A touch of spring by Monday
It was a pretty frosty morning. Temperatures dropped to 24 here at Calvert & Centre streets, and into the teens out on the WeatherDeck in Cockeysville. The official low was 18 degrees at BWI. But there's spring in the forecast.
Once we get past some rain late today and tomorrow, the sun will return on Sunday. And when that high-pressure system slides off the coast, we will fall under a more southerly flow around the back side of its clockwise circulation. That will push temperatures to a seasonable 50 degrees on Sunday and near 60 on Monday, under sunny skies.
The average high for Baltimore at this time of year is 49 degrees.
That should bring a lot of us out of hibernation. My wife is already after me to rake the rest of the oak leaves out of the front flower beds, to give the bulb shoots some breathing room. Plenty of litter to pick up, too, after high winds in the last few days got into the trash at the curb. They should outlaw styrofoam peanuts.
So, are we done with snow for the season?
The weather statistics are not entirely reassuring.
Snowfall has topped 10 inches in March in six years since they started keeping track of snow in Baltimore in 1883. The historic, record storm for March, of course, was the infamous Palm Sunday Snowstorm, on Mar. 29-30, 1942. That one surprised the region with more than 20 inches of wet snow on bulbs and blossoms. Baltimore measured 22 inches. Anyone out there remember it?
Here's how the National Weather Service describes it:
"The storm began as rain but changed over to a wet heavy snow. The snow stuck to power lines, trees and shrubs damaging them under its weight. Many of the fruit trees had begun to blossom.
"Over 20 inches fell over northern Anne Arundel, Howard, Southern and western Baltimore County, Carroll County, eastern and northern Frederick County, and north-central Washington County. Maximum amounts reported were 31 inches at Clear Springs (just 12 days earlier the temperature had reached 79�F here), 32 inches at Westminister, 30 to 36 inches at State Sanatorium (Frederick County) and 36 inches at Edgemont (Washington County).
"Baltimore City received its greatest snow in 20 years with 22 inches measured. Hagerstown and Westminister reported 22 inches in 24 hours. Frederick had 17 inches in 24 hours. Washington, DC received a total of 11.5 inches of snow."
We also still run the risk of strong spring nor'easters - even without snow. Old-timers may recall the "Storm of the Century" on Mar. 6-7, 1962 that tore into the beach resorts on the Maryland and Delaware shores. And that was just a piece of the coastal devastation that occurred from the Carolinas to New England.
That storm struck during a new moon, and unusually high, storm-driven tides swept waves across the barrier islands to the bays. Water and waves, and floating debris demolished the boardwalks and many homes and hotels along the beach. Winds gusted to hurricane force. High water and waves flooded everything in 2 to 5 feet of salt water. And each high tide brought more damage. Cars were buried in shifting sands. Firefighters, the Coast Guard and National Guardsmen worked to rescue stranded residents.
Police and armed Guardsmen with fixed bayonets also stood watch over splintered homes and businesses to prevent looting.
Could this happen again? Does anyone out there remember this storm? Drop a comment here and share your recollections.
Comments
How about the other "Storm of the Century" snowstorm on March 15th, 1993?
Posted by: Mike | February 29, 2008 12:40 PM
Mike: You're right. There was a big storm in March 1993. Here's how the NWS describes that one:
"The Superstorm of March '93 was named for its large area of impact, all the way from Florida and Alabama north through New England. The entire State of Pennsylvania was buried under 1 to 2 feet of snow. Even Alabama saw as much as 13 inches.
"The storm was blamed for some 200 deaths (many, heart attacks from shoveling the heavy snow). It cost a couple billion dollars to repair damages and remove snow. In Florida, it produced a storm surge of 9 to 12 feet that killed 11 people (more deaths than surges from Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew) and it spawned 11 tornadoes.
"As the storm's center crossed the Mid-Atlantic region and the Chesapeake Bay, weather stations recorded their lowest pressure ever (Baltimore = 28.51 inches).
"This storm was not the storm of the century for Maryland, but it wasn't a wimp either. Unlike most nor'easters that move up the coast, this storm took a more inland track across Southeast Virginia and the central Chesapeake Bay. It brought rain and winds to the Maryland Eastern Shore with minor flooding to counties along the east side of the Bay.
"However, in western Maryland, it dumped between 1.5 to 2.5 feet of snow. Piney Dam in northeast Garrett County recorded another 31 inches of snow after recording a record 42 inches just 3 months earlier during the Dec.10-12 Great Nor'easter. Winds produced blizzard conditions with snow drifts up to 12 feet! Hagerstown received 20 inches of snow (its fourth greatest) and winds gusting up to 55 mph caused whiteout conditions and severe drifting.
"Interstates shut down. Road crews had to stop plowing for a period of time because it was too dangerous and the wind would just blow the snow back onto the road. Shelters opened for nearly 4000 stranded travelers and those that left without heat and electricity. The National Guard was called to help with emergency transports and critical snow removal.
"Oxon Hill recorded 8 inches of snow; 13 inches fell in the District and within the beltway; and 18 inches north and west of the city in Frederick County.
"Baltimore had 12 inches with greater amounts to the north and recorded a wind gust to 69 mph on the 13th.
"Eleven people died in Virginia, one in the District, and one in Maryland during and immediately following the storm. Snow removal and clean-up costs were estimated at $16 million in Virginia, $22 million in Maryland, and half million dollars in DC. "
Posted by: frank roylance | February 29, 2008 1:39 PM
I remember an even more recent March outbreak of snow, namely March 9 and March 13-14, 1999. The March 9 storm dumped 5 inches of snow on the Columbia, MD area but Fairfax, Va had 12. The 13 and 4th March storm of that year was a mess of snow and ice amounting to a few inches. The similarity between that winter and this one, was the fact that they were strong La Nina winters and in those types of winters, it seems that the greatest snowfalls occur in March. This one looks to be warm so far at least for early in the month, but as we all say, it isn't over until it's over. We have had little snow this winter. We will see in April if this holds true for March.
Robert Hartge
Columbia, MD
Posted by: robert hartge | March 3, 2008 10:28 AM