One of the snowiest winters in D/FW history has finally ended, with official totals reaching 17.1 inches. Some areas even received 25 inches of snowfall this year!
A table of the top 10 snowiest winters, provided by the National Weather Service. This season ranked number 2, just half an inch behind breaking the record.
D/FW Snowiest Seasons
1 17.6 1977-78
2 17.1 2009-10*
3 15.3 1963-64
4 13.5 1923-24
5 10.4 1976-77
6 9.5 1909-10
7 9.2 1916-17
8 8.8 1947-48
9 8.1 1937-38
10 7.3 1965-66
7.3 1941-42
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The cause is undoubtedly related to El Nino, which has an indirect effect on allowing more Gulf moisture to make its way into the southern plains. This also causes the southern branch of the jet stream to bring pacific storm systems over the southern plains with greater frequency.
The National Weather Service wrote up a great summary of the numerous snowfall events this season, and can be found here
-- Weather in Frisco, TX when posted --
Temp: 51.8 °F, Humidity: 50%
Wind: 340° at 5km/hr
Sky: Clear
This unseasonably late snowfall further increased the 2009-2010 snowfall totals for our area, bringing us within 1/2 an inch of the all-time snowiest winter on record! Additionally the last time this much snow fell this late in the season was March 29 1937! Preliminary snowfall totals listed graphically below.
As you can see, the heaviest snow was concentrated within Collin County including a report in Frisco of 6 inches, and 8 inches reported in Allen. DFW Airport officially documented 1.3 inches of snowfall total from this event. The statement from the NWS included below.
The snow will not remain very long, as temperatures will quickly recover to the 60s on Monday and 70s by Tuesday. The next storm system will begin to affect the region on Wednesday evening, with thunderstorms likely. A shot of cooler air will follow as this system passes, but nowhere near this level of winter weather we just received.
...Spring snow for dfw...
Dfw Airport recorded 1.2 inches of snow on March 20th. This breaks
the previous daily record for March 20th of 0.4 inches set in 1970.
An additional 0.1 of an inch officially fell on March 21st and the
event total is 1.3 inches.
The additional 1.3 inches brings the 2009-2010 winter total to 17.1
inches. This ranks second of all time and came 0.5 inches shy of
tying the all-time record of 17.6 inches set in 1977-1978.
This snow event was unseasonably late in the year. The last time an
inch or more fell at dfw later than March 20th was when 2 inches
fell on March 29th in 1937.
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Dallas/Fort Worth - snowiest seasons
1 17.6 1977-78
2 17.1 2009-10*
3 15.3 1963-64
4 13.5 1923-24
5 10.4 1976-77
6 9.5 1909-10
7 9.2 1916-17
8 8.8 1947-48
9 8.1 1937-38
10 7.3 1965-66
7.3 1941-42
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-- Weather in Frisco, TX when posted --
Temp: 41 °F, Humidity: 41%
Wind: 300° at 20km/hr
Sky: overcast
The latest from the National Weather Service, snowfall today now shatters the previous record at DFW Airport. A whopping 7.9 inches 11.2 inches of snow has fallen today 2/11/10, surpassing the previous single calendar day record of 7.8 inches set on 1/15/1964 and 1/14/1917. The real kicker, snowfall is set to continue for a few more hours! This makes February 11th the snowiest calendar day, and snowiest 24 hour period in the history of DFW Airport. This winter season is now the 4th 3rd snowiest winter on record at 11.1 14.4 inches total. Details below…
...Snow event one for the record books...
At 7 PM...dfw Airport had recorded 7.9 inches of snow today. This
breaks the previous daily record for February 11 of 1.4 inches set
in 1988. This also breaks the previous 24-hour record for
February...7.5 inches on February 17, 1978 and February 25, 1924.
This is the greatest calendar-day snowfall total on record for
Dallas/Fort Worth. The previous record was 7.8 inches on January 15,
1964 and January 14, 1917.
This brings the seasonal snowfall total to 11.1 inches...which is
the 4th highest seasonal total on record for Dallas/Fort Worth. This
is the snowiest winter in 32 seasons (since 1977-1978).
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Dallas/Fort Worth - snowiest seasons
1 17.6 1977-78
2 15.3 1963-64
3 13.5 1923-24
4 11.1 2009-10*
5 10.4 1976-77
6 9.5 1909-10
7 9.2 1916-17
8 8.8 1947-48
9 8.1 1937-38
10 7.3 1965-66
7.3 1941-42
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Dallas/Fort Worth - most snow in February
1 13.5 1978
2 7.9 2010*
3 7.5 1924
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Dallas/Fort Worth - greatest 24-hour snowfall totals
1 12.1 January 15-16, 1964
2 8.2 January 14-15, 1917
3 7.9 February 11, 2010*
4 7.5 February 17, 1978
7.5 February 25, 1924
6 6.0 March 13, 1924
7 5.5 December 9, 1898
8 5.0 November 22, 1937
5.0 January 5, 1910
10 4.7 November 13, 1976
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The National Weather Service has officially adjusted the severe weather criteria for reporting hail… Previously, hail of 0.75 inches or larger was considered severe and would prompt a severe thunderstorm warning. Now to assist with reducing the amount of severe thunderstorm warnings and more accurately advise of severe weather, severe hail size is now increased to 1.0 inches. The change takes effect on January 5, 2010 for all regions in the USA.
To: subscribers: NWS partners…users and employees
Subject: National change in minimum hail size criterion
for issuing Severe Thunderstorm Warning /svr/
and severe weather statement /svs/ products
effective January 5 2010
Effective Tuesday January 5 2010 at 0001 coordinated Universal time
/UTC/…all NWS weather forecast offices /wfos/ will operationally
change the minimum hail size criterion used to issue Severe
Thunderstorm Warning /svr/ and severe weather statement /svs/
products from 3/4 inch /penny/ diameter or larger hail to 1 inch
/quarter/ diameter or larger hail.
No change is being made to the svr and svs product wind criterion
of wind gusts equal to or in excess of 50 knots /58 mph/.
A public information statement /pns/ soliciting comments regarding
this change was issued September 23 2009 /use lowercase/:
http://www.Weather.Gov/os/notification/pns09_1_inch_hail.Txt
NWS received 63 comments in response to the pns…54 of which /86
percent/ supported this change. A web Page will be created to
address all comments since some comments indicated a need for
additional outreach. This web Page will be available by December 15
2009 and will be publicized via another pns.
NWS reviewed all comments before deciding to change minimum hail
size criterion for svr and svs products.
Central and western region wfos currently issue svr and svs
products experimentally using the 1 inch /quarter/ diameter or
larger hail size criterion /use lower case/:
http://www.NWS.NOAA.Gov/om/notification/scn09-19hail_change.Txt
and
http://www.NWS.NOAA.Gov/om/notification/scn09-36wr_hail_exp.Txt
These wfos will continue to issue 1 inch /quarter/ hail size
criterion products experimentally through January 4 2010. All NWS
wfos will adopt the new criterion operationally on January 5 2010.
For further information regarding this change please contact:
John T ferree
fire and public weather services branch
120 David l. Boren Blvd suite 2312
Norman OK 73072
John.T.Ferree@noaa.Gov
Or
mark Fox
warning and coordination meteorologist
National Weather Service Fort Worth Texas
3401 northern cross Blvd
Fort Worth Texas 76137
mark.Fox@noaa.Gov
National service change notices are online at /use lowercase/: http://weather.Gov/os/notif.Htm
A Freeze Warning has been issued overnight from 4am to 9am Wednesday. Lows are forecast to drop to 29-30 degrees across the western and northwestern parts of the region. A Freeze Warning is issued when the first freeze of the season is expected to occur, which can kill off more vulnerable plant life. The Freeze Warning is issued for several counties around the area including Denton, but not Collin, Tarrant, or Dallas counties. Temperatures in Frisco will reach around 35 degrees, whereas in Dallas and Fort Worth, temps will stay in the upper 30s to low 40s.
…Freeze warning in effect from 4 am to 9 am CST Wednesday…
The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a freeze
warning…which is in effect from 4 am to 9 am CST Wednesday.
Temperatures tonight and early Wednesday morning will drop to near
freezing…mainly along and to the west of a line from
Gainesville…to Denton…to Azle…to Meridian. The coldest
temperatures will occur in valleys and other sheltered locations.
While some locations such as hilltops will not reach
freezing…a widespread frost is expected across the area. Frost
can be just as damaging as a freeze to tender vegetation.
Precautionary/preparedness actions…
A freeze warning means that the seasons first episode of sub-
freezing temperatures are likely to occur. These conditions will
kill sensitive plants and residents are advised to protect any
tender vegetation.
-- Weather in Frisco, TX when posted --
Temp: 57.2 °F, Humidity: 41%
Wind: n/a at n/a
Sky: n/a
Right on time, a Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for the DFW Metroplex until 1:00am CDT. Scattered showers are developing around the area including several within a few miles of Frisco. Isolated supercells are still possible this evening, primary threats remain as wind and hail.
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 775
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
715 PM CDT SUN OCT 25 2009
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA
NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING FROM 715 PM UNTIL
100 AM CDT.
HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER…THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70
MPH…AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 85
STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
STEPHENVILLE TEXAS TO 40 MILES NORTHEAST OF ARDMORE OKLAHOMA.
FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU5).
REMEMBER…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY
DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.
DISCUSSION…SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE INCREASING ALONG AND AHEAD
OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT OVER SOUTHERN OK AND NORTH CENTRAL TX.
RATHER COOL TEMPERATURES ALOFT AND INCREASING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE
WILL PROMOTE STRONG UPDRAFTS…WHILE SUFFICIENT EFFECTIVE SHEAR IS
PRESENT FOR A FEW SUPERCELLS. PRESENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE MAIN
THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL…AND ISOLATED DAMAGING WINDS.
AVIATION…A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT
TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60
KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450. MEAN STORM
MOTION VECTOR 24030.
Looks like all the overcast skies we have had around are more excessive than normal for October… the National Weather Service released a statement mentioning this October is currently on track to be the cloudiest October ever. Some highlights from the statement include:
- 86% of the month has been under cloudy skies.
- Only 1820 minutes of sunshine have been recorded this month as of Oct 13.
- We will need to average 7 hours of sunlight per day the rest of the month to not break the record.
- 11 days with measurable rain so far this month.
- 4.08 inches of rainfall at DFW this month.
- This months average temperature is 64 degrees, 6.6 below normal.
- So far this is the 3rd coolest October on record.
Now an update on this evenings weather… we are still on track for maybe some isolated thunderstorms, with a small chance of severe storms. We likely wont see any thunderstorms tonight, but there is a chance they may form… so plan accordingly. The severe weather threat is quite small, but still a possibility. Timing on this places it from close to midnight, through daybreak.
…Gloomy October may be one for the record books…
Through October 13…dfw Airport has recorded a dreary 86 percent
cloud cover (sunrise to sunset) or 14 percent possible sunshine.
Although the month is not yet half over…this is on pace to be
among the cloudiest octobers on record.
Dallas/Fort Worth – cloudiest octobers (1944-present)
cloud cover sunshine precip rain
(sunrise-sunset) minutes total days
1 2002 73 percent 9621 6.44 16
2 1981 71 percent 9587 14.81* 14
3 1984 70 percent 9302* 6.50 20*
* extreme values for October
The average cloud cover the remainder of the month would need to be
64 percent to exceed the amount from 2002.
There have been only 1820 sunshine minutes through October 13. There
will need to be an average of around 7 hours of sunshine every day
for the remainder of the month to prevent 2009 from breaking the
record for fewest sunshine minutes in October.
Other statistics…
The normal cloud cover for October is 45 percent. The normal percent
of possible sunshine 63 percent.
There have been 11 rain days and 4.08 inches of rain so far this
month.
The average temperature for the month so far is 64…which is 6.6
degrees below normal. The average high temperature has been 71.7
and if the month ended today this would rank the 3rd coolest on
record.
-- Weather in Frisco, TX when posted --
Temp: 75.2 °F, Humidity: 95%
Wind: n/a at n/a
Sky: n/a
Heavy rains and Severe Thunderstorms are probable during the afternoon and evening hours of Thursday. The entire region is still under a Flash Flood Watch with around 2.5 inches of rain forecast the next 36 hours. Additionally the SPC in Oklahoma has our area under a ‘Slight’ severe storm risk with the main risk being severe winds. The local weather service noted in their forecast discussions that this is an event to take seriously. Flooding potential with this storm is quite high.
COPIOUS MOISTURE FOR THE SYSTEM TO
WORK WITH. IN MY MEMORY…I HAVE NOT SEEN PWAT/S THIS
HIGH…ESPECIALLY IN FALL…WITHOUT SEEING THE OCCURRENCE OF
FLASH FLOODING. FEEL THAT THIS IS AN EVENT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
At this time we are in a 30% severe wind, 15% severe hail, and 2% tornado risk. The most likely time for these storms appears to be just before or around midnight. Thunderstorms are possible during the afternoon hours today as well, but the bulk of the severe activity is set around midnight… this is subject to change however.
Again flash flooding is a very likely possibility over the next 36 hours… flooding may be as bad or worse than any event we have seen since moving out to Texas a year ago.
-- Weather in Frisco, TX when posted --
Temp: 75.2 °F, Humidity: 94%
Wind: n/a at n/a
Sky: n/a
Looks like some strong storms have developed over Tarrant county and are pushing to the northeast twards Frisco. These storms are preceded by a strong outflow boundary that may produce some very strong winds. Below is a significant weather advisory and radar snap of the storm. These storms are not severe warned at this time.
…Significant weather advisory for…
western Dallas County
southern Denton County
Tarrant County
At 827 PM CDT…National Weather Service meteorologists detected
strong outflow winds. At that time…the leading edge of the outflow
extended from Haslet…to Hurst…to Mansfield…moving northeast at
30 mph.
Very heavy rain and wind gusts to 50 mph are likely with these
storms.
-- Weather in Frisco, TX when posted --
Temp: 87.8 °F, Humidity: 52%
Wind: n/a at n/a
Sky: n/a
Hey everyone, if you happen to have a weather radio set to channel 1 around the immediate DFW Metroplex on Thursday, then your radio will be temporarily offline. The weather service is swapping to a newer transmitter today and expects to be offline for about two hours. This impacts listeners on channel 1, or 162.400 MHz. If you get coverage, then you can either switch to channel 7 located in Fort Worth (162.550 MHz) or check other sources for weather info.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
320 PM CDT WED JUL 8 2009
…NOAA ALL-HAZARDS WEATHER RADIO TRANSMITTER IN DALLAS WILL BE OFF
THE AIR THURSDAY MORNING…
THE NOAA ALL-HAZARDS WEATHER TRANSMITTER…KEC-56…IN DALLAS WILL
BE OFF THE AIR BEGINNING AT 10 A.M. THURSDAY JULY 9TH FOR
APPROXIMATELY TWO HOURS. TECHNICIANS WILL BE SWITCHING THE BROADCAST
OVER TO A NEW TRANSMITTER AND TOWER IN THE VICINITY.
WE WILL WORK TO MINIMIZE DOWNTIME AND RESTORE THE BROADCAST TO FULL
SERVICE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
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