2017 Year in Review: Record Rainfall, Warmth and Tornadoes | WeatherBug
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2017 Year in Review: Record Rainfall, Warmth and Tornadoes

January 4, 2018
By WeatherBug Meteorologists, Matt Mehallow and Alyssa Robinette
The first quarter of the year featured the full wrath of Mother Nature. Residents of the U.S. had to contend with record rainfall, fierce tornadoes, destructive wildfires and historic warmth. 

Deadly Southeast Tornado Outbreak 

A strong storm system swept through the Southeast on January 21-23, producing a tornado outbreak across the Southeast U.S. that spawned 81 tornadoes. It was the second-largest January tornado outbreak and third-largest winter tornado outbreak since 1950. It was the largest outbreak on record in Georgia with 42 tornadoes confirmed. The most significant tornadoes were three EF3s that severely damaged or destroyed portions of Hattiesburg, Miss., and Albany and Adel, Ga. A total of 20 people were killed by tornadoes, mainly during the pre-dawn hours of the outbreak, making it the second-deadliest outbreak in January since 1950. The deadliest single tornado from the event was an EF-3 that tracked 24 miles across southern Georgia, killing 11 people.

West Coast Storm Onslaught 

A parade of Pacific storms slammed into the West Coast during January and provided much needed drought relief for California and Nevada. However, the heavy precipitation caused widespread flooding and mudslides.  The progressive storm track included several moderate to strong atmospheric rivers which produced impressive precipitation totals across the southern parts of the West. In the coastal mountains of northern California, Venado observed 48.83 inches of precipitation, 417 percent of normal. Sierra Nevada snowfall was well above normal as Tahoe City, Calif., observed 136 inches of snowfall, the 4th snowiest January since records began in 1903. Reno recorded 5.57 inches of rainfall, 540% of normal and set the record for wettest of any month in the station's history beginning in 1937. 

Notable Warmth Engulfs United States

Near-record warmth continued across the contiguous U.S. in February, with most locations warmer than average. It was the second warmest February in the U.S. since records began 123 years ago. Six states had a record warm February: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. February's above-normal temperatures contributed to Baltimore, Md., and Huntington, W. Va., receiving only a trace (less than 0.1 inches, 0.3 cm) of snow during the month, with both sites tying their records for least snowy February.  Major Midwestern cities, including Indianapolis, Des Moines, Iowa, St. Louis, Cleveland, Ohio, and Milwaukee, Wis., had their warmest February on record.

Record Rainfall Drenches California

Heavy, persistent rainfall across northern and central California created substantial property and infrastructure damage from flooding, landslides and erosion. Significant impacts included severe damage to the Oroville Dam spillway, which caused a multi-day evacuation of 188,000 residents downstream. Excessive rainfall also caused flood damage in the city of San Jose, as Coyote Creek overflowed its banks and inundated neighborhoods, forcing 14,000 residents to evacuate. In northern Nevada, along the Humboldt River, flooding damaged homes and roadways, and the failure of an earthen dam near Wells also caused significant flooding for rural areas.

Many locations in the Northwest achieved record monthly rainfall totals. Spokane recorded 4.39 in precipitation, 330 percent of normal and its second wettest February in a 137-year record. In southeastern Idaho, February precipitation in Pocatello saw 3.10 inches, 320 percent of normal and the wettest in a 79-year record. Storms continued to hammer central and northern California, where the greatest precipitation anomalies were observed. North of San Francisco, Venado had its wettest February on record at 37.45 inches, breaking the previous record of 19.24 inches set in 2000. 

Nor’easter Thumps Northeast

A major storm system brought heavy snow, blizzard conditions and high winds to a swath of the Northeast on February 9. Blizzard conditions were reported in New England, including Boston and Providence. Thundersnow was observed in many locations from Pennsylvania to Maine. The highest snow total was 24 inches near Cooper, Maine. Nineteen inches was reported in East Hartford, Conn., while 10.7 inches fell at Boston-Logan Airport and 9.4 inches in Central Park, N.Y.

Spring Nor’easter Slams New York, Pennsylvania

A Nor’easter moved through the Northeast March 13th into March 14th, allowing heavy snow to spread across portions of the Northeast.  As the system slowly shifted east, lake-effect snow bands produced even more snow across the favored areas east of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie on March 15th. Hardest hit areas were New York and northeastern Pennsylvania, where 2 to 4 feet of snow were reported as a result of the Nor’easter and the lake snow effect   Furthermore, At least two small avalanches blocked roads in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Records were smashed throughout the Northeast: 

Highest storm total: 48.4 inches in Hartwick, N.Y. 
 
Binghamton, N.Y., set a new all-time 24-hour snow record, picking up 31.3 inches of snow between 3 a.m. on March 14th to 3 a.m. on March 15th.  The old record was set in February 1961.  

With a season-to-date total through March 15th of 131.9 inches, the 2016-2017 season became the snowiest on record for Binghamton, N.Y.  Scranton, Pa., had its all-time snowiest day on record with 22.1 inches on March 14th.  This beat its old record of 18.7 inches set on March 13, 1993.  

Williamsport, Pa., and Burlington, Vt., ranked March 14th among their top five all-time snowiest days on record. 

In addition to the snow, strong to even hurricane-force winds accompanied the storm along the New England coast.  Wellfleet, Mass., observed wind gusts of 79 mph. The winds downed trees and power lines, contributing to thousands of power outages throughout New England. Travel bans were enacted in New York and Connecticut, which resulted in thousands of flights cancelled nationwide.  

Mid-March Deep South Freeze

The same ingredients that created the March 13th and 14th Nor’easter brought a deep freeze to the Southeast.  The 2016-2017 winter season began as one of the warmest in recent memories. Spring had been running about 20 days earlier than normal. Then, a strong cold front arrived.

Record cold temperatures:
Florence, S.C., dropped to 20 degrees, shattering its previous record of 25 degrees
Charleston, S.C., observed a record low of 24 degrees, four degrees below its previous record
Savannah, Ga., tied its record low of 26 degrees
Jacksonville, Fla., set a record low of 28 degrees
Gainesville, Fla., fell to 25 degrees, while its old record was 32 degrees

The hard freeze produced up to $1 billion in crop losses across Georgia and South Carolina.  This included a majority of peaches, strawberries, blueberries, pears, and cherries in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.  A series of frosts also damaged fruit and vegetable crops in northern and central Florida, while moderate-to-severe frost damage was reported in winter wheat fields in nearly every state across the Southeast. The exceptionally warm winter across the Southeast caused fruit and vegetable crops to bud and bloom earlier than normal.  

Wildfires Scorch Plains

A continuation of unseasonably warm and dry conditions caused drought to expand across the Plains in March.  The combination of warm, dry, and breezy weather easily allowed wildfires to develop and spread across Colorado, Oklahoma, northern Texas, and western Kansas. Multiple fires throughout the month burned more than 2 million acres and killed seven people and thousands of livestock.  

A series of wildfires, known as the Northwest Oklahoma Complex fires, were the most destructive.  It burned more than 400,000 acres in Kansas, making it the largest in state history. It is estimated that it could take $55 million dollars to repair and recover acreage burned.

Another wildfire broke out in Boulder, Colo., known as the Sunshine Canyon fire.  While the fire only lasted a few days, it burned more than 45,000 acres and it cost an estimated $725,000 to extinguish. 

April Tornado Outbreak

Spring of 2017 started off with a bang. While there are typically 155 tornado reports during the month, April of 2017 had 211 preliminary tornado reports. This ranks April 2017 among the top 10 in the highest amount of tornadoes for the month. The first week and the last week of April were the most active and deadly for the month, with eight tornado-related fatalities reported.  

The first tornado outbreak occurred between April 2nd and 3rd, where there were 65 preliminary tornado reports stretching from Texas to South Carolina.  The first day of the outbreak resulted in two deaths after an EF-1 tornado hit a mobile home in St. Martin Parish, La. The second day of the outbreak resulted in an EF-1 tornado killing one person in Union County, S.C.  

While a storm system brought snow to the High Plains and Midwest, another tornado outbreak broke out throughout the Great Plains and Gulf Coast on the last two days of April. Two separate tornadoes, an EF-4 and an EF-3, resulted in four fatalities in Van Zandt County, Texas, on April 29th. Another fatality was reported in Mississippi after an EF-2 stuck on April 30th.  

Historic Rain Drenches Mississippi Valley

While a powerful storm system produced a severe weather outbreak across parts of the southern Mississippi Valley, heavy rain and flooding was found across the central Mississippi Valley April 28th through April 30th.  Missouri, southern Illinois, and southern Indiana were the most impacted from this 1-in-1,000-year rain storm.  Ten to 12 inches were reported, with some areas seeing more than  15 inches of rain.  Other areas of eastern Kansas, eastern Oklahoma, Illinois, Indiana, and Arkansas received rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches.

This torrential rain caused record-breaking flooding across rivers in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas, with many locations smashing their record that stood for more than 100 years.  Several levees broke, resulting in widespread flooding.  Interstate 44 between St. Louis and Springfield, Mo., and portions of Interstate 55 near St. Louis were forced to shut down. Many other travel restrictions were in place, with numerous water rescues needed.  The University of Arkansas stated that damage totals could be near $64.5 million in Arkansas.