Extreme Temperature Diary-February 21, 2018/ February Flood and Warm Wave of 2018 Day Two

guyonclimate_mi5tor

Wednesday February 21st… Dear Diary. The main purpose of this ongoing post will be to track United States extreme or record temperatures related to climate change. Any reports I see of ETs will be listed below the main topic of the day. I’ll refer to extreme temperatures as ETs (not extraterrestrials)😊. Here is today’s climate change related topic:  

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February Flood and Warm Wave of 2018 Day Two

Today climate change signals in association with the current weather pattern across the United States remain strong, so I’m going to continue to report ramifications of the thing, As expected from yesterday flooding will be the most serious issue. This is what I am seeing so far from The Weather Channel’s Greg Diamond:

Some serious rain reports already coming out of central

8.1″ reported in Sweet Home

Still at least another 3-5″ to fall through the weekend

8:00 AM – 21 Feb 2018

Well this is interesting…

A train derailed near Grand Rapids, MI after a “locomotive conductor saw the rail ahead seemed compromised due to heavy rain and soft ground.”

No injuries reported thankfully

8:10 AM – 21 Feb 2018
Yes Greg, typically Michigan is part of the “frozen tundra” of the United States this time of the year. Both rails and roads will be stressed from wild fluctuations in temperatures from the Midwest into the Northeast the next couple of weeks.

Today we can narrow down the area with the greatest treat for mire flooding, which would be where our front is stalling…from central Texas eastward into the lower and middle Mississippi Valley south of St. Louis:

As mentioned yesterday precepitable water totals will be at record levels for this time of the year at some locations near the front. Precipitable water is another meteorological atmospheric measure indicating how much moisture an air mass is holding.  In a warming world air masses at higher temperatures hold more moisture, which this system has in spades:

Last evening’s upper-air soundings at Alpena, MI and Detroit were Feb. records for “precipitable water” (atmospheric moisture). Alpena, Detroit, Buffalo, Gray, ME all over 4 times the average for the date. (Water vapor sat. image from last evening via CIRA/RAMMB)
4:34 AM – 21 Feb 2018
Wow! You can really make out both the ridge in the Southeast and front on Jon’s presented satellite image. And oh that ridge!:
Marshall Shepherd Retweeted John Homenuk

This would be off the meter for the summer, so imagine why this is getting our attention in February….for the non meteorologist..Strong ridge = very warm

The ridge over the Eastern United States today is an absolute beast. 594dm heights are nothing to mess with even in warm season. Heights are extremely anomalous. Percentiles and pretty maps via .
8:31 AM – 21 Feb 2018
So, just how warm, relatively speaking is the air mass ahead of the front? Just check out these notes:

At the stroke of midnight, Erie PA instantly tied its daily record high of 70°F for Wednesday. A typical midsummer night in Erie dips into the mid-60s.
10:49 PM – 20 Feb 2018

My son (8) at school pick up.

Son : “Dad why is 80 degrees in winter?”
Me: “all the warm air from Florida and the tropics came over us.”
Son: “this isn’t normal is it?”
Me: “I hope not”

Now putting bathing suits on & heading to backyard for water ballon fight. I ❤️ winter.

12:23 PM – 21 Feb 2018

I’m out of adjectives. , VT broke previous record high temperature for today of 59° at 3am! It’s currently 61 degrees!!!
2:12 AM – 21 Feb 2018

Eric Holthaus Retweeted NWS DC/Baltimore

Earliest 80°F day in DC history now locked in. For perspective, that’s the “normal” high on May 31st.

Highs so far as of 2PM: DCA 81, BWI 79, IAD 77. As mentioned earlier, all are records.
11:06 AM – 21 Feb 2018

Andrew Freedman Retweeted MWObservatory

The record high on Mt Washington in NH ties the all time winter high temperature record, doesn’t set a new one (at least not yet). Still remarkable.

It’s t-shirt weather on the summit! Despite 100 mph winds, temperatures have climbed to 48F!  This ties our record for warmest reading in meteorological winter! …
11:41 AM – 21 Feb 2018
Quite an impressive area of potential daily and even monthly records highs today stretching from SE Louisiana to Maine! 🔥
11:21 AM – 21 Feb 2018
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Here is a very impressive list of ETs for 2/21/18:

We SHATTERED High Temperature Records across our Forecast Area today.

Athens reached 80 (previous record: 76 in 1981)
Atlanta reached 77 (previous record: 75 in 1976)
Columbus reached 83 (previous record: 81 in 1922)
Macon reached 83 (previous record: 81 in 1976)

1:58 PM – 21 Feb 2018

Here are some cold records from the flip side of this very amplified weather pattern, the now frigid West:

tied the record low temperature of -12 this morning!  Last time it was this cold on today’s date was 1993

4:04 PM – 21 Feb 2018

set a new record low temperature this morning of -9!  Previous record was -5 in 1969
4:03 PM – 21 Feb 2018
The Climate Guy
  

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