The Nations Weather

NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY:

In the eastern two-thirds of the country, lake effect snow showers were the main story across the central and western Great Lakes. Snow fell in localized bands downwind of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan and accumulated to the tune of 6-12 inches in some spots. Eleven inches of snow fell near Shingleton, Michigan from this activity. Outside of these localized bands, there were occasional light snow showers or flurries across the region with little or no accumulation. To the east, lake effect rain showers occurred across the eastern Great Lakes through the afternoon and into the evening. These showers also occurred in localized bands. Buffalo, New York received 0.35 inches of rain so far, but areas outside the lake effect received much lighter totals. This rain gradually changed to snow by late evening across these regions with little or no accumulation to this point. Meanwhile, unseasonably cold temperatures occurred under variable cloud cover across the Upper Midwest and the northern Plains. Highs struggled into the mid teens and 20s across the Dakotas and most of Minnesota. To the south, isolated showers and thunderstorms developed by late evening across southern Texas. Rainfall amounts were generally light. Elsewhere, dry and quiet weather was common across the central Plains, the Middle and Lower Mississippi Valley, the Gulf Coast, the Southeast, and the Mid-Atlantic.

In the West, a weather system brought scattered rain showers and mountain snow showers to the Desert Southwest, the Great Basin, and the northern Rockies. Snow accumulations were a slushy few inches across the higher mountain locations. Rainfall amounts were generally up to a quarter of an inch. There were a few totals in excess of a half an inch in spotty locations. Lovelock, Nevada received 0.65 inches of rain. There were even a few thunderstorms across the lower elevations of central Arizona. An isolated storm or two became strong as nickel sized hail fell in Glendale, Arizona. Meanwhile, a cold front brought scattered rain showers, windy conditions, and much cooler temperatures to portions of southern California. Snow levels dropped enough to bring light slushy snow to the mountains of southern California. Winds gusted over 50 mph in some mountain locations with this system. Also, a few rain and mountain snow showers lingered behind the front across the Pacific Northwest and portions of northern California. Rain and snow totals were generally light.

WEATHER EXTREMES FOR YESTERDAY:

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F).............85 Pembroke Pines, FL

HIGHEST HEAT INDEX (DEGREES F)..............85 Pembroke Pines, FL

.............................................. Hollywood, FL

LOWEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)..............-1 Minot, ND

.............................................. Hettinger, ND

LOWEST WIND CHILL (DEGREES F)..............-10 Minot, ND

HIGHEST WIND GUST (MPH).....................54 Saint Johns, AZ

HIGHEST PRECIPITATION (INCHES)............0.68 Mount Shasta, CA

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY:

In 1835, a strong storm system across the Great Lakes struck with a devastating effect. The storm sunk 19 ships and 254 sailors drowned.

In 1989, winds gusted to 112 mph across portions of Montana as strong Chinook winds blew across the northern Rockies. These warm winds allowed Kalispell, Montana to reach 59 degrees at midnight.

In 1995, the afternoon high temperature at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was a toasty 83 degrees. However, a strong cold front pushed through during the afternoon and there was over an inch of snow on the ground by late evening. Friday night football games were played in heavy snow that reduced visibilities to less than the length of a football field.

DTN-Meteorlogix/N Hamblin

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