STORM COURIER Significant Weather Events of 2011 By Jon Jelsema - Meteorologist The 2011 calendar year was a weath- cold start to the year, much of southern er roller coaster ride of sorts, featuring South Carolina and southeast Georgia a number of unusual and extreme experienced a significant ice storm on weather events across southern South the 10th of January. An area of low Carolina and southeast Georgia. The pressure off the southeast coast events in combination with day to day spread rain into the region which froze forecasting operations, kept Meteorol- on contact with the ground due to the ogists at the National Weather Service presence of a cold dense airmass as a (NWS) office in Charleston, South result of high pressure in the lee of the Carolina busy issuing a plethora of Appalachians. Most locations away weather related watches, warnings from the immediate coast received a and advisories. thin glaze of ice accumulation, while areas further inland along and west of Winter 2010/2011 a Moncks Corner to Walterboro to Met- brought with it the beginning to severe Low country residents will certainly ter line received 0.50 to 1.00 inches of weather season across the southeast remember the cold arctic grip which ice accumulation. The ice storm had a United States. The first significant se- was placed on the southeast United tremendous impact on the area, caus- vere weather event of the season oc- States during the winter months of ing numerous power outages, closures curred on March 26th, when two torna- December, January and February. In of roads and bridges, and numerous does, one an EF0 and another an EF1, fact, the months of December and traffic accidents. The grip of old man touched down in Bulloch county. The January went down in the history winter was released somewhat during two tornadoes carved paths between books as the second coldest on record the month of February, with average the towns of Rocky Ford and Portal, at both the Charleston and Savannah temperatures 2.9 degrees above nor- resulting in significant damage to sev- International airports. The average mal for the month at the Savannah eral mobile homes and snapping or temperature for the two month period airport and 4.1 degrees above normal uprooting hundreds of trees. Quickly was 43.7 degrees at the Charleston for the month at the Charleston airport. on the heels of the Tornado event, the airport, finishing second to the 1939- first widespread severe weather event Spring 2011 1940 period where the average tem- of the season occurred the very next perature for two month period was The warming trend which was ob- day, March 27th, 2011, when numerous 42.9 degrees. At the Savannah air- served in February continued into reports of large hail (golf ball to tennis port, the average temperature for the spring. March, April and May all rec- ball size) and some isolated reports of same two month period was 44.4 de- orded average temperatures which wind damage were received. Severe grees, just shy of the 1917-1918 were above climatology at the Charles- weather season continued in early April stretch where the temperature aver- ton and Savannah airports. The warm- when a strong cold front swept through aged 44.3 degrees. In addition to the er weather, as is usually the case, the region on April 5th. The cold front Inside this issue: Special points of interest: 2011 Hurricane Season / NWS and Social Media… 3 Hurricane Season mainly quiet for U.S. Your New Years Resolution: Bookmark our website... 4 Website full of information for your weather needs. Meteorologists of the future at NWS Charleston… 4 Summer scholarships awarded to college students Science Corner: The Naming of Clouds… 5-6 How clouds received names. The NWS Weather Ready Nation Initiative… 7 A nation prepared to respond to and recover from disasters. Hurricane Hunter Aircraft Showcased n Savannah… 8 Hurricane Awareness Tour makes a stop in Savannah, GA. NWS On-Site Support / Drought Conditions... 9 NWS Charleston represented in Australia? Page 2 STORM COURIER Signifcant Weather Events of 2011 continued… led to the development of acres of land and destroyed sessing storm severity on a line of severe thunder- 10 structures, 3 of which most days. Numerous se- storms which produced were occupied homes, be- vere weather events im- widespread wind damage tween March 24th and March pacted the area, with these including numerous 31st. The fires which oc- events featuring sporadic downed trees and power curred over southern South reports of wind damage lines across southern Carolina and southeast such as downed trees and South Carolina and south- Georgia were so large that power lines, large hail, and east Georgia. On the 16th they were clearly visible in flash flooding. One severe of April, an approaching satellite imagery. weather event which stands cold front moving into a out in particular occurred Tornado Damage which occurred April Summer 2011 16th near St. Stephen, South Carolina. moist unstable environ- over the two day period of th th ment resulted in the touch- Heat and humidity returned August 8 and 9 , following down of a Tornado near to the South Carolina and the extremely hot episode St. Stephen, South Caroli- Georgia low country over the mentioned earlier. Wide- na. The Tornado formed summer months of June, spread reports of severe over Lake Moultrie, came July and August, along with weather were received from onshore just south of the the typical development of across southern South Car- town of Russellville and afternoon and evening show- olina and southeast Geor- tracked just south of the ers and thunderstorms. The gia of trees and power lines “Summer 2011 will town of St. Stephen before heat experienced across the down as well as structural lifting. A church was com- region was quite unusual. In damage to several homes go down in the pletely demolished, sever- fact, summer 2011 will go and businesses. Another record books as the al homes were damaged down in the record books as event that many residents or destroyed and hun- the warmest in recorded will remember was a visit warmest in dreds of trees were history, with the average from an infrequent guest on th recorded history at snapped off or uprooted. temperatures at both the August 26 . This uninvited Another significant severe Charleston and Savannah visitor was Hurricane Irene. both the Charleston weather event occurred airports rounding out at 83.4 Although the worst impacts across Charleston and from the Hurricane were felt and Savannah degrees and 84.0 degrees Berkeley counties on May respectively. Another rather across the Mid-Atlantic and th airports” 10 . Numerous reports of remarkable record was es- Northeast States, Tropical golf ball size hail were tablished at the Savannah Storm conditions did impact received, with hail the size airport, where the mercury portions of coastal South of baseballs falling on the rose to 90 degrees or above Carolina. Winds as high as Isle of Palms. The spring for a record 56 consecutive 50 mph, power outages months also featured a days beginning on May 20th from downed trees and less frequent occurrence, and ending on July 15th. power lines, elevated surf when warm, dry and windy This broke the previous rec- as high as 10 to 12 feet and conditions resulted in the ord of 44 consecutive 90+ minor salt water flooding, development of several degree days which occurred impacted portions of south- large wildfires. The Windy back in 1993. There was ern South Carolina and Fire which occurred near one stretch of days in partic- southeast Georgia as Irene McClellanville, SC burned ular where the combination passed by roughly 300 nearly 2600 acres and of heat and humidity was miles east of Charleston, destroyed 16 non- unbearable to most individu- SC. residential structures over als. The period of August 3rd Fall 2011 the 3 day period beginning through 9th saw daily heat rd March 23 and ending on index values climb above Quieter conditions prevailed Sweltering Heat affected the southeast March 25th. The Sand United States during the summer of 105 degrees, and as high as through the fall months of 2011. Ridge Fire burned nearly 120 degrees in a few loca- September, October and 1250 acres just west of tions. Despite the historic November following the rd Dorchester, SC on the 23 heat, the thunderstorm activi- typically active yet unusual- th and 24 of March. Finally, ty was quite typical of the ly hot summer time period. the Elim Church Road Fire summer months, and kept The fall months did feature occurred near Ludowici, NWS forecasters busy several severe weather GA and burned over 4000 watching the radar and as- Page 3 Significant Weather Events 2011 continued... events where wind damage and hail perature in December 2011 was 54.9 pacted the low country in 2011, visit: were reported. Additionally, there degrees at the Charleston airport, were several strong wind events which was 4.1 degrees above normal http://www.erh.noaa.gov/chs// events.shtml which occurred in advance of strong and a shocking 12.2 degrees milder cold fronts that resulted in sporadic than December 2010. The story was Throughout 2011, a total of 299 Se- reports of downed trees and power similar at the Savannah airport, vere Thunderstorm Warnings, 10 lines. where the average temperature in Tornado Warnings, 172 Special Ma- December 2011 was 55.8 degrees, rine Warnings, 10 Flash Flood Warn- Following a rather inactive fall period, 4.1 degrees above normal and a re- the winter months began drastically ings and a host of other warning and markable 12.1 degrees warmer than advisory products were issued by the different than the previous year, with December 2010.