NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

APRIL 2010

4th-10th…Wet weather continued to fall across the West on Monday as a
strong cold front trekked through the western third of the nation.
Moisture from the Pacific and energy associated with this front
continued to spark rain showers, periodic heavy rainfall, snow, and a
few rumbles of thunder from the Pacific Northwest through southern
California. Rain showers changed into snow as the front lifted across
the colder terrain of the inland mountains of California and the
Northern Intermountain West. Additional precipitation spread across
the Great Basin and was accompanied by gusty winds. This wintry
weather combo created hazardous travel conditions with slick roads and
lowered visibilities. Winter Storm Warnings and Advisories remained in
effect for most of the Intermountain West, while the Central Great
Basin and the Southwest remained under Wind Advisories and High Wind
Watches. To the east, another patch of active weather developed across
the nation's mid-section as a warm front stretched across the Central
Plains into the Mid-Mississippi Valley. Moisture from the Gulf of
Mexico spread northward and interacted with this front to produce
scattered rain showers and thunderstorms across areas of the Midwest.
The strongest concentration of stormy weather occurred from
northeastern Kansas to southern Iowa and across the central region of
western Illinois. Areas of northeastern Kansas, southeastern Nebraska,
northwestern Missouri, and southern Iowa experienced severe
thunderstorm activity through the afternoon with damaging winds and
quarter to golf ball sized hail (1.00 to 1.75 inches).

11th-17th…The West Coast saw wet weather on Monday, as another Pacific
storm pushed ample moisture onshore. A strong low pressure system
created a cold front which kicked up periods of heavy rain over
northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Meanwhile in the
Plains, the system in the West created a warm front that stretched
over the Dakotas and into the Upper Midwest. This triggered scattered
showers and thunderstorms, some of which turned severe. Quarter size
hail was reported in Frederick, South Dakota, but hail in Artas, South
Dakota started as pea size and increased t golf ball size. Strong
winds were also associated with this system.
Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico interacted with energy along this
front to produce areas of scattered rain showers just east of the
boundary, primarily across Minnesota on Wednesday. The most unsettling
weather activity developed across western Texas with scattered
rainfall and isolated thunderstorms. Persistent rainfall and periods
of heavy rainfall across southwestern Texas created increased risks of
local flooding.
The main weather producer in the country on Friday was a long cold
front that initially stretched from the Central Plains through the
Upper Midwest before gradually moving east and southeastward. The tail
end of the front provided heavy rain to northern Texas and Oklahoma.
The precipitation along the northern edge of the front was more
scattered in nature as deep moisture produced thunderstorms in the
Ohio Valley and into New England. Some of these thunderstorms were
possibly severe in nature as there were some reports of wind damage in
eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.

18th-23rd…The quiet severe weather season was abruptly interrupted on
Friday as a strong storm moved out of the Rockies and brought the
threat of severe weather to parts of the country. The same cold front
that provided severe weather, including thunderstorms and tornadoes,
to the western plains on Thursday raced through the Plains toward the
Mississippi Valley on Friday. It pulled a tremendous amount of
moisture into the Lower Mississippi Valley and instigated heavy rain
and thunderstorms in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi in the
afternoon. These thunderstorms were capable of becoming severe, thus
Tornado Watches were posted for this area. Farther to the north, the
warm front associated with the storm produced widespread rain in the
Upper Mississippi Valley and into the Northern Plains, while a mixture
of rain and snow continued to fall in the Central Rockies.
Thunderstorms in Nebraska also instigated Tornado Watches. The threat
for tornadoes will persist into the evening, with the biggest threat
in the Lower Mississippi Valley. Residents should monitor local
weather conditions and be prepared for severe weather.
Tornadoes ripped through the Southeast on Saturday, killing two people
in Mississippi and injuring more than a dozen others. Gov. Haley
Barbour told The Associated Press there was "utter obliteration" in
parts of Yazoo County, an area where he is from. About 15 other
counties were also damaged, he said. The swath of debris forced
rescuers to pick up some of the injured on all-terrain vehicles after
a 3/4-mile wide tornado touched down in at least three counties in the
west-central part of the state. Yazoo City Mayor McArthur Straughter
said the county coroner confirmed the two deaths. Tornadoes were also
reported in Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama, and the severe weather
continued to track eastward.
In Yazoo City about 40 miles north of Jackson, stunned residents stood
on a hill overlooking the destruction. A National Guard helicopter sat
nearby, waiting to Barbour on an aerial tour. Three broken crosses
stood near a flattened church, and religious materials were scattered
among twisted steel, broken wood and furniture. Near the church, a
funeral home was reduced to rubble. In a nearby patch of woods, pieces
of tin were twisted high up in the broken trees. Straughter, the
mayor, estimated about 15 to 20 buildings had been heavily damaged.
Downed power lines and trees blocked roads, Straughter said as sirens
whined in the background. At least four people had been brought by
four-wheeler to a triage center at an old discount store parking lot.
Three counties were conducting a massive response, Mississippi
Emergency Management Agency spokesman Greg Flynn said. Jim Pollard, a
spokesman for American Medical Response ambulance service, said two
patients from Yazoo County were airlifted to the University of
Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. More than a dozen people were
treated for cuts, bruises and broken bones in Yazoo City, said Laura
Henderson, who works at the hospital there. The severe weather
darkened skies and dumped rain on the region, much of which was under
a tornado watch or warning at some point during the day. The weather
hampered crews trying to clean up an oil spill after an offshore rig
exploded earlier this week off the coast of Louisiana. Several
sporting events and festivals also were rescheduled. In Mississippi,
the tornado struck Valley Park, Yazoo City and Durant, said Mark
McAllister, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in
Jackson.
In northeast Louisiana, several people had minor injuries. The storms
also damaged a tank at a chemical plant in Tallulah, causing a small
nitrogen leak.
A rare late-season snowstorm dumped up to 2 feet of heavy, wet snow on
northern New York and northern New England on Wednesday, giving school
children an unexpected day off and forcing others to seek refuge from
homes darkened by downed power lines. The National Weather Service
reported more than 20 inches of snow fell on the western slopes of
Vermont's Green Mountains northeast of Burlington. In the mountain
town of Jericho, some residents visited the local library to stay warm
and browse the Internet. "It's been constant pretty much since we
opened our doors. Parents are definitely looking for some place warm
to bring to bring their kids," said Holly Hall, director of the
Deborah Rawson Memorial Library. And it's not just parents. "Every
available outlet we have is in use right now. There are more laptop
users than usual."
Large storms so late in the season are rare. On April 23, 1993, 22
inches of snow was reported in Malone, N.Y., and on April 27, 1874, 24
inches of snow was reported in Bellows Falls, Vt., said Mark Breen,
the senior meteorologist at the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium in
St. Johnsbury.
"You really do have to stretch to find events like this," Breen said.
At the peak of the storm Wednesday morning, about 30,000 customers
were without power across Vermont, New Hampshire and northern New
York. It could be Thursday before power is fully restored. "It
definitely caught people off guard, considering we had 80 degrees back
in March. It's a problem because some people swapped their (snow)
tires out already," said Vermont highway dispatcher Greg Fox. By
midday, the storm was drifting off the coast and the snow was turning
to rain. Temperatures are expected to hit 50 on Thursday and reach the
70s by the weekend, heralding a quick return to spring weather. Many
trees across the region have already started to bud, but temperatures
didn't fall much below freezing.
"The green part isn't a problem. Snow is basically protecting leaves
from temperatures getting colder," Breen said. Instead, the danger to
the trees comes because the leaves gives the snow more surface area to
cling to, making them more susceptible to breaking under the weight of
the snow. Snowfall records were set Tuesday and Wednesday at the
Burlington International Airport, the National Weather Service said.
Tuesday's 2.8 inches at the airport eclipsed the record of 1.3 inches
set on the date in 1946, and by 7 a.m. Wednesday 2.7 inches had
fallen, beating the record of seven-tenths of an inch set on the date
in 1966, said meteorologist Brooke Taber. In Maine, some areas in the
western mountains received snow accumulation - Bethel received 5
inches - but rain later washed most of it away. "It's a momentary
inconvenience and it's pretty much gone, so we can get back our
thoughts of early spring," said Wendy Hanscom, high school secretary
in Bethel. But others reveled in one more shot at winter fun. Dr.
Richard Erenstone, an ophthalmologist in Lake Placid, N.Y., was
thrilled to get another day - or two - on skis. He had just returned
from a 40 minute loop with his dog on a golf course that got about 10
inches of fresh snow. "The toughest thing was finding the access road
because it had not been plowed," he said. "This was a nice bonus day
and gives me a total of 134 days on skis this season. With the temps
dropping below freezing tonight, I'll be out there again first thing
tomorrow before it begins to melt."

Another strong cold front moved through the Plains toward the
Mississippi Valley Friday, renewing severe weather in the area. A
tremendous amount of moisture streamed ahead of the front, producing
widespread heavy rain and intense thunderstorms. Some of these
thunderstorms had the possibility of becoming severe as large hail and
damaging winds were produced from eastern Kansas through southern
Minnesota. Tornado Watches were posted for a large swath of the
country from northeast Texas through southern Wisconsin in
anticipation of tornadic development. The front and associated
thunderstorms also produced strong winds in the Middle Mississippi
Valley, while the downpour of rains instigated flooding concerns in
the same area. The threat of severe weather was expected to continue
into the evening as the storm moves eastward.