NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

JANUARY 2007

1st-6th...In the East on Monday, a large area of low pressure brought
scattered showers and thunderstorms to the entire Atlantic coastline.
The system produced heavy rain and flash flooding along the Mid-
Atlantic and coastal Southwestern states. Up to 2.46 inches of rain
was reported in Danville, Virginia, with many locations receiving a
half of an inch to one inch of rain. Further inland, scattered rain
showers have fallen across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, and
isolated showers have also been reported across the Upper Great Lakes
region.
In the western two-thirds of the country, partly cloudy skies and
generally dry conditions have been reported across the Midwest and
Plains states. A few isolated snow showers were reported at the higher
elevations in Arizona, while the remainder of the Southwest and
Southern Rockies have seen partly cloudy skies and generally dry
conditions. Further north, partly cloudy skies and dry conditions
prevailed across the Northern and Central Great Basin, the Northern
and Central Rockies, all of California, and the majority of the
Pacific Northwest. Another Pacific winter storm is headed toward the
Pacific Northwest, and has begun to make landfall along the Washington
and northern Oregon coast.
Much of the Northwest saw light to moderate rain Wednesday, and it
snowed in
some higher elevations in Washington and Oregon. Winter storm warnings
were in effect for much of Idaho as up to a foot of new snow was
expected to fall in the mountains. A storm system passing through the
Gulf of Mexico dumped rain on much of central Texas. The East saw
mostly dry conditions, with temperatures in parts of the Southeast
reaching into the 60s and in the Northeast into the 40s.
In the East on Friday, scattered showers and thunderstorms were
reported in the Southeast and the middle Atlantic region. Some of the
storms were severe producing frequent lightning, gusty winds up to 65
mph, brief heavy downpours, and a few isolated tornados. A tornado was
reported to have caused an eight car pile up with four injuries in
Liberty, South Carolina. Another tornado was reported to have damaged
a mobile home park and the back side of a barn in Moore, South
Carolina. Rainfall amounts were also heavy with close to an inch and a
half reported in many areas. For example, Albany, Georgia, reported a
rainfall total of 1.44 inches, while, Greer, South Carolina reported a
rainfall total of 1.49 inches. Further north, scattered showers were
reported in the Ohio Valley, the Tennessee Valley, the rest of the Mid
Atlantic, the eastern Great Lakes, and the Northeast. Rainfall amounts
were generally moderate and less than an inch was reported in most
areas. For example, Newark, Ohio, reported 0.52 inches and Latrobe,
Pennsylvania, reported 0.40 inches of rainfall. The western Great
Lakes reported mostly cloudy skies and generally dry conditions. In
the deep south skies continued to clear out through the afternoon. In
the central part of the country, scattered rain showers were reported
across northeastern Kansas, and southeastern Nebraska. Rainfall
amounts were generally light though. A few isolated rain and snow
showers were reported in the central Plains with mostly cloudy skies.
The northern and southern Plains reported partly cloudy skies and dry
conditions as well as the upper and lower Mississippi Valley.
In the West, snow showers reported in Colorado and Utah. Some areas of
snowfall were heavy with 4 to 8 inches of new snowfall reported in
many areas with locally higher amounts. Mesa, Colorado reported 14
inches of new snow with this storm. Snow showers were also reported in
Desert Southwest in the high elevations with moderate amounts being
reported. Snow showers were reported across much of the Great Basin
and the northern and central Rocky mountains, with amounts around 1 to
3 inches and locally higher amounts. In the Pacific Northwest rain
showers were reported along the coast with snow showers inland and in
the high elevations. Partly cloudy skies and dry conditions were
reported in California,

7th-13th...In the East on Monday, scattered showers with embedded
thunderstorms continued to move across parts of the Mid-Atlantic and
the Northeast ahead of a low pressure system. This activity produced
areas of isolated lightning strikes, gusty winds and moderate to
localized heavy rainfall amounts. For example, Roanoke Rapids, North
Carolina, reported a rainfall total of 0.89 inches, while Concord, New
Hampshire, reported a rainfall total of 1.06 inches. Meanwhile, in
parts of northern New England and the central Great Lakes, this same
system produced areas of scattered snow showers across northern New
England and the central Great Lakes. Accumulations up to 2 inches were
reported in northern Michigan. Across northern New York and northern
Vermont precipitation was reported as a wintery mix. Further to the
west, skies were partly cloudy with dry conditions across the Ohio
Valley, the Southeast, and the Tennessee Valley.
Across the western two-thirds of the country, a large ridge of high
pressure dominated most of the region. Skies were mostly clear to
partly cloudy over the Midwest, central and southern Plains,
Mississippi Valley, southern and central Rockies, Desert Southwest,
Great Basin, California, and Pacific Northwest. A few light snow
showers developed along the Black Hills of western South Dakota and
also in Montana, but accumulations were light. Gusty winds over 50
miles-per-hour were reported in South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and
Colorado, with higher elevation wind gusts over 70 mph.
Across the eastern United States on Wednesday, scattered snow showers
continued to affect portions of the Northeast and northern
Appalachians. Snow accumulations across this area have generally
become light, with less than a quarter of an inch reported across all
areas. Gusty winds have continued throughout the day across much of
the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, with gusts between 30 and 45 mph
reported across much of the region. Elsewhere in the East, high
pressure provided fair skies and dry conditions throughout the Ohio
Valley, Mid-Atlantic, Tennessee Valley, Southeast, and Florida. High
temperatures today ranged from the 20's and 30's across the Great
Lakes, Northeast, and Ohio Valley; the 30's and 40's across the Mid-
Atlantic and Tennessee Valley; the 40's and 50's across the Southeast
and Deep South; and the 50's, 60's, and 70's across Florida. In the
center of the nation, clouds and a few light snow showers moved across
portions of the northern Plains, Upper Midwest, and western Great
Lakes. Snow accumulations remained light across these areas with under
a quarter of an inch reported. Elsewhere, high pressure provided clear
to partly cloudy skies and dry conditions across the central and
southern Plains, Midwest, Missouri River Valley, Mississippi River
Valley, and Texas. Gusty winds throughout the Plains and Middle
Mississippi Valley have been the main concern across the central
portion of the nation. Sustained winds of 20-30 mph have been reported
across Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, the Dakotas, Iowa and northern
Texas. High temperatures ranged from the 20's, 30's and 40's across
the Upper Midwest, and northern Mississippi Valley; the 40's, 50's and
60's across the Central Plains and Upper and Lower Mississippi
Valleys; and the 30's, 40's, and 50's across the High Plains. In the
western United States, rain and higher elevation snow showers
persisted across portions of the Pacific Northwest and into the
northern Great Basin and northern Rockies. Precipitation amounts
through the afternoon hours were generally light; however, winds began
to increase across much of coastal Washington and Oregon, with gusts
of 30-40 mph reported in many locations. Elsewhere in the West, skies
were fair with dry conditions throughout the central and southern
Rocky Mountains, Four Corners, Desert Southwest, southern Great Basin,
and southern California. Partly cloudy to overcast skies have filtered
into northern California and much of Southern California throughout
the afternoon hours, with showers developing across far northern
California. High temperatures across the region ranged from the 30's
and 40's across the Pacific Northwest, Northern and Central Great
Basin, and the Rockies; to the 40's, 50's, and 60's across the
Southwest and California.
In the east on Friday, scattered snow showers were reported in the
northeast, however little or snow accumulated on the ground. Scattered
rain showers, were reported in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys as well
as the Mid-Atlantic states. Rainfall amounts were moderate with many
locations recording just over half an inch. For example Meadville,
Pennsylvania, reported 0.64 inches of rainfall. Meanwhile, mostly
cloudy skies were reported across much of the southeast and the Great
Lakes region, with partly cloudy skies reported in Florida.
In the central part of the country, isolated snow showers were
reported in the middle Mississippi Valley. Minor snow accumulations
were reported. A major cold front continued to move through the
southern Plains producing freezing rain, sleet and snow to eastern
Kansas, Oklahoma, and the panhandle of Texas. Minor snow accumulations
and generally less than a quarter of an inch of ice was reported.
Scattered rain showers were reported across much of Texas and
southeastern Oklahoma ahead of the front. Rainfall amounts were
moderate to heavy at times. For an example, Wichita Falls, Texas,
reported 1-point-04 inches of rainfall. In the West, snow showers were
reported in Utah, Colorado, and southern Wyoming. Snow fall
accumulations of 3 to 5 inches was reported in many areas, with
locally heavier amounts. Five inches were reported in Carbon, Wyoming.
A few isolated rain showers were reported in the low elevations in New
Mexico and Arizona, with snow in the high elevations. The Rest of the
region reported partly cloudy skies, cold, and dry conditions.

14th=20th...In the East, a powerful winter storm and associated cold
front impacted the Great Lakes, Northeast, and Ohio and Tennessee
Valleys on Monday. This storm brought snow to the Great Lakes and
northern New England, with light to moderate snowfall amounts. 6.3
inches of snow fell in Muskegon, Michigan, while 3.1 inches fell in
Scottville, Michigan. Significant icing also occurred across parts of
southern New England. Ice accumulation brought down large branches and
wires in Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, while a quarter inch of ice
caused power outages in Lake Pleasant, New York. The strong cold front
associated with this storm created a large area of precipitation which
dumped heavy rain amounts across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys
included Henderson, Kentucky 1.37, Paducah, Kentucky 1.06, Columbus,
Ohio 1.20. Elsewhere, high pressure was in place bringing partly to
mostly cloudy conditions to the Southeast, and Florida.
In the western two-thirds of the country, the winter storm brought
snow to the western Great Lakes and northern Midwest. Most areas
received light to moderate snowfall. Amounts included Burnsville,
Minnesota 6.0, St. James, Minnesota 8.0,
Minneapolis, Minnesota 4.0. The powerful trailing cold front also
dumped widespread heavy rainfall across the lower Mississippi Valley
and southern Plains. Amounts included Houston, Texas 1.23, Corpus
Christi, Texas 1.08 and Ruston, Louisiana 1.33. Elsewhere, high
pressure brought clear to partly cloudy conditions to the Northern and
central Plains, the Pacific Northwest, Rockies, Great Basin, and the
Desert Southwest.
In the East on Tuesday, a strong cold front continued to move across
the Mid Atlantic and Southeast. Scattered rain showers were reported
along the front, with scattered snow showers behind the front.
Rainfall in the Southeast was generally less than a half inch.
Snowfall amounts were generally less than two inches. In the Great
Lakes region lake effect snow continued to fall on the southeast sides
of the lakes. Significant accumulations were reported in some areas
with local amounts of up to 10 inches being reported in some areas.
For example Rolling Pararie, Indiana, reported a snowfall of 8.5
inches. Skies across the rest of the Great Lakes region, the
Northeast, as well as much of the Ohio Valley began to clear as clouds
moved out of the area with the exception of the lake effect snow
favored areas. Skies across much of the Florida Peninsula were partly
cloudy as well.
In the western two-thirds of the country, a low pressure system over
southern Texas brought freezing rain to the area. A quarter to a half
inch of ice was reported in many areas. Many roads were closed across
this region. A cold front beginning to move into the Pacific Northwest
brought moderate to locally heavy snow showers to the region. 2 inches
of snow fell in Sultan, Washington, while 8 inches was reported near
Tacoma, Washington. The Plains, the Rocky Mountains, the Great Basin
as well as the Desert Southwest and California saw fair skies and dry
conditions.
In the East on Wednesday, scattered lake-effect snow showers formed
across western New York and northern Pennsylvania. Snowfall totals
were generally light, but a few places picked up about one inch of new
snow. Portions of Illinois also saw some light snow through the
morning hours. Across portions of New England, cold temperatures mixed
with strong winds created dangerous wind chills. Fair and dry
conditions prevailed across the Northeast, Middle Atlantic, Southeast,
Deep South and the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. In the western two-
thirds of the country, a powerful storm system continued to create
widespread winter weather across Texas and eastern New Mexico.
Northern Texas continued to experience snow and ice showers, with
accumulations of around .10 to .25 of an inch. Just east of Downtown
Dallas a quarter of an inch of sleet was reported. Central Texas had
many reports of freezing rain, with a report of .40 of an inch ten
miles north of Austin. Patchy morning fog created travel problems
across the Pacific Northwest with visibilities dropping to under a
mile in some places. Clear to partly cloudy skies and dry conditions
remained in place across the Plains, northern Mississippi Valley,
northern and central Rockies, Great Basin and California.
A low pressure system moving slowly across southern California Friday
pulled moisture into the Southwest and Southern Plains and caused
widespread cool rain
and snow from Texas through Arizona. Meanwhile, showers moved through
the Southeast in the morning before a cold front slowly brought dry
conditions.
In New England, a low pressure system combined with a storm in eastern
Canada to
produce breezy northwesterly conditions.
In the East on Saturday, isolated snow showers were reported across
northern parts of the Northeast and the eastern Great lakes region.
Snowfall amounts were generally less than an inches. Across the
Tennessee Valley and northern parts of the Southeast, skies were
mostly cloudy with scattered rain showers. Rainfall totals were
generally less then a half an inch. Meanwhile, mostly cloudy skies
were reported along the Gulf Coast region. Elsewhere, skies were
partly cloudy across most of the Middle Atlantic, the rest of the
Northeast, and the Ohio Valley and parts of the Great Lakes region
away from the lakes. In the central part of the country, a strong low
pressure system produced snow showers across the Panhandle of Texas,
Kansas, Missouri, southern Nebraska, and western Oklahoma. A few
localized heavy snow amounts were reported with snow fall totals up to
5 inches. Meanwhile, Sleet, and freezing rain was reported across
central
Oklahoma, parts of northwest Texas, and northern Arkansas. Rain
showers fell in eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas and across most of Texas.
Snow showers were reported in much of the western and southern two-
thirds of Kansas. Elsewhere, partly cloudy skies and dry conditions
were reported across much of the northern portion of the region. In
the West, light snow showers were reported in the far northern Great
Basin. Snow showers were reported in the southern Rockies as well as
the eastern portion of the Desert Southwest. Partly cloudy skies and
dry conditions were reported across much of California, The Pacific
Northwest, the northern Rockies, and the southern portion of the Great
Basin.

21st-27th...In the East on Monday, scattered showers lingered over the
Southeast, Carolinas, and the Gulf Coast states in response to a
stationary front in the region. No severe weather was reported into
the early afternoon, but rainfall rates were locally heavy at times.
To the north, widely scattered snow showers impacted portions of the
Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and the Ohio Valley, but snowfall rates were
light in these areas. Also, areas of fog were reported over much of
the Mid-Atlantic, Ohio Valley, Appalachians, Carolinas, and the
Southeast. Visibilities were less than one-quarter mile in many
places, and freezing fog was observed as well. In the western two-
thirds of the Nation, scattered showers affected southeastern Texas
and the lower Mississippi Valley. Rainfall rates were light to
moderate into the early afternoon. Also, light snow showers and areas
of patchy fog and freezing fog were observed in the southern Rockies
as well as portions of the upper Mississippi Valley and the western
Great Lakes. Snowfall amounts up to 4 inches were reported in southern
New Mexico. To the west, a few light showers and mountain snow showers
lingered over portions of the Pacific Northwest and the northern
Rockies. Partly to mostly cloudy skies dominated the Plains and
Mississippi Valley, with dry conditions and clear to partly cloudy
skies, elsewhere.
Today in the East on Wednesday, a weak storm system brought lake-
effect snow showers to the Great Lakes and the Northeast. This system
brought accumulation totals of around 2-4 inches in the Northeast,
with a minor dusting in the Great Lakes. No problems due to snowfall
were reported. A trailing frontal boundary from a system sitting off
of the East Coast brought isolated rain showers to the Southeast.
Rainfall amounts were minimal. Elsewhere, the Ohio and Tennessee
Valleys experienced partly to mostly cloudy skies as high pressure was
in place.
In the western two-thirds of the country, an upper-level disturbance
brought snow showers to the northern Mississippi Valley and the
Northern Plains. Snowfall amounts were generally around 1-2 inches,
with minimal ice accumulations. No problems were reported in
association with the snowfall. Further south, a frontal boundary
brought widespread rainfall to the Gulf Coast. Rainfall was generally
light, with 0.76 inches falling in Houston, Texas, and 0.28 inches
recorded in Killeen Gray, Texas. A weak, upper level disturbance
brought mountain-induced rain showers to the Pacific Northwest and
Northern Rockies. Rainfall amounts were generally minimal, with a few
locally moderate amounts. Elsewhere, a strong ridge of high pressure
dominated the Central Plains, Central Rockies, Great Basin, and the
Desert Southwest, with clear to partly cloudy skies.
One month into one of the mildest winters on record in the Northeast,
an arctic blast sent temperatures into the danger zone Friday, and New
York gave its police legal authority to remove homeless people from
the streets to keep them from freezing to death. Temperatures from
Maine to Pennsylvania were in the single digits and the teens, with
lows of minus-10 recorded in northern Pennsylvania. The temperature in
Central Park was 9 degrees before daybreak and reached 12 degrees by
dawn, but the wind chill made it feel like minus 6.
City officials declared a weather alert that gave police power to
remove hundreds of homeless people from the streets and put them in
shelters.
Authorities are normally not permitted to force anyone off the street
without their consent. "Though we haven't had much snow, winter has
finally showed its nasty bite," said the Web site of the New York City
Rescue Mission in Manhattan.
By midday, the city received nearly 2,000 calls from people
complaining they had no heat or hot water. In Pennsylvania, schools
delayed openings so students would not have to wait for their school
buses in the early morning cold.
Forecasters attributed the extreme cold to a southern shift in the jet
stream.
The high-altitude air current has been running much farther north than
usual over the East Coast, allowing warm air to invade from the South.
28th-31st...As a low pressure center moved off to the northeast, snow
came to end in the morning across the eastern mid-Atlantic states and
Cape Cod on Monday. The snow was replaced by significantly colder air
that covered the entire East Coast. After temperatures warmed to 41
degrees on Sunday, New York City had a high temperature of only 30
degrees for the start of the workweek. Raleigh, NC, had a 21F drop in
temperature as the city had a high of just 37F on Monday after warming
to 58F on Sunday. Cooler air even poured into South Florida where
Miami is gearing up for the big football game Sunday night. Monday's
high of 67F in Miami came one day after temperatures reached the 80F
mark. Snow, however, was not absent downwind of the eastern Great
Lakes for the start of the workweek as lake-effect bands of snow
continued to stream away from the mild lakes. The rest of the Midwest
had another round of light accumulating snow and flurries as a clipper
system trekked through. The lake-effect mechanism enhanced the amount
of snow that fell east of Lake Michigan. In the wake of the clipper's
cold front, the arrival of a fresh shot of arctic air and howling
frigid winds made the air feel brutally colder than actual
temperatures across the northern Plains. Meanwhile, a weak disturbance
sparked light snow in the vicinity of Idaho in the afternoon. Stubborn
low clouds continued to blanket the valleys across the interior
Northwest.
Across the East on Wednesday, lake effect snow showers developed over
the Great Lakes. Snowfall reports since midnight have ranged from an
inch in New York City, New York to over 5 inches in western New York
and Ohio. Clouds moved into the Northeast and Ohio Valley during the
day. High pressure brought partly cloudy skies and dry conditions to
the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Appalachians. In the central region,
a cold front produced scattered snow showers across the Midwest,
central and southern Plains, into the Mississippi Valley.
Accumulations ranged from a trace to 6 inches, with the heaviest
snowfall occurring in western Kansas. Rain showers were reported to
the south, along the Lower Mississippi Valley, eastern Texas, and
along the Gulf Coast. Rainfall amounts were light. Skies were variably
cloudy over the northern Plains and Upper Midwest. Across the West, a
low pressure system located over the Four Corners region produced
light snow showers over the central and southern Rockies, higher
elevations of the Desert Southwest, and southern Great Basin. Snowfall
accumulations were generally light, with locally heavy amounts
reported. Rain showers also developed over the Desert Southwest and
southern California. Skies were mostly clear to partly cloudy over the
Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies.