WELCOME TO THE SEVERE WEATHER TEAM 9 WEATHER BLOG

Greetings everyone and welcome to the Severe Weather Team 9 Weather Blog. If you have a passion for weather, you've come to the right place.

We'll use this forum to discuss Ohio Valley weather in greater detail and answer as many weather questions as possible. You can send in your questions to weather@wtov.com.

FEBRUARY 6, 2010: A SNOWSTORM FOR THE RECORD BOOK

It was great if you love snow, misery if you don’t. This recent blast of snow brought at least 6 inches of snow to just about everyone in the area, and a lucky (or unlucky) few may have received in excess of two feet, judging by emails sent to us here in the Severe Weather Center.

We measured 16 inches of snow here on February 5 and 6, with 8.7 inches coming on Friday and 7.3 inches on Saturday. Both of those totals became daily snowfall records for those dates, and the 16 inch total made this the fourth biggest snowstorm for the Steubenville area, according to our records. Of course, the Steubenville records only go back to 1941, and there were some years when snowfall totals were not recorded.

For the record, the biggest snowstorm for Steubenville was the 41 inch monster snowstorm that fell on November 24-27, 1950. Second place falls to the blizzard of 1993, with 18 inches on March 13. Our third heaviest snow came February 16-17, 2003 with 16.3 inches. This recent event is fourth, followed by the 15.2 inches received on February 13-14, 1960. This recent storm dumped 21.1 inches of snow at the National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh and was their fourth biggest recorded snowstorm as well.

According to various information sources including emails and National Weather Service reports, this storm produced as little as a few inches right along the Ohio River to as much as thirty inches. This wide range is actually typical for a storm of this type, with areas at higher elevations receiving more precipitation which fell as all snow, while more ice and rain was mixed in at lower elevations and locations farther to the south, producing lower snow totals. It’s even possible some faulty snow measurement techniques such as measuring in drifts and not taking the average of several measurements producing bloated snowfall totals.

E-mail your weather questions to weather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Kevin Carter .

FEBRUARY 3, 2010: YEAR OFF TO A COLD, WET, AND SLIGHTLY SNOWY START

January was a month with three parts; a cold, snowy start, a mild and wet middle, and a cold finish. When you add it all up, temperatures were a bit below average, precipitation was well above average, and snow was just a touch more than usual.

Our average high temperature was 31.9 degrees, 3.2 degrees below average, and our average low was 20.1 degrees, 1.2 degrees milder than normal. Combine the two, and the average temperature for the month was about a degree below average. We did not set any temperature records, but we did top out at 51 degrees on January 16 and fell to 5 degrees on January 29 and 31.

There was one precipitation record in January, 1.13 inches of precipitation which fell as rain on January 24. The month totaled 3.44 inches of rain and melted snow, nine tenths of an inch above average. Snow generally came an inch or two at a time, eventually piling up to 13.2 inches for the month, 0.9 inches above average. We never managed more than 1.9 inches in any one calendar day, but we did have six days with an inch or more of snow.

Our seasonal snow total as of the end of January was 22.1 inches, just below the season to date average of 22.7 inches. Considering what the groundhog predicted for the next six weeks, not to mention what appears headed our way very soon, there may be a lot more snow to come!

E-mail your weather questions to weather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Kevin Carter .

JANUARY 28, 2010: AN OLD WEATHER SAYING COMES TRUE

Perhaps you’ve heard someone say “as the days lengthen, the cold strengthens." For the next few days, this will be the case!

Today our sunrise is at 7:36 am, and our sunset is at 5:36 pm. This gives us ten hours of daylight, which is 43 minutes more than the shortest day of the year back in December. This additional daylight is not going to help us in the temperature department.

Temperatures should fall from an early high near freezing this morning to a midnight low in the lower teens, and continue to fall into the single digits by Friday morning. Temperatures will be hard pressed to rise out of the teens on Friday, and back into the single digits we likely fall Friday night into Saturday morning.

We likely stay near 20 degrees for highs and 10 degrees or colder for lows right through the weekend, even though we’re adding a minute or two of daylight each day. But don’t give up hope; every day brings us closer to spring, even if it doesn’t feel like it!

E-mail your weather questions to weather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Kevin Carter .

JANUARY 27, 2009: PETA WANTS PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL TO BE REPLACED BY A ROBOT!

An animal rights group wants organizers of Pennsylvania's Groundhog Day festival to replace Punxsutawney Phil with a robotic stand-in. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says it's unfair to keep the animal in captivity and subject him to the huge crowds and bright lights that accompany tens of thousands of revelers each Feb. 2 in Punxsutawney, a tiny borough about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. PETA is suggesting the use of an animatronic model.

But William Deeley, president of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, says the animal is "being treated better than the average child in Pennsylvania." The groundhog is kept in a climate-controlled environment and is inspected annually by the state Department of Agriculture.

Mr. Deeley says PETA isn't interested in Phil from Feb. 2 on, and is looking for publicity.

Email your weather questions toweather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Jeff Oechslein.

JANUARY 20, 2009: PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL GOES HIGH TECH WITH HIS GROUNDHOG DAY PREDICTION

Sign up to get a text of Punxsutawney Phil’s February 2, 2010 Weather prognostication from Gobblers Knob via your mobile device by texting "Groundhog" to 247365 between now and Groundhog Day. Even though the groundhog web site doesn’t mention any charges I’m sure it’s safe to say that standard texting rates apply.

I’m no rodent but I have a feeling that old man winter will come back with a vengeance for February with below normal temperatures and above average snowfall.

Email your weather questions toweather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Jeff Oechslein.

JANUARY 19, 2010: COLD, THEN WARM

This month started out really cold, but we have warmed up a bit since then. Meteorologists often talk of a January thaw, and we really have had one this month. But of course, to have a thaw, you have to freeze first!

And freeze we did! After starting the year just above freezing during the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, temperatures fell and did not recover for nearly two weeks. After January 1, we did not touch freezing again until January 13, and it took until the next day to hit 40 degrees. But since we hit 40 degrees on January 14, we have managed to rise above freezing every day since.

The first 13 days of the year had an average temperature of 18.7 degrees, more than 8 degrees below average. But when the thaw came, it came in a hurry. Since January 14, our average temperature has been 36.5 degrees, which is more than 10 degrees above average.

If you look at the average high and low temperatures, you see an interesting trend this month. The average temperature falls to its lowest point from January 9 through January 16 with an average high of 34 degrees and an average low of 18 degrees. The average high climbs to 35 degrees on January 17, and the average low ticks up to 19 degrees on January 18.

The average high then moves to 36 degrees on January 21, and stays there through January 27. But from January 28 through February 6, the average high drops back to 35 degrees, before climbing again to 36 degrees on February 7. Sure, it’s not much of a drop, but this step back in the average high is the only such break in what is otherwise a uniform rise in temperatures from the depths of winter to the heat of summer.

E-mail your weather questions to weather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Kevin Carter .

JANUARY 14, 2009: COLD WEATHER EASES BUT IT LEAVES A FOOTPRINT

Temperatures will finally make it above the freezing mark this afternoon, but this recent cold snap has left its footprint. As you will see in the photos below courtesy of the US Coast Guard the Ohio river is a little icy in spots. As of yesterday, January 13th New Cumberland Lock and Dam reported ice coverage 6 inches thick that extends 12 miles upstream.

Pike Island reported 2/10 ice coverage 1 inch thick extending 5 miles upstream. Hannibal Lock and Dam have layered ice coverage 2 inches thick extending 25 miles upstream.

Please stay off this ice or for that matter any ice along streams and creeks as it is not thick enough to support you!

New Cumberland Lock and Dam

US Coast Guard

Sammis Power Plant - Stratton Oh

US Coast Guard

Newell

US Coast Guard

Email your weather questions toweather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Jeff Oechslein.

JANUARY 12, 2010: 2009 DID NOT MEASURE UP

As a whole, 2009 was a bit cooler than average, a bit drier than average, and a bit less snowy than average. There were some extremes, of course, including a 91 degree high on August 17 (one of three days at or above 90 degrees) and a low of -10 degrees on January 17 (one of two days below zero).

The average high temperature for the year was 60.2 degrees, and the average low was 41.9 degrees. The average of these two is the average temperature for the year, and at 51.0 degrees it came in 0.6 degrees below average. There were three daily record high temperatures (March 18, April 25, and November 8), and three record lows (May 18, July 14, and October 19).

We received 34.96 inches of rain and melted snow last year, 1.89 inches below average. Snow came in at 32.6 inches, 8 inches less than average. There were two daily precipitation records in 2009 (May 24 and Christmas Day), and two snow records (January 30 and April 7).

Our wettest day was that record breaking 1.95 inches on May 24, and the snowiest day was 3.9 inches on January 14. The highest wind recorded in the area was 92 miles per hour recorded on February 11 at the Allegheny County Airport. February 11 was also one of two days with tornado warnings issued in the area, the other being June 17, which featured 10 tornado warnings, 14 severe thunderstorm warnings, and 9 flood warnings in the area.

Those two tornado days were part of the 20 severe thunderstorm days we had last year. There were also 14 days with flood watches and warnings issued. The other most notable aspect of last year was that only a trace of snow was measured in the entire month of March, the lowest amount on record. Stay tuned to see what 2010 will bring!

E-mail your weather questions to weather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Kevin Carter .

JANUARY 11, 2009: SUNSHINE STATE SHIVERS!

When people start complaining around here about the cold and snow of winter I typically tell them to move to Florida. That advice hasn’t worked of late! While Florida has escaped the snow there was no escaping the cold! Check out these stats that have Jimmy Buffet eating a lot more cheeseburgers just to stay warm.

January 1-10, 2010 Departure from average: Tampa: -17.5° Pensacola: -15.7° Tallahassee: -15.7° Jacksonville: -15.4° Miami: -14.3° Key West: -13.2°

Lowest Minimum Temperatures: Tallahassee: 14°, 1/11 Jacksonville: 20°, 1/11 Pensacola: 20°, 1/9 Tampa: 25°, 1/11 Miami: 35°, 1/10 Key West: 42°, 1/11

Key West has also witnessed one of its most severe cold weather outbreaks on record. It has had the longest stretch of days with minimum temperatures below 50° and tied the record for most such days during a winter.

Most consecutive days with low temperatures below 50°: 5, January 7-11, 2010 4, December 24-27, 1989 3, January 12-14, 1981

Most days with low temperatures below 50° during a winter: 5, Winters 1989-90, 1995-96, and 2009-10

Email your weather questions toweather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Jeff Oechslein.

JANUARY 4, 2010: A LOOK BACK AT DECEMBER

The last month of last year was colder than average, wetter than average, and a bit on the snowy side. Time will tell if December was the beginning of a long cold snowy winter.

We were as warm as 57 degrees on December 9, and as cold as 9 degrees on both December 28 and December 29. The average high temperature for the month was 37.5 degrees, 3 degrees colder than average, while the average low of 23.5 degrees was 1.6 degrees colder than normal. No temperature records were set during the month.

We did have one precipitation record last month, and it came on Christmas. The 0.85 inches of precipitation was a record for December 25, but it was not the wettest day of the month. That came on that mild December 9 noted above when 0.95 inches of precipitation was recorded. The monthly total of 4.12 inches of precipitation was 1.2 inches above average.

We finally had our first measurable snow of the season on December 5 when 0.2 inches fell. We then had to wait until December 19 for more snow, but the 3.5 inches on that date was the most for any day in the month. We ended up with 8.9 inches of snow, two inches above average.

Other notable weather events of the month included winds gusting as high as 66 miles per hour on December 9 (a really active weather day!) and six days with winter weather advisories or winter storm warning in the area (December 13, 18, 19, 25, 27, and 31). Christmas Day and December 13 were both days with slippery roads due to freezing rain.

E-mail your weather questions to weather@wtov.com.
I'm meteorologist Kevin Carter .