Category Archives: Weather History

Late July Heavy Rains and Flooding in the Midwest

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Fred Pickhardt

Heavy rain fell north of a stationary front (a boundary between warm humid air and cooler air to the north) across southern Missouri and Illinois, and eastward into Kentucky. Strong low-level winds (around 5,000 feet) brought in high amounts of low-level moisture which interacted with the front and with an upper-level jet stream to the north and produced a mesoscale convective system (complex of thunderstorms moving across the same area for more than 6 hours). Continue reading →

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Monster North Pacific Storm Sets Record

Posted on January 1, 2021 by Fred Pickhardt

As 2020 transitioned into 2021, a rapidly deepening and intense hurricane-force storm over the western North Pacific has set an all-time record low central pressure of 921 mb breaking the previous record of 924 mb recorded on Nov 8th, 2014 … Continue reading →

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Tampa Bay Hurricane Storm Surge Scenarios

Posted on May 30, 2020 by Fred Pickhardt

While no storm scenario is a good one for the Tampa Bay area, the worst case is when the hurricane center is located north of the Tampa Bay entrance such that the maximum winds associated with the eye wall occur at the mouth of the bay with storms making landfall farther north result in lower surges. Continue reading →

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Hurricane Storm Surges in Tampa Bay

Posted on March 29, 2020 by Fred Pickhardt

The highest storm surges in Tampa Bay are usually associated with hurricanes, with the three highest tides occurring during Cat 3 storms in 1848, 1921 and 1985. Hurricane Elena in late August of 1985 caused the highest storm surge recorded … Continue reading →

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Capsizing and Sinking of Barge Dredge200 and Loss of Workboat R.E. Pierson 2 Pushed by Tugboat Big Jake

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Fred Pickhardt

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that the probable cause of the capsizing and sinking of the Dredge200 and the R.E. Pierson 2  in December 2, 2018 was the decision by the tow captain and owner to attempt … Continue reading →

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What is Weather Routing Vs. Vessel Performance Monitoring?

Posted on December 2, 2019 by Fred Pickhardt

Optimum ship routing is the art and science of developing the “best route” for a ship based on the existing weather forecasts, ship characteristics, ocean currents and special cargo requirements. Vessel performance monitoring services allow a ship operator, owner or charterer to get a daily performance analysis regarding a vessel’s speed and fuel consumption based on the charter-party specifications and the actual weather and currents encountered. Continue reading →

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North Atlantic Hurricane-Force Storm Affecting Main Shipping Lanes

Posted on February 20, 2018 by Fred Pickhardt

An intense hurricane-force storm low over the central North Atlantic was producing significant wave heights of an incredible 19 meters (62 feet) today, according to the National Weather Service Ocean Prediction Center. After dumping some moderate to heavy snow in … Continue reading →

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19-Meter North Atlantic Wave Sets New World Record

Posted on December 14, 2016 by Fred Pickhardt

19-Meter North Atlantic Wave Sets New World Record December 13, 2016 by Mike Schuler – gCaptain.com   19-Meter North Atlantic Wave Sets New World Record

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Remembering the 1921 Tampa Hurricane 

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Fred Pickhardt

One of the most significant hurricanes to hit Tampa occurred on October 25th of 1921. The first  recorded major hurricane to hit Tampa occurred in September of 1848. The Chief Hydrographer at the Panama Canal may have reported the first indication of a … Continue reading →

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Remembering The Great Tampa Gale of 48

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Fred Pickhardt

It has been quite a while since a major hurricane has made a direct landfall in the Tampa Bay area but back before the Civil War two hurricanes hit the Tampa Bay area within about 2 weeks of each other. In … Continue reading →

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