JANUARY 1997 VOLUME 39 NUMBER 1 SS TT OO RR MM DD AA TT AA 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 Mountain Gate Lodge in Mono County, CA is adjacent to the Walker River which overflowed it's banks due to the large amounts of rain received in late December and early January. Also, rising temperatures in early January caused the deep snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains to melt. The Reno, NV and Lake Tahoe areas received extensive flood damage to roadways, bridges and structures near the river banks. (Photo courtesy of Mono County Sheriffs Dept., Bridgeport, CA) CONTENTS Page Outstanding Storms of the Month ................................................ 5 Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena ......................................... 8 Annual Flood Summary ......................................................140 Annual Lightning Summary ....................................................143 Annual Tornado Summary ....................................................152 Annual Hurricane Summary ...................................................163 Reference Notes ..........................................................164 STORM DATA (ISSN 0039-1972) National Climatic Data Center Editor: Stephen A. Del Greco Publication Staff: Stuart Hinson, William Angel 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 National Severe Storms Forecast 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 Forecast Zones 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. Subscription, pricing, and ordering information is available from: National Climatic Data Center 151 Patton Avenue Asheville, NC 28801-5001 (704) 271-4800 or (704) CLIMATE The editor 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'' or "Et Cetera'' sections 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 28801-5001 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." Acting Director, National Climatic Data Center 2 January 1997 Confirmed Tornadoes 4 F Scale F = 0 F = 1 F = 2 F = 3 F = 4 F = 5 F Scale F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total Num ber 13 23 17 0 1 0 54 OUTSTANDING STORMS OF THE MONTH 1. SEVERE FLOODING IN NORTHWEST CAUSES EXTENSIVE DAMAGE The first month of 1997 was not a good one for western Nevada and east-central California. Excessive amounts of rainfall coupled with the melting of the deep snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, caused many rivers and their tributaries to flow out of their banks. A winter storm in late December deposited up to 8 feet of snow at the higher elevations and up to three feet in the valleys (See December 1996 issue of Storm Data). A 968 mb (28.59" Hg) low pressure system moved northeast over southern Canada, trailing a long band of moisture which streamed southwest to the Hawaiian Islands. The “Pineapple Express” dumped up to 8 inches of rain in northern California during the last week of December 1996 and the first week of January 1997. Warm air moved over California ahead of the front and raised surface temperatures into the low to mid 60's by Jan 1 and caused a rapid melting of the snowpack and an increased runoff in the mountains. The Susan, Truckee and Walker Rivers exceeded their banks and covered the low-lying valley floors and river canyons. Thousands of residential and commercial buildings were damaged or destroyed by the swift moving waters. The floods caused almost $1 Billion in damage to the area. Most damage occurred to roads and bridges when they were washed away as the rivers rose to record levels. Only two deaths and 50 injuries resulted from the massive flooding event. Left: A GOES-9 (Geostationary Orbiting Environmental Satellite) enhanced infra- red image of the Pacific Ocean and the Northwest coast of the US. The clouds associated with two strong low pressure systems are visible with a continuous stream of moisture being pulled into the Northwest US from west of Hawaii. (Image courtesy of the National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, NC) Right: Heavy rain and melting snow caused the Walker River in Mono County, CA to flow out of it’s banks near the Mountain Gate community. It took 6 months to rebuild 14 miles of US Highway 395 in Walker Canyon. (Photos courtesy of Mono County Sheriffs Department, Bridgeport, CA) 5 Left: A different view of the same store that was featured on the cover. This photo was taken after the flood waters had receded. Most of the debris left by the flood was in the form of tree branches, brush and garbage. It took many months to clean up the debris and rebuild the roadway. (Photo courtesy of Mono County Sheriffs Department, Bridgeport, CA) 2. F4 TORNADO DAMAGES BARFIELD TENNESSEE On January 24th, a warm front moved northward through the state of Tennessee during the early afternoon hours. Two hours of surface heating caused the atmosphere to rapidly de-stabilize. Temperatures in the area were in the mid 60's with dewpoints in the mid 50's. A strong surface low pressure system located in the Great Lakes Region pulled cold air southward from Canada and it’s associated cold front paralleled the Mississippi River Valley. Temperatures behind the front were in the low 40's and dewpoint temperatures in the 30's and 40's. As the cold front moved through central Tennessee, a line of severe thunderstorms formed and produced heavy rainfall (1.12" at Nashville), frequent cloud-to-ground lightning and spawned a tornado near Barfield at 5:03 PM CST. Barfield is located 35 miles southeast of Nashville, TN. The tornado was rated an F4 (wind speeds 207 - 260 mph) by the National Weather Service and had a path length of 6.5 miles and a width of 300 yards. The tornado completely destroyed many homes, leaving only the foundations intact and debris scattered throughout the subdivision. Left: The F4 tornado in Barfield left the Southridge subdivision in ruins. There were 44 homes destroyed and another 47 damaged by the tornadic winds. Damage was estimated at $4.7 million dollars. There were no deaths and only 18 people injured as there was a 41 minute advanced warning for the severe weather. (Photo courtesy of Henry Steigerwaldt, Science Operations Officer (SOO), NWS, Nashville, TN) 6 3. LARGE HAIL, STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN DAMAGE FLORIDA A severe thunderstorm struck Pasco County, near the town of Zephyrhills in west-central Florida on January 29. The thunderstorm produced heavy rain, dime-sized hail and a downburst which created 60 mph wind gusts. The high winds and heavy rain moved the hail on the ground into the low lying area and filled shallow ravines with up to four feet of hail. The downburst was confirmed by a damage survey shortly after the storm. Trees and debris were blown in different directions, called a “starburst pattern”, indicating a strong outflow had occurred . There were no deaths or injuries reported due to the storm and damage was light with estimates near $10 thousand dollars. Left: A map of the affected area. The storm track is indicated in bold arrows. The higher ground is shown in the hatched area. Note the small arrows indicating the direction of the fallen trees and the debris field. (Map courtesy of Walt Zaleski, WCM, NWS, Tampa, FL) Right: Mr. Chuck Tear, the Pasco County, FL Emergency Management Coordinator, is standing knee deep in the hail which was washed into shallow ravines. He is scooping a handful of dime-sized hail out of the hail drift which was also covered by a layer of straw from nearby fields. (Photo courtesy of Walt Zaleski, WCM, NWS, Tampa, FL) 7 Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena Time Path Path Number of Estimated Local/ Length Width Persons Damage January 1997 Location Date Standard (Miles) (Yards) Killed Injured Property Crops Character of Storm ALABAMA, North Central ALZ006 Madison 02 1200CST 0 0 0 0 Excessive Heat 1700CST The record high of 68 degrees was tied at the Huntsville airport. ALZ024 Jefferson 03 1200CST 0 0 0 0 Excessive Heat 1700CST The record high of 72 degrees was tied at the Birmingham airport. ALZ006 Madison 03 1200CST 0 0 0 0 Excessive Heat 1700CST The record high of 68 degrees was tied at the Huntsville airport.