Coldest Winter Ever?

[bubba]

It looks like it is going to be a cold one and that means snow. Because we are Palmsters, we need to be aware of our record snowfalls so we can compare.I start this with US but request add-ons from all warm blooded Palmster regions world-wide. The book is for 24 hour records:

(1) Hawaii-0 in the cities

(2)Arizona-Yuma-1.5 inches

Tucson-6.8 inches

Phoenix-1.0 inches

Lake Havasu-3.0 inches

(3)California-Burbank-4.7 inches

Death Valley-1.1 inches

Los Angeles-3.0 inches

Palm Springs-2.0 inches

San Diego- Trace

(4)Florida-Daytona-Trace

Everglades City-0

Fort Myers-Trace

Gainesville-1.0 inches

Jacksonville-1.9 inches

Key West-0

Lakeland-1.0 inches

Melbourne-0

Miami-Trace

Orlando-Trace

Tallahassee-2.8 inches

Tampa-0.2 inches

West Palm-Trace

(5)Louisiana-New Orleans-8.2 inches

Baton Rouge-12.5 inches

(6)Nevada-Las Vegas-12.0 inches

(7)Texas-Austin-10.7 inches

Brownsville-6.0 inches

Corpus Christi-5.0 inches

Dallas-7.4 inches

Galveston-15.4 inches

Houston-20 inches

Laredo-4.5 inches

San Antonio-13.2 inches

Please add-on together with commentary!

[happ]

It looks like it is going to be a cold one and that means snow. Because we are Palmsters, we need to be aware of our record snowfalls so we can compare.I start this with US but request add-ons from all warm blooded Palmster regions world-wide. The book is for 24 hour records:

(1) Hawaii-0 in the cities

(2)Arizona-Yuma-1.5 inches

Tucson-6.8 inches

Phoenix-1.0 inches

Lake Havasu-3.0 inches

(3)California-Burbank-4.7 inches

Death Valley-1.1 inches

Los Angeles-3.0 inches

Palm Springs-2.0 inches

San Diego- Trace

(4)Florida-Daytona-Trace

Everglades City-0

Fort Myers-Trace

Gainesville-1.0 inches

Jacksonville-1.9 inches

Key West-0

Lakeland-1.0 inches

Melbourne-0

Miami-Trace

Orlando-Trace

Tallahassee-2.8 inches

Tampa-0.2 inches

West Palm-Trace

(5)Louisiana-New Orleans-8.2 inches

Baton Rouge-12.5 inches

(6)Nevada-Las Vegas-12.0 inches

(7)Texas-Austin-10.7 inches

Brownsville-6.0 inches

Corpus Christi-5.0 inches

Dallas-7.4 inches

Galveston-15.4 inches

Houston-20 inches

Laredo-4.5 inches

San Antonio-13.2 inches

Please add-on together with commentary!

Thanks for putting together this data. Do you think it will snow in any of these cities this winter except maybe Austin, Laredo and San Antonio?

[Tyrone]

Perth, Western Australia, O. Thank goodness.

Tytrone

[bubba]

Happ, I am going with Ray about November and predict 0 snow in any Palmy areas.

Tyrone, Any other interesting snow facts about Palmy spots in Australia?

[Paul The Palm Doctor!]

Looks like, Bubba, that we in So. Fla. are extremely unlikely to again, see the White Stuff! I guess that's one of the reasons we are here!

Nice & detailed research data, Bubba. I cannot remember a winter with more cold nights (and days) that had the potential to produce snow if humidity was high enough but as I remember, we did instead have star-filled nights with incredibly rapid advective chilling. The numbers in inland Broward Co. (about 55 miles southwest of your favoured locale) were really frightening: two nights of mid twenties F. andv three days of termperatures of only lower 50's F. But no snow (or frost) due to the Arctic nature of the air mass w/ dew points in the teens!

Pablo

[Daryl]

Happ, I am going with Ray about November and predict 0 snow in any Palmy areas.

Tyrone, Any other interesting snow facts about Palmy spots in Australia?

I have only ever seen snow three times in my life...

1. Moscow

2. Copenhagen

3. Snowy Mountains, OZ

If it ever snows here I would think that it is the end of the world!

Daryl

[SubTropicRay]

I was in second grade (January 1977) when snow came to visit me. NWS records show that the preceding November was very cold by Florida standards. Warm November usually spells a warm Florida winter. Anything can and has happened but this has been a common trend for a good percentage of years.

Tampa snow

More Tampa snow

Forget the snow and look at that hairdew

[elHoagie]

Bubba,

I think you transposed the Los Angeles numbers, our record is 0.3 inches not 3.0 inches!

http://www.laalmanac.com/weather/we17.htm

[BeerPlant]

It looks like it is going to be a cold one and that means snow. Because we are Palmsters, we need to be aware of our record snowfalls so we can compare.I start this with US but request add-ons from all warm blooded Palmster regions world-wide. The book is for 24 hour records:

(1) Hawaii-0 in the cities

(2)Arizona-Yuma-1.5 inches

Tucson-6.8 inches

Phoenix-1.0 inches

Lake Havasu-3.0 inches

(3)California-Burbank-4.7 inches

Death Valley-1.1 inches

Los Angeles-3.0 inches

Palm Springs-2.0 inches

San Diego- Trace

(4)Florida-Daytona-Trace

Everglades City-0

Fort Myers-Trace

Gainesville-1.0 inches

Jacksonville-1.9 inches

Key West-0

Lakeland-1.0 inches

Melbourne-0

Miami-Trace

Orlando-Trace

Tallahassee-2.8 inches

Tampa-0.2 inches

West Palm-Trace

(5)Louisiana-New Orleans-8.2 inches

Baton Rouge-12.5 inches

(6)Nevada-Las Vegas-12.0 inches

(7)Texas-Austin-10.7 inches

Brownsville-6.0 inches

Corpus Christi-5.0 inches

Dallas-7.4 inches

Galveston-15.4 inches

Houston-20 inches

Laredo-4.5 inches

San Antonio-13.2 inches

Please add-on together with commentary!

Hey Bubba,

I know it said 0 for Melbourne but I think it did actually snow - it was the year before I moved to FL (I lived in Indian Harbour Beach - 1 block from the beach and east of Melbourne) and I remember my neighbor telling me how it was snowing - very eerie! It was a shock to us as we moved down from up north and heard it never snowed in Brevard County.

Bill

[SubTropicRay]

If it ever snows here I would think that it is the end of the world!

Daryl

Well Daryl, it has snowed at 27 north latitude so I'd say it's fair game for you too. Anything can happen once.

[mnorell]

Jack--

I think that though L.A. Civic Center recorded only .3 inches of snow in the big '49 event, many other areas received significantly more. I found an article from the L.A. Daily News that mentioned this, saying that despite the low amount downtown, the SF Valley largely received at least 2-3 inches. I also found a great picture of Glendale High on that date with palm trees and what looks like tree ferns laden with snow. Do a Google image search on "Glendale High 1949 snow" and it will come right up.

Edited November 21, 2009 by mnorell

[amazondk]

Snow at least is something I will never have to worry about where I live. Even during the last glacial maximum this part of Amazonia remained in tropical lowland forest. Although the temperatures may have been as much as 5 C cooler. Which would put the low at around 17 C. I don´t think this would have made any major differences.

dk

[bubba]

Jack, My source is a book titled Extreme Weather by Cristopher Burt. It states that Los Angeles received 3.0 inches of snow during the 24 hour period of Jan. 19 and 20, 1949. It reflects the maximum snow depth for a date was logged in Los Angeles on Jan. 15,1932 and was 2.0 inches. Obviously, LA is a very large area.

[happ]

Jack--

I think that though L.A. Civic Center recorded only .3 inches of snow in the big '49 event, many other areas received significantly more. I found an article from the L.A. Daily News that mentioned this, saying that despite the low amount downtown, the SF Valley largely received at least 2-3 inches. I also found a great picture of Glendale High on that date with palm trees and what looks like tree ferns laden with snow. Do a Google image search on "Glendale High 1949 snow" and it will come right up.

Michael, is this the photo you are referring to?

I've found a few photos of that event. Here's a shot of Silver Lake

The 1949 snow storm was quite a remarkable occurrence throughout California. It may be difficult to replicate such an event today due to urban warmth. Here's the data that suggests a period of dynamics for over 10 yrs allowed snow to reach the basin.

Snowfall Occurrences 1921-2002 in DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (Civic Center)

Year Month & Amount of Snowfall

1922 January (trace), March (trace)

1935 December (trace)

1947 December (trace)

1949 January (slightly more than 0.3 inches)

1950 April (0.2 inches)

1951 February (trace), March (trace)

1952 January (trace), March (trace), December (trace)

1954 January (0.3 inches), February (trace)

1957 January (trace)

1962 January (trace)

http://www.laalmanac.com/weather/we17.htm

[happ]

Found another photo of the 1949 snow storm. This is in Echo Pk area:

[bubba]

Found this regarding the snowfall of Jan. 15, 1932 at the LA Civic Center to the Beaches of Santa Monica:

15 January 1932, Los Angeles, California: Up to two inches (5 cm) of snow blanket the Los Angeles basin of California. The Los Angeles Civic Center reports an inch (2.5 cm) of snow. Beaches of Santa Monica whitened.

[happ]

Here are a few of snow in Florida. I know palm growers despise the idea of snow in our gardens but the sight of snow is so beautiful. I am old enough to remember the 1962 snowfall in the Salinas Valley; everybody freaked out to the morning vision. It was the first time I'd ever see it snow; watching it come down out of the sky was magical

Here is Tampa in 1977

I don't know where\ when this photo was taken but it has to be the quintessential Florida snow photo!

[Walter John]

Here in Brisbane in November, I asked my workmate to help me out with a project and he said he couldn't right now because, he was snowed under....

[Paul The Palm Doctor!]

I love it, Happ! What a great lighthearted look at SNOW! It is magical and things are muffled down to pure quiet as the snow falls. It seems there is a bit of awe (or little child) in all of us as this magic dust falls from the grey sky! I am feeling more relaxed just seeing those old photos!

Thanks, Happ, for a trip back in time!

Pablito

[mnorell]

Happ--

Yes, that was the photo I was talking about. I also remember that in the (I think now gone?) Beachwood Cafe in Beachwood Canyon (Hollywood) there were great photos of Beachwood Canyon with lots of snow during either that '49 event or perhaps the '32 event.

There have been a number of brushes with snow in L.A. that I can remember even in the '80s and '90s, I remember an Easter Sunday in the '90s where I was in Pasadena and the snow was literally just above the residential level in the SB mtn foothills. I think it was around 40F...it felt really cold!!!

[spockvr6]

Warm November usually spells a warm Florida winter.

This just made me check my weather data from last November (2008)----

7.4F below normal!

This November is, so far, only 0.2F below normal.

The bummer is rain is at this point over 14" below normal.

[steve 9atx]

Bubbalouie

Check it out, it's ALREADY snowing in the Dallas area:

http://www.nbcdfw.com/enjoy-this/North-Tex...s-78310222.html

We're supposed to get snow on Friday. Unbelieveable.

Steve

[amazondk]

Great I may get snow in Houston. When I went to Montana the end of April it dumped about 2 feet of snow and was cold the whole week. I will be in Great Falls, Montana on Wednesday. Right now it is 23 F with a forecast low of 9 F tonight. Well at least it will be a change.

dk

[John Case]

Did I see snow in Big D today?

[epicure3]

I love it, Happ! What a great lighthearted look at SNOW! It is magical and things are muffled down to pure quiet as the snow falls. It seems there is a bit of awe (or little child) in all of us as this magic dust falls from the grey sky! I am feeling more relaxed just seeing those old photos!

Thanks, Happ, for a trip back in time!

Pablito

Kind of like Christmas. Probably why everybody in the north wants a white Christmas.

[epicure3]

Bubbalouie

Check it out, it's ALREADY snowing in the Dallas area:

http://www.nbcdfw.com/enjoy-this/North-Tex...s-78310222.html

We're supposed to get snow on Friday. Unbelieveable.

Steve

Houston low of 29F Friday with a chance of snow. Wow! Pretty early in the season.

[steve 9atx]

Holy Cow! It's snowing in Houston, Texas on December 4th! They have revised the overnight forecast

down to 25F at the big airport. If that happens, it will break the record from 1897 by FIVE DEGREES.

Steve