TOP 25 STORMS OF THE 20TH AND EARLY 21ST CENTURIES - ALLEGANY COUNTY, MD. HISTORIC EVENTS AND THEIR BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS 25. Great Arctic Outbreak of 1994 An extraordinary Arctic Outbreak, one of the greatest in history, produces a week of extreme cold. 6 of 7 days were below zero, from Jan. 15-21, 3 of them double digits below. -16 on the 19th tied the all-time record low. A major snow storm dumped a foot of snow on Jan. 17th. The entire winter of 1993-1994 was one of the meanest on record, with many big snow and ice storms. A very nasty ice storm hammered the area on Feb. 8-9, coating everything with 2-4 inches of sleet and freezing rain. 24. March 6, 1989 Severe Ice Storm A wicked ice storm hit the area on March 6, 1989. Heavy rain turned to freezing rain as the temperatures fell below freezing, putting a quarter to half inch of glaze on everything. The freezing rain changed to sleet, which fell very heavily during the afternoon and was accompanied by high winds and thunderstorms. Overnight on the 6th-7th, the sleet changed to snow. A total of about 7 inches of snow/ice and 3 inches of water equivalent precipitation fell from this storm. 23. Extreme Heat Wave - July 1936 An extreme, record-breaking heat wave broke out during mid July in 1936. 7 of 8 days from the 9th to 16th were 100 or higher, with readings of 107 on the 15th, 108 on the 10th, and 109 on the 11th, which set a new all-time record high for not only Cumberland but also the entire state of Maryland. Frederick also reached 109 on July 11th to tie the state record. 22. December 1-2, 1974 Nor' Easter An unusually heavy early season Nor' Easter dropped very heavy rains and mountain snows on these dates. A December record 2.55" of precipitation was recorded in Cumberland on the 2nd. LaVale and Cumberland both had 4-8 inches of wet snow and nearly 3 inches of precipitation. In Frostburg a rather hefty 4.86" of precipitation fell from the event, along with a whopping 28.3" of snow! 21. Great Drought of 1930 An extreme drought gripped nearly all of the United States during 1930, the year of the great "dust bowl." Cumberland had its driest year ever with less than 20 inches of precipitation! October was the driest month on record with a mere .03" of precipitation. The summer and fall were especially hot and dry, with many days 100+ F in July and August, and 3-4 weeks with no rainfall. Nothing has ever come close to the extreme dryness and persistent heat of 1930. 20. Derecho of 1991 On the evening of April 9, 1991, a derecho (extreme winds from severe thunderstorms) of historical proportions hammered a very large area from Arkansas to Pennsylvania. The line of thunderstorms hit our area about 9pm with violent winds of 80 mph, funnel clouds, torrential rain and hail. Power went out for over 36 hours. Trees and power lines were down everywhere, with widespread and severe structural damage. The entire roof of the Bon-Ton was blown off. 19. 1969 F2 Frostburg Tornado A strong F2 tornado tore through the heart of Frostburg on July 5, 1969. The storm did $200,000 in damage and caused an injury. Severe damage continued through parts of LaVale, Bowling Green and Oldtown, indicating a possible longer path. The tornado was 200 yards wide and tracked at least 3 miles through the Frostburg area. This was one of the worst out of several tornadoes to hit Frostburg. Other tornadoes hit the town in 1891, 1944 and most notably in 1998. 18. Floods of August 1915 Several tropical systems and other heavy rain events hammered the Cumberland area in August 1915, which became the wettest month ever in Cumberland with a whopping 12.20 inches. Back-to-back storms dumped a tremendous amount of rain, 6.86 inches, in the first 4 days. This caused the entire city to flood badly. At the end of the month, another 3.16" of rain fell on the 28th-30th, causing more flooding. Nothing has ever come close to these amounts of rainfall in Cumberland. 17. New Year's Day Snow 1971 A very intense snow storm hammered the area on New Year's Eve 1970 and New Year's Day 1971. On Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, a whopping 20" of snow fell in LaVale, and Cumberland had even more with an amazing 22.5 inches. This surprise storm became the second greatest snow event in the 20th century to date. 16. Flood of March 1924 Cumberland was hit by a severe flood on March 29th, 1924, due to a snowy winter, heavy rains and a rapid warm-up. Several feet of water covered some city roads, and there was mud everywhere. There was more major flooding in May of 1924. A water level of 13 feet was recorded on Wills Creek. 15. April 27-28, 1928 Snow Storm An unusually late-season snow storm slammed the western Maryland mountains due to an intense Nor' Easter moving up the east coast. Rain turned to heavy, wet snow and accumulated on trees that were beginning to leaf out, causing major damage. Over 3" of precipitation fell in Cumberland with nearly 4" in Frostburg. Cumberland had 10" of snow, with an incredible 25" in Frostburg. The rapid meltdown that followed caused another major flood. This storm was quite notable for its hefty amounts of precipitation and snowfall for so late in the winter (spring) season. 14. Hurricane Agnes, June 1972 A slow-moving Hurricane Agnes ravaged much of the Mid-Atlantic states during June of 1972. Several days of heavy rain caused tremendous flooding over much of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and southern New England. The storm was relentless, dumping 6.09" of rain here at Lavale from June 18-23rd, with three days receiving over an inch. June 1972 was the wettest on record with a whopping 9.43 inches. Amounts of over 20 inches were not uncommon over parts of MD, PA and NY! 13. November 1985 Flooding Remnants of Hurricane Juan slowly inched northward through the central Appalachians in early Nov. 1985, dumping 3 to 7 inches of rain on the area. Most of this rain fell on the 4th, with nearly 4 inches of rain falling in 24 hours and more on the 5th and 6th. An incredible 18 inches of rain fell in the West Virginia mountains near Petersburg, WV. Tremendous flooding broke out on the North Branch Potomac. The entire month of November was extremely wet, with 12.91" of rainfall at Frostburg, its wettest month ever. More flooding occurred at the end of the month from a stalled front that dumped another 2-3 inches of rain on the 28th-29th. 12. River Flood of October 1942 A tropical system moved northwestward towards the area and stalled over Virginia, where incredible amounts of rain fell during mid-October 1942. Between the 12th-16th, an unbelievable 8.39" of rain fell in Frostburg, and 6.47" of rain deluged Cumberland. Widespread severe flooding occurred over a large area, and the flood of 1942 was the worst flood ever in Virginia and also the worst flood ever, outside of the massive floods of 1936 and 1996, with Wills Creek near Cumberland reaching a peak stream height of 15.14 feet! 11. Hurricane Hazel - October 15, 1954 An unusually intense Hurricane Hazel raced northward from the Carolinas and refused to die over land. Its eye passed over western Maryland, at that point still a strong tropical storm. Very strong winds hammered the area, especially to the east, where the quick movement of the storm added to the wind speeds to produce gusts nearly 100 mph over central MD and the DC area, shutting down many major airports such as Dulles. Meanwhile, torrential rain fell over our area on the 15th. 4.64" of rain was recorded in LaVale, with 5.41" in Frostburg and 4.14" in Cumberland. The quick deluge of rain caused severe flash flooding all over Allegany County. 10. Great Nor' Easter of 1992 A very powerful Nor' Easter hammered the east coast on December 10-11, 1992. On the 10th, heavy wet snow began falling in our area prior to dawn and continued through late evening, with 20 inches piling up before mixing with sleet and freezing rain early on the 11th. Thunderstorms were even reported in Cumberland. Another 3.5" of snow fell on the 11th, making it the greatest December snow storm on record with 23.5". 34" fell in Frostburg, and an incredible 42" fell at Piney Dam in eastern Garrett County, an unofficial state record from one storm. 3 to 5 inches of liquid precipitation fell over the area, with 3.45" here. To the east, very heavy rain and hurricane force winds battered the east coast, causing considerable erosion and coastal flooding. 9. Hurricane Fran - September 6, 1996 Hurricane Fran, which caused much devastation to the coast of North Carolina, moved northwards and passed directly over western Maryland. Most of the winds had died down, but torrential rain fell over the area. An unprecedented 6.33" of rain fell at Frostburg in a 12-hour period! Here, 5.20" of rain fell, and 4.63" fell at Cumberland. This tremendous deluge set new a new all-time daily record on September 6, 1996, and caused severe and widespread flooding for the second time in 1996. The area was again declared a Federal Disaster Area. September 1996 was the wettest September on record with 9.87 inches here, and 10.59" at Frostburg. 8. March 1993 - The "Superstorm" On March 13-14, 1993, perhaps the most powerful storm of the century slammed the entire eastern third of the country with record snows, winds, cold, flooding, tornadoes and record low pressure. The barometric reading of 28.88" at this station was an all-time low. The intensity of this storm was similar to that of a Category 1 hurricane! A large swath of extremely heavy snow, in some areas up to 4 feet (!) hit the higher elevations of the Appalachians, with over a foot of snow as far south as Alabama and the panhandle of Florida! Here, 20.5" of snow on the 13th set a new March daily record, and a total of 21" of snow fell on the 13th and 14th, with considerable blowing and drifting. Frostburg reported a total of 30 inches, and a whopping 70" this month! 322 people perished from this massive "Superstorm." 7. Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 Although the 1993 "Superstorm" gets most of the press, due to its massive scale, high intensity and huge death toll, the "Ash Wednesday Storm" of March 5-6, 1962, arguably was just as intense over the Mid-Atlantic and had just as much, if not more so, of a local impact on Allegany County. While severe winds and coastal flooding battered the east coast, like the 1993 storm, very heavy snows fell inland. 26 inches of snow fell in Frostburg on the 5th-6th with 24" in Cumberland. The 25" of snow here in LaVale set a new record for any storm, topped the blizzards of December 1992 and March 1993 in snowfall total, and was not beaten until the great blizzard of 1996. Only that and the 2003 President's Day storm had higher snowfall totals. 40 people perished, and the "Ash Wednesday" storm of 1962 became one of the greatest storms of the 20th century. 6. September 11th, 2000 Flash Flood Exactly one year before 9/11, perhaps the worst flash flood in history hit the Cumberland/LaVale area. A thunderstorm became stationary between 6-8pm over LaVale, Haystack Mountain and the west side of Cumberland, dumping tremendous amounts of rain in a very short time. At my station, 3.17 inches of rain fell in only 90 minutes, and 3.66" total rain fell. Even heavier amounts fell over portions of LaVale and west Cumberland. An incredible 5 to 6 inches fell in 1.5 to 2 hours! This deluge caused extreme flash flooding all over LaVale and Cumberland, and some surrounding areas such as Westernport. Cars quickly began floating through streets, I-68 was closed for 3 hours after more than 3 feet of water rushed across the highway, and motorists became stranded in the flood waters and had to be rescued. The heavy rain and severe lightning caused numerous power outages in the area. Officially, 4.80" of rain fell at the Cumberland Police Barracks in LaVale. Over $2 million in flood damage was done to roads, businesses etc. This freak storm proved very costly and although there were several other big flash floods, such as the June 1995 Westernport flood and the May 2002 Baltimore Pike flood, this one was by far the worst. 5. The 2003 President's Day Blizzard What began as an ordinary snow storm quickly turned into a raging blizzard on President's Day weekend on February 15th-17th, 2003. A band of snow passed through early on the 15th, then the snow stopped, but resumed in the predawn hours of the 16th and became heavier as the day went on. By that Sunday evening, 18 inches of new snow (on top of 2.5" on the 15th) had already piled up. Another 7.5" of snow fell overnight into President's Day morning. The storm total was 28 inches, the second highest total from any snow event, with 2.87" of water equivalent. This was a storm of historic proportions, not only hitting Allegany County, but the entire state of Maryland was paralyzed, with over 3 feet of snow in the Baltimore suberbs. A rapidly developing Low moving up the east coast was responsible for what turned out to be one of the great snows of all time. 4. The Blizzard of 1996 An incredible, record breaking snow storm and blizzard moved into the area late on the 6th of January, 1996, ending around dawn on the 8th. The snow began light to moderate, but became very heavy on the evening of the 7th. Over 4 inches of snow fell between 10 and 11pm, and snowfall rates of over 5 inches per hour were observed! Strong winds of 30+ mph blew and drifted the snow around considerably, with drifts as high as 8 to 12 feet! An whopping 23.5" of snow fell on the 7th, a new single-day record. The 30 inches that fell from the 6th-8th was a new single- storm record. This record-setting blizzard crippled much of the northeast and Appalachian Mountain region. Schools and businesses were shut down for an entire week. Another 6" of snow fell on the 12th, bringing the ground total to an amazing 32 inches. 3. St. Patrick's Day Flood of 1936 A flood of historic proportions hit the central Appalachians on March 17, 1936. Heavy rains on top of a heavy snow pack, particularly in the mountains, caused the massive, widespread flood. It was the second devastating flood in Johnstown, PA, and the most devastating flood to ever hit Cumberland. Water levels reached an incredible 20.2 feet at Wills Creek near Cumberland. As at the time, there was no flood protection, several feet of water filled the streets of Cumberland, causing massive damage to the city. Undoubtedly, this was the worst and costliest natural disaster to ever hit the area in the 20th century. The only fortunate aspect of this historic flood was that it motivated flood protection in Cumberland, which saved the city from complete disaster when an even greater flood struck 60 years later, in 1996... 2. The Flood of the Century, 1996 Following the Blizzard of 1996, which dumped 2 to 4 feet of snow on the region, temperatures suddenly spiked in advance of an unusually strong, spring-like cold front. Temperatures reached the 50s and 60s in many areas, causing a quick meltdown of the snow. This alone caused quite a bit of flooding, but as the front approached, it drew up a tremendous amount of Gulf of Mexico moisture, and a squall line of extremely heavy rain developed in advance of the front. Torrents of rain began to fall around 4am, and within a couple of hours, severe and widespread flooding broke out. The rain ended quickly, by 10am, but in only 6 hours, 2.17" of rain fell, setting a new January daily precip record, and causing a devastating, widespread flood, as the heavy rain melted down most of what was left of the unusually large snowpack. The entire valley near Locust Grove filled with raging flood waters, which destroyed everything in its path and caused an unparalled $7 million in damage to Allegany County alone. The water level at Wills Creek reached an all-time maximum at an astounding 23.11 feet, nearly 3 feet higher than the historic 1936 flood. Flood protection from that flood saved Cumberland from total devastation. Still, due to its horrific impacts on the area, this flood quickly became the Flood of the Century. 1. The Frostburg Tornado - June 2, 1998 Frostburg had been hit with tornadoes on multiple occasions, but had never experienced anything like what unfolded on the evening of June 2, 1998. Just two evenings prior, a deadly F3 twister had hit Salisbury, PA, just to the northwest. This particular evening, a series of unusually strong supercell thunderstorms moved southeast from the Pittsburgh area, through Somerset Co., PA once again, then hammered Garrett and Allegany Counties. The first storm was very severe and produced a tornado between Frostburg and Mount Savage and again on the southeast side of Cumberland on Irons Mountain. A funnel cloud was seen and captured on film over Haystack Mtn. and LaVale. This storm dropped quarter-sized hail in our backyard, accumulating an inch deep. Hail also battered Cumberland and Oldtown, where considerable crop damage was reported. Another severe storm caused major wind damage and hail in the Flintstone area an hour later. It was the third and final supercell, which took an almost identical track as the first one, that spawned a tornado that began near Mt. Pleasant, PA, and didn't dissipate until just north of Creasaptown, some 48 miles later! It was an extremely intense tornado, peaking at an F4 with winds of 210 mph, the first F4 tornado to ever hit the state of Maryland! The northern sections of Frostburg, Zihlman, Eckhart Mines and Clarysville were in the direct path of the twister. Many homes and businesses, about 130 in total, were heavily damaged, with 29 completely destroyed. The path of destruction was about 3 football fields in length! Everything in its path was leveled as it crossed Old Route 40 and I-68 at Clarysville. Amazingly, nobody was killed, and only 5 injuries occurred, thanks to prompt NWS warnings and quick, appropriate actions by area residents. The Frostburg Tornado was so strong that a bill that had been in a basement file cabinet, as well as a high school diploma and other debris, was found over 100 miles downstream near Sterling, VA! Over $5 million in damage was reported from this violent, multi-vortex twister that was ranked the 5th most violent tornado in the entire U.S. in 1998!