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Posted: Tue, Jan 11, 1994 2:44 PM EST Msg: HGJE-6046-2188 Subj: CAC press conf. summary - 1993 weather I sent the following 2 part message on AFOS, NWWS, Family of Services, Alaska and Hawaii (via NWS Telecommunications Gateway), FAA (via Weather Message Switching Center in Kansas City), etc. I split it into 2 parts because it was too long to send as a single message on the AFOS network. (NOTE for Dave Rodenhuis: I also sent it on cc:Mail to the RDs and ODs, Dr. Friday, Lou Boezi, Bob Landis, Jim Howcroft, Tony Mostek, George Murphy, Julie Chapman-Houston, TDL, Allan Eustis and Ed Gross, Frank LePore (NWS Public Affairs), Ralph Petersen, the regional MSD Chiefs, SSD Chiefs, and regional hydrologists, and several people at OFCM. In addition, Linda Millerwill post this info to the UNIDATA bullletin board for the university community. ********************************************************************* WSHPNSWSH ADMN81 KWBC 111912 PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...PART 1 OF A 2 PART MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS CLIMATE ANALYSIS CENTER 210 PM EST TUE JAN 11 1994 ...NOTE: PART 2 OF THIS MESSAGE WILL FOLLOW IMMEDIATELY... The following is condensed from material presented in a press conference by the Climate Analysis Center (CAC) on January 11, 1994. A copy of the original material has been sent to each NWS Regional Office. Contact CAC at (301)-763-4670 if you need a complete set. 1. GLOBAL SURFACE TEMPERATURE TRENDS During 1993, estimated global land surface temperature anomalies continued to decrease from the peak value reached in 1990 and the estimated anomaly of +0.18C was the lowest since 1986. Cooling was observed in the Northern Hemisphere, while temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere increased from 1992. Anomalies fell to the lowest value (+0.09C) since 1986 in the northern extratropics, but tropical anomalies during the past four years have remained near +0.4C. Much of this warmth has been associated with the long-lived El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) episode. In the Southern Hemisphere extratropics, anomalies were about +0.33C during 1990 and 1991, then cooled to +0.09 after aerosols from Mt. Pinatubo dispersed through the hemisphere in 1992. The anomaly increased to approximately +0.3C as aerosols diminished in 1993. 2. LONG-LIVED ENSO WARM EPISODE CONTINUES Mature warm episode conditions first developed in late 1991. From December 1991 - April 1992, precipitation anomalies in many regions of the tropics and subtropics were consistent with those generally observed during the mature phase of a warm episode. Excessive rainfall was observed over central South America, northern Mexico, and western Gulf States, with flooding in southern CA and in eastern TX. Severe drought plagued southeastern Africa, the Philippines, northern Australia, and the Caroline Islands. Warm episode conditions then redeveloped in early 1993. This long-lived warm episode probably contributed to the excessive rains that fell on the Midwest during late spring and summer. 3. CLIMATE EVENTS IN THE U.S. The long-term drought in the Far West was broken when copious winter precipitation, exceeding 600% of normal in southern California and Arizona, significantly increased the region's snowpack and raised river and reservoir levels. Flash flooding and mudslides were also reported as a result of the heavy precipitation. In mid-March, a vicious winter storm swept over the Eastern Seaboard, taking at least 240 lives and causing an estimated $1 billion in damages. Winds of up to 110 mph, one to four feet of snow, heavy rains, widespread coastal flooding and beach erosion, all-time low barometric pressure, and severe thunderstorms affected areas from the Gulf States to New England. The Great Flood of 1993 was the dominant weather event of the year. The combination of a persistent upper-level trough over the Rockies and an intense low-level flow from the Gulf generated numerous moist, cyclonic storms. Thunderstorm tops reached 70,000 feet fueled by surface dew points above 80F. Heavy and widespread rains fell over the region from mid-June through July, and for shorter intervals during May, August, and September. Dozens of Midwestern locations set new monthly and summer rainfall records. Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Idaho had the wettest summer since records began in 1895, and the wettest year ever in Iowa and South Dakota. The same persistent upper-air pattern steered storm systems away from the southern and eastern U.S., resulting in hot and dry weather. Record July heat was observed in six states, and several states recorded near-record summer dryness. Unseasonably cool air, averaging 4 to 7F below normal, enveloped much of the Northwest during the summer. Four states recorded the coolest summer on record. During the fall, cold Canadian air flowing into the nation's midsection created departures from normal between -3F and -6F, and nine states observed one of the three coldest autumns ever. Nationally, 1993 ranked as the 13th coldest year on record since 1895, ending a string of 3 much-warmer-than-normal years, and the coldest year since 1985. 4. THE UPDATED 90-DAY OUTLOOK IS AVAILABLE ON AFOS. END OF PART 1 OF 2...PART 2 WILL FOLLOW IMMEDIATELY Sent - W/OM23 ********************************************************************* ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ WSHPNSWSH ADMN81 KWBC 111913 PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...PART 2 OF A 2 PART MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS CLIMATE ANALYSIS CENTER 212 PM EST TUE JAN 11 1994 ...NOTE: PART 1 OF THIS MESSAGE WAS JUST SENT... (continued from Part 1) 5. RECORD LOW OZONE OVER THE ANTARCTIC Ozone over the Antarctic region during September and October 1993 reached record low levels. The observed ozone-void region between altitudes 14-19 km also extended higher into the atmosphere than in previous years. On October 12, 1993, total ozone fell to a new low of 91 DU (the previous low of 102 DU was recorded in 1992). The profile for that day shows that total destruction of ozone occurred between 14 and 19 km. When compared to 1992, this is an extension of the totally-depleted area. 6. GLOBAL OZONE CHANGES The major portion of the 1992-93 ozone changes reside in the mid-latitude Northern Hemisphere. The ozone decrease in late 1992 to early 1993 was almost 10% below average, but the ozone values at the end of 1993 have returned to near-average conditions. This sharp decrease may be associated with the aerosol injection of Mt. Pinatubo. 7. GLOBAL HIGHLIGHTS - FLOODS IN EUROPE AND SOUTHEAST ASIA An active typhoon and monsoon season severely affected parts of Southeast Asia and Japan. Between mid-June and mid-August, over 2000 mm of rain inundated southern Kyushu as several typhoons battered southern Japan. In the Philippines, a record 32 tropical cyclones affected the country. In south-central Europe, surplus precipitation in September and October set the stage for the worst flooding in decades along many rivers during December. Nearly 100 towns were affected and low-lying sections of Cologne & Koblenz, Germany were submerged. END OF PART 2 OF 2 Sent - W/OM23 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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