January 8-9,1999 snow and rain storm

The winter of 1998/1999 was still going badly for Nantucket, and we were in a snowfall rut.  The two previous events were well forecast for the area, however the totals were off, but not by much. As with the Dec. 23-24 storm, there was a bit of mixing with rain, however it was more catastrophic with this storm. This could have been much more of a snowstorm had it not changed over.

The storm was from the southern great plains. The storm didn’t get its act together until it was over Pennsylvania. Another center developed off of Long Island, and moved east. The conditions on Nantucket Island on January 8th, were typical for a winters day. The day dawned clear, but by early afternoon, the clouds were completely socked in. Precipitation initiated just before 4 PM. The snow began to pick up in intensity.

An inch of snow was on the ground before it switched to rain. The rain became very heavy and washed whatever snow pack we had away. Heavy rain continued throughout the night, and into the next morning.  The rain stopped for a few hours on the 9th,  and it even cleared up, but before nightfall, the rain moved back in. This was another bust. Places like Albany,Rutland, and Brattleboro received measurable snowfall.  For the kids of the area, heartbreak was common, as they could not go sledding. There was some hope. On Sunday, the 10th, light snow fell, but it didn’t amount to much.

The snow portion

Snow changing over to rain

Peak of storm

Stats:

Accumulation: 1.5″  Forecast: 2″-Bust

Wind: 25 mph  Unofficial: 36 mph

Damage: none

Review: March 4-6,2001 snow “Bust”

Often times, we all have painful memories, like when a loved one has died, or even when we move. In the meteorological community, we all have a painful memory: March 2001. From a Nantucket perspective, the storm was decent. On the 4th, which could be considered the first day of the storm; snow began to fall after dark. Winds at this point, still had not picked up. After Midnight, the snow which had been falling ,switched over to a light freezing rain.

Something was not right: The temperature, which had been rising steadily from freezing to the low 40’s throughout the day. Another factor, the wind had been increasing out of the East-northeast. The rain continued throughout the day on the 5th. Meanwhile on the mainland, places such as Durham,NH were receiving a screaming blizzard.  The rain, had backed off leaving a nasty raw day in place.

The rain was not done however. It picked up just before 10 AM on the 6th. Any hope for snow, had been dashed with the falling of rain. The wind had now become a factor. The low pressure itself was offshore by about 100 miles, and this caused wind gusts to be in the 40’s. Sustained, the winds were in the low 20’s. The next day, the low pressure system kicked out of the area, and became the offshore fishing grounds’ problem.

The problem with this storm, was that it was overforecast. Originally amounts of up to 3 feet were predicted for the region, this was not going t0 verify, because the storm moved too fast.

map depicting snowfall totals

Stats:

Accumulation: 0″  Forecast: 5″-Bust

Winds: 40 mph  Unofficial: 42 mph

Damage: only pride

Review: March 16-17,2004 snowstorm

All right, this is my first actual storm review. Storm reviews will work like this:

1. Act like an unofficial “write up” of the event

2. Nostalgia trips

So here goes!

Review #1: Snowstorm, March 16-17,2004

At first glance, this snowstorm didn’t look like it was ever going to get its act together. Sure, we just had a weak noreaster that brought mainly rain to Nantucket and the cape, but we wanted something more substantial. On the 14th, it was hinted that there would be a late season snowstorm that would affect the cape and islands. On Monday, the storm that would bring us this little shot of snow, was still out in Missouri. Overnight, the storm made its way towards the mid Atlantic coast, and began to strengthen.

On the morning of the 16th, the day dawned to sunny skies. I went downstairs to turn on the television and on the morning news, the meteorologist at the time(Todd Gross) told everyone not to be deceived by the sunny skies, the snow was coming, and that it had run into dry air near the Cape Cod area. I had my breakfast, and went out for the morning. Luckily, I had my bulky old VHS video camcorder with me to tape any of the storm that would come.

Boy was I lucky. Around 11:30 that morning, the first clouds came by. These clouds were racing towards the island and the ocean. I stood on Straight Wharf, getting the shot of the clouds just racing in from the west. Luckily for me, the wind didn’t pick up until the precipitation arrived. I continued to get shots, and then went to lunch. Bad mistake, while I was eating, the storm started. I cussed myself out silently, and quickly paid my tab.

The snow was just beginning to really get some substance(i.e. accumulate), when it briefly changed over to freezing rain. The wind had begun to pick up, and stir the harbor. The time this occurred was around 3 PM. It changed back over to all snow after dark. All that night, I could hear the wind whipping out of the northeast.

The next day, was equally bad. The snow changed over to rain three times, each time, the snowpack was lowered just a bit. The snow fell off and on for the rest of the day.

Stats:

Accumulation: 3.5″ Forecast: 6″-Bust

Wind: NE @ 40 MPH* * Unofficial

Damage: None.

Storm at its peak on the 16th

Totals

Overall Grade: C-