Lake Ontario Entombed A House In Ice

This house along the shore of Lake Ontario was buried in
ice this past week when high winds send waves
crashing onto shore, where the water froze. 

We all know what a pain in the neck it is to clear snow and ice from around our homes after a winter storm.

I bet, though, you've got nothing on this house, pictured in this blog post along Ramona Beach in Pulaski, New York, along the shores of Lake Ontario.

The massive wind storm that shoved mountains of ice onto the shore of Lake Erie last weekend also whipped across Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario had some of similar ice shoves, but much of the lake, unlike Lake Erie, was not frozen.

This allowed the 70 mph wind gusts to crash big waves onto shore. The waves sprayed onto trees, driveways and houses, where it froze. 

This house seemed to get the worst of it. It's now entombed in about three feet of ice. The worry, of course is, what will happen when the ice melts? Will the water flow into the house, ruining everything?  Or has the ice already done much of that destruction?

Other houses around Ramona Beach in Pulaski are covered in ice, too, but not as badly as this house.

Here's a great news report that gives you a great look at this mess:  

Hawaii is Going All Extreme Weather On Us All Of A Sudden

Snow on the ground at an elevation of only 6,200 feet in Maui,
Hawaii last weekend. 

Ah, Hawaii:

Warm sunshine, pleasant tropical breezes gently swaying the palm trees, sandy beaches, the views of Waikiki. What's not to love?

Lately, enough. Apparently, the weather in Hawaii in recent days, months and the past year hasn't been going according to script.

Meteorology seems to be conspiring to ruin Hawaii's reputation as the ultimate place of lovely weather.

KONA STORM SLASHES RECORDS

This past weekend was the piece de resistance. Arguably the most intenst Kona storm on record caused, well, some incredible weather records to fall in Hawaii. The records included snow, bone-chilling code and incredible wind speeds.

Kona storms in Hawaii are winter storms that approach from  the northwest. The jet stream is much further south in the winter than in the summer. The types of dips in the jet stream that cause winter storms in places like Vermont and the rest of the mid-latitudes sometimes come far enough south to barely brush the Hawaiian Islands.

This time, a cold upper level low came down from the North Pacific and came much closer than normal to Hawaii than most Kona storms. This one was also particularly strong. (Video of the snow, waves and wind are at the bottom of this post.)

The result was some decidedly un-Hawaiian weather. The wind atop Mauna Kea volcano gusted to 191 mph, which is probably the highest wind gust on record in Hawaii. Sustained winds up there were 125 mph.

There's no way to prove that this was the highest wind on record for Hawaii, because they don't really keep track of such things. But longtime observers say that's easily the highest wind they've seen.

The summit of Mauna Kea is at 13.803 elevations, so high winds, blizzards and frigid temperatures are pretty common there in winter. But not like this.

The coldest temperature on record in Hawaii is, or at least was, 12 degrees on the summit of Mauna Kea, on May 17, 1979. It looks like the temperature got down to somewhere between 8 and 11 degrees on Mauna Kea during last weekend's storm, but that reading will have to be verified before they become official.

On Maui, snow fell at an elevation as low as 6,200 feet, the lowest elevation at which snow was seen on record.  Snow has been seen atop 10,000 foot Haleakala on Maui, but never this low. People flocked to the Polipoli State Park in Maui last weekend so they could say they played in the snow in Hawaii.

A second storm today is bringing more snow to Haleakala on Maui and the high volcano peaks on the Big Island of Hawaii, but the snow won't get to as low an elevation as it did a few days ago.

OTHER RECORDS

In other Hawaiian extremes, a storm that hit the state last April was just in the past couple of days verified as producing a United States record for the most rain in a 24 hour period.

In the 24 hours ending at 12:45 p.m. April 15, 2018, a total of 49.69 inches fell on Waipa Gardens, Hawaii. That breaks the previous national record of 43 inches in 24 hours, set on  July 25-26, 1979 in Alvin, Texas.

For perspective, there have only been three entire years in Burlington, Vermont on record that had more rain than what fell in 24 hours on that April day last year in Hawaii.

Also, last August, Hurricane Lane dumped 52 inches of rain on one town in Hawaii. That's the second highest rainfall of any hurricane or tropical storm in known United States history. Only the Texas Hurricane Harvey in 2017 poured more rain down.

Here's some videos:

A snowy drive in Maui, Hawaii, this past Sunday:



Video of high waves from the storm on Oahu:

West Coast Has Been Battered And Bruised Lately With Big, Weird Storms

Big waves on the California coast last week. Photo by Kent Porter/AP

While I've been whining about the stormy, wet, flood producing, windy, temperature-gyration storminess in our New England neck of the woods, it's been a trying December along the West Coast, especially up toward Washington State.

Giant waves, a very odd and strong tornado and then another nasty windstorm has made pretty much everyone in the dark December Northwest weather weary.

Videos are at the bottom of this post.

GIGANTIC WAVES

The stormy period started with some of the largest waves seen on the West Coast in years. These waves were generated mostly by immense storms in the Pacific Ocean in and south of the Gulf of Alaska.

The waves forced the postponement of the Mavericks surfing competition. They'll try to reschedule when the surf becomes less deadly. These cancellations happen from time to time. Better safe than sorry.

Forecasters issued strident warnings to people, urging them to stay away from beaches. "Sneaker waves"  gushes of water from the turbulent seas, could have easily overwhelmed areas along shorelines untouched by waves in the previous hours. That would have swept people out to sea.

The National Weather Service office in San Francisco warned people: "Stay way back from the ocean or face certain death."

So far, I haven't heard of any deaths or serious injuries from these waves. But some surfers braved the waves. Some of them reported got tossed onto rocky shores, giving them  some nasty bumps and scrapes.

There were reports of damage. The 146-year old Ventura Pier in California was closed after a couple pilings and a cross brace were wrecked by the big waves. They're not sure when they will reopen the pier, because now officials have to do a safety inspection. The pier is a popular spot for marriage proposals, prom photos and the like.

BIG TORNADO

A house wrecked by a tornado in Port Orchard, Washington
last week. Photo by Ted S. Warren/AP

It was pretty strange. It was a scene straight out of the spring tornado season in the Great Plains.

Yet it hit this week, a little southwest of Seattle, Washington. It was definitely not the place you'd usually find dangerous tornadoes.

But there it was, an EF-2 tornado that tore roofs off houses, sent debris flying into the air and caused a lot of damage.

Somehow, Washington got lucky in one important way: There were no reports of serious injuries, but roughly 450 homes and buildings were damaged. Some of them look like they are total losses.

Tornadoes do hit Washington State on a fairly regular basis, but they're usually not this intense. On average, the state sees 2.5 tornadoes per year.  This one was the strongest one to hit the state since 1986. And usually, the relatively stronger tornadoes that hit Washington occur on the eastern side of the state, not west of the Cascades.

Most are really weak, but there are exceptions. The worst was an EF-3 in and around Vancouver, Washington on April 5, 1972. It killed six people and injured 300, says mynorthwest.com

As in much of the rest of the nation, if you're going to get a particularly bad tornado in Washington it'll hit in the spring or early summer.

But as we saw this week, there are exceptions. Strong winter storms do sometimes create spinups in western Washington in December, January and February, but these twisters rarely amount to much.

Tuesday's tornado in Port Orchard was probably the strongest winter season tornado on record in Washington, but there is a close second, according to mynorthwest.com

On December 10, 2015, an EF-1 tornado with wind speeds of up to 104 mph touched down in two spots around Battle Ground, Washington, damaging 36 homes but causing no injuries.

THEN A WINDSTORM

Tornadoes like the one that hit Port Orchard, Washington cause severe damage, but normally in highly local areas. Go a half mile away from the tornado path, and everything's fine.

Not so when you get a large scale wind from a large storm coming off the Pacific Ocean. The damage might not be as intense as a tornado, but it's ultimately worse because it's so widespread.

Winds gusted to 70 mph in some locations in Washington, cutting power to tens of thousands of people. Interstate 5 north of Seattle was closed for a time due to downed power lines. Other state highways were closed because of fallen trees.

One person was killed by the storm in British Columbia and power was cut in and around Vancouver. Part of a pier broke apart in the wind and waves along the British Columbia coast, leaving a man stranded on the far end of the pier. He was later rescued by helicopter.

Of course, energy from these storms have been crossing the nation. That helped lead to the storm we had here in Vermont on Friday. Another large storm will organize in the middle of the country just after Christmas, promising a winter storm in the Upper Plains and more wind and rain for the Northeast. It looks like that will include Vermont.

Here's some videos:

We'll start with big waves on the West Coast to start last week:
\
First, an Associated Press reported on the rough surf:



The next video shows some beautiful, massive ways. It also shows a horde of photographers capturing the action. Photo buffs always know where to get the good shots, I guess:



Next up, the Washington state tornado:

Here's a compilation video of what people saw:



Here's a CBS News report that gives an overview:

Wild Weather Videos From A Wild Weather Week

Huge crashing waves caused by hight winds
froze onto this lamp post on the shores
of Lake Superior.

More videos are coming in -- in dribs and drabs - of some wild moments in the past week's wild weather in North America.

That's the nice thing about technology these days: Everybody's got a camera.

You've already seen some videos that got our attention in prior posts, but here's a few more.

The first involves a family in Danville, Virginia on Sunday who were audably worried as they drove in stormy weather amid tornado warnings.

Then all hell breaks loose. Spoiler: They're OK, and theywent on to check on others in the damaged area (it wasn't that big a tornado, it looks like.) And they check out some of the damage.

Totally worth the watch:



Up in Toronto, Canada, they had an ice storm this week with the big storm. Watch this video of a dog in danger. (Another spoiler: She's fine) The dog was in the back yard, and was startled by what must have been a loud cracking noise.

Frightened, the dog ran to the back deck. Good thing, as you'll find out:



In that same Canadian ice storm this week, a hungry raccoon braved ice and strong winds to get at a bird feeder. It didn't go well. Love the kids indoors laughing at the little critter:



The storm caused a blizzard in the Midwest, and of course high winds were widespread. Check out this beautiful video of huge waves crashing ashore on Lake Superior. Notice how water was freezing on the shore. Remember this is a lake, albeit a big one, not the ocean:



The storm caused very heavy rain in New York City and surrounding areas on Monday. Nearly three inches of rain deluged Manhattan. It turned out not to be a good day to take the subway, as flash flooding caused scenes like this:

Big Ocean Waves Shock And Awe The Pacific Northwest; Storminess Spreading Across U.S.

Crashing coastal waves in Oregon sent this big log
through a motel window. At least one person died
when he got too close to the big waves this past week. 

I've always wanted to take a vacation to the coastline in the Pacific Northwest during the winter.

People say I'm crazy for saying that. After all, the Pacific Northwest is a dark, rainy, stormy place for most of the winter.

Which is why I'd like to go there this time of year.  The immense waves from giant Pacific Storms that crash onto the rocks and sea stacks are a sight to behold. And, I imagine, a photographer's dream.

This week, the Pacific Northwest got a little more than they bargained for, as the waves were even more intense than they usually are. The crashing waves yesterday were bigger than locals have seen in many years.

While fascinated to watch, you've got to be careful, as these waves can get even bigger than you'd imagine. Tragically, a man was swept out to sea in Oregon by a wave yesterday and is presumed dead.

Elsewhere along coast, the high tides and waves were enough to flood shoreline roads and buildings. A seafood restaurant and a couple of motels in Lincoln City, Oregon had windows blown out and other damage, says OregonLive.com Waves also crashed into the ground floor of a condominium, sending a woman flying across a room.

Other people had close calls, too. A woman was injured when she was knocked over by a wave a Lincoln City, Beach. She was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Another man and his dog were swept off a beach by a sneaker wave but the man and his dog were able to claw their way back onto shore.

In Cannon Beach,Oregon a popular go to place in winter storms for weather and photography enthusiasts like me, sea water pushed into town.

There's video of this at the bottom of this post. Also some of the storminess from the Pacific Northwest is consolidating into a storm that will cause problems in much of the United States. And it will affect us here in Vermont, too.

My in-laws in Yankton, South Dakota yesterday enjoyed a mid-winter heat wave that set temperatures all the way up to 61 degrees as warm air bathed the central Plains. I hope they enjoyed it, because Yankton and a large section of the Plains is now in the path of a new winter storm.

Winter storm warnings as of this morning extended through the central Rockies into most of Nebraska and parts of South Dakota. Winter storm watches extended from South Dakota into Minneasota. Looks like there will be quite a bit of snow and wind in this band Sunday and Monday.

Since this storm will go by to the west of New England, we Vermonters are in for another spell of mixed precipitation and rain. It'll start as snow and a mix Monday night. It looks at this point like it'll be mostly rain Tuesday, before colder air comes in at night to create some snow showers Tuesday night and Wednesday.

It won't be nearly as warm, and it won't rain nearly as hard as it did a week ago Friday, when we had flooding and ice jams. This storm probably won't cause new problems in that regard, but ice jams remain in Vermont and other sections of the Northeast.

The thawing and rain could aggravate those situations and maybe cause new flooding or ice movements, so keep an eye on that one, will ya?

Now the Pacific Northwest videos

Here's an aerial view of the tides coming up onto a road in Ocean Park, Washington, forcing motorists to scramble to get out of the way:

Nominee For Dumbest Person To Ever Ignore A Weather Warning

I'll admit it.


Some idiot drove his pickup truck onto a California coastal jetty
amid huge, crashing storm waves. It ended poorly.

If I were near a coastline and there was a big storm kicking up humongous waves and surf, I'd go down and watch it - provided I was well away from the waves and far above them, and had an easy, safe escape route if flooding started.  

Not so for a dumb guy in northern California. There's a video of him and his exploits at the bottom of this post.

On Thursday, there was a high surf advisory in northern California, including Humboldt Bay.

Photographers flocked down there to enjoy the view of the picturesque, but dangerous large waves crashing into the rocks - from a safe, dry distance. Ah, the beauty of long lenses.

Suddenly, one of the photographer had an astonishing sight: As turbulent, scary waves crashed against and over a jetty, some idiot drove his Nissan pickup truck with Arkansas plates out onto it,   apparently to get a better view of the stormy seas.

As you might have guessed, this didn't end well at all.

One of the photographers who was safely on shore, H. Phil Hanes said he and his wife watched the whole scene. And photographed and filmed it, of course.

Soon, waves overwhelmed the truck and battered it around. The video appears as if the truck would be swept off the jetty, but somehow it wasn't. But the guy driving the Nissan was stuck.

"It was just stopped on the part you shouldn't even be driving on.....The waves were so big" Hanes told the Eureka, California Times-Standard.

Somebody called the Coast Guard, which sent a helicopter to the scene. Because of the dangerous waves, a rescue swimmer was lowered via rope to the stranded Nissan driver. He was plucked from the jetty and brought up to the helicopter.

Nobody was hurt, but this idiot sure put other peoples' lives in danger. We don't know who this moron is. The Coast Guard said the guy didn't have any identifying information with him.

At last report, the battered pickup truck was still out on the jetty. The Coast Guard said it is the driver's responsibility to remove it, when there's no storm waves.

Could get expensive to do, but oh well, his fault, right?

Heed those weather warnings folks, no matter what the hazard is.

Here's the video. You can see what an idiot this guy was. Waves are pretty, though:

Weather Porn Videos: Yet Another Epic Storm In Britain

As the U.S. East Coast digs out from another winter storm, and parts of New England brace for a blizzard tonight, Britain is enduring yet another in an endless series of destructive storms.

Waves crash ashore in Newlyn, Britain during
a severe storm on Friday.  

This has been going on all winter over there. There's immense coastal destruction, terrible inland flooding and record high levels on the Thames River.

The latest brutal storm hit Friday, just as the U.S. East Coast storm was ending (and going out to see, on its way to, you guessed it, Britain)

For a look at yesterdays's British storm, we go to the seacoast community of Newlyn for this scary weather drama:



 And to Portholland: