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COMING THIS HALLOWEEN ( SUNDAY, OCT 31st)
MARK VOGAN'S OFFICIAL 2010-2011 UNITED KINGDOM AND EUROPE WINTER FORECAST.. are you ready?
Today's Top Weather Stories
On Weather & Climate Through the Eyes of Mark Vogan
HISTORIC MIDWEST STORM SPECIAL
By Mark Vogan
The storm of a lifetime, though continues to create havoc with air travel today as powerful winds remain strong and power remains out to hundreds of thousands of Midwest and South residents, the truely worst of what has been the 2nd worst storm over the Midwest in a lifetime and is starting to ease SLOWLY as it progresses eastwards and is currently positioned just north of Lake Superior!
According to Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling of WGN-TV Chicago, this storm covered 4.4 million square miles, it produced the biggest severe weather outbreak since August 5, there were 275 severe weather reports (Jesse Ferrell in today's blog states there were 310 reports, most of them wind) 22 tornadoes, 4 in Chicago region alone. Tom also mentioned during last night's broadcast, that apparently west winds were so strong and blowing off the Chicago shoreline that they dropped the Lake Michigan surface on it's west side, along the Chicago shore by 1 and a half to 2 feet, coming back up 1-2 feet higher than normal on the Michigan side, this occurance spotted by NOAA sensors.
He also went on to say that the Chicago area was whipped by 50, 60 and even 70+ mph gusts (outwith severe thunderstorms). The Harrison Dever Crib which sits off the Chicago shoreline, reported a 74 mph wind gust and a series of planes which were flipped over an 8 foot high fence at Dupage Airport occured with 70 mph winds embedded within a microburst early yesterday morning.
These near hurricane-force winds roared in with the initial and deadly cold front which front run the actual storm system itself. This vast line produced downbursts, Supercell Thunderstorms which produced those tornadoes from Texas to Michigan.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND METEOROLOGICAL PERFECTION
NORTH AMERICA DEVIDED BY COLD AND HOT AIR SETS THE STAGE
1) The contrast of very cold Arctic air over Canada and mid-90 degree air over Texas sets the initial stage over North America and creates the perfect fuel to allow a low pressure storm system to intensify, this air mass contrasts are what supplies the deepening properties of baroclinic depressions, different to tropical storm systems
The secondary factor was a Jet Stream which flowed at between 30,000 and 40,000 feet across the Pacific from Asia into North America which was measured over the open Pacific at over an astonishing 200 mph.
This jet, then cut across the Lower 48 of the US and crossed the Rockies, dropping south into the base of a trough already set up over western North America. This trough, deeped as the energy from the jet and a storm system attached to it entered the trough.
The fierce upper air flow along with the trough migrated the entire North American upper-pattern east and in the process allowed air in the 0s, 10s and 20s over the Arctic wastes to be transported south via the vast open arms of the unusually large size of the storm, increasing in reach over the continent, just as much did the super cold October air penetrate and charge this storm system as it crossed the Rockies and moved out onto the American Plains, it's southern arms then entrained record hot air which was reaching the mid-90s over the Texas deserts and low 90s even in Houston.
SIZE MATTERS
I believe in my initial observation as to how such a storm came about, it's vast size, energy of tropical origin (Typhoon Megi), the power of the jet stream and how hot and cold the air was over North America allowed it to stretch out to near unprecidented widths. This shear spread out of it's circulation and the perfect time of year which had both unusually cold air to the north and also unusually hot air to the south to freely tap, this allowed meteorological perfection.
WARM WATERS OF THE GREAT LAKES
As the backside cold raced into the Rockies and Western Northern Plains where blizzards crippled road travel over Canada as well as the open roads of Montana and the Dakotas, very warm air was driven and is currently pushing all the way into New England, the low this morning at Philadelphia was 70 degrees! There's 60s and perhaps 70s all the way to northern New England, likely even into Canada as the front is still to arrive.
I wonder if the actual bombing out of this low to the 28.20 pressure was also thanks to the warm lake waters..... adding extra juice and with it being October, rather than November as well as the unusually warm summer and especially October, EVERYTHING came together perfectly.
MORE ON THIS TOMORROW!!!!
Today's Weather across America
From AccuWeather
Northern Plains Blizzard Ends, Cold Continues
AccuWeather
Cooler Days Ahead for New York City, Atlanta, Houston
AccuWeather
Weather Talk
By Mark Vogan
Mammoth Storm has likely produced the US's first Sub-Zero morning Out West, Whilst Philadelphia fails to get below 70-degrees, High tops near 80 degrees!
UK WEATHER
After a night of High Winds and Heay rains, tonight will be a repeat performance across Scotland as new brand has already moved in!
Though temps near 11pm were at 58 degrees at Perth and 58 degrees into the early morning hours in Inverness, these mild temps came at a price of strong south winds and heavy rains, winds that issued high wind warnings on the Forth Bridge and a real blowing about of my truck!
The milder air has weakened slightly as winds ease more inland but remain strong nearer the coast.
Tonights biggest issues will be a band of heavy, torrential rains that will progress from southwest to northeast through tonight, bringing a change of flooding in areas...
The milder Atlantic weather pattern should remain in control throughout the rest of this week!
What's Reaching Today's Blogs?
Historic Midwest Storm's Greatest Hits
Jesse Ferrell, AccuWeather
One Last Wild Day of Wind, Snow and Severe Storms. Winter Forecast May Have Issues.
Henry Margusity, AccuWeather
The Extremes of the Day
Today's US Extremes
Courtesy of AccuWeather
High: 95 degrees at Del Rio, TX
Low: 0 degrees at Bodie State Park, CA
Today's Extremes here at my house
High: 52 degrees
Low: 48 degrees
Thanks for reading.
-Mark
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