March 23rd, Sunday Evening Weather Hangout

At 8:30 pm Sunday Night, Meteorologist Ryan Wichman will host his weekly 'Weather Hangout' on Google+.

The show takes questions from Ryan's Facebook and Twitter pages to answer and gives a summary of the forecast for the week ahead. If you are on Google +, be sure to add Ryan's page HERE. A live stream of the show will be offered here, with a video replay shortly to follow after the conclusion.

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring!

Spring officially arrived Thursday at 12:57 PM after one of the most brutal winters in northwest Ohio's history.  Enter spring, welcome alas!   Not so fast, hold that thought for a second...another blast of cold air is on the horizon through the first half of next week.

Our jet stream is plugged up by a significant ridge or "Blocking High" pressure system over the north Atlantic Ocean.  Like a huge NFL offensive lineman, this slows the atmospheric progression and will "block" a deep trough and very cold weather over the eastern 2/3 rd of the United States early next week.  (Sound familiar? Just like all winter has been.) Highs will likely only be in the 30s from Sunday through Wednesday of next week. However, on a brighter note, late next week that blocking ridge will flatten and a much warmer, more zonal (east-west) flow will develop across the United States. 

Late next week and into the weekend will be the first real shot of highs in the 60s for the Toledo area for the first time since December 5th of last year.  Who is finally ready for the warmer spring weather?  The first real possibility of 60s looks to come around March 29th to the 30th.  Overall, the last few days of March and early April look loaded to deliver!

~Meteorologist Chris Vickers

Ice Jam Break-up Video at Grand Rapids

With the most recent ice jam breaking up near Grand Rapids on Sunday we have received a number of dramatic images and videos of large ice chucks floating downstream. None more dramatic than this video at Providence metro park by Tim Wagner:

Historic Toledo Winter!

This may certainly be the epic winter that you brag about and tell the grandkids stories decades from now.  The winter of 1977-1978 and this historic blizzard has long stood as the benchmark for some of harshest winter weather ever experienced in Ohio. Many have asked, "Which winter was worse"?  What records did this winter break and was it the worst winter in Toledo's history?

Let's take a look...

Many measure the harsh reality of winter by the amount of snow.  Nothing will throw a community into mass hysteria running for the bread and milk like a good old fashioned snowstorm.  The winter was second to none when measured by snow fall.  The month of March has only added to the already record breaking snowfall.  

The seasonal total for this winter is a smashing 84.8" of snow blowing past the previous record winter of 1977-1978 which had 73.1".  This puts the winter of 2013-2014 nearly a foot of snow above the long standing previous winter snowfall record! 

The relentless nature of storm after storm demoralized the area into unconditional surrender.  Here is a list of some of the notable snowstorms:

• December 14th:            7.4"
• January 1-2nd               9.2"
• January 5-6th                13.0"
• February 4-5th              8.4"
• February 16-17th          5.0"
• March 12th                   7.0" 

While none of these snowstorms on an individual note could match the blizzard in January of 1978, the overall weather pattern this year was conducive to more frequent, and still crippling snowstorms. The average snowfall during an entire winter season would be closer to 36".  Take a look at how the nearly 85" of snow could compare! 

Snow is only part of the story, the extreme cold was also took a frosty bite into the area.  This winter was the 5th coldest winter on record in Toledo history.  Records date back to 1873.  Wind chills in early January plummeted to levels rarely seen in Northwest Ohio with readings to -45° Below Zero.  The extreme cold once again froze the area and nearly froze time bringing the area to a sheltered standstill. 

The coldest winter on record remains 1977-1978 which had an average temperature (Dec/Jan/Feb) of 17.72°.

This winter also saw the 2nd greatest Ice Cover in the Great Lakes in recorded history.  Total ice cover reached 92.2% in early March.

Other miscellaneous stats and records include the following:

25 days below zero

9 days of new record cold

1st -- Snowiest January on record (40.2")

6th -- Coldest January on record

7th -- Snowiest February on record

7th -- Coldest February on record

5th -- Coldest winter on record (Dec/Jan/ Feb)

1st -- Snowiest winter season on record

2nd -- Highest Great Lakes Ice Cover

-46 Below Zero Wind Chill

Which winter was worse?  The infamous 1977-1978 winter or this latest severe winter blast?  My research proves that this winter was unmatched by any winter in Toledo's history for snowfall.  While it wasn't the coldest, it was very close to the extreme end of cold. This winter did not have a singular event that could match the blizzard in January of 1978, however the greater frequency of storms proved to be extremely harsh and relentless on the area.  It is fair to argue for either case, a lot of it depends on how it may have impacted you if you lived through both winters.  It is safe to say the Blizzard of 1978 still stands a the worst winter storm in modern history, but I believe many will argue and remember this winter as the worst ever experienced by anyone living today in Toledo!

March 16th, Sunday Night Weather Hangout

***UPDATE: The Hangout is now over. A video replay is now available below***

At 8:30 pm Sunday Night, Meteorologist Ryan Wichman will host his weekly 'Weather Hangout' on Google+.

The show takes questions from Ryan's Facebook and Twitter pages to answer and gives a summary of the forecast for the week ahead. If you are on Google +, be sure to add Ryan's page HERE. A live stream of the show will be offered here, with a video replay shortly to follow after the conclusion.

March 11th, Winter Storm Hangout

At 1:00 pm Tuesday, Meteorologist Ryan Wichman will host a Google+ hangout to go over the latest forecast information for the winter storm that will arrive overnight and into Wednesday. You can join the chat here: http://bit.ly/1ivREIc or use the Youtube window below to view a live stream.


          

Go Home Winter!

Nerd Alert: Here is a complex weather map...a look at the atmosphere at about 18,000 ft, about the height small planes fly.  This shows the general height, or ridge and trough pattern that dictates overall long term temperature trends.  This snapshot looks all the way out a the end of the month of March.

Here is why temperatures will remain below average the rest of the month. A very strong, persistent Pacific Ocean High pressure system ridges the jet stream north over the west coast and into Alaska resulting in very warm weather west and into Alaska.  A deep trough and upper level low is locked over the Hudson Bay in Canada which will continue the overall general flow of colder air over through the end of this month.  This low is also pinched and locked into place by a semi-permanent north Atlantic High pressure system.   

Bottom Line Folks:  March will remain much colder than Average.

Spring is now less than 10 days away and I don't see any realistic chance of reaching the 60s by then. Very doubtful as well in the 10 to 14 day outlook. Even unlikely (less than 40%) of seeing highs in the 60s in the final week of March. This winter is like boxing Mike Tyson, can we hang in one more round???

March 9th, Sunday Night Weather Hangout

***UPDATE: The Hangout is now over. A video replay is now available below***

 At 8:30 pm Sunday Night, Meteorologist Ryan Wichman will host his weekly 'Weather Hangout' on Google+.

The show takes questions from Ryan's Facebook and Twitter pages to answer and gives a summary of the forecast for the week ahead. If you are on Google +, be sure to add Ryan's page HERE. A live stream of the show will be offered here, with a video replay shortly to follow after the conclusion.

Sunday Night Weather Hangout

**UPDATE: The hangout has concluded. A video replay is now available below. **

Previous: At 8:30 pm Sunday Night, Meteorologist Ryan Wichman will host his weekly 'Weather Hangout' on Google+.

The show takes questions from Ryan's Facebook and Twitter pages to answer and gives a summary of the forecast for the week ahead. If you are on Google +, be sure to add Ryan's page HERE. A live stream of the show will be offered here, with a video replay shortly to follow after the conclusion.

Meteorological Winter to Remember in Toledo

By the early part of January it had become clear that this was going to be an historic winter in Toledo with the cold and snow already piling up. Now that meteorological winter is over (December-February) lets take a look back at just how historically cold and snowy it was. (P.S. meteorological winter is different than the astronomical winter on many of your calendars because meteorological winter is based on the coldest 3 months of the year, not the sun angle.)

In December we recorded a healthy 11.2" of snow in Toledo which is nearly 4" above average but nothing to threaten any records. It also was colder than normal (no surprise) but only by a slight margin of 2 degrees below an average December.

The big guns came out this winter during January and February. Let's start in chronological order: January was the 6th coldest and most snowy January on record. Over 40" of snow smashed the previous record of 32" and in the process not only broke the January record but also the all-time monthly snow record in Toledo. In perspective, Toledo averages in the upper 30's for inches of snowfall in a YEAR. Also, this January was one of the coldest on record with an average daily temperature of only 16 degrees. Toledo dropped below zero 11 times! (That's the 2nd most on record)

February apparently didn't have much interest in playing second fiddle to the opening month of the year. With plenty of snow and cold of her own, February pushed many records as well. It was the 7th coldest February recorded in Toledo with an average temperature of 17.7 degrees. It also was the 7th snowiest with 21.6" of snow. Only 6 days of the 28 on the calendar this month were above average. That's less than the 8 nights that slipped below zero through the month.

While January and February were harsh enough on their own combined it was a record shattered start to a year. No first 2 months of a year recorded more than the 61.8" of snow. It was also the 4th coldest start to a year through the 140 years on record in Toledo. Below is a ranking for snowfall and cold for meteorological winters in Toledo.

The weather history books still have 10 months of be written in for 2014 but few will forget how bitterly cold and snowy the year started off in Toledo.