Page 28 - 200812 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - December 2008

28 Top Ten US Weather Events of 2008 28 Top Ten US Weather Events of 2008 Top Ten US Weather stave off another New Orleans disaster. round of low-precipitation thunderstorms swept Top Ten US Weather Events of 2008 Nevertheless, Gustav left an impressive swath of across the northern half of the state on June 20-21, Events of 2008 triggering more than 2,000 fires. Before summer damage well inland, with countless trees and by Mitch Battros power lines knocked down across Louisiana. In had even gotten going, huge fires were by Mitch Battros all, 43 U.S. deaths were recorded, along with devastating regions from the Big Sur area through www.earthchangesmedia.com nearly 100 others in the Caribbean. much of the forested north. By late July, though, www.earthchangesmedia.com conditions had eased, and the rest of California's 1. Hurricane Ike (Texas/Louisiana, 4. Super Tuesday tornado outbreak (Midwest fire season was comparatively tame outside of an September). One of the wildest and weirdest and South, February).As if there weren't enough intense round of wildfires close to L.A. in hurricanes in recent years, Ike started its career drama in the air as political primaries unfolded November. with a bang in the open Atlantic. It intensified nationwide on February 5, nature threw a few from tropical storm to Category 3 status in less tornadoes into the mix--87, to be exact, causing 8. January tornado outbreak (Midwest, South). than nine hours on 3 September. A few days later, some precincts to close early. The parent storms Even seasoned weather watchers were astounded Ike crossed the Caribbean and waltzed across were sparked by a potent upper-level trough, but to see a tornado outbreak so far northwest so early extreme western Cuba as a Cat 3. But Ike's peak perhaps the most unusual ingredient was a large in the year. When twisters strike in January, it's winds never regained major-hurricane force. swath of moist, record-warm surface air that usually in the Deep South, where moisture is Instead, the system simply got bigger, eventually swept into place more than a day ahead of time. plentiful year round. But on January 7-8, the packing some of the largest radii of hurricane- (More typically in a midwinter outbreak, such air action was focused in Arkansas, Missouri, and force winds (125 miles) and tropical-storm force masses race north only hours before storms Tennessee. There were even two twisters in winds (275 miles) ever measured. This posed a develop.) Some of the worst damage was near southern Wisconsin; only one other had been major public communication challenge, as the Nashville and Memphis and in star-crossed reported in that state in January since records vast swath of wind was expected to stir up a storm Jackson, Tennessee, which endured its third major began in 1844. On January 9 and 10, the tornadoes surge in the Galveston area far worse than people tornado strike following hits in 1999 and 2003. If continued, but most were in the more might presume from the storm's Category 2 rating. nothing else, the onslaught is beefing up the city's climatologically favored Deep South--except for a The worst of Ike's surge struck less- tornado awareness. Students at Union University true outlier that struck near Vancouver, populated areas just east of Galveston Island on dove for cover as dormitories were heavily Washington, making it that state's first-ever the night of 12-13 September, but the overall damaged, but nobody died on campus. All told, January tornado. All told, the outbreak was the damage was still tremendous: more than $30 though, the tornadoes took 57 lives, making this nation's second most prolific for January, but only billion (in inflation-adjusted dollars, that's the the deadliest U.S. outbreak since 1985. 4 deaths were recorded. third costliest U.S. hurricane on record). Much of Galveston and nearby coastal towns were left in 5. Winter onslaught across northern tier 9. Ohio snowstorm (March). Buffered by the shambles, and storm-surge damage extended well (Northwest/Midwest/Northeast, December). An Appalachians and the Great Lakes, Ohio gets east into Louisiana. Ike resulted in 82 U.S. deaths- unusually potent jet stream brought multiple many types of weather, but seldom in super-strong -among the highest tolls in recent decades--and waves of wintry weather across the northern half doses. March 7-8 was the exception that proved more than 200 people remain missing in the of the nation from mid-December toward month's the rule, as much of Ohio was hammered by more hurricane's aftermath. The Boston Globe posted end. The sustained cold was noticeable, if only than a foot of snowfall. Columbus was buried by an incredible Ike photo gallery. because recent years have brought so little of it, 20.8", with 15.4" of that total setting a new 24- but frozen precipitation was the real star of this hour record. The storm was accompanied by 2. Midwest rains and flooding (Iowa and show. The Portland, Oregon, area saw its heaviest strong winds and biting cold, although surrounding states, June). Although El Niño snow in 29 years (11-13"), and several Wisconsin temperatures and overall hardship across Ohio fell often gets the rap for U.S. flooding, it was a cities had their snowiest Decembers on record, far short of the memorable Blizzard of 1978, when relentless storm track powered by La Niña that less than a year after the state set many seasonal bitter winds of up to 70 mph piled fresh and focused heavy winter snows and spring rains snowfall records. The worst ice storm in New existing snow into drifts that paralyzed the state across a belt roughly from Kansas to Michigan. It Hampshire's history left thousands of customers for days. all culminated with two weeks of incredible rains without power for days just before the holidays, centered in two bands, one from central Iowa to and hundreds were stranded at snow-crippled 10. Boy Scout and Kansas State tornadoes southern Wisconsin and another running from airports from Seattle to Chicago. (June, Iowa). Hundreds of tornadoes ripped eastern Illinois to southern Indiana. Some spots across the nation's heartland in the spring of 2008, notched more than 14" between June 1 and 15, 6. Southeastern US drought slowly abates but one in particular struck me with its poignancy. and a total of 15 stations had their wettest single (ongoing). The year opened with many parts of More than 100 Boy Scouts and staff encamped on days on record, gauging anywhere from 4.5" to the Southeast desperate for rain. Atlanta was at the a hilly, wooded site north of Omaha found 9.5" of rain. The resulting floods managed to epicenter of the multi-year drought, with Lake themselves fighting for their lives on June 11 as an topple a few of the marks set in the epic 1993 Lanier--the city's chief source of water--having EF-3 twister tossed trees and destroyed a cabin Mississippi flood. The most jaw-dropping just set a record low on December 26, 2007. There where many campers had taken shelter. More than imagery came from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where wasn't a single dramatic drought-buster, but 40 Scouts were injured, but only 4 died, in part floodwaters spread to an almost- recurrent fronts managed to douse enough of the due to the quick action of peers who provided first incomprehensible extent. More than 42,000 Southeast by April to completely erase the region aid. The incident catalyzed fresh debate on the people were evacuated and some 400 city blocks of "exceptional" drought (the most dire category). need for dedicated tornado shelters. Less were inundated as the Cedar River rose nearly a Slow improvement continued through the year. publicized, but just as impressive, was an EF-4 foot above its previous record crest. Today, only a dimple of "extreme" drought tornado on the same evening that sliced across the remains from northeast Georgia into southwest campus of Kansas State University, severely 3. Hurricane Gustav (Louisiana, September). It North Carolina, while many adjacent areas are damaging several buildings. Afterward, KSU vice threatened to pummel New Orleans with the same now drought-free. However, Lake Lanier remains president Tom Rawson delivered what has to be or greater ferocity than Katrina did in 2005, but in only a foot above its record low and more than 17 the most ironic weather quote of 2008: "The Wind the end, Gustav--as with many sequels--failed to feet below full. [GREAT GRAPHIC: you can Erosion Lab is gone." Thankfully, the campus was deliver the punch of the original. Except for a generate a comparison from Jan 1 to Dec 23 by nearly empty and nobody was seriously hurt. [] sharp southwest jog in the northern Caribbean, going to U.S. Drought Monitor Web site and using Gustav followed a remarkably straight the pull-downs. MORE ‘X’ TRIVIA... northwesterly path toward the Louisiana coast. Fears of a Katrina repeat were stoked when 7. California wildfires (June). The northwest - In 10 minutes, a hurrican releases more energy Gustav quickly reached Category 4 strength while flow that dominated the U.S. in the first half of than all the world’s nuclear weapons combined. approaching western Cuba, and people left the 2008 left much of California high and dry. Many - Amonkey was once tried and convicted for Louisiana coastline in droves--the state's largest locales, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, smoking a cigarette in Indiana. evacuation in history. But the hurricane never reported their driest springs on record. What - Check a map: Reno, Nevada, is west of Los quite recovered from its brief passage over Cuba, shocked many observers wasn't the wildfire itself- Angeles, California. and it plowed into the coast at borderline Cat. 2/3 -in a year like this, it's inevitable--but how quickly - According to one government study, pigs can strength near Grand Isle, just far enough west to it arrived and how intensely it raged. A freakish become alcoholics!