Heat Miser or Snow Miser
Which do you prefer?
For Christmas fans: Youtube Video of the Miser Brothers
9:15 AM MON 7.26.2010 | On this calmer day following a crazy "Christmas in July," we surmise many have decided to ally more closely with Mr. Snow Miser than Mr. Heat Miser. But what a weekend it was for the infamous brothers of climate control. Looking back on what happened this past week in the eastern U.S. suggests they conspired to deliver the worse Mother Nature can conjure. Consider these recent headlines and reports:
Two days of "holy one hundred batman!" as temperatures reached or surpassed triple digits across the East: 100° in Baltimore and DC Saturday and Sunday, 105° in Richmond, VA. Even rural locations such as Forecaster Zak Brisko's home in Greencastle, Franklin County, PA soared to 101° on Saturday. Many would agree Heat Miser has long outstayed his welcome across the Eastern U.S. this summer.Incredible outbreak of severe weather in the Mid-Atlantic Sunday afternoon sent temperatures plunging nearly 25 degrees in less than one hour. One reader in Maryland reported the temp at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport plunged from 99° to 75° in minutes. It was welcome relief but was followed by catastrophe for many. A meteorolgical overview of the outbreak as reported by the State College, PA National Weather Service.
Storms caused 200,000+ outages in the Washington, DC metro area alone as tornado warnings blanketed parts of the I-95 Northeast corridor. Wind gusts reached near-hurricane force as boats flipped over in the Chesapeake Bay, multiple tornadoes in New York and Pennsylvania trees split in half and tossed cars off major highways. Torrential rain of 6 to 12 inches led to the collapse of an earthen dam in Iowa. In just minutes, the 88 year-old dam gave way after days of heavy rain raised its level to well above flood stage. The entire contents of Lake Dehli surged downstream on Sunday, July 25, 2010, completely enveloping the town of Monticello, IA in sewage-choked water. Though the dam could be repaired and the lake restored, reclaiming contaminated property from hundreds of homes in summers'm heat may be more difficult near term.
Flooding also inundated the suburbs of Chicago, with similar scenes of submerged underpasses and entire neighborhoods. States of emergency are in effect across the western Chicago suburbs, northern Illinois and Iowa in the wake of catastrophic flooding this weekend. The City of Chicago has these recommended safety procedures for residents working to recover from flooding in their homes.Our hearts and prayers go out to our fellow citizens and readers affected by this latest round of severe weather across the eastern U.S. The forecast team continually efforts to remain sensitive to impacts that high risk weather events pose. We strive to mesh our excitement and passion with providing you with our very best reporting. Many thanks go out to the Central Maryland Team for being at the ready when storms struck, including Forecasters Jason M., Ryan K., Dakota S., and Greg J. (Forecaster Foot - Dundalk, MD)
