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WINTER STORM CAUSES PROBLEMS FROM CALIFORNIA TO NEW ENGLAND

January 30, 2002 — The biggest storm of the 2001-02 winter season stretched from southern California to New England Wednesday, bringing an abrupt end to unseasonably warm temperatures to many areas and leaving behind a blanket of snow and ice.

NOAA's National Weather Service issued a variety of weather advisories and warnings for portions of several states. Public forecasts warned of rain showers in southern Arizona, snow in most of Colorado and New Mexico, severe thunderstorms in
central Texas through much of Oklahoma, significant ice accumulations from freezing rain and sleet in eastern Kansas and northwest Missouri through northern Ohio, heavy snow from northern Illinois to southern Michigan, with the wintry precipitation making its way toward New England.

Malibu, Calif., residents saw their first dusting of snow in more than a decade as the storm moved through the state. Up to three inches of snow was expected in the California foothills. Severe thunderstorm watches were in effect for central Texas and most of Oklahoma, in areas south of the rain/snow line.

Freezing rain and sleet Wednesday closed schools and made roadways treacherous in eastern Kansas, northern Missouri and southeast Iowa. Weather Service forecasts in those areas call for freezing rain and sleet to continue throughout the day, before turning to snow Wednesday night and accumulating up to 4 to 8 inches. Kansas City area residents awoke Wednesday to a half-inch of ice coating the area, snarling travel.

A narrow band of heavy snow was forecast to stretch Wednesday from south-central Kansas through northwest Missouri and southeast Iowa across northern Illinois, northern Indiana, southern Michigan and northern Ohio. The Chicago area picked up a little more than 5 inches of snow by Tuesday afternoon and forecasters said the area could expect up to 10 inches by nightfall on Wednesday.

Forecasters also warned of possible flash flooding in northwest Arkansas, southern
Illinois and southern Indiana.

Temperatures are expected to plummet well below freezing as the cold front continues its southerly trek, bringing an end to the freezing rain and leaving a blanket of snow over several states.

The frontal zone and associated low pressure systems will then spread a mix of precipitation into the Ohio River Valley and New England on Thursday into Friday. Areas of Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts could see significant ice accumulations, while central New England receives upwards of 10 inches of snow. New York City should see mainly rain, while Boston will experience a wide variety of precipitation, from snow on Thursday morning, to freezing rain and sleet later in the day, and possibly turning to all rain by Friday morning. Travel is expected to be impacted in the Boston area.

Mark Klein, a forecast meteorologist at NOAA's Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, said this storm system is the result of a large clash in temperatures. "The bottom line is that you have a couple of significant air masses trying to vie for control. It's unusually warm across the southeast because of a strong Bermuda High, with record high temperatures set across the southeast and mid-Atlantic states with highs in the 70s to the low to mid 80s in parts of Virginia. For example, the temperature at Washington's Reagan National Airport reached 77 degrees on Wednesday afternoon, shattering the old record for the date and nearly tying the all-time high temperature record for January. The high of 77 is a whopping 34 degrees above normal for the date. To the north of the frontal boundary temperatures are in the 20s and 30s, and a lot of moisture has been riding along the front," he said.

"The problem is that most of the precipitation has fallen in the cold air, and the cold air behind this front is very shallow, and that leads to freezing rain and sleet rather than snow for many areas," Klein continued.

He said, "Thursday the storm system really gets its act together with snow and sleet spreading through sections of New England with some freezing rain and snow continuing through the Ohio Valley. The emphasis will shift to the east with the heavy snows and sleet falling across upstate New York and through New England, and there will be some significant rains south of that with the potential for thunderstorms through the southeast."

Klein said the cold air behind the front is not unusual for this time of year, but will be notable as a dramatic change from the record high temperatures of the past few days. "Over the weekend it's going to cool off quite a bit, not cooler than normal, but temperatures will be 20-30 degrees colder than they are now."

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA's Hydrometeorological Prediction Center

NOAA's National Weather Service

NOAA's Storm Watch

NOAA's Weather Page

Media Contact:
Andrew Freedman, NOAA's National Weather Service, (301) 713-0622

 

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