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National Climatic Data Center Technical Report No. 98-02

The El Nino Winter of ’97 - ’98

Tom Ross

Neal Lott

Sam McCown

Duncan Quinn

April 1998

U.S. Dept of Commerce

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service

National Climatic Data Center

Asheville, NC 28801-5001
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INTRODUCTION

The winter of 1997-1998 was marked by a record breaking El Nino event and unusual extremes in

parts of the country. Overall, the winter (December 1997- February 1998) was the second

warmest and seventh wettest since 1895. Severe weather events included flooding in the

southeast, an ice storm in the northeast, flooding in California, and tornadoes in Florida. The

winter was dominated by an El Niño-influenced weather pattern, with wetter than normal

conditions across much of the southern third of the country and warmer than normal conditions

across much of the northern two-thirds of the country. 

Prior to the winter of 1997-1998, strong warm-episode (El Niño) conditions had persisted in the

tropical Pacific since June 1997. Sea surface temperatures throughout the equatorial east-central

Pacific increased to near 29 degrees C during February and March 1998. At the same time,

departures from normal were near +4 degrees C along the west coast of South America. During

1997 the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) statistical and coupled model

predictions were consistent in indicating the development and persistence of strong warm-episode

conditions. As of April 1998, the latest NCEP forecasts indicate that warm episode oceanic

conditions, comparable to those observed during 1982-83, will continue through June 1998. 

Thereafter, both the statistical model and the NCEP coupled model indicate a return toward

normal. This report will focus on highlights and unusual events covering the December 1997-

February 1998 period.

WINTER SUMMARY

The first two months of 1998 were the warmest and wettest in the 104-year record of

temperatures and precipitation measurements for the contiguous 48 states. During the period

January - February, the national average temperature was 37.5 degrees F compared with a normal

of 32.1 degrees F. The previous record was 37.0 degrees F in 1990. For precipitation, 6.01

inches fell, compared with a normal of 4.05 inches. The previous record was 5.7 inches in 1979. 

For the winter (December through February) as a whole, however, temperatures and precipitation

were not as extreme, due to December being somewhat cooler and drier (as a national average)

than January and February. The winter of ‘97-’98 was the second warmest on record and the

seventh wettest. The normal national average temperature for the winter months of December,

January, and February is 32.3 degrees F. This winter’s figure was 36.4 degrees F. The record

was 36.6 degrees F set in 1991-1992. For the three-month period, the normal precipitation value

for the country is 6.35 inches. This winter's figure was 7.96 inches, compared with the record 8.5

inches in 1932-1933.

California and North Dakota had their wettest February on record. Florida, Maryland, Nevada,

Rhode Island, and Virginia had their second wettest February since records began in 1895. The

warmest February on record took place in much of the upper midwest and parts of the east
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Figure 2 Regional U.S. Map 

including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. 

Nationwide energy savings were estimated at 10% (i.e., 10% lower heating costs as compared to

normal winter).

"These are the patterns one would typically expect during a strong El Nino event," said Ants

Leetma, director of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center in Camp Springs, MD. "This year, the

strong El Nino on top of the continuing gradual increase of temperature and precipitation set the

stage for many all-time state records." "With the newest figures, the long-term trend of increasing

temperatures and precipitation in the United States continues," said Tom Karl, Director at

NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, NC.

Tables 1 and 2 are winter season’s rankings of

temperature and precipitation for the contiguous 48

states broken down by geographic region. 

Table 1. Winter Temperature/Precipitation Ranks

 TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION RANKINGS FOR

 DECEMBER 1997-FEBRUARY 1998, BASED ON THE PERIOD

 1895-96 TO 1997-98.

 1 = DRIEST/COLDEST, 103 = WETTEST/HOTTEST.

 REGION PRECIPITATION TEMPERATURE

 ------ ------------- -----------

 NORTHEAST 63 102

 EAST NORTH CENTRAL 42 103

 CENTRAL 35 102

 SOUTHEAST 103 72

 WEST NORTH CENTRAL 79 99

 SOUTH 99 81

 SOUTHWEST 61 63

 NORTHWEST 36 92

 WEST 99 70

 NATIONAL 97 102
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Table 2. Winter Extremes/Normals

 WINTER EXTREMES, 1961-90 NORMALS, AND 1997-98 VALUES

 FOR WINTER, DECEMBER-FEBRUARY

 PRECIPITATION (INCHES)

 DRIEST WETTEST NORMAL 1998

 REGION VALUE YEAR VALUE YEAR PCPN PCPN

 ------ ---------- ---------- ------ ------

 NORTHEAST 4.56 1980 13.97 1979 8.94 9.27

 EAST NORTH CENTRAL 1.61 1931 5.55 1969 3.50 3.27

 CENTRAL 4.24 1963 17.30 1950 8.60 7.95

 SOUTHEAST 5.77 1938 17.81 1998 12.15 17.81

 WEST NORTH CENTRAL .84 1931 2.90 1969 1.81 2.07

 SOUTH 3.57 1918 13.12 1932 6.88 9.67

 SOUTHWEST .93 1904 6.53 1993 2.58 2.78

 NORTHWEST 3.86 1977 15.73 1965 10.69 9.65

 WEST 2.52 1977 15.87 1969 7.18 14.02

 NATIONAL 4.08 1977 8.50 1932 6.35 7.96*

 * PRELIMINARY VALUE, CONFIDENCE

 INTERVAL + OR - .47 INCHES

 TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)

 COLDEST WARMEST NORMAL 1998

 REGION VALUE YEAR VALUE YEAR TEMP TEMP

 ------ ---------- ---------- ------ ------

 NORTHEAST 16.6 1918 30.7 1932 23.7 29.8

 EAST NORTH CENTRAL 8.4 1936 26.6 1998 16.4 26.6

 CENTRAL 23.9 1978 40.8 1932 31.1 37.4

 SOUTHEAST 41.2 1978 55.5 1932 46.2 48.4

 WEST NORTH CENTRAL 9.5 1979 27.6 1992 19.4 25.8

 SOUTH 38.0 1905 48.6 1952 43.1 45.7

 SOUTHWEST 27.3 1933 38.4 1981 33.2 34.2

 NORTHWEST 21.7 1949 37.2 1934 30.5 33.4

 WEST 31.7 1949 43.9 1981 39.9 40.9

 NATIONAL 27.1 1979 36.6 1992 32.3 36.4*

 * PRELIMINARY VALUE, CONFIDENCE

 INTERVAL + OR - .2 DEG. F.
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Figure 3 Individual State Rankings

 

 

Maps shown in Figure 2 are the December 1997-February 1998 statewide ranks of 

temperature and precipitation. Shaded areas show greatest departures. Additional maps in the

Appendix (Figures 12-14) show individual state divisional winter precipitation amounts for

California and the southeast, along with nationwide maps of divisional precipitation for the winter

(Figures 15-18). Figures 19-20 show the snow cover and streamflow as compared to normal in

mid-March.
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Table 3. States/Regions Which Set Precipitation and Temperature Records

Record High December - February Precipitation Totals

State/Rgn Total Normal Pct. Of Normal (Previous) Rec’d Year

FL 19.28 8.69 222 15.14 1963-64

SC 19.54 11.21 174 17.38 1981-82

Southeast 18.57 11.60 160 16.55 1935-36

Record Warm December - February Temperature Averages

State/Rgn Avg. T Normal Dep. From Normal (Previous) Rec’d Year

CT 33.2 27.5 +5.7 33.0 1931-32

IA 29.2 21.3 +7.9 29.0 1991-92

MI 29.1 21.2 +7.8 28.7 1931-32

MN 23.4 11.6 +11.8 21.7 1986-87

NH 26.4 20.5 +5.9 26.2 1932-33

WI 26.4 16.6 +9.8 23.8 1930-31

E. N. Central 26.6 17.0 +9.6 24.5 1986-87

These data and tables were compiled based on U.S. climate divisional data, which in turn are

based on preliminary data from over 5000 reporting stations across the country. NCDC’s

Climate Variations Bulletin (CVB) contains additional information, analyses, and individual

monthly reports. The publication is available via the WWW at the following address:

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/documentlibrary/cvb.html. The NOAA press release relating to the

above figures can be found at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/climate/warmest.html.

MONTHLY HIGHLIGHTS

December 1997

December’s weather pattern featured a typical El-Nino configuration. A northern branch jet

stream confined cold air to central Canada, and a strong southern branch of the jet stream brought

cool wet weather across portions of the deep south. Due to the lack of arctic air, the northern

plains averaged from 5 to 15 degree F above normal for the month. For the first time on record,

Glasgow, MT had no sub-zero temperatures and was 10.9 degrees above normal for the month. 

In contrast, temperatures across the south were generally 1-3 degrees F below normal. The

biggest departures of 6 to 9 degrees F below normal were recorded in parts of the southwest. 

Record rainfall drenched parts of central and northeast Florida with Tampa receiving 15.57

inches, Orlando 12.63 inches, and Jacksonville 9.77 inches. The strong southern jet stream was

also associated with near record rains across other sections of the southeast. Areas farther to the

north, while not receiving abundant precipitation, didn’t get much sunshine. St. Louis recorded

less than 80 hours of sunshine during the month (27% of possible). Des Moines recorded an 11

day cloudy streak running from December 1-11, and Albuquerque, NM had no sunshine on four

consecutive days from December 20-23. 
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The procession of storms northeastward from the southwest was also responsible for above

normal snowfall across portions of the plains and midwest. Monthly snowfall totals reached 14.9

inches at Dodge City, KS, 10.9 inches at Kansas City, MO, and 15.2 inches in Moline, IL. Across

the northern tier of states, monthly precipitation only reached 0.34 inches at Houghton Lake, MI,

and Helena, MT recorded only a trace of precipitation. 

January 1998

Weather patterns only occasionally deviated from the classic El Nino structure, as Arctic air

edged into the northern plains and Pacific storms hit parts of the Pacific Northwest. Frequent

storminess continued across the south and east, including a powerful storm that produced

flooding in the southeast and one of the worst ice storms on record in parts of New England (see

below for details). In terms of temperatures, arctic air was held at bay, although it occasionally

reached the northern plains. Though the temperature fell to -40 F at Jordan, MT on the 12th, the

only areas of the U.S. where monthly mean temperatures averaged below normal were across

portions of Montana and southern California. Monthly mean temperatures were ten degrees

above normal across portions of the Great Basin, northern plains, Ohio Valley, and the Middle

Atlantic region.

The persistent storminess lead to record breaking monthly precipitation totals at the following

locations: New Orleans, LA (19.28 inches), Mobile, AL (16.92 inches), Baton Rouge, LA

(14.94 inches), Asheville, NC (9.96 inches), Roanoke, VA (7.97 inches), Blacksburg, VA (7.39

inches), and Burlington, VT (5.15 inches). Late in the month, an east coast storm caused beach

erosion and dumped record snowfall across the central and southern Appalachians, with Flat Top,

WV accumulating 35.0 inches of snow in a 24-hour period on January 27-28. Elsewhere in West

Virginia, 24-hour snowfall records were established at Bluefield (21.9 inches) and Beckley (31.0

inches). Storm total snowfall reached 42 inches in Ghent, WV and 40 inches at Beech Mountain,

NC. A GOES-8 visible image of this particular storm on January 27, 1998 is displayed in Figure

6.

Flooding Rains and Ice Storm

During the week of January 5-9, 1998, the eastern U.S. and eastern Canada were severely

affected by a storm system with a very deep southerly flow and abundant moisture. This resulted

in flooding rains from the lower Mississippi valley through the southeast and into the northeast,

accompanied by several tornadoes, and a severe ice storm in parts of the northeast/New England

and into Canada. The death toll from this system included:
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Flood-related:

 Tennessee--7

 North Carolina--2

 South Carolina--1

 Kentucky--1

 Alabama--1

Ice storm-related:

 Canada--28

 New York--9

 Maine--5

 New Hampshire--2

U.S./Canada total--56

The heaviest rains and most severe flooding occurred in the mountains of North Carolina and

northeast Tennessee, where up to 16 inches of rain fell in a two day period in Jackson County,

NC. See Table 4 for some of the two-day rainfall totals for January 7-8. Estimates indicated over

500 homes either destroyed or with severe damage in North Carolina, and over 200 homes

severely damaged or destroyed in Tennessee. Tornado touchdowns produced some damage in

Dublin, GA and Easley, SC. Flooding also was a problem in parts of the lower Mississippi valley

and upstate New York. 

The severe ice storm mainly affected upstate New York, northern New Hampshire and Vermont,

much of Maine, and southeast Canada. Some locations received over 3 inches of rain (in the form

of freezing rain). Canada reported over 3 million utility customers without power immediately

after the storm, while the northeast U.S. reported over 500,000 customers without power. In

Maine, four out of five residents lost electrical service at some point during or after the storm, and

nearly 3 million feet of power lines were destroyed. Overall damages were well over $2 billion for

Canada and over $300 million for the U.S. See Figures 3-5 for satellite/radar images of this storm

system. 

The last U.S. ice storm to strike with this (or greater) intensity was during February 1994 in the

southeast U.S. The NCDC report, 1994 Weather in the Southeast: February Ice Storm and July

Flooding includes details about that storm, which caused approximately $3 billion in total

damages in the southeast.

Table 4

The following are rainfall totals (> 3.0 inches), for January 7-8, 1998 in northeast Georgia,

northwest South Carolina, and western North Carolina. Note numerous amounts exceeding 7

inches. Amounts were provided by the National Weather Service's Greenville-Spartanburg office:

NORTHEAST GEORGIA COUNTIES:

 COUNTY LOCATION RAINFALL (INCHES) 

 RABUN MOUNTAIN CITY 5.90
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 HABERSHAM CLARKESVILLE 5.06

 CORNELIA 4.68

 STEPHENS TOCCOA 4.71

UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTIES:

 OCONEE SALEM 6.10

 KEOWEE 5.37

 JOCASSEE 5.25

 CLEMSON 3.67

 PICKENS TABLE ROCK 6.50-7.00

 PICKENS/EASLEY 5.00-6.00

 CEDAR ROCK 4.00

 3 MI SE EASLEY 3.03

 GREENVILLE US 25 NEAR NC BORDER 5.25

 HUNTS BRIDGE 3.79

 GOWENSVILLE 3.65

 TRAVELERS REST 3.40

 CAESARS HEAD 3.16

 SPARTANBURG CAMPOBELLO 3.90

 20 MI N GREER 3.60

 

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES:

 

 SWAIN TROUT FARM 4.84

 BRYSON CITY 3.45

 PIN OAK GAP 3.32

 MACON HIGHLANDS 9.63

 OTTO 5.47

 FRANKLIN 4.67

 JACKSON HOGBACK MTN 16.12

 ROBINSON CREEK 15.33

 COLD CREEK 13.36

 TANASEE CREEK 12.96

 WOLF CREEK 11.64

 CHARLEY RIDGE 10.91

 CEDAR CLIFF 9.00

 TUCKASEGEE 7.40

 PUMPKINTOWN 6.72

 SYLVA KINGS MTN 5.20

 HAYWOOD MT HARDY 12.20

 DANIEL RIDGE 8.16

 WAYNESVILLE 3.47

 TRANSYLVANIA 5 MI NW CEDAR MTN 14.50

 CONNESTEE FALLS 12.38

 LAKE TOXAWAY 10.63

 ROSMAN 9.02

 BREVARD 8.92

 PISGAH FOREST 7.92

 BALSAM GROVE 7.80

 RICH MTN 7.24

 HENDERSON SUGARLOAF MTN 9.17

 BEARWALLOW CREEK 7.81

 HORSEPEN MTN 6.84

 ETOWAH 7.67

 HENDERSONVILLE 6.09

 MILLS RIVER 5.54
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 DANA 5.08

 BUNCOMBE BEAVERDAM CREEK 7.96

 MT PISGAH 5.92

 FLAT TOP MTN 5.07

 ASHEVILLE AIRPORT 4.70

 BARNARDSVILLE 4.36

 CANDLER 3.82

 ASHEVILLE DOWNTOWN 3.35

 NEWFOUND CREEK 3.08

 MADISON DUCKETT TOP & IVY GAP 3.36

 LITTLE PINE CREEK 3.16

 YANCEY BLUE ROCK 7.64

 MT MITCHELL 7.50

 BLACK MTN 4.86

 MITCHELL SPRUCE PINE 9.64

 HAWK 4.85

 AVERY GRANDFATHER MTN 5.15

 BEECH MTN 3.56

 ASHE JEFFERSON 4.32

 BURKE JONAS RIDGE 7.71

 MCDOWELL OLD FORT 6.29

 POLK TRYON 4.38

 

February 1998

February was again very warm across most of the continental U.S. due to the strong El Nino

signal. Mean monthly temperatures were as much at 6-16 degrees F above normal across

portions of the northern plains. These warm temperature resulted in many record temperatures

including an average temperature of 29.1 degrees F at Sault Ste. Marie, MI, which was 15.1

degrees F above normal. The only below normal areas in the contiguous U.S. were across

portion of the southwest and west coast. Especially impressive was the lack of night-time cold, as

temperatures remained above the 20 degree F mark for the entire month in Topeka, KS.-- the first

occurrence since records began 102 years ago. At Madison, WI, the month’s extreme lowest

daily temperature was only 11 degrees F, which is equal to their normal daily average February

minimum. Unusually cloudy weather continued across a large portion of the eastern half of the

country, which acted as a night-time blanket and kept temperatures well above normal. At

month’s end, the water temperature of Lake Erie at Buffalo was 36 degrees F, the highest on

record for the end of the month. The only other seasons that the lake remained unfrozen were

1952-1953 and 1982-1983. 

In terms of precipitation, across California and the southwest, four weeks of nearly continuous

storminess resulted in widespread flooding, mudslides, and agriculture disruptions. Late in the

month a shift in the weather pattern brought some of that storminess out of the southwest and

into the northern plains. February precipitation records were set at nearly a dozen locations in the

east and at least 19 stations in California. Santa Barbara, CA received an incredible monthly total

of 21.74 inches, breaking the old record of 17.33 set in 1962 and establishing a record for any

month. Records for that location date back to 1867. 
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Florida wasn’t immune to wild weather either, as a strong southern jet stream brought storminess

to the “Sunshine State.” Severe thunderstorms produced winds gusts to 104 mph in Miami, 90

mph in Hollywood, and 66 mph in Homestead on the 2nd and 3rd of the month. Over 220,000

Florida Power and Light customers were left without power, as the company said damage to its

system was the worst since the “Storm of the Century” in March 1993. Another batch of severe

thunderstorms spawned deadly tornadoes across central Florida on February 22-23, killing 42

people. See below for further details on the flooding in California and tornadoes in Florida.

California Flooding

During the month of February 1998, California was struck by a series of storms due in part to the

affects of El Nino. The current estimates indicate over $550 million in damages for the state, with

that total expected to climb. The state also reported 17 storm-related deaths for the winter, and

35 counties were declared federal disaster areas. Clear Lake in northern California reached its

highest level since 1909, flooding portions of Lakeport, about 90 miles north of San Francisco. 

See Table 5 for the monthly rainfall records broken during February, and Figures 7-8 for satellite

images of the storm system which struck the state on February 3.

The west coast has dealt with severe flooding for each of the last four winters (including this

year). However, the previous three winters were not significantly influenced by El Nino, thus

showing that (as climatologists have pointed out in prior years) severe flooding can occur on the

west coast during non-El Nino years. These NCDC reports describe the previous three winters'

flooding:

Technical Report 97-01, Winter of '96-'97 - West Coast Flooding 

Technical Report 96-02, The Winter of '95-'96 - A Season of Extremes

Technical Report 95-01, January and March 1995: A California Cloudburst

These and other reports are available via the NCDC World Wide Web (WWW) site: 

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/reports/weather-events.html

Table 5. February 1998 Record Rainfall Amounts (inches)

Location Total Former Record/Year

Ukiah 22.33 19.49 in 1958

Santa Barbara 21.74 *17.33 in 1962

UCLA 20.51 *18.37 in 1918

Chatsworth 20.11 *17.71 in 1962

Oxnard 17.80 15.58 in 1962

Simi Valley 17.20 *11.15 in 1992

Northridge 15.75 *14.23 in 1962

Monterey 15.00 11.68 in 1978

San Francisco 14.89 12.52 in 1878

L.A. Cvc Ctr 13.68 13.37 in 1884
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L.A. Airport 13.30 11.07 in 1962

Lompoc 12.86 11.54 in 1918

Redwood City 12.46 10.06 in 1986

Santa Maria 11.59 9.69 in 1962

Long Beach 11.22 9.66 in 1937

San Jose 10.23 7.02 in 1915

Riverside 9.49 * 6.97 in 1969

Stockton 8.01 7.34 in 1936

Bakersfield 5.36 * 4.68 in 1978

* Denotes an all-time-record February monthly total.

Florida Tornadoes

During the late evening of February 22 and early morning of February 23, 1998, a series of

tornadoes ripped across central Florida. At least one of the tornadoes reached an estimated F4

intensity. Forty-two fatalities occurred, over 800 residences were destroyed, another 700 were

left uninhabitable, over 3500 were damaged to some extent, and 135,000 utility customers lost

power at the height of the storms. Damages from the tornado outbreak exceeded $60 million, and

Florida’s overall storm damage total since last fall is approximately $500 million. Hardest hit

locations in the tornado outbreak were Winter Garden, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, and

Campbell. See Figures 9-11 for NEXRAD images of the storms. Overall, 54 of Florida’s 67

counties were declared federal disaster areas due to storms over the past few months.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The photograph of the landslide on the front cover is courtesy of the Federal Emergency

Management Agency (FEMA). Figures 9-11 are from the Melbourne, FL NEXRAD site. 

Figures 15-18 were provided by the Western Regional Climate Center, and Figures 19-20 were

provided by the National Weather Service Hydrologic Information Center. The Climate

Prediction Center, the Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin (NOAA / US Department of

Agriculture publication), and the Climate Variations Bulletin (NCDC publication) provided some

of the information for this report.

In looking for general information and impacts related to El Nino and this past winter, the

following resources are good places to start.

- NOAA El Niño Forecasts, Observations and Research (http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/): This site

is quite inclusive and covers current El Niño status and U.S. forecasts, threat assessment for the

U.S., state by state assessment, hurricane forecasts, preparing for El Nino, El Niño loss reduction

center, overview of NOAA's role in forecasting, NOAA and NOAA supported El Niño forecasts,

comprehensive list of El Niño forecasts, and much more.
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- NOAA/CIRES Climate Diagnostic Center (http://www.cdc.noaa.gov/~mz/currentclimob.html):

This page allows the user to plot current or historical climate anomalies and compare those to the

trends associated with El Niño.

- Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin, a joint publication prepared by the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): A good

source for narrative information and National Weather Service (NWS) office records.

- National Climatic Data Center WWW site (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov): Numerous datasets,

reports, and satellite images which provide additional details and data for further research.

APPENDIX - FIGURES/IMAGES

January 1998 Satellite and Radar Images:

Fig 3. GOES-8 Infrared Image, 08 Jan 98 at 00:15Z (storm producing flooding/ice storm)

Fig 4. NEXRAD Composite, 08 Jan 98 at 00:00Z (storm producing flooding/ice storm)

Fig 5. GOES-8 Water Vapor Image, 08 Jan 98 at 19:15Z (storm producing flooding/ice storm)

Fig 6. GOES-8 1 KM Visible Image, 27 Jan 98 at 17:02Z (storm producing rain/snow in south)

February 1998 Satellite and Radar Images:

Fig 7. GOES-9 Infrared Image, 3 Feb 98 at 12:00Z (west coast storm)

Fig 8. GOES-9 Visible Image, 3 Feb 98 at 21:00Z (west coast storm)

Fig 9. NEXRAD Melbourne Radar Reflectivity, 23 Feb 98 at 03:56Z (Florida tornadoes)

Fig 10. NEXRAD Melbourne Radar Reflectivity, 23 Feb 98 at 04:55Z (Florida tornadoes)

Fig 11. NEXRAD Melbourne Radar Reflectivity, 23 Feb 98 at 05:50Z (Florida tornadoes)

Fig 12. Winter Divisional Precipitation for TN, LA, MS, and AL

Fig 13. Winter Divisional Precipitation for VA, TN, SC, and GA

Fig 14. Winter Divisional Precipitation for FL, CA

Fig 15. Nationwide Winter Precipitation Averages by Climate Division

Fig 16. Nationwide Winter Precipitation Percent of Normal by Climate Division

Fig 17. Nationwide Winter Precipitation Standardized Precipitation Index by Climate Division

Fig 18. Nationwide Winter Precipitation Percentiles (non-exceedance) by Climate Division

Fig 19. Nationwide Snow Cover on March 14 as Compared to Normal

Fig 20. Nationwide Streamflow on March 14 as Compared to Normal
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Figure 3. GOES- 8 Infrared Image, 08 Jan 98 at 00:15 Z

 

 

 

 Figure 4. NEXRAD National Composite, 08 Jan 98 at 00:00Z
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Figure 6. GOES-8 1KM Visible Image, 27 Jan 98 at 17:02 Z

 

 

 

 Figure 5. GOES-8 Water Vapor Image, 08 Jan 98 at 19:15Z
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 Figure 7. GOES-9 Infrared Image, 3 Feb 98 at 12:00Z

 

 Figure 8. GOES-9 Visible Image, 3 Feb 98 at 21:00Z
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Figure 9. NEXRAD Radar Reflectivity 23 Feb 98 at 03:56Z

Figure 10. NEXRAD Radar Reflectivity 23 Feb 98 at 04:55Z
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Figure 11. NEXRAD Radar Reflectivity 23 Feb 98 at 05:50Z
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