STORM COURIER Significant Weather Events of 2010 By Jon Jelsema - Meteorologist The 2010 Calendar year will not ing the month of February. In be remembered as an unusually fact, February 2010 was the active year for severe weather, coldest February in the past 30 but did feature a few rather un- years at both the Charleston and usual weather events across Savannah International Airports. southern South Carolina and In addition to the cold conditions, southeast Georgia. These many residents of southern events, in addition to day to day South Carolina and southeast forecasting operations, kept Me- Georgia may remember the teorologists at the National heavy snow event which oc- th Weather Service (NWS) busy curred on February 12 , 2010, NWS Charleston, SC office during the issuing a wide variety of weather when an area of low pressure February 12th, 2010 snowstorm. watches, warnings and adviso- tracked by just off the South ries! Carolina and Georgia coast. The EF0 Tornado 2 miles west of storm initially brought rain to the Bluffton, SC. The tornado Winter 2009/2010 local area, before changing to snapped off the tops of a few Low country residents will likely snow and beginning to accumu- pine trees, a few of which landed remember the rather wet and late. Many locations received on and damaged vehicles, tore cold winter which impacted the enough snow to cover the off some aluminum flashing from southeast United States last win- ground and coat the roads, with homes, knocked down several ter. Many locations across the as much as 6 to 8 inches re- fences, destroyed a shed and local area received 10+ inches of ported across a good portion of damaged a swing set. A more rainfall during December 2009. Colleton, Dorchester, and Berke- widespread severe weather epi- Following the drenching Decem- ley counties. sode occurred on May 23rd, ber, one of the coldest periods in 2010, when numerous reports Spring 2010 recent memory was observed were received from across the during the first half of January Following the unusually cold win- low country, of trees and power 2010, when temperatures strug- ter, temperatures rebounded lines down, as well as large hail. gled to hit 50 degrees during the nicely in March, April, and May. Summer 2010 day and fell below the freezing Despite the warmer weather, the mark consistently at night. Tem- severe weather season was un- Pop-up afternoon thunderstorms peratures rebounded during the usually quiet with only a few se- were nearly a daily occurrence middle to late part of January vere weather episodes impacting throughout June, July and Au- 2010, before another Arctic inva- the region. One particular event gust, keeping NWS forecasters sion made its presence felt dur- on April 8th, 2010, resulted in an busy watching the radar and Inside this issue: Special points of interest: The 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season... 3 Atlantic Hurricane Season kind to U.S. NOAA Hurricane Hunter Aircraft... 3 2011 Hurricane Awareness Tour stop: Savannah, GA! Navigating Our Website… 4 A wealth of weather information on the web. NWS on Twitter… 4 Send in your reports via Twitter. Science Corner: Atmospheric Optics… 5 Amazing visual effects of the sky! Using Skype to communicate with the Media… 8 NWS faces seen more frequently on TV? Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Support... 9 NWS support during the Gulf Oil Disaster. Page 2 STORM COURIER Signifcant Weather Events of 2010 continued… assessing storm severity. farther between. There were ceived a quick dusting of Numerous Severe a couple events worth noting snow accumulation and a Weather episodes im- during the fall months how- couple locations had an pacted the local area, re- ever. One event that a few inch of snow deposited on sulting in sporadic reports residents may have wit- grassy surfaces. Thankfully of downed trees and nessed occurred on Septem- much of the snow fell dur- power lines, structural ber 2nd, 2010, when powerful ing the daylight hours, damage to homes and 8 to 10 foot swells lapped keeping road surfaces wet businesses, large hail, as onto area beaches as Hurri- and drivable for the most well as flash flooding. cane Earl passed by well part. Swell impacting the Folly Beach, SC Pier east of the South Carolina from distant Hurricane Earl, September Besides the typical pulse and Georgia coast. Mother Nature wasn’t as 2nd, 2010. severe thunderstorms, low kind to the region on Janu- country residents may Another event occurred on ary 10th, 2011, when a remember the persistently October 25th, 2010, when a storm system moved hot conditions last sum- strong cold front resulted in a through the region and re- mer. To put the heat into late season severe weather sulted in freezing rain. The “NWS perspective, NWS fore- event. Numerous reports of freezing rain and ice accu- forecasters casters issued a total of golf ball to baseball size hail mulation caused all types of 39 Heat Advisories and 5 were received, along with a headaches across much of issued a total of Excessive Heat Warnings few reports of trees and the low country. Numerous 39 Heat for the local area, nearly power lines down. Following power outages occurred as the same number as the the late season severe the additional weight from Advisories and previous 4 years com- weather event, the weather ice accumulation caused 5 Excessive bined. Heat Advisories became much quieter with many tree branches and are issued when the com- below normal rainfall and a limbs to be knocked down Heat Warnings bination of heat and hu- gradual transition into the on power lines. Traffic be- for the local midity results in apparent winter months. came nearly impossible temperatures of 105 to across portions of the area area, nearly the 114 degrees and Exces- Winter 2010/2011 as well, with ice accumulat- same number sive Heat Warnings when Arctic chill descended on the ing on roads, bridges and apparent temperatures region once again this win- overpasses. This resulted as the previous exceed 114 degrees. ter, resulting in soaring en- in the delay or closure of many area schools and 4 years The summer of 2010 went ergy bills during the months of December 2010 and Janu- businesses. combined.” down in the record books as the warmest on record ary 2011. In fact, the aver- For a more thorough review at both the Charleston and age temperature during the of several of the more sig- period beginning December Savannah International st nificant weather events Airports. The Savannah 1 , 2010 and ending on which impacted the low January, 31st, 2011 was the International Airport also nd country in 2010, visit the recorded an impressive 2 coldest on record for the following web page : combined months of Decem- stretch of days with high temperatures at or above ber and January, at both the 90 degrees, ending on Charleston and Savannah http://www.erh.noaa.gov/ August 14th, 2010 at 40 International Airports. chs/events.shtml. consecutive days. This is In addition to the cold tem- nd the 2 most consecutive peratures, a couple winter Throughout 2010, a total of 90+ degree days dating weather events unfolded 211 Severe Thunderstorm back to 1874. Unusually Hot Temperatures affect the across the region. Many Warnings, 11 Tornado residents will likely remem- southeast United States during the Fall 2010 Warnings, 109 Special Ma- summer of 2010. ber snow flakes flying rine Warnings, 13 Flash Weather conditions through the air on the day Flood Warnings, and a host slowed down during the after Christmas, as a storm of other advisory products fall as pop-up afternoon system moved through the were issued by the Charles- showers and thunder- area changing rain over to ton, SC NWS Forecast Of- storms became fewer and snow. Many locations re- fice. Page 3 Very Active 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season Was Kind To U.S. By Robert Bright - Meteorologist The 2010 Atlantic hurricane wind shear over the tropical (Bonnie and Hermine) made season turned out to be very Atlantic Ocean. Other con- landfall in the U.S. while Ma- busy with 19 tropical storms, tributing factors were the jor Hurricane Earl stayed just which tied with 1887 and 1995 record warm ocean tempera- offshore the East Coast. How- for third most on record. tures and an abundance of ever, Earl brought tropical Twelve of those tropical storms weak low pressure systems storm- force winds to North became hurricanes, which tied coming off the west coast of Carolina and Massachusetts as with 1969 for second highest on Africa which are often the well as deadly rip currents record. Five of the hurricanes “seedlings” of tropical cy- along much of the East Coast. reached major hurricane clones. Although there was For more information on the strength (Category 3, 4 or 5 on an unusual number of tropical the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane storms, the weather patterns 2010 Atlantic hurricane sea- Wind Scale). An average sea- through the summer and fall son, check out the National son produces just 11 tropical were such that most were Hurricane Center’s website. Visible satellite image of Hurricane Earl as it moved up the Eastern U.S. Coast storms, 6 hurricanes and 2 ma- steered away from the U.S.. For a local tropical cyclone on September 3rd, 2010. jor hurricanes. This included a deep high climatology, check out… As expected by the National pressure system over the East Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- Coast, which kept the region http://weather.gov/chs/ ministration (NOAA), La Nina warmer and drier than nor- tropical/hurrstats_web.shtml. played a role in creating less mal. Only 2 tropical storms “Savannah, GA NOAA’s Hurricane Hunter Aircraft Coming To Savannah! has been By Ron Morales - Warning Coordination Meteorologist selected to be one of the stops Savannah, GA has been se- in many other national and show.