Easter Sunday Snowstorm Happened 42 Years Ago Today

Today marks the 42nd anniversary of the unforgettable Easter Sunday snowstorm of 1970. Remember, a snowstorm this late in the season in southwestern Connecticut is extremely rare. The normal high temperature is almost 20 degrees above the freezing point, while the normal low temperature is 35 degrees. In addition, the higher angle of the Sun, its stronger rays, and more than 12 hours of daylight all contribute to a Springtime feel of the air.

That's why the March 29, 1970, snowstorm is so memorable. Adding to its uniqueness was the fact that it happened on Easter Sunday, a day on which many people travel to church services and to see relatives. Below are copies of the front pages from The Bridgeport Telegram and The Bridgeport Post from Monday, March 30, 1970, courtesy of Sarah Greenberg of the Bridgeport Public Library's Historical Collections Department.

Over a half-foot of snow fell in the Greater Bridgeport area and, to make matters worse, the mercury plummeted to 16 degrees the following morning at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford and 14 degrees in Norwalk.

According to The Hour newspaper of Norwalk, eight inches of snow fell in the city. The front page of the Norwalk newspaper (below) from the following morning, March 30, is courtesy of Judy Rivas of the Norwalk Public Library.

"The weatherman pulled a somewhat premature April Fool's Day gag on Norwalkers Sunday and in the bargain, turned the Easter Parade into a trek more fitting for Siberian slopes than West Avenue," the article stated. "The snowfall, which came shortly after the traditional Easter Sunrise Service at Calf Pasture Beach, caught many a midmorning churchgoer unawares."

Although Easter occurred quite early that year, an Easter Sunday snowfall hadn't been recorded in southern Connecticut since 1915, when eight inches of snow fell April 3 and 4. The 1970 snowstorm began at about 8:30 a.m. and persisted throughout the day until early evening, accompanied by wind gusts up to 30 miles an hour. Remember, the date on which Easter falls fluctuates each year. It is observed on the first Sunday following the first Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox.

"The state highway department began plowing roads Sunday, though reports indicated much of its snow-fighting equipment was stored away to begin Spring cleanup of sand and road trash instead of snow," according to The Hour. "State police, in a statewide survey of conditions, reported most roads were snow or ice-covered, with extremely slippery conditions."

The following day, Monday, March 30, was an unscheduled holiday for many area schoolchildren due to the snow, wind, and brutally cold temperatures. Only New Canaan and Darien opened their schools, "as most towns, faced with slippery roads and unplowed school yards, cancelled classes."

Although I was only 11 years old and in sixth-grade at the time, the memory of that snowstorm is as vivid today as it was 41 years ago. As a young child, I was excited that we didn't have to go to church or drive to grandma's house for dinner. Instead, our family spent the day at home, enjoying the snow and the holiday together. Oddly, four years later, 7.6" of snow fell at Sikorsky Airport on the same date.

Paul

Record Warmth Overshadows Extremely Dry Weather Pattern

Another record high temperature is expected this afternoon as the mercury climbs into the 70s, which is more in line with early June rather than late March. It will be the fourth record high temperature this week and the sixth record high this month. Not surprisingly, this will be the warmest March on record in southwestern Connecticut.

Overshadowed by the unseasonably warm weather has been the lack of rain. In fact, this has been the driest March on record through today. Just a little more than a half-inch (0.66") of rain has been recorded at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, which is more than two inches below the 2.82" normal through today.

Today marks the seventh straight day without any measured rain. In fact, we've only had one day (0.02") with any measured rain since March 13. Overall, there have been just six days with any rain this month, and half of those came on the first three days of the month. Since March 3, we've measured only 0.18" of rain.

Two years ago, however, it was quite a different story. You may recall that it was the wettest March on record. Three major rainstorms included the March 13 Nor'easter (3.85"), the rainstorm of March 22 and 23 (2.17"), and the flooding rains of March 29 through 31 (3.75"). Cumulatively, over ten inches (10.19") of rain hammered the region for the month. There were 14 days with measured rain, including four days with well over an inch.

Two years ago this week, a strong low pressure system moved into the Northeast late Monday, March 22, and the steady rain developed during the late-evening hours. Heavy rain pelted southwestern Connecticut through early Tuesday, March 23, causing headaches for early-morning commuters. There were a number of accidents on area roadways during the morning rush hour, due in no small part to the weather.

Contrast that with our weather picture this year. Less than six inches (5.22") of rain has been recorded since January 1, which is three-and-a-half inches below the normal value of 8.71" through today. Each of the first three months of 2012 has been drier-than-normal. February's precipitation total of 1.58" was more than an inch below the 2.79" normal, while January was slightly drier than normal.

We're expecting much-needed rain later this week as a storm system moves in our direction. Scattered showers are likely later tomorrow under mostly cloudy skies and cooler temperatures. The afternoon high will reach the upper 50s to lower 60s. Sunday, however, will be rainy, windy, and raw with a high in the lower 50s. Daytime highs are expected to hold in the 50s through the middle of next week, while nighttime lows drop into the 30s.

Have a good weekend.

Paul

Dwight School's Fourth-Graders Shine as Weekly Weatherkids

I returned to Timothy Dwight School in Fairfield yesterday and visited with the fourth-grade class. The students were this week's featured Weatherkids. They enjoyed my hour-long visit on the first full day of Spring.



Paul

Mild March Temperatures to Continue Through This Week

How warm has it been this month? The average daily temperature through the first three weeks of March is 45.0 degrees, which is a whopping 7.6 degrees above normal. In fact, every day this month except one has been warmer than normal. Yesterday's high temperature of 68 degrees broke the previous record of 67 set in 2010. Another mild day is ahead with afternoon readings in the 60s along the shoreline and lower 70s inland.

A closer inspection of this month reveals some eye-popping numbers. First of all, four record high temperatures have been established this March, including a streak of three straight days from Monday, March 12, through Wednesday, March 14. In addition, six of the last eight days and nine days overall have been at least 10 to 20 degrees warmer than normal.

This will mark the 13th straight warmer-than-normal month across southwestern Connecticut. That's quite a streak. The last time we had an average monthly temperature below normal happened in February, 2011, at the end of one of the snowiest stretches in recent memory. However, the average temperature that month was less than one degree (0.8) below the normal average of 31.9 degrees.

Whereas March through August of last year were slightly warmer than normal, the average monthly temperature has spiked considerably over the last half-year. Consider that the average monthly temperature has been at least four degrees above normal since November, and the last three months have been five-to-six degrees above normal.

The biggest spike in average monthly temperatures has occurred over the last two months when February finished 6.3 degrees above normal while this month has averaged 7.6 degrees above normal. Temperatures will continue to run well above normal through the end of the week, and I'm confident a few more record highs will be established. The normal daytime high temperature for this date is 48, while the normal morning low is 33.

Today is officially the first day of Spring, but it's felt and looked like Spring for quite some time now. Cooler air is expected by the weekend with daytime temperatures holding in the 50s Saturday and Sunday. Some showers are expected by the end of the weekend. We sure could use the rain, but that's a topic which can wait for another day.

Paul

Vernal Equinox Arrives in Time for Spring Warmup

Today is the last full day of Winter. However, Old Man Winter packed his bags and departed quite some time ago. A big-time warmup is expected this week, just in time for the Vernal Equinox. Spring officially arrives in the northern hemisphere tomorrow morning at 1:14 Eastern Daylight Time. That's the time when the direct rays of the Sun pass over the Equator, technically creating "equal day and equal night" over the face of the Earth. The days will only get longer for the next three months.

I've always observed the change of seasons with more reverence and awe than New Year's Eve. After all, the beginning of a new year is an arbitrary date which can actually be recognized just about any time during the year. However, an equinox or a solstice is a much more meaningful "event" and can be explained astronomically. The time is exact and changes every year although, for the most part, the date doesn't vary much.

The change of seasons is due to the 23.4 degree tilt of the Earth's axis. Because of the tilt, we receive the Sun's rays most directly in the Summer. In the Winter, when we are tilted away from the Sun, the rays pass through the atmosphere at a greater slant, bringing lower temperatures. If the Earth rotated on an axis perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun, there would be no variation in day lengths or temperatures throughout the year, and we would not have seasons.

Now that Winter is just about in our rear-view mirror, how did we fare as far as snow is concerned? Officially, just a little more than a foot of snow (13.6") fell at Sikorsky Airport in Stratford. That's exactly a foot below the normal of 25.6" through this date. Last year, though, nearly five feet (59.4") of snow fell, making it one of the most memorable in recent history. Most of the snow fell from late December through January. Two years ago, we measured over three feet (38.1") of snow. What a difference a year makes.



Our Springlike weather will continue through much of the week. Today will become mostly sunny and mild with a high temperature in the lower 70s inland and 60s along the immediate shoreline. The record high is 67 degrees set in 2010. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with patchy fog and a possible shower with lows in the 40s. Tomorrow will become sunny and mild with highs in the 60s. The two warmest days this week will be Wednesday and Thursday.



Happy Spring!

Paul

Saturday Marks Fifth Anniversary of St. Patrick's Day Ice Storm

It looks like we'll enjoy the luck of the Irish this weekend across southwestern Connecticut. After a few showers and a possible thunderstorm cross the region today, skies will become mostly sunny later tomorrow through the St. Patrick's Day weekend. Daytime high temperatures will reach well into the 50s tomorrow and close to 60 degrees by Sunday. However, that wasn't the case five years ago tomorrow. Old Man Winter was still going strong, delivering an unforgettable snow and ice storm.

I experienced one of the most difficult drives to work in my many years of providing morning weather to our viewers, Saturday, March 17, 2007. My car was a block of ice. My kitchen door froze after I shut it, locking me out of my own house while I attempted to get into the car. The battle with the car door to get it open took me about 10 minutes. And, I had to wake my son out of a sound sleep to accompany me on my harrowing drive to work.

The drive was, without question, extremely difficult. The roads were covered with ice and snow, and snow plows created some embankments at intersections, making it difficult to drive through the mounds of snow and ice. I got stuck twice in "cakes" of snow and ice. Our morning news anchor told me he "did a 360" on the turnpike, and he was obviously unnerved before we went on the air.

According to Lieutenant Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police who appeared on our morning newscast that day, "Troopers have responded to over 477 accidents. We've been non-stop, busy, constantly during this whole storm. There are really treacherous conditions out there," emphasized Vance. "Many motorists have been stuck."



The storm began on Friday, March 16, 2007, with a moderate snow blanketing the region. The numbers were very impressive for mid March. Easton (6.5 inches), Fairfield (6.4"), New Canaan (6.0"), and Darien (6.0") each received at least a half-foot of snow unofficially. Even Bridgeport (5.0") had substantial snow. The average monthly snow for March is 4.3 inches based on 40 years of climatology. One of our viewers sent this photo from Norwalk.



"It was a tough storm," admitted John Kerry of the Department of Transportation storm center. "We're telling people that if they can hold off on their travel they will probably be in a lot better shape. We are seeing spin outs because the roads are slippery." One snow plow driver was asked by News 12 Connecticut's Kristi Olds if this was the worst storm of the Winter. "This one was," he answered immediately. "This one was by far the toughest. All the snow, the ice, and wind. It was tough!"

Nora Massella of Milford, who is a devoted viewer to our morning newscasts, sent this photo of her home and neighborhood. Nora wrote, "Paul, my husband, Mike, tried to get out and it was impossible. When he put down onto the snow, it was thick, thick ice. In order to get rid of this ice, you have to chop it and crack it in order to get rid of it. Our cars are frozen closed."



Thankfully, Mother Nature will give us a much better weekend this time around. Remember, March is one of the most unpredictable months for weather in southwestern Connecticut. Fortunately, we won't have to worry about any major storms over the next few days.

Paul