Latest news with #Nort
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Snow, bitterly cold air, lingers for the region
bluefield — Arctic cold is keeping the Virginias in its grip today just days after a storm dropped record-breaking rain and inflicted major flooding, but forecasts were showing some relief from the cold this weekend. Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Thursday while briefing the public about West Virginia's sixth day of flood recovery that record flood levels were noted last weekend. 'Now, from big picture perspective, we know that we had a truly historic weather event last weekend,' Morrisey said. 'Parts of McDowell County received 4.72 inches of rain in less than 48 hours. I don't need to describe to people here the topography of West Virginia and what happens when all the water comes in and especially after a lot of snow and rain, how wet the ground is, that there's really no place for the water to go but to go up. That's part of what causes the problem. It was much worse than the forecast.' 'To put this in perspective, we have some stats that the highest rainfall that was ever recorded in Bluestone Lake in southern West Virginia in the month of February was 7 inches of rain,' Morrisey said. 'Through the first 18 days of this month, we exceeded that number, so this is very significant and part of the reason why we've had real problems.' New records could have been broken on the Bluestone River in Mercer County and the Tug Fork River in McDowell County. In Mercer County, the Bluestone River gauge at Spanishburg rose to 20 feet, potentially making it a record rise for the Bluestone in that area, according to Keith Gunnoe, director of the Mercer County Office of Emergency Management. This level was still being confirmed by the National Weather Service. 'We know that the Tug Fork River crested at 49 feet. We believe this is the second-highest recorded in history,' Morrisey said. On Saturday, Feb. 15, the Bluefield area in Mercer County saw 2.23 inches of rain, surpassing the previous record of 1.85 inches set on Feb. 15, 2003, according to meteorologist Robert Beasley with the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Va. In the city of Beckley, a new daily rainfall record was set Feb. 15 when 2.3 inches of rain fell, according to records at the National Weather Service in Charleston. This broke the previous record of 1.24 inches set on Feb. 15, 2003. And while the region is still recovering from torrential rain, a winter storm warning remained in place until 1 a.m. today for Mercer, Summers and Greenbrier Counties. A high of 27 degrees is expected today with a low of 12 degrees this evening, but there could be wind chills as low of 3 to 2 degrees below zero throughout the day, according to the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Va. The weather service in Blacksburg, Va. also had a cold weather advisory in place for the Virginia counties of Tazewell, Bland, Giles and Wythe as well as the West Virginia counties of Mercer, Summers, Monroe and Greenbrier. This advisory is in effect until 10 a.m. today with wind chills as low as 12 degrees below zero. North in Raleigh County and Fayette County, the National Weather Service's Charleston office had issued a cold weather advisory. Wind chills as low of 18 degrees below zero are possible. A high of 26 degrees is possible today with a low of 10 degrees tonight. Saturday's forecast has partly sunny skies with a high of 39 degrees and a low of 10 degrees. Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
What is a Miller Type B nor'easter?
Nor'easters are powerful storm systems that impact the Eastern Seaboard with a combination of northeasterly winds, heavy precipitation and coastal flooding. Meteorologists classify nor'easters using the Miller classification system, named after researcher J.E. Miller, from the 1940s. Originally, only two types of storms - Miller Type A and Miller Type B – were used for identification purposes, but in the early 2000s, forecasters expanded the system to include three additional types, creating five distinct categories: Type A, Type B, Type C, Type D and Type E. A Miller Type B event is a more west-to-east-originated storm system. These typically occur in the autumn and winter months, when cold air over the continental U.S. clashes with warm, moist air from the Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean. The resulting event can produce blizzard conditions, hurricane-force wind gusts, severe weather and significant coastal erosion. Each type of nor'easter has unique characteristics and impact zones that can lead to devastating conditions, with widespread power outages and millions of dollars in damage. What Is A Nor'easter? This type of storm system tends to lead to a more expansive precipitation shield when compared to the zone impacted by a Miller Type A, but there are important caveats. During a Miller Type B nor'easter, a significant storm system usually races through the Ohio Valley only to fall apart around the Appalachians. The center later redevelops along the East Coast and produces a more significant storm system than compared to the first area of low pressure. This pattern leads to heavy snowfall in the Ohio Valley as well as higher elevations in the Northeast and New England. Due to the development zone, severe weather across the Southeast is often not a threat, but the risk for significant travel disruptions across the Northeast is usually greater because of less warm air entrained in the nor'easter, which means a greater chance of ice and snow. It is also important to note that because the center essentially jumps around, Miller Type B nor'easters can be rather tricky to forecast, as a significant jump offshore can limit coastal impacts. What Does Rain Smell Like? Feb. 25-26, 2004: Southern winter storm This storm system took an unusual southern path, which caused cities in the Carolinas to see unusually heavy amounts of snow, while most of the Northeast stayed clear of hazardous weather. Rock Hill, South Carolina, reported 22 inches of snow, while Charlotte, North Carolina, saw more than a foot of snow. South Carolina authorities reported more than 1,400 traffic crashes in the Palmetto State with at least four traffic-related fatalities. The National Weather Service office that covers much of Georgia also reported widespread snowfall amounts of 1-3 inches in the northern part of the state, associated with an influx of moisture from the west. Jan. 21-24, 2005: North American Blizzard of 2005 One of the more significant storm systems to impact the Northeast occurred in late January 2005. The nor'easter produced heavy snowfall, hurricane-force winds and coastal flooding, leading to widespread travel disruptions. The event was enhanced by arctic air that was already in place, which caused much of the precipitation to fall in the frozen variety. This storm system took on the more classic form of a Miller Type B nor'easter and produced feet of snow and blizzard conditions for Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Before the main low-pressure center took over, the first low-pressure system caused significant snowfall across the Great Lakes. Feb. 4-7, 2010: Snowmageddon Despite being an El Niño year, conditions typically associated with La Niña led to the development of a significant nor'easter. This system caused blizzard conditions in the Northeast, with widespread reports of 30 inches of snow in parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. More than 40 fatalities were reported, and hundreds of thousands of homes lost power due to the Miller Type B storm, which came to be known as "Snowmageddon." The storm system drew a significant amount of moisture from the Gulf, which helped to intensify the impact in the northern mid-Atlantic and southern Northeast states. The greatest snowfall total was recorded in Maryland, with 38.3 inches measured in Elkridge. While the southern end of the storm system produced flooding, there were no widespread reports of severe article source: What is a Miller Type B nor'easter?
