Extreme Weather on New Year's Eve

New Year’s Eve is filled with falling confetti, fireworks and kissing your loved one as the clock strikes Midnight. Extreme weather also likes to join in on this celebration, with frigid, snowy and stormy weather all constants throughout the U.S. Here is some of the most extreme weather that has occurred on New Year’s Eve in the past.

Heavy rain and mudslides threatened southern California during the end of 1933 and the start of 1934. Wildfires raging through the San Gabriel Mountains earlier in November 1933 set the stage for this disaster. These wildfires burned much of the trees and soil throughout the Crescenta Valley. Any moisture that occurs over burn scars, especially recent ones, is not able to or has a hard time being absorbed into the soil and ground. As a result, these areas are more prone to flooding. On December 31, 1933, and January 1, 1934, heavy rain occurred throughout southern California thanks to a large weather system, with 7.36 inches of rain falling in 24-hours over the Los Angeles area. The heavy rain that occurred over the San Gabriel Mountains was not able to be absorbed and just ran down the mountains, sending millions of tons of mud and debris into the valley below. Some areas were buried in over 12 feet of mud! More than 400 homes were destroyed and there were 45 fatalities.

In 1947, a severe weather outbreak occurred across the Lower Mississippi Valley on New Year’s Eve. The most notable tornado that occurred on this day was a long-track tornado that touched down about 10 miles from Shreveport, La. This F4 tornado slammed into Cotton Valley, La., destroying most of the town and killing 14 people in a town just over 1,000 people. The tornado continued into south-central Arkansas, eventually dissipating south of El Dorado, Ark. It took another four lives, three in rural areas of northwestern Louisiana and one in the town of Haynesville. Ark.

A surprise blizzard ended across the state of Maine on New Year’s Eve of 1962. The forecast called for “occasional snow or flurries” December 30th into December 31st, but heavy snow ended up burying the state just in time for the New Year celebrations. The storm produced 40 inches of snow in Orono and a total of 46 inches at Ripogenus Dam. Bangor ended up with 25.5 inches in 24-hours, which is still a record for most snowfall on December 30. Strong winds also accompanied the storm and produced snow drifts up to 20 feet high across Bangor.

A year later, a major snowstorm struck the Deep South on New Year’s Eve. An area of low pressure moved south towards the Gulf of Mexico during the final days of December 1963, with cold air already residing in place over the Deep South. Heavy snow fell from the Mouth of the Mississippi River northeast through Mississippi, Alabama and into Tennessee. Huntsville, Ala., recorded the highest snowfall from the storm, with 17.1 inches. Meridian, Miss., received 15 inches of snow, while 4.5 inches of snow fell in New Orleans! Damage was estimated around $700,000 (1963 USD) and there were three fatalities from this storm.

New Year’s Eve of 1987 saw torrential rain and flash flooding over the eastern sections of Oahu in Hawaii. A strong low pressure system was slow to move across the central Pacific, which caused a cold front to stall over the Hawaiian Islands. Rainfall totals ranged up to 22.89 inches within 24-hours, resulting in many rock and mudslides. The property damage was estimated at $35 million (1987 USD).

It was a bitter cold, blustery New Year’s Eve during the same year of 1987 across the north-central U.S. The temperature remained below zero throughout the day in Alexandria, Minn., while Jamestown, N.D., reported a wind chill of minus 58 degrees! Strong winds were reported throughout the Great Lakes, with a wind gust of 54 mph reported in Lansing, Mich.

Severe weather broke out across the Midwest and South December 30, 2010, through January 1, 2011. Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico streamed northward into the Midwest, Mississippi Valley and Deep South over this three-day period, while a cold front from the northwest slowly dropped south across the region. There were 37 confirmed tornadoes throughout this outbreak. Meanwhile, non-tornadic thunderstorms were reported to have reached as high as 80 mph. Large hail was also an issue, with hail as large as baseballs. In total, there was 9 fatalities and 32 injuries, while the damage was estimated around $121 million (2010 USD).
 
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