NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

MARCH 2010

7th-13th…A twister occurred in Hammon, Oklahoma when a low-pressure
system in the Pacific Northwest kicked a strong storm system out of
the Rocky Mountains and into the southern Plains.
Several weather systems produced unsettling weather activity
throughout the nation on Wednesday. In the West, a dissipating front
produced pockets of light rain and high elevation snow from portions
of central California through the Pacific Northwest during the morning
and afternoon hours. In the Midwest, a quasi-stationary low pressure
system produced unsettling weather activity from the Northern Plains
through the Great Lakes. Wrap-around moisture from this system
combined with cold air to produce a mix of rain, snow, and ice. A
swath of increasing rainfall and thunderstorms developed from eastern
Mississippi to South Carolina. Some thunderstorms in eastern
Mississippi and Alabama ran the risk of turning strong to severe with
hail and locally damaging winds. The risk of heavy rainfall and flash
flooding throughout these states increased through the afternoon as
showers and thunderstorms became more widespread.

14th-20th…Widespread clouds covered the northeastern quadrant of the
nation on Monday as a strong nor'easter centered to the south of Long
Island continued to produce wet and windy weather across New England
and portions of the nearby Mid-Atlantic coast. Periods of heavy
rainfall, damaging winds continued to pound the saturated region
through the afternoon and created local flooding issues, blowing snow,
and possible power outages.

21st-27th…The Northeast saw another rainy day with flooding on
Tuesday. A low pressure system spinning over the Mid-Atlantic states
continued to pull ample moisture onshore, which triggered periods of
heavy rain over the Northeast. Widespread scattered showers extended
over most of New England and down the Ohio River Valley. Taunton,
Massachusetts saw a midday total of 1.71 inches of rain, while 1.14
inches was reported in Berlin, New Hampshire. Albany, New York saw
0.85 inches of rain, while most of the Ohio Valley saw less than a
quarter of an inch. Highs ranged from the mid-40s to lower 50s over
the region.
An intense low pressure system moved into the Lower Mississippi Valley
on Thursday and brought intense thunderstorms to the region. One of
the more organized lines of storms pushed through the Florida
Panhandle and brought heavy rain and gusty winds. Thunderstorms also
developed in the Mississippi Valley along a cold front associated with
the low pressure system. These storms were expected to gain strength
throughout the afternoon, and eventually produce supercell
thunderstorms containing large hail, strong winds and possible
tornadoes. More steady rain was found to the north and east of the
storm, as a stationary front extended into the Northeast.

28th-31st…Widespread clouds covered the Eastern Seaboard on Monday as
a trough of low pressure continued to support stormy weather along the
East Coast through the afternoon. A moisture packing storm over the
Northeast fueled swaths of mixed precipitation throughout New England.
The heaviest amounts of precipitation soaked areas along the New
England coastline and created increased flood risks through the
afternoon. To the south, waves of low pressure located off the Mid-
Atlantic Coast continued to spark scattered rain showers and
thunderstorms across the Mid-Atlantic during the early morning. Most
of the precipitation and thunderstorms over this region moved offshore
into the nearby Atlantic waters by the afternoon. Finally to the
south, heavy rainfall and strong thunderstorms associated with a cold
front over the Florida Peninsula brought severe weather activity to
southern Florida. A tornado touched down in Oakland Park, just north
of Fort Lauderdale between 8:00 and 8:30 am. While, the twister left
behind debris and property damage, no immediate injuries were
reported. In the West, a large low pressure system in the Gulf of
Alaska swung a frontal boundary toward the Pacific Northwest Coast on
Monday. Moist onshore flow and energy from this system created heavy
rain and high elevation snowfall across the Pacific Northwest.
Precipitation reached southward across areas of northern California
and spread eastward across the Northern Intermountain West and the
Northern Rockies. Meanwhile, high pressure over the Four Corners kept
the Central Great Basin, the Southwest, and southern California under
dry weather conditions.
Rain associated with the complex low pressure system off the East
Coast finally weakened Tuesday. Rain that lasted in the Mid-Atlantic
over the last few days finally came to an end Tuesday morning.
However, steady rain continued to pound through the Northeast as the
low pressure system moved up to the coast and transported massive
amount of Atlantic moisture across the region. 3 to 5 inches of rain
fell in Connecticut, and the Bristol and Norfolk County in
Massachusetts received 4 to 7 inches of rain Tuesday. This steady rain
set a few daily maximum rainfall records. For example, as of 2p.m.,
Providence of Rhode Island received 4.39 inches, which exceeded the
previous record 2.57 inches. The total rainfall on both Monday and
Tuesday reached nearly 8 inches in Providence. Apart from the steady
rain, strong winds 30 to 40 mph with up to 50 mph gusts also occurred
in parts of the Northeast Tuesday afternoon.