Anniversary of a Tremendous Washington State Snowstorm
(Photo by photos.com)
One of the greatest snowstorms in recorded history was in progress in the Seattle area around this date in 1916.
The few days surrounding Groundhog's Day seems to be the time for many blizzards over the past 100 years or so. We have the Chicago Blizzard from 2011 and the unfolding storm over the central Plains this year. A couple of storms have blasted western Texas and New Mexico earlier in the 20th century.
A storm, which spanned January 31 to February 3, 1916, brought 33.4 inches of snow to Seattle. Only a storm spanning January 5 through 9 in 1880, which caused drifts to six feet, may have been bigger.
The weight of the snow contributed to the collapse of the dome of the St. James Cathedral in Seattle.
According to the National Weather Service, the storm brought 21.5 inches of snow on February 1st, which set a 24-hour record.
The storm brought up to four feet of snow on portions of western Washington with massive drifts, which impacted travel in the region into early March.
Heavy snow also fell farther north, on Vancouver Island, B.C. Victoria received 53.3 centimeters (21 inches) of snow during the Groundhog's Day storm in 1916.
More Weather News
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What's Next for Beryl?
May 28, 2012; 12:25 PM ET
Beryl, with its drenching downpours and locally severe thunderstorms is expected to turn to the northeast, paralleling the Carolina coast during the middle of the week.
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Memorial Day Storms Albany to Boston
May 28, 2012; 12:09 PM ET
Locally strong thunderstorms will roll across upstate New York and through part of New England into this evening.
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"Mothership Cloud" Supercell Tornado In Texas
May 28, 2012; 12:07 PM ET
Storm chasers spotted the storm on May 21.
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Photos: After-Effects of Tropical Storm Beryl
May 28, 2012; 12:00 PM ET
"Beryl, shmeryl..." No serious damage has been reported.
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Severe Flooding in Northwestern Ontario
May 28, 2012; 10:49 AM ET
A state of emergency has been declared in the Thunder Bay area after severe flooding struck parts of Ontario's Lake Superior region.
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Watching the Caribbean in the Wake of Beryl
May 28, 2012; 9:30 AM ET
The same general area of disturbed weather in the Caribbean that seeded Beryl, could attempt yet another tropical system this week.
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Severe Storms to Slam Chicago, St. Louis, Springfield
May 28, 2012; 9:22 AM ET
Damaging thunderstorms will ignite from Chicago to St. Louis to Springfield later this afternoon and evening.
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Memorial Day Weather for "Founding" Towns
May 28, 2012; 9:01 AM ET
Officially, Waterloo, N.Y., is the birthplace of Memorial Day, however, many towns in the U.S. claim the honor of being the first.
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Atlantic Hurricane Forecast: Storms Close to the Coast
May 28, 2012; 7:32 AM ET
AccuWeather's 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season forecasts 12 named tropical storms, five named hurricanes and two major hurricanes.
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Beryl's Impacts on the Southeast
May 28, 2012; 5:25 AM ET
As Beryl moves into the Southeast, its impacts will be widespread. However, not all news will be bad.
Daily U.S. Extremes
past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | 100° | Smyrna, TN |
| Low | 15° | Sunset Crater, AZ |
| Precip | 3.99" | Wadena, MN |
WeatherWhys®
Hail is much more common during the months of May and June compared to July and August. The main reason is the fact that the freezing level is usually higher during July and August as pockets of cold air in the upper atmosphere are less common as the jet stream weakens and retreats farther north.
This Day In Weather History
Leesburg, Va. (1982)
In Leesburg, a suburb of Washington, D.C., 2.20 inches of rain fell in 15 minutes.
Leesburg, Fla. (1989)
A lightning bolt tore a 4-foot-wide hole in the ceiling of a residential dining room and struck a 9-year-old boy between the shoulder blades. Although injured, the boy survived.
Rough Weather
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