In Fort Wayne we like to talk about legends. Carole Lombard once lived at 704 Rock Hill Street. Milo Farnsworth invented the television in Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne has the largest Burmese population outside of Burma/Myanmar. Johnny Appleseed's grave. The blizzard of '78. The flood of '82. This winter is destined to be added to the list of folklore.
A visit to the National Weather Service web site provides some interesting statistics. January 2014 broke the record as the snowiest January, and snowiest month, ever recorded in Fort Wayne with 30.3". In comparison 29.5 inches fell in January 1982 (2nd snowiest January on record) and 25.3 inches fell in January 1978 (4th snowiest January). February was almost as impressive with 19.2 inches recorded, exceeded only by 1900 when 25 inches was recorded and 1908, when 19.8 inches was recorded. Total snowfall for the December through February winter season was 59.4. If you include November and March into the mix the number is 64.6, so far. More snow is forcast for next week. While this is an impressive number, 1982 eclipses the number with total accumulations recorded at 81.2. Nineteen eighty two is best known in Fort Wayne for the astronomical flooding that resulting from the melting snow. A local news station has an excellent story and related photos at http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/30th-Anniversary-of-the-Great-Flood-of-1982-Where-were-you-140918363.html
The snow is only a part of the story of the winter of 2014. The average temperature of 20.7 ranks it the 6th coldest winter. In comparison, average winter temperature for 1978 was 17.7 (coldest on record), and 21.0 in 1982 (7th coldest). All of these statistics and more can be found at http://www.crh.noaa.gov/iwx/?n=2013_2014winter#FWAsnow
The photos in this post were taken on March 8th while a wet mixture of snow and rain fell steadily from the sky. The landscape shots look more like January than March. Ever the optimist, I keep wondering when we will be able to apply the first spring fertilizer application.
A visit to the National Weather Service web site provides some interesting statistics. January 2014 broke the record as the snowiest January, and snowiest month, ever recorded in Fort Wayne with 30.3". In comparison 29.5 inches fell in January 1982 (2nd snowiest January on record) and 25.3 inches fell in January 1978 (4th snowiest January). February was almost as impressive with 19.2 inches recorded, exceeded only by 1900 when 25 inches was recorded and 1908, when 19.8 inches was recorded. Total snowfall for the December through February winter season was 59.4. If you include November and March into the mix the number is 64.6, so far. More snow is forcast for next week. While this is an impressive number, 1982 eclipses the number with total accumulations recorded at 81.2. Nineteen eighty two is best known in Fort Wayne for the astronomical flooding that resulting from the melting snow. A local news station has an excellent story and related photos at http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/30th-Anniversary-of-the-Great-Flood-of-1982-Where-were-you-140918363.html
The snow is only a part of the story of the winter of 2014. The average temperature of 20.7 ranks it the 6th coldest winter. In comparison, average winter temperature for 1978 was 17.7 (coldest on record), and 21.0 in 1982 (7th coldest). All of these statistics and more can be found at http://www.crh.noaa.gov/iwx/?n=2013_2014winter#FWAsnow
The photos in this post were taken on March 8th while a wet mixture of snow and rain fell steadily from the sky. The landscape shots look more like January than March. Ever the optimist, I keep wondering when we will be able to apply the first spring fertilizer application.