Dear Tom,
I can’t recall ever seeing such a stalled weather front as that which currently exists on the U.S. eastern seaboard. How common is this type of event?
Thanks, an avid reader
Dear avid reader,
Stalled fronts are not that unusual in the eastern U.S., especially east of the Appalachians. These humble mountains often act like a dam, retarding approaching weather systems and stalling the ongoing weather pattern. If a constant inflow of Atlantic moisture is added to this stagnant regime, days or even a week of frequent rain can follow. This scenario causes widespread flooding in the East, especially when tropical moisture enters the mix.
One of the greatest floods in memory occurred from Virginia to New York–the same area as the current floods–from June 22 to 25, 1972, when the remnants of Hurricane Agnes ravaged the region with up to 19″ of rain.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
