2004 Weather Review

[jeff]

Not sure where to post this, but since this is the most active area now I put it here.


SE Texas / Texas Weather of 2004:

Feb 24:
F0 tornado damaged homes in College Station.

Apr 1:
widespread severe weather across SE TX. Baseball size hail in Crockett. Softball size hail in Magnolia. F1 tornado in Bellaire damaged a shopping center, overturned cars, and damaged several homes.

Apr 3:
cloud burst produced 10 inches of rain in 2 hours SW of Lubbock TX.

Apr 25:
15-20 homes flooded in Fulshear (Pecan Hill Subdivision) after 5-9 inches of rain in 12 hours.

May 1:
widespread severe weather and heavy rainfall. 75-100 homes flooded in Livingston (6-8 in of rain in 3 hrs). F1 tornado in Tomball damaged shopping center and bank. 6 deaths due to flooding

May11:
60kt microburst at BUSH IAH recorded by wind shear detection equipment. F1 tornado in Conroe damaged 100-200 homes in the Rivershire subdivision.

May 13:
15-17 inches of rain over Brazos and Robertson counties (400 sq miles under water) in a 8 hour period. Massive flooding. Dam failure near Hearne TX flooded 3/4ths of the town. Severe creek flooding over Brazos, Robertson, Madison, and Grimes counties.

June 17:
76-yr old woman is struck and killed by lightening while waiting for a bus in central Harris County.

June 25-30th:
Major river flooding on the Tres Palacios, Trinity, and San Bernards Rivers.

June 2004
the second wettest June on record at BUSH IAH only behind June 2001 (TS Allison).

July 29:
12-14 inches of rain over S Dallas County in 6 hours produced massive flooding. 100-250 homes flooded with 2-4 feet of water. 2 deaths.

Aug 3:
first and only 100 degree day at BUSH IAH

Aug 14:
lightening struck 30 football players at Grapeland High School. Many injuries, no deaths.

Aug 2004:
record 3 cold fronts pass through Houston producing 3 new record low during the middle of the month.

Sept 23:
Re-developed TS Ivan makes landfall in SW LA and then loops SW into SE TX. 2-4 foot above normal tides produce minor coastal flooding especially along the west side of Galveston Bay. Very little rainfall.

October 2004:
Warmest October on record at BUSH, Galveston, and College Station. 6 new high temperature records set at IAH.

Nov 21:
10-16 inches of rain fell over Jackson and Wharton counties in a 6-12 hour period. Widespread disastrous flooding in El Campo, Wharton, and Ganado. 100-200 homes flooded.

Nov 22-25:
widespread heavy rains and flooding across SE TX. 4th highest flow ever recorded on the Colorado River at Wharton and on the San Bernard River at Boling (25 feet above flood stage). Major flooding along the Brazos River and Trinity River. Moderate flooding along Cypress Creek and Halls Bayou. 300 homes flooded across SE TX mainly along the Colorado River and San Bernard River.

November 2004:
2nd wettest Nov. on record at IAH with 11.73 in of rainfall.

Dec 24-25:
Historical snowstorm blankets Wharton, Matagorda, Brazoria counties under 8-13 inches of snow. First White Christmas ever recorded at Hobby, Galveston, Wharton, and Bay City. Incredible 13 inches of snow at Brazoria, 12 inches at Victoria, 4.4 inches at Corpus, and 1.5 inches at Brownsville. First measurable snow in Brownsville since 1895. New record snowfall (for date, month, and year) at Corpus Christi (old record was 4.3 in in 1895). Largest snowfall ever recorded at Victoria. First measurable snow at BUSH IAH on Christmas Eve with a record 4.0 inches on Galveston Island. These records will stand for decades to come. Easily the most amazing weather event of 2004.

US Weather Events 2004:

Jan 24:
85mph winds batter Hawaii after a cold frontal passage. 12,000 residents without power.

Feb 26:
3rd largest snowfall on record for Charlotte, NC after 20 inches falls in 24 hrs. Much of the mid-ATL had 10-15 inches of snow.

Mar 6:
thunderstorm straight line winds in excess of 55mph capsize a water taxi with 25 people onboard in Baltimore's inner Harbor. 5 deaths.

Mar 27:
first ever recorded S ATL hurricane struck Brazil.

Apr 20:
52 tornadoes over Illinois and Indiana in a 24 hour period. 8 deaths. Town of Utica, Ill is completely destroyed.

May 21-24:
179 tornadoes across the central plains. Hundreds of injuries around Oklahoma City. Town of Hallam, NE is completely destroyed.

May 2004:
546 tornadoes recorded for the month.

June 2004:
2.6 million acres burned across Alaska from wildfires. Smoke reduced visibility as far south as Denver and Chicago.

Aug 3:
Hurricane Alex brushes the NC outer banks with hurricane force winds. 120mph wind gust at Ocracoke Island. Significant structural damage and storm surge flooding along the southern outer banks.

Aug 12:
TS Bonnie makes landfall near Apalachicola FL with 45mph winds.

Aug 13:
Powerful category 4 (150mph sustained) hurricane Charley slams ashore at Cayo Costa, FL NW of Punta Gorda. First category 4 to hit the US since Andrew in 1992. Recon recorded flight level winds of 162kts at landfall and eye diameter of only 6 miles. Storm chasers in Punta Gorda recorded a central pressure of 943mb in the eye. 22 deaths. 14 billion dollars in damage. 12,000 buildings destroyed across SW and C FL. 2 million residents without power. 25 of 67 FL counties declared federal disaster areas.

Aug 29:
Hurricane Gaston makes landfall at McClellanville, SC. 13 inches of rain in Richmond Virginia produced record flooding and 7 deaths. 20 city blocks were declared uninhabitable on the 31st after rapid moving flood waters undermined many buildings.

Sept 5:
Hurricane Frances makes landfall on the FL E coast near Hutchinson Island as a strong category 2 (105mph sustained). Second hurricane to hit FL. 90,000 residents sheltered in evacuation shelters (2 million evacuated). 23 deaths in FL. Produced 117 tornadoes over FL and the SE US surpassing the record of 115 from Hurr. Beulah's rampage through TX in 1967. 1.8 million FL residents without power.

Sept 13:
13-20 inches of rain from the remains of Frances fell on Ashville NC. Severe flooding.

Sept 16:
Powerful category 3 Hurricane Ivan moves ashore near Perdido Key, AL (135mph sustained). Strongest hurricane in 100 years to impact the AL and FL Gulf coast. Catastrophic storm surge flooding of 10-13 feet along the FL panhandle coast near Pensacola. I-10 bridge completely destroyed. 50 ft waves recorded in the Gulf of Mexico toppled 25 oil rigs in the E Gulf. 50 US deaths (72 deaths in the Caribbean Sea). Reached category 5 intensity 3 times during its life and leveled the island of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles. 104 tornadoes across FL and the SE US. Ivan moved off the US E coast near NC then headed SW into the Gulf of Mexico and regenerated making its final landfall in SW LA on the 23rd as a weak TS.

Sept 26:
Hurricane Jeanne made landfall as a category 3 (120mph sustained) near Hutchinson Island FL (same place as Frances). 4th hurricane to impact FL in 6 weeks (only one other time has this happen and it was in TX in 1886). Significant damage to structures already damaged by Charley and Frances. First major hurricane to hit the FL E coast from Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale in more than 100 years. 10 US deaths (3,006 deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic from mudslides and flooding). 16 tornadoes.

NOTE: 2004 hurricane Season has become the most costly on record with 42 billion dollars in damage (1992 35 billion). 9 US landfalls and 117 deaths across the US. 1 in 5 FL homes suffered hurricane damage.

September 2004: 247 tornadoes recorded breaking the old record of 139 mostly from landfalling tropical cyclones.

Oct 10:
TS Matthew makes landfall near Houma, LA. 15-17 inches of rain over parts of SE LA.

Oct 30:
10 inches of rain over Waikiki, HI produces flooding that rushed through the University of Hawaii main research Library. Students had to escape through windows as water rushed into the basement.

US tornadoes:
record1,722 tornadoes recorded in 2004 (old record 1,424 in 1998)

Hurricane Season 2004:

15 named storms---9 hurricanes---6 major hurricanes.
9 US landfalls
4 hurricane hit the state of FL.
Mostly costly hurricane season on record.