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Goodbye 2021, Pt. 3

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The 2021 review continues as we reflect on September through December.

September

Hurricane Ida continued to rage through early September. Heavy rain flooded Louisiana, and 150mpg winds battered the city of Port Fourchon. In Grand Isla, nearly all of the homes were damaged, and 40% were destroyed, according to NOAA records. Flash flooding stretched from Pennsylvania to New York as Ida remnants merged with a frontal boundary.

Louisiana was still recovering from Ida when Nicholas struck. The category 1 hurricane made landfall on September 14th in Texas. The hurricane slowly tracked towards Louisiana over the next few days, causing more flooding. 

Another fact - September was also the fifth-warmest on record globally.

October

Several states saw record heat 

in October. Maryland and Ohio recorded their warmest October on record, while Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island had their second-warmest.

The Pacific Northwest experienced a bomb cyclone in late October. On the 24th, a record low-pressure system-generated strong winds and wave heights up to 45 feet along the coast of Washinton and Oregon. The cyclone's wind gusts knocked out power in Seattle.

California, which had been battling a drought all summer, we're dealt a blow when rainwater overcame the state, causing mudslides and flooding. While record-breaking 24-hour rainfall helped lessen the drought-stricken states, it triggered the mudslides in Blue Canyon and Santa Rosa.

On October 24th, numerous tornadoes developed in Missouri and Illinois. The Fredericktown, MO tornado was rated an EF-3 after damage surveys, with winds estimated around 150mph. There was one reported injury, but no fatalities. St. Mary and Chester saw EF-3 tornado damage. Reynolds county in Missouri was also hit by an EF-1 tornado near Johnson's Shut-ins, MO. Another EF-1 tornado formed in Iron and Madison County MO, while an EF-0 tracked through Washington County, IL.

Finally, Oklahoma saw a record number of tornadoes. 31 tornadoes confirmed tornadoes broke the previous record of 27 set in 1998. In the US, we ranked #2 for the more October tornadoes. The count was 146 twisters. The record for the most tornadoes sits at 159 set in 2018.

November 

The 2021 hurricane season recorded 21 tropical storms. Of those, seven were hurricanes, with four classified as major hurricanes. Last year ranked as the third most active year for hurricanes and was the second consecutive season where the storm name list was exhausted.

December

You would have thought it was spring again during the December 10th severe weather and tornado outbreak. The National Weather Service confirmed 66 tornadoes. The most devastating twister of the day was the Quad-state tornado, which developed in Arkansas before tracking through the Missouri Bootheel, Northwest Tennessee, and Kentucky. It was rated an EF-4, had a damage path more than 100 miles, and caused devastating damage in Mayfield, KY.

80 people were killed in Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Georgia, Ohio, and Indiana due to the tornadoes. The collapse of the Illinois Amazon facility was responsible for 6 of those deaths. The Kentucky governor confirmed 74 deaths in the state, of which eight were in the Mayfield candle factory.

We barely had time to breathe before the December 15th tornado outbreak. A powerful derecho spawned 99 tornadoes, caused dust storms, wildfires, snow squalls, hurricane-force winds, and heavy rain across the central US.

Minnesota reported 20 tornadoes, breaking a 71-year streak for no December tornadoes. 44 tornadoes touched down in Iowa, the most tornadoes ever recorded on any day. In total, 99 tornadoes ravaged the upper Midwest on the 15th.

In addition to the line of thunderstorms that fueled the tornadoes, the central plans and midwest experienced strong non-thunderstorm wind gusts. 83mph winds raced through Decatur City, 81mph wind gusts were recorded in Marshalltown, and 80mph in Johnston. 60-80mph wind gusts were common that day, prompting the issuance of wind advisories.

South Dakota issued their first-ever snow squall warning on December 15th. A strong low-pressure system brought in freezing temperatures and quickly developed snow. One snow band caused a whiteout in southern South Dakota due to high winds and blowing snow.

FINALLY, as if December 15th wasn't wild enough, The US recorded record-breaking warmth.

Final thoughts:

WHAT A YEAR! Sometimes, you forget how wild the year has been unless you take a moment to reflect on it. I wish you all the best of luck this year. I hope you see nothing by clear skies and beautiful weather. If impactful weather does develop, know your local meteorologists will be with you through the thick of it.

1 Comment Add a Comment?

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Mark

Posted on Feb. 28, 2022, 4:44 p.m.

Leah, great update!

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