Observing Precipitation with NEXRAD Radar   Radar is an acronym meaning Radio Detection and Ranging. During its initial development in WW II, weather was treated as "clutter", a problem that kept radar operators from seeing enemy targets. Shortly after the end of the war, scientists realized the great benefit of using radar to study storms. The radar displayed previously unseen patterns of storm growth and structure. Doppler capabilities allowed for the detection of tornados and downbursts. Radar also showed its utility in estimating precipitation.

The traditional way of turning radar measurements into rainfall data is to relate the power returned from the cloud to the radar (meteorologists refer to this as the "radar reflectivity") to some estimate of rain intensity measured on the ground. Once this so called Z-R relationship is determined, the radar data can be converted directly to rainfall over the entire coverage region of the radar. Usually, the rainfall estimates in the Z-R relationship come from rain gauge networks, like CoCoRaHS.

The great benefit of using radar is that it can estimate rainfall over a huge area, including most places where there are no rain gauges. However, it turns out that using radar to estimate rainfall is much more difficult than one might think for a number of reasons:
->1. The radar reflectivity and rainfall relationship is not unique, it changes constantly within a storm, among different types of storms, and from place to place.
->2. The radar looks within the cloud while the gauge is at the ground. The difference in height between where the radar is looking and the gauge can be thousands of feet. A lot can happen to those drops as they fall out of the cloud: some might evaporate and others might be blown far downwind from where the radar is looking.
->3. The radar beam might be blocked by hills, trees or building and might not be able to see the cloud producing the rain.
->4. The radar volume at all ranges is very much larger than the sample volume of a 4" rain gauge on the ground. This large volume may have a variety of reflectors - i.e. snow, hail, raindrops and cloud drops, all of which contribute to the reflectivity but which have very different water contents.

More information and links to information on radar and rainfall can be found on the CoCoRaHS web site. And don't forget to view Pat Kennedy's 2013 WxTalk Webinar on Radar at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRp0F5Knr6s&list=PLDDC91E3A979406CE&index=5.

Katrina Sparked Push To Improve Hurricane Forecasting   Kevin Shaw of ACON DC/MD/DE forwards a link to this NPR broadcast and transcript. Listen to the broadcast and read the transcript with a click here.

NWS AKQ Monthly Rainfall Analysis      From NWS Wakefield compiled from ASOS...COOP...RAWS REPORTS | Monthly Rainfall Analysis - http://www.weather.gov/akq/MONTHLY_RAINFALL_ANALYSIS -

TRACK AUGUST 2015 NWS STORM REPORTS FOR YOUR STATE   The Storm Prediction Center archives reports of severe weather - tornado, wind, hail - to the National Weather Service To view these reports, start here with a click to August 1, 2105. While visiting, you will learn how to navigate the daily reports using forward and backward navigation arrows ( < > ) or by replacing the date in your browser's URL line with a date you wish to view. For starters, click here for August 2015 reports: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/150801_rpts.html




Visit the interactive FACEBOOK home of the National Weather Service Office (KRAH)
Raleigh, North Carolina with a click to the image above!

   DROUGHT MONITOR       Information on drought can be found at NOAA's Drought Information Center          http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

REMINDER   All National Weather Service station data listed herein is preliminary and may be subject to change.  The data has not been certified and cannot be used in legal actions.  Only reports certified by the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, NC can be used for these purposes.

ACON VA/NC/SC Station Extremes - AUGUST 2015

State	Maximum Temperature	Minimum Temperature	Warmest Average Temperature	Coldest Average Temperature	Maximum Precipitation	Minimum Precipitation
Virginia	96° Washington, DC/Arlington Chantilly Newport News Norfolk (FHC) Richmond	52° Blacksburg	79.3° Washington, DC/Arlington	71.0° Blacksburg	4.09" Blacksburg	0.70" Herndon
North Carolina	101° Fayetteville	56° Raleigh (RAL)	80.6° Lumberton	73.8° Asheville	9.10" Beaufort	2.45" Elizabeth City
South Carolina	102° Columbia	62° Columbia Greenville-Spartanburg	82.6° Columbia	79.0° Anderson	12.45" Downtown Charleston	2.41" Greenville-Spartanburg

( For an explanation of column headers in the following tables,
please note the column denotations table below. )

TEMPERATURE / WINDS/ ELEMENTS FOLLOWED BY
PRECIPITATION / BAROMETRIC PRESSURE
VIRGINIA | NORTH CAROLINA | SOUTH CAROLINA [Reminder: All NWS DATA HEREIN IS NOT OFFICIAL]

STATION	A	B	C	C1	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	K1	L	M	N	N1	N2	O	P	Q	R	R1	CWA	TIME RECORDED
BCB	81.9	60.1	71.0	1.0	88	5	52	26	0	0	0	0	78%	22	310	11	2.4		5	0	0	0	6	LWX	2400
CHT	87.3	65.7	76.5	1.1	95.9	17	57.1	14	9	0	0	0	72%	13	158,068	3,19	0.2	180	3	0	0	0	0	LWX	2400
CHO	85.2	64.5	74.9	0.9	93	17	56	14	5	0	0	0		27	190	18	3.7		3	0	0	0	1	LWX	2400
DAN	87.0	66.0	76.5	-0.5	95	5	59	28,29	8	0	0	0	71%	33	290	5	3.5		4	0	0	0	0	RNK	2400
DCA	88.0	70.5	79.3	1.2	96	4,17	63	27	12	0	0	0	61%	38	270	24	7.6		2	0	0	0	0	LWX	2400
IAD	85.4	63.8	74.6	-0.8	94	17	53	14	4	0	0	0	68%	32	330	4	5.3		4	0	0	0	0	LWX	2400
GAV	86.59	66.15	76.37	-0.92	94	4	59	28	7	0	0	0	72%	23	180	4			3	0	0	0	0	AKQ	2400
HDV	84.8	64.1	74.5	-1.5	93	17	55	27	3	0	0	0	72%	14	90	21		270	4	0	0	0	0	LWX	2400
LYH	84.3	62.6	73.4	-0.7	92	4	56	2	3	0	0	0	73%	35	160	19	3.7		5	0	0	0	2	RNK	2400
NPN	87.2	68.0	77.0	-1.0	95.9	4	59.1	15	8	0	0	0		24	68	8	2.1	68	5	0	0	0	0	AKQ	2400
FHC	86.3	70.7	78.5	1.0	96	4	65	29	9	0	0	0	72%	30	50	8	2.8	50	1	0	0	0	0	AKQ	2400
NOR	84.8	68.3	76.6	-0.9	93	4	60	29	7	0	0	0		26	30	8			0	0	0	0	0	AKQ	2400
ORF	85.5	71.1	78.3	0.4	94	20	64	16,29	7	0	0	0	67%	35	40	8	7.6		0	0	0	0	0	AKQ	2400
POR	86.5	69.6	78.0	-0.3	94	4	62	15,29	9	0	0	0	77%	30	50	8	3.9	42	2	0	0	0	0	AKQ	2400
CTR	85.7	64.5	75.1	-1.0	92.5	4	56	23	7	0	0	0	82%	19	270	6	0.2	153	3	0	0	0	0	AKQ	2400
MEC	84.8	65.1	75.4		94	4	57	28	2	0	0	0	59%	14	270	11	3.5		4	0	0	0	0	AKQ	2400
RIC	87.6	67.4	77.5	0.0	96	4	61	28	10	0	0	0	68%	33	270	6	5.5		5	0	0	0	0	AKQ	2400
ROA	85.4	65.3	75.3	-0.1	93	4,5	56	26	4	0	0	0	69%	42	290	11	4.9		4	0	0	0	0	RNK	2400
SVC	84.2	65.9	75.0	-1.2	91	4	58	14	6	0	0	0							1	0	0	0	0	LWX	2400
WAL	83.8	67.6	75.7	0.2	92	4	59	29	2	0	0	0		33	40	8	7.6		3	0	0	0	0	AKQ	2400
WSH	81.8	63.3	72.6	-1.33	90.5	17	57.3	27	1	0	0	0	83%	11	158	21	0.1	180	1	0	0	0	0	LWX	2400
Averages	85.44	66.20	75.81	-0.22	93.47		58.31		5.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	71%	26.7			4.0		3.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4
STATION	A	B	C	C1	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	K1	L	M	N	N1	N2	O	P	Q	R	R1	CWA	TIME RECORDED
STATION	A	B	C	C1	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	K1	L	M	N	N1	N2	O	P	Q	R	R1	CWA	TIME RECORDED
AVL	84.1	63.5	73.8	0.9	92	4	57	2,28	3	0	0	0	68%	29	240	4	4.9		10	0	0	0	3	GSP	2400
MRH	83.6	71.5	77.5	-1.3	87	5,21	65	16	0	0	0	0		38	210	3	7.6		0	0	0	0	1	MHX	2400
CLT	90.4	68.5	79.5	2.2	99	4,5	59	29	19	0	0	0	63%	36	350	11	5.5		8	0	0	0	0	GSP	2400
ECG	86.2	68.3	77.3	-0.3	94	5,6	59	15	6	0	0	0	75%	47	210	4	6.9		7	0	0	0	1	AKQ	2400
FAY	89.7	69.5	79.6	0.0	101	5	61	29	15	0	0	0	71%	40	250	6	5.5		7	0	0	0	2	RAH	2400
GSO	86.7	68.1	77.4	0.3	96	4,5	62	28	8	0	0	0	69%	36	210	5	5.0		6	0	0	0	0	RAH	2400
HSE	84.6	72.8	78.7	0.2	90	25	65	16	1	0	0	0	77%	39	320	27	7.2							MHX	2400
HKY	87.9	66.9	77.4	1.0	98	5	61	28	10	0	0	0		32	260	19	3.3		7	0	0	0	3	GSP	2400
LBT	91.1	70.1	80.6	1.6	99	5,6	63	29	19	0	0	0	70%	38	300	6	4.6		8	0	0	0	1	ILM	2400
EWN	87.6	69.8	78.7	-0.4	96	5	65	15,16	7	0	0	0	73%	33	210	6	4.9		7	0	0	0	2	MHX	2400
RDU	88.3	67.6	77.9	-0.6	97	5	60	28,29	11	0	0	0	69%	32	330	11	4.2		4	0	0	0	1	RAH	2400
RAL	87.5	65.3	76.4	-2.1	97	5	56	28	9	0	0	0		33		6			2	0	0	0	0	RAH	2400
WHI	90.3	68.8	79.6	1.2	98.0	1	61.2	29	16	0	0	0	73%	21	206	19	1.3	109	8	0	0	0	0	ILM	2400
ILM	87.5	70.9	79.2	-0.5	96	5	66	23,29	6	0	0	0	74%	43	230	6	5.6		12	0	0	0	0	ILM	2400
Averages	87.54	68.69	78.11	0.2	95.7		61.4		9.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	71%	35.5			5.1		6.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1
STATION	A	B	C	C1	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	K1	L	M	N	N1	N2	O	P	Q	R	R1	CWA	TIME RECORDED
STATION	A	B	C	C1	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	K1	L	M	N	N1	N2	O	P	Q	R	R1	CWA	TIME RECORDED
AND	88.7	69.3	79.0	0.5	100	5	63	31	10	0	0	0		49	230	10	4.5		8	0	0	0	1	GSP	2400
CAE	92.9	72.2	82.6	1.8	102	4	62	29	28	0	0	0	64%	29	280	5	5.0		4	0	0	0	0	CAE	2400
CRE	86.5	71.9	79.2	0.3	90	5,22	67	23,29	2	0	0	0	78%	38	220	6	6.7		9	0	0	0	3	ILM	2400
CHS	89.3	73.2	81.3	0.4	94	21,25	69	16	15	0	0	0		40	290	6	6.3		11	0	0	0	1	CHS	2400
CXM	86.4	76.2	81.3	0.0	90	20,21	72	28	2	0	0	0		32	190	31	6.7		1					CHS	2400
FLO	90.3	71.3	80.8	0.9	98	5	65	29	20	0	0	0	72%	64	140	5	5.4		7	0	0	0	2	ILM	2400
GSP	89.4	68.8	79.1	0.5	99	4	62	31	15	0	0	0	68%	45	270	5	4.6		8	0	0	0	0	GSP	2400
OGB	91.1	71.3	81.2	1.0	98	4,5	65	15,29	22	0	0	0		36	20	6	4.7		7	0	0	0	3	CAE	2400
Averages	89.33	71.78	80.56	0.7	96.38		48.0		14.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	71%	41.6			5.5		6.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.4
STATION	A	B	C	C1	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	K1	L	M	N	N1	N2	O	P	Q	R	R1	CWA	TIME RECORDED
STATION	A	B	C	C1	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	K1	L	M	N	N1	N2	O	P	Q	R	R1	CWA	TIME RECORDED
TRI	85.7	62.7	74.2	0.4	93	4	55	26	3	0	0	0		37	220	5	2.5		8	0	0	0	5	MRX	2400
DAV	72.8	53.5	63.1		80	16,18	46	13,14,26	0	0	0	0												PBX	2400
STATION	T	T1	U	U1	V	V1	W	X	Y	Z	1	2	3	4	5	6	6A	7	7A	8	CWA	TIME RECORDED
BCB	4.09	0.50	1.83	10	1.83	10	13	1	25.97					0.0	28.4						RNK	2400
CHT	1.20	-2.33	0.47	20	0.66	19-20	8	0	27.38					0.0	27.9	30.204	28	29.723	11	29.980	LWX	2400
CHO	2.43	-1.19	1.57	19	1.57	19	6	1	27.33									29.750	11		LWX	2400
DAN	3.06	-0.91	1.60	6	1.64	6-7	9	1	28.30					0.0	5.1	30.230	29	29.760	7	29.995	RNK	2400
DCA	1.16	-1.77	0.41	24	0.45	10-11	6	0	32.89					0.0	18.1			29.750	11		LWX	2400
IAD	1.09	-2.44	0.41	20	0.57	19-20	8	0	27.28					0.0	36.9	30.220	28	29.740	11	29.980	LWX	2400
GAV	1.83	0.61	0.61	11	0.92	10-11	8	0	30.90					0.0	14.7	30.250	29	29.780	11	30.010	AKQ	2400
HDV	0.70	-3.19	0.27	10			9	0	30.60					0.0	28.2	30.190	14	29.720	11	29.955	AKQ	2400
LYH	1.98	-1.28	0.88	10	0.88	10	8	0	24.74					0.0	22.9	30.240	29	29.800	11	30.020	RNK	2400
NPN	1.29	-4.74	0.73	11	0.73	11	5	0	33.01					0.0	16.5	30.230	29	29.770	7	30.000	AKQ	2400
FHC	1.51	-4.26	0.54	7	0.77	6-7	8	0	38.42					0.0	12.5	30.238	29	29.785	7	29.996	AKQ	2400
NOR	0.94	-4.83	0.25	11	0.28	7-8	7	0	30.66					0.0	12.8						AKQ	2400
ORF	1.85	-3.67	0.52	20	0.98	20-21	7	0	33.12					0.0	12.7	30.240	29	29.780	7	30.010	AKQ	2400
POR	1.64	-4.00	0.53	7	0.74	6-7	6	0	33.55					0.0	13.5	30.210	29	29.757	7	29.974	AKQ	2400
CTR	3.31	-1.84	1.65	6	1.65	6	8	1	36.87					0.0	14.5	30.200	29	29.740	11	29.956	AKQ	2400
MEC	3.31		1.15	7,11	1.79	11-12	8	2	34.04					0.0	11.4			29.780	11	29.950	AKQ	2400
RIC	2.77	-1.89	0.93	6	1.14	10-11	7	0	32.64					0.0	12.8	30.260	29	29.770	11	30.015	AKQ	2400
ROA	3.09	-0.47	1.48	10	1.81	10-11	8	1	31.43					0.0	21.5	30.280	29	29.820	7	30.050	RNK	2400
SVC	1.51	-2.47	0.67	24	0.67	24	6	0	38.22					0.0	26.0						LWX	2400
WAL	2.67	-1.52	1.95	11	1.95	11	7	1	29.10					0.0	11.3	30.240	29	29.850	25	30.045	AKQ	2400
WSH	0.92	-2.31	0.26	24	0.26	24	8	0	29.62					0.0	26.2	30.280	14	29.830	11	30.055	LWX	2400
Averages	2.02	-2.10	0.89		1.06		7.6	0.4	31.24					0.0	18.7	30.234		29.773		29.999
STATION	T	T1	U	U1	V	V1	W	X	Y	Z	1	2	3	4	5	6	6A	7	7A	8	CWA	TIME RECORDED
STATION	T	T1	U	U1	V	V1	W	X	Y	Z	1	2	3	4	5	6	6A	7	7A	8	CWA	TIME RECORDED
AVL	2.77	-1.63	0.80	10	0.80	10	13	0	26.10					0.0	13.3	30.250	29	29.760	7	30.005	GSP	2400
MRH	9.10	1.40	1.84	8	1.84	8	13	5	36.66					0.0	T			29.720	8		MHX	2400
CLT	3.84	-0.38	1.19	23	1.19	23	11	1	22.42					0.0	3.1	30.230	29	29.760	7	29.995	GSP	2400
ECG	2.45	-4.19	0.93	6	1.31	6-7	8	0	30.18					0.0	T	30.220	29	29.750	7	29.985	AKQ	2400
FAY	3.00	-2.49	1.23	31	1.23	31	10	1	30.79									29.770	7		RAH	2400
GSO	6.85	2.97	2.95	6	2.95	6	7	2	25.21					0.0	9.6			29.770	7		RAH	2400
HSE	5.67	-1.26	2.42	3	2.42	3	13	1	36.70					0.0	2.0			29.720	8		MHX	2400
HKY	3.36	-0.74	1.09	19	1.09	19	8	2	21.78							30.200	29	29.730	7	29.965	GSP	2400
LBT	3.98	-1.52	1.17	6	1.90	6-7	9	2	28.98							30.220	29	29.730	7	29.975	ILM	2400
EWN	8.77	2.12	2.83	11	3.17	26-27	9	4	41.22					0.0	3.0			29.720	8		MHX	2400
RDU	4.82	0.56	1.75	31	1.75	31	6	2	34.02					0.0	7.9			29.770	7		RAH	2400
RAL	3.47	-0.79			1.46		8		28.16					0.0	8.9	30.070	16	29.800	7	29.935	RAH	2400
WHI	4.06	-1.59	1.12	26	1.12	26-27	13	1	26.38					0.0	0.5	30.204	29	29.718	7	29.979	ILM	2400
ILM	8.95	1.54	1.60	3	2.42	6-7	15	4	39.94					0.0	0.3	30.190	30	29.710	7	29.950	ILM	2400
Averages	5.08	-0.43	1.61		1.76		10.2	1.9	30.61					0.0	4.4	30.198		29.745		29.974
STATION	T	T1	U	U1	V	V1	W	X	Y	Z	1	2	3	4	5	6	6A	7	7A	8	CWA	TIME RECORDED
STATION	T	T1	U	U1	V	V1	W	X	Y	Z	1	2	3	4	5	6	6A	7	7A	8	CWA	TIME RECORDED
AND	3.82	0.03	0.95	11	0.96	17-18	10	0	25.57					0.0		30.210	29	29.760	7	29.985	GSP	2400
CAE	4.85	-0.41	2.22	30	2.22	30	7	2	31.05					0.0	T	30.210	29	29.750	7	29.980	CAE	2400
CRE	5.79	-1.62	1.84	4	2.15	3-4	14	2	32.76							30.190	29	29.730	7	29.960	ILM	2400
CHS	11.22	4.07	6.43	31	6.43	31	14	1	41.85					0.0	T	30.180	29	29.730	7	29.955	CHS	2400
CXM	12.45	5.74	2.56	18	2.56	18	16	6	36.07									29.710	7		CHS	2400
FLO	5.92	0.68	1.59	5	1.60	5-6	13	2	27.84					0.0	T	30.210	29	29.730	7	29.970	ILM	2400
GSP	2.41	-2.07	0.50	5	0.83	5-6	12	0	25.54					0.0	3.7	30.210	29	29.740	7	29.975	GSP	2400
OGB	3.03	-2.25	1.40	6	1.43	6-7	12	1	27.26							30.210	29	29.740	7	29.975	CAE	2400
Averages	6.19	0.52	2.19		2.27		12.3	1.75	30.99					0.00	0.9	30.203		29.736		29.971
STATION	T	T1	U	U1	V	V1	W	X	Y	Z	1	2	3	4	5	6	6A	7	7A	8	CWA	TIME RECORDED
STATION	T	T1	U	U1	V	V1	W	X	Y	Z	1	2	3	4	5	6	6A	7	7A	8	CWA	TIME RECORDED
TRI	6.01	2.54	2.04	18	2.42	18-19	13	1	29.17					0.0	15.5	30.200	29	29.750	7	29.975	MRX	2400
DAV	4.11		1.49	11			11	1	43.41					0.0	152.1						PBX	2400
STATION	T	T1	U	U1	V	V1	W	X	Y	Z	1	2	3	4	5	6	6A	7	7A	8	CWA	TIME RECORDED

Virginia:

Arlington/Washington, D.C. - "THE MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. MONTHLY PRECIPITATION WAS BELOW NORMAL. TWELVE DAYS LAST MONTH REACHED OR EXCEEDED 90 DEGREES...THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF DAYS IN AUGUST SINCE 2012. PRECIP IN AUGUST MARKED THE DRIEST AUGUST SINCE 2006. " - [ + - ] - from NWS Sterling, VA

Chantilly - " August temperatures were above normal and precipitation was much below normal. The mean monthly temperature was 76.5° (+1.1°). The mean high temperature was 87.3° (+0.7°) and the mean low temperature was 65.7° (+1.5°). No temperature records were set. August precipitation of only 1.20” was much below average (-2.33”). No precipitation records were set. Thunderstorms were observed on the 4th, 19th, and 20th. *Please note, anemometer is currently partially obstructed from the North and East " - [ + - ] - Member Russ Topping

Seven Corners (Fairfax County) - from Member John Iekel: " NORMAL TEMPS. NO HEAT WAVES. VERY DRY. “PREDICTIONS” OF RAIN BROUGHT ONLY DISAPPOINMENT FOR MY PARCHED GARDENS. WHAT A DIFFERENCE A MONTH MAKES. " - [ - - ]

Dulles - from NWS Sterling (KLWX): "THE MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL. MONTHLY PRECIPITATION WAS WELL BELOW NORMAL. FOUR DAYS LAST MONTH REACHED OR EXCEEDED 90 DEGREES...THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF DAYS IN AUGUST SINCE 2012. AUGUST 2015 MARKED THE DRIEST AUGUST SINCE 1998...AND THE FIFTH DRIEST ON RECORD. " - [ - - ]

Herndon - from member Randy Ashby: " August was below normal for temperature and well below normal for precipitation. The temperatures ranged between a high of 93 and a low of 55 and was 1.5 degrees below normal. On the precipitation side, the month was 3.19” Below normal, with only 0.70” measured. This was the driest August on record for this site (21 years). We are now 0.27” below normal for the year. " - [ - - ]

Norfolk - from NWS Wakefield (AKQ): "View the NWS AKQ Wakefield August 2015 Climate Summary with a click here " - [ + - ]

Portsmouth - from Bill Trotter: " AUGUST 2015 WAS THE 4TH DRIEST IN THE DATABASE TO 1976. The Top 5 Driest Augusts include: 1) 1.33" 1995 2) 1.35" 1997 3) 1.37" 2008 4) 1.64" 2015 5) 1.67" 1983. The month's average temperature of 78.0° was 0.3° BELOW NORMAL. Precipitation (1.64") was BELOW NORMAL by 4.00" or 29% of the August average during the period from 1976 to 2014. Rainfall for the year through August 31st was 33.55" (-0.58" or 98% of normal), the first time this year that the yearly rainfall has totaled below normal at month's end. To view the station monthly and year-to-date climatological summary (LCD) for this Portsmouth station, please click here. Frontal passages were recorded on the 2nd, 6th, 7th, 12th, 21st, and 25th. STATION RECORDS: 8th - WIND GUST 30mph [previous 26mph 1989], 20th - TEMPERATURE Maximum low 76° [previous 75° 2002], and 21st - TEMPERATURE Maximum low 75° [previous 2002]. " - [ - - ]

Glen Allen - from Lowell Koontz: " The monthly mean temperature for August was 76.4 °F, a -0.9 °F mean temperature departure based on a seven-year average and the third lowest on record. The 1.83 inches of rain for August was a negative 2.91 inch departure based on a seven-year average and the driest August on record. The most rainfall in a calendar day was 0.61 inches, in 24 hours was 0.92 on the 9th and 10th and in one hour was 0.26 inches which were all record low amounts. The month had 8 precipitation days the second least number of days on record. The maximum temperature for August was only 95°F on the 4th. The lowest minimum was 59°F recorded on the 28th. The maximum wind gust was only 23 mph on the 4th as there were no strong thunderstorms. Thunder was only heard 3 days which tied for a record minimum. Before drawing too many conclusions between these tables, note Glen Allen has a six-year average and the Richmond International Airport uses a 30-year average. The six year average temperature of this station includes the very hot summers of 2010 and 2011. It is interesting that Glen Allen had the wettest June and the second wettest July followed by the driest August on record. August was 1.82 inches drier than the previous driest August and had a -2.91 inch departure from the average. Thus the summer was cooler than average with an average departure of negative 0.8°F. August was also wetter than average with a +1.06 inch departure and a departure of +3.8% relative humidity. " - [ - - ]

Richmond - from contributor Lowell Koontz (GAV): " The Richmond International Airport (KRIC) had 2.77 inches of rain for the driest August since 2005 when 2.56 inches was recorded and was the 35th driest August in the past 128 years. The Richmond International Airport had an August mean temperature of 77.5 °F and was the 43rd warmest August. The Richmond International Airport tied with 2012, 1989, and 1915 for the high daily minimum of 75°F on the 5th which was the only daily record. The lowest maximum temperature for the month was 78 °F on the 7th and the highest maximum was 96 °F on the 4th. The coolest August day was the 28th with a daily mean of 73.5. Only August 5th of 1900 had a higher daily mean for the coolest day in August. The summer averaged +1.1°F warmer than average and precipitation averaged +0.70 inches above average because of the wet June and July. " - [ -/+ - ]

Richmond - from NWS Wakefield (AKQ): "View the NWS AKQ Wakefield August 2015 Climate Summary for Richmond with a click here " - [ -/+ - ]

North Carolina:

Fayetteville - from NWS Raleigh (RAH): " A RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 78 DEGREES WAS TIED AT FAYETTEVILLE REGIONAL AIRPORT ON JULY 15TH. THIS TIED THE RECORD ORIGINALLY SET IN 1993. THE MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AT FAYETTEVILLE REGIONAL AIRPORT FOR JULY 2015 WAS 82.7 DEGREES (AS OF 8 PM ON THE 31ST). THIS MAKES JULY 2015 THE 6TH WARMEST JULY ON RECORD. " - [ + - ]

Raleigh - from contributor Bob Woodson (RAL): " THE AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE FOR JULY WAS ONLY -0.2 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL WHILE RAINFALL WAS 1.59” BELOW NORMAL. PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR IS 0.59” BELOW NORMAL. PLEASE NOTE THAT JULY TEMPERATURE AND WIND DATA IS INCOMPLETE DUE TO EQUIPMENT FAILURE THAT OCCURRED FOR SEVERAL DAYS. " - [ - - ]

South Carolina:

North Charleston - from NWS Charleston (CHS): " RECORDS ESTABLISHED DURING THE MONTH: *AUG 31 - RECORD MAXIMUM PRECIPITATION OF 6.43 INCHES 5TH GREATEST 1-DAY PRECIPITATION " - [ + + ]

COLUMN DENOTATIONS:

A  maximum mean temperature	T total precipitation (inches) T1 departure from normal
B  minimum mean temperature	U maximum calendar day precipitation (inches)
C  monthly mean temperature C1 departure from normal	U1 date of maximum calendar day precipitation
D  maximum temperature	V date(s) of maximum daily precipitation
E  date(s) of maximum temperature	V1 maximum 24-hour precip. & date(s)
F  minimum temperature	W number of days with precip. >= .01"
G  date(s) of minimum temperature	X number of days with precip. >= 1.0"
H  days with maximum temperature >=90	Y year-to-date precipitation (inches)
I  days with maximum temperature <=32	Z maximum calendar day snowfall (inches)
J  days with minimum temperature <=32	VRB Variable
K  days with minimum temperature <= 0	1 date of maximum calendar day snowfall (inches)
K1 average relative humidity	2 number of days with snowfall
L  peak wind gust (miles per hour)	3 number of days with snowfall >= 1.0"
M  direction of peak wind gust	4  total snowfall for month (inches)
N  date(s) of peak wind gust	5 total snowfall for 2014-2015 season (inches)
N1   average wind speed (miles per hour)	6 maximum barometric pressure (inches)
N2 dominant wind direction	6A date of maximum barometric pressure
O  number of days with thunder	7 minimum barometric pressure (inches)
P  number of days with hail	7A date of minimum barometric pressure
Q  number of days with glaze	8   average sea-level pressure
R  number of days with ice pellets	STN  Station
	NR not recorded
R1 number of days with dense fog [1/4 mile and less visibility]	(i) incomplete data
S  local observation time for temps/precipitation	(M) missing, if listed in data table
~ "about"	E estimated
+  additional indeterminate number of days	CWA - NWS Office County Warning Area

For Weather Headlines visit the National Weather Service Homepage
or conduct a Google.com Search
http://www.weather.gov
 

National Weather Service Web Sites & Current Email Addresses
Within or Nearby the ACON VA/NC/SC Area Can Be Found At:

     NWS Washington/Baltimore, VA/MD
     NWS Wakefield, VA
     NWS Blacksburg, VA
     NWS Raleigh, NC
     NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC
     NWS Wilmington, NC
     NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
     NWS Columbia, SC
     NWS Charleston, SC
     NWS Morristown, TN

     National Weather Service Homepages

     National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, NC

STATION / LOCATION (MILES & DIRECTION FROM MAIN POST OFFICE)/OBSERVER / YEAR RECORDS BEGAN / EMAIL ADDRESS:
[ includes current stations, inactive stations, and closed stations since database inception ]

    

AKQ    Wakefield, VA NWS Wakefield Municipal Airport 36-58-53N 077-00-04W 33M	SVC    Seven Corner, Fairfax County, VA John Iekel Latitude 38.857404 Longitude -77.151696
DCA    Arlington, VA Washington, DC, Reagan Washington National Airport 38-50-54N 077-02-03W 18M	WSH   Washington, VA  David Yowell runamok@runamok.com
BCB    Blacksburg, VA NWS Virginia Tech Airport 37-13N 080-25W
	WOO  Woodstock, VA 5NW Lauck Walton 12/1/85 STATION CLOSED 08/2014
	LDY Ladysmith, VA Danny Jessee 2003 STATION CLOSED 8/31/2010 danny@dannyjessee.com
BRI     Bridgewater, VA Clayton Towers Ctowers19@aol.com	WAL   Wallops Island, VA 37° 56'26" N 75° 27'47" W Wallops Flight Facility Airport
CEN  Centreville, VA Paul Bassett 1985, 38° 50.9788' N LAT. 77° 25.6374' W LON. | Elevation 324' | STATION CLOSED	AVL    Asheville, NC  Asheville Regional Airport 35-25-55N 082-32-15W 670M
CHO   Charlottesville, VA  Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport ASOS  (Rappahannock County) 38-08-18N 078-27-21W 192M	MRH    Beaufort, NC  Michael J. Field Airport 34-44-01N 076-39-38W 3M
DAN  Danville, VA, Danville Regional Airport, 36-34-22N 079-20 10W 175M	CLT    Charlotte, NC NWS Charlotte/Douglas International Airport 35-12-48N 080-56-55W 220M
IAD   Dulles - Washington-Dulles International Airport  38-56-05N 077-26-51W 93M
FCH    Falls Church, VA Erica Page 3/7/94 Windie1970@aol.com	HKY  Hickory, NC
HAM    Hampton, VA 5NE Dave Kessel 1989 kesseld1@cox.net	ECG  Elizabeth City, NC,  Coast Guard Air Station 36-15-47N 076 10-58W 11M
LYH     Lynchburg, VA NWS Lynchburg Regional Airport 37-19-15N 079-12-24W 295M	ILM     Wilmington, NC NWS New Hanover International Airport 34-16-06N 077-54-22W 9M
CTR  Winterpock in Chesterfield County, VA Albert Arnold 06/03	FAY  Fayetteville, NC Fayetteville Regional Airport, 34-59-22N 078-52-48W 55M
	GSO   Greensboro, NC NWS Piedmont Triad International Airport 36-05-51N 079-56-37W 275M
CHT   Chantilly, VA Russ Topping -  12/2006  russ.topping@gmail.com	HSE   Cape Hatteras, NC  Mitchell Field 35-13-56N 075-27-21W 3M
HDV    Herndon, VA  Randoplh W. Ashby, 3.3 SM South, Lat: 38.922127, Lon: -77.38015, Elev: 390'. 1993 randy_ashby@msn.com	LBT    Lumberton, NC  Lumberton Municipal Airport 34-36-26N 079-03-36W 37M
GAV - Glen Allen, Henrico County, VA - Lowell Koontz  8/1/08  wwkoontz@verizon.net	EWN    New Bern, NC  Craven County Regional Airport 36-04-03N 077-02-50W 3M
	MON    Moncure, NC  Chatham County - Mac McIlwain mac.mcilwain@embarqmail.com
	RAL    Raleigh, NC 7NNW  Bob Woodson -  6/1/93 kf4mmm@qsl.net
LKU     Louisa, VA 1N Joseph Bowers 1944 - NWS ID  44-5050-02 STATION CLOSED	RDU   Raleigh-Durham, NC Raleigh-Durham International Airport 35-52-14N 078-47-11W 130M
LOU     Louisa, VA 6S John Bullock (about 1970) STATION CLOSED	ROX    Roxboro, NC 2SE Merriell A. Jay 1/93 ending 12/13
	WHI   North Whiteville, NC Christopher Crawley 12/10 34.413744N / 078.751908W ccawley.kk4csr@gmail.com
LYH     Lynchburg, VA NWS Lynchburg Regional Airport 37-19-15N 079-12-24W 295M	ILM     Wilmington, NC NWS New Hanover International Airport 34-16-06N 077-54-22W 9M
NEW    Newmarket, VA 2W Joyce Winfree STATION CLOSED 5/31/10	CHS   Charleston, SC NWS Charleston Air Force Base 32-53-56N 080-02-26W 13M
	CXM    Downtown Charleston, SC NWS 32.77° N 79.93 W
NPN     Newport News, VA 7N Gary Leonard -  6/91 mikey0781@cox.net	CAE    Columbia, SC NWS Columbia Metropolitan Airport 33-56-31N 081-07-05W 73M
NOR     Norfolk, VA 3NE Jim Fentress 6/1/77	FLO    Florence, SC Florence Regional Airport 34-11-16N 079-43-51W 44M
ORF     Norfolk, VA 5NE 36-54-13N 076-11-31W 14M  1871	GSP   Greenville-Spartanburg, SC NWS Greenville-Spartanburg Airport 34-53-02N 082-13-15W 286M
POR     Portsmouth, VA 36.81° North 76.33° West 3S Bill Trotter -  7/1/76 wxr@cox.net	CRE    North Myrtle Beach, SC Grand Strand Airport 33-48-42N 078-43-26W 10M
MEC     Mechanicsville, VA Glen Martin 11/19/91	OGB   Orangeburg, SC  Orangeburg Municipal Airport 33-27-50N 080-51-13W 59M
FHC    Norfolk, VA  Fred Heutte Center 36° 54'N 76° 16'W 01/01/03 fhcgarden@cox.net	AND   Anderson, SC
RIC     Richmond, VA Richmond International Airport 37-30-40N 077-19-24W 50M	TRI     Tri-cities, TN  (Bristol / Johnson / Kingsport), Tri-City Regional Airport 36-28-47N 082-23-56W 474M
ROA    Roanoke, VA Roanoke Regional Airport 37-19-01N 079-58-27W 362M	DAV  Davis, WV Dave Lesher canaanwx@yahoo.com