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Sep 07, 2010 | OK
Sep 07, 2010 | NJ
Sep 03, 2010 | OR
Sep 03, 2010 | WA
Sep 02, 2010 | ND
Sep 01, 2010 | IA
Aug 11, 2010 | OK
Aug 09, 2010 | WA
Aug 06, 2010 | PA
Aug 04, 2010 | IA
Aug 03, 2010 | NJ
Aug 03, 2010 | ND
Aug 02, 2010 | KY
Aug 01, 2010 | TX
Jul 07, 2010 | KY
Jul 04, 2010 | NJ
Jul 02, 2010 | WA
Jul 02, 2010 | ND
Jul 01, 2010 | IL
Jul 01, 2010 | IA
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Oklahoma August Climate summary
Sep 07, 2010 []
August lived up to Oklahoma'spenchant for monotonously dry summer months and even threw in a goodly amountof heat to boot. Dry conditions in the southern half of the state overwhelmedabundant rains along the Kansas border to propel the month to the 35thdriest August on record. As with any dry summer month, excessive heat taggedalong and August finished as the 18th warmest on record at 3 degreesabove normal. The heat and lack of rainfall combined in a rapid-onset droughtsituation, or flash drought, in the southern half of the state. The floodingrains of early July were no match for the plant-wilting force of the Augustsun. The summer ended as the 12th warmest on record but those earlyrains during June and July did help the season finish as the 48thwettest. Very little in the way of severe weather occurred during August,although a few storms managed to throw severe winds towards the ground attimes. Precipitation East central and southeasternOklahoma bore the brunt of the dry weather, finishing with their 7th-and 8th-driest August on record, respectively. The east centralregion received an average rainfall total of 0.75 inches, more than 2 inchesbelow normal. The Panhandle uncharacteristically came out on top in themoisture sweepstakes with an average of 3.56 inches, more than an inch abovenormal, to rank as the 28th wettest August for that region. Thestatewide average ended almost an inch below normal at 1.96 inches. The highesttotal for the month was 7.50 inches recorded at Kenton. Ft. Cobb trailed allothers with a meager tenth of an inch. Adding the rains of June and July thrustthe summer a bit above normal at 10.39 inches. For the year, the running totalremained below normal by more than an inch and ranked as the 58thdriest such period on record. Temperature The warmth was somewhatatypical of recent Augusts, but with dry weather dominating, it was notunexpected. A large part of the state finished 2-3 degrees above normal for themonth. A few pockets of cool air were found in the rainiest parts of the state,but those areas were still less than a degree below normal. Excessive heat inJune and August overwhelmed a normal July and allowed summer to finish morethan 2 degrees above normal. The southeast was nearly 4 degrees above normal torank as the eighth warmest summer on record for that region, helped by its fifthwarmest August. The January-August period managed to creep above normal finallyby a tenth of a degree, the 48th warmest such period on record. August Daily Highlights August 1-3: Augustbegan hot with highs in the 100s across most of the state for the first threedays thanks to an upper-level ridge of high pressure. Low temperatures were abit more reasonable in the upper 60s and 70s, but little relief was felt in theafternoons as heat indices climbed to near 110 degrees in parts of the state. August 4-8: Aslow-moving cold front brought the state some relief on the fourth. The front providedsome cooler air and a focus for showers and storms for a few days. Thenorthwest had isolated areas with nearly 2 inches of rainfall thanks to a fewthunderstorms. Those storms also produced high winds and hail for briefperiods. Temperatures were about 15 degrees cooler behind the front with 80sfor highs. Storm totals in the northeast also approached 3 inches on theseventh while a few spots in the southeast had up to 2 inches. Still, most ofthe state was brutally hot during this period with 100s for highs and excessiveheat indices. August 9-13: Thisfive-day period was pure summer with hot days and nights. Lows were generallyin the upper-70s with a few 80s at times. Highs were generally in the upper-90sto triple-digits. Freedom once again hit 109 degrees on the 13th.Very little rain fell during this time, and heat indices were oppressive eachday. August 14-18: Acold front and a couple of upper-level disturbances provided a bit of relieffor the state. The front entered the northwest on the 14th andimmediately generated a few showers and storms. The storms helped cool thenorthwest down while areas to the south remained in the 100s. The cold frontsagged farther south on the 15th and the northwest basked in 70-80degree weather while enjoying some nice rains. A couple of upper-leveldisturbances over the next couple of days brought more rainfall to parts of thestate following the action due to the cold front. Northern Oklahoma benefitedover this five-day period with over 5 inches of rainfall in localized areaswith surrounding 3-5 inch amounts. Temperatures remained out of triple-digitson the 17th and 18th, and northern Oklahoma had 80s onthose days. The rains brought some cool weather to the far northwest on the 15thand 16th. Highs in the northwest on those days remained in the 70s. August 19-23: Verylittle rain fell during this five-day period, although totals of more than aninch were found across far southern Oklahoma and parts of the Panhandle.Temperatures soared above 100 degrees over much of the state on these days andheat indices were in the 105-110 degree range. A wet microburst hit Norman onthe 21st with winds of up to 80 mph and very heavy localizedrainfall. Some damage was reported in that city due to the high winds. August 24-31: A strong cold front on the 24th brought thestate a much-needed cool down. The front also generated showers and storms thatdropped more than 4 inches of rain at Shawnee. Other areas up and down southI-35 had from 1-2 inches. The front dropped temperatures into the 70s in theafternoon and brought northerly winds gusting to 45 mph. The next few days werevery pleasant with cooler temperatures and dry air. Ft. Supply reached 41degrees on the 25th to set a record low for August for thatlocation. Temperatures crept up to the 80s and 90s again by the 28th.An upper-level trough in the lee of the Rockies kicked up the southerly flowand August once again felt like summer for the last few days of the month.Highs on those days were near 100 degrees and heat indices were well over thetriple-digit mark. Warm and Mainly Dry August, Record Summer Heat and Local Drought Conditions: August/Summer 2010 Over
Sep 07, 2010 []
August Overview Since spring, New Jersey has been encased in one of the more persistent episodes of above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation on record. More on the longevity of this event will be covered later in this narrative. First, let's take a look at this past August. The monthly preliminary average temperature of 75.2° was 2.4° above average. This makes it the 10th warmest August since statewide records commenced in 1895 (table 1). Six of the ten warmest Augusts have occurred in the past ten years.
Table 1. Ten warmest Augusts across New Jersey since 1895 While several cloudy days from the 23rd-25th resulted in rarely-experienced below-average maximum temperatures, on sixteen afternoons maxes of 90° or higher were experienced somewhere in NJ. Maxes from 90° to 94° occurred on August 3, 6, 7, 16, 19 and 20. On the 4th, Hillsborough (Somerset County) topped out at 95°, with the same high reached at New Brunswick (Middlesex) on the 5th and again at Hillsborough on the 8th. Top honors went to Hillsborough and Sicklerville (Camden) on the 9th when both stations reached 96°, to the 98° reading at Hammonton (Atlantic) on the 10th, 97° at Mansfield (Burlington) on 11th and 96° again at Hammonton on the 17th. It wasn't until the 29th that maxes once again equaled or exceeded 95°, with a 96° high at five different locations on the 29th, and 95° at Mansfield and Hammonton on the 30th. Interestingly, it was the last day of August that was hottest, with 99° reached at New Brunswick and Mansfield. Only the highest ridges in the northwest corner of the state failed to top the 90° mark, with the High Point Monument (Sussex) station at 1800' elevation peaking at 86°. Around NJ, the 90° mark was reached on fourteen days in New Brunswick, eleven at Newark (Essex) and Pomona (Atlantic), ten at Woodstown (Salem), nine in Haworth (Bergen), six at Pequest (Warren), two at Seaside Heights (Ocean) and on zero days at the High Point Monument. There were several cool mornings. The 7th saw the temperature fall to 49° at Walpack (Sussex), but it wasn't until the 27th when a location would fall back into the 40°s again. On that date, the Walpack station as out of commission, and Pequest was coolest at 46°, with six counties having stations in the 40°s. Pequest dropped to 45° on the 28th (though cool conditions were not as pervasive as the previous morning) and 48° on the 29th. Rather dry conditions prevailed across New Jersey for most of the month. The preliminary average rainfall was 2.42". This is 2.14" below average and ranks as the 15th driest August on record. The northeast faired best in the rainfall department, with a maximum of 8.15" falling in Charlotteburg (Passaic), followed by the Passaic County communities of West Milford (7.06") and Hawthorne (6.95"). The top totals in Bergen County included 6.64" at Ramsey, 6.21" in Glen Rock and 6.19" in Oakland. On the low end were communities in coastal and central areas. Only 0.48" fell in Burlington (Burlington), with two stations in Jackson (Ocean) coming in with 0.63" and 0.64". Moorestown (Burlington) totaled 0.74", Princeton (Mercer) 0.76" and Lawrence Township (Mercer) 0.84". August 1st saw 0.91" fall in Lebanon (Hunterdon) and 0.90" at Point Pleasant Beach (Ocean). The 5th brought 1.11" to a station in Liberty Township (Warren) while another station in town caught 0.51". Woodstown (Salem) received 0.86" on the 12th, while Wanaque (Passaic) had 0.61". The 15th -16th brought another 0.68" to Wanaque, 0.66" to Sparta (Sussex) and 0.65" to Blairstown (Warren). Early on the 17th, 1.05" fell in Holmdel (Monmouth), 0.88" in Montgomery (Somerset), 0.57" in Saddle Brook (Bergen) and 0.55" at Harrison (Hudson). Heavy rain fell in extreme south Jersey from the 18th into the 19th. Impressive totals in Cape May County included: Wildwood Crest 3.91", West Cape May 3.75", Middle Township 3.00" and 3.10", Linwood 2.98", and Sea Isle City 2.86". Estell Manor (Atlantic) caught 2.84". The northeast corner of the state saw downpours on the 22nd that totaled 4.91" at Ramsey (Bergen), 4.49" and 3.31" at stations in Hawthorne, 3.54" in Oakland and 2.97" in River Vale (Bergen). A narrow band of heavy rain also moved through central NJ, where one station in Hillsborough (Somerset) received 2.73", while five miles away another township station only saw 0.63". All told, 27 of the 147 reporting CoCoRaHS stations had totals exceeding 2.00", while on the low end, Egg Harbor Township (Atlantic) could only muster 0.04". Another shot of rain in far northern NJ on the 23rd brought an additional 2.43" to Charlotteburg, 1.49" to West Milford and 1.13" to Hardyston Township (Sussex). Rains visited northeast Monmouth County on the 24th into the 25th (Fair Haven 0.99", Shrewsbury Township 0.88" and Red Bank 0.86"). The 25th also saw the extreme northwest corner of the state doused with 1.67" at both High Point stations separated by several miles, and 1.57", 1.40" and 1.16" at three stations in nearby Wantage (Sussex). Atmospheric pressure differentials were not large over the course of August. The lowest pressures of between 29.60" and 29.65" were observed on the 5th and the highest, in the 30.25"-30.30" range, occurred on the 29th. As a result of this and the limited amount of thunderstorm activity, winds failed to gust above 34 mph at any station in the state. This top gust was observed on the 23rd at the Atlantic City Marina (Atlantic) and Seaside Heights (Ocean). The northeast rains on the 22nd brought the most acute impacts to New Jersey during August. Several streams and rivers reached bank full or minor flood stages. This proved helpful to reservoirs in the area, in several cases bringing them back up to seasonal normal levels after having been almost 20% below normal. Moderate drought conditions prevailed in central and coastal counties south to Atlantic. Water supplies remained at adequate levels in these areas, however streams and rivers were running exceedingly low and un-irrigated crops and natural vegetation were greatly stressed. Overall, there was terrific vacationing weather, though the high temperatures put a strain on electric bills. Summer 2010 Overview Compared to all past summers (June-August) since statewide record keeping began in 1895, this past summer was the warmest. At 76.1°, the average temperature was 3.9° above normal, a full half degree warmer than the previous record (2005) and 1.5° above the 3rd highest average (table 2). Of the eight warmest summers, six have occurred since 1999.
Table 2. Warmest summers across New Jersey since 1895 June saw fourteen afternoons equal or top the 90° mark in Pomona (Atlantic), 21 days exceeded that threshold at Newark (Essex) in July and fourteen topped that value at New Brunswick (Middlesex) in August. To provide some indication of the consistency of the heat, New Brunswick's daily average temperature was above average on 63 of the 92 days of summer. It was below average on just 24 days and average on five. The preliminary average for summer precipitation stands at 8.27", making it the 8th driest (table 3). This is 4.57" below normal, or 64% of average. It was the driest summer since 1966, with even less rain than two memorably dry summers in the 1990s.
Table 3. Driest summers across New Jersey since 1895 At least 10.00" of summer precipitation fell at one or more stations in eight counties (Sussex, Passaic, Bergen, Warren, Morris, Hunterdon, Somerset, and Gloucester) with Salem just missing this mark with one station at 9.98". Highest totals included 16.60" in Bethlehem Township (Hunterdon), 14.84" in Lebanon Township (Hunterdon), 14.67" in Glen Rock (Bergen) and 14.54" in Hawthorne (Passaic). Moderate drought conditions developed in six counties, where 6.00" or less rain accumulated over the three-month interval (Mercer, Somerset, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Cape May), with a station in Atlantic just above that mark with 6.11". Lowest summer totals included 4.66" in South Brunswick (Middlesex), 4.99" in Asbury Park (Monmouth), 5.03" at Point Pleasant Beach (Ocean) and 5.22" in Upper Township (Cape May). Additional Intervals Given the record warmth of this past summer and spring, it is not surprising that this combined period was remarkably warmer than any such period in the past 116 years. The April-August average temperature of 69.7° exceeded the previous high mark by 1.8° (table 4). The next nine warmest such intervals all have averages lying within 0.8° of each other. Seven of the ten warmest periods have occurred in the past twenty years.
Table 4. Warmest growing seasons (April-August) across New Jersey since 1895 The average temperature for 2010 through August is 57.1°, making it tied for the second warmest such interval and only 0.1° off the top mark in 1998 (table 5). This is quite impressive, as absolute monthly departures of temperature from average are most often largest during the winter, thus warm or cold winters tend to dominate annual departures. Neither January nor February of this year had particularly large departures.
Table 5. Warmest January-August intervals across New Jersey since 1895 Finally, given that November 2009 was the 2nd warmest on record, some may wonder how the past 12-month interval stacks up against the similar period in the past. It ranks 4th, behind 2001-2002, 1990-1991 and 2005-2006 (table 6).
Table 6. Warmest September-August intervals across New Jersey since 1895 As for precipitation, the growing season to date (April-August) has seen an average of 14.03" accumulate statewide. This ranks as the 6th driest such interval since records began and the driest since 1966 (table 7). It is 7.04" below average or 67% of average. We are indeed fortunate that March 2010 was a record wet month, as was the 12-month interval ending this past March. Otherwise much of NJ might be suffering from water shortages at this time. The latest 12-month total (September 2009-August 2010) of 52.33" ranks as 22nd wettest, and the January-August 2010 total of 31.75" is 48th wettest.
Table 7. Driest growing seasons (April-August) across New Jersey since 1895 For those seeking more detailed information on hourly, daily and monthly conditions, please visit the following Office of the NJ State Climatologist's websites: NJ Weather and Climate Network NJ Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network NJ Snow Event Reports OR September Newsletter
Sep 03, 2010 []
The September newsletter from the Oregon Climate Service is now available!
http://bit.ly/9y53dC September Newsletter
Sep 03, 2010 []
Our September newsletter is now available on our site (http://www.climate.washington.edu/newsletter/) and features the August climate summary, a brief summary of the 2009 State of the Climate Report, webpage updates, and the fall temperature and precipitation outlook.
North Dakota State Climate Summary for August 2010
Sep 02, 2010 []
North Dakota State Climate Summary for August 2010 is now aavilable for public access at the following URL: http://www.ndsu.edu/ndsco/publication/ndsco/summary/2010/aug.pdf State Climate summaries of other periods can also be accessible via: Iowa August 2010 Preliminary Weather Summary
Sep 01, 2010 []
General Summary. August temperatures averaged 75.2º or 3.9º above normal while precipitation averaged 4.93 inches or 0.74 inches above normal. This ranks as the 16 Temperatures. Cooling Degree Day Totals. Home air conditioning requirements, as estimated by cooling degree day totals, averaged 123% greater than last August and 43% more than normal. Degree day totals for the season-to-date are running 102% greater than last year at this time and 24% more than normal. Precipitation. The very wet weather pattern of June and July continued into the first two weeks of August. Summer Summary. Temperatures over the three summer months averaged 74.0º or 2.4º above normal while precipitation totaled 23.23 inches or 10.16 inches above normal. This ranks as the 19 Outlook. Years such as 2010 (beginning with an El Niño event and transitioning to a La Niña) have had a very strong tendency in Harry J. Hillaker, State Climatologist Telephone: (515) 281-8981; E-mail: Harry.Hillaker@IowaAgriculture.gov Oklahoma July Climate Summary
Aug 11, 2010 []
A mild July seemed in store for much of Oklahoma after arainy beginning but it would seem Mother Nature had other plans. The first partof the month brought rains, often times torrential downpours, which kepttemperatures on the mild side. A classic summertime pattern followed quicklythereafter, however, and left plenty of steamy, hot weather in its place. Whiletraditional severe weather culprits such as tornadoes, large hail and highwinds were scarce, flash flooding was not. Three deaths due to drowning werereported with the numerous instances of flash flooding across the state. The result of the transition from wet-and-mild tohot-and-dry is reflected in the temperature data from the Oklahoma Mesonet. Thestatewide average temperature matched the normal reading at 81.6 degrees,ranking the month as the 52nd warmest July since records began in1895. The wet conditions early on buoyedthe statewide average precipitation total to 4.52 inches, 1.78 inches abovenormal to rank as the 16th wettest July on record. SouthwesternOklahoma came in with its wettest July on record with an average rainfall of7.34 inches, more than 5 inches above normal. The Mesonet site at Hobartrecorded a whopping 14.28 inches of rain while Buffalo, which is currentlyexperiencing severe drought conditions, brought up the rear with 1.16 inches. Even though actual air temperatures did not reach extremelevels during the month, the heat index was a different story. The highesttemperature for the month of 105 degrees was recorded by the Oklahoma Mesonetsites at Buffalo and Hooker. The heat index – or how hot the air feels whencombined with humidity – regularly exceeded 110 degrees from July 13-18. TheMesonet site at Nowata won the prize for most miserable day with a heat indexof 116 degrees on the 17th. Precipitation The bounty experienced bymany parts of the state was not had by all. Extreme northwestern Oklahoma was abit on the dry side to rank as the 50th driest July on record forthat region. Along with the southwest, west central Oklahoma had a wet time ofthings with an average total of well over 5 inches, more than 3 inches abovenormal and ranked as the 5th wettest July on record. The season wasoff to a wet start with a June-July average across the state at well over 8inches, more than an inch above normal and the 33rd wettest onrecord. That is once again buoyed by the moisture received by southwestern andwest central Oklahoma with rankings of 11th- and 17th-wettestfor the June-July period, respectively. The year thus far finished fairly closeto normal, if not a tad below normal, and ranked as the 48th wettestJanuary-July period on record. Temperature Areas with abundant rainfalltended to be cooler, although that was not an absolute rule. Central Oklahomawas wetter than normal but also finished with perfectly normal to rank as the46th warmest July on record for that area. The southwest fell morethan a degree below normal to rank as the 44th coolest for thatarea. The season thus far was very warm with a statewide average of 81.1degrees, 2 degrees above normal and the 20th warmest such period onrecord. The year was still on the cool side, however, and ranked as the 56thcoolest on record. July Daily Highlights July 1-9: Deeptropical moisture from two Gulf storms provided the fuel for very heavy rainsover much of the state, especially for early July. Tropical storm Alex providedthe first round of drenching rainfall with another shot later from an unnamedstorm (tropical depression #2). Nearly a foot of rain fell in Hobart over thisperiod, including 6.39 inches on the sixth. Much of that rain fell very quicklyand produced extreme flash flooding. Southwest Oklahoma City was next on theeighth when very heavy rains fell in just a few short hours that floodedtroublesome Lightning Creek. Many areas of the state saw between 4-6 inches.The extreme northwest and the central Panhandle were largely left out of thisrainy period with less than an inch of rainfall in those areas. The month’s lowest temperature of 55 degreesoccurred at Beaver on the sixth. July 10-14: The 10th saw a brief break in therainy weather as showers from the night before dissipated. A few storms laterthat day contained strong winds and small hail. High temperatures were mostlyin the 80s. Showers and storms the next couple of nights brought additionalheavy rains to parts of the state. The sun came out during this period andproduced very uncomfortable weather due to all the moisture from previousrains. Highs in the 80s and 90s combined with the extreme humidity to produceheat indices in the 105-115 degrees range. The month’s highest temperature of105 degrees was first recorded on the 13th at Buffalo and Hooker. July 15-17: Asagging cold front that entered northwestern Oklahoma on the 15thgave the only relief during this period. Showers and storms fired along thatfront and brought some nice rains to the northern one-fifth of the state, butthe remainder of Oklahoma stayed hot and dry. Highs were in the upper-90s andlow-100s while lows were generally in the upper-70s. The winds made for blastfurnace conditions, gusting to over 30 mph at times. The third instance of 105degrees was recorded at Buffalo on the 17th. July 18-23: Thissix-day period was, simply put, hot and muggy with very little in the way ofrainfall. Lows flirted with remaining in the 80s while highs were generally inthe mid-90s to lower-100s. A ridge of high pressure was the culprit, typicalfor late July. July 24-28: Aweak frontal boundary allowed a bit of relief for a few locations, otherwisethe weather continued hot. Isolated storms along that boundary produced somesevere weather on the 24th. Lows were in the mid-70s for the mostpart and the highs climbed into the 90s, although some 80s were scatteredaround, especially near the rainfall. July 29-31: Themonth finished with blazing hot and dry weather. Highs in the 90s and 100s werecommon under blue skies as the summertime upper-level ridge of high pressuredominated the area. The month’s final day saw afew showers and storms out in western Oklahoma. The rain totals were light butthe rain-cooled air was a welcome relief for some. August Newsletter
Aug 09, 2010 []
Our August newsletter is now available on our site (http://www.climate.washington.edu/newsletter/) and features the July climate summary, a brief article on thunderstorms (or lack of) in WA, webpage updates, and the late summer/early fall temperature and precipitation outlook.
July 2010 Pennsylvania Weather Summary
Aug 06, 2010 []
July 2010 - Pennsylvania Weather Recap This was the warmest July since 1999 in half of the state's climate divisions(3,5,6,7,8) and the warmest since 2006 in the remaining divisions. The month began with a push of cool, dry air from Canada and ended with cooler air from the Great Lakes. In between, the vast majority of the remaining 24 days averaged above normal temperatures. While it was quite dry during the first week, rains returned especially to southeast sections during the middle of the month. The thunderstorms became fewer in the last ten days of the month. As a result, a swath about 20 miles either side of I-80 had below normal rainfall as did the counties bordering Maryland from Adams to Somerset. It was wettest around Harrisburg and around Philadelphia. The Pittsburgh region was drier than normal. A heat wave was noted from July 5-9 with most of southeast Pennsylvania rising to or above 100F on several days. More heat and humidity returned during the third and fourth week of July. Philadelphia tallied 19 days with readings at or above 90F, the most is 21 set in 1988. The first reports of severe weather did not occur until July 12 when one report of hail and about a dozen reports of wind damage were noticed in the lower Susquehanna Valley. Another round of thunderstorms produced one hail and ten damaging wind reports on July 17. A handful of wind damage was recorded on July 19th in and around the Philadelphia area. A few storms caused wind damage in northeastern Pennsylvania on July 21st. The month's only tornadoes touched down in Wayne county of July 23rd and then in Tioga and Potter counties on July24th.
Iowa July 2010 Preliminary Monthly Weather Summary
Aug 04, 2010 []
General Summary. Temperatures. Hot weather was the rule for most of the month as below normal temperatures were confined to only seven days in July. However temperature extremes, thanks to high humidity and plentiful cloudiness, were subdued with a statewide range from only 53º to 98º. The lowest temperatures were recorded at Anamosa, Elkader, Lowden and Maquoketa on the 2 Cooling Degree Day Totals. Home air conditioning requirements, as estimated by cooling degree day totals, averaged 173% greater than the record low July total of one year ago and 16% more than normal. Cooling degree day totals so far this year are running 92% greater than last year and 16% more than normal. Precipitation. The first three days of July were dry but that was not a sign of things to come as precipitation was frequent and heavy for the remainder of the month. Although July rainfall was not as great as in June it was more concentrated in short periods of time which resulted in greater flooding. The largest rain event of the month came on the night of the 22 Outlook. Historically years with a transition from El Niño to La Niña conditions, such as 2010, have seen a strong tendency for above normal temperatures throughout the summer and through most of the fall in Harry J. Hillaker, State Climatologist Telephone: (515) 281-8981 E-mail: Harry.Hillaker@IowaAgriculture.gov Extreme Heat & Widely Variable Precipitation: July 2010 Overview
Aug 03, 2010 []
In addition to the July summary, this narrative will examine temperature and precipitation conditions across the Garden State since the growing season began in April. July Overview Were it not for two below-average days to start the month and a few close to average days during the last week of the month, July 2010 would have surpassed July 1955 as the warmest on record across New Jersey since statewide records commenced in 1895. Instead, 2010 will have to settle for second warmest with an average temperature of 78.8° (table 1), some 4.3° above the 1971-2000 average of 74.5°. July heat has been commonplace since 1988, with ten of the fifteen warmest Julys of the past 116 years occurring during this 23 year period.
Table 1. Ten warmest Julys across New Jersey since 1895 On 23 days this July, maximum temperatures equaled or exceeded 90° at one or more locations across the state. On twelve of these days, 95° or higher was reached, and from the 4th-7th the century mark was hit or topped. The heat started in earnest on the 4th, with Newark (Essex County) at 101° and Hillsborough (Somerset) at 100°. Jersey City (Hudson) and Eastampton (Burlington) reached 100° on the 5th, with Newark maxing out at 102°. The 6th was the hottest day across New Jersey in many years. Observing stations in every county reached 100° or higher, with the "coolest" maximum in the state the 91° at Bivalve (Cumberland) right on the Delaware Bay coast. New Brunswick reached 105°, the second highest reading at that station in over a century of observations and the warmest since 106° in August 1918. Hammonton (Atlantic) and Hillsborough both reached 104°. Fortunately, dew points were in the mid 60s during this hot afternoon. The final day of this four-day 100° spell was the 7th, when Bethel Mill Park (Gloucester) reached 103°, Hillsborough 102° and Piney Hollow (Gloucester) 101°. There was a break from 95° or higher weather until the 18th, when Wall Township (Monmouth) and Point Pleasant (Ocean) reached that mark. Point Pleasant repeated this maximum on the 19th, with Wall Township hitting that mark again, with Hillsborough, on the 21st. The 23rd saw Hammonton reach 98° and Sicklerville (Camden) 97°. Coastal Sea Girt (Monmouth) and Point Pleasant reached 100° on the 24th, with six coastal or near-coastal stations, including the Atlantic City Marina (Atlantic) topping out at 97° on the 25th (so much for a refreshing sea breeze!). Some cool mornings occurred early and late in July, with the upper 40°s found in a few north Jersey locations on the 1st, including 45° at Pequest (Warren). More north Jersey locations and a few in the Pine Barrens reached the 40°s on the 2nd, with Pequest bottoming out at 42°. On the 3rd, Pequest fell to 46°, with just a few other spots in the 40°s. It may be that Walpack (Sussex), a perennially cold valley location, might have been several degrees cooler on these days, but the station was out of commission until the 9th. The month ended with Walpack falling to 49° on the 30th and 47° on the 31st. To compare these observations with Pequest, the latter location fell to 54° on the 30th and 51° on the 31st. A measure of continuous discomfort and a health risk to all occurs when nighttime temperatures fail to fall below 70°. Examining Newark Airport lows in July as an example of an urban heat island environment, lows remained at 70° or higher on 23 nights. This included three between 80° and 82°. It is also difficult to cool off coastal locations on summer nights, as witnessed by the 23 days of 70° or higher minimums at Seaside Heights (Ocean). This included a low of 81° on the 24th, when a number of other locations across NJ failed to fall below 80°. While heat prevailed statewide in July, precipitation was all over the map! The NJ average was 3.62", which is 0.87" below the 1971-2000 average. This makes it the 36th driest of the past 116 Julys. A remarkable range of monthly totals is "hidden" in this figure, as the wettest location received 10.06" (Bethlehem Township in Hunterdon County) while the driest station caught only 1.17" (Sea Isle City in Cape May County). It just seemed to want to rain in northern Hunterdon County, where High Bridge received 8.57", Lebanon 8.56", Clinton Township 8.05" and Califon 7.56". On the dry side, Ocean County saw Brick Township catching 1.55", Lavallette 1.63" and Point Pleasant Beach 1.64". Southern Somerset County was also dry, with Franklin Township seeing only 1.62" and Hillsborough 1.84". Measureable rain (at least 0.01") fell somewhere in New Jersey on 21 days of July. On nine of those days at least an inch fell in one or more locations. While one of those nine did not include the 8th, it marked the first day of rainfall for the month, with High Point leading the way with 0.56". Heavy rain fell in parts of north Jersey on the 9th, with Allamuchy and Oxford Township, both in Warren County, receiving 2.84" and 2.26", respectively, and Ringwood (Passaic) 2.16". The onslaught continued for Warren County on the 10th with 2.85" in Independence Township, 2.68" in Hackettstown and 2.33" at Stewartsville. Storms brought 2.27" to Winslow (Camden) on the 12th and 1.81" to Middletown (Monmouth). The stormy pattern continued on the 13th, with 2.95" in Ewing Township and 2.83" in Lawrence Township, both in Mercer County. Berkeley Township and Cherry Hill in Camden County received 2.69" and 1.92", respectively, on the 14th, with Eastampton reporting 2.54" and Lebanon 2.62". The 19th saw a resumption of inch plus rainfall, with 1.58" and 1.05" falling in Bergen County at River Vale and Ramsey, respectively. At another Bergen location, Palisades Park received 1.43" on the 23rd and Wayne (Passaic) saw 1.21" fall. A fast moving storm again visited a swath of north Jersey on the 25th, with 1.31" in Tenafly (Bergen) and 1.07" at Charlotteburg (Passaic). Another storm dropped 1.28" in Franklin Township (Gloucester) and 1.07" in Upper Deerfield (Cumberland). The last day with rain in July was the 29th, when West Creek (Ocean) picked up 1.40", Lake Como (Monmouth) and Stafford Township (Ocean) each receiving 1.11", and Oswego Lake (Burlington) at 1.00". Wind was not a major factor in July, except of course in some localized areas as strong storms moved through. Of the many anemometers across the state, 40 mph or higher gusts were only recorded at Cream Ridge (Monmouth) on the 19th (a 40 mph gust) and on the 25th at Harvey Cedars (Ocean) with a 52 mph gust, Seaside Heights (Ocean) at 44 mph and Bivalve at 41 mph. The lack of windy days is not unusual in July and is associated with the absence of a large range in barometric pressure. The highest pressures to be found in July were in the 30.30" range on the 2nd, with the lowest in the mid 29.70" range on the 19th and 25th (the two gustiest days of the month). Drought concerns ramped up quickly in the month, given the general absence of rain during the last two weeks of June and the excessive heat at the end of the first week of July. Therefore the wet days that followed across portions of the state were welcome to many farmers, forestry officials and water purveyors. Still, as July ended there were localized concerns. Several 100 acre or larger forest fires occurred in the dry coastal forest towards months end. At month's end, the US Drought Monitor depicted eastern and central portions of the state within moderate drought category (D1) (note: there is no minor drought category), with other areas considered abnormally dry (D0) and the southwest corner of the state not in any drought category (note that the map resolution is too low to mark the localized wet conditions in northern Hunterdon and Warren Counties, which are surrounded by D0 conditions). Reports of severe weather were few during the month, with localized road flooding and isolated wind damage reported on several occasions. So too did the state escape without widespread reports of health issues associated with the excessive heat. Growing season to date If you have read recent monthly summary reports, you already know that New Jersey is in the midst of a remarkable run of abnormally warm conditions. This has encompassed the entire growing season to date (April through July) and actually extends back to March which was the 6th warmest since 1895 (116 years). April and June were the warmest on record, May the 5th warmest and now July coming in 2nd. Thus it is not surprising that the past four months combined have averaged well above the previous record for that interval, and even 2° above 1991. This is 4.6° above average and makes this the 7th year in the top ten since 1991. Departure graphs of temperature and precipitation for each of the past twelve months are displayed on the ONJSC homepage.
Table 2. Ten warmest April-July intervals across New Jersey since 1895 This is the 2nd warmest first seven months of the year on record, only exceeded by 1998, when large January and February positive departures started the year off on a very mild note. Looking back a full twelve months, this is the 3rd (tied with 1991) warmest August to July on record, running 2.3° above average. Only in 2002 and 2006 was this interval warmer. Precipitation has been rather sparse since the start of the growing season. The four-month statewide average total of 11.77" is 4.74" below the 1971-2000 average. This is only 71% of normal and ranks 13th lowest since 1895 (table 3). We are indeed fortunate that March was the wettest on record, as was the 12 month period ending with March. In fact, precipitation since January totals 29.15", which makes the past seven months the 27th wettest start of the year. In addition, the August 2009 to July 2010 precipitation total of 55.01" (+7.81") is the fourth largest on record for this interval. This earlier wetness provided a substantial cushion in terms of full reservoirs, abundant ground water and above average stream flow at the onset of this dry growing season.
Table 3. Fifteen driest April-July intervals across New Jersey since 1895 For those seeking more detailed information on hourly, daily and monthly conditions, please visit the following Office of the NJ State Climatologist's websites: NJ Weather and Climate Network NJ Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network NJ Snow Event Reports North Dakota State Climate Summary for July 2010
Aug 03, 2010 []
North Dakota State Climate Summary for July 2010 is now available at the following web site: Archived monthly, annual, and seasonal climate summaries are also available at: FAA Kentucky Climate Summary - July 2010
Aug 02, 2010 []
After a brief cool down to start the month, the persistently hot and humid weather that plagued Kentucky during June continued unabated through July, producing one of the hottest June-July periods in nearly 60 years. Temperatures were 1.5 to 4.5 degrees above normal with eastern Kentucky the coolest and areas along the Ohio River the warmest. As in June, there were no high temperature records set nor were there any days when themercury rose above 100°F due to the lush vegetation from abundant rainfall. However, temperatures routinely soared past 90°F nearly every afternoon unless clouds and thunderstorms conspired to keep temperatures in the 80s. The number of dayswith afternoon highs at or above 90°F in June and July was about three times the number from 2009 and was the highest since 1952. Despite the afternoon heat, morning low temperatures were actually much warmer relative to normal compared to afternoon high temperatures. For example, July 2010 was the 5thwarmest in Bowling Green using minimum temperatures but only the 33rdwarmest using maximum temperatures. Louisville suffered through three consecutive nights from the 23rd to the 25th where overnight temperatures stayed in the 80s. These temperatures reflected an urban heat island effect, as temperatures in outlying areas were in the low to mid 70s. Also as in June, rainfall for the month was highly variable and ranged from 30 to 200% of normal. With the ever present tropical airmass and very subtle atmospheric forcing due to a lack of strong cold fronts, thunderstorms were typically widely scattered and featured heavy localized downpours. Paducah was among the driest spots with just over an inch of rain while locations incentral Kentucky including Monroe and Larue counties picked up over eight inches of rain. Dating back to May, counties along the Tennessee border have received over 20 inches of rain, which marks the second straight year that the May-July period has seen near-record rainfall in this area. Severe weather caused extensive damage and loss of life during the month. Pike County was declared a federal disaster area after a flash flood claimed 2 lives and caused extensive damage to property and infrastructure on July 17th. Damage was estimated in excess of $10million. On the same evening, a severe thunderstorm and associated micro burst with winds estimated at up to 90 mph caused damage in Shelby County. Again, on July 20th and 21st, severe storms led to flash flooding that took 1 life and caused widespread property and infrastructure damage in northeastern Kentucky. State disaster declarations were made for Carter,Elliott, Lawrence, Lewis, Mason, and Rowan Counties. July 2010 Texas Climate Impacts Report
Aug 01, 2010 []
Societal Impacts of Climate on Texas: July Report Office of the State ClimatologistAugust 1, 2010Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon, State ClimatologistBrent McRoberts, Assistant State ClimatologistHTML VersionPDF Version
Kentucky Climate Summary - June 2010
Jul 07, 2010 []
Summer 2010 got off to an early start in Kentucky aspersistent hot and humid weather made June feel more like August. Temperatures were four to seven degrees above average for the month and the high humidity made it feel even warmer. Several locations set records for the hottest Juneever, including Louisville, Jackson, and London, while most other locations ranked in the top ten. Very few record high temperatures were set during June, although numerous record warm lows were set. Bowling Green set three consecutive record warm lows from the 12th-14th, as nighttime temperatures never fell lower than the mid- to upper-70s. High temperatures rarely surpassed the mid-90s, as the above average soil moisture from the historic rainfall from early May combined with abundant springtime vegetation combined to keep daytime temperatures from approaching 100 degrees. While the heat was never extreme on a given day, the persistence of the heat was unusual for June. Temperatures were above average for the first 29 days of the month until a strong cold front brought relief from the heat on the 30th. Rainfall for the month was highly variable and ranged from 50 to 150% of normal. Convective thunderstorms from the tropical air mass that was stuck over the Commonwealth produced the highly variable rainfall amounts. The heaviest rainfall of around seven inches was located along the Ohio River although isolated locations elsewhere in the state received similar amounts from slow-moving thunderstorms. The most variation in precipitation was in south-central Kentucky, where rainfall ranged from over six inches in Bowling Green to less than two inches in Barren County less than 30 miles away. Most ofthe rainfall that fell in June occurred from the 8th-19th,a period that included numerous strong to severe storms. An EF0 tornado occurred in Adair County with little damage on the 9th. ~ Greg Goodrich Persistent Warmth: June and First Half of 2010 Overview
Jul 04, 2010 []
June Overview What a run of abnormal warmth across the Garden State. As discussed later in this report, temperatures have been above normal since March. June was no exception, as it goes into the record books as the warmest since records commenced in 1895. The statewide temperature of 74.4° is 5.0° above average. This surpasses the previous warmest June (1943) by 0.3° (table 1). Three of the six warmest Junes have occurred in the past six years.
Table 1. Ten warmest Junes across New Jersey since 1895 The maximum daily temperature equaled or surpassed 90° at one or more location on fifteen days. The 2nd to 6th saw daily maximums of 90° at Sicklerville (Camden County) on the 2nd, 91° at Sicklerville and Hammonton (Atlantic) on the 3rd, 91° at Hammonton on the 5th, 92° at four eastern Ocean and Monmouth county stations on the 5th, and 94° at Berkeley Township (Ocean) on the 6th. Woodbine (Cape May) topped out at 96° on the 13th. The 90°s returned on nine of eleven days between the 19th and 29th. Eastampton (Burlington) hit 90° on the 19th, three stations reached 92° on the 21st, Hammonton was 93° on 22nd, eight stations maxed out at 94° on the 23rd, and Hammonton sizzled at 99° with seven other stations at 98° on the 24th. Wall Township (Monmouth) topped out at 93° on the 26th and three stations reached 96° on the 27th. The 28th was the warmest day of the month, with Point Pleasant (Ocean) reaching 100°, Berkeley Township 99° and 23 stations between 95° and 98°. Just like the 5th, it was stations at or near the coast in southeast Monmouth and northeast Ocean counties that were hottest, thanks in part to less cloud cover overspreading this area later in the afternoon than elsewhere in NJ. The heat continued at Point Pleasant on the 29th with a maximum of 95°. On these fifteen hottest June days the lowest maximum temperatures were most often in the upper 70s to low 80s and occurred at sea level (for instance at Harvey Cedars (Ocean) and the Atlantic City Marina (Atlantic)) or at High Point Monument (Sussex), the highest point in the state (1803 feet). The widest differences in daily highs occurred on the 13th (96° at Woodbine and 71° at both Sea Girt and High Point Monument) and the 22nd (93° at Hammonton and 71° at High Point Monument). The 7th to the 19th saw seven nights when temperatures dropped into the 40s at several locations. The High Point Monument station fell to 44° on the 7th. Pequest (Warren) dipped to 40° on both the 8th and 9th. The morning of the 9th was the coolest of the month with 29 stations around the state in the 40°s. Basking Ridge (Somerset) dropped to 49° on the 11th, Berkeley Township (Ocean) to 48° on the 16th, Pequest to 48° on the 18th, and Basking Ridge and Berkeley Township to 49° on the 19th. The month ended on a cool note, with Pequest falling to 46° on the 30th, with three other stations at 49°. Statewide, June precipitation averaged 2.27". This is 1.52" below average and ranks as the 18th driest of the past 116 years (tied with 1908). The five wettest locations included Buena Vista Township (Atlantic) with 4.56", Denville Township (Morris) 4.30", Washington (Warren) 4.10", Wayne Township (Passaic) 4.09" and Bethlehem Township (Hunterdon) 3.93". The five driest locations included Linwood (Atlantic) and Howell Township (Monmouth) each at 0.86", Ewing (Mercer) 0.90" and Hamilton Township (Mercer) and Woodbine (Cape May) each at 0.92". It is illustrative of the local nature of summer thunderstorms that the wettest and driest stations sit only 25 miles apart in Atlantic County and the 5th wettest and 3rd driest are only 35 miles apart in west central NJ. As suggested previously, the majority of the significant rain events in June were in the form of thunderstorms. On the 1st, storms brought 1.45" to Ortley Beach (Ocean) and 1.25" to Fair Haven (Monmouth). A non-convective steady afternoon and evening rain on the 9th accumulated to 1.16" in Shrewsbury (Monmouth), 1.15" at Monmouth Beach (Monmouth) and 1.12" in New Brunswick (Middlesex). All of NJ saw some rain, with the most in the northern half. Storms returned on the 13th to the western half, with little to none near the Atlantic coast. Bethlehem Township (Hunterdon) was drenched with 2.36" and Washington (Warren) with 2.26". Twenty-seven CoCoRaHS observers measured more than 1.00" on the 13th. Cape May County had an afternoon storm on the 16th, with 1.05" in Wildwood Crest. Early the next morning, storms moved through the northern third of the state, bringing 0.95" to Mendham (Morris) and 0.63" to Basking Ridge (Somerset). On the 22nd, several swaths of moderate to heavy rain fell in storms that raced across some regions. South Harrison (Gloucester) received 1.12", Middle Township (Cape May) 0.83" and Franklin Township (Somerset) 0.74". Winds gusted to 43 mph at Bivalve (Cumberland). Severe storms struck portions of south Jersey on the afternoon of the 24th, dropping temperatures from the upper 90°s to the low 70°s. Woodstown (Salem) received a quick 1.55" with small hail, Sicklerville (Camden) 1.28" and Oswego Lake (Burlington) 1.27". Winds gusted to 47 mph at West Creek (Ocean), though locally were likely stronger. Trees and power lines came down, resulting in power outages, particularly in Camden and Atlantic counties. A final round of storms crossed the state on the 28th, with a storm that roughly followed Rt. 80 dropping as much as 1.31" in Little Falls (Bergen). Windy southern storms deposited 1.19" at Seaside Heights (Ocean), 1.17" at Oswego Lake and 1.13" in Clayton (Gloucester). Winds peaked at 71 mph in Bivalve, 53 mph at Harvey Cedars (Ocean) and 44 mph at Seaside Heights. There were several windy days in June that saw winds gusting to 47 mph at Bivalve on the 5th, 45 mph at High Point Monument (Sussex) on the 6th and 48 mph at Wantage (Sussex) on the 17th. The early month winds were a result of a pressure differential between the lowest monthly pressures (29.65" to 29.70") on the 6th and highest pressures (30.15" to 30.20") on the 8th and 9th. Each of these extremes are rather unremarkable, another sign of summer well underway. The heat and overall dry conditions across the state in June began to dry out fields and forests. This led to an approximate 900 acre forest fire in Barnegat Township (Ocean) on the 26th-27th and a 120 acre brush fire at Fort Dix (Burlington) on the 28th. First Half of 2010 Overview If you like variety in your weather and climate, the first half of 2010 certainly did not disappoint. About the only thing missing was brutal cold, though it was several degrees below average during a record snowy February. Otherwise, temperatures were above average during the other five months. The six-month average of 50.4° is 2.9° above average, making it the 4th warmest first half of the year on record (table 2).
Table 2. Ten warmest January-June intervals across New Jersey since 1895 The April to June average of 64.7° is 4.6° above average, which by a wide margin makes it the warmest such interval on record (table 3). It was the persistence of the warmth, rather than record maximum temperatures that made the past three months so noteworthy. However, temperatures on April 7 did break records and at some locations it was the warmest day on record for so early in the season.
Table 3. Ten warmest April-June intervals across New Jersey since 1895 A stormy period that began in the fall of 2009 continued through the first three months of 2010. Thus, despite the following three months each having below-average precipitation, the six-month total of 25.54" is 2.45" above average. This makes January-June 2010 the 19th wettest, while the April-June total of 8.17" is 3.85" below average, or 14th driest. In addition to several heavy February snowstorms, a major wind and rain storm in mid March brought the most rain from a two-day winter (December-March period) storm on record. This was just one wet event in the wettest March in the 116 year state record book. For those seeking more detailed information on hourly, daily and monthly conditions, please visit the following Office of the NJ State Climatologist's websites: NJ Weather and Climate Network NJ Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network NJ Snow Event Reports July Newsletter
Jul 02, 2010 []
Our July newsletter is now available on our site (http://www.climate.washington.edu/newsletter/) and features the June climate summary, a brief article on the implications of the recent wet weather in WA, and the late summer temperature and precipitation outlook.
June Monthly Climate Summary
Jul 02, 2010 []
North Dakota Monthly Climate Summary for June 2010 is now available for download at: http://www.ndsu.edu/ndsco/publication/ndsco/summary/2010/jun.pdf Previous issues and summaries of other periods can also ve downloaded at: Questions? E-Mail to: Adnan.Akyuz@ndsu.edu Second Wettest June on Record for Illinois
Jul 01, 2010 []
Champaign, Ill. –Illinois has experienced the second wettest June on record, based on preliminary data. The statewide average precipitation for June was 7.8 inches, 3.7 inches above normal, according toState Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.isws.illinois.edu). The wettest June on record was in 1902 with 8.4 inches of rainfall. Statewide records extend back to 1895. The largest rainfall totals occurred in the northern two-thirds of the state where amounts of 7 to 13 inches were common. Meanwhile, far southern Illinois remained closer to normal with amounts ranging from 3 to 6 inches. Some long-term precipitation gauge sites set records fortheir wettest June. These include Galesburg with 13.24 inches, Havana with 10.58 inches, and Lincoln with 10.79 inches. The statewide average temperature for June was 74.9 degrees, 3 degrees above normal. Based on preliminary data, this is the tenth warmest June. The warmest June on record was in 1934 with 78.5 degrees. Of the 10 wettest Junes in Illinois history, in 7 out of 10 cases rainfall returned to within an inch of normal in July and August. Only in 1993 did the wet conditions persist during the next two months. Drier conditions occurred in July and August only in 1945 and 1947. "This June had both near-record rainfall and much warmer than normal temperatures. That’s very unusual considering that in most cases, a wet June tends to run on the cool side," concludes Angel. The Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a division of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability, is the primary agency in Illinois concerned with water and atmospheric resources. Iowa June 2010 Preliminary Monthly Weather Summary
Jul 01, 2010 []
PRELIMINARY General Summary. June 2010 temperatures averaged 71.4º or 1.6º above normal while precipitation totaled 10.45 inches or 5.81 inches above normal. This ranks as the wettest and 33 Temperatures. Warmer than normal weather was the rule for most of June, as has been the case across Cooling Degree Day Totals. Home air conditioning requirements, as estimated by cooling degree day totals, averaged 9% more than normal and 19% greater than last June. Cooling degree day totals are running 15% above normal and 45% above last year’s totals for the year-to-date. Precipitation. Parts of northern and western City June 2010 (inches) Old Record Period of Record Indianola 16.86 15.26 in Jun. 1947 123 years Montezuma 13.56 11.83 in Aug. 1993 66 years Cherokee 13.11 12.90 in Sep. 1926 91 years Little Sioux 12.83 11.69 in Aug. 2007 53 years The least rain reported in the state was 5.44 inches at Severe Weather. The year’s first tornado touched down in O’Brien County on the afternoon of June 1 Why wasn’t there record flooding with record June rainfall? Certainly there has been plenty of flooding across Outlook. The welcome period of dry weather that finally moved into Harry J. Hillaker, State Climatologist Telephone: (515) 281-8981; E-mail: Harry.Hillaker@IowaAgriculture.gov |