Watching the Skies » Weather Summary

Heavy rain event possible next weekend for DFW

Sean Toner — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 19:23:31 +0000

For the past several days, computer models have consistently shown a powerful storm system reaching the western coast of the continental US around mid-week this upcoming week. This storm system is expected to bring drastic changes to weather for the inter-mountain regions of the western U.S. including heavy snow for higher elevations. This storm system is expected to continue tracking eastward past the front range of the Rockies and bring heavy rain to the great plains as well.

Now this is a very refreshing sight to see. The Climate Prediction Center has a healthy portion of the country on an above average outlook for precipitation the next 6-14 days.
Here are the current 6-10 day, and 8-14 day precipitation outlooks:


6-10 day precipitation outlook	8-14 day precipitation outlook

Temperature outlooks however aren’t so different for our region however. The CPC expects the continuation of above average temperatures for us, as well as a majority of the country.


6-10 day temperature outlook	8-14 day temperature outlook

We all certainly hope this provides some relief to our long term and extreme drought. Precipitation deficits to north Texas are quite substantial. Below is a listing of official rainfall observation points, and their departure from normal. Every observation point is a minimum of 13 inches or worse below normal over the last 12 months.

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                                     PRECIPITATION

                           SEPTEMBER           OCT 2010 - SEP 2011
                        2011  DEPARTURE     TOTAL  DEPARTURE  PERCENT

DFW AIRPORT             0.66    -1.89       22.26    -13.88      62
WACO                    2.96    -0.10       16.88    -17.81      49

DALLAS LOVE FIELD       1.37    -1.47       24.23    -13.34      64
FORT WORTH MEACHAM      1.23    -0.99       18.09    -18.00      50
DALLAS EXECUTIVE        2.04    -0.82       20.24    -20.31      50
FORT WORTH ALLIANCE     1.84    -1.12       19.47    -17.97      52
ARLINGTON               1.26    -2.50       19.43    -18.87      51

DENTON                  0.93    -1.90       21.74    -16.62      57
MCKINNEY                1.92    -1.20       21.92    -18.12      55
TERRELL                 0.87    -2.04       26.44    -14.57      64
CORSICANA               1.99    -0.64       23.57    -16.60      59
MINERAL WELLS           1.90    -0.92       13.10    -18.95      41

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As you can see, the drought continues for our entire region of the country, with Texas very obviously the worst of any state:

So for this upcoming weekend it might be worthwhile to expect rain, especially on Sunday. For those planning to visit the Texas State Fair this upcoming weekend, Saturday may be the best day to visit.

Temperatures this year have obviously been record shattering too. This year we broke the record for greatest number of 100-degree days, and had both the 2nd and 6th most number of consecutive 100-degree days. Never before has a single year been listed in the greatest consecutive list twice.

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DALLAS/FORT WORTH - GREATEST NUMBER OF 100-DEGREE DAYS

     ANNUAL            SEPTEMBER         GREATEST CONSECUTIVE

   1  71  2011*      1   7  2000       1  42  JUN 23 - AUG 3, 1980
   2  69  1980       2   6  2011*      2  40  JUL 2 - AUG 10, 2011
   3  56  1998           6  1951       3  29  JUL 6 - AUG 3, 1998
   4  52  1954       4   5  1998       4  25  AUG 2-26, 1952
   5  48  1956           5  1954       5  24  JUL 28 - AUG 20, 1999
   6  46  2000           5  1947       6  20  AUG 15 - SEP 3, 2011
   7  44  1952           5  1939          20  JUL 9-28, 1954
   8  43  2006       8   4  2005       8  19  AUG 8-26, 2006
   9  40  1951           4  1989       9  18  JUL 31 - AUG 17, 2010
  10  38  1963           4  1985          18  JUL 2-19, 1978
                         4  1980
  * THROUGH SEP 30       4  1963
                         4  1953
                         4  1931
                         4  1907

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Lastly, here is a list of the top 10 warmest average high temps for September. This September tied for 9th place. Not record breaking on its own, but it continues to show the far above average temperatures we have endured this year.

DALLAS/FORT WORTH - WARMEST AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR SEPTEMBER

   1   95.2   2005
   2   95.1   1939
   3   94.9   1954
   4   94.0   1956
   5   93.3   1953
   6   93.2   1977
   7   93.0   1998
   8   92.9   1931
   9   92.5   2011*
       92.5   1952

Weekend Weather Update: Short term, long term and drought update

Sean Toner — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 23:48:13 +0000

North Texans, we have got a very hot and dry summer ahead of us. Long term temperature and precipitation estimates don’t look very good for our region.

Record Heat:

Already today we have tied a record high at D/FW Airport. This afternoon we reached 104 degrees, which ties the record set in 1918.

Weather the next 7 days:

Today Saturday 6/18/11, a weak cold front sits along northwest Texas and some scattered severe thunderstorms are possible this evening. Cloud bases are very high at around 10,000ft , with a dry slot of air just below it. This creates a very high risk of microburst/straight line wind damage from these thunderstorms. Additionally due to that lower atmosphere dry slot, most rain will likely evaporate before reaching the surface. This gives us the dry thunderstorm effect, where lightning can spark wildfires and have insufficient rain to stop it. These storms are likely to remain just NW of the immediate D/FW Metroplex, but one may slide through the area if it can survive long enough.

Sunday and Monday, expect continued hot and windy conditions. Temperatures won’t be quite as hot as Saturday, highs should top around 100. Thunderstorm development will remain northwest of the area, so the Metroplex will remain dry.

The upper level ridge will erode finally on Tuesday, as a trough develops and moves across the continental US. This trough will send a cold front through north Texas on Tuesday afternoon. An unstable and uncapped atmosphere should promote thunderstorm development during this time. Precipitation forecasts estimate anywhere between 0.5 to 2.0 inches of rain possible in isolated areas.

Additional small rain chances are in the forecast for Wednesday, before northerly upper level winds dry out the atmosphere once again.

Upper level high pressure will reestablish across the region late next week, and hot dry temperatures will resume once again. Temps late next week will be a few degrees colder than we have seen this week, with highs in the mid-upper 90s.

Long term climate outlook:

Above normal temperatures and far below normal precipitation have very strong signals in July climate forecasts. A short paragraph from the latest drought information statement regarding July climate forecasts:

THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL FOR THE UPPER RIDGE TO BREAK DOWN IN LATE
JUNE...WHICH COULD RESULT IN RAIN CHANCES. HOWEVER...THE NEWLY
RELEASED CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER OUTLOOK FOR JULY PROJECTS AROUND
A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF BEING IN THE DRIEST TERCILE...THE DRIEST
THIRD OF HISTORIC DATA. FOR MUCH OF NORTH TEXAS...A JULY WITHIN THE
DRIEST TERCILE WILL HAVE A RAINFALL TOTAL OF LESS THAN AN INCH.

A PRONOUNCED WARM SIGNAL...WHICH TYPICALLY ACCOMPANIES DROUGHT
CONDITIONS...CONTINUES TO PERMEATE THE SUMMER MONTHS. WARMER THAN
NORMAL TEMPERATURES WOULD FURTHER INTENSIFY THE DROUGHT BY
EVAPORATING SOIL MOISTURE AND WATER FROM AREA RESERVOIRS. WARM
TEMPERATURES ALSO LEAD TO INCREASED WATER USAGE.

Drought outlook for north Texas:

Drought conditions are expected to persist and worsen through at least the month of July. The state of Texas is experiencing the largest extent of extreme (D3) and exceptional (D4) drought conditions ever recorded. North Texas around the Metroplex and to the northeast remains the sole location in the state that is not experiencing any level of drought. This means that north Texas area water reservoirs are at adequate conservation levels and are best suited to withstand a hot and dry summer.

The drought & climate synopsis for the end of June:

THE 9-MONTH PERIOD OCTOBER 2010 TO JUNE 2011 IS ON PACE TO BE THE
DRIEST ON RECORD FOR TEXAS. THE STATEWIDE EXTENT OF EXTREME (D3) AND
EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT (D4) ARE CURRENTLY AT ALL-TIME RECORD LEVELS.

THE YEAR-TO-DATE PRECIPITATION TOTAL AT HOUSTON HOBBY AIRPORT IS THE
DRIEST ON RECORD...ONLY 5.41 INCHES SINCE JANUARY 1...WHICH IS MORE
THAN 17 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. AMARILLO HAS TALLIED ONLY 0.68 INCHES
IN 2011...THE VAST MAJORITY OF WHICH WAS SNOWFALL (9.6 INCHES). IN
THE MOUNTAINS OF FAR WEST TEXAS...MARFA WENT OVER 8 MONTHS WITHOUT
ANY PRECIPITATION (SEPTEMBER 25, 2010 TO JUNE 4, 2011).

AFTER HEAVY RAIN IN MAY...NORTH TEXAS IS IN CONSIDERABLY BETTER
SHAPE THAN THE REST OF THE STATE. VERY LITTLE RAIN HAS FALLEN DURING
THE LAST THREE WEEKS...BUT AREAS FROM COLLIN COUNTY TO BONHAM AND
PARIS REMAIN FREE OF THE ABNORMALLY DRY (D0) DESIGNATION. HOWEVER...
MUCH OF CENTRAL TEXAS REMAINS MIRED IN EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT (D4)...
INCLUDING LAMPASAS...TEMPLE/KILLEEN...CAMERON...AND HEARNE. ANOTHER
AREA OF EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT ENCOMPASSES POSSUM KINGDOM LAKE AND
AREAS TO THE WEST...INCLUDING GRAHAM AND BRECKENRIDGE.

ON JUNE 16...THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BURN BANS STATEWIDE CLIMBED TO
217...MORE THAN AT ANY POINT DURING THE 2005-2006 DROUGHT. THIS
INCLUDES MORE THAN 85 PERCENT OF TEXAS COUNTIES...BUT ONLY ABOUT
HALF OF THE COUNTIES WITHIN THE NWS FORT WORTH AREA OF
RESPONSIBILITY.

ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST THIS SUMMER. AREA
RESERVOIRS ARE GENERALLY AT ADEQUATE LEVELS...BUT THE HEAT WILL
LIKELY CONTINUE TO REDUCE LAKE LEVELS.

The complete end of June drought statement can be found on the NWS – Fort Worth, TX website here.
http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=FWD&issuedby=FWD&product=DGT&format=CI&version=1

Early summer pattern across DFW for the next 7 days

Sean Toner — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 17:52:10 +0000

A dominant ridge of high pressure has firm control of our weather for the next 7 days still, with hot temperatures around the entire region. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms will be possible Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday across the eastern half of north Texas. Ample moisture, coupled with steep mid-level lapse rates and moderate instability should be enough to overcome the strong cap in place and create marginally severe thunderstorms. Wind shearing is quite minimal, so storms will remain nearly stationary. Storm mode will likely be a ‘pulse’ style storm, where an isolated or small cluster of storms will develop and end within an hour or so. All storm activity will quickly end after sunset.

A climate narrative for May in north Texas was put together by the National Weather Service. I have included it below:

NOUS44 KFWD 011245
PNSDFW
TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-301200-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
745 AM CDT WED JUN 1 2011

...DALLAS/FORT WORTH CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR MAY 2011...

SPRING IS A TRANSITION SEASON...AND MAY HAD ALL THE MARKINGS OF A
STRIKINGLY SWIFT TRANSITION FROM WINTER TO SUMMER. THE MONTH BEGAN
WITH HEAVY RAIN AND SOME OF THE COLDEST DAYTIME TEMPERATURES EVER
RECORDED DURING THE MONTH OF MAY. THE MERCURY TOPPED OUT IN THE 50S
ACROSS MUCH OF NORTH TEXAS ON MAY 2. MCKINNEY COULD ONLY MUSTER A
BLUSTERY HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 49 DEGREES.

TEMPERATURES TOOK SEVERAL DAYS TO CLIMB ABOVE NORMAL. THE RESULTING
HEAT AND HUMIDITY SET THE STAGE FOR SEVERE WEATHER ON MAY 11. WINDS
GUSTED OVER 50 MPH ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF A SQUALL LINE WHEN IT
BLEW THROUGH THE DALLAS/FORT WORTH METROPLEX. THE EVENT BROUGHT
ANOTHER DOUSING OF MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL.

ANOTHER WEEK OF BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOLLOWED BEFORE A WEEK OF
STORMY WEATHER PROVIDED MORE RAINFALL. THE STORMY WEEK WAS
HIGHLIGHTED BY A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK. TORNADOES...
DAMAGING WIND...AND VERY LARGE HAIL IMPACTED DALLAS/FORT WORTH AND
SURROUNDING AREAS. A TOTAL OF 10 TORNADOES WERE CONFIRMED...ALL BUT
TWO OF WHICH WERE RATED EF-0. AN EF-1 TORNADO OCCURRED IN IRVING...
AND AN EF-2 TWISTER IMPACTED ARGYLE AND ADJACENT PORTIONS OF DENTON.

THE MONTH ENDED WITH WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. BRECKENRIDGE
REACHED 108 DEGREES ON MAY 27 AND 109 DEGREES THE FOLLOWING DAY.

PRECIPITATION TOTALS FOR THE MONTH VARIED WIDELY. ABOVE NORMAL
TOTALS FROM DALLAS/FORT WORTH TO SHERMAN/DENISON TO PARIS WERE
SUFFICIENT TO END THE DROUGHT...BUT INTENSE DROUGHT CONDITIONS
PERSIST ELSEWHERE.

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                            MAY PRECIPITATION

                       2011    NORMAL   DEPARTURE

DFW AIRPORT            7.95     5.15      +2.80
WACO                   2.14     4.46      -2.32

DALLAS LOVE FIELD      6.31     5.30      +1.01
FORT WORTH MEACHAM     5.27
DALLAS EXECUTIVE       3.78
FORT WORTH ALLIANCE    5.87
ARLINGTON              5.01     5.34      -0.33

DENTON                 5.90     5.41      +0.49
MCKINNEY               5.21     5.68      -0.47
TERRELL                6.44     5.22      +1.22
CORSICANA              2.75     4.95      -2.20
MINERAL WELLS          2.89     4.59      -1.70

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DROUGHT AND WARMER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES TYPICALLY GO HAND IN
HAND. FOR DALLAS/FORT WORTH...2011 RANKS AMONG THE WARMEST SPRINGS
ON RECORD.

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DALLAS/FORT WORTH - WARMEST SPRING TEMPERATURES

  HIGHEST MEAN TEMP      HIGHEST AVG HIGH       HIGHEST AVG LOW

   1   70.7   2006        1   81.4   2006        1   59.9   2006
   2   69.3   1925        2   80.5   1972        2   59.0   1925
   3   68.8   1963        3   79.9   1967        3   58.0   2007
   4   68.6   1967            79.9   1963        4   57.8   2004
   5   68.3   2011*       5   79.6   1925        5   57.7   1974
       68.3   1972        6   79.4   2011*           57.7   1963
   7   68.2   2008        7   79.2   2008        7   57.6   1927
       68.2   1974            79.2   1955            57.6   1908
   9   68.0   1955        9   78.7   1956        9   57.5   2000
  10   67.7   2000       10   78.6   1974       10   57.2   1985
                                                     57.2   1967
                                                12   57.1   2011*
                                                     57.1   2008

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EVEN WHERE THERE WAS ABUNDANT RAINFALL DURING MAY...LONG TERM
PRECIPITATION DEFICITS REMAIN. DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSIST ACROSS
MUCH OF NORTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS. MANY AREAS HAVE SEEN LESS THAN HALF
OF NORMAL PRECIPITATION SINCE THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER. NEAR
HEARNE...8-MONTH SHORTFALLS ARE NEAR 20 INCHES.

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                             8-MONTH PRECIPITATION
                        (OCTOBER 1, 2010 - MAY 31, 2011)

                      TOTAL    NORMAL   DEPARTURE   PERCENT

DFW AIRPORT           17.71     24.93     -7.22        71
WACO                  12.49     23.30    -10.81        54

DALLAS LOVE FIELD     18.23     25.88     -7.65        70
FORT WORTH MEACHAM    13.25
DALLAS EXECUTIVE      15.53
FORT WORTH ALLIANCE   14.27
ARLINGTON             16.87     26.47     -9.60        64

DENTON                16.51     26.36     -9.85        63
MCKINNEY              18.28     29.23    -10.95        63
TERRELL               21.55     30.31     -8.76        71
CORSICANA             17.05     28.51    -11.46        60
MINERAL WELLS          8.71     21.15    -12.44        41

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West Dallas tornado rated eF-2, six other tornadoes around north Texas

Sean Toner — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 22:59:39 +0000

Tornado damage consistent with an eF-2 tornado was found in West Dallas during a storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service today. The tornado’s path was one half mile in length, causing significant damage to numerous structures in that area. A preliminary track map shows it crossing the Trinity River and its levees, which should debunk any myths people may of had about tornadoes and river crossings… (source: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/fwd/?n=prelimtrackmap) I have included a tornado damage summary provided by the National Weather Service below.

Six other tornadoes were documented around the area, including another which caused moderate damage in southeast Dallas county, to the city of Seagoville. Below is radar snaps of the storm as it looked while producing the tornado in West Dallas. The storm is not overly impressive, when compared to supercells during our spring time severe weather season, but still displays the traditional hook echo and velocity couplet associated with tornadic supercells.

A similar feature is observed with the northeast Ellis/southeast Dallas counties tornado. A noteworthy hook echo and velocity couplet are observed by radar.

Thankfully the next 7 days don’t appear to show any significant tornado threats. Forecast models show marginal chances of thunderstorms Friday night, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Additionally a weak front may move through the area Saturday, then lay stationary across the Metroplex Sunday into Monday. This front has the potential to kick off organized severe development along and to the south of the front, but coverage of storms may be limited. Regardless I would consider storms a possibility Saturday and Sunday. Straight line winds and hail would be possible with stronger storms over the weekend, but the tornado threat will be minimal as environmental wind shearing will be very low. Temps the next 7 days will remain above normal and with high dew points due to the obvious abundance of moisture, our heat indexes will be around 100 to 105.

It would seem summer has not quite left us yet.

Tornado damage survey report by the NWS:

…PRELIMINARY DAMAGE REPORT…

A TOTAL OF SIX TORNADOES OCCURRED ON WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 8TH. FOUR
TORNADOES WERE RATED EF0 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. ONE TORNADO
WAS RATED EF1…AND ONE TORNADO WAS PRELIMINARILY RATED EF2. ONLY
TWO MINOR INJURIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED FROM ALL OF THESE STORMS.

THE EF2 TORNADO DAMAGE WAS LOCATED IN THE CITY OF DALLAS NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF MOCKINGBIRD LANE AND IRVING BOULEVARD. THIS
TORNADO CAUSED MINOR ROOF DAMAGE TO SEVERAL BUILDINGS AND CAUSED
MORE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO A WAREHOUSE. AN EXTERIOR NON LOAD BEARING
WALL COLLAPSED…LEADING TO A PARTIAL COLLAPSE OF THE ROOF. THIS
DAMAGE WAS RATED EF2 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE WITH WIND SPEEDS
OF APPROXIMATELY 115 MPH. THE LAST TIME THE CITY OF DALLAS HAD A
TORNADO RATED AT F2/EF2 OR HIGHER WAS F2 TORNADO DAMAGE ON APRIL
11 1974. THE LANCASTER TORNADO OF APRIL 25 1994 PRODUCED F4 DAMAGE
IN THE CITY OF LANCASTER BEFORE DISSIPATING WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS
OF DALLAS.

THE EF1 TORNADO DAMAGE WAS LOCATED IN THE CITY OF SEAGOVILLE JUST
EAST OF HIGHWAY 175. AT LEAST THREE APARTMENT BUILDINGS SUFFERED
SIGNIFICANT ROOF DAMAGE. WIND SPEEDS IN THIS TORNADO ARE ESTIMATED
TO BE NEAR 90 MPH.

THE REMAINING TORNADO DAMAGE WAS GIVEN A PRELIMINARY RATING OF
EF0. THESE TORNADOES OCCURRED NEAR LINDSAY IN COOKE COUNTY…NEAR
FERRIS IN ELLIS COUNTY…IN HEATH IN ROCKWALL COUNTY…AND NEAR
BLOSSOM IN LAMAR COUNTY.

THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE RATES TORNADO DAMAGE.

ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE APPROXIMATE WIND SPEED RANGE

EF0 65-85 MPH
EF1 86-110 MPH
EF2 111-135 MPH
EF3 136-165 MPH
EF4 166-200 MPH
EF5 200 MPH OR GREATER

Tropical Storm Hermine & it’s effects

Sean Toner — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 02:08:59 +0000

Tropical Storm Hermine, a remarkably impactful storm for the DFW Metroplex which sits 550 miles north of the storm’s initial landfall. The storm has brought severe flooding to a 300 mile stretch of central and north Texas, along the I-35 corridor. The worst flood effects are being felt in San Antonio through Austin. Flash flooding has even occurred in the Metroplex, the most notable being numerous homes and trailers flooded in the cities of Lewisville, Arlington, and Fort Worth. The heavy rains brought over 12 inches of rain near Austin as of 8am today (9/8/10) and 4 to 6 inches of rain in the Metroplex. (source: CoCoRaHS) My CoCoRaHS gauge captured 4.01 inches of rain in the 24hr period from 8am 9/7/10 to 8am 9/8/10. Another several inches have been observed since that time, with even more rain on the way. Below is radar estimated total rainfall from the FWS dopplar radar. An even more accurate and complete picture region wide view is available from the National Weather Service at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ridge2/RFC_Precip/.

As if the flooding rainfalls weren’t enough, Hermine brought the risk of tornadoes to the region with several damage reports in Dallas, Highland Park, Seagoville, Ferris and Trumbull. Tornadoes embedded within the outer rain bands of tropical systems aren’t uncommon to coastal regions in the Gulf, but it is fairly unusual to get those type of tornadic storms this far away from the Gulf. Tornadoes in this type of environment tend to develop without warning and are difficult to detect with current radar technology, but are very brief and usually weak. The Dallas Morning News reported ripped up roofs in Cockrell Hill, Oak Cliff, West Dallas, and the Love Field areas. (source: Dallas Morning News) A Tornado Warning was also issued for a storm 4 miles south of Hebron at 5:37pm. The warned area included Frisco, Plano, and The Colony. The storm showed rotation on radar, and storm spotters observed a rotating wall cloud within the storm. Thankfully no tornado damage has been reported with this storm. Its center of circulation traveled north along the Denton/Collin county line, passing over Highway 121 and Plano Parkway, then dissipating. I got the pleasure of evacuating to our work’s ‘shelter’ area which amasses to little more than an open hallway, without access to my computer with accurate radar data.

A Tornado Watch still remains in effect for the entire DFW Metroplex, southeastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas until 1am. Another rain band is approaching from the west, with an approximate ETA of around 11pm to midnight tonight to Frisco/Plano/The Colony. Rain chances will continue Thursday, however nowhere near the levels observed the past two days. Hot and humid conditions should be expected the remainder of the week and weekend as the sun comes out and starts evaporating the abundance of water on the ground.

Lastly ill end with a quote from the local weather forecast office regarding the heavy rains the last two days…

DFW AND WACO HAVE BOTH SET CALENDAR-DAY PRECIPITATION RECORDS TODAY (SEPT 8). FOR BOTH SITES…THE 24-HR TOTALS (SEPT 7-8) WILL RANK AMONG THE TOP 10 ALL-TIME. PRECISE NUMBERS WILL BE AVAILABLE THURSDAY MORNING.

AT THE PRESENT TIME…THIS MONTH WILL RANK AS THE 4TH WETTEST SEPTEMBER ON RECORD FOR BOTH DALLAS/FORT WORTH AND WACO.

Half an inch shy of snowiest winter for DFW!

Sean Toner — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 03:38:19 +0000

One of the snowiest winters in D/FW history has finally ended, with official totals reaching 17.1 inches. Some areas even received 25 inches of snowfall this year!

A table of the top 10 snowiest winters, provided by the National Weather Service. This season ranked number 2, just half an inch behind breaking the record.

D/FW Snowiest Seasons

   1   17.6   1977-78
   2   17.1   2009-10*
   3   15.3   1963-64
   4   13.5   1923-24
   5   10.4   1976-77
   6    9.5   1909-10
   7    9.2   1916-17
   8    8.8   1947-48
   9    8.1   1937-38
  10    7.3   1965-66
        7.3   1941-42

The cause is undoubtedly related to El Nino, which has an indirect effect on allowing more Gulf moisture to make its way into the southern plains. This also causes the southern branch of the jet stream to bring pacific storm systems over the southern plains with greater frequency.

The National Weather Service wrote up a great summary of the numerous snowfall events this season, and can be found here

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/fwd/?n=wintersnow09-10

Dallas/Fort Worth – Consecutive days below 80°F

Sean Toner — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 00:54:23 +0000

DFW Airport is just 7 days short of breaking yet another record during our cold season, this time for most consecutive days below 80 degrees F.

Rank	# of Days	Season	Dates
1	166	1918-19	Oct 21 – Apr 5
2	159	2009-10	Oct 20 – Mar 28*
3	155	1957-58	Oct 31 – Apr 4
4 (tie)	154	2000-01	Nov 1 – Apr 4
4 (tie)	154	1914-15	Nov 5 – Apr 8
6	152	1940-41	Oct 30 – Mar 31
7	143	1997-98	Oct 31 – Mar 23
8	141	1912-13	Oct 29 – Mar 19
9	140	1967-68	Nov 25 – Apr 13
10 (tie)	138	1963-64	Nov 16 – Apr 2
10 (tie)	138	1930-31	Nov 15 – Apr 2

Looks like we may end this record just a few days shy, as forecasts for Wednesday and Thursday bring our high temps above the 80 degree mark.

Fort Worth Tornadoes – 10 years later

Sean Toner — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 00:41:48 +0000

10 years ago today a pair of tornadoes struck heavily populated areas in Fort Worth and Arlington, killing two and injuring 80 others. The first tornado developed quickly and moved through downtown Fort Worth, causing severe damage to numerous high rises along with other structures and vehicles. A significant hailstorm also affected areas north of Fort Worth like Lake Worth and Saginaw, causing significant damage to roofs and vehicles.

(KFWS 00:25 Zulu Base reflectivity/Velocity)

The above screenshot demonstrates the storm as it was passing over downtown Fort Worth. The storm briefly produced F3 damage to the Cash America building, and F2 damage along a substantial part of its track.

(KFWS 01:05 Zulu Base Reflectivity/Velocity)

This image shows the second tornado with the strongest radar velocities near Arlington along I-20. This tornado tracked just south of I-20 for a few minutes before turning left and dissipating.

Below is a summary developed by the NWS about the tornadoes and the impact they had on the region.

NWS March 28 Fort Worth Tornado Summary

Snowfall totals for our late March snowstorm

Sean Toner — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:37:40 +0000

This unseasonably late snowfall further increased the 2009-2010 snowfall totals for our area, bringing us within 1/2 an inch of the all-time snowiest winter on record! Additionally the last time this much snow fell this late in the season was March 29 1937! Preliminary snowfall totals listed graphically below.

As you can see, the heaviest snow was concentrated within Collin County including a report in Frisco of 6 inches, and 8 inches reported in Allen. DFW Airport officially documented 1.3 inches of snowfall total from this event. The statement from the NWS included below.

The snow will not remain very long, as temperatures will quickly recover to the 60s on Monday and 70s by Tuesday. The next storm system will begin to affect the region on Wednesday evening, with thunderstorms likely. A shot of cooler air will follow as this system passes, but nowhere near this level of winter weather we just received.

...Spring snow for dfw...

Dfw Airport recorded 1.2 inches of snow on March 20th. This breaks
the previous daily record for March 20th of 0.4 inches set in 1970.
An additional 0.1 of an inch officially fell on March 21st and the 

event total is 1.3 inches. 

The additional 1.3 inches brings the 2009-2010 winter total to 17.1
inches. This ranks second of all time and came 0.5 inches shy of
tying the all-time record of 17.6 inches set in 1977-1978. 

This snow event was unseasonably late in the year. The last time an
inch or more fell at dfw later than March 20th was when 2 inches
fell on March 29th in 1937.

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Dallas/Fort Worth - snowiest seasons

   1   17.6   1977-78
   2   17.1   2009-10*
   3   15.3   1963-64
   4   13.5   1923-24
   5   10.4   1976-77
   6    9.5   1909-10
   7    9.2   1916-17

   8    8.8   1947-48
   9    8.1   1937-38
  10    7.3   1965-66
        7.3   1941-42
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Daily snowfall record shattered for DFW!

Sean Toner — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:11:42 +0000

February 11, 2010 broke the all-time snowfall record for any calendar day and any 24-hour period with 11.2 inches of snow, as of midnight. This surpasses the previous daily record of 1.4 inches on Feb 11, 1988. This also exceeds our 24-hour record of 7.5 inches on Feb 17, 1978 and Feb 25, 1924. Lastly this breaks our greatest calendar-day snowfall total of 7.8 inches from January 15, 1964 and January 14, 1917.

Thursday’s snowfall has brought our seasonal snowfall total to 14.4 inches, the 3rd snowiest winter on record for DFW. Had there been no other snowfall events this entire season, our winter would have still made the top five snowiest, wow! Below are snowfall totals reported as of 11:30pm 2/11/10.

The impacts from this snowfall will be felt quite heavily the morning of Friday February 12th with heavy snowfall accumulations on area roads, plus icing on roadways and bridges. Afternoon temperatures for Friday have been revised downward to 38 degrees. This means snow will melt significantly but not all of it will melt before re-freezing overnight through Saturday. Expect icing conditions Saturday morning as well. Saturday high temps will reach the 50s and any remaining snow will melt off.

Additionally, I walked around and snapped some great pictures with my camera this evening. I have attached the updated gallery below.

[nggallery id=84]

Public Information Statement issued by the National Weather Service as of Midnight 2/12/10:

...Snow event one for the record books...

At midnight...dfw Airport had recorded 11.2 inches of snow today.
This breaks the previous daily record for February 11 of 1.4 inches
set in 1988. This also breaks the previous 24-hour record for
February...7.5 inches on February 17, 1978 and February 25, 1924.

This is the greatest calendar-day snowfall total on record for
Dallas/Fort Worth. The previous record was 7.8 inches on January 15,
1964 and January 14, 1917.

This brings the seasonal snowfall total to 14.4 inches...which is
the 3rd highest seasonal total on record for Dallas/Fort Worth. This
is the snowiest winter in 32 seasons (since 1977-1978).

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Dallas/Fort Worth - snowiest seasons

   1   17.6   1977-78
   2   15.3   1963-64
   3   14.4   2009-10*
   4   13.5   1923-24
   5   10.4   1976-77
   6    9.5   1909-10
   7    9.2   1916-17
   8    8.8   1947-48
   9    8.1   1937-38
  10    7.3   1965-66
        7.3   1941-42

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Dallas/Fort Worth - most snow in February

   1   13.5   1978
   2   11.2   2010*
   3    7.5   1924

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Dallas/Fort Worth - greatest 24-hour snowfall totals

   1   12.1   January 15-16, 1964
   2   11.2   February 12, 2010*
   3    8.2   January 14-15, 1917
   4    7.5   February 17, 1978
        7.5   February 25, 1924
   6    6.0   March 13, 1924
   7    5.5   December 9, 1898
   8    5.0   November 22, 1937
        5.0   January 5, 1910
  10    4.7   November 13, 1976

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