March Like a Lion: Record Cold in Midwest, Heavy Snow in Mid-Atlantic

March is roaring in like a lion over most of the U.S., where a sprawling winter storm has brought significant snows and freezing rain to over 100 million people over past two days, from Texas to New Jersey. Snows of 4 - 8" are expected Monday along a swath from Washington DC through Baltimore and into Southern New Jersey, with a few 8+" totals likely just south of DC. Behind the storm is a renewed blast of Arctic air, which on Monday morning brought the coldest temperatures ever measured so late in the year to Flint, Michigan (-16°F) and Rockford, Illinois (-11°F). The forecast low of 10°F in Washington D.C. for Tuesday morning would come close to that city's coldest March day on record of 4°F, and the low of 7°F predicted for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania would come close to the all-time coldest March temperature of 5° set in 1872. Some peak snowfall amounts from the storm, "Winter Storm Titan", as of 10 am EST Monday, from the latest NOAA Storm Report:

Indiana: 10.3" in Porter
West Virginia: 10.0", Bruceton Mills
Missouri: 8.5", Anderson
Illinois: 7.0", Mendota
New Mexico: 7.0", Arroyo Seco
Maryland: 6.5", New Market
Arkansas: 6.5", Pea Ridge
Oklahoma: 6.1", Hunter
Pennsylvania: 6.0", Mount Pleasant
New Jersey" 6.0", Woodbine
Tennessee: 6.0", Clarksville (fell as sleet)
Michigan: 5.5", Hillsdale
Kentucky: 5.3", Clover Bottom
Iowa: 5.2", E Solon
Kansas: 5.0", Newton
Ohio: 4.5", Wauseon
Virginia: 4.2", Stephens City
Washington DC: 2.0", American University
Delaware: 2.0", Newark


Figure 1. Workers clear the tarmac of snow so that flights can resume at Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport on March 3, 2014. Image credit: AP/Cliff Owen.

Wild weather Ends in California
Winter Storm Titan battered California Friday and Saturday with high winds, heavy rains, and mountain snows. Downtown Los Angeles received 3.41" of rain February 28 - March 2, making it the city's heaviest rain event since March 19 - 27, 2011 (3.80"). A few California notable events from Winter Storm Titan:

Snow Reports
• Near Kirkwood Ski Area: 40"
• Near Donner Peak: 30"
• Soda Springs: 18"

Rain Reports
• Mining Ridge (Monterey Co.): 11.81"
• Matilija Canyon (Ventura Co.): 11.79"
• Cogswell Dam (L.A. Co.): 8.19"
• Santa Barbara: 1.83". Santa Barbara has received 5.20" of rain since July 1st, which is 7.97" below average.
• Downtown San Francisco: 1.53". San Francisco has received only 7.96" of rain since July 1st, which is 10.11" below average.
• Downtown Sacramento: 1.49". Sacramento has received only 6.19" of rain since July 1st, which is 7.54" below average.

Wind Reports
• 102 mph peak wind gust measured at Big Bear Resort on Friday (east of Los Angeles)
• 91 mph peak wind gust measured at Chilao on Friday (northeast of Los Angeles)
• 89 mph peak wind gust measured at Grapevine Peak on Friday

Flood Reports
• Debris flows reported at Big Sur Village and other locations in Monterey County, California on Friday
• Reported water rescue from the Los Angeles River in Cypress Park on Friday
• Report of five inches of water running down the street in the northern San Bernardino neighborhood
• Report of roadway flooding in San Jose on I-280 Northbound and SR17 South connector. In addition, several inches of standing water reported across all lanes near I-280 and Highway 87.
• Report of firefighters rescuing a man from the waters of Coyote Creek near the San Jose Municipal Golf Course.
• Flooding on the off-ramp of I-280 at Saratoga.
• Flash flooding caused a car to get trapped in Lake View Terrace, near Foothill Boulevard and Gladstone Avenue. A lady was rescued; no injuries reported.

Severe Weather Reports
• A plane was moved three feet and a jet bridge was damaged by a likely microburst at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana Friday.
• One man was injured by a lightning strike in an oil field near Fresno Friday.
• One inch hail in Walnut early Saturday morning from a severe thunderstorm.
• At 6:24pm PT Friday, an EF0 tornado touched down 9 miles south of Karnak, Calif. No damage was reported for the 5 minute-long tornado.

Phoenix got its first rain of 2014 on March 1 (Saturday), ending a 70-day period without precipitation. This year was just the third year since 1896 the city had gone without precipitation during January and February. Las Vegas received its first rainfall of 2014 on Friday (0.30"), its first rain since December 4, ending the city's longest winter dry streak on record. This winter has been the warmest winter on record in Las Vegas.


Video 1. A huge wave from Winter Storm Titan crashes through a window at a Santa Barbara, California restaurant on March 1, 2014. The "time to go" comment is precious.

Jeff Masters