Not What I expected

by Ruth Smith
(Boston, MA)

The first time I went to Charlotte, NC in January it was 70 degrees!

Now, they have snow and ice just like we do in New England!

Barry's Response - Yes, Ruth, the March 2009 snowstorm surprised many along the Eastern Seaboard. Parts of the USA that do not normally get much snow sure got it that week! Places as far south as Alabama and Georgia.

Another interesting target was NYC. The video shown at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYZtVzSlKAE makes the city look like Edmonton or Saskatoon. It dropped to 12°F one night (-11°C) when most nights dip down to about 30°F, and with a 16 mph wind, that would not be pleasant by most people's standards.

Atlanta hit 22°F as well. An average night is about 40° at this time. By then, the wind had dropped from over 20 mph to about 8. New Orleans saw a 38° night with 30 mph wind when most nights are in the 50's, but no snow that I heard of.

And what about Charlotte, North Carolina? An average night drops to about 40 degrees in early March, but in 2009 during this storm they made it to 16, early in the morning on March 3. Along with that came several inches of snow.

No match for Canada, though. Newfoundland once took a beating in 2003.

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