Earth & Space Weather

5 Extremes of April 2013

Rain's picture

Submitted by Rain on

Weather.com - Chris Dolce, 4/25/13

Rapid City, S.D.

Bobbi Scillinger's dog, Ardie, runs through an alleyway in Rapid City, S.D., on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 after heavy snow blanketed the area. (AP Photo/Rapid City Journal, Chris Huber)
 

From record-breaking snow, cold and rainfall to a tornado extreme that may surprise you, April 2013 has been packed full of wild weather. Let's begin our exploration of these extremes starting with where snowfall has broken records thanks to four named winter storms this month, Walda, Xerxes, Yogi and Zeus.

Rapid City, S.D. - April 2013 is the snowiest month on record with 39.5 inches. This beats the previous April and all-time monthly snow record of 38.5 inches set in April 1927.

Has the Drought Improved?

Rain's picture

Submitted by Rain on

Weather.com - Jon Erdman, 4/25/13

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/U.S. Department of Agriculture/National Drought Mitigation Center

 

As of late April 2013, drought has been wiped out of the Ohio and mid-Mississippi Valleys, Alabama and most of Georgia. Drought improvement has also been noted in parts of the Plains and Rockies.

We've had a series of winter storms produce heavy snow in parts of the Rockies and Upper Midwest.  In some locations, this snow set April records.

More: Weather.com

 

Spectacular Spinning Storm (PHOTOS)

Rain's picture

Submitted by Rain on

Wunderground.com - Nick Wiltgen, 4/24/13

Near Arnett, Okla.

Photographer Roger Hill described this massive rotating thunderstorm as 'the mothership'. He photographed it over Clinton, Okla., on April 22, 2013. (Roger Hill Photography)
 

Veteran storm chaser and photographer Roger Hill captured images of a spectacular supercell thunderstorm over western Oklahoma on April 22, 2013. (See below for the individual photos.)

A supercell thunderstorm is characterized by a sustained and powerful rotating updraft. These storms originate in unstable air accompanied by a particular type of changing wind direction at various altitudes in the atmosphere; a common combination supportive of supercells is a southerly or southeasterly wind near ground level and a southwesterly or westerly wind higher up in the atmosphere.

More: Wunderground.com

 

Winter 2012-13: Named Storms from A to Z

Rain's picture

Submitted by Rain on

Weather.com - Nick Wiltgen, 4/24/13

Longport, N.J.

A message about Superstorm Sandy on a wooden board is half-covered by snow the morning after Winter Storm Athena rolled through the already-damaged beachfront town, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012.

 

Winter Storm Athena

November 6 - 8, 2012

Our first named winter storm of the season was Athena, which brought snow to parts of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and New England less than two weeks after Superstorm Sandy ravaged the region with devastating coastal flooding and power outages.

Heads Up! 'Fireball Season' Peaks This Week

Rain's picture

Submitted by Rain on

Weather.com - Joe Rao, Space.com, 4/24/13

San Mateo College student Paola-Castillo used her cell phone to capture the Oct. 17, 2012 fireball over Northern California while stuck in traffic.

 

The dramatic fireball that exploded over Russia in February got many people wondering if there is any way to anticipate future dazzling meteors before they appear.

Well, meteors not associated with an annual shower are certainly tough to predict. But there are some patterns that skywatchers can keep in mind to maximize their chances of spotting a fireball (which technically is any meteor that shines more brightly than Venus in the sky).

More: Weather.com

 

Chesapeake Bay Island Amid a Disappearing Act

Rain's picture

Submitted by Rain on

Weather.com - 4/24/13, Steve Szkotak, AP

Gravestones are laid out in front of an abandoned structure on the north end of Tangier Island, Va. on Wednesday, April 3, 2013.
 

TANGIER ISLAND, Va. -- One day after Hurricane Sandy lashed this speck of land in the Chesapeake Bay last fall, islander Carol Moore hopped in her skiff and headed to a stretch of beach along The Uppards, one of the islands that comprise this remote outpost. A favorite haunt, Moore collects sea glass, pottery and arrowheads that she finds among the bleached oyster shells that blanket the beach.

What she found there that day shocked her.

More: Weather.com

 

Two Tornadoes Confirmed in Louisiana Wednesday

Rain's picture

Submitted by Rain on

Weather.com - 4/24/13

An intense line of storms that moved through the New Orleans metro area around lunchtime damaged homes and ripped trees out of the ground.

The National Weather Service confirmed the storms spawned two tornadoes: An EF-1 in Kenner, La. and an EF-0 in Metairie, La. The Kenner tornado damaged several trees and produced moderate roof damage to several residences.  The Metairie tornado downed a tree onto a car, snapped small trees and overturned a large truck.

Video and more: Weather.com

 

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Earth & Space Weather