WEATHER SNAP SHOTS: November 2005 Archives

Blizzard conditions seriously hampered travel Monday across a wide swath of the central and northern Plains. These pictures tell the story, capturing the fury of the late autumn storm's winds over western Kansas. Lead Forecaster Mick McGuire of the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Goodland, Kansas is good enough to share these with us. He snapped them in the midst of the storm's howling backside winds just before midday. The 3-4" which fell there were whipped into drifts 3.5 feet high by winds which gusted from 60-77 mph. Meteorologist Al Pietrycha, formerly of the Chicago NWS Forecast Office and now in the Goodland Office, tells us he's not easily impressed by wind gusts under 100 mph. But, Monday's winds were among the exceptions. He noted that wind gusts reached 79 mph at Flagler, Colorado--to the west of Goodland. "I've never had my electrical power go on and off so many times in one day," said Pietrycha of Monday's storm. He tells us the winds of Monday's blizzard far exceeded the BIG blizzards he had experienced in Connecticut in 1977 and Colorado in 1997.

WGN-TV meteorologist Richard Koeneman sent these pictures of a "surprise" snow in North Carolina. An upper low lifted northeast right across western North Carolina, and the cold pool of air in the mountains was just chilly enough to turn the rain over to snow last night, with totals of up to 3 inches. These pictures were taken about 10 a.m. Tuesday, with a temperature of 29º. The snow started falling with a surface air temperature of 35º, so it stuck to everything.

After the snow/rain event ended, Richard sent us an updated snow total of of 4.2 inches and a total 1.54" of water-equivalent precipitation -- welcome moisture after the mini-drought of September and October in that area of North Carolina.

Richard also sent us a picture of him with his fellow "doggie" meteorologists: Buddy (the big white one), Sadie (the little tiny one) and Maylee.

Chicago Tribune photographer Joh Smierciak, on assignment southwest of Peoria on Rt. 136 near Havana, Ill., captured cold frontal storm clouds as dozens of twisters raked sections of 6 states, including downstate Illinois and Indiana. NOAA's Storm Prediction Center tallied 37 reports of twisters in that day's severe weather outbreak. November ranks deadliest of all months this year in terms of tornado fatalities.
–Tom Skilling

The temperature plunge headed for the Chicago area is evident in these snowy shots from meteorologist Dean Wysocki of Omaha shot today (Tuesday, November 15).--Tom Skilling

Photo: Courtesy Meteorologist John Dee

Thursday (November 10) marks the 30th anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald disaster on Lake Superior in 1975. Nearly three decades later, much of the Midwest, including Upper Michigan and the waters of Lake Superior, were whipped Wednesday by gale force winds--the product of the latest autumn storm to sweep the nation's heartland. Meteorologist John Dee of the U.P's Keeweenaw Peninsula has provided us this photo of Lake Superior's wind tossed waters (taken at the breakwater at the upper entry to the Keeweenaw Waterway) and reports 40-50 mph winds have blown at Houghton County Airport much of the late morning and afternoon Wednesday. Gusts there reached 66 mph at one point while Stannard Rock (located in Lake Superior 50 miles east of the Keeweenaw) reported a gust of 71 mph. Waves on the Big Lake have been running 15-20 ft. Our thanks to John for the picture and information!
--Tom Skilling