On This Date: An April Fools' Blizzard In The Northeast
Spring is the transition between winter's cold and summer's heat. Sometimes a late-season snowstorm can play a cruel joke on those ready to move on.
On April 1, 1997, 28 years ago today, a snowstorm was finishing up in the Northeast, leaving over 10 inches of wet, heavy snow from southern New England to the Hudson Valley north of New York City, Catskills and Poconos.
Boston's Logan Airport picked up 25.4 inches of snow, their fourth heaviest snowstorm on record, and almost equal to the snow they measured for the entire 1996-97 season prior to the storm. That was accompanied by snowfall rates up to 3 inches per hour, with thunder and lightning reported, which prompted the airport to shut down from the afternoon of March 31 through late night on April 1.
The April Fools' snowstorm set Massachusetts' all-time 24-hour snowfall record in Milford, where 36 inches fell, according to weather historian Christopher Burt.
This combination of heavy, wet snow and wind downed numerous trees and left hundreds of thousands of customers without power. Given how fast the snow came down, plows couldn't keep up and thousands of vehicles were stranded, prompting assistance from the National Guard to dig out some vehicles.
Prior to the storm, Boston soared to 63 degrees on March 30. That's a scenario many in the northern U.S. are painfully familiar with in early spring.
(MORE: Major Winter Storms Can Happen In April)
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Heatwave incoming: How high will temps go and when will it end?
Just in time for summer, here comes the heat. "A dangerous, widespread heat wave will bake the central and eastern U.S., bringing the hottest temperatures of the year and uncomfortably muggy air to the Midwest and Northeast that in some areas could last into much of next week," meteorologist Jonathan Erdman said in an online forecast June 20. AccuWeather estimates that 170 million people will experience temperatures at or above 90 degrees during the building heat wave into next week. "The magnitude and longevity of this heat wave will be a shock to the system," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Chad Merrill said. Heat alerts from the National Weather Service were in place June 20 across large swaths of the central and eastern U.S. Following a broiling Friday June 20, in the Plains, the heat will expand over the weekend across portions of the Midwest and Great Lakes. By Saturday June 21, major heat will expand across the Midwest, and extreme heat impacts will begin in parts of Nebraska, where temperatures could reach triple digits. Extreme levels are defined as rare or long-duration heat with little to no overnight relief, according to the weather service. The heat is then expected to shift and persist across the Ohio Valley, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic later in the weekend through next week. AccuWeather said the heat wave will continue to progress eastward, focusing on the Great Lakes, the central Appalachians, the mid-Atlantic and New England. Daily high temperatures are forecast to be well into the 90s, with overnight temperatures dropping only into the mid-70s from the Great Lakes to the East Coast. That will offer little to no relief to those without adequate or reliable cooling, the Weather Prediction Center said. "The first significant heat wave of the year can pose more danger," the center said. As the heat builds, people should limit outdoor activity, stay hydrated and ensure access to air conditioning and other cooling areas. "Heat exhaustion and heatstroke can strike even physically fit individuals in the prime of their lives," Alex Sosnowski said. The heat wave will be triggered by a change in the jet stream pattern, Erdman said in an online forecast. "Specifically a strong bubble of high pressure aloft known as a heat dome will develop over the eastern U.S. Sinking air near the center of this heat dome suppresses clouds, allowing the intense sunshine this time of year to heat the ground and air above it," Erdman said. Southerly and southwesterly winds will also draw hot and humid air from the South into the Midwest and Northeast, he said. Meanwhile, in a testament to the vast size of the U.S., snow and cold will be the story in Montana. Some portions of Glacier National Park could see as much as two feet of snow, the weather service said. The weather service warned of "considerable disruptions to normal activities" and "dangerous or impossible conditions. Avoid travel in the impacted areas if possible." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heat wave: How hot will it get? How long will it last?
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Heatwave incoming: How high will temps go and when will it end?
Just in time for summer, here comes the heat. "A dangerous, widespread heat wave will bake the central and eastern U.S., bringing the hottest temperatures of the year and uncomfortably muggy air to the Midwest and Northeast that in some areas could last into much of next week," meteorologist Jonathan Erdman said in an online forecast June 20. AccuWeather estimates that 170 million people will experience temperatures at or above 90 degrees during the building heat wave into next week. "The magnitude and longevity of this heat wave will be a shock to the system," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Chad Merrill said. Heat alerts from the National Weather Service were in place June 20 across large swaths of the central and eastern U.S. Following a broiling Friday June 20, in the Plains, the heat will expand over the weekend across portions of the Midwest and Great Lakes. By Saturday June 21, major heat will expand across the Midwest, and extreme heat impacts will begin in parts of Nebraska, where temperatures could reach triple digits. Extreme levels are defined as rare or long-duration heat with little to no overnight relief, according to the weather service. The heat is then expected to shift and persist across the Ohio Valley, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic later in the weekend through next week. AccuWeather said the heat wave will continue to progress eastward, focusing on the Great Lakes, the central Appalachians, the mid-Atlantic and New England. Daily high temperatures are forecast to be well into the 90s, with overnight temperatures dropping only into the mid-70s from the Great Lakes to the East Coast. That will offer little to no relief to those without adequate or reliable cooling, the Weather Prediction Center said. "The first significant heat wave of the year can pose more danger," the center said. As the heat builds, people should limit outdoor activity, stay hydrated and ensure access to air conditioning and other cooling areas. "Heat exhaustion and heatstroke can strike even physically fit individuals in the prime of their lives," Alex Sosnowski said. The heat wave will be triggered by a change in the jet stream pattern, Erdman said in an online forecast. "Specifically a strong bubble of high pressure aloft known as a heat dome will develop over the eastern U.S. Sinking air near the center of this heat dome suppresses clouds, allowing the intense sunshine this time of year to heat the ground and air above it," Erdman said. Southerly and southwesterly winds will also draw hot and humid air from the South into the Midwest and Northeast, he said. Meanwhile, in a testament to the vast size of the U.S., snow and cold will be the story in Montana. Some portions of Glacier National Park could see as much as two feet of snow, the weather service said. The weather service warned of "considerable disruptions to normal activities" and "dangerous or impossible conditions. Avoid travel in the impacted areas if possible." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heat wave: How hot will it get? How long will it last?
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
100,000 acres burned by wildfires around Gila National Forest
Jun. 20—In 10 days, two wildfires around the Gila National Forest have burned over 100,000 acres, forced evacuations and spurred Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to sign an executive order declaring an emergency. The blazes, the Buck Fire and Trout Fire, have drawn over 1,596 fire personnel, including roughly 42 New Mexico National Guardsmen and Kirtland Air Force Base airmen, to the southwestern forest to aid in fire suppression. A damage assessment conducted by the Grant County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement has determined that two camping trailers and three structures have been damaged by the Trout Fire, north of Silver City, which has burned over 45,000 acres. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Roughly 2,000 people have been forced to evacuate from their homes. Power companies have been working to identify outages and restore service, said Stefan La-Sky, spokesperson for Southwest Incident Management Team 4. For the first time since the Trout Fire ignited on June 10, firefighters have been able to establish a containment line of 11%. "We're very happy about that, and it's a step in the right direction," La-Sky said. "Mother Nature gave us a little help... with southerly winds bringing in some cooler air and some moisture." Southeast of the community of Aragon, the Buck Fire has burned over 57,000 acres in Catron County and was 71% contained as of Friday, according to New Mexico Fire Information. No one has been reported injured, and no structures have been damaged. A red flag warning was issued on Friday, and fire officials are watching the wind through the weekend. As the fires raged on, residents in Ruidoso experienced a flash flood Thursday evening. "We had some low water spots where we had water over the road, but as soon as the water had time to recede, we had crews stationed to remove debris," said Kelly Gladden, public information officer for the village of Ruidoso. "It was lower level, but it was not forecasted at all, so it kind of took us by surprise."
