MONTHLY SUMMARY: AUGUST 1997 UPDATED: 9/20/97 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- After looking over the average monthly temps and total precip amounts, it is clear that August was quite dry although temps were near normal over our entire region. Notable precip deficiencies (less than 1" total) were recorded at Hampton, Raleigh, Greensville-Spartanburg, and Columbia. The warm spot in Virginia was Arlington with a 77.6 degree average temp. (Just love the effects of runway heating!!) In North Carolina, Charlotte took that honor with a 78.9 degree average temp. Further south, Columbia noted an average monthly temp of 79.3 degrees, highest reported from South Carolina. In Virginia, the coolest spot during the month of August was Louisa. In North Carolina, Asheville was the coolest spot. In South Carolina, Ruby was the coolest reporting station. It is noted that those spots have rather high altitudes. Temperature extremes included a high of 105 degrees at Arlington (DCA) and a low, surprisingly, of 45 degrees at Newport News (NPN) during a max radiational cooling event. (Newport News is often some 3 to 10 degrees colder than Norfolk on such occasions.) Yet another BIG WELCOME to a new member from Boston, VA (BOS)!!! Thomas Hensley joins us this month. Roy Britt (RMD) writes regarding the enclosed pix of NSSL copied in last month's report: "The info with the photo of NSSL is not correct. The Severe Storms Lab was not replaced by the SPC as stated. SPC is co-located in Norman (OK) with the lab which still has its own director and scientist who research severe weather." (Editor's note: If anybody would know this, Roy would!! He's our veteran storm chaser and has spent considerable time investigating severe weather and is a veteran storm chaser having visited the Midwest on many an occasion.) I mailed the JULY 1997 monthly on September 3rd. Don't know why many of you didn't get them until the next weekend while one of you didn't receive it at all. You tell me! Anyway, think the USPS must have overdosed on UPS work and took an extra long holiday. At first I thought I might have gone overweight on the mailing and the reports were hung-up somewhere; but never had any reports of postage due. Sorry you received it so late, but you will from time to time. In addition to my personal work overload which contributed to the late arrival of your July '97 summary, additional delay was created by some of your late, late reports. Let's please get them in by the 8th of the month! Joyce Winfree (NEW) is looking for a good PC database program to maintain her daily/monthly/yearly records. I recommended two to her but wonder just how many good database programs are out there. She wrote on 9/1/97, "I have not heard from anyone else on a database for the weather. I wrote to the one you (editor) have and have not received and answer or have not received the letter back." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTES FROM "AROUND THE LEAGUE"- Arlington - From NWS WBC: Records at DCA... high of 102 on the 16th & a high of 105 on the 17th; A brief but major heat wave hit the Washington, DC area, there were some droughts and deluges, and long stretches of "great to be outdoors" summer weather. The drought occurred during the first half of the month. A squall line came through the area on the 17th producing 1.35" of rain. On the 20th and 21st, a low pressure system moved east across VA dumping 2.06" at Arlington. Areas of the Eastern Shore reported over 6" of rain from the same system! Despite the excessive heat on the weekend of the 16th, the month had more than half its days with temps in the 80s with some days only in the mid and upper 70s. Boston - Summer has been dry. Faill is coming, the air is cooler, and hopefully will bring more precipitation. (from Thomas Hensley) Bridgewater - There have been only eleven thunderstorms so far this year. At this time last year, there were thirty-three. What a contrast! Most of the thunderstorms this year have been quite weak. There hasn't been a strong thunderstorm all year. The average temperature for August was just about normal. Rainfall was about an inch below normal. In spite of some pretty dry weather this summer, the total precipitation for the year is only about an half inch below normal. Centreville - Paul wants to know (as does Bob Keehn) how his stamp status is? I'll try to find some time soon to get those balances updated. Falls Church - Lowell reports: "August was a near average month in many factors. The average mean temp was only 0.34 degrees below average. The average temp range was +0.77 degrees while the average number of days in August with highs >=90 degrees is 5.75 and we had 6. The high temp on the 17th was 98 degrees and was the highest since August 4th in 1995. This occurred on the day DCA recorded 105 degrees. Total rainfall was 2.86 inches, a departure of -0.45" with 2.03" of that amount falling on the 20th." Falls Church - "Our average high of 88 was 1 degree above the norm and our average low was 66, which is 4 degrees below the norm. We had below average rainfall by 1.42"! On August 17th we reached a record high of 105 degrees!" - notes from Erica Page Fredericksburg - Hampton - Dave's station's rainfall deficit is now 7.00"! Mild to moderate drought conditions continue even with a rainy July. Herndon - Robert Beall reported that the max wind of 21 mph on August 17 did not do justice in representing the force of the thunderstorm downdraft that broke off the top of his old oak tree! The tree had housed generations of squirrels and had been roughly pruned by lightning strikes of years past. (Editor's note: Sorry about that cherished tree Robert! I had an old, fairly tall pine in the backyard 10 years ago that was felled by a June t-storm. Surprisingly, the winds were not that great [although the lightning was severe] but the 2 foot base of the tree was twisted like a licorice twist. Wasn't home at that time but can only speculate that quickly changing wind direction may have been responsible.) Louisa - Mechanicsville - Glenn noted downpours accompanied t-storms through the area around 1500 on the 4th. T-storms occurred again at 1815 with more downpours on the 13th. Norfolk - (From NWS AKQ) Rainfall departure was -3.05" and the yearly rainfall total is some 8" below normal. The average monthly temp was 0.9 degrees below the norm. The heat of August occurred during the first half of the month with no 90+ degree temps after the 17th. If not for Tropical Storm Danny in July 1997, the summer would have become one of the driest on record. Portsmouth - Temperatures here averaged about normal for highs and lows with the monthly average temp departure of -0.6 degree. Meanwhile, we fell further behind for yearly precip (65% of normal, departure -11.46") with a monthly total of only 1.35" which was 27% of the norm or -3.63". Just got my water bill for the two-month period including August and perhaps I see why, despite the deficient rainfall during the month, my grass and garden are doing well! On the 16th, this station set a new record high temperature of 98 degrees as did Norfolk International Airport (NWS ORF) at 97 degrees. Richmond - Roy notes that the 100 degree temp on 8-17 was the first time since since July '93 that he's had a temp reach 100. August was a very dry month with no thunderstorms recorded at his site. Richmond - (from NWS AKQ) August was very close to the climatological norm (-1.0 degree). Rainfall was -2.99" Roanoke - From our only, readily available source for Roanoke weather (Wendell), comes these notes: "The temperature average was 0.3 degree below normal while rainfall at 1.55" was 2.46" below normal. A very dry month with browning lawns and fields." Stafford - Danny Jessee sent these notes: "August was 0.1 degree below normal despite highs of 99 and 100 degrees on the 16th and 17th. The drought continues, now 2.74" below normal year to date." Washington - Weems - Woodstock - Dry and cool for the month, reports Lauck. Lots of thunder, but not much rain! Asheville - The monthly average temp was 1.5 degrees below normal while precip was 3.22" below normal. Brevard - Bob Keehn noted: "August was the driest August in my series, 1.03" compared with an avg. of 7.97" for the seven Augusts with a range from 5.27" (1996) to 13.08" (1994). The month was, cooler than earlier Augusts, going back to 1990, 175 cooling degree days compared with an avg. of 273 for the past seven Augusts, range 146 CDD (1992) to 360 (1990)." Charlotte - The monthly average temp departure was +0.6 degrees while the total precip departure was -2.63 degrees. Greensboro - The average temp departure for the month was -1.0 degree and the total precip was -1.91" As you can see the month was relatively dry across the region. Two record low temps were set in August... 56 on the 1st and 53 on the 23rd...a record low was tied on the 8th with 56 degrees. No record high temps were tied or set. Henderson - "On the 20th, this place had the worst thunderstorm I have ever seen," reports George. "At 2:30 PM the sjy got dark as night. Then blinding rain with winds gusting to 73 mph downtown followed. Many trees, limbs, and roofs were damaged. Power was knocked-out for hours." Raleigh - Bob reports the lack of rainfall in August was his weather highlight. The 0.59" is the lowest rainfall for any month since at least June 1, 1993. His station relocated on June 1st, 1993. Raleigh - NWS RDU reported that the month of August 1997 was rather dry ranking it as having the 2nd lowest August rainfall total for the Raleigh area since records began in 1887. Three record low temps were recorded in August... 56 on the 1st, 52 on the 23rd, and 54 on the 24th. Two record lows were tied this month... 58 on the 2nd and 57 on the 8th. The high temp on the 17th- 99 degrees- tied a record. Roxboro - From Merriell comes these notes: "August began with refreshing fall-like temps. By mid-month, August was the typical hot and humid pattern but ended with normal temps. Heavy downpour of 2.23" on the 20th and a sultry 103 degrees on the 17th." Wilmington - NWS ILM notes that the month ended on an extremely dry note, some 4.08" below normal!! The year is running 11.24" below normal (8 months). Just a year ago (1996), rainfall was 10" in excess of the normal through August. The average temp for the month was 1.7 degrees below normal. A low of 60 degrees on the 24th tied the record low for the date. A record low of 61 degrees was recorded on the 1st. The 9th had a record low of 60 degrees. Record high low temps were set on the 14th, 15th, and 16th when temps only dropped to 78 degrees. Columbia - NWS CAE reports that the average temp for the month was 0.4 degree below normal while precip was a whopping 5.87" below normal!! Greenville-Spartanburg - NWS reports the average monthly temp was some 1/2 below normal while rainfall was -3.03" Ruby - The month was warm and dry reports Franklin. At the month's end, we were getting dry again, much so. Tri-cities - The average monthly temp departure was -2.9 degrees; the monthly precip departure was -1.64" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- UPDATED MEMBERS' E-MAIL ADDRESSES: (posted by permission) BRE Bob Keehn Bob_Keehn@citcom.net BRI Clayton Towers Ctowers@rica.net POR Bill Trotter wtrotter@whro.org RAL Bob Woodson woods@pipeline.com CEN Paul Bassett III pbassett@digizen.net WSH David Yowell deyowell@mnsinc.com FCH Erica Page erica@erols.com RMD Roy Britt rbritt@erols.com NEW Joyce Winfree joywood@shentel.net FRB Ken McKneely 10774.3710@compuserve.com STF Danny Jessee tornado@tidalwave.net -----------------------------------------------------------------------------