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The Storms of November

The Storms of November

As we wait and see just how much wind we get today and see how it compares to November storms in the past. Also, of note as I write this just after midnight on November 5th the current temperature here in MBY and officially at GRR is 67. That already will make today the 6th warmest ever for any November 5th I write my Saturday reports just after midnight as I am not one who always gets up early.

The great lake region had two big storms on the same dates one in 1975 and the other in 1998. First the 1975 storm the one that brought down the Edmund Fitzgerald. During the period of November 9-10, 1975, a strong autumn storm tracked from the central U.S. through the Great Lakes region. While intense, it was not unusually strong for November. Early on the morning of November 9, a low-pressure system was organizing in central Kansas and had a pressure of 29.53 inches. By the evening of November 9, the low had moved northeast to eastern Iowa and had strengthened to 29.32 inches. During the next 12 hours, the storm system underwent its most rapid intensification as it moved northeast into Upper Michigan. On the morning of November 10, the low was located over Marquette, MI, and had a pressure of 29.00 inches. The low tracked northeast across Lake Superior that morning before reaching just southwest of James Bay in Ontario during the evening. Its pressure that evening was 28.88 inches.  Ship observations during the November 1975 storm showed sustained wind speeds of 30 to 45 knots from the northeast, east, or southeast prior to the low-pressure system crossing the lake. As the low crossed the lake, winds shifted to the northwest and increased. Wind speeds of 50 knots were recorded over the eastern part of the lake. Ship observations indicated waves of 16 to 18 feet during the height of the storm.

On land here are some observations for November 10, 1975 Sault Ste Marie the H/L was 58/36 there was 0.36” of rain fall and just a trace of snow fall. To the west at Marquette the H/L was 52/35 with 0.27” of rain and just a trace of snow fall. Marquette did record 7.5” of snow fall on the 12th of November. I live in Bay City in 1975 and I remember it got very windy late in the day but it was not cold at all with a H/L of 55/38 and there was not rain or snow there. Here I Grand Rapids the day was actually warm with a H/L of 66/38 and a reported 0.13” of rain fall and no snow fall. Not sure what the wind speed was. If anyone can remember that day let us know.

Then in 1998 at almost to the same hours and following practically the same track as the November 1975 storm, a more intense storm system tracked northeast from the central U.S. through the Great Lakes region during the period of November 9-11, 1998. On the morning of November 9, a low pressure system was organizing in eastern Colorado. Its pressure at that time was 29.41 inches. The system tracked east and then curved northeast, reaching northwest Iowa on the morning of November 10. It had rapidly intensified with its pressure dropping to 28.70 inches. The storm system further strengthened to an unusually low 28.55 inches as it tracked just east of Duluth, MN early in the evening of the 10th. By the morning of November 11th, the low was located in north central Ontario. Its pressure at that time was 28.58 inches. The November 1998 storm produced widespread damaging winds across the upper Great Lakes region. On Lake Superior, the observing sites at Devils Island within Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands, at Rock of Ages and at Passage Island on the south and north ends of Isle Royale, respectively, and at Stannard Rock, 40 miles north of Marquette, all reported lengthy periods of gale force winds of 34 to 47 knots. Gusts frequently exceeded 50 knots. Wind directions were primarily east, southeast, and south as the storm center approached and then moved over western Lake Superior. The wind then shifted west and northwest as the low moved into Ontario. While wave observations were not available, the long duration of gale and occasional storm force wind (wind in excess of 47 knots) likely produced significant wave heights of 20 to 25 feet on the open waters of Lake Superior.

On land for this storm at the Sault the H/L on the 10th was 54/38 falling to 42/33 on the 11th there was 1.60” of rain on the 10th and 0.27 on the 11th there was no snow fall.

At Marquette the H/L was 53/31 on the 10th falling to 34/27 on the 11th there was 0.77” of rain on the 10th and 0.02 on the 11th there was 0.5” of snow on the 10th and 0.2” on the 11th Here in Grand Rapids the H/L on the 10th was 60/14 falling to 42/35 for the 11th There was 1.37” of rain on the 10th and 0.06” on the 11th of that 0.2” was snow fall. It was very windy here in GR and I remember being at Mijer and seeing flashing of transformist and there were widespread power outages.

The White Hurricane 1913. The storm was given several monikers, including “White Hurricane,” the “Frozen Fury,” and the “Big Blow.”

But really, it was two storm systems colliding to produce what forecasters call a “meteorological bomb,” that exploded over the Great Lakes from Nov. 7-11.

In that time, more than 250 sailors were lost. At least 12 ships sank. Many more were stranded or smashed against the rocky shorelines from Lake Superior to Lake Erie.

Lake Huron saw the worst of this hellish storm, with eight ships going under and 187 lives lost during one violent six-hour window.

This was caused by an “unusual atmospheric phasing” of the Pre-Storm to the north and another storm system that was developing over the southeast U.S.

“The resultant ‘meteorological bomb’ over the eastern Great Lakes would produce prolonged, hurricane-force winds, blinding snow squalls, freezing spray and massive wave trains over the Great Lakes.

Here in Grand Rapids the high reached 64 on November 7th but fell to a high of just 29 by the 10th when 1” of snow fall was reported.

The 1940 storm

On November 11, 1940, a rapidly deepening low pressure system moved northeast from Kansas City, MO northeast through the Upper Mississippi River Valley and into the Upper Great Lakes. This low pressure area produced the lowest pressure reading ever recorded up to this time at Charles City, IA (28.92 inches), La Crosse, WI (28.72 inches), and Duluth, MN (28.66 inches).

Armistice Day (now known as Veteran’s Day) began with blue skies and temperatures in the 40s and 50s. The weather forecast for that morning was for colder temperatures and a few flurries. During the late morning and early afternoon, a strong cold front moved through the region.  Behind this front, the weather became rather blustery, and the temperature plunged to the single digits by the next morning. The rain turned to sleet and eventually to driving snow.

This storm, along with a slow moving blizzard which would move across northern Minnesota in mid-March 1941, caused the Weather Bureau to rethink its forecasting procedures. Forecasting for the entire region had been directed by the Chicago office, but in the wake of this storm, responsibilities were distributed to regional centers to provide more timely and accurate prediction.

Here in Grand Rapids the high on November 11, 1940 was 64 but on the 12th it was only 29 and on the 13th it the high was just 25. Lows were in the low to mid 20’s but only 0.2” of snow was reported. While 17.3” of snow fell that November most of it fell the last 3 days.

It looks like that for the most part the big November storms of the past had mostly little effect on areas away from the lakes. We will see how todays event (depending on how strong it really becomes plays out)

Slim

newest oldest
Mr. Negative
Mr. Negative

My tree limbs survived…

MichaelV (Otsego)
Mark (East Lansing)
Mark (East Lansing)

That’s awesome! He will be missed in the capital city.

Kyle (Portland, Ionia County)
Kyle (Portland, Ionia County)

Severe Thunderstorm Warning for all the lakeshore counties

Kyle (Portland, Ionia County)
Kyle (Portland, Ionia County)

The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for…
Van Buren County in southwestern Michigan…
Allegan County in southwestern Michigan…
Ottawa County in southwestern Michigan…

* Until 415 PM EDT.

* At 247 PM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line
extending from 30 miles west of Holland SP to 15 miles west of St.
Joseph, moving northeast at 55 mph.

HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts.

Kyle (Portland, Ionia County)
Kyle (Portland, Ionia County)

Pretty nasty line of showers in Illinois

severe squalls producing little to no lightning were
located along a line extending from Fox Lake to Villa Park to near
Peotone, moving east at 45 mph. These squalls have a history of
producing wind damage, and will be capable of producing isolated
swaths of enhanced wind damage through Cook, Lake, and eastern Will
counties.

HAZARD…70 mph wind gusts.

Barry in Zeeland
Barry in Zeeland

Thanks Slim. Breezy here today but nothing to significant yet. Unbelievably mild weather for this time of year. I don’t think our furnace has run in 3 or 4 days.

Bernie (Hamilton)
Bernie (Hamilton)

I love the storms that come through at this time of year, not the ensuing damage, but, like a tornado, just to appreciate the raw power and ability of mother nature to “put us back in our place” as to having control of everything. Growing up in SW MN, we had our share of wind events/blizzards, but the big lake adds an additional element of respect for nature.

Kyle (Portland, Ionia County)
Kyle (Portland, Ionia County)

Nice write up Slim

Waking up to a temp of 63 here this morning. Looks like it may get quite windy this afternoon. I see NWS Chicago has upgraded to High Wind Warning. NWS Grand Rapids talked about covering higher wind gusts with Svr Tstorm Warnings. We shall see how windy it gets here this afternoon.