The final two months of 2014 were vastly different and reversed in what is normally expected. The Northeast actually experienced a record breaking cold and snowy November followed by an abnormally wet and warm December. Many spots, especially in New England, recorded substantially more snow in November than December with the December snow deficit among the top ten on record. Let’s review how Mother Nature finished off 2014.
The weather pattern quickly turned active as a nor’easter from Halloween night continued into November 1st. Periods of steady rain even led to flooding for coastal locations. As the coastal storm traveled into New England on the 2nd, enough cold air wrapped in to allow a transition over to wet snow. This was the first snow of the year for most New Englanders with southeast Massachusetts picking up to nearly 2 inches. Following the storm, high pressure on November 3rd and 4th allowed temperatures to rebound nicely into the 60s and 70s. This warm spell was short lived, however, as a surge of Canadian air led to the first freeze in the Mid Atlantic on the 8th.
A quiet period ensued from the 9th to the 12th with continued mild temperatures in the 60s before the wrath of a historic arctic blast gripped the eastern half of the country. This outbreak came in two distinct shots with the initial shot leading to the first widespread snowfall of the season on November 13th with totals ranging from 0.5 – 2 inches, mainly north and west of I – 95. Considering the first snowfall was nearly a month early, some recorded their first ever measurable snowfall for the day. The following days were tranquil but cool with temperatures tumbling 5 – 15 degrees below average.
By the third week of the month, the second and more conspicuous cold air intrusion hit the Northeast. Behind a cold front on the 16th that brought a wintry mix to many locations, temperatures crashed breaking records up and down I – 95 through the 22nd. High temperatures only reached the 30s and 40s with overnight night lows plummeting into the 20s and even teens. The map below illustrates just how cold it was in New Jersey early on November 19th.
Image above courtesy of the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist
After a weeklong surge of temperatures more fitting for January, temperatures soared into the 60s and 70s after a warm front passed on the 24th. Such temperatures even broke daily high records. The system’s cold front cooled areas off by the 25th before the first major winter storm of the season arrived just in time for the busiest travel day of the year.
A moisture rich and strong nor’easter initially produced rain across the Northeast on the 26th but as the rain intensified, it mixed with and changed to heavy, wet snow. Some, mainly in New England, even turned to sleet for a period. The elevations of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Hudson Valley were hardest where snow totals reached 6 – 12 inches which also led to power outages. Snow ended overnight with many waking up to a white Thanksgiving, the first for most since 1989. A few places even ranked November 27th among their top ten snowiest November days ever recorded. See the table below for who smashed their previous snowfall records for this day. The Thanksgiving holiday featured additional snow showers although little, if any, accumulated. However, by the evening, another system developed and brought New England another helping of snow, this time on the order of 1 – 3 inches. The final days of the month were quiet with temperatures moderating into the 50s by the 30th.
Heading into December, the warm trend continued with highs on the 1st topping out in the 60s to even near 70. However, this warm spell was short lived as a wintry mix event arrived on the 2nd. Most accumulations were minor, on the order of coating – 0.5” of snow and ice for places mainly north and west of I – 95. Dreary conditions continued into the 3rd before high pressure cleared out of the region by December 4th.
A wet period ensued going into the second week of the month where 50% – 75% of the monthly precipitation fell. This week also included an upper level disturbance that become stationary over the Northeast for nearly a week. First, a moisture rich system dumped 1 – 2 inches of rain on the 5th and 6th with even a brief wintry mix in interior New England that produced less than an inch of snow and ice. Then, a strong upper level system from the Atlantic impacted the Northeast from the 8th through the 12th bringing a multitude of precipitation types including moderate rain, freezing rain and snow. In fact, most the month’s snowfall occurred during this period. The disturbance first brought freezing rain to interior areas of the Northeast that coated places in up to a tenth of an inch of ice. Further north in New England, a wintry mix dropped coating – 1 inch of snow and ice. Periods of steady rain then soaked the region in another 1 – 2 inches the following day, breaking many daily rainfall records. From the 10th – 12th, the system became stationary over the Northeast and enough cold air wrapped in to bring consecutive days of snow showers. Due to marginal temperatures, however, most snow showers were minor and added up to just 0.5 to 2 inches of snow by the end of the week.
The weather pattern then turned more tranquil and mild for the second half of the month. Outside of rain showers on the 16th, the third week of the month was rather quiet with high pressure in control and temperatures moderating into the upper 40s and 50s. However, this respite was short as snow showers returned to New England the weekend of December 20th and 21st. After 0.5 – 2 inches of snow accumulated, a minor freezing rain event followed for the 22nd that brought patchy ice to interior areas.
Heading towards the holidays, Mother Nature brought mild and wet weather to the region. Dense fog developed for the 23rd and 24th with periods of rain and warm temperatures on Christmas Eve. In fact, many tied or even broke daily record highs as places soared into the 60s to even near 70. Christmas Day was dry with mild temperatures continuing. The final days of the 2014 remained pleasant but became chilly going into the New Year.
A comparison of November and December 2014 shows that the months ended not just on opposing sides of the spectrum but actually were reversed in what typically is expected for early winter. November finished among the top ten for cold and snow, while December ranks among the top for warmth and least snow. The table below conveys just how different the months were in the snow department.
For parts of the Mid Atlantic, this was the first November to have measurable snowfall since 2005 with a 3 – 5 inch snowfall surplus prevalent further north. Considering November’s monthly temperature was 2 – 4 degrees below normal, places like Dulles, VA and Atlantic City, NJ ranked it one of the coldest Novembers on record. Going into December, the extremes flipped. Unlike November, strong arctic blasts never settled over the Northeast and monthly temperatures ran 3 – 6 degrees warmer than normal. It was this lack of cold air rather than precipitation that led to high snowfall deficits as December was plenty wet. In fact, the month featured a 1 – 3 inch rain surplus and an average of 15 days with measurable precipitation. The chart below illustrates just how high the snowfall deficit was across the Northeast.
Will January compensate for December’s snow deficit? Find out in next month’s newsletter.
