WHEN: January 2014
WHERE: Minneapolis, MN and Charleston, SC
Palmetto Snow
January has come and passed (thankfully!).
Under the bridge, as seen on Google Streetview
Bridges were a pending story that January weather wanted to tell.
WHERE: Minneapolis, MN and Charleston, SC
Palmetto Snow
January has come and passed (thankfully!).
I imagine many Americans could sum up the month in two words...WINTER WEATHER. It was cold (record cold) and it never seemed to let up. So much for that "January thaw" expression we hear. That phrase had to have originated as some sort of delusional comfort speak for those disturbed by too many weeks in the trenches of winter's coldest nights and shortest days. We know cold is what January brings every year, but that doesn't mean it makes it easy to cope with.
For me, I loathe winter period. As far as I'm concerned, it should just be June on repeat year-round. And for Stacie and I, the winter weather has caused at least a few headaches during the month of January. After a warm December and a relaxing Christmas with family, January rolled in with a frozen fury and never let up. Even in Charleston we did not escape the clutches of winter. The video above is from our front yard, showing what I can only imagine are the biggest snowflakes Stacie and I have ever seen (a few were the size of half dollars - most the size of quarters). Thankfully the snow did not accumulate, but any snow in Charleston is a very, very unwelcome sight.
A week in to February now, we all can hardly wait for spring and are hoping this month is nothing like the last.
A week in to February now, we all can hardly wait for spring and are hoping this month is nothing like the last.
December saw ten days at or above 80° in Charleston, setting or tying seven daily records for the month.
And this is how January began (wind chills).
Of course we were in Minnesota during this coldest outbreak of the year (if not the past 2 decades). It was a potent case of extremes - December vs. January - which is what I love when it comes to weather (temperature). So, I'm not really complaining.
Of course we were in Minnesota during this coldest outbreak of the year (if not the past 2 decades). It was a potent case of extremes - December vs. January - which is what I love when it comes to weather (temperature). So, I'm not really complaining.
National Weather Service (Minneapolis) weather story for January 6, the coldest day of winter to date. Wind chills forecast below -60°F made even cold-tested, cold-blooded Minnesotans pay close attention.
Watching the KARE News weather forecast while frozen/stuck in Minnesota
Forecast lows (not wind chill)
The entire state of Minnesota was shaded below the temperature scale.
The entire state of Minnesota was shaded below the temperature scale.
This particular cold outbreak was not limited to the frozen north. Even southern Florida did not escape the cold...by their standards.
Meanwhile, wind chills were forecast to be in the single digits in Charleston.
Power outage map in South Carolina, due to the elevated power demand
Our county is the 3,703. And since we were stuck in Minnesota, we could onlywonder worry if our pipes had frozen in our house. We turned the heat off in our house before we left and houses (pipes) in Charleston are not generally built to sustain these temperatures.
Our county is the 3,703. And since we were stuck in Minnesota, we could only
We were stuck in Minnesota 3 days longer than expected, due to the winter weather in Chicago - our connecting city. This is how Southwest's website appeared for multiple days.
#cancelled
#cancelled
Our original flight to Chicago was cancelled Sunday. However...
We re-booked our flights the night before (to fly out Tuesday instead), assuming our Sunday flights would be cancelled. In the end, Southwest redirected our original Sunday flight to fly non-stop from Minneapolis to Charleston...a direct route which no airline currently flies. We were stuck in Minnesota, after missing a speedy, direct flight to Charleston...that we (Southwest included) were nearly sure the night before would have been cancelled!
At least we were with family, I was able to telework, and I chose to embrace the weather extremes and make the most of them...
We re-booked our flights the night before (to fly out Tuesday instead), assuming our Sunday flights would be cancelled. In the end, Southwest redirected our original Sunday flight to fly non-stop from Minneapolis to Charleston...a direct route which no airline currently flies. We were stuck in Minnesota, after missing a speedy, direct flight to Charleston...that we (Southwest included) were nearly sure the night before would have been cancelled!
At least we were with family, I was able to telework, and I chose to embrace the weather extremes and make the most of them...
...by going on a 25-minute jog around a nearby lake. The conditions...-15° with a wind chill of -35°.
It was a tranquil, lonely, lung-freezing stroll.
But it wasn't going to stop me from enjoying the weather extremes I always claim to long for.
At the end of my adventure...my breath evidenced as frozen mist around my hat, hood, eyebrows, and eyelashes. Towards the end of the walk, it was difficult to open my eyes, as my eyelashes were beginning to freeze together.
Finally, after two cancellations and a 3-day delay, we were out of Minnesota and leaving the snow far behind. (Little did we know what else January had in mind.)
Landing in Chicago on January 8.
Parts of the city had been buried in 15 inches of snow the previous 2 days.
Parts of the city had been buried in 15 inches of snow the previous 2 days.
We returned home to no frozen pipes (thank you, Lord) but a very cold house (51°).
Our potted palm out front was still green when we left the 80° weather in December. 36 hours below freezing was far too much for it, however.
My Instagram on January 12
Just four days after returning home, I spent the day...
1) Pruning the plants
2) Grilling in shorts
3) Raking the leaves
4) Taking down our Christmas tree
...it was an odd assortment that included every season of the year. Not unlike what January turned out to be this year. (Despite all the cold, we reached 70° at least one day every week of the month. It was a confused month.)
Just four days after returning home, I spent the day...
1) Pruning the plants
2) Grilling in shorts
3) Raking the leaves
4) Taking down our Christmas tree
...it was an odd assortment that included every season of the year. Not unlike what January turned out to be this year. (Despite all the cold, we reached 70° at least one day every week of the month. It was a confused month.)
This is the weather I woke up to on the morning of January 14. 70°...at sunrise...in January! What had happened to that bitter cold that had visited the week before?
We even had severe thunderstorm warnings later this day.
The following weekend we went to Sullivans Island to have lunch with friends and saw the beach for the first time in 4 months. While we ate outside in our t-shirts on another 70° day, the wind blowing in off the cold water was a bitter reminder that it was still January. July was on the other side of the calendar.
The Ravenel Bridge...we spent the day roaming the city and enjoying the wonderful weather.
We visited a small, inconspicuous park for the first time on the wide banks of the Wando River and situated under the shadow of the James B. Edwards Bridge.
We visited a small, inconspicuous park for the first time on the wide banks of the Wando River and situated under the shadow of the James B. Edwards Bridge.
James B. Edwards Bridge
I even convinced Stacie to wander the trails with me. She made the views even better. :)
Under the bridge, as seen on Google Streetview
Bridges were a pending story that January weather wanted to tell.
But first, we had to experience the driest air Charleston has seen in at least 10 years.
(Map of dewpoints)
Dewpoints don't mean much to most people. We often talk about "humidity" (especially during the summer) but it's often in terms of percentages - or relative humidity. Dewpoints, however, are an absolute measurement of humidity. As you can see in the map above, the dewpoint in Charleston on January 24 reached -5°. Again, that may be confusing to most, but essentially, it's bone dry...at least by coastal South Carolina standards.
(Map of dewpoints)
Dewpoints don't mean much to most people. We often talk about "humidity" (especially during the summer) but it's often in terms of percentages - or relative humidity. Dewpoints, however, are an absolute measurement of humidity. As you can see in the map above, the dewpoint in Charleston on January 24 reached -5°. Again, that may be confusing to most, but essentially, it's bone dry...at least by coastal South Carolina standards.
I made this simple table, listing the lowest dewpoint recorded each year (1994-2014). January 24 placed 2014 in the third spot for driest air experienced in Charleston in the past twenty years.
Low temperatures the next morning
Because with no humidity (water) in the air, temperatures become highly variable. (This is how deserts are able to get so hot...and so cold.)
Because with no humidity (water) in the air, temperatures become highly variable. (This is how deserts are able to get so hot...and so cold.)
In fact, I sent this screen shot comparison (9pm, January 24) to our family in Minnesota, where it was 9° warmer than in Charleston. Temperature is a painful battle to lose in Charleston when it comes to Minnesota winters.
Just 4 days later the humidity would rise significantly. However, the moisture we got fell mostly in frozen form. Again, not a pleasant sight in Charleston - any time of the year.
Just 4 days later the humidity would rise significantly. However, the moisture we got fell mostly in frozen form. Again, not a pleasant sight in Charleston - any time of the year.
Jim Cantore "Chuck Norris"-ing a heckler during a LIVE broadcast from Charleston. Jim was in Charleston for the rare winter storm that hit January 28-29.
Beautiful views of downtown Charleston after the storm, recorded from a drone and shown on The Weather Channel.
Beautiful views of downtown Charleston after the storm, recorded from a drone and shown on The Weather Channel.
For the second time in January, we were watching the power outage map light up around South Carolina. At least this time we were home to keep an eye on things.
This map shows the snow cover across the southeast on the morning of January 29. While we didn't get any snow (accumulation) at our house, the wintry mix (including 1/4-inch of ice) was enough to shut down most of the city - including work for Stacie and I.
#cancelled
You can hear the sleet that began falling right after I stepped outside with my camera.
#cancelled
You can hear the sleet that began falling right after I stepped outside with my camera.
Ice-covered magnolia leaves outside our house
Palm fronds covered in ice, frozen in the form that the wind and freezing rain left them.
Everything covered in ice around the road at the entrance of our neighborhood
This was the first time I went "off-roading" on the trails in our neighborhood. I never knew what I was missing...
An evergreen tree bending beneath the weight of the ice
Dwarf palmettos covered in sleet and graupel (not snow, for those keeping track). Frozen precipitation nonetheless.
A close look at the type of precipitation (you can hear sleet pellets hit my camera at the beginning and end of the video). There was enough of it to accumulate and look like snow.
A close look at the type of precipitation (you can hear sleet pellets hit my camera at the beginning and end of the video). There was enough of it to accumulate and look like snow.
Some shots from the woods around our house. Glad I finally discovered this new playground and excited to explore it further...before summer...before the snakes, bugs, and ivy return!
Google Maps showing my location around Coosaw Creek - surrounded by development, but seemingly in the middle of nowhere
This was shot near the peak of the sleet shower.
Snow storm satire (with a little truth thrown in).
I captured some of these shots around our house and around the city (via webcams), showing the before and after effects of the winter storm.
This was shot near the peak of the sleet shower.
Snow storm satire (with a little truth thrown in).
I captured some of these shots around our house and around the city (via webcams), showing the before and after effects of the winter storm.
Our backyard
Cul-de-sac out front
Palmetto out front
The Cistern Yard at College of Charleston (webcam)
(This is where Jim Cantore was reporting from when he was charged by the onlooker.)
(This is where Jim Cantore was reporting from when he was charged by the onlooker.)
I-526 at James B. Edwards Bridge
(This was the bridge I took pictures of just 9 days prior and included earlier in this post.)
(This was the bridge I took pictures of just 9 days prior and included earlier in this post.)
Ravanel Bridge (all 8 lanes shut down for over 36 hours)
This is what my phone showed on the traffic app on my way home the first day back to work. "Sink Hole"?? January could not end quickly enough.
Traffic problems were exacerbated this day (Friday...at rush hour) due to the Ravenel Bridge being closed again for most of the day, due to falling ice from the cables and towers overhead.
#cancelled
Video of ice falling from the bridge and shattering cars' windshields. (News story.)
#cancelled
Video of ice falling from the bridge and shattering cars' windshields. (News story.)
Snapped this picture of a poster (Ravenel Bridge) in the Charleston airport when we returned from Christmas break on January 8.
And this is the picture for the month of January of my Cooper River Bridge Run calendar at work. I ran this last April for the first time and am registered to run it again this April.
That is, if it's open...
That is, if it's open...
A B C
A = Rare winter storm shuts down Ravenel Bridge (1/28/14)
B = Falling ice shuts down Ravenel Bridge (1/31/14)
C = Potential "jumper" shuts down Ravenel Bridge (1/31/14)
The man who threatened to jump this year also closed the bridge in February 2012 when he threatened to jump a first time. It was an active month for the area bridges and a month (of cancellations) we would like quickly to forget.
I snapped this picture today of a camellia bush downtown. At least there are flowers blooming!
A = Rare winter storm shuts down Ravenel Bridge (1/28/14)
B = Falling ice shuts down Ravenel Bridge (1/31/14)
C = Potential "jumper" shuts down Ravenel Bridge (1/31/14)
The man who threatened to jump this year also closed the bridge in February 2012 when he threatened to jump a first time. It was an active month for the area bridges and a month (of cancellations) we would like quickly to forget.
Winter is #cancelled
(Don't I wish!)
(Don't I wish!)
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