[Vision2020] NCDC Special Report: Spring 2011 U.S. Climate "extremes, , , never before...in a single month"

[Ted Moffett]

Who needs blockbuster flicks like "Super 8" given the mind bending
realities described in this NCDC report injected into an eidetic
brain? Eidetic Imagery: Raising More Questions than Answers:
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1693

Note "spring" in this special National Climatic Data Center report
refers to the meteorological spring, March-May, not the astronomical
spring.  Given today's relatively cool wet June weather here on the
Palouse, it does not seem like summer!

Only a small excerpt pasted in below from this very large web page:

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/special-reports/2011-spring-extremes/index.php

Spring 2011 U.S. Climate Extremes
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Climatic Data Center

Introduction

The spring (March-May) of 2011, particularly April, brought extreme
weather and climate events to many parts of the United States.
Tornadoes, flooding, drought, and wildfires ravaged many parts of the
country during the period, and each of these extremes broke
long-standing records and have been compared to the 'worst such cases'
in history. While similar extremes have occurred throughout modern
American history, never before have they occurred in a single month.
According to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC), there were 875
preliminary tornado reports during April alone, and the confirmed
number of tornadoes will approach the all-time monthly record of 542
tornadoes set in May 2003. Record rainfall along the Ohio River
Valley, punctuated with snowmelt across the upper Midwest, caused
record flooding along the mid and lower Mississippi River, with water
levels surpassing the historic floods of 1927 and 1937. Above-normal
precipitation and vegetative growth during 2010, followed by dry and
windy conditions the first five months of 2011, created ideal wildfire
conditions across the Southern Plains where millions of acres of land
burned. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM), the same region
experienced Extreme-to-Exceptional [D3-D4] drought following
consecutive months that were record to near-record dry.

------------------------------------------
Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett