World Weather: Georgia Wildfire

There hasn't been any interesting weather going on around here lately, so I'm going to start posting a wild weather event from around the world when our own weather becomes... well, boring.

Over the past two weeks, wildfires have burned about 125 square miles of forest parched by drought in southeast Georgia and destroyed 22 homes. The fire started April 16 when a downed power line ignited tinder-dry trees in Ware County, Georgia. The smoke from the fire has enveloped Jacksonville, Florida and Orlando, Florida which is over 200 miles away.

The entire southeastern part of the US is in an extreme drought. From the start of the year up until late April, Waycross county would have normally received just over 15 inches of rain. Instead, it has received less than 2 inches of rain!

This is a picture of the fires in Georgia. You can see from this image that the smoke is traveling to the southeast for several hundred miles.

Summer in April?

The high today hit 86! That is more like July weather than April. The humidity though was very low which actually made it quite beautiful outside. The sky was crystal clear and the visibility was tremendous. In other words, it was a perfect day. Tomorrow is forecast to be just a bit cooler and there is a chance of storms tomorrow evening.

Warm Start to the Week

It looks as though we are going to have a very summer like couple of days ahead. Monday and Tuesday highs are forecast to be in the mid 80's. I don't like the sound of that.

Today was a very nice day. Clear blue skies and plenty of sunshine. It was warm, but the humidity was very low and pleasant. I wish every day in the summer were like today.

Self-Destruct Sunshine

The day began with crystal clear blue skies. As the day progressed though, the clouds began to build, the wind picked up, and rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance. The thundershower didn't last very long, but it was quite intense. I wasn't expecting such a heavy rain and gusty wind. The maximum gust out of the passing storm was 28mph. We also picked up 0.11" of rain from the storm. Once the storm passed, skies cleared and the sun returned.

A State Divided

Today's temperatures have been all over the place. For most of the day, we've been on the boundary between warm muggy air to the south and cool dry air to the north. The boundary has been bouncing up and down across the area for most of the day. Early this morning the winds were out of the South. By noon, the winds were coming out of the southwest and by 7pm the winds were out of the east.
Today's high hit 73 at 4:50pm and is currently at 58 (8:22pm).

Here are a few temperatures from across the state at 8pm. Notice the difference between Muncie and Bloomington!!

INZ028>059-064-065-260100-CENTRAL INDIANA
CITY SKY/WX TMP DP RH WIND PRES REMARKS
LAFAYETTE CLOUDY 50 47 89 E16 29.86F
6HR MIN TEMP: 50; 6HR MAX TEMP: 51;

ANDERSON CLOUDY 48 46 93 E12G17 29.91R
MUNCIE RAIN 48 46 93 E14 29.91R FOG
6HR MIN TEMP: 48; 6HR MAX TEMP: 50; 6HR PCP: 0.02;

INDIANAPOLIS CLOUDY 57 54 88 NE13 29.83F FOG
6HR MIN TEMP: 57; 6HR MAX TEMP: 71; 6HR PCP: 0.01;-

EAGLE CREEK CLOUDY 54 50 86 E12 29.86S FOG
6HR MIN TEMP: 54; 6HR MAX TEMP: 66; 6HR PCP: TRACE;

TERRE HAUTE CLOUDY 67 62 84 CALM 29.80S
6HR MIN TEMP: 67; 6HR MAX TEMP: 74;

SHELBYVILLE CLOUDY 59 55 87 NE12 29.84R FOG
6HR MIN TEMP: 59; 6HR MAX TEMP: 72; 6HR PCP: TRACE;

$$INZ060>063-066>092-260100-SOUTHERN INDIANA

CITY SKY/WX TMP DP RH WIND PRES REMARKS
BLOOMINGTON CLOUDY 70 61 73 E3 29.81S
6HR MIN TEMP: 70; 6HR MAX TEMP: 73; 6HR PCP: TRACE;

HUNTINGBURG CLOUDY 73 64 73 S7 29.80F
6HR MIN TEMP: 72; 6HR MAX TEMP: 75;

EVANSVILLE MOCLDY 73 60 63 S8 29.80S
6HR MIN TEMP: 71; 6HR MAX TEMP: 78;

We've Done this Before

The weather we've had over the last few days is a lot like the weather we had a couple of weeks ago before the big chill. I don't think the same thing will be happening this time though. I'll go out on a limb here and say that we are finished with the cold weather. There may be a few nights in the upper 30's, but I don't believe we'll have anymore freezing weather.
The next couple of days is forecast to be wet. Strong storms and tornadoes have been plaguing the nation's mid section. Those type of storms won't happen here though. We may have a few storms with heavy rain and frequent lightning, but that should be it.

Cool and Cloudy then Sunny and Warm

The last couple of days have been a bit dreary. Thursday morning, thundershowers rolled through the area dumping .37" of rain. The rain was from an area of low pressure to our south. The showers were actually traveling from east to west. Something we don't often see. We saw only a few peeks of sunshine through the days.

Today however, the weather has made a turn for the better. The sun is shinging and the temperatures are responding quickly. Already, we are nearing 65 degrees. Hopefully, we'll hit 70 before the day is over. The weekend is shaping up to be a picture perfect weekend too.

Sunny Day

A perfect spring day today. The winds have been light today from the Northwest with plenty of sunshine and an afternoon high of 69.

Sunshine and Strong Winds

Today was a beautiful day with plenty of sunshine, but cooler than normal temperatures. The afternoon high only hit 56. The sunshine helped make it seem a bit warmer until the winds really began to pick up in the afternoon. The highest wind gust was 35mph from the Northwest at 3:38pm. There were several gusts over 30mph though.

Four Tornadoes, Hail, and Damaging Winds Strike Central Indiana on April 11

From the NWS in Indianapolis...
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ind/?n=apr1107

A strong spring storm system brought tornadoes, hail, and damaging winds to central Indiana on April 11. National Weather Service Assessment teams determined that 4 tornadoes struck central Indiana during the afternoon. A map of the tornado paths is below. Details about each tornado follows below the pictures of the event.

Tornado track map. Click for full size version.

The initial tornado touchdown was reported by a storm spotter at 4:20 P.M. EDT in Harmony, about 22 miles east of Terre Haute . Minor tree damage resulted from this storm. This tornado was rated EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita intensity scale with winds estimated around 70 mph. The term ‘EF’ stands for “Enhanced Fujita,” a more accurate method of rating tornado intensity recently introduced by the National Weather Service.

The same mini supercell storm produced a second tornado at 5:35 P.M. EDT near North Salem or about 12 miles west of Brownsburg. This tornado, first reported by the Hendricks County Sheriff Department, touched down over open fields causing no damage and was rated an EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita Intensity scale with winds estimated near 70 mph.

A new mini supercell, which prompted a tornado warning but caused no damage in Putnam County , produced the third tornado of the evening in Hendricks County . This tornado, also reported by the Sheriff Department, began at 6:37 P.M. EDT about two miles southwest of Lizton, or about 8 miles northwest of Brownsburg. This tornado passed southeast of Lizton and lifted about one mile west of Pittsboro around 6:50 P.M. EDT. Several garages and barns were destroyed, several homes suffered lighter damage. This tornado was rated an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale with winds estimated around 90 mph.

Below is a picture of the tornado near Lizton.

Below are pictures of damage from the tornado that moved near Lizton.

The original mini supercell that produced the first two tornadoes recycled one last time to produce its third tornado, the fourth tornado overall for the evening, in northeast Hamilton County . This tornado touched down at 7:25 P.M. EDT, as reported by trained spotters, about 3 miles east of Arcadia . The tornado continued a path to the northeast, lifting around 7:30 P.M. EDT as it damaged a barn just across the Hamilton county line in extreme southeast Tipton County . An EF2 rating was assigned to this tornado given the significant destruction of a barn, and the tornado moving a dual wheel pickup truck/trailer rig nearly fifteen feet. Winds were estimated near 120 mph. Several other outbuildings suffered major damage while several homes exhibited moderate to minor damage.

Below are pictures of damage from the Hamilton and Tipton counties tornado

April 11 Storms Bring Tornadoes, Hail, Damaging Winds

FROM THE NWS IN INDIANAPOLIS...

A strong spring storm system brought tornadoes, hail, and damaging winds to central Indiana on April 11. National Weather Service teams will be out Thursday morning to assess the damage and determine specifics on the tornadoes. The results will be posted on this site when the surveys are complete.

A picture of a tornado near Arcadia is below. Below the picture is a preliminary list of reports from the storms:

Photo courtesy of David Gorman

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
932 PM EDT WED APR 11 2007
..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0356 PM     HAIL             5 WSW BRAZIL            39.50N 87.21W
04/11/2007  E0.25 INCH       CLAY               IN   LAW ENFORCEMENT
0441 PM     HAIL             VINCENNES               38.68N 87.51W
04/11/2007  E0.25 INCH       KNOX               IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
0452 PM     HAIL             BICKNELL                38.78N 87.31W
04/11/2007  E0.25 INCH       KNOX               IN   EMERGENCY MNGR
0514 PM     HAIL             3 SW TERRE HAUTE        39.44N 87.42W
04/11/2007  E0.25 INCH       VIGO               IN   EMERGENCY MNGR
HEAVY PEA SIZE HAIL ON I-70 AT MILE MARKER 5
0517 PM     HAIL             2 SW TERRE HAUTE        39.45N 87.41W
04/11/2007  E0.50 INCH       VIGO               IN   AMATEUR RADIO
0519 PM     HAIL             DANA                    39.81N 87.49W
04/11/2007  E0.88 INCH       VERMILLION         IN   PUBLIC
0525 PM     HAIL             STATE LINE CITY         40.20N 87.53W
04/11/2007  E1.00 INCH       WARREN             IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
0527 PM     HAIL             2 E TERRE HAUTE         39.47N 87.35W
04/11/2007  E1.00 INCH       VIGO               IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
0529 PM     TORNADO          7 S NORTH SALEM         39.76N 86.64W
04/11/2007                   HENDRICKS          IN   LAW ENFORCEMENT
1/2 MI NORTH OF US 36 AND SR75
0531 PM     HAIL             ODON                    38.84N 86.99W
04/11/2007  E0.75 INCH       DAVIESS            IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
0537 PM     TORNADO          2 SE NORTH SALEM        39.84N 86.62W
04/11/2007                   HENDRICKS          IN   LAW ENFORCEMENT
500 N AND SR236 MOVING NE
0543 PM     TSTM WND GST     BROWNSBURG              39.84N 86.39W
04/11/2007  M58.00 MPH       HENDRICKS          IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
0543 PM     HAIL             WILLIAMSPORT            40.29N 87.29W
04/11/2007  E0.75 INCH       WARREN             IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
0551 PM     TSTM WND GST     7 S SPENCER             39.19N 86.77W
04/11/2007  E50.00 MPH       OWEN               IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
0553 PM     TSTM WND GST     BROWNSBURG              39.84N 86.39W
04/11/2007  E58.00 MPH       HENDRICKS          IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
0556 PM     HAIL             LEBANON                 40.05N 86.47W
04/11/2007  E0.75 INCH       BOONE              IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
0556 PM     HAIL             LEBANON                 40.05N 86.47W
04/11/2007  E0.75 INCH       BOONE              IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
0557 PM     HAIL             BLOOMINGTON             39.17N 86.52W
04/11/2007  E0.50 INCH       MONROE             IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
EST 45-50MPH GUST
0557 PM     HAIL             BLOOMINGTON             39.17N 86.52W
04/11/2007  E0.50 INCH       MONROE             IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
EST. WIND GUST 45-50MPH
0602 PM     HAIL             OOLITIC                 38.89N 86.53W
04/11/2007  E0.75 INCH       LAWRENCE           IN   AMATEUR RADIO
0602 PM     HAIL             JAMESTOWN               39.93N 86.63W
04/11/2007  E0.75 INCH       HENDRICKS          IN   LAW ENFORCEMENT
0605 PM     TSTM WND DMG     5 SW LAFAYETTE          40.36N 86.94W
04/11/2007                   TIPPECANOE         IN   COUNTY OFFICIAL
TREES DOWN
0608 PM     HAIL             GREENCASTLE             39.64N 86.84W
04/11/2007  E0.75 INCH       PUTNAM             IN   LAW ENFORCEMENT
0621 PM     HAIL             2 N NASHVILLE           39.23N 86.24W
04/11/2007  E1.00 INCH       BROWN              IN   AMATEUR RADIO
0624 PM     HAIL             1 NW CLOVERDALE         39.53N 86.81W
04/11/2007  E0.75 INCH       PUTNAM             IN   LAW ENFORCEMENT
0625 PM     TSTM WND GST     2 E LAFAYETTE           40.41N 86.83W
04/11/2007  M0.00 MPH        TIPPECANOE         IN   AMATEUR RADIO
55 MPH AT I-65 AND SR26
0627 PM     HAIL             NEW ROSS                39.96N 86.71W
04/11/2007  E0.75 INCH       MONTGOMERY         IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
0632 PM     TSTM WND GST     LAWRENCE                39.87N 85.99W
04/11/2007  E60.00 MPH       MARION             IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
1/4 INCH HAIL
0632 PM     TSTM WND GST     LAWRENCE                39.87N 85.99W
04/11/2007  E60.00 MPH       MARION             IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
0634 PM     TSTM WND GST     MOORESVILLE             39.62N 86.37W
04/11/2007  E50.00 MPH       MORGAN             IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
1/4 INCH HAIL
0637 PM     TORNADO          4 E NORTH SALEM         39.86N 86.57W
04/11/2007                   HENDRICKS          IN   LAW ENFORCEMENT
625N AND 200W
0645 PM     HAIL             MOUNT AUBURN            39.81N 85.19W
04/11/2007  E0.75 INCH       WAYNE              IN   LAW ENFORCEMENT
0645 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 ESE LIZTON            39.88N 86.53W
04/11/2007                   HENDRICKS          IN   AMATEUR RADIO
TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN 3/4 MI EAST ON US136
0645 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 E LIZTON              39.89N 86.52W
04/11/2007                   HENDRICKS          IN   NWS EMPLOYEE
ROOF DAMAGE...FARM BUILDING DAMAGE...TREES DOWN
0651 PM     TSTM WND DMG     PITTSBORO               39.87N 86.46W
04/11/2007                   HENDRICKS          IN   PUBLIC
SR39 AND I-74...BILLBOARDS DOWN...METAL DEBRIS
0655 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 E LIZTON              39.89N 86.50W
04/11/2007                   HENDRICKS          IN   AMATEUR RADIO
METAL DEBRIS REPORTED IN ROADWAY
0704 PM     TSTM WND GST     6 NNE INDIANAPOLIS      39.86N 86.10W
04/11/2007  E50.00 MPH       MARION             IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
56TH ST. AND KEYSTONE AVE.
0707 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     8 SW TIPTON             40.20N 86.15W
04/11/2007                   HAMILTON           IN   PUBLIC
3/4 INCH HAIL
0707 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     8 SW TIPTON             40.20N 86.15W
04/11/2007                   HAMILTON           IN   AMATEUR RADIO
PENNY SIZE HAIL
0729 PM     TORNADO          3 E ARCADIA             40.17N 85.96W
04/11/2007                   HAMILTON           IN   AMATEUR RADIO
266TH ST AND SR 213
0742 PM     TSTM WND DMG     ANDERSON                40.09N 85.69W
04/11/2007                   MADISON            IN   EMERGENCY MNGR
LARGE TREE BLOWN DOWN.
0745 PM     TSTM WND GST     2 S ELWOOD              40.25N 85.84W
04/11/2007  E80.00 MPH       MADISON            IN   TRAINED SPOTTER
1 INCH HAIL
0746 PM     TSTM WND GST     ANDERSON                40.09N 85.69W
04/11/2007  E60.00 MPH       MADISON            IN   TRAINED SPOTTER

Severe Weather

We had a line of storms move across the state this evening after a cool and wet day. Heavy rain began falling early this morning across the area and continued off and on through out the day. There were three rounds of rain between 6am and 5pm with showers in between. After 5pm, the clouds began to break up and the sun appeared. Temperatures for the first half of the day remained in the mid 40's, but shot up to the mid 50's once the sun appeared. The high for the day was 58 at 7pm. With the sunshine, a line of storms developed across western Indiana and moved to the northeast. Tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings were being issued west and northwest of Indianapolis while a severe thunderstorm watch was issued for the eastern two-thirds of the state. At 7:30, the line of storms reached our area with severe thunderstorm warnings being issued for Rush county, but none for Franklin. As the storm approached, the western sky turned very dark and flashes of lightning could be seen to the southwest. There was a slight increase in wind, but nothing like the wind that ushered in the arctic air of last week. There also wasn't an excessive amount of lightning with these storms. Heavy rain was the biggest threat. Only 0.19" fell with the passage of the storms, but that did occur in only twenty minutes. The rain total for the day has been 0.87".

The pictures in this post are from the storms as they approached areas to the north and west of Indianapolis.

The picture at left is a bolt of lightning that hit North Decatur High School, north of Greensburg.

The picture at left is a wall cloud approaching the Lebanon, Indiana area.

ISS Visible

Today was cooler than normal, but mild compared to this past weekend. We reached an afternoon high of 44 after a morning low of 27. The winds were much more relaxed than over the weekend too.
Yet another freeze warning is in effect for the area tonight. This should be the last night with sub-freezing temperatures until next fall. I think that was said once before though and look what happened.
The International Space Station was visible tonight. It will be visible for the next several nights. You can find out when by clicking here.
A former Microsoft executive, Charles Simonyi, paid $20million to the Russian government in order to travel to the space station. You can read a CNN article here. You can read Charles Simonyi's blog here. The blog is quite interesting with live video conferences.

Record Low Maximum for April

I've kept weather records for the last ten years (since January 1997) and today was the coldest April 7th in my records. The last time we were in the 30's for a high in April was on April 17, 1997 when the high hit 39. A heat wave compared to today's high of only 30.

The lowest April temperature I have on record since 1997 was 24 degrees on April 6, 2002. The morning low on April 6, 2007 was 23.3 and on April 7, 2007 the morning low was 22.9.

In contrast, Christmas Eve 2006 saw a high of 46 and a low of 29! Happy Easter 2007!!


From the NWS in Indianapolis...

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
709 PM EDT SAT APR 7 2007

...NEW RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR APRIL 7 AT INDIANAPOLIS...

THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE AT INDIANAPOLIS TODAY WAS 32 DEGREES. THIS
IS A NEW RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR INDIANAPOLIS FOR THE
DAY...BESTING THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 36 DEGREES SET IN 1982.

THIS IS ALSO ONLY THE NINTH TIME THAT A MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 32
DEGREES OR LESS HAS BEEN RECORDED IN THE MONTH OF APRIL AT
INDIANAPOLIS. THE LAST TIME THIS OCCURRED WAS 1982. PRIOR TO
1982...THE PREVIOUS INSTANCE OF THIS WAS 1950.

TEMPERATURE RECORDS BEGAN AT INDIANAPOLIS IN 1871.

=======================

More from the NWS in Indianapolis...

Coldest April Weather in 25 Years - New Record Low Max for April 7th

Coldest April Weather in 25 Years

Temperatures Feel More Like January than April

New Record Low Maximum Temperature for April 7th

A broad and expansive trough of upper level low pressure centered over Southeastern Canada has resulted in a strong northerly flow, bringing cold air southward out of the polar regions. The result is some of the coldest April weather since the early 1980s across Central Indiana.

High temperatures this Saturday afternoon only reached the low to mid 30s across Central Indiana. Some locations in North Central Indiana did not climb out of the upper 20s. These temperatures would be close to the normal readings that could be expected during January in Indianapolis. For comparison’s sake, the normal high temperature this time of year in Fairbanks, Alaska is 38 degrees.

The last time that two days in a row during April saw high temperatures in the mid 30s in Indianapolis was 1982 when the 6th and 7th experienced high temperatures of 31 and 36 degrees.

A new record low maximum temperature of 32 degrees was set for April 7th. This breaks the old record of 36 degrees set in 1982. See the Record Event Report below for further details.

This bitterly cold weather will damage or kill outdoor plants. Please refer to the latest frost and freeze statements for more detailed information.

Low temperatures tonight are not expected to be cold enough to threaten the record low of 18 degrees. The current forecast indicates a low around 22 degrees in Indianapolis.

Plant Damage

Here are some pictures of the plants that I found damaged from the cold weather. I'm sure everything will survive this cold snap, but it certainly doesn't look good.
I'm not sure what the apples are going to do. I can't imagine that they will survive the cold weather. The Bradford Pear tree looks pretty bad. I guess the apple tree is a bit more hardy than the pear.





This is my new Redbud tree that I planted just last weekend. The tender leaves that had opened are history. At least there are several more buds that haven't opened yet. The Peony bush looks bad too. I didn't cover anything.

Proof of Cold

Here's proof of the cold weather that has gripped the eastern half of the US. The light blue areas on the map at left are freeze warnings for tonight. We've already experienced the cold for the last two nights. Last night was the coldest so far with a low of 23. I think we'll be lower tonight. Already, some damage has occurred to plants and trees that had already leafed out because of the last two weeks of warm weather. I'll take some photos tomorrow to post.

Coldest April

From the NWS in Indianapolis...

Coldest April Weather in At Least a Decade Expected

April’s Arctic Assault to Continue Through the Weekend

As a deep upper low pressure intensifies and remains nearly stationary over the northeastern United States, a winter-like pattern has taken hold over Central Indiana. The bitter chill, carried on the back of stiff northwest winds, has sent spring packing, and readings may flirt with records for the next several nights.

High Temperatures Saturday are expected only in the 30s, with overnight lows in the lower 20s. Some outlying areas could possibly fall into the upper teens late tonight and into early Saturday morning.

This bitterly cold weather will damage or kill outdoor plants. Please refer to the latest frost and freeze statements for more detailed information.

Historically speaking, temperatures this cold have not been experienced since April of 1997. The 7^th through 10^th of that year saw highs in the 30s and 40s, with lows as cold as 18 degrees on April 9, 1997.

Low temperatures the next several nights will be near record values.

Date	Record Low Temperature	Year of Record Low
April 7	19	1982
April 8	18	1972

In addition, the record coldest high temperature for April 7 in Indianapolis will be in jeopardy.

Date	Record Coldest High Temperature	Year of Record
April 7	36	1982

The All-Time Record Low Temperature for the Month of April in the Indianapolis area is 18 degrees, reached on three occasions:

April 9, 1997

April 8, 1972

April 13, 1950

Cold for April

Well, as the previous post mentions, we're coming out of a very warm March. Apparently Mother Nature has decided to even things out in April with some near record cold. Today was another very cold day with the afternoon high only reaching 35 and the morning low dipping to 28. On top of the cold, we've even had some snow flurries over the past two days. A big change from temperatures near 80! Warmer weather will return though by late next week.

Mild March

From the NWS in Indianapolis...

March 2007- Warmest in more than 30 years

The weather of March 2007 was characterized by a return to well above normal temperatures following the near record breaking cold of February. In addition to the warmth, rain fell in abundance, and the snows left on the ground from February melted quickly. By month’s end, it felt like spring was in full bloom across Central Indiana.

March 2007 was the 6th warmest March ever recorded in the Indianapolis area.

The following is a summary of the weather conditions experienced in Indianapolis during March, 2007.

TEMPERATURE

The month of March 2007 started out sharply milder than February had been, with highs reaching into the 50s on the 1st of the month. However, this initial warmth was quickly erased as highs plunged back into the 30s and 40s. A high of only 32 degrees was recorded on the 6th of the month, followed by an overnight low of 16. These values made the day below normal by 14 degrees. The cold weather was soon just a frigid memory, as temperatures shot up by mid-month, cresting at 80 degrees on the 13th. This was the second earliest date ever for an 80 degree high temperature in Indianapolis. The only time 80 degrees has been reached earlier in the year was March 8, 1974.

Following this very early 80 degree reading, temperatures did plunge back to below normal right around the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, but this too was short-lived as high s reached back into the 70s and 80s to close the month.

An amazing 9 days in March 2007 saw highs of 70 degrees or better, compared to the normal value of 3 days in March. The last time there were this many days during March with highs in the 70s was 1945. In addition, 3 days in March this year had highs of 80 or better, the first time that has happened since 1939.

The monthly average temperature was 49.0 degrees. This was above the normal March value of 41.7 degrees by 7.3 degrees. It was enough to make this the 6th warmest March ever recorded, and the warmest since March of 1973 which had an average temperature of 49.4 degrees.

Three temperature records were broken this month. March 13 set the record daily high temperature of 80 degrees, breaking the previous record of 78 set in 1990. The high of 81 on March 25 broke the daily high temperature record of 80 degrees set in 1939. And the low temperature on March 26 only fell to 61 degrees, which was the warmest low temperature ever recorded on that date, besting the previous record of 60 degrees set in 1907.

PRECIPITATION

March 2007 finished with 4.91 inches of rainfall, above the normal of 3.32 inches by 1.47 inches. This made March the 7th consecutive month with above normal rainfall. No daily records were broken during the month for precipitation. 2.10 inches of the monthly rainfall total fell during the overnight hours of March 14th and into the early morning of the 15th during a period of heavy showers and thunderstorms after the passage of a slow moving cold front.

SNOWFALL

March is typically the month which will bring the final significant snows of the winter season to Central Indiana. With the warmth this month, snow was rather hard to come by. The only measurable snow during March came on the 3rd of the month when 0.9 inches fell. A trace of snow came again on the 15th and 17th of the month. The monthly tally of 0.9 inches was below the normal March total of 3.1 inches. This was the least snowy March since 2002 when 0.2 inches fell.

APRIL OUTLOOK

The official outlook for April 2007 calls for an Equal Chance of Above, Below, or Near Normal values of Precipitation and Temperature.

---

Normal values refer to period 1971-2000.

Temperature and Precipitation Records Cover 1871-2007 in the Indianapolis Area.

Snowfall Records Cover the period 1884-2007 in the Indianapolis Area.

Major Cold Front

Most of the day today was sunny and mild with high of 79 at 2:30pm. 3:30 though, the clouds were beginning to thicken. The leading edge of the rain and our transition to cooler (okay colder) weather was on its way. At 4:45pm, I went out side and saw this shelf cloud rolling in. This was the leading edge of the storms called an outflow boundary. The rain and storms behind this shelf cloud were pushing the air down toward the ground and then gusting out in front of the storm. You could feel the cooler air blowing in.

When the shelf cloud was nearly overhead, the winds picked up with great intensity. You could lean in to the wind and not fall forward. We had our strongest wind gust at this time... 45mph. I also began to notice an area of rotating clouds in the sky. I didn't imagine it was anything serious other than rotating clouds, but I posted a question and some pictures to the Apuzzo Weather Forum. Rich Apuzzo replied with this... "That is a shelf cloud, located in the forward flank downdraft, and the rotation you saw was a localized swirl, but nothing tornadic. The rough edges of the clouds tell you that you'e not seeing inflow or an updraft. It looks ominous, but it's nothing."

The major line of storms has now passed and we are left with just some rain. From the look of radar, we'll be in the rain for quite some time.

Major Cold Front

Most of the day today was sunny and mild with high of 79 at 2:30pm. 3:30 though, the clouds were beginning to thicken. The leading edge of the rain and our transition to cooler (okay colder) weather was on its way. At 4:45pm, I went out side and saw this shelf cloud rolling in. This was the leading edge of the storms called an outflow boundary. The rain and storms behind this shelf cloud were pushing the air down toward the ground and then gusting out in front of the storm. You could feel the cooler air blowing in.

When the shelf cloud was nearly overhead, the winds picked up with great intensity. You could lean in to the wind and not fall forward. We had our strongest wind gust at this time... 45mph. I also began to notice an area of rotating clouds in the sky. I didn't imagine it was anything serious other than rotating clouds, but I posted a question and some pictures to the Apuzzo Weather Forum. Rich Apuzzo replied with this... "That is a shelf cloud, located in the forward flank downdraft, and the rotation you saw was a localized swirl, but nothing tornadic. The rough edges of the clouds tell you that you'e not seeing inflow or an updraft. It looks ominous, but it's nothing."

The major line of storms has now passed and we are left with just some rain. From the look of radar, we'll be in the rain for quite some time.

Another Sunny Day

We're one day closer to the return of winter. Today was another unseasonably mild day with plenty of clear blue skies and sunshine. The winds that were so strong yesterday were much calmer today. The strongest gust today was 25mph at noon.
The front that will be coming in tomorrow appears to have slowed down a bit and so it will be reaching our area around 8 or 9pm. As a result, I don't think we'll have as strong of storms as we could have had if the front arrived earlier. We'll wait and see though.
Later this week, low temperatures will be in the low 20's with some areas hitting the upper teens! It looks like we will have to cover a lot of plants that have started to grow.

Warm and Windy

Another warm day here. There was some rain in the overnight hours, but no thunder or lightning. The day has been sunny, but as the day progressed, the winds increased too. We had a top gust of 34mph today. That was the strongest wind gust I've recorded since February. Once the sun set though, the winds subsided. This week promises to be a week of transition between this unseasonably warm weather and a return to winter. Current forecasts call for temperatures in the low 40's by Thursday and Friday with snow showers.