[jogiba]

A powerful line of thunderstorms, fueled in part by a historic heat wave, brought widespread wind damage from Indiana all the way to the Mid-Atlantic coast on Friday and Friday night.

The line of thunderstorms, known as a derecho, began as a cluster of thunderstorms in the Chicago area late Friday morning. By the early afternoon hours, it quickly took on the more ominous "bow" shape on radar imagery over northern Indiana, signaling a powerful surge of winds at the apex of the "bow echo", a reference to the shape of a bow and arrow.


Damage was reported as far south as the Raleigh-Durham area in North Carolina due to wind gusts associated with the southern edge of this powerful line of storms between 10 p.m. and midnight EDT.

By 1 a.m. EDT Saturday, the derecho was crossing southern New Jersey, and the final reports of wind damage came in around 1:40 a.m. in Tuckerton, N.J., where winds gusted to 81 mph. Two people were killed at Parvin State Park in Salem County when powerful winds toppled a pine tree onto a tent at 12:50 a.m.

Timeline: Widespread Wind Damage from Derecho - weather.com

Two young children, believed to be boys ages 2 and 7 — were killed early Saturday when a tree fell on their tent as they were camping in Parvin State Park in Salem County.

A line of thunderstorms had crossed South Jersey shortly after midnight. The storms knocked down power lines and snapped trees.

Inside Parvin, Arroyo said “there were so many trees down. We could not get down there.” The park is off Almond Road outside Vineland. Arroyo noted he lives in Mays Landing, normally a 35-minute ride to Parvin.

It took him over two hours to reach the scene. He credited township fire crews, park police and state police with clearing the way to the scene.

As the storms approached, Arroyo said many of those using the park’s 56 tent and trailer sites left.

“Some people did stay,” Arroyo said.

Atlantic City Electric reported over 100,000 customers were without electricity early today. There were some 15,000 customers without power as of 7:30 a.m. in the Bridgeton area; 13,000 in the Millville area; 12,000 in the Mays Landing area; 4,700 in the Salem City area; 2,900 in the Pittsgrove area; 2,400 in the Franklinville area

Two boys die when pine tree falls on their tent at Parvin State Park | NJ.com

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Last edited by jogiba; 06-30-2012 at 03:39 PM.

[jogiba]

Millions of people in a swath of states along the East Coast and farther west went into a third sweltering day without power Monday after a round of summer storms that killed more than a dozen people.

At least 18 dead, 2 million without power after U.S. storms along East Coast - The Globe and Mail

Robert Clements, 28, said he showered by flashlight Friday night after losing power at his Fairfax, Va., home. His fiancee learned electricity wouldn’t be restored for days at her apartment complex so she booked a hotel Saturday to beat the heat.

“It feels like an oven,” said Ms. Clements’ fiancee, Ann Marie Tropiano, of the apartment she left behind.

Power outage could last days in steamy, stormy U.S. after 13 killed - The Globe and Mail

Last year (June 2011) we had a storm like that after hitting 101° during the day. Here is a video I shot of it:

You Tube

You Tube

[reeftool]

We're actually enjoying some pretty nice weather here in the north country. Days in the mid 80's and nights in the 60's.

[Ratmagiclady]

We're actually enjoying some pretty nice weather here in the north country. Days in the mid 80's and nights in the 60's.

It seems you guys and the Pacific Northwest have been the lucky ones with this.

Hope everyone's OK up the coast, there. It's being a bit steamy here now, but it seems the extreme temperatures are done for now. Took a lot out of me, it seems, but, basically weathered it well.

[reeftool]

Mid 80's is still pretty warm for us but not anywhere near as oppressive as the areas further south. We had a 95 degree day last week but it moderated since then. My daughter is in Oregon, the Mt Hood area, for the summer and she said it's still cool and damp there. We were having days in the 60's for quite a while. I'm off to vacation soon to the Outer Banks, NC soon and I'm sure it's going to be hot. When all you have to do is go to the beach or fish, it's not bad. I wouldn't want to be working in that heat. We've been missing the bad storms too. A few thunder showers but nothing severe.

[larryinlc]

What is up with this weather? We've been at or near the 100 degree mark for several days and the forecast for tomorrow is 102 followed by 104. Now, you people in the south might be okay with this, but this is Wisconsin for crying out loud!!

Larry

[Ratmagiclady]

What is up with this weather? We've been at or near the 100 degree mark for several days and the forecast for tomorrow is 102 followed by 104. Now, you people in the south might be okay with this, but this is Wisconsin for crying out loud!!

Larry

Hundreds of all time heat records were set this week all over the country.


(Edit: make that over *two thousand* this week, just in the US. And then there's Europe.)

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Last edited by Ratmagiclady; 07-05-2012 at 08:08 AM.

[jogiba]

Theresa Reich was on an overpass taking photos of a heat-buckled Wisconsin interstate when an SUV went airborne over the ski jump-like damaged road.

VIDEO: SUV Catches Air on Heat-Buckled Road

You Tube

You Tube

[cardinal43]

It seems you guys and the Pacific Northwest have been the lucky ones with this.

My son lives in central WA and when I spoke to him yesterday he said it was 65 degrees. My wife is leaving Saturday for a 2-month visit with him and our grandson and he told her it is supposed to be close to 100 degrees in WA on Sunday. Granted, there is less humidity there. She thought she would be getting away from the heat.

[Na Horuk]

I live in Europe and we have also had a couple of records lately. And a bunch of thunder- and hailstorms. Definitely completely normal, our activity has no effect on the weather system, we should all just keep doing what we're doing.

[Stratman]

Friday, July 6, 2012, whew !! It's hit 100 f or higher for 6 out of the last 7 days here in St. Louis, supposed to be the same tomorrow, then a "cool down" on Sunday to the high 90s f...

[magkelly]

They said it was supposed to be 92 F today, and that's our average this time of year actually, but with the humidity and the heat index here it always feels like it's 10 degrees hotter. I went out to the Italian Market and to Target for an hour today and just being outside for 10 minutes coming and going into each place was grueling. I don't do well in Summer heat over 80 F. For me 90 plus is just pure hell.

I did live through 102 F one summer up in PA. Had to for a week but I nearly had a stroke from the heat. No A/C. I couldn't leave the cats, too hot, so I spent the week in the bathtub with water in. Putting ice in front of fans and wetting down towels and sheets for me and the cats. I wouldn't do that now. I'd take the cats in the car and head for a hotel with A/C if it took me my last dime. But I was a broke student then, shrug. I can feel the heat under the A/C though and I know our pets do too. A/C or no A/C the pets are in the bathroom on the cool tile.

I often wonder how people wore tons of clothes back in the days before A/C and still survived. I mean look at a pic of what they wore in the 1800's and tell me you wouldn't get heat stroke in that! Tons of material in a dress, two petticoats, suits. Ugh.

[Stratman]

People were MUCH tougher back then, they had to be, or they wouldn't survive. I can't imagine taking a current teenager, and sending them back in time 100 years, haha. Even 30 years...what would they do without a cellphone surgically attached to their hand?

[Ratmagiclady]

I often wonder how people wore tons of clothes back in the days before A/C and still survived. I mean look at a pic of what they wore in the 1800's and tell me you wouldn't get heat stroke in that! Tons of material in a dress, two petticoats, suits. Ugh.

Well, it actually was somewhat cooler around then, and, well, trust me, it's not as bad as people think, when they start walking around in t shirts once it's up to room temperature out there, still eating north of 2500 calories even in the heat. Since I've got to cover up, anyway, I'm pretty used to it. It does take something out of you, though, when it gets really hot and bright.

[jogiba]

We're now approaching a two-week spell of record-smashing heat which first built in the Rockies and High Plains, then spread into the rest of the nation's heartland, then surged into the Southeast and parts of the Mid-Atlantic States.

The number of record highs tied or broken across the nation is staggering. Below are the latest tallies over the past 30 days from NOAA's National Climatic Data Center:
# of Record Highs Last 30 Days :
Daily 4,560
Monthly 781
All-time 238

How significant is this heat, in historical context?

We've had a potential new state record for South Carolina (113 at the Univ. of S.C. in Columbia and in Johnston) and a near-miss of the state record for Tennessee (Lewisburg reached 112 on July 2).
But it's not just triple-digit heat, in some locations all-time record highs may be threatened Saturday, including...

- Washington, D.C. (106 most recently on Jul. 20, 1930)

- Pittsburgh (103 most recently on Jul. 16, 1988)

- Louisville (107 most recently on Jul. 14, 1936)

Only one other day since the "Dust Bowl" has Washington, D.C. seen a high of at least 105 degrees (Aug. 17, 1997). Triple-digit heat may spread as far north as New York City, as well.
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh noted that forecast temperatures a few thousand feet above the ground for Saturday were at levels never seen before at that location. The last 100-degree high in the "Steel City" was almost 17 years ago (July 15, 1995).

Saturday could also see temperatures not seen since the "Dust Bowl" in Cincinnati. Only July days in 1936, 1934, or 1901 have seen highs reach 105 degrees in the "Queen City".

Torrid Heat: 4,500 Record Highs and Counting - weather.com