Topper's Blog

Triskaidekaphobia

TopperShutt — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:39:00 GMT

Are you a little afraid of Friday the 13^th ? Do you not date checks on the 13^th of a month ? Do you think that the number 13 is bad luck ? We all know that many buildings skip the thirteenth floor and many cities do not even have Thirteenth Street, although we do have a Thirteenth Street downtown. The Chinese and the Egyptians believe 13 to be a lucky number. Since there were thirteen at the Last Supper some feel it became unlucky then. You add Friday to that and things really get unlucky. The crucifixion was on Friday. We can’t forget Apollo 13, although the ending was a lucky one. Apollo 13 lifted off at 13:13 central time on April 4, 1970. If you add 4 (April) and 13 (the day) and 7(0) (for 1970) you get 13. Apollo 13 was launched from pad 39, a multiple of 13. What do Napoleon, Mark Twain, and Franklin Roosevelt have in common ? That’s right they are feared the number 13. FDR always made sure the number of guests for a luncheon or dinner party was never just thirteen. I don’t really fear the number but I do draw the line, so to speak at dating checks. I will not date a check the thirteenth of any month, Friday or not. Every year has at least one Friday the thirteenth. In a 28 year calendar cycle there are four years with three of them. Enjoy today, Friday the thirteenth; you can make it as superstitious as you want it to be.

On this date in 2003 high winds hit the Mid Atlantic and the Northeast. National had a gust to 54 mph, while Dulles’ winds toped out at 52 mph. A gust to 56 mph was recorded at BWI. 120,000 were without power in the Metro Area.

Veteran's Day Snowstorm

TopperShutt — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:46:00 GMT

If you were in town you remember the Veteran's Day Snowstorm of 1987. National Airport recorded eleven and a half inches with eleven inches at Dulles. The eleven and a half inch total at National is a daily snowfall record for the month – and the fact that it occurred during the month’s first half makes it especially impressive!

Thunder snow occurred east of town and some of the suburbs in Prince Georges County received fourteen inches. It’s not too often when the heaviest band of snow is east of town. It snowed all day as far south as Greensboro, North Carolina producing a covering on the grass. This snowstorm is commonly referred to as the “Veteran’s Day Snowstorm.”

That’s just another fancy name given an early season “Nor’Easter.” Making this snow especially tricky to deal with across the region was the fact that it occurred in the first half of November when leaves were still in the process of falling and those leaves that had already fallen had not yet been cleared.

It does not take much wintry precipitation to wreak havoc across the DC Metro area, but taking a considerable amount of snow – as this storm brought – and adding it on top of falling leaves, that created exceptionally treacherous travel conditions. Getting snow in November is rare, but not unheard of. National and Dulles Airports both average around an inch of snow in a typical November – making the “Veteran’s Day” storm totals one for the record books.

Edmund Fitzgerald

TopperShutt — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:45:00 GMT

In late fall the jet stream is in the process of migrating southward. When it dips sharply into the US storms can explode with sharp contrasts in temperature and copious amounts of moisture.

Such was the scenario on this date in 1975 when an intense storm raged over Lake Superior. Another 'Freshwater Fury' on Lake Superior sank the ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald with a loss of 29. The carrier was 729 feet long and was first commissioned in 1958. She was loaded with twenty six thousand tons of iron ore pellets. Winds gusted to 71 mph at Sault Ste Marie and 78 mph at Grand Rapids. Unlike tropical cyclones, non-tropical storms such as this ‘Freshwater Fury’ storm – also referred to as the “Edmund Fitzgerald Storm” – and “Nor’Easters” are not given names.

You might remember the song ‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot. ‘When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin'. Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya. At Seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in, he said Fellas, it's been good t'know ya ‘

Sometime storms in fall and winter are given nicknames such as “The Perfect Storm” in October 1991 or the “Superstorm of 1993.” Sometimes we will name big storms on air. We called the 2003 blizzard the ‘Big Dawg’ storm. Other times if a notable storm occurs on a certain holiday it can pick up a name from that day. We have had the Presidents Day blizzard in ’79 and again in ’03 (the Big Dawg.) Tomorrow I will describe another memorable storm that longtime Washingtonians will remember and snowbirds like myself remember fondly!

Growing Seasons

TopperShutt — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:44:00 GMT

You might have wondered last Friday night why no freeze advisories were posted for the northern and western suburbs. All the suburbs fell into the upper twenties Friday night. The growing season was over west of I 95 so the freeze warnings were posted east of I 95. For all intents and purposes the growing season is over. That said your mums and pansies can last for quite awhile. In fact, if we have another wimpy winter the pansies will last all the way through it into the spring. I have seen this a couple of times with the pansies on the weather terrace. A good tip for these hardy plants is to still water them before a very cold night. The water changes state and releases heat back into the atmosphere.

The I 95 dividing line is a line of demarcation between micro climates. Often in the winter months with storms we will say ‘heavier snow west of I 95’ or ‘mainly snow west of I 95 with a mix south and east of I 95’.

On this date in 1926 a tornado ripped through Charles County, Maryland killing seventeen. This was the worst tornado event in Maryland's history. The tornado touched down in La Plata hitting a two room elementary school killing thirteen students and a teacher. Five homes were torn from their foundations. Another tornado, even more powerful would strike La Plata in late April in 2002.

On this date in 2002, from the ninth to the tenth a massive tornado outbreak occurred from Mississippi to Ohio. A total of fifty tornadoes touched down leaving thirty three dead.

Friday Night Freeze

TopperShutt — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:15:00 GMT

A Freeze Warning is in effect for our southern and eastern suburbs, essentially east of I 95. The growing season has not ended to our east thus the warning. A freeze is likely in the western and northern suburbs as well but the growing season has already ended in those parts of the Metro Area.

- Bring your plants

- Water your plants

- Cover your plants (water them first)

- Remember to uncover your plants in the morning

Mum and pansies will be fine tonight but I would still recommend watering them.