Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Powerful storm system sets record for lowest pressure reading over central North America..

The powerful storm system that has been affecting the eastern Prairies has set new records for all time lowest barometric pressure readings for this part of the world. Yesterday's storm bottomed out at 955.2 mb (28.21") at Bigfork Minnesota, in the northern part of the state, late yesterday afternoon. This is the lowest pressure reading of all time in Minnesota, eclipsing the previous record of 963 mb in Nov 1998. (see NWS Duluth storm summary on this event) It is also the second lowest barometric reading ever recorded in the contiguous US, second only to a 955.0 mb (28.20") reading in Canton NY (Jan 1913) and Nantucket MA (Mar 1932) (There is a report of a 952 mb (28.10") reading during a noreaster on Long Island in March 1914, but this is not in official NCDC records. For more info, see storm system in historical perspective

Barometer trace from my home 
weather station on Oct 26 2010
Lowest reading was 966 mb
at 4:44 pm
In Winnipeg, the barometer fell to 967 mb, the lowest pressure on record at Winnipeg airport since at least 1953 when hourly readings began getting archived (previous lowest pressure since then was 974 mb on Nov 20 1962).  Official pressure readings for Winnipeg are available before 1953, but are not digitally archived. A reading of 966 mb was recorded in Winnipeg on Oct 10 1949 during an intense fall storm over southern MB that was reported as the lowest pressure ever recorded in the city. That is still likely the lowest pressure reading on record for Winnipeg since 1872. 

The lowest pressure in the province yesterday was recorded in Sprague at 960 mb, closer to the low center as it tracked over Fort Frances, Ontario at 957 mb. The storm brought strong winds, rain, and snow over a large part of central North America, and at least two dozen tornadoes over the Ohio Valley. In southern Manitoba, the storm produced heavy rain through the Red River valley and Interlake regions (50-90 mm), as well as the season's first snowfall over western Manitoba, mainly over the higher elevations of Riding and Turtle Mountains where 15-30 cm of snow was reported. In addition, northerly winds gusting to 95 km/h generated large waves and high water levels on the Manitoba lakes producing severe local flooding in some near shore communities including Winnipegosis, Gimli and Winnipeg Beach. The strong winds also led to beach erosion and wind damage on the southeastern shore of Lake Winnipeg including at Victoria Beach and Grand Beach. Lakeside residents are calling the storm the worst they've seen in at least 40 years..

65 comments:

  1. That satellite picture is .....
    shall I say STUNNING!!

    Hopefully this is a preview of the winter to come.
    Storms and rumors of storm :>)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ok!
    Here's a good question!

    If all that rain that winnipeg has gotten fell as ALL snow how much snow could that have been????

    Also throw those winds on top of that!
    That would have been storm of the century!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your impressive satellite image bears a resemblance to the slanted " ?" of a winter storm a few years ago.

    This was an interesting storm to follow. The movement of Minimums and live Barometric Pressure northward from Hibbing yesterday gave another sense of how slow it was moving.

    Rob
    CWB Rosenort recorded a minimum 957kpa yesterday.
    Is this a Manitoba record?

    ReplyDelete
  4. 957 mb from an unofficial station would not be considered for a record. Besides, Rosenort was well away from the actual center of the low, so it was obviously not calibrated properly.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi

    I worked up a statement containing storm rainfall totals in our area. Click on my name. Most everyone had a 2 to 2.50 inches with some spots over 2.5 inches. Needless to say everything is soaked. Snow stayed on the western edge of the red river valley itself (give kudos to the gem) but isold reports of 8 to 12 inches from Turtle Mountains southward to near Rugby-Harvey to Carrington ND.

    Quiet for a while again and not too cold. Will have to wait til mid Nov probably before next pcpn chance of significance.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The trees around my apartment are getting whipped and thrashed around!

    It's like a wind tunnel at my place!

    Some roof damage to a building on Higgins Ave.!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What time should the winds start easing off this evening. I was supposed to barbeque.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Daryl: the winds should ease up early this evening. Just be wary of the odd gust or two.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for the info Dan. We also had reports of 6-12" of snow on our side of the Turtle Mountains, as well as in the Riding Mountain areas west of Dauphin. Generally 2-2.5" of rain in the RRV, with almost 4" in the Interlake area.

    All in all, we got off pretty lightly with this thing considering its intensity. Imagine what this storm could have been like if it was a couple of weeks later with some colder air to work with!

    ReplyDelete
  10. they eat thease things in Alaska
    for breakfast this is nothing new
    out west.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Rob!
    I would like to thank you for keeping us updated with this historic storm!

    One that will be talked about for many years to come across many parts of canada and U.S.A!

    ReplyDelete
  12. At 9pm tonight Lake Winnipeg at Gimli reached its Highest (wind assisted) level in at least 43 years.(EC Data I used only goes back to 1966)

    219.325 meters (719.57 feet) based on the Data since 1966. Previous record was 219.309 on July 28th (anyone know the year)

    Those dikes were built to only 722-724 feet at the south end 5 years ago and most have been eroded since. Wind gust today between 25 and 40 til 830pm N and NNW

    ReplyDelete
  13. Those wind gusts were 25 to 40 Knots

    ReplyDelete
  14. At almost the same time Victoria Beach n the East side was 219.481meters. (720.08 feet)

    At the other end of the Lake the reading was 217.2 (712.6 feet)at Mission Point

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wind warning 725pm for all of the south end and lee of lake Winnipeg. NORTHERLY WINDS OVER SOUTHERN MANITOBA ARE BEGINNING TO GRADUALLY
    DIMINISH, EXCEPT AT VICTORIA BEACH WHERE THEY CONTINUE TO BLOW AT 72
    GUSTING 85 KM/H.

    ReplyDelete
  16. An earlier post mentioned that this was approaching BP of a land based Hurricane. In other ways it may have been as well
    Yesterdays Windfinder graphic from Victoria Beach shows winds exeeding 50 Knots. According to the Beaufort Scale (BFT), Waves reached from 29 to 41 feet.

    Windfinder Victoria Beach current and Past graphics are available on my name or at

    http://www.windfinder.com/report/victoria_beach_lake_winnipeg#

    ReplyDelete
  17. According to Wiki those waves would be offshore.
    Yesterdays Windfinder chart is on my name and at

    http://www.windfinder.com/wind-cgi/stationsbildseite.pl?STATIONSNR=ca93&DATUM=2010-10-27

    ReplyDelete
  18. Check out the flooded parking lot on the Gimli webcam! (click on my name)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Snowcover over western MB, ND, and SK showing up really well on today's satellite pix.. Check out how the snow in western MB was really confined to the higher elevation areas around Turtle and Riding Mtns..

    ReplyDelete
  20. Rob, if I can remember correctly, that's not a parking lot, thats the who boardwalk and walk out past the docks into the lake. Yikes, just shows the water is higher.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Gimli Flooded Checkout todays Gimli webcam on RobsObs site. Is the hotel adjacent to the harbor flooded as well??

    The CBC story
    and todays pics from their site.



    Winnipeg Free Press Story

    ReplyDelete
  22. The wind wave charts for today (and Past dates) for Lake Manitoba .. Oak Point, Delta Beach, and Lake Winnipeg.. Gimli, Victoria Beach, and Lake Winnipeg Narrows (Hecla)
    are available on my name or

    http://www.windfinder.com/windreports/windkarte_alberta_manitoba_saskatchewan.htm

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi

    I was chatting with WFO BIS and they relayed to me that the Emergency Manager in Bottineau county reported 15 inches at Lake Metagoshie and 12 inches at the Intl Peace Gardens.

    On a side note....our local office climate person has released his ideas on the upcoming winter season DJF. The link is through our office intranet and thus not available to the public for a link. Put I attached below his summary...

    Outlook 2010 - 2011 Cold Season - Based on all the above, I am looking for a colder and snowier winter across the FGF CWFA. Confidence in this outlook is a little better than normal due to the phase on the major signals.. Temperatures will probably average out -1.5F to -2.5F. Should the winter season follow the more classic La Niña pattern, the weather will turn more consistetly colder in the Thanksgiving time frame, but the coldest weather will hold off til after the start of 2011; The greatest departure from normal "weather" typically occurs in the early Boreal spring, just when everyone is sick and tired of winter.

    Based on the composites, snowfall will be heaviest across the northern half of the CWFA (60 - 70 inches), with normal snowfall (40 - 50 inches) in the south. The temperature impacts of the La Niña are statistically the greatest in the February time period. On balance the risk of combined extreme cold and heavy precipitation is greatest in the DJF period.

    Outlook 2011 Spring (March - May) - The impacts of La Niña typically linger well into the spring, with the March time period most influenced. There is a enhanced risk of major storminess due to the baroclinic zone enhancement. So, the spring of 2011 features an enhanced storm potential and delayed golf season.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Snow's even on the visible satellite too! Just thought I'd point that out.

    ReplyDelete
  25. That glistening sunshine and moderate winds are a treat after the last 4 days. I can take another dry sunny 3 weeks even if it is colder

    ReplyDelete
  26. Dan GWF Thanks for the update and the composite rainfall stats.

    I made a list of the remaining few events still needed to give our new floodway an acid test circa 1826 225,000cfs or 1997 162000cfs

    Your prognosis makes them all probable or at least as probable as the prognposis.

    I've checked
    Excess late fall rain/soil moisture
    Freezeup at High River/Lake elevations
    Severe cold late winter and spring
    Moderate to heavy Snow
    Late, Rapid Spring melt
    Timely precip at or just before breakup/Crest.

    Anything missing?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Jim

    You got them all I think. Certainly the weather at time of melt and time of that melt are the two biggest factors in terms of flooding.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Dan GFK Appears that your GURU (M.E.?)
    is the first one to post odds on an exciting spring.

    I'd take out that flood insurance now.

    Re Todays flood forecasts
    Any comments that the rapid river(s) rise and predicted crest for this event exceed the Late August/Sept trio of events with apparently less rain this time. And this one comes after 3.5 weeks of no rain??

    ReplyDelete
  29. Jim

    My memory is likely worse than yours. But working up the precip totals for this last event I think overall basin precipitation might have been a bit higher in this one event than the 3 ones back in late Aug into Sept. Seems like most everyone got 2 to 2.5 inches with just a few exceptions. I do know despite the period of no rain...it took a while to get the water out of the ground as my sump pump ( I live in a ranch house with full basement) just stopped running 5 days prior to this rain.

    Certainly most folks would agree that there will be an elevated major flood threat next Spring.

    For those who know about the Devils Lake situation or have been there, there is a great video someone put on youtube showing huge wave action along Highways 20 and 57 just south of town on the way to Sprit Lake casino on Oct 26th when winds were gusting to 50 mph. Waves were up to 8 ft and 3 snow plows had to travel the road keeping tree logs, etc off the road. Finally it was closed the night of the 26th and all day the 27th for cleanup. There are plans to raise this highway once again.

    video link on my name...

    ReplyDelete
  30. Dan GFK
    Agree that rain was universal and steady. I'm used to seeing at least some of that kind of rain soak in, particularly after a long dry stretch, rather than run to the rivers. IMO it appears to underline how efficient the drainage system is now.

    Great Walleye Chop video from a what was almost a dried up Lake 20 (70) years ago now nearing a combined 400m2.

    Potential might be a better word for next spring.

    ReplyDelete
  31. When the Winds of November come Early

    How prophetic, the last line of the last weather bomb song
    Anyone who is a lyric writer out there might try a Lake Winnipeg version of this

    ReplyDelete
  32. I expect an update today on the crest levels for the Red River

    At Winnipeg 9am we just blew thru the 4 foot predicted rise (for next week) (10.2)

    This was the level reached in late Oct/Nov of 2008

    ReplyDelete
  33. Looks like a nice warm, dry pattern setting up over the prairies for the next week and a half.
    This should make that La Nina winter feel a little bit shorter.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Well that was pretty good snow. Looks like 5cm on the picnic table but whatever fell on the sidewalk nearly melted it all. Certainly wasn't expecting that to last as long as it did.

    ReplyDelete
  35. About 1 cm on grassy surface here in Winnipeg!!!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Yep.. first snow of the season for Winnipeg and the southern Interlake last night. Snow was a little heavier over the north end of Winnipeg with about 2-4 cm reported.. about 1 cm or less over the south. I picked up 1 cm here in Charleswood.. Daryl.. I assume you're in the north end?

    ReplyDelete
  37. Yes Rob I am just North of the Perimeter at #8. I spoke with a few people north of me and the amounts seem to just keep increasing as you go north. I was in the city this morning and as you go south it is less and less.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Nothing on the way in last night from Wpg Beach 4-5pm..

    Only a trace just north of Summerland Camera on Pembina at Bishop Grandin around 7pm.

    ReplyDelete
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