have to be added. (I shant hold my breath)
Member Since: 16 août 2007 Posts: 6 Comments: 12461
344. atmoaggie 23:25 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Quoting MichaelSTL:
This needs to be reposted:
Wow, the high temperature back then sure caused a lot of CO2!

Since you reposted it again and again and again...

When can we call tunnels?
Member Since: 16 août 2007 Posts: 6 Comments: 12461
345. Weather130 23:27 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
We have a current Winter Storm Warning for parts of Hawaii! If Florida would get its act together we could have snow in all 50 states!

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST THIS
EVENING.

HEAVY SNOW SHOWERS WILL SPREAD TOWARD THE SUMMITS...AND MAY DROP
UP TO SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW IS A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. NEW
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO 6 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE TODAY ABOVE 11000
FEET. STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS GUSTING TO NEAR 50 MPH WILL RESULT IN
SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AT THE SUMMITS. HEAVIER SNOW
SHOWERS COULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AND POSSIBLY
CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

HIKERS AND CAMPERS SHOULD STRONGLY CONSIDER POSTPONING ANY TRIPS
TO THE SUMMIT UNTIL AFTER THE INCLEMENT WEATHER PASSES.

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW...
SLEET...AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO
POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.
Member Since: 25 novembre 2006 Posts: 0 Comments: 10
348. atmoaggie 23:32 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Quoting alfabob:
A lot of these arguments are missing the main points.

1. Historic climate data means absolutely nothing about the future climate. Every situation is unique in the sense that if you want to simulate something, you must know all of the variables or your results will become exponentially incorrect over time. Who knows exactly how the Earth's orbit was 100,000 years ago when we have no idea how outside factors modified it.

2. The atmosphere is divided into parts, most of the arguments do not take into account all perspectives. For example, the arctic sea ice from 1980 to 2010 has absorbed approximately 3.8 * 10^21 J of energy. From wiki "In 2008, total worldwide energy consumption was 474 exajoules (4.74×10^20 J). I wonder where the majority of this heat has gone..

3. This heat is going to be transferred upwards by convection, so we can trap as much energy as we like into our atmosphere; but in return there will be more mass flooding and intense hurricanes to the point where our generation of heat decreases (from multiple factors).


3. Clarification: Heat in the ocean will be transferred up by convection. Heat from the surface is only partly carried by the atmosphere, the greenhouse gas part. The rest of the heat emitted by the surface needs no medium and escapes to space after passing cleanly through the atmosphere.
Member Since: 16 août 2007 Posts: 6 Comments: 12461
349. HurricaneKatrina 23:32 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
http://news.scotsman.com/scitech/Last-Ice-Age-happened-in.4351045.jp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subsidence_(atmosphere)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091130112421.htm

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427344.800-mini-ice-age-took-hold-of-europe-in-months.html

http://www.bobkingsley.co.uk/blog/?p=159

Read these links. Global warming can cause cooling. Very abrupt cooling.
Member Since: 19 août 2008 Posts: 27 Comments: 267
350. JupiterKen 23:33 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Levi! Glad to again see your activity on this blog.You are a wise and talented young man. Keep up the good work.
Member Since: 3 mai 2010 Posts: 0 Comments: 295
351. atmoaggie 23:33 GMT le 13 janvier 2011    
Quoting JFLORIDA:
Seriously atmo can you express your self clearly and forgo the cynicism?

I dont see what you are asking in 343.

How can 100% of absorption in a band of the IR get exceeded?
Member Since: 16 août 2007 Posts: 6 Comments: 12461

Viewing: 301 - 351

Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18Blog Index

New Comment
Community Standards Policy Comments will take a few seconds to appear.
Post Your Comments
Please sign in to post comments.
Not only will you be able to leave comments on this blog, but you'll also have the ability to upload and share your photos in our Wunder Photos section.
About JeffMasters
Jeff co-founded the Weather Underground in 1995 while working on his Ph.D. He flew with the NOAA Hurricane Hunters from 1986-1990.

Local Weather
Mostly Cloudy
74 ° F
Nuageux
Community Activity