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On This Day in 1951: Great Ice Storm Glazed Louisiana to W. Virginia
January 31, 2023 at 06:14 PM EST
By WeatherBug's Alex Friedman
In 1951, the start of February saw an “ice blizzard” that caused over 100 million dollars in damages across the eastern half of the country.
An unusual weather pattern created a set-up where 3 inches of dry snow fell upon 4-5 inches of wet sleet. An incoming polar cold front collided with a tropical low over the Gulf of Mexico in the Deep South. A combination of rain, snow and ice fell from Louisiana into West Virginia. Another upper-level cold front caught up with the surface front, causing a line of severe thunderstorms across Mississippi and Alabama.
High winds and ice glaze severely damaged trees and power lines, leaving over 100,000 people without power. During the week following the storm, freezing temperatures caused the fallen sleet to turn into a 4-inch-thick block of ice that covered the surrounding area for nearly 10 days. The frigid cold made the ability to restore electricity much more difficult, as frozen power lines and trees continued to fall.
In most areas affected by the storm, there was a strong temperature inversion that caused the freezing rain and ice. As moisture fell, it melted right above the surface due to temperatures being above the freezing point. However, since the surface temperature was below freezing, the melting snow refroze as ice as it reached the ground.
There were 25 casualties and approximately 500 injured civilians due to this storm. Make sure to frequently check WeatherBug to prepare for upcoming winter storms in your area.
Image by uknowgayle from Pixabay
An unusual weather pattern created a set-up where 3 inches of dry snow fell upon 4-5 inches of wet sleet. An incoming polar cold front collided with a tropical low over the Gulf of Mexico in the Deep South. A combination of rain, snow and ice fell from Louisiana into West Virginia. Another upper-level cold front caught up with the surface front, causing a line of severe thunderstorms across Mississippi and Alabama.
High winds and ice glaze severely damaged trees and power lines, leaving over 100,000 people without power. During the week following the storm, freezing temperatures caused the fallen sleet to turn into a 4-inch-thick block of ice that covered the surrounding area for nearly 10 days. The frigid cold made the ability to restore electricity much more difficult, as frozen power lines and trees continued to fall.
In most areas affected by the storm, there was a strong temperature inversion that caused the freezing rain and ice. As moisture fell, it melted right above the surface due to temperatures being above the freezing point. However, since the surface temperature was below freezing, the melting snow refroze as ice as it reached the ground.
There were 25 casualties and approximately 500 injured civilians due to this storm. Make sure to frequently check WeatherBug to prepare for upcoming winter storms in your area.
Image by uknowgayle from Pixabay