Stretch of Wild Weather Happened 13 Years Ago This Week

An incredible stretch of weather brought just about everything, except the kitchen sink, to southwestern Connecticut 13 years ago this week. Several storms brought heavy rain, accumulating snow, damaging winds, and dangerous icing to the area over a three-day period which began on Saturday, January 14, 2006, and continued through Monday, January 16, 2006. The wild weather ride actually didn't end until nearly a week later.

I recorded the following entries in my weather log, which I chart daily. Although most days are rather mundane, I highlighted these three days for obvious reasons. The weekend included record-high temperatures, record rainfall, tropical storm force winds, bitter cold wind chills below zero, icy roadways, and three-and-a-half inches of snow.

Saturday, January 14, 2006 --- A powerful Winter storm came barreling into the Northeast, producing record heavy rainfall of 1.59 inches, which broke the old mark of 0.91 inches, established in 1958. Strong southerly winds ahead of a well-defined cold front (51 miles-an-hour wind gust) brought down trees and power lines, and mild temperatures (56 degrees at 7:53 am) began a 36-hour stretch of severe weather across southwestern Connecticut.

I took each of these photos of the damage in my neighborhood from the storms. The first two show a truck and a car which were destroyed by falling trees in 50+ mile-an-hour wind gusts from January 14.

Sunday, January 15, 2006 --- Continued strong wind gusts (48 miles-an-hour) out of the North behind the front delivered much colder air (32 degree high and 11 degree low), and 3.5 inches of snow, creating a nightmare for local residents as power outages, below zero wind chills, and icy roadways punctuated the day's weather. The damage from the wind was extensive, as evidenced by the many trees which came tumbling down.

Monday, January 16, 2006 --- Bitter cold wind chills greeted early-morning risers as temperatures hovered between zero and ten degrees at daybreak. The high (29 degrees) and low (10) were well below normal for mid-January. Although the wind began to relax somewhat, we still had a peak wind gust of 31 miles-an-hour. United Illuminating crews were out in full force attempting to restore power to many residents who were braving the ice, wind, and extreme cold for several days.

Personally, what I remember most from that weekend was losing power Saturday night, January 14, while my son and I were watching the New England Patriots' playoff game at Denver. We awoke to frigid, snowy, and icy conditions the following morning. However, fortunately for us, we were one of only a handful of families in our neighborhood to have power restored late the following morning. The majority of homes in our neighborhood remained without power for several days.

Paul

Blizzard Hit Southwestern Connecticut Eight Years Ago Today

Eight years ago today we were hit with second major snowstorm to strike southwestern Connecticut in just over two weeks. Heavy snow began just before midnight, Tuesday, January 11, 2011, and continued through much of the early morning, Wednesday, January 12, delivering between a foot-and-a-half and two feet of snow to southwestern Connecticut.

Snowplows were already on the roads as early as one o'clock eight years ago this morning to keep up with the heavy snow, which was falling at the rate of one-to-two inches per hour between two and six o'clock in the morning. It certainly was one of the most difficult commutes to work I've ever experienced.

For the second time in as many weeks, I asked my neighbor to drive me to work. He has a snowplow, and I feel much more relaxed when he is in the driver's seat. I didn't have to worry about shoveling my driveway and cleaning the snow off my car during the height of the storm in the middle of the night. Although the drive was somewhat harrowing, we kept a steady pace at about 25 to 30 miles an hour along Interstate 95 from Fairfield to Milford.



The photo above is from Patty, Erik, and Emily in Fairfield. As predicted, the storm was a 12-hour event, and the heaviest snow began to exit the region from West-to-East between 8 and 9 o'clock. Snow totals as of mid-morning were quite impressive. Here is a rundown of snow totals from many communities across southwestern Connecticut:

• Weston: 24.5"
• Redding: 24.1"
• Wilton: 18.7"
• New Canaan: 18.0"
• Darien: 17.5"
• Milford: 18.0"
• Westport: 17.4"
• Bridgeport: 16.0"
• Greenwich: 15.5"

Unofficially, up to 30 inches of snow were recorded for the season at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, well above normal for this time of the year. That Winter was just as memorable as the Winter of 1995-96 when 78 inches of snow fell in southwestern Connecticut. More than 100 inches fell in Danbury and Hartford, and it remains the snowiest Winter on record. In fact, a significant snowstorm happened during the first week of January in 1996, much like the January 2011 event.

Paul

Marking the 23rd Anniversary of the Blizzard of 1996

Today marks the 23rd anniversary of The Blizzard of 1996. That snowstorm still ranks as one of the most memorable in my nearly 25 years of providing the morning weather forecasts at News 12 Connecticut. In fact, it was one of only two times I stayed the night and slept in the weathercenter due to the heavy snow and strong, gusty winds.

The storm actually started late-morning, Sunday, January 7, as light snow overspread the entire Northeast. The snow gradually became heavier through the afternoon, and by evening, roads were just about impassable due to the rapid accumulation. By the time the storm began moving away the following day, nearly two feet of snow blanketed much of southwestern Connecticut.

The two-day snow total at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Statford was 15 inches, including seven inches on January 7 and eight on January 8. That eclipsed the snow total of the so-called March 13, 1993 "Storm of the Century," which was 10.8 inches. Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks received 18.2 inches, just shy of the 21-inch record snowfall at the time, but more than the 14.8 inches just three years earlier.

Central Park in New York City recorded 20.2 inches of snow, making it the third highest snowfall at the time. Staten Island measured more than 27 inches of snow, and  LaGuardia International Airport recorded 24 inches, which exceeded the normal for the entire season of 22.6 inches.

An Arctic air mass covered New England as a massive storm developed over Virginia. The storm was actually energized by a 60-degree surface temperature contrast across western Montana which propelled a 175-mile-an-hour wind in the jet stream southward into the Plains causing the storm to form. This storm eventually brought the heavy snow from western North Carolina to southern New England.

Incredibly, the eastern slopes of the Appalachian Mountains from northern Virginia to Pennsylvania measured more than three feet of snow. The following map shows just how impressive the storm was. Southwestern Connecticut fell within the 15 to 20 inch range as far as total snow accumulations, with the heaviest amounts of 30 inches across southeastern Pennsylvania. The lightest amounts, oddly, fell well to the North.

It's hard to believe that 23 years have passed since the January blizzard of 1996. This Winter has been anything but Winter-like. I guess they just don't make 'em like they used to.

Paul

2018 Featured Most Days With Measured Precipitation on Record at Bridgeport

It came down to the final day of the year, but the rain which began late this afternoon marked the 150th day with measured precipitation at Bridgeport this year.

That ties the record which was originally set in 1950 for the most days with at least 0.01" of precipitation. In fact, 41% of the 365 days this calendar year had measured precipitation.

Paul

Recalling the Christmas Eve Snowstorm of 1966

Although it has been more than a half-century since the Christmas Eve snowstorm of 1966, I still recall it vividly. Over a half-foot of snow blanketed southwestern Connecticut on Saturday, December 24, 1966, resulting in treacherous roads, numerous accidents, and cancelled church services. Officially, 6.9 inches of snow fell at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, which still stands as a record for the date.

According to an article which appeared in the Bridgeport Sunday Post the following day, the "weather plight was part of an old-fashioned Nor'easter, which brought icy cold, high winds, and a blanket of snow to most of the East (coast)." Gale force winds hammered the region through most of the storm. Take a look at the front page newspaper article from December 25, 1966:

I recall my Dad attempting to drive my family, including my Mom, brother, sister, and me to my grandmother's home in Bridgeport for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. However, after sliding and skidding several times, our car got stuck on a hill in Fairfield. After several minutes, my Dad was able to gain some traction, and we decided to head home and avoid any more perils on the roads.

I was only eight years old and in third grade at the time, but it's a Christmas Eve I'll never forget.

Paul

December's Full Cold Moon Happens Early This Afternoon

The Full Moon happens this afternoon at 12:49 p.m. EST. However, we won't be able to see the completely Full Moon since it won't rise until several hours later. It will still appear quite full tonight, though. The December Full Moon is known by a variety of names, including the Full Cold Moon and the Full Long Night Moon.

Why is it called the Full Long Night Moon? During December, the Winter cold fastens its grip in the Northern Hemisphere, and nights are at their longest and darkest. The term Long Night Moon is also an appropriate name because the early Winter night is long, and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.

In fact, the December Full Moon has been referred to as the Oak Moon, the Frost Moon, the Cold Moon, and the Moon Before Yule. No matter what the name, the Full Moon in December is directly opposite the Sun; therefore it is out for a long time. Since the Moon appears to follow nearly the same path as the Sun in the sky, the amount of time the Moon spends above the horizon varies as it orbits the Earth. The Moon is Full when it is opposite the Sun in the sky, so a Full Moon rises roughly at sunset and sets at sunrise. Therefore, we only see Full Moons at night.



Six months from now, on the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year when the Sun spends the most time above the horizon, the Full Moon spends the least amount of time above the horizon. On the other hand, on the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year when the Sun spends the least time above the horizon, the Full Moon spends the most amount of time above the horizon. The time spent above the horizon each night for the Full Moon varies throughout the year about as much as the length of the day.

Paul