NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

DECEMBER 2007


1st-8th...In the East, a powerful frontal boundary pushing across the
central Plains and Midwest, and into the middle Mississippi Valley and
eastern Ohio River Valley, brought a wintry mix of precipitation to
Illinois and Indiana by the early afternoon hours. Reports of light
snow mixing with sleet and freezing rain was a common occurrence from
the central Plains and eastward into western Ohio. Ice accumulations
east of the Mississippi River remained under a tenth of an inch, with
snow and sleet accumulations near three-quarters of an inch. In the
central part of the nation, a powerful winter storm plowed through the
northern and central Plains and into the Midwest. A quarter-inch to
nearly a half-inch of sleet and freezing rain fell from northwestern
Nebraska, into Iowa, and Illinois since early this morning. Heavy snow
coupled with strong winds created near blizzard-like conditions north
of this area of freezing rain. Snow accumulations ranged from 1 to 3
inches over North Dakota and northern Minnesota, to over 6 inches
across northern Iowa, eastern South Dakota, and southern Minnesota,
with sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph. In the western third of the
country, moderate to heavy rain showers slowly pushed across the
Desert Southwest, creating flooding problems in areas which have been
recently burned by wildfires. Rainfall totals ranged from three-
quarters of an inch at Iron Springs, Arizona, to over four inches in
nearby Crown King, Arizona. To the north, heavy snow and blizzard
conditions continued across the central Rockies, where total day-time
snowfall accumulations are expected to exceed two feet at elevations
above 10000 feet by late this evening. Overcast skies and light snow
showers were reported across the northern Rockies and northern Great
Basin, where snowfall totals have generally remained under two inches.
Further west, a nearly stationary upper-level trough brought
additional snow showers to the Cascade Mountains along the Pacific
Northwest, with snowfall accumulations ranging from 1 inch to nearly 8
inches at the highest elevations.
In the East on Monday, a low pressure system located offshore produced
rain and snow showers over the Northeast and Great Lakes. Snowfall was
heavy in New England and Michigan. Some of the heavier snowfall
reported with Stannard, VT 11.8; Bear Lake, MI 10.0; Center Harbor, NH
8.4; Hope, ME 8.0; Pelkie, MI 8.0;
Bellows Falls, VT 8.0. In the West, a strong Pacific Storm system
brought rain, snow and wind to the Pacific Northwest and northern
Rockies. Rainfall was very heavy, with many areas in Washington
reporting several inches in 12 hours. In Skokomish, Washington, 4.50
inches of rain fell in 9 hours. Strong gusty winds were also recorded
over the area. Several locations reported winds in excess of 70 mph,
however 80 and even 90 mph were measured in Montana and Washington,
respectively.
In the West on Friday, a powerful storm system continued to generate
widespread precipitation across much of the region. Moderate to heavy
rain showers with embedded thunderstorms developed along portions of
the Desert Southwest this afternoon, with rainfall amounts exceeding
one-inch in some areas. Other rain showers impacted the valley floors
in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Great Basin. Meanwhile,
moderate to heavy snow showers were observed at the higher elevations
of the Cascades, Sierra Nevadas and Great Basin, as well as the
central Rockies. Six inches of snow was reported near Union, Oregon,
while snowfall accumulations across Colorado have ranged from two
inches 36 inches at Crested Butte, Colorado over the past 24 hours.
Further north, skies began to clear early this evening across the far
northern Rockies of Montana as high pressure settled into the area.

9th-15th...wintry storm caked the center of the nation with a thick
layer of ice Monday, blacking out more than 600,000 homes and
businesses, and more icy weather was on the way. At least 15 deaths in
Oklahoma and Missouri were blamed on the conditions, with 13 of them
killed on slick highways. A state of emergency was declared for all of
Oklahoma, where the sound of branches snapping under the weight of the
ice echoed through Oklahoma City. The National Weather Service posted
ice and winter storm warnings Tuesday for parts of Missouri, Kansas,
Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois. Missouri declared an emergency on Sunday
and put the National Guard on alert. Oklahoma utilities said a half-
million customers were blacked out as power lines snapped under the
weight of ice and falling tree branches, the biggest power outage in
state history, and utilities in Missouri said more than 100,000 homes
and business had no power there.
"If you do the math, probably one out of three Oklahomans has no
electricity at this point," said Gil Broyles, a spokesman for Oklahoma
Gas & Electric, the state's largest utility. Roughly 11,000 customers
were blacked out in southern Illinois and more than 5,000 had no
electric heat or lights in Kansas, where Gov. Kathleen Sebelius
declared a statewide state of emergency. At O'Hare International
Airport, about 100 flights were canceled by Monday afternoon, with
delays of about 45 minutes, said Chicago Department of Aviation
spokeswoman Karen Pride. No flights were canceled at Midway Airport,
but a handful of flights were delayed about an hour, she said. Ice was
as much as an inch thick on tree limbs and power lines in parts of the
region. Schools across Oklahoma were closed and some hospitals were
relying on backup power generators. The Federal Emergency Management
Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers sent 50 generators and three
truckloads of bottled water from Texas to distribute to blacked-out
areas of Oklahoma. Tulsa International Airport had no power for about
10 hours and halted flight operations for the day, and most morning
flights at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City were canceled
because of icy runways. Greyhound bus passengers were stranded
overnight at a shelter in a church in Tulsa, and were joined by some
local residents who had no heat.
Portions of Interstate 35 and Interstate 44 were shut down early
Monday afternoon in Oklahoma City after ice-laden power lines
collapsed and fell into the roadways. Oklahoma utility officials said
it could be a week or more before power was fully restored. The
Oklahoma City suburb of Jones, a town of 2,500 people, had low water
pressure because there was no electricity to run well pumps, and
firefighters said an early morning fire destroyed most of the
community's high school. The icy weather stretched into the Northeast,
where many schools across upstate New York were closed or started late
because of icy roads. On ice-covered Interstate 40 west of Okemah,
Okla., four people died in "one huge cluster of an accident" that
involved 11 vehicles, said Highway Patrol Trooper Betsey Randolph.
Eight other people died on icy Oklahoma roads, and Missouri had two
storm-related deaths one on a slippery highway and another when a tree
limb fell on a 92-year-old man's head. In addition, a homeless person
died of hypothermia in Oklahoma City, the state medical examiner's
office said.
In the East on Tuesday, a wintry mix of rain, sleet, freezing rain and
snow was experienced across the Great Lakes region and northern
portions of the Ohio Valley. Ice accumulations were light thus far,
with between a tenth and three-tenths of an inch reported. Across the
central part of the country, a wintry mix of rain, sleet, snow and
freezing rain were experienced throughout the central and southern
Plains, the far southern portions of the upper Mississippi Valley and
the middle Mississippi Valley. Major power outages continued across
Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri with hundreds of thousands without
power. Ice accumulations of between a quarter to a half of an inch
have been reported. Elsewhere, scattered rain showers and
thunderstorms continued to affect portions of Oklahoma and Texas.
A winter storm responsible for deaths in the Midwest blasted the
Northeast on Thursday, dumping snow and sleet and clogging some of the
nation's most heavily traveled highways. Some parts of the Northeast
received up to a foot of snow. Schools, businesses and government
agencies in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Rhode
Island. The resulting exodus choked highways and streets. Authorities
reported hundreds of mostly minor accidents throughout the region.
Some vehicles were stranded along roadways, preventing plows from
getting through. While the traffic crawled along Interstates 95, 84
and 91, it also slowed at Northeast airports.
There were delays up to three hours for arriving flights at Newark
Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, where more than 200
flights had been canceled by late afternoon, officials said.
Elsewhere, Boston's Logan International reported more than 100 flights
canceled, as did Bradley International near Hartford. No major
problems were reported at New York's airports; some airlines allowed
passengers to reschedule their flights for free. The storm was blamed
for 35 deaths, mostly in traffic accidents, since it developed last
weekend. In Oklahoma, about 342,000 homes and businesses still were
without power Thursday, officials said. In Missouri, about 64,000
people were without electricity, including roughly 32,000 in the
Kansas City and St. Joseph areas, state officials said. As the Midwest
continued to emerge from the darkness, hundreds of snow plow operators
in the Northeast were having a tough time getting out of traffic jams.
In Albany, snowy roads slowed traffic to a crawl.

16th-22nd...In the East on Sunday, a large and powerful low pressure
system brought moderate to heavy snow to the Great Lakes Region and
Northeast, and a mix of sleet and freezing rain to portions of
Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Snow
accumulations so far today have generally ranged between four and
eight inches from Maine through New York and southwestward through
Indiana. Locally higher amounts occurred. Ice accretions of 1 tenth to
one third of an inch occurred over northern and western Pennsylvania,
central and southeastern New York, Connecticut, and northern New
Jersey. During the late morning hours, precipitation transitioned over
to rain in southern New England, southeastern New York, New Jersey,
and eastern Pennsylvania. The storm system also generated gusty winds
throughout the Northeast, Appalachians, Great Lakes Region, and Ohio
Valley. Wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph were common. A cold front extending
southward from the low produced rain and thunderstorms throughout the
Mid-Atlantic and Southeast this morning. Rainfall totals of half an
inch to 1.5 inches were common. A few severe storms developed in
Volusia and Seminole Counties in eastern Florida this morning. These
storms produced damaging wind gusts, which knocked down tree limbs. In
the central United States, snow fell across Missouri and Illinois
early this morning in association with the storm system centered over
the East. Snow accumulations of 4 to eight inches occurred in
Illinois, with lighter amounts in Missouri. The snow came to an end a
few hours after sunrise as the system moved further east. Meanwhile,
overcast skies, light flurries, and fog and freezing fog prevailed
across the Upper Midwest so far today. A ridge of high pressure
brought tranquil weather conditions to the Central and Southern
Plains.
In the West, rain and mountain snow showers occurred in the Pacific
Northwest and parts of western Montana due to a Pacific storm system.
Snow accumulations of 1 to two inches occurred in the mountains, with
up to 0.25 inches of rain falling at lower elevations. Wind gusts of
20 to 40 mph accompanied the precipitation, with the strongest winds
occurring along the coast.
In the East, snow finally wrapped up across northern Maine as a potent
low pressure system moved into eastern Canada. Total snow
accumulations of 5 to 12 inches occurred, while Caribou, Maine, set a
daily snowfall record of 9.2 inches. Snow tapered off by the early
afternoon hours as the system pulled farther away. Meanwhile,
scattered snow showers continued downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario,
affecting central and western New York, Pennsylvania, and northeast
Ohio. Generally a trace to 1 inch of snow accumulated in these areas,
but up to 3 inches of snow accumulated in northwestern Pennsylvania.
Lake-effect snow activity continued into Monday evening, although
intensity and coverage diminished considerably. Wind gusts of 25 to 45
mph were common, but gusts up to 60 mph occurred along the New England
coastline. Wind speeds also gradually diminished toward Monday
evening. In the West, a Pacific storm system brought moderate to heavy
rain and mountain snow to Washington, Oregon, northern California, and
Idaho. Generally, 4 to 8 inches of snow have accumulated across the
higher elevations in these areas with some isolated higher amounts. At
lower elevations, rainfall totals ranged from 0.25 to 0.75 inches,
with some localized higher amounts along the Coastal Ranges of
Oregon.
In the West on Wednesday, another surge of moisture moved on shore
today. Heavy snows were common in the higher elevations from the
Pacific Northwest through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Snowfall totals
reached 6 to 12 inches in many locations. Heavy coastal and lower
elevation rains fell once again, with locations such as Quillayute,
Washington, receiving over an inch of rain today. Many locations along
the coasts of Washington and Oregon have received 0.50 to 0.75 inches
of rain, with isolated higher amounts. Wind gusts to 40 mph were seen
today across these areas as well.
The Nation's Weather
In the East on Friday, a complex of showers and thunderstorms pushed
across the Southeast and the southern Mid-Atlantic coast. Beneficial
rains fell across regions that have been drought-stricken for quite
some time. Some of the rain was locally heavy. Rainfall totals were
generally between a quarter of an inch and an inch and a-half.
However, much higher totals fell in isolated spots. For example, an
impressive 7.04 inches of rain fell in Savannah, Georgia. Flash
flooding from this rain closed several roads in the Savannah area.
Also, 2.23 inches of rain fell in Beaufort, South Carolina. Active
weather continued across the West this morning. Areas of snow showers
impacted the northern and central Rockies. Snow accumulations were
light across the valley locations. However, several inches of snow
fell across the mountains. Local wind gusts in excess of 40 mph
created blowing and drifting snow in spots. Farther west, widely
scattered light rain and mountain snow showers fell across the Pacific
Northwest and northern California.

23rd-31th...Blizzard conditions plagued the Upper Midwest on Sunday.
Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan all had the
worst of this storm with heavy snow and howling winds that caused
blowing and drifting snow. Many places in Wisconsin received more than
a foot of snow. Holiday traffic was brought to a halt on some north-
south oriented roads that were deemed impassible due to slippery
roadways and whiteouts. Air traffic was also a nightmare in this
section of the country, and the Chicago O'Hare International Airport
had 300 cancellations due to strong winds. Wind gusts blew as hard as
68 mph in Chicago. Over 100,000 people were without power at the peak
of the storm due to ice and the strong winds. As of Sunday night
60,000 people in Michigan were still blacked out, while Illinois still
had 15,000 customers in the dark. Meanwhile, rain was being dumped
farther south across the lower Great Lakes, the mid-Atlantic and New
England. Some lightning and thunder accompanied the rain along the
I-95 corridor and in upstate New York and parts of the Great Lakes.
Gusty winds began to shift into the east in the afternoon and evening.
Some thunderstorms also pressed through the Southeast before exiting
the coast in the early evening. while the next storm dumped heavy rain
and brought gusty winds in the Pacific Northwest. High pressure was
ramping up to enter the West Coast and setup for yet another Santa Ana
wind event. In the central part of the nation on Tuesday, a band of
snow showers continued to affect the Upper Mississippi Valley, the
northern Plains, and the central High Plains. Blustery winds caused
areas of blowing and drifting snow, reducing visibilities at times.
Snowfall accumulations up to this point are ranging from 2 to 5 inches
from northern Nebraska, through southeast South Dakota, and into
southern Minnesota. Snow reports of up to 5 inches were reported in
Mission Hill, South Dakota. In the West, snow activity was locally
heavy across Colorado, where widespread blowing and drifting snow was
common. Gusty winds also continued to affect portions of Southern
California, as the Santa Ana wind event continued. Wind gusts of up to
60 mph have been reported in many locations. Chilao, California, even
reported a wind gust of 81 mph early this morning.
In the East on Monday, rain showers and embedded thunderstorms
continue to affect the Carolinas and push into the Delmarva and
southern portions of the Northeast. This activity has produced
occasional lightning strikes, gusty winds, and periods of heavy
rainfall. Goldsboro, North Carolina continued to experience the
heaviest rainfall with 2.46 inches reported. Oceana, Virginia also
received 1.27 inches of rain, and 1.13 inches of rain fell at Chapel
Hill, North Carolina as well. Areas of patchy dense fog affected
portions of the Southeast this morning, dropping visibilities down to
a quarter mile at times and making for hazardous traveling conditions.
Otherwise, fair skies and dry conditions were experienced across the
Great Lakes region, the Ohio and Tennessee valleys, and Florida.
Across the central part of the country, a band of heavy snow showers
continued to affect portions of the Upper Mississippi Valley. In fact,
six and a half inches of new snow fell at Mankato, Minnesota, and five
and a half inches of new snow was reported at Lakeville, Minnesota.
Elsewhere, a line of rain showers and thunderstorm moved out of
eastern Texas and into portions of Oklahoma and the Lower Mississippi
Valley. A few strong thunderstorms produced frequent lightning,
stronger winds, small hail, and heavy downpours. In fact, 0.85 inches
of rain fell at Longview, Texas, and 0.66 inches of rain was reported
at Conroe, Texas. Snow showers also fell across the Panhandles of both
Oklahoma and Texas, and into western Oklahoma. Snowfall accumulations
were generally around one to two inches, but three inches of new snow
was reported at Adrian, Texas. Otherwise, partly to mostly cloudy
skies prevailed across the rest of the region.
In the east on Friday, a strong low pressure system continued to
produce rain, snow, and thunderstorms across portions of the Tennessee
Valley, the Great Lakes region, the Ohio Valley, Mid Atlantic, and the
Southeast. Snow mainly affected the Upper and Middle Mississippi
Valley, and the Great Lakes region. Rain showers and thunderstorms
were experienced across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, portions of
the Mid Atlantic, the Carolinas, and much of the Southeast. Moderate
to frequent lightning, gusty winds, small hail, and heavy downpours
have been reported with this activity. Heavy rainfall of 1.91 inches
fell in Andalusia, Alabama, and 1.88 inches of rain was reported in
Atlanta, Georgia. Earlier today, the rain showers and thunderstorms
affected the Southern Plains and the Lower Mississippi Valley. In
fact, golf ball size hail was reported at Columbia, Mississippi, and
quarter size hail was reported at Fulton, Mississippi and Tucker,
Mississippi. Locally heavy rainfall was also associated with this
activity, with 1.18 inches of rain reported at Rodgers, AR. Houston,
Texas also reported 0.86 inches of rain, and 0.56 inches of rain fell
in Columbus, Mississippi.
Heavy snow fell across northern sections of the Northeast on Monday,
capping a December of unusually heavy snow. More than a foot of snow
fell in central New Hampshire, the National Weather Service said, and
the Albany area received 11 inches from late Sunday to midmorning
Monday. *Albany International Airport canceled two early morning
flights, and getting to work was a chore for drivers elsewhere as the
snow continued falling.
Some sections of major highways in New Hampshire were covered with
several inches of snow at the start of the commute and police reported
many spinouts and crashes. On some New Hampshire side roads, drivers
had to slow to a crawl because the fluffy snow was higher than their
bumpers and flowed up onto their hoods and windshields, causing
personal whiteouts.
Snow blew sideways in Augusta, Maine, and flakes accumulated to as
much as 7 inches deep in some southern sections of the state, falling
at a rate of up to 1.5 inches per hour, the weather service said.
Nearly 6,700 Central Maine Power customers were without power, utility
officials said. The storm added to an already snowy month in the
region. In New Hampshire, Concord had 11 inches by 7 a.m., tying its
December record - 43 inches in 1876 - then surpassed that record as
more snow was still falling several hours later. Elsewhere in the
state, Wolfeboro and Boscawen got 13 inches. In Maine, it was the
snowiest December in more than a decade. The weather service said the
Bangor area had more than 34 inches for the month as of Sunday,
compared to a normal December total of about 13 inches. Only 2 1/2
inches fell in the area last year. Nearly 51 inches of snow had fallen
in the Caribou area of northern Maine, compared to the normal 25
inches. Albany had its seventh snowiest December since 1795 as
Monday's snow brought the December total to at least 31.1 inches, more
than double the average of 12.3 inches, according to the National
Weather Service.