Storm Damage in The Albany Area 2/17/2006

4pm Update: The NWS in Albany, NY is confirming a measured wind gust of 143 MPH this afternoon in Stratton, VT at the ski resort. The NWS called the ski resort who has a full weather station at the top of the mountain (at 3880 feet), and they confirmed the measurement. Amazing.
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I just got back from a storm chase in Albany, which, until today, was unheard of for the month of February. I noticed that the line of convection earlier this morning was becoming even more linear and read numerous reports of wind speeds of 50-60mph with gusts as high as 75mph in Western and Central New York. So, I decided to take a ride up to John Boyd Thacher State Park with camera in hand to witness the gust front and some high winds first hand. Shortly after arriving there I received notification that Severe Thunderstorm Warnings had been issued for many counties in my area. Cool. To the west I could see a nice gust front/shelf cloud moving in. You can see the pictures below.

As the gust front neared, I heard what sounded like a roar (think freight train description of a tornado for those in Tornado Alley) and realized it was the wind gusting up and closing in on me. As I snapped more pictured the wind gusted to about 60 mph (estimated) many times and I found myself catching my balance. (I also found myself getting in my SUV and backing it away from the cliff that was 20 feet away :) Lol. As the front moved through the temperature dropped from about 52 degrees at 10:10am to 35 degrees at 10:29am. Unbelievable temperature swing behind the front!! Also, I witness a lightning flash in the area of Colonie as the heaviest part of the storm affected those areas. The rain quickly changed to moderate sleet with a little bit of snow. I have never seen wind driven sleet fall in sheets this hard and this fast. It was hurting my face and hands. In any case, it was quite a spectacle to see. As I descended the mountain the sleet and slow lessened and turned back to rain.

NWS reports are impressive with this event. Apparently there is major damage in the majority of the counties in Central New York. At least 1 fatality has already been reported. Here are some of the reports courtesy of the NWS:

Lowville, NY: 81 mph (BARN COLLAPSED)
Rochester, NY: 77 mph
Fairfield, NY: 73 mph
Schenectady AP, NY: 63 mph
Saratoga AP, NY: 67 mph
Albany, NY: 60 mph
Middleburgh, NY: 71 mph
North Adams, MA: 58 mph
Fulton/Montgomery County: Trees/power line down countywide
Herkimer County: Trees on Houses/Roof Damage throughout County/Barn Blown Down
Central NY: Power line and many utility poles themselves are down.

Damaging Wind on the way (2/17/06)

Major gradient with Strong Pre- and post-FROPA winds are affecting Western New York. The whole area is spreading east quickly with the strong cold front. A small line of convection also recently developed. 1 hour temperature falls of 10-20 degrees per hour are occurring. Of most significance are the gusty winds. Most NWS Offices are expecting damaging winds with these gusts today. Take a look at some of the wild winds!! So far today the following wind gusts have occurred. NY: Rochester: 77 mph at 6:57am EST!!!! Buffalo: 54 mph Dunkirk: 55 mph Niagra Falls: 52 mph Jamestown: 48 mph EDIT: Elmira: 54 mph at 8am Wellsville: 48 mph at 8am Fulton: 52 mph at 8am Syracuse: 56 mph at 8am
Fulton, NY: 75 mph gust at 8:00am Penn Yan, NY: 61 mph at 8:31am Rochester: 57 mph at 8:13am Syracuse: 62 mph at 8:13am Utica: 52 mph at 8:38am

And You Thought We Had Big Thunderstorms...

Courtesy of Space.Com

Biggest Lightning Storm Ever Recorded on Saturn

Scientists are tracking the strongest lighting storm ever detected at Saturn. The storm is larger than the continental United States, with electrical activity 1,000 times stronger than the lightning on Earth.
Radio outbursts were first detected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft Jan. 23. The storm is about 2,175 miles wide (3,500 kilometers). "It's really the only large storm on the whole planet," said Andrew Ingersoll, a member of the Cassini imaging team.

Earth-based amateur astronomers were able view Saturn's dayside with their telescopes when Cassini could not. The amateurs' images of Saturn provided the first visual confirmation of the storm. The storm is in a region of the southern hemisphere referred to as "storm alley" by scientists because of the high level of storm activity observed there. The latitude of the new storm matches that of the "Dragon storm," which was a powerful emitter of radio noise and was imaged by Cassini in 2004. It may be a reemergence of that storm or a new storm, scientists said. Sunlight reflected from Saturn's rings (called "ringshine") provided illumination needed to allowing the storm and other cloud features to be seen in a new Cassini image.