This Date in Weather History

The December 7-8, 1703 Windstorm (November 26-27 on the old calendar still used in England at the time) was the most damaging to have affected the southern part of Britain for at least 500 years. The fame of the storm owes much to the fact that it cut a swathe of damage through London. 123 people were killed on land in England and Wales, due to the collapse of roofs and chimneys. 21 people were killed by falling stacks of chimneys in London, with 200 severely wounded and maimed. At least another 20 died in damage in continental Europe. Around 80 people are known to have drowned in their cottages in the marshlands. Even these totals are dwarfed by the estimated 8,000 killed in more than 100 shipwrecks at sea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For much of the country, the weather Hawaii was experiencing in the late stages of autumn 1941 would have been considered unseasonably warm, but in Hawaii, the mild temperatures and partially cloudy skies were common at that time of year. Nobody on the island of Oahu on December 7, 1941 expected there to be any significance to the weather conditions, but little did they know that the beautiful weather would lead to the start of a terrible morning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The National Christmas Tree is a large evergreen tree located in the northeast quadrant of The Ellipse near the White House in Washington, D. C. Each year since 1923, the tree has been decorated as a Christmas tree. Every year, early in December, the tree is traditionally lit by the President of the United States Every president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has made formal remarks during the tree lighting ceremony. In 1970 the 78-foot tall blue spruce from South Dakota’s Black Hills was carried to Washington, D.C. on a train. While en route, the train derailed twice. Then the weekend before the tree lighting ceremony, on December 6, 1970, the tree blew over in high winds and several cut branches had to be attached to the tree to replace damaged ones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On December 5, 1953, Vicksburg, Mississippi was visited by a tornado outbreak that was a deadly severe weather event that affected northeastern Louisiana, southeastern Arkansas, and western Mississippi. At least four confirmed tornadoes touched down. One of the tornadoes produced F5 damage as it moved through the city of Vicksburg, causing 38 deaths and injuring at least 270 along the seven-mile path of devastation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The North Carolina ice storm of 2002 caused up to an inch of freezing rain from December 4 into December 5 in central North Carolina. A total of 24 people were killed, and as many as 1.8 million people were left without electricity. Power outages began December 4, and power was not completely restored until December 14. Raleigh got the most freezing rain from a single storm since 1948, and Bristol, Tennessee received the most ice it had seen in 28 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Great Smog of London, or Great Smog of 1952, was a severe air pollution event that affected the British capital in early December 1952. A period of unusually cold weather, combined with a large region of high pressure and windless conditions, collected airborne pollutants—mostly arising from the use of coal—to form a thick layer of smog over the city. It lasted from December 3 to December 9, 1952, then dispersed quickly when the weather changed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unusual early winter cold moved out of Canada in the last week of November 1896. Few low temperature records were set but the cold was persistent and held sway from Mississippi and Alabama across Georgia and all the way to the Carolina. Fortunately for the first few days of the cold outbreak there was no precipitation. On December 1, 1896 a reinforcing surge of air reached the region all the way from the Arctic, at the same time a storm was gathering strength on the Gulf coast near New Orleans. That storm system moved east northeastward across the southern portions of Alabama and pulled moisture out of the Gulf. Snow began to break out all across Dixie. When the storm departed on the evening of December 2, 1896 records for snowfall had been set in many southern cites for the month of December. 4 inches fell in Raleigh with more than half a foot of snow in Atlanta and 10 inches in Charlotte, North Carolina and Greeneville, South Carolina. Without any means to clear the snow from city streets commerce came to a halt for several days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rain fell in San Francisco often in the first half of November 1876 and it would seem that the winter or rainy season along the west coast of the united States might turn out rather wet. December averages almost a dozen days of rain in the month with rainfall totals close to 4inches on the average. No rain fell on December 1, 1876, not on the second. In fact, not one drop of rain fell for the entire month as a persistent area of high pressure camped along the west coast for the entire month and into January deflecting storms to its north. No rain fell in area all across the northern half of California, not only in San Francisco but also Sacramento and even up in rainy Portland Oregon less than an inch feel for the entire month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Buffalo, New York, during November, snow falls an average of 4.9 days and averages 7.9" of snow. In Buffalo, during the entire year, snow falls for 61 days, and averages 94.7". On November 30, 2001 the weather record books closed for the month in Buffalo. Amazingly no snow, not even a trace was reported for the entire month. This was the first time that happened for the city in the month of November since records first stared to be kept in 1871. Interestingly the previous November of 2000 was a record-breaking snowfall November for Buffalo with 45.6” recorded in the month, two Novembers in succession, one with the greatest November snowfall the next year, the least. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Red River, New Mexico area has a rich history. Indigenous Apaches established settlements in the region hundreds of years ago. Fur trappers and prospectors moved into the area as they put River City, as Red River was first called, on the map. Hundreds of gold, silver and copper mines were carved into the mountain with names like Golden Treasure, Silver King and Black Copper. Red River's population soared. There were stores, a livery stable, two newspapers, a sawmill, blacksmith shop, barber shop, more than a dozen saloons, several hotels and boarding houses, a dance hall and a hospital. The mines played out eventually, but soon homesteaders outnumbered prospectors. Town gained new momentum by renting abandoned mining cabins to flatland visitors seeking refuge from the heat. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, ski areas soon started to develop. In those days without artificially made snow Red River and indeed ski resorts across the world relied on natural snowfall. Some locations fared well – but others would suffer from snow droughts and be ruined. Snow making in the United States started mainly in the eastern states after World War II. In the west, in places like Red River, snowmaking was still a novelty in 1975. On November 29, 1975 the ski season started off with a bang when 34” of snow fell setting up a great start to the ski season and also setting a New Mexico state record for a 24-hour snowfall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On November 28, 1973, warm, humid air moving northward from the Gulf of Mexico out ahead of a strong cold front fed violent weather in the lower Ohio Valley and all across the southern United States. Tornadoes and flash floods killed 3 people and injured more than 600 during the day. 9 twisters touched down in southern Louisiana, northern Alabama, and Tennessee. Hundreds of houses and trailer homes were destroyed as the cold front blasted into Georgia and the Carolinas. Huntsville, Alabama was hardest hit - winds were clocked at 94 mph before the weather instruments broke. Extensive flooding occurred in southern West Virginia. Warm air surged northward ahead of the storm system as temperature readings reached close to 70 as far north as Washington DC, Philadelphia and New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The famous "Portland" storm struck off Cape Cod on November 27, 1898 with loss of 200 lives in strong winds and heavy wind whipped snowfall across southern New England. Many others were lost in 50 small vessels to the raging sea off the coast. 27” of snow fell in New London, CT. 15" at Waterbury, CT. The peak wind was 72 mph at Boston. Boston received more than 12” of snow... then 5” more fell on November 30th to give them their deepest ever Nov. snow depth at 16". Boston Harbor filled up with shipwrecks. Block Island had an estimated gust to 98 mph. Docks in Boston Harbor where also torn up disrupting shipping commerce for weeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Queen Elizabeth Way – better known as the QEW is the major super highway that runs from Niagara Falls across southern Ontario to Toronto, Canada’s largest city and one the world’s major metropolises. Each day hundreds of thousands of travelers, computers and others travel the highway. On November 26, 1983 a bitter cold airmass had settled in over the region. Lingering moisture held close to the ground from a storm just a few days earlier. Meanwhile a bank of low clouds formed, it was the perfect setup for fog to form. Fog began to appear just as rush hour started. The fog formed a thin layer of moisture that quickly froze, the result was black ice – inviable to the drivers at first. Treacherous morning rush hour conditions resulted caused a more than 100-car pile-up and closing the highway for hours. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On November 25, 1950, one of the greatest November storms in recorded North American History blasted the eastern half of the United States and Canada with unprecedented early season snow and cold paralyzing the region for more than a week and causing untold damage and suffering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lookout Mountain rises 1,700 feet above the Tennessee Valley, its steep sides protruding to the sky. On the northern end the mountain is surrounded on three sides by a near vertical rock wall that has afforded protection to the occupants of the top for hundreds of years. The mountain is known for a weather phenomenon that occurs from 3-5 times a year. A layer of fog forms around the bottom of the Mountain then begins to rise, sometimes engulfing the entire mountain. This rising fog has been written about since the first settlers visited the area before 1735. On November 24, 1863 this weather situation set in, just as Union forces were closing in on the city Of Chattanooga nearby set up what would be known as the Battle of Lookout Mountain or more famously known as The Battle Above the Clouds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the night of November 22, 2010 violent thunderstorms erupted from Chicago, IL to Springfield, MO. These storms raged into November 23, 2010 and downed trees and power lines with some wind gusts in excess of 60mph. Some of the hail that fell was as big at golf balls, causing massive damage to parked cars and car lots housing used and new autos, resulting in millions of dollars of damage to windshield and car bodies. Torrential downpours plagued the Chicago area with more than an inch of rain, triggering flash flooding. Tornadoes tore through northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, heavily damaging several buildings. Three people were injured from damage several miles east of Loves Park, IL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on Friday, November 22, 1963. There was a chance that the horrific events of that day might not have happened at all had the weather been different. The day started out grey and overcast as the President arrived at the Airport in Dallas early that morning. A small amount of rain had fallen first thing in the morning with more forecast likely later in the day. That would have likely meant that a plexiglass bubble would have been used on the Presidents 1961 Lincoln Convertible to keep him and the First Lady dry. Those coverings were generally bullet-proof. As the motorcade was set to leave for the cross-town journey at 11:50am the weather turned bright and sunny and even warm for late November. The temperature climbed to near 70. Because of the break in the weather and the crowds that where lining the street the President decided not to go with the Plexiglas covering. Since the ride would only take less than an hour President Kennedy wanted to be able for the crowds to see him. Just as the motorcade slowed as it drove through Dealey Plaza at 12:30pm before turning onto a road that would allow the motorcade to speed up shoot rang out killing the 35th President of the United States and seriously injuring Texas Governor John Connally. Had the weather remined cloudy with light rain the whole scenario might never have taken place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A double-barreled autumn storm hurled snow over the northern Midwest and unleashed violent thunderstorms from the Ohio Valley to the Gulf Coast on November 20, 1970. 5" of snow fell in Rochester, MN. 4” fell in Mason City, IA. heavy snow and drove temperatures to near 0 along the Canadian border. Up to 10” of snow blanketed Cut Bank, MT where the mercury sank to 3 above zero at midnight. Blowing and drifting snow hampered travel in eastern Washington and northern Oregon. Meanwhile, high winds in western New York State caused window breakage and widespread power outages. In the Buffalo area, winds felled trees and electrical wires. Three radio stations in Buffalo suffered a 32-minute interruption of service. One person was hospitalized after being struck by an up-rooted tree. Wind driven waves from Lake Erie spilled onto Route 5 in Athol. Seneca Falls was without power for 2 hours. A severe thunderstorm watch involved portions of a half-dozen states from Kentucky to Georgia. Funnel clouds were sighted during the night at two locations in the Memphis area. Hail pelted Evansville, IN. Tornadoes skipped across parts of Arkansas causing considerable damage, and 16 persons were hospitalized when a tornado swept through Moro and Oak Forest, AR in Lee County. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A major lake-effect event set up starting late on November 19, 2016 and continuing more prominently through the 20th. The heaviest total reported was in Redfield, New York at 54.5 inches. Other significant totals include Osceola at 48 inches, Binghamton at 27.6 inches, Syracuse at 25.1 inches and Watertown at 18.0 inches. Interestingly this event was preceded by record warmth. Watertown hit 72 on the 19th breaking the record of 70. But the heavy snowfall put an end to thoughts of a lingering warm autumn, roads were closed in many areas for a better part of the week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An early-season arctic cold outbreak lead to records being broken, both for overnight lows and daytime highs all across the eastern part of the United States. Worcester, MA had a high of only 29 degrees. Even as far south as Saint Simons Island, GA there was a record cold day, with a high of only 50 degrees. Killing frost and freezes were felt in the deep South and with a strong wind accompanying the cold many marginal plants and vegetation didn’t stand a chance putting an abrupt end to the growing season all the way to the Gulf coast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On November 18, 1421, a storm in the North Sea slammed into the European coastline. Over the next several days, approximately 10,000 people in what is now the Netherlands died in the resulting floods. History.com tells us the lowlands of the Netherlands near the North Sea were densely populated at the time, despite their known vulnerability to flooding. Small villages and a couple of cities had sprung up in what was known as the Grote-Waard region. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

November 17, 2013 was a difficult day for many people across the Midwest and Great Lakes region with a major outbreak of severe weather that is usually associated with the Spring season. All told there were over 750 reports of severe weather incidents and of those 136 reports were from tornados. Of the remaining reports there were 579 from wind and 42 from hail. The storm damage extended far and wide from eastern Iowa and Missouri eastward to New Jersey. The worst of this day was in Washington Illinois, a suburb to the east of Peoria. This is where an EF4 tornado moves through destroying several homes. This tornado was responsible for 122 injuries and 1 fatality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The moose is the largest of all deer species, standing about five to six and a half feet tall. Moose require habitat with adequate edible plants; grasses, young trees and shrubs, cover from predators, and protection from extremely hot or cold weather. Moose travel or migrate among different habitats with the seasons to address these requirements. Moose are cold-adapted mammals with thickened skin, dense, heat-retaining coat, and a low surface volume ratio, which provides excellent cold tolerance but poor heat tolerance. Moose survive hot weather by accessing shade or cooling wind, or by immersion in cool water. In hot weather, moose are often found wading or swimming in lakes or ponds. When heat-stressed, moose may fail to adequately forage in summer and may not gain adequate body fat to survive the winter. Also, moose cows may not calve without adequate summer weight gain. Moose require access to both young forest for browsing and mature forest for shelter and cover. Forest disturbed by fire and logging promotes the growth of fodder for moose. Moose also require access to mineral licks, safe places for calving and aquatic feeding sites so they do move from season to season. The autumn season of 2003 was quite mild across northern Canada and on November 15 as the moose started their migration trek from Northern Quebec to the Labrador Sea it stalled car and truck traffic. Moose had to use the highways because the ground was not frozen due to unusually warm weather. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As autumn approaches winter the severe weather season usually grinds to a halt. Hot and humid weather is pushed south into Mexico and the Gulf and the dynamics to spawn severe thunderstorms and tornados is quickly on the wane. Temperature contrasts from the Earth’s surface to the upper atmosphere take on a winter time aspect. But still severe weather outbreaks occasionally happen and often times just as people are letting down their guard. On November 15, 2006 there was such a Tornado Outbreak. A tornado with a total path length of just over 6 miles long and 250 yards wide, damaged several buildings in Montgomery, Alabama. Six people were reported injured in East Montgomery. Several other tornados were reported across southeast Alabama into southwest Georgia. Moderate damage occurred in Fort Benning, Georgia along a path 1.5 miles long and 150 yards wide; six people injured. A tornado in Riegelwood, North Carolina demolished several homes with eight fatalities reported. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apollo 12 was the sixth crewed flight in the United States Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon. It was launched on November 14, 1969. Apollo 12 launched on schedule from Kennedy Space Center, under completely overcast rainy skies, encountering wind speeds of 174.6 mph during ascent, the highest of any Apollo mission. Lightning struck the Saturn V rocket 36.5 seconds after lift-off, triggered by the vehicle itself, discharging down to the Earth through the ionized exhaust plume. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wintry cold is certainly a feature of November, especially across the northern plains, Rockies and Great Lakes in the United States. Usually though, persistent arctic cold is not the rule. In fact, the average is for temperatures in that region to remain cold in the first half of the month of November for a short time of a day or two, perhaps three. On November 13, 2014 an amazing stretch of early winter cold came to an end. Readings on that day reached a high temperature of 32 degrees in Chicago ending a 7-consecutive-day streak of sub 32 Degrees high temperatures. The below freezing cold lasted 180 consecutive hours, ore more than 7 days in a row, that stands as a record for November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On November 12, 1911 in Buffalo, New York a remarkable thing happened, a record high and low on the same day. 69 degrees just after midnight on the 12th, then a strong cold front came through and dropped the temperature to 22 degrees late that evening. Both records. Two in one day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On November 11, 1987 a major snowstorms struck the nations' capital. During the Veteran's Day Storm almost a foot of snow fell at National Airport. Prince Georges County, MD was hard hit with up to 13 inches of snow falling in a short amount of time. It caught motorists off guard and stranded cars on the Capital Beltway. There were so many cars that snow plows could not get through to open the clogged arteries. Cars littered the roadway for more than 24 hours. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tropical Storm Ida made landfall near Mobile, Alabama during the morning hours of November 10, 2009. According to the U.S. Minerals Management Service, about 30 percent of oil production in the Gulf was shut down on the 9 as Ida neared the Gulf Coast. Port Alabama, AL reported a wind gust of 62 mph while West Mobile, Al and Destin, FL had wind gusts of 43 mph as Ida came ashore. Soaking rain from Ida spread from Alabama into Southern Virginia and the Carolina’s. The following are some daily rainfall records were set. But the biggest impact occurred because of those shutdown oil rigs causing the price of oil to spike for the next week or so as gasoline prices soared. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On November 9, 1913 the Famous Great Lakes Storm hit and 270 lives lost. Buffalo had 80 mph winds; Cleveland 22.2" of snow; Pickens, WV had a 36" snowfall; Pittsburgh 12.5" of snow. The Great Storm of November 1913 has been celebrated as the "Freshwater Fury" in several books and many articles as the most disastrous in the area’s history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1870, A Joint Congressional Resolution requiring the Secretary of War "to provide for taking meteorological observations at the military stations in the interior of the continent, and at other points in the States and Territories...and for giving notice on the northern lakes and on the seacoast, by magnetic telegraph and marine signals, of the approach and force of storms" was introduced. Congress passed the resolution and on February 9, 1870, President Ulysses S. Grant signed it into law. A new national weather service had been born within the U.S. Army Signal Service’s Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce that would affect the daily lives of most of the citizens of the United States through its forecasts and warnings for years to come. The on November 8, 1870 the First storm warning by U.S. Signal Corps weather service was issued for Great Lakes area by Prof. Latham of Milwaukee marking the first ever official weather forecasted warning issued in the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first Tacoma Narrows bridge was locally known as “Galloping Gertie,” since its slender design lacked stabilizing girders, causing it to twist and bounce in the wind. The bridge opened on July 1, 1940, after 29 months of construction and $18 million invested. On the first day of operations, 2,053 crossed the bridge after an inaugural parade of vehicles led by Gov. Clarence D. Martin and Tacoma Mayor Harry P. Cain. But Gertie’s life would be short-lived. A little over four months later, on November 7 of the same year, the bridge collapsed during a massive windstorm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the morning of November 6, 1953, AccuWeather Founder and CEO, Joel Myers, peddled his bicycle to school in Philadelphia wearing only a thin jacket. He said that “Just a few days before the temperature had been in the seventies but then it was about 50 degrees. The radio mentioned colder weather and chance of a snow flurry in the afternoon ... well it began to snow by noontime and by mid-afternoon we were in the midst of a tremendous snowstorm ... big flakes and gusty winds. After school I pushed my bicycle home through heavy blowing snow as winds gusted to 50 miles an hour, and temperatures fell below freezing. By the next morning... snow accumulations across eastern Pennsylvania ranged from 3-30". Officially a little less than 4” of snow fell in Philadelphia but that was still enough to make it a record snowfall for so early in the season, the far northern and western suburbs were paralyzed by almost 30” of heavy wet snow that took a week to clean up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Verkhoyansk, Russia is notable chiefly for its exceptionally low winter temperatures and some of the greatest temperature differences on Earth between summer and winter. Average monthly temperatures range from 50 below zero F in January to almost 62 F in July. On November 5, 1992 warm weather in Verkhoyansk was a fleeting thought with a morning low of -51 degrees, high of -46 degrees. The daily average temperature was 27 degrees below normal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The flood of November 3-4, 1927, stands as the greatest natural disaster in Vermont history. Devastation occurred throughout the state, with 1,285 bridges lost, countless homes and buildings destroyed, and hundreds of miles of roads and railroad tracks swept away. The flood waters claimed 84 lives, including that of the Vermont Lieutenant Governor at the time, S. Hollister Jackson. Rainfall during the month of October averaged about 150 percent of normal across the state. In northern and central sections, some places received 300 percent of normal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Southern California is often subject to thick moist flows off the Pacific Ocean. The contrast of chilly ocean waters and relatively warm and dry land, especially in the autumn months often brings a marine layer of low laying and thick fog. Often times this can blow in off the ocean quickly. Sometimes the mist and fog are able to burn off fairly quickly if the temperature inversion – or what is defined as a warmer layer of air trapped above cooler moist air at the surface is able to break . Sometimes that doesn’t happen and it remains murky and damp with very low visibility. On November , 2002 dense marine fog rolled into the Los Angeles area just before sunrise and the result was an awful morning commute. 194 vehicles were involved in 2 pileups on I-710, with that dense fog to blame. Remarkably, no deaths occurred, bit it took the better part of the day to clean up the pile up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On November 1, 1819, 7” of snow fell across New York City. New York at the time was the largest city in the United State and the only US city with more than 100,000 in population topping out at 120,000. It had become the center of American life and business so it was important to get around. The powdery snowfall was ideal – except for one thing – it came too early in the season. No part of the transportation system was ready for such an early season snowfall – powdery or not – and wagon and carriages were not able to make to switch from wheels to tracks and so transportation came to a halt for several days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

November typical brings the first widespread wintry weather of the season to the United Stated and in 1972 the month didn’t waste any time getting started. A severe autumn storm moved out of the Southern Rockies into the central plains leaving in its wake heavy snow, flooding and zero degree cold. Heavy snow fell in Denver. More than 10” on rain in 3 days pushed the Hickory Creek out of its banks in the Neosho area of southwestern Missouri. Residents of low-lying areas in this town of 8,000 were evacuated. One person drowned at Poplar Bluff, in SE Missouri, when a 3 1/2-inch downpour triggered local flooding. The mercury dropped to near zero in the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico where snows measured a food and a half deep impeding travel. Temperatures dropped to near freezing in the deserts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1963 was a relatively dry year in the City of Philadelphia. Rainfall was less than 35” or more than 5” below normal. Usually the aurum along the eastern seaboard is dry with few showers or largescale storm systems. Caught in between the thunderstorm season of the Spring and Summer and the strong cold fronts and wintry storms October can feature warmish to chilly days with plenty of sunshine. In fact, the major source of rain in the autumn is the occasional tropical system that will move up the east coast with rain thrown westward into the Delaware valley where Philadelphia is located. When Tropical storms or Hurricanes don’t materialize the autumn can be very dry indeed. On October 3, 1963 Philadelphia did receive a few rain showers as a storm moved by to the south, then for the rest of the month – not a drop of rain. When the books closed on the month on October 31, 1963 it marked the send of 28 consecutive days with no rain in the City of Brotherly Love – a record that stands to this day. On November first, it rained. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 1948 Donora smog killed 20 people and caused respiratory problems for 7,000 people of the 14,000 population of Donora, Pennsylvania, a mill town on the Monongahela River 24 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On October 29, 2012 Hurricane Sandy slammed ashore north of Atlantic City, New Jersey. Hurricane Sandy caused about 150 deaths, along with billions of dollars in damage when it hit the Caribbean and the U.S. East Coast in late October 2012. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A potent coastal storm slammed the Northeast with strong winds, soaking rains and burying snow struck on October 28, 2008. The snow fell from New Jersey to Vermont with the heaviest amounts exceeding a foot. The weight of the snow, combined with the howling winds brought down tree limbs and power lines. The winds, alone knocked down trees from southern New England to the New York area. Snow totals reached 20 at Slide Mountain New York, a foot at Middleburgh, Pennsylvania and 16” at Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania. Wind gusts reached 66 mph at Cape May New Jersey, 54 mph at Harrisburg, PA and 52 mph at Syracuse New York. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Accumulating snow is a fairly rare event in Paris, France. Snow is recorded on an average of just 15 days a winter and when it does snow it usually does not accumulate. Moisture heavy enough to produce more than an inch or two of snow occurs when a major storm sweeps in off the Atlantic ocean – but those storms are usually powerful and bring in mild air from off the ocean. Colder air must be in place from the east the usually originated in Russia. Occasionally in the middle of the winter that occurs and ever few years a couple inches of snow fall. The Parisians say no city looks prettier than Paris in the snow. On October 27, 1692 6” of snow fell on the City of Light – in one of the earliest measured snowfall before or since. I am sure the city looked great – but with no way to remove the snow I am sure it was quite messy ad hard to move about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In October, as the length of sunlight begins to fade across the upper reaches of the Northern Hemisphere, cold air begins to build across the arctic. Snow is not uncommon and the depth and coverage of the snowpack is an important element in helping to build a reservoir of cold air across the region. The cold air strengths and is triggered southward by large wave patterns in the high atmosphere. In the later days of October 1919 heavy snows fell across the Yukon and other areas of northern Canada. Cold air built quickly and was released southward in the last week of the month. And so, it came to pass that on October 26, 1919 that arctic blast reached Bismarck, North Dakota and the mercury plunged to 10 below zero, the coldest temperature ever recorded in Bismarck in the month of October and the earliest, up to that time that the temperature dropped below zero Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The SS Princess Sophia sank on Oct. 25, 1918, with estimates of the death toll ranging up to 367. Nobody on board survived, save one pet dog who swam to shore. The ship was one of four coastal liners operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway, all named for princesses. The Princess Sophia had departed Skagway, Alaska, on Oct. 23, 1918, with stops planned in Juneau, Wrangell and Ketchikan before going to Prince Rupert, Alert Bay and eventually Vancouver. The following day at 2 a.m., south of Skagway and 40 miles north of Juneau, the Princess Sophia struck a reef. Slightly off course in bad weather of fog and snow, it was going full steam, rode up onto the rocks and struck aground. The great ship remained stuck for 40 hours, enough time for rescue boats to arrive. But stormy conditions and high tides made it too risky to abandon ship. Rescue boat crews chose to return to port and come back the following day, the 26th, when weather was expected to improve. But in the meantime, the Princess Sophia was lifted off the reef and sank, leaving no survivors. The bad weather had not only caused the wreck, but prevented the rescue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hurricane Wilma made landfall as a Category 3 system near Key West, and later near Everglades City, Florida On October 24, 2005. Wilma had earlier made landfall on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 4 system. Wilma, the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, reached a low pressure of 26.04 inches, surpassing the previous Atlantic record holder of Gilbert. Wilma, the first Atlantic storm to use the letter “W” formed as a Tropical Depression southwest of Jamaica on October 15th, becoming a hurricane on October 18th and later becoming the 5th Category 5 hurricane of the season. Wilma produced a storm surge of 4’ to 8’, flooded portions of the Key’s dropped 10 tornadoes over Florida and yielded 3” to 7” of rain across Florida. Wilma directly was attributed to 5 deaths in Florida, knocked power out to 98 percent of South Florida and produced an estimated $12.2 billion in damage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1878, a storm formed near Jamaica then became a Category 2 hurricane and moved right up the East coast. The center passed east of Florida, then came ashore in eastern North Carolina on October 23 1878 and stayed inland until it turned almost straight east over the southern parts of Vermont and New Hampshire. There was extensive damage from the Carolinas to New England, and more than 71 people were killed. This storm came to be known as the Gale of '78. A storm in modern times with a track like the Gale of ‘78 would be disastrous in the Middle Atlantic states, threatening death and serious injury and causing billions of dollars in damage. Hurricane Hazel in 1954 took a similar track, all the rest of the hurricanes with somewhat similar tracks occurred in the 19th century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On October 22, 1969 cold air was firmly in place as a storm moved up the east coast of the United States. The result was an early season heavy snowstorm; the heaviest and earliest in New England in almost 50 years. Rochester, Vermont had 12"; with even more in mountain areas. Some Vermont ski resorts actually had limited skiing on the 23rd. The 5.1" at Burlington, VT was a 24-hour October record. Portland, ME had an early season record of 3.6". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An area of thunderstorms formed on the west coast of Africa in mid-October 1988 just as swarms of locusts were inundating the region. The storms had loosely held together until they reached the central Atlantic Ocean a few days later were conditions where favorable for further tropical development. The system rapidly developed into Tropical storm and then Hurricane Joan. Winds high in the atmosphere carried and Hurricane Joan across the Atlantic to Dominica, St. Lucia, Jamaica, and other nearby islands. In addition to heavy rains, Joan brought those islands something else from the sky on October 21, 1988, locusts. Apparently carried into the atmosphere by winds blowing from those thunderstorms that formed on the African coast days earlier, the locusts survived the trip across the Atlantic and found a new home in the Caribbean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On October. 20, 1991, the hills across the bay from San Francisco were cloaked in smoke. Flames moved up the steep slopes of Oakland and Berkeley, California, What became known as the Diablo Fire had started on Saturday, October 19, from an incompletely extinguished grass fire in the Berkeley Hills. Firefighters fought the 5-acre fire on a steep hillside and by Saturday night they thought it was under control. The fire re-ignited as a brush fire shortly before 11 a.m. on Sunday, October 20 and rapidly spread southwest, driven by wind gusts up to 65 mph. It quickly overwhelmed local and regional firefighting resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.