January 1999 Storm Data
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JANUARY 1999 VOLUME 41 NUMBER 1 STORMSTORM DATADATA AND UNUSUAL WEATHER PHENOMENA WITH LATE REPORTS AND CORRECTIONS NATIONAL OCEANIC AND NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SATELLITE NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER noaa ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION DATA, AND INFORMATION SERVICE ASHEVILLE, N.C. Cover: The remains of a building in Clarksville, Tennessee, after being struck by an F3 tornado on January 22nd, 1999. The tornado struck early in the morning, resulting in only 5 injuries and no fatalities. Several hundred commercial and residential structures were severly damaged or destroyed causing over $72 Million in property damage. See Page 6 for details. (Photograph courtesy of Jerry Orchanian, WCM, NWS, Nashville, TN) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Outstanding Storms of the Month ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 5 Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena ………………………………………………………………………….. 8 Additions/ Corrections …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 250 Reference Notes …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 257 STORM DATA (ISSN 0039-1972) National Climatic Data Center Editor: Stephen Del Greco Assistant Editor: Stuart Hinson STORM DATA is prepared, funded, and distributed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Outstanding Storms of the Month section is prepared by the Data Operations Branch of the National Climatic Data Center. The Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena narratives and Hurricane/Tropical Storm summaries are prepared by the National Weather Service. Monthly and annual statistics and summaries of tornado and lightning events resulting in deaths, injuries, and damage are compiled by cooperative efforts between the National Climatic Data Center and the Storm Prediction Center. STORM DATA contains all confirmed information on storms available to our staff at the time of publication. However, due to difficulties inherent in the collection of this type of data, it is not all-inclusive. Late reports and corrections are printed in each edition. Maps of the National Weather Service County Warning Areas which are used in the Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena section will be printed in all editions. Except for limited editing to correct grammatical errors, materials submitted are generally published as received. Note: "None Reported" means that no severe weather occurred and "Not Received" means that no reports were received for this region at the time of printing. Subscription, pricing, and ordering information is available from: National Climatic Data Center 151 Patton Avenue Asheville, NC 28801 (828)271-4800 or (828) CLIMATE The editors of STORM DATA solicits your help in acquiring photographs (prints or slides; black and white, or color), maps, clippings, etc. of significant or unusual weather events (past or present). These could be for use in the "Outstanding Storms of the Month'' section of STORM DATA. We request our subscribers or other interested persons to mail such items to: Stuart Hinson National Climatic Data Center 151 Patton Avenue Asheville, NC 28801 Any such items received by the editor will be for use in STORM DATA only. Any other use will be with the permission of the owner of said items. Materials submitted will be returned if requested in the original submission. "I certify that this is an official publication of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and is compiled from information received at the National Climatic Data Center Asheville, North Carolina 28801-2733." Thomas R. Karl Director, National Climatic Data Center 2 The Cyclone Track Map which usually appears on this page is not available for January 1998. Should the data become available in the future, a cyclone track map will be produced and printed in a subsequent issue. 3 The monthly tornado map which normally appears on page 4 is not available for the month of January. It will be printed in a subsequent issue 4 OUTSTANDING STORMS OF THE MONTH 1. JANUARY TORNADOES CAUSE DAMAGE TO SOUTHEAST US An episode of severe weather usually associated with the spring and summer months, occurred over the southeastern United States on January 17, and January 22, 1999. On January 17 a strong storm system moves over southwest Missouri. The National Weather Service office in Little Rock AK recognizes there is a potential for severe weather and issues a tornado warning at 2:49 P.M. CST. Other National Weather Service offices follow suit and post tornado warnings for portions of Arkansas and Tennessee. Several tornadoes touch down throughout the afternoon and early evening in both Arkansas and western and central Tennessee. Eight people died, 131 people were injured and property damage exceeded 40 million dollars. Below: An aerial view of a Jackson-Madison County school bus that was tossed about 300 yards from its bus barn. (Photograph courtesy of Robert Cohen, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN ©1999 All Rights Reserved) Below Left: All that remains of a funeral home in Jackson, TN is the ground floor restrooms. This photograph shows the importance of being in the lowest room in the center of a building during a tornado. (Photograph courtesy of the National Weather Service, Memphis, TN) Below Right: The wall of this church in Halls, TN collapses. (Photograph courtesy of the National Weather Service, Memphis, TN) 5 2. MORE TORNADOES STRIKE TENNESSEE VALLEY A second round of severe weather affected the same areas on January, 21 - 22. The National Weather Service offices in Little Rock, Memphis and Nashville issued several tornado warnings throughout the day on the 21st and into the morning of the 22nd. Several strong tornadoes touched down in North- Central Arkansas and Western Tennessee in the late afternoon and evening hours of the 21st. Early on the 22nd, an F3 (wind speeds of 158 - 206 mph) touched down in the city of Clarksville, TN. Property damage is estimated at $72.7 million. Only five injuries were recorded. Above Left: A generator is used to supply power on South 3rd Street in downtown Clarksville. Above Right: The remains of a church in Clarksville which sustained a direct hit from the F3 tornado. Below Left: Another example of the damage caused by the tornado in Clarksville. Below Right: The Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville sustained severe damage. (All photographs of Clarksville are courtesy of Jerry Orchanian, WCM, National Weather Service, Nashville, TN.) 6 3. UNUSUAL SNOWFALL FOR SOUTH-CENTRAL CALIFORNIA An unusual storm event occurs in the Jan Joaquin Valley - Snow! Snow is a rarity in this area, having only fallen 15 times since 1937. Temperatures reached the upper 20's and lower 30's overnight on the 24th and a coastal storm off the coast of Southern California provided the moisture. Precipitation began to fall overnight and the residents of the San Joachin Valley woke to several inches of new snow. The record snowfall amount was 1.5 inches at Bakersfield, set in March of 1974. Snowfall of January 25th broke this record with 3 inches measured at the Meadows Fiels Airport in Bakersfield. This prompted the issuance of snow advisories for the valley floor. Bakersfield received as much as 3 inches of snow across almost all of the city, with 4-6 inches reported in the higher northeast section of the city. Snowfall occurred over much of the south end of the valley. Measurable amounts were recorded in Taft, in western Kern County, and as far north as Visalia, in Tulare County. Snow plows were needed to clear a rare 2-4 inch snowfall from roadsaround the east valley communities of Tulare and Visalia so that State Highway 99 could remain open. The nearby Tehachapi Mountains received 12-30 inches of snow and along with the South Valley snow, shut down Interstate- 5, the main traffic corridor between Los Angeles and Northern California, and Highway 99 through Kern. Below: Some residents of Bakersfield, CA enjoying the rare snow event. Note the snow in the tops of the palm trees. (Photograph courtesy of Henry Barrios. The Californian, Bakersfield, CA. ©1999 All Rights Reserved) 7 Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena Time Path Path Number of Estimated Local/ Length Width Persons Damage January 1999 Location Date Standard (Miles) (Yards) Killed Injured Property Crops Character of Storm ALABAMA, North Central Madison County Huntsville 01 0000CST 0 0 0 0 Heavy Rain 31 2359CST January rainfall of 9.30 inches was the 3rd highest amount ever recorded. ALZ006 Madison 01 0000CST 0 0 0 0 Excessive Heat 31 2359CST The average temperature was 46.2 degrees and that was the 5th warmest ever recorded. ALZ006 Madison 02 1000CST 0 0 15K 0 High Wind (G45) 1300CST Strong wind estimated around 50 miles an hour downed power lines in the Toney area and also in the Hazel Green area. A few street light poles were knocked over in downtown Huntsville. Over 30 separate power outages were reported in Madison county. Metal trusses were knocked over at the Farley Elementary School construction site. Winds were recorded at 34 miles an hour at the Huntsville International Airport at 1107am. Barbour County Clio 02 1404CST 0 0 0 0 Hail (0.75) Dime size hail reported near the city of Clio. ALZ001>010- Lauderdale - Colbert - Franklin - Lawrence - Limestone - Madison - Morgan - Marshall - Jackson - Dekalb - 016>018-020-026 Cullman - Blount - Etowah - Cherokee - St. Clair 06 1200CST 0 0 0 0 Winter Storm 1800CST A mixture of light rain, freezing rain, and snow fell across the area causing some icing problems. A maximum of two inches of snow was reported along the Alabama-Tennessee border. As temperatures hovered near the freezing mark, icing occurred on some roads but was mainly limited to elevated structures. Interstate 565 in Huntsville was closed and many other roads were iced over and closed. Numerous accidents were reported due to the slick roadways with some injuries. Two construction workers were killed on I-65 in Blount county when a car lost control on the ice and hit them. St. Clair County 7 SSW Springville 09 0130CST 0 0 25K 0 Thunderstorm Wind (G60) 0145CST Three homes sustained substantial damage from high winds and numerous trees and power lines were blown down in Argo near US 11 and Katy Lane.