Record winter warmth in the U.S. West

Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, and Washington experience warmest winter on record: NWS

California also broke the winter (December 2014-February 2015) temperature topping the previous seasonal record set just last year by 1.5°F.

An additional five states—Alaska, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming—had one of their 10 warmest winters on record.

The western U.S. was warmer than average, with eight states also recording a top 10 warm February.

In contrast, many northeastern states experienced their second coldest temperatures on record, with  temperatures plummeting to record cold in several individual cities.

Record snowfalls were widespread in the East, while record warmth engulfed much of the West, said NWS.

The winter contiguous U.S. temperature was 34.3°F, 2.1°F above the 20^th century average, but the February temperature was 33.1°F, 0.7°F below the 20^th century average, ranking near the median value for February in the 121-year period of record*.

The February Lower 48 precipitation total was 1.70 inches, 0.43 inch below average, and marked the 20^th driest on record. The winter precipitation total was 6.12 inches, 0.67 inch below average, and the 27^th driest. Despite near-normal precipitation in February, long-term drought concerns continue in the West, compounded by a lack of mountain snowpack.

NOAA National Climatic Data Center, State of the Climate: National Overview for February 2015, published online March 2015, retrieved on March 8, 2015 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/2015/2.

Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Eight U.S. States

Drought, freeze, frost, high winds, extreme cold, record snowfall, ice and blizzard destroy crops in 111 counties

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 104 counties in eight states as crop disaster areas due to losses caused by drought, freeze, frost, high winds, extreme cold, record snowfall, ice and blizzard.

1. Crop disasters declared due to damages and losses caused by excessive snow, freeze, frost, high winds, extremely cold temperatures, record snowfall, ice and blizzards that occurred from January 1, 2014, through May 17, 2014.

• Michigan. Alger, Allegan, Alpena, Antrim, Arenac, Baraga, Barry, Bay, Benzie, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Clare, Clinton, Crawford, Delta, Dickinson, Eaton, Emmet, Genesee, Gladwin, Gogebic, Grand Traverse, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Houghton, Huron, Ingham, Ionia, Iron, Isabella, Jackson , Kalamazoo, Kalkaska, Kent, Keweenaw, Lake, Lapeer, Leelanau, Lenawee, Livingston, Luce, Mackinac, Macomb, Manistee, Marquette, Mason, Mecosta, Menominee, Midland, Missaukee, Monroe, Montcalm, Montmorency, Muskegon , Newaygo, Oakland, Oceana, Ogemaw, Ontonagon, Osceola, Oscoda, Otsego, Ottawa, Presque Isle, Roscommon, Saginaw, Sanilac, Schoolcraft, Shiawassee, St. Clair, St. Joseph, Tuscola, Van Buren, Washtenaw, Wayne and Wexford counties.

• Indiana. Elkhart, Lagrange, La Porte, St. Joseph and Steuben counties.
• Ohio. Fulton, Lucas and Williams counties.
• Wisconsin. Door and Marinette counties.

2. Crop disasters declared due to damages and losses caused by drought that occurred from July 1, 2014, and continuing.

• Connecticut. Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland and Windham counties.
  
• Massachusetts. Hampden and Worcester counties.
• New York. Suffolk County.
• Rhode Island. Kent, Providence and Washington counties.

3. Crop disasters declared due to damages and losses caused by excessive snow, flooding, freeze and high winds that occurred from Nov. 17, 2014, through Nov. 24, 2014.

See Crop Disasters Declared for 7 New York Counties

Crop Disasters 2014

Beginning January 10, 2014 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 2,879 counties across 44 states.

Those states are

• Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan. Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. [FIRE-EARTH has documented all of the above listings. See blog content.]

Notes:
i. USDA trigger point for a countywide disaster declaration is 30 percent crop loss on at least one crop.

ii. The counties designated as agricultural disaster areas, as listed above, include both primary and contiguous disaster areas.

iii. Some counties may have been designated crop disaster areas more than once due to multiple disasters.

iv. The U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.

v. The disaster designations posted above were approved by USDA on December 10, 2014.

US Northeast Snow Records Broken

2010 Year One of the Extremes?

In Winter Officially Starts Today! posted on December 20, 2009, Fire-Earth Warned ‘The Heaviest Blanket of Snow in 100 Years Covered Most of the Northeast US Yesterday’ would be

A Dry Run for Climate Chaos Heading Our Way

So far the Moderators’ prediction has proved 100 percent correct!

As the federal offices in the capital remained shut for a fourth day, public transport reduced by up to 95 percent of the services in Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York, on Thursday, and as thousands of flights canceled throughout the Northeast and many highways closed, due to blizzard conditions, new snow records were set in the area.

• The National Weather Service (NWS) reported that Wednesday’s blizzard had set a new record of 110cm (54.9 inches) in Washington breaking the capital’s 110-year-old record (54.5 inches set in 1898-99).
• Baltimore broke its all-time seasonal record with 183cm (72 inches).
• Philadelphia’s 2009-10 snowfall record of 179cm (70.5 inches) has so far surpassed its previous all-time record of the 65.5-inch total set in 1995-96  winter.

Meanwhile Maryland Governor Martin O’Mally declared a state of emergency, keeping government offices closed in the state.

FIRE-EARTH Forecast for the rest of 2010 (assuming there would be an end to the winter):

Expect soaring temperatures throughout North America and most of Europe. Prepare for primordial, swampy weather!

And this is just Year One for the weather extremes caused by climatic chaos that is heading our way!

• For a weather briefing by NWS click here.
  

Related Links:

• Snow covers 70 pct of the U.S.
• 6 feet of snow blankets the Alps
• 2010 Disaster Calender – January
• The Storms Attack on California
• California: Powerful new storm sails ashore
• Transitory Impact of AO is the ‘Good News’
• December Snowstorm Only a Cat 3 on NESIS Scale
• United Kingdom of Ice
• State of Emergency in Oklahoma, S. Dakota, Texas
• ‘Humongous’ storm spreads across the US
• You Don’t Bring A Gun To A Snowball Fight!
• Winter Officially Starts Today!
• Deadly Winter Storm Paralyzes United States