Kent 2W (Eric Wertz) - February 2006 did not usher in any potent winter storms with normal precipitation and normal temperatures observed.  The greatest liquid equivalent precipitation noted was 0.72 inches on the 4th.  Measurable precipitation as observed on 15 days with measurable snowfall on 10 days.  The monthly snowfall total of 9.6 inches was slightly below normal.  The greatest 24-hour snowfall was 2.7 inches on the 27th.  The highest wind gust this month was 35 MPH on the 17th as an intense arctic cold front moved through plunging the temperature from 60 degrees to 5 degrees in 44 hours.  Four watches/advisories were issued this month.  Fog was noted on the 4th, no thunder this month. 

Kidron 1N (Ronald Hahn) -  Temperatures averaged more than 2 degrees above normal for February, and liquid precipitation was 0.26 inch below normal.  Snowfall was more than 1.5 inches below normal.  A new high temperature record for the 17th was set with a reading of 61 degrees, and a new low temperature record was set on the 28th at 4 degrees.

Ottawa 4E (Phil & Bonnie Higley) -  It's been like a roller coaster.  Ended up being ABOVE normal in Temperarure & Precip., but way behind in snowfall.

Perrysville 4W (Katie Gerwig) -  Temperatures slightly above normal.  Precip slightly below normal.  Trace of more snow on ground 12 days of the month.  Night of 4th-5th only major snow.  Over 4" of wet but drifting snow.  4th snowed all day few miles to the west; None here until 5:30 PM

Ravenna 1E () - Had thunder snow here on the 23rd around 645 pm.

Ravenna 1SE (Gary Locke) - February was again an uneventful month with only 7.5" of snow received.  Total snowfall for the season through the end of the month is 26.5".

Springfield 2 (Dick Groeber) - The temperatures were warmest at the start and the end of the month with the coldest during the middle.  Precipitation fell mostly the first half including the four snowfall dates. The month noted 19 of the last 22 dates without measureable precipitation.

Thompson 5SW (Vance Lunn) -

Wooster 7N (Jack Sisler) -  February was a fairly normal month. The monthly mean temperature was normal although with a few temperature cycles with high temperatures going from warm to cold by as much as thirty degrees in just a few days. Precipitation was slightly above normal with the biggest 24-hour snowfall of the season and since March 16, 2004.

Zanesville 6N (Tom Ruggles) - February proved to be a dry and slightly warmer than normal month at this location.  For the winter, only one inch of snow has fallen here with a half inch in January and February.  Unusual for February was an outbreak of wildfires around the state on the 26th.  This site recorded a low barometric pressure of 29.11 on the 4th as a deep low crossed the state.

 

 = Airport

Date: Fri Feb 3, 2006 11:45 am 
Subject: Fw: The New AAWO 
 

Group, 
Steve Steinke and I developed a great friendship during and after AWO/AAWO era. I posed the question to him that 
many were asking as to whether or not he was going to be one of the founders of the "new" AAWO and his reply 
can be read below. 
I can see it as a good thing but I also have a few concerns for which Steve addresses below. As with any 
organization, it will take a lot of work from MANY people to work not just one or two individuals. Without this 
kind of input it won't survive. The same holds true with the OhioWx Group. Without the input from many of its 
current and future members and not just a few it makes it difficult to keep it together and of interest to all. 
Jack Sisler 
OhioWx Group Moderator 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: AZSKYMAN@aol.com 
To: stormwarn1@msn.com 
Sent: Friday, February 03, 2006 10:50 AM 
Subject: Re: The New AAWO 
Hello Jack, 
Like you, I miss the commitment and the person of Larry Huff. We've lost a number of real weather fans 
over the years, but I'm sure that those of you in Ohio are particularly noticing his absence. 
Robert Kleeman seems to have a genuine desire to resurrect the AAWO (or a similar organization). He 
and I have chatted, and at some time I would want to talk to him over the phone. I think he has a sincere 
wish to bring back some of the true "connectivity" that was part of the original AAWO and the IWW that 
later grew out of it. 
As editor of the AWO for 14 years, it was apparent to me that there were two parts to the connection with 
other observers that were essential if an organization would ever start again. 
First, in spite of all the wonderful things that are at our fingertips online and through the world wide web, 
there must be a larger commitment to some sort of publication or newsletter. And that is a very big step 
and a very big commitment to make. Larry knew that. So did I. 
Second, for it to really work and bring people together...and for there to be true consensus-building on 
how to grow and organize a group, there would have to be true face-to-face meetings. Some of it official, 
and some of it just weather folks sitting in a room talking to each other. 
Robert's vision is to bring back an organization that had those different components...and also use the 
wonderful benefits of the internet too. 
At this point I am encouraging him, sharing this same insight with him, and throwing my thoughts and 
suggestions into the mix. 
But it will be the younger observers, a new wave of backyard weather fans, who could energize a new 
AAWO. 
This is a roundabout way of saying Jack that I am 60 years old this year...that my passion for weather is 
as much as it has ever been, and that while I will offer all kinds of suggestions and ideas and infuse some 
energy into it, I am probably not the guy to lead the new charge. 
If a meeting was set up to help organize and grow it...sure, I'd try to be there. I would offer my experience 
and ideas and encouragement, but I would also not want to be part of the mainstream effort. 
Hope this answers your question. 
It's a credit to many, not just Larry and me, that those days were looked upon with pride and a smile. I'd 
love to see it come back around again. I'll do what I can...but from a distance this time. 
Have a great weekend, Jack. My best to you, your family, and my weather friends back in Ohio. 
Steve

Date: Sun Feb 5, 2006 8:36 am 
Subject: Back to Reality 
 

After the warmest and almost snowless January on record in the 15
years at this location, it's back to reality. Even though the heavier
snow amounts didn't materialize I still received as much snow in the
last 15 hours (2.0 inches) as I did during the entire month of January.

Jack Sisler
Wooster 7N
Wayne County

Date: Sun Feb 5, 2006 6:30 pm 
Subject: Snowfall 

If anyone wants to know where my station is located, just go to the
NWS radar and look where the dark green strip is.

Snowfall so far since it started at about 8:30pm last night (02/04/06)
is 8.4".  That's also the monthly total so far, and for the season:
112.4".

Vance
Thompson 5 SW (northern Geauga Co.)

Date: Sun Feb 5, 2006 9:31 am 
Subject: reports 
 

How luckly can we be.......... 
Reports are coming in around here where people are reporting 
snow over 2.0" & the winds are surely picking up now.. 
As of 9:30 p.m. 2/4/06, there was a report in Columbus Grove, 
Ohio where they had over 2." of snowfall & in Findlay just 18 
miles to the east of this reporting station they had over 3" of 
snowfall. But here. We ending up with just .3" of a inch. But 
the winds sure did pick up overnight..Right now the winds are 
blowing out of the W-20 M.P.H.. With the wind gage at the 40' 
mark & there tree's to the west & to the NNW, the wind could 
be even higher. The outside air temperature is at 26F at 9:29 
a.m. 
Precip. amount really differ. At this reporting station we had 
.78" an that reporting station to the South of here had only 
.50". 
So as you can see, that storm surely didn't put down to much 
snow here...4-E Ottawa, Oh., but other area's it did.. 
#15 
Phil

Date: Sun Feb 5, 2006 2:37 pm 
Subject: Re: Back to Reality 
 

The snowfall was quite spotty in the Cincinnati metro area but
the "heavier amounts" certainly did materialize for me.  Our forecast
was for 1-3 inches.  I had 3.2 inches and a cooperative observaer near
me had 3.8 inches.  That was the highest total in the 88 county
Wilmington NWS area that I saw.  Just 10 miles west of here they had
about 0.5.

Snow was very difficult to measure with 40F ground temp. and melting
on a lot of the surfaces I normally measure on.  Very wet horizontally
driven snow with 1-2 inches plastered on the west side of everything!
All day yesterday slushy globs were falling out of trees.  Since my
yard sports 3 90-100 foot oaks we had quite the bombardment yesterday.

We had several hours of freezing drizzle last night and a couple
moderate snow showers at dawn today.  Even main roads were treacherous
at dawn today but quickly recovered with salt and warm ground.  Some
blowing snow with a drift near 1 foot in an open area near my church.
It is now mid-afternoon Sunday.  Grass is completely covered and trees
are still beautiful.  It is windy and 26F at 1430 hours.

As for the back to reality comment, my high Friday was 57F and
yesterday I had 46F at 2435 hours so I know what you mean!

Ron
Cincinnati 5NW

Date: Wed Feb 8, 2006 6:21 am 
Subject: January's Weather Data for Centerville 1W 
 

Weather statistics for the month of December for Centerville 1W.
High Temp (Date) ... 59ø / 8th, 20th & 28th 
Low Temp (Date) ... 23ø / 26th 
Mean High .. 47.5ø
Mean Low .. 32.0ø
Monthly Mean ... 39.7ø
Total Precipitation ... 2.82"
Max 24 hr Precipitation (Date) ... 0.68" / 17th
Number of Precipitation Days... 11
Total Snowfall... 2.8"
Max 24 hr Snowfall (Date) ... 2.8" / 18th 
Max Snow Depth at time of observation ... 2" 
High Wind Gust (Date) ... 43 MPH / 24th
Thunderstorm Days ... 3
Highest Barometer (Date) ... 30.55" / 26th
Lowest Barometer (Date) ... 29.43" / 17th
Average High Wind Gust... 23.2 MPH
Year To Date Precipitation . 2.82"
Robert Flory - KA5RUC
Centerville 1W
Southeast Montgomery County
Ohio Weather Observer Network #82
Wilmington NWS Skywarn ID OMT405

Date: Thu Feb 9, 2006 8:20 am 
Subject: Winter's Return 
 

Some snow and cold have returned but nothing brutal. Just a reminder
it's still Winter. I had 9 degrees @ 6:30 am this morning which is the
coldest since December 20. I have two inches of snow on the ground
from snow showers the last two days.

Started looking through the garden books and just waiting.

Jack Sisler
Wooster 7N

From: "Phillip Higley" <phigley@srcsnet.com> 
Date: Sun Feb 12, 2006 9:48 am 
Subject: reports 
 

Well old man winter can back... 
This morning we had a Low temperature of 9F! 
That's right 9F...At 8:04 a.m.. Last night & earlier this 
morning we pick up .5" to 1.0" of snowfall. Right now 
it Sunny with a air temperature of 20F. This is the first 
we had a Low of 9F, such Dec. 20th 05, when we were 
down to 5F. 
See what happens when we get some snow on the 
ground & the skies become clear....It's get's COLD! 
4-E 
Putnam, Co.

Date: Sat Feb 18, 2006 11:51 am 
Subject: SNOW 
 

I woke up to a suprise snowfall this mornig.  Yes, a 30% chance had
been mentioned but it seemed remote last night.  Moisture came up from
the south and gave me 1.2 inches.  Warm ground from Thursday's 66F
high caused a little melting from below despite an air temp. of 17F.
This created an icy layer under the snow and very treacherous
conditions.  Numerous accidents were reported and I-75 was closed for
a time near the river.

This gives us 6.7 inches already for the month.  That may not sound
like much to you lake effect people but it gives us an above normal
Febuary.  With below normal temps and near to above normal ppt
forecast for the next 2 weeks, maybe we'll see more.  What do y'all
think?

Oh, and we do have some forsythia beginning to bloom.  With -1F
forecast for tonight, won't they be disappointed!

Ron
Cincinnati

Date: Sun Feb 19, 2006 5:14 pm 
Subject: 2006 Ohio Severe Weather Symposium / Advanced Spotter Training 
Seminar 
 

10th Annual Ohio Severe Weather Symposium (April 7, 2006) and 2006
Advanced Severe Weather Spotter Seminar (April 8, 2006)

2006 Ohio Severe Weather Symposium
Friday, April 7, 2006 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Fawcett Center Auditorium, 2400 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, OH

Featured speakers: Dr. Charles Doswell and Roger Edwards

The Tenth Annual Ohio State University Severe Weather Symposium will
be held on Friday, April 7, 2006 at the Fawcett Center on the campus
of the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. At the symposium we
will have a variety of speakers that deal with various aspects of
meteorology, especially those related severe weather. The symposium
is hosted by the OSU Meteorology Club.

The symposium is open to all who would like to attend. Admission is
FREE!

Sponsors include the Wilmington, OH National Weather Service
Forecast Office, Ohio River Forecast Center, and the Ohio State
Department of Geography. For more information about the event
including directions, please visit twister.sbs.ohio-state.edu and
click the Symposium banner.

7:30 - 8:30 AM Sign In/Coffee

8:30 - 8:40 AM Ashley Jones - OSU Meteorology Club President
Dr. Morton O'Kelly - Chair, Department of Geography, The Ohio State
University
Dr. Jay Hobgood - Director of Atmospheric Sciences, The Ohio State
University

8:40 - 8:50 AM Ten Years of the Ohio Severe Weather Symposium
Mike Ryan - Chairperson, Ohio Severe Weather Symposium;
Meteorologist, NWSFO Wilmington, OH
Robin Gerhardt - Chairperson, Ohio Severe Weather Symposium;
Meteorologist, NWSFO Wilmington, OH

8:50 - 9:30 AM To Be Announced

9:30 - 10:00 AM Topic to be determined
Ben Gelber - Meteorologist, WCMH Columbus, OH

10:00 - 10:10 AM Morning Break

10:10 - 10:50 AM "The Blizzard of '77: Recipe for a Weather
Catastrophe"
Tom Niziol - Meteorologist-In-Charge, NWSFO Buffalo, NY

10:50 - 11:30 AM Hurricane Katrina: Title To Be Announced
Stacy Stewart - Hurricane Specialist and Warning Coordination
Meteorologist, National Hurricane Center, Miami, FL

11:30 AM - 12:45 PM Lunch Break/Department Tours

12:45 - 1:30 PM "Field Research and Changing Ideas about Tornado
Safety and Hurricane Evacuation"
Dr. Tom Schmidlin - Chair, Department of Geography, Kent State
University

1:30 - 2:15 PM "The 2 AM Tornado: November 6, 2005"
Rick Shanklin - Warning Coordination Meteorologist, NWSFO Paducah,
KY

2:15 - 2:30 PM Afternoon Break

2:30 - 3:15 PM "Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Large-Event Venues"
Roger Edwards - Meteorologist, Storm Prediction Center, Norman, OK

3:15 - 4:00 PM "The Tri-State Tornado of 18 March 1925 Reanalysis
Project: Preliminary Results"
Dr. Charles Doswell III - Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale
Meteorological Studies, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK

We ask that you please RSVP for the Symposium by sending an email to
jbower2@bigred.unl.edu with your name, affiliation, and contact
info.

2006 Advanced Severe Weather Spotter Seminar (presented by the
Central Ohio Severe Weather Network)
Saturday, April 8, 2006 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Fawcett Center Auditorium, 2400 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, OH

Featured presenters: Dr. Charles Doswell, Roger Edwards, Rick
Shanklin

Please visit www.severe-weather.org and click the Spotter Seminar
banner for information about this event and to register. Advanced
orders on tickets cost $7.00 apiece.

830 - 835 Opening Statement
835 - 905 Severe Weather History of Ohio Valley
905 - 950 Rick Shanklin, 2 am Evansville Tornado
950 - 1005 Break
1005 - 1135 Advanced Spotter Talk
1135 - 1150 The Role of the Spotter With Regards to
Warning Operations
1150 - 130 Lunch
130 - 215 Dr. Charles Doswell, Storm Spotting:
Some Personal Thoughts.
215 - 300 Roger Edwards, Safe Spotting in Low
Visibility Environments.
300 - 315 Break
315 - 400 Panel Discussion, Closing Statement

Please join us for the OSU Weather Weekend April 7 and 8. Hope to
see you there!


Date: Thu Feb 23, 2006 6:19 pm 
Subject: Thundersnow 
 

At 6:00pm:

Thunder is accompanying a snowshower presently.  The appearance of the
clouds and frequency of thunder is about that of a typical summer
thundershower-except that it is snow falling.

In other news:

We had 1.9" snow this morning.  I don't think the forcast was even
thinking about snow.  This thundersnow has thus far brought anothe
0.1" for 2.0" for the day so far.  That is 40.7" for Feb. so far and
144.7" for the season.

Vance
Thompson 5 SW (norhtern Geauga Co.)

Date: Thu Feb 23, 2006 8:36 pm 
Subject: Re: [OhioWx] Thundersnow 
 

I was watching to the north and seen the lightning. At that time we had
overcast skies and 46 degrees in northern Portage County.

Bill
Windham, OH

Date: Fri Feb 24, 2006 10:31 pm 
Subject: Re: SNOW 
 

If I were to see any flowers actually blooming in February, I think
I'd stomp them back into the ground.  With that said, I diod see a
few of last summer's snapdragons appear to be still alive (not
blooming)into January.  Although Jan. was more like March, December
was more like, well, December.  During the coldest of the weather,
those plants were insulated by a foot and a half of snow that
started to accummulate early-immediately after a mild fall.  An
unusual effect of the snowbelt is that my grass often remains
relatively green until the early Spring when the snowpack melts back
off the lawn.  Then it browns briefly until the new grass grows.

vance

Date: Sun Feb 26, 2006 4:12 pm 
Subject: Re: SNOW--TIME TO STOMP!!! 
brothhaas 
ymsgr:sendIM?brothhaasOffline 
 

I saw a whole patch of maybe a couple hundred winter aconite (a
golden yellow late winter blooming bulb) the othaer day.  Snowdrops
(a small white winter bloomer) are also in bloom, as well as
crocuses on south facing exposures.  Despite +5F last weekend the
nearby forsythia is hanging in there, and the Corneliancherry
dogwood outside my window is ready to bloom (another tree which
commonly blooms in late winter, not to be confused with a normal
dogwood.

This is likely much more than you wanted to know about winter
flowers, but I have 2 degrees in horticulture and I own Arbor Doctor
LLC tree and plant health care, so it's what I'm in to.

Incidentally, a lot of research has been done to establish
relationships between bloom times, degree days, and pest
emergences.  You can see some of this by typing in your zip code in
Ohio at:  http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/gdd/

This web site tells you approximately where your location is in
growing degree days (base 55F, I believe) in relation to expected
bloom times and pest emergences.  It is really quite amazing.

Also, in regards to your comment about the protective effects of
snowcover, a review of hardiness maps reveals that northeast Ohio
can support slightly more tender plants than more southerly
locations due to the protective snow cover and the warming effects
of the lakes.

It has always interested me how wide ranging the weather conditions
are within this one state--and we don't have mountains!

Ron
Cincinnati

Date: Tue Feb 28, 2006 8:11 am 
Subject: Back to "Real" Winter 
 

I hope knowone got used to the 60-degree temps we had about ten days
ago. I've had 4.2 inches of snow the past 24 hours (2.6 inches the
past 12 hours)which is the most 24-hour snowfall all season. Pretty
decent snowfall for a non-snowbelt area. With the help of a good
snowpack (4 inches) the temperature at 7 a.m. was 3 above.

REMINDER: Anyone who has an interest in being considered a candidate
as the next owner/moderator of the OhioWx Group need to get there name
into me (stormwarn1@msn.com) no later than tomorrow (March 1). A
decision should be made by the end of the week.

Jack Sisler
Wooster 7N
Wayne County

Return to OWON Summaries