Just to correct a few issues about Hurricane Gloria….that are in error:

Although Hurricane Gloria (fortunately) did not maintain the category 3 intensity when it struck Long Island/Connecticut…the tropical cyclone was still quite destructive in a few areas. Although media attention was give to the little damage in the bigger Tri-State metro areas (NYC, New Haven, New Jersey coast…etc)…there was modest structural damage on Long Island and spotty areas of southern Connecticut. Hangers at the MacArthur Airport on Long Island blew away, trees came down on homes, branches went through roofs, boardwalks were swept away (including the fishing pier in New Haven)…etc. Gloria produced $1.0 billion in damage in the North Atlantic States. Gloria, only a category one hurricane….still produced more insurance claims in two hours…than every single snowstorm in Connecticut since 1900.

Also, “technically”…Hurricane Gloria did not “fall apart” after crossing Long Island Sound…in fact according to the NHC…the pressure of 964 mb at NWS Stratford…was within a few mbs of the pressure when the eye crossed the Long Island coastline near western Long Island (961-mb). The maximum sustained winds at both locations were measured at 75/80 - mph…with gusts to 100 mph. Gloria lost most of it’s intensity about 375-miles south of Cape Hatteras, NC…when the one minute winds went from 145-mph (gusts 175-mph) down to 90-mph (gusts to 115-mph). In fact, Gloria even came back a little when sustained winds were near 105-mph when the eye passed over Buxton, NC early on the 27th. From the Outer Banks of North Carolina (105-mph)…right to New Haven (85-mph) Gloria lost little intensity…while the structure of the cyclone changed little on radar.

One final note…Hurricane Gloria was not the last time a “full hurricane “struck parts of Connecticut…Hurricane Bob (1991) was. Exposed areas near along the Connecticut coast around Groton/Stonington had winds gusts to hurricane force. In fact, a US Coast Guard cutter, anchored off Groton Long Point… recorded sustained winds of 76-mph with gusts to 100-mph. Bob, not Gloria, was also the last deadly hurricane to strike Connecticut…six people were killed in Connecticut. Several were found drifting in a boat in eastern Long Island Sound two hours after the eye of Hurricane Bob passed about 10 miles east of the tip of Long Island, NY.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1991/bob/prenhc/prelim12.gif.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1991/bob/prenhc/prelim04.gif

I think News Channel 8 has the weather hype backwards quite often...they hype a few inches of snow, that are gone in a few days...yet they refer to severe storms like yesterdays storm or hurricanes like Gloria as "the lunch hour storm".Hurricane Gloria and Bob killed people in Connecticut.

Let's stop hyping the meaningless snows...and educate the public for the true weather threat in Connecticut/East Coast...the tropical cyclone!

I remember Gloria......at that time I lived in North Haven, now I live Branford, for one thing I lost power during Gloria, not at all this time.....

I dont think there is much to compare, just the rain and a little rain......

You can not blame the weather people for over or under reporting they can only go by their monitors mother nature is mother nature and she does what she wants

does this post make you feel important?

I do remember some of hurrican gloria at the time. It was my seventh birthday too. I do remember the rain and the brook rised up really high too. We lost power too that day, but my family got power back the same night. I don't think this rain storm brings back memories of it though.

I think that this system is pretty unique, and, although I've seen comparisons to Gloria, I wouldn't compare it to anythiing else.

I'm seeing something that,, is not normal here. Gloria was a 'normal' hurricane that followed 'normal' patterns. This thing seems to be stalled pretty much just offshore south of Long Island.

I thought, last night, that it was going to finally go out to sea, and was very surprised this morning to find it almost in the same place! Now, it looks like it has travelled slightly southward, which, I think, is quite unusual, especially after 3 days!

So, I think all comparisons and computer predictions are ummm suspended in favor of looking out the window and just seeing what happens.

I am following this with much interest, and some concern.

With the rain we had...and now the temps in the 60F range and sunshine ...I see spring coming fast at us. !

I thought of that - 'the lion'. I don't know.. something is coming at us.

But where are you seeing 60's and sunshine?

Just to get an idea of how insignificant our planet is in comparison to the others in our solar system. Winds on Neptune regularly gust at the SPEED OF SOUND!

okay.
The significance of our planet is not that it has winds that are strong.

The significance or our planet is that it is the only one that we know has life on it.

Speaking of 'revisited', the US satellite map is now showing the eye off shore east of Virginia, and that it is drawing from two other low pressure systems, one now over Texas, and the other crossing Florida. These two systems may, in turn, draw our storm here,, (does it have a name yet?) and keep it hugging the coast even longer.

We'll see.

http://www.weather.com/maps/maptype/satelliteusnational/index_large_animated.html

I'd like to know what the barometer reads, both here and in the center of the storm,, but WTNH refuses to post barometer readings now. I'll bet the center is tremendously low,, it has to be a strong depression to suck in all the stuff it is and from such distances.

At this point in time, 8 PM, it looks like the eye has tightened up. It is a little farther out to sea, but that could be a bit of why it is picking up some strength.

The question is... where will it go from here? who knows? Will it go north? northeast? will it go conveniently eastward? will it go any more south and then turn around?

hurricanes like Gloria are warm core storms...with all the bad weather right near the center. The storm that passed over on Sunday was a typical spring mid latitude rain storm. That don't name mid latitude storms...only hurricanes have names.

that's true. That's why I call it a nor'easter and not a hurricane. Our area has nor'easters this time of year. A nor'easter also has a cyclic spin, as this does.

We've already had a couple of nor'easters in the last few weeks,, but they each just moved right along toward the northeast and out to sea. This one is being weird.

It looks right now, at almost 9 pm,, like it wants to give the North Carolina coast a slap.

here is a link to the definition of a nor'easter:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nor'easter

Guest:

Here is the official National Weather Service forecast for New Haven…

Point Forecast: New Haven CT
41.32°N 72.94°W

Tuesday: Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 58.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 57. Calm wind becoming west between 6 and 9 mph.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 57.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 56.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 59.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 57.

Sounds like nice early spring weather to me! I know the last official frost in still in mid April for southern Connecticut…but I will really be whipping my garden beds into shape this week and weekend!

We'll see.

Did you read the article about nor'easters?

If you look out your window, you will see that the wind direction is from the northeast.

btw I made no forecast as to what we will see tomorrow. Instead I left it open. I'm an observer and not a forecaster.

What I've been observing is a nor'easter.

One storm not mentioned was the nor'easter of 91 or 92, can't remember exactley. The waves around the Baily beach area in Rowoyaton were hitting the small sea wall and going as high as the telephone pole.

One storm not mentioned was the nor'easter of 91 or 92, can't remember exactley. The waves around the Baily beach area in Rowoyaton were hitting the small sea wall and going as high as the telephone pole.

Every time the space shuttle goes up and comes back into the atmosphere, it seems there is weird weather all over the world!!!! Would you not agree. People out there watch what happens the next time the shuttle goes up and down.

I do agree! Those rockets put a tremendous amount of heat, gases, and particulates into the atmosphere! That heat affects the atmosphere, and so do the particulates!

Rest assured, a category 5 hurricane will eventually hit NY/CT. I'm surprised it hasn't happened since Hurricane Katrina, but it will come to pass. The storm systems are becoming more powerful and it really doesn't matter what is causing it, because the cycle is too far along to stop.

I think the phrase 'rest assured' is not the right phrase for the following statement! It's kind of disturbing, isn't it?
I don't know. As I said, I don't forecast anything. I just observe. Sometimes a trend becomes obvious.

It is becoming apparent to me that the computer generated forecasts are missing some factors so that they are not all that reliable, and must be supplemented by 'looking out the window'. The computer forecasts and the reality can be quite off, resulting in some very serious errors.

Maybe the rocket take-offs and re-entries need to be factored in.

Yes - that storm is the one referred to as "The Perfect Storm" that Sebastian Junger wrote the book about and they made the movie about with George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg.

The Perfect Storm was actually considered to be a "winter hurricane", a co-mingling of three separate storms that came together off the coast of Cape Cod.

That storm caused extremely high tides in the Harbor View area of Norwalk. My cousin lives on the seawall in Harbor View and he had a rowboat in his living room with water almost up to the second floor of his 3 story house.

Pondering this. It is true that a hurricane is a warm core,, and a nor'easter is a cold core. Now,, heat expands the air,, and cold contracts,, basic physics,,, cold is more compact molecules. A hurricane follows a track of warm air that has low barometer. What kind of a track does a nor'easter follow? (It's in the article which link I posted previously). A cold core with low barometer would tend to suck in warm air that is cooling as well as cold air, because a depression like that is a kind of vacuum. The spin is caused by multiple air masses coming into contact - change of seasons here does that at both ends.
This nor'easter is presently feeding from the system that is crossing Florida, as well as the colder Canadian front there,, and this is a typical nor'easter situation. The area of storm that passed by over the weekend is to our northwest and seems kind of stalled there.

Let's look at a larger, northern hemisphere map, and not just the US map, for what factors may be influencing this.

http://www.weather.com/maps/maptype/satelliteworld/westernhemisphereglobalsatellite_large_animated.html

the western hemisphere map is interesting. the main mass of the storm that passed us in now in the middle of the Atlantic, but it seems that it has split, so that part of it remains, and that part is what we see as the nor'easter that covers the area from offshore North Carolina to Maine. The two systems, one coming towards us from the north, may be like an Alberta Clipper, and that is cold air,, and the other, traveling east from Mexico across florida, has warm air. then there is the third, that orange area now over Texas and travelling east - that is probably where the cold and the warm air collide. It is now being drawn in along the southern outer band of the nor'easter.

Now back to the US map -
http://www.weather.com/maps/maptype/satelliteusnational/index_lahttp://www.weather.com/maps/maptype/satelliteworld/westernhemisphereglobalsatellite_large_animated.htmlrge_animated.html

Forecast? Not me!

If you're looking for barometric readings, and other detailed information, you can go to this NOAA site, plug in your zipcode & get the 3 day history for your area. This one is for Meriden/Markham airport.
http://www.weather.gov/data/obhistory/KMMK.html

well, that's not an Alberta Clipper -

http://www.weather.com/maps/geography/pacific/pacificoceansatellite_large_animated.html

The center of the nor'easter doesn't look any closer to land

http://www.weather.com/maps/maptype/satelliteusnational/index_large_animated.html

we'll see what it looks like in the morning.

Good night.

Thanks for the blog

Wow. It is sad when people have nothing better to do then write an essay bashing someone else.

Why in this day and age of computers and instant EVERYTHING does it take a WEEK to restore power? GRRR!!

Dr. Mel THANK YOU for keeping us informed. Thank God for WiFi :)

Not to be forgotten is the very powerful Nor'Easter that hit the shoreline East area Christmas Eve, of I believe '93. I got home to Old Lyme at the time after midnight, and had to detour my route due to downed trees and power lines.

These storms should be no surprise folks, we live in New England, and thankfully for the Connecticut shoreline, having Long Island as a buffer.

Look at the history books of the 38 hurricane that hit Connecticut. The damage then, was bad, imagine it doing that damage now with Million $$ homes and the population that now lives by the shore here in Connecticut from Southport to Stonington. GOD FORBID!!!

WOW, I'm willing to bet you work for a rival station.

Shoreliner:

Hope you get to enjoy this nice weather. The next 6 days look to be sunny and temps 55 to 60 F!

Good morning!
yep, looking out my window, I see clear skies! Looking at my favorite US satellite map I see that we are just under the outermost western band of the nor'easter, which is moving eastward out in the Atlantic, and all in the north, south, and west looks clear.

I just want to ask again that WTNH online weather post the current barometer, humidity, and the wind direction and velocity as well as the temp. Would you, please? It is very helpful to have that information handy.

A significant indicator in recognizing that we were in a nor'easter was that our overhead winds were coming from the east northeast. Normally, even in the rain, the wind direction is from the general western direction.

[amquote by="Chrissie" id="64747"]Why in this day and age of computers and instant EVERYTHING does it take a WEEK to restore power? GRRR!!



Dr. Mel THANK YOU for keeping us informed. Thank God for WiFi :)[/amquote]
And now we find out the truth that our rate increases are pocketed and then when the #2 hits the fan, I'm without power living like Paul Bunion and I might add SMELLING like him, BECAUSE of MORE corprate greed. HEY, Dick Blumenthal....SUE the hell out of CL&P before I do! (GRUMBLE) Won't pay their people to restore power on OT... GEE SORRY the storm came on a weekend :( Lucky it isn't really cold out! THANKS CL&P you made it easier for me to switch companies! Hope their executives have COLD SHOWERS for the next 4 days or NO WATER or lights or heat...OOOO I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MAD!

I don't remember Gloria since I was only a year old but all I can say with this past weekend storm is WOW! Thankfully where I live in CT there was no tree damage or flooding which I am thankful for.

Really now...an average volcanic eruption puts far, far more heat, noxious gases and particulates into the atmoshere than an average spacecraft launch...and lasts far longer.

I thought this weekend's storm was underreported, most likely because it was Saturday night. If it had been a week night, I think the major stations would have had crews out on the Merritt Parkway where I was sitting with hundreds of other cars behind the heavy equipment and state police who were clearing the road and preventing us from crashing into the many fallen trees. I am not complaining, just stating a fact. I was surprised how little was mentioned on the 11 PM news that evening. We were still stuck in traffic at that time.

7 times more outages after Gloria and yet it takes the same amount of time for everyone to get their power back after this storm...hmmm...

here we go again. Check out the map today

http://www.weather.com/maps/maptype/satelliteusnational/index_large_animated.html

another nor'easter, with the center, at this point in time, 9 AM over Virginia/Maryland.

Geez...He/she is just giving us some more information. I didn't find it offensive to Dr. Mel. You are doing what you are accusing him of doing...critizing.

Now here is a good local weather map:

http://www.newjerseyweather.com/new-jersey-temperatures.html

It shows wind velocity and direction, temperature, precipitation. You could do that

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I just found this weather page from wunderground that has the temp, humidity, baraometer and winds. yay! current conditions, too! and for many locations in Connecticut.

http://www.wunderground.com/US/CT/

I'm sorry WTNH refuses to post it because that means I have to go somewhere else for it. oh, well.

I was living in Sydney, Australia when Hurricane Gloria struck CT. My friends down under and I were literally glued to the TV, Hurricane Gloria was the top news story all week down under! Everyone was worried about my family here. I could not reach them for nearly a week, thank Heavens everyone was OK. After I arrived back to the US that Christmas, my job was to turn all our lost trees into firewood. What a workout!