Maryland - Public Information

National Weather Service

SXUS99 KBWI 062156 RERBWI VAZ042-052>054-MDZ009>011-013>014-070000- RECORD REPORT - BALTIMORE MD NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON 455 PM EDT SUN DEC 06 1998 ...DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD SET AND MONTHLY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD TIED AT BALTIMORE MD... A TEMPERATURE OF 77 DEGREES SET A NEW RECORD HIGH AT BWI AIRPORT FOR TODAY. THIS BROKE THE OLD RECORD OF 71 SET IN 1912. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 77 DEGREES TODAY ALSO TIED THE RECORD FOR THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED IN BALTIMORE DURING THE MONTH OF DECEMBER. THAT RECORD WAS ORIGINALLY SET ON DEC 29TH OF 1984 WITH THE SAME TEMPERATURE OF 77 DEGREES. THE OFFICIAL TEMPERATURE RECORDS FOR BALTIMORE MD ARE TAKEN AT BWI AIRPORT. TD NNNN SXUS99 KIAD 062137 RERIAD VAZ041>042-052>054-MDZ009-013-105-070000- RECORD REPORT - WASHINGTON DULLES AIRPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON 438 PM EST SUN DEC 06 1998 ...DAILY AND MONTHLY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS SET AT DULLES AIRPORT... A TEMPERATURE OF 79 DEGREES HAS SET A NEW RECORD HIGH AT DULLES AIRPORT FOR TODAY. IT BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 70 SET IN 1982. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 79 DEGREES TODAY ALSO BROKE THE RECORD FOR THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED AT DULLES AIPORT DURING THE MONTH OF DECEMBER. THE MONTHLY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD WAS 78 DEGREES SET BACK ON DEC 29TH OF 1984. TD NNNN SXUS99 KWBC 062127 RERWBC VAZ042-052>054-MDZ009>011-013>014-060000- RECORD REPORT - WASHINGTON DC NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON 425 PM EDT SUN DEC 6 1998 ...NEW DAILY AND MONTHLY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS SET AT WASHINGTON DC... AT 3:29 PM THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 78 DEGREES AT REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT. THIS BROKE THE OLD RECORD OF 73 SET ON THIS DATE IN 1912. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 78 DEGREES TODAY ALSO BROKE THE RECORD FOR THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED IN WASHINGTON DC DURING THE MONTH OF DECEMBER. THAT MONTHLY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD WAS SET JUST TWO DAYS AGO ON DEC 4 1998 WITH A TEMPERATURE OF 76 DEGREES. TEMPERATURE RECORDS HAVE BEEN KEPT IN WASHINGTON DC SINCE 1871. TD NNNN ABUS34 KWBC 042058 PNSWBC PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STERLING VA 1100 AM EST FRI DEC 5 1998 ************************************************ WINTER PREPAREDNESS WEEK IN VIRGINIA NOVEMBER 29 TO DECEMBER 5, 1998 ************************************************ ***** ICE STORMS ***** ICE STORMS CAN HIT ANYWHERE IN VIRGINIA. DAMAGING ICE STORMS OCCUR WHEN THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE REMAINS JUST BELOW FREEZING...USUALLY AROUND 30 F AND A STEADY RAIN CONTINUES FOR SEVERAL HOURS. THE FALLING RAIN IMMEDIATELY FREEZES ON THE COLD SURFACES CAUSING AN ICY GLAZE. AS THE GLAZE THICKENS, THE WEIGHT OF THE ICE BEGINS TO PULL DOWN WIRES AND TREES. BECAUSE OF THE WARM WATERS OF THE GULF STREAM JUST OFF THE VIRGINIA CAPES, IT IS QUITE TYPICAL FOR THE RAIN-SNOW LINE TO LIE ACROSS CENTRAL VIRGINIA OR THE TIDEWATER AREA. THIS REGION OFTEN SEES A MIXTURE OF SNOW AND ICE TURNING TO RAIN. IN ONE PARTICULARLY BAD STORM IN DECEMBER 1989, THE NORFOLK AREA ACCUMULATED ENOUGH ICE TO DAMAGE TREES, CAUSE POWER OUTAGES, AND DAMAGE SOME COMMUNICATION TOWERS. PERHAPS THE WORST ICE STORM ON RECORD IN THE COMMONWEALTH OCCURRED ON FEBRUARY 10, 1994. A NARROW BAND OF DEVASTATING ICE, ABOUT 50 MILES WIDE, STRETCHED FROM MARTINSVILLE AND DANVILLE NORTHEAST ACROSS CAMPBELL, BUCKINGHAM, LOUISA, TO THE FREDERICKSBURG AREA. IT WAS BAD ENOUGH TO RECEIVE A PRESIDENTIAL DISASTER DECLARATION. THERE WERE AREAS THAT LOST BETWEEN 10 AND 20 PERCENT OF THEIR TREES AND COUNTIES THAT WERE 90 PERCENT WITHOUT POWER. IN PATRICK AND HENRY COUNTIES, THE ICE WAS 3 TO 4 INCHES THICK! MANY AREAS WERE WITHOUT POWER AND HEAT FOR OVER A WEEK AND THAT WAS WITH THE ADDITION OF NUMEROUS ELECTRIC POWER CREWS HELPING FROM OUT OF STATE. WESTERN VIRGINIA OFTEN SEES ICE STORMS. IT IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR COLD AIR TO BECOME TRAPPED IN THE VALLEYS AND ALONG THE PIEDMONT SETTING UP THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ICE STORM. STORMS WILL MOVE UP THE APPALACHIANS OR THE COAST. THE WARM AIR FROM THE SOUTH RISES UP AND OVER THE COLD AIR TRAPPED BELOW. RAIN FALLS INTO THE COLD VALLEYS AND FOOTHILLS. IF THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW FREEZING, A GLAZE OF ICE IS FORMED. SOMETIMES THE VALLEY TEMPERATURE IS JUST ABOVE FREEZING AND IT IS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS THAT GET THE ICE. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED IN EARLY FEBRUARY 1998. UP TO 5 INCHES OF ICE ACCUMULATED ON THE MOUNTAINS NEAR ROANOKE DROPPING TREES AND CAUSING MAJOR POWER OUTAGES AND DAMAGE TO SOME BROADCAST TOWERS. FURTHER NORTH ALONG SKYLINE DRIVE, THE TREE DAMAGE WAS SO BAD THAT SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK WAS CLOSED FOR MORE THAN TWO MONTHS. ********************************** ..... PREPARING FOR ICE ..... LIKE OTHER WINTER STORMS, BEING PREPARED FOR ICE MEANS BEING PREPARED TO LOSS POWER AND HEAT FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AND POSSIBLY BEING STUCK AT HOME. STOCK UP ON NON-PERISHABLE FOODS, EXTRA BATTERIES AND MEDICINE. HAVE A BATTERY POWERED RADIO FOR NEWS AND INFORMATION ON THE STORM. HAVE A SAFE, ALTERNATE, EMERGENCY HEAT SOURCE, A WORKING FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND A SMOKE DETECTOR. WEAR LAYERS OF CLOTHES TO KEEP YOU WARM. IF VENTURING OUTDOORS, SAND, SMALL GRAVEL OR KITTY LITTER CAN HELP ADD TRACTION TO THE ICE FOR WALKING AREAS AND DRIVING AREAS. SALTING WILL HELP MELT THE ICE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME IF THE TEMPERATURE IS NOT TOO COLD. THE SALT CAN ALSO HELP PRODUCE A ROUGH SURFACE TO THE ICE SO IT IS NOT AS SLICK. BE SURE TO HAVE SOME DE-ICER ON HAND FOR YOUR CAR AND A GOOD ICE SCRAPER. CLEAR ALL ICE AND SNOW FROM YOUR CAR WINDOWS BEFORE BEGINNING YOUR DRIVE. ********************************** ... WINTER TRIVIA FACT ... IN JANUARY OF 1857, ARCTIC AIR GRIPPED VIRGINIA. ALL OF THE RIVERS FROZE SOLID AS DID THE CHESAPEAKE BAY A MILE AND A HALF FROM ITS COAST. PEOPLE COULD WALK ACROSS THE ICE FROM ANNAPOLIS TO KENT ISLAND, MD. AT CAPE HENRY, VIRGINIA, ONE COULD WALK 100 YARDS OUT FROM THE LIGHTHOUSE ON THE FROZEN OCEAN. BARBARA MCNAUGHT WATSON WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST STERLING FORECAST OFFICE NNNNThis data is from the IWIN (Interactive Weather Information Network)