2014 Weather Rewind
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JACKSON, Tenn. — 2014 will be a year for the record books. While the year itself was wet and colder than average, several months out of the year were extremes. We had the wettest June on record with more than a foot of rainfall, which is nearly eight inches above the average. We also had one of the coldest Januarys, Februarys, Marches and the coolest Julys ever recorded. It was another year of no readings in the triple digits. The last time Jackson saw 100 degrees was a period of nine days in 2012. In addition to the unseasonable weather, we had a relatively quiet severe weather season. Warnings were down again with a total of 400 tornado and severe t-storm related warnings issued. Feb. 20 was our first run in with severe weather for the year, which brought wind damage across southern portions of McNairy and Hardin counties along with a brief tornado in Hayti, Mo. A number of homes and buildings suffered structural damage, making it the earliest active day for severe weather here in the Mid-South. April 27 and 28 will be days many of our viewers will remember. A notable day in weather history for the Tuscaloosa Tornado in Alabama proved to be an infamous day yet again with numerous tornadoes across the Southeast. It produced quite a bit of damage as well as numerous fatalities in Arkansas and Mississippi. We even saw an EF-2 tornado right here in West Tennessee that went undetected by radar, giving residents of Union City little warning. Luckily, a local skeet shooting class spotted the tornado as it got closer to Union City, leading to only one injury before the storm became stronger as it crossed into Kentucky. June, however, was by far our most active month for severe weather. Numerous tornado warnings as well as severe thunderstorm warnings were issued with a confirmed tornado on June 8 that crossed over from New Madrid, Mo., into rural portions of Obion and Lake counties. The VIPIR 7 Storm Team was with you for it all, staying on the air for more than eight hours to keep you and your family ahead of these destructive storms. Flooding also became an issue as June became the wettest month on record for West Tennessee, creating numerous sinkholes and damage to crops around the region. The last instance of severe weather was Oct. 2 and 13 when almost 700 reports of severe weather were recorded. The most notable were the unconfirmed reports of tornadoes in Obion and McNairy counties. Both areas were surveyed by Weather Service crews the following day. There were power outages that lasted about a week along with 80 mph-plus winds that damaged trees and homes. On the other end of the spectrum, the 2014 Atlantic Hurricane season was quiet with eight named storms. Hurricane Arthur was the only land-falling hurricane to strike the U.S. this year. Arthur brought numerous flash flooding concerns, damaging winds, high surf and even six tornadoes to the coastal Carolinas before moving up the coast into the major cities. The second day of 2014 gave us our first true taste of winter with icy conditions taking aim at West Tennessee. On Jan. 2 and 28, we saw a dusting of snow that even reached as far south as Savannah, causing trouble on roadways. The worst of winter weather came back on March 3 and 4. A massive ice storm wreaked havoc on West Tennessee, dumping anywhere from five to nine inches of sleet leading to numerous power outages, impassable roads and school closures. With 2015 just around the corner, we already have seen our fair share of extremes. Before Thanksgiving, portions of Lake County saw up to two inches of snow with even a dusting here in Jackson. More cold air is on the way though for the New Year ahead. So prepare now and stay with the VIPIR 7 Storm Team for the latest on the ever changing weather right here in West Tennessee.
