Today Marks 33rd Anniversary of Snowiest April Day on Record

Today marks the 33rd anniversary of the snowiest April day on record in southwestern Connecticut. Take a look out the window today, and it's hard to imagine that exactly a half-foot of snow fell on April 6, 1982. What made the storm even more memorable were the gusty winds and cold temperatures. Record lows of 19, 18, and 23 degrees were established from April 6 through April 8, 1982, respectively, well below the 38-degree normal low temperature for this time of the year.

The snowstorm of Tuesday, April 6,1982, was one of the most remarkable late season snowfalls to strike the Northeast. Snowfall accumulations from 10 inches to over a foot occurred over much of Long Island, but the accompanying very cold temperatures and high winds caused extensive blowing and drifting of snow which was unprecedented for early April. Take a look at the following photo from New York City during the height of the storm.

More than a foot of snow (13") fell at Newark, New Jersey, 10 inches (9.8") blanketed New York City, and over two feet of snow was measured in upstate New York. The primary storm resurfaced off the New Jersey coast, producing gale force winds of up to 60 miles an hour. It was the heaviest April snow in New York City since April 3 and 4 of 1915 when 10 inches fell.

The heavy snow forced the cancellation of the Yankees’ 1982 home opener against the Rangers at Yankee Stadium. Even worse, the weather stayed cold, and the Yanks cancelled another game against Texas, two games against the White Sox, and they eventually opened on Easter Sunday, April 11, 1982, by dropping both ends of a doubleheader to Chicago.

While the storm of 33 years ago had a mid-Winter look and feel, today will be much quieter across southwestern Connecticut. It will be partly sunny and pleasant with a high temperature well into the 50s. What a far cry from this date in 1982.

Paul

March Lion Roared Through Snow & Cold

March came in like a lion and went out ... like a lion! February was the coldest month on record, but March was almost as harsh. In fact, it was much colder and snowier than normal. The average daily temperature last month at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford was 33.9 degrees, which was a whopping 5.4 degrees below normal. In addition, more than a foot-and-a-half (18.6") of snow fell, which was more than three times the 5.1 inch normal for the month. Yes, it was a month that will not soon be forgotten.

Twenty-three of the 31 days in March were colder-than-normal, including seven days which were at least 10 degrees below normal. In fact, there were only five days with an average temperature above normal. Nine of the first ten days last month were at least 10 degrees colder-than-normal, extending a streak which began January 25.

There were 12 days with at least a trace of snow, with the jackpots of 6.2 inches March 1 and 5.3 inches March 20. Four inches of snow fell March 5. Four of the first five days of March featured at least a trace of snow as well as the last four days of the month. The snow depth reached a height of 18 inches March 2 and 6, and it still remained at 12 inches as late as March 10.

The Vernal Equinox snowstorm brought nearly a half-foot of snow to the region for much of Friday, March 20. The snow began just after noon, and continued falling through the Equinox at 6:45 p.m. EDT.
                            

March also had nearly five inches (4.72") of liquid precipitation, well above the 4.05" normal for the month. Seventeen days saw measured precipitation, including the first five days of the month (2.26"). A trace of precipitation was recorded three days, bringing the total number of days last month with at least a trace of precipitation to 20. That's just about two out of every three days!

Paul

Total Lunar Eclipse of Full Blood Moon Shortest of the Century

A total lunar eclipse of the Full Blood Moon will take place early Saturday morning. For the third time in less than a year, sky watchers in the United States can see this total eclipse of the Moon. The eclipse begins at 6:16 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time when the edge of the Moon first enters the amber core of Earth’s shadow. For the next hour and 45 minutes, Earth's shadow will move across the lunar disk, ultimately swallowing the entire Moon at 7:58 a.m. EDT.

Unfortunately, we won't be able to see much, if anything. First, clouds and showers are expected to linger into early Saturday morning across southwestern Connecticut. Second, the Moon will set at 6:32 a.m., just 16 minutes after the partial eclipse starts.

The total eclipse is the third of four total lunar eclipses separated by approximately six months, a phenomenon astronomers call a "tetrad." Such a closely-spaced succession of eclipses is a fairly rare occurrence. The complete list of dates is April 15th, 2014; Oct. 8th, 2014; April 4th, 2015; and Sept. 28th, 2015.

Paul

April's Arrival Brings Some Degree of Trepidation

I welcome April with some degree of trepidation. Three of the last nine years there have been flooding rains across southwestern Connecticut during this month. Eight years ago, on Sunday, April 15, 2007, over three inches (3.02″) of rain fell in one day at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, causing widespread catastrophic flooding throughout the region. Unofficially, well over a half-foot of rain soaked many communities throughout the area. The rain didn’t let up until the following day, bringing the two-day total to 3.51 inches.

The previous year, on Sunday, April 23, 2006, 5.30″ of rain fell at the airport, highlighting a three-day stretch which saw nearly a half-foot (5.79″) of rain. That capped a stretch of nearly eight inches of rain (7.98″) in a 24-day period. The ground was already saturated prior to the deluge, since six of the first eight days of the month saw measured rain, producing nearly two inches (1.93″) in just over one week.

The average rainfall for April in southwestern Connecticut is 3.99 inches, ranking it third behind March (4.15″) and May (4.03″) as the wettest months of the year. The wettest April on record happened in 1983 when 10.72″ of precipitation was recorded at Sikorsky Memorial Airport. The driest occurred just two years later when only 0.69″ fell in 1985. The most memorable single-day rain events other than April 23, 2007, happened on April 21 of 2000 (3.34″), April 10, 1983 (3.15″), and April 13, 2004 (3.08″).

April is certainly a month of extremes in southwestern Connecticut as temperatures have ranged from a high of 91 degrees on April 28, 1991, to a low of 18 degrees on April 7, 1982. The warmest April on record averaged 56.7 degrees in 1954, while the coldest happened 48 years ago when the average temperature was 43.4 degrees in 1966. The mean temperature climbs from 45 degrees at the start of the month to 54 degrees by April 30.

Snow is not out of the question for April. In fact, a trace of snow has fallen as late as April 28, while a half-foot fell on April 6, 1982, which was Major League Baseball’s Opening Day and forced the postponement of the Yankees’ home debut in New York. The average snowfall for the month is less than an inch (0.09″). You may remember 19 years ago, though, when seven inches of snow fell April 10, 1996, capping the snowiest Winter on record in southwestern Connecticut when 78″ fell along the coast and over 100″ inland.

The length of daylight continues to grow considerably this month. Today's sunrise happens at 6:35, and it rises before 6 o’clock (5:51) at the end of the month. More dramatic, though, is the time of sundown. The Sun sets at 7:18 this evening, but it doesn’t drop below the horizon until 7:49 April 30. Daylight is increasing at the rate of two to three minutes per day in April. Daylight grows from 12 hours and 43 minutes at the start of April to almost 14 hours (13:58) by the end of the month.

Happy April!

Paul

Forty-Fifth Anniversary of Easter Sunday Snowstorm

Today marks the 45th 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 45 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

Unforgettable Day in Local Weather History

Three of the most unforgettable weather events in recent history happened on this date. Two powerful storms and an all-time record high temperature for the season occurred on March 13, highlighting the unpredictability of the weather this time of the year. If you're of a certain age, I'm sure you remember all three weather "events."

As hard as it may seem to believe, the temperature climbed to an incredible 84 degrees at Sikorsky Memorial Airport on March 13, 1990. That established a record high for the date, month, and the Winter season. The normal high temperature for this date is only 45 degrees, and the normal low is a chilly 31.

During March, a battle rages between the Spring and Winter seasons, and that makes predicting the temperatures during this month as difficult as any time during the year. The amount of daylight continues to grow each day, and the Vernal Equinox, the first day of Spring, is a week away. But, Old Man Winter has no intentions of packing his bags just yet.

I distinctly remember watching the temperature climb that day due to a strong Westerly wind. The wind direction was extremely important, since the flow didn't come from the cooler waters on Long Island Sound. I was the evening weather anchor at News 12 Connecticut 25 years ago, and our "weather video" showed people flocking to a local beach to soak up the sun and warm temperatures. I'll never forget that day.

Then, just three years later, Saturday, March 13, 1993, the famed Storm of the Century pounded the Eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine. Locally, over a foot of snow fell across southwestern Connecticut, winds gusted over 40 miles an hour, and wind chills hovered at or close to zero throughout the day. It was the second snowiest day on record for March, and it will always be remembered because it affected such a large area.

Very heavy snow accumulated in the south. Birmingham, Alabama, picked up a foot of snow. Snow covered the ground from Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle. The heavy snow spread northward along the East Coast to Maine. On Saturday, March 13, every airport in the Eastern states was closed. Snowfall ranged up to four feet on Mount Mitchell, North Carolina. Atlanta, Georgia, picked up three inches. Chattanooga, Tennessee, received up 21 inches. During the peak of the storm, about 30 percent of the entire country was hit by the rough weather.



Very warm, humid air moved across central Florida and, combined with the energy of the storm, helped spawn the 27 tornadoes. Winds were clocked at 99 mph on an oil platform off the Louisiana coast. Overall the storm took 285 lives, mostly because of tornadoes. The storm became the costliest nontropical storm in Florida's history. States of emergency were declared throughout the eastern portion of the country. The adjacent map shows the total snowfall for the storm.

I was called in for storm coverage that Saturday morning, and we remained on the air for more than 12 hours. Aside from the heavy snow, what I remember most from that day was the rapidly falling barometer. The pressure dropped to 28.35 inches in parts of New England, which is usually only observed in hurricanes. They peak at almost the exact opposite time of the year. By comparison, the normal average barometer reading for southwestern Connecticut is 30.02 inches.



The storm was deepening and intensifying as it moved toward New England, and the howling winds didn't let up. In the wake of the storm, back-to-back record low temperatures of 16 and 12 degrees were established on March 14 and 15, respectively, at Sikorsky Airport.

Then, five years ago, a powerful Nor'easter hammered Connecticut and, specifically, Fairfield County. The damaging wind gusts of 60 to 65 miles an hour, flooding rains, massive power outages, impassable roads, and week-long school closings won't soon be forgotten. We received incredible videos and photos of the widespread destruction across southwestern Connecticut. The following photos were sent by News 12 Connecticut viewers.



Former Governor M. Jodi Rell announced that the storm caused more than $7 million in damage statewide, and she requested a visit from Federal Emergency Management Agency officials to assess the damage. The Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security estimated $2.8 million worth of damage in Fairfield County alone. Fairfield County qualified for federal disaster assistance.



Preliminary damage estimates in Norwalk totaled more than $335,000, and damage to private homes was even greater. Damage to public buildings and parks, and the cost of funding police, fire, and city employee overtime reached about $335,065, according to the city's director of finance. The scoreboard at Brien McMahon High School was the single most expensive piece of property destroyed in the storm. It was estimated at $18,000.



Stamford officials estimate private property damage at $3.58 million. Damage to public property was estimated at $262,000, and total overtime for city crews at $143,086. Tens of thousands of people lost power, and three school systems were closed for a week. Heavy rain delivered up to one-half inch per hour during the afternoon of March 13. Here is a sampling of area rainfall totals for that day:

• New Canaan: 4.34"
• Easton: 4.33"
• Wilton: 4.01"
• Stratford: 3.33"
• Woodbridge: 3.12"
• Westport: 2.97"
• Milford: 2.91"

This is certainly a date which will be remembered for dramatic weather three times over the last quarter century.

Paul