MONTHLY SUMMARY: AUGUST 1999 UPDATED: 9/26/99 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ...Hot Temperatures Push Averages to High Levels... ...Southern Sections Remained Hot and Dry... ...Charleston Records All-time Record High of 105... ...Wilmington Has 2nd-warmest High Temperature Ever Recorded & Warmest August on Record... TESTING THE TRUTH OF TEMPERATURES Thanks to Bob Woodson for sending this article!! An interesting read on comparisons between temps recorded at NWS RDU and surrounding areas giving speculation as to why the airport is warmer- VIRGINIA RECORDS UPDATE Member Lowell Koontz (Annandale) has updated the Virginia State Records from the Office of the State Climatologist first published last month. His meticulous checking of the records found two errors in dates. THE SPOTTER'S PAGE Are you a "registered spotter" for the National Weather Service? If so, then did you know there is a publication called "The Spotter's Page"? NWS AKQ produces this publication and occasionally mails them out. In addition, the publication is offered online at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/er/akq Articles in the most recent issue deal with AWIPS, drought, good vs. bad severe weather reports from spotters, and NWS Radio 2000. ROANOKE/BLACKSBURG/LYNCHBURG AREA SUMMARIES It's been very difficult to find monthly summaries from these sites in the past. Apparently, like CHS, BCB does not produce OFFICIAL reports for archival purposes by NWS or they are simply not posted on the weather wire circuits. However, some monthly climate summary comes out of BCB's office since it can be found at http://www.wdbj7.com/climate/climate.htm (WDBJ TV) and is archived. Can anyone offer some explanation here? MEMBERS' REAL-TIME WEATHER Lowell is producing a weather web home page with real-time weather! Visit his site in Annandale, generally updated every hour! http://www.erols.com/llkoontz/weather.htm Also, real-time weather (update every 10-15 minutes) is available for Portsmouth (southeast section) at: http://www.pilot.infi.net/~bsmoot/graphic.htm NOTES FROM "AROUND THE LEAGUE"- Annandale - August was very warm and dry during the first two-thirds and wet in the last third. The mean temp was 1.65 deg. above normal. The 95 deg. on the 17th was the 4rd highest temp recorded in August in the last 11 years. 10 days of 90+ weather was the 3rd highest tally in the last 14 years. 18 is the record set in 1988. The highest minimum temp was 77 on the 1st which tied the old 20-year record set in 1987. The total precip was 4.87" which was 1.63" above the 14 year average and the 0.93" rain that fell in one hour on the 20th was the most rain in August in one hour since that statistic was first kept in 1990. The 30 MPH wind gust in a thunderstorm on the 14th was the highest wind recorded in August since 1987. -notes from Lowell Koontz Arlington - NWS WBC notes: "AUGUST CONTINUED JULY'S HOT STREAK THROUGH MUCH OF THE MONTH BEFORE AN ATYPICAL SUMMER CUTOFF LOW FINALLY BROKE THROUGH THE HOT...DRY PATTERN. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH ENDED UP ABOUT A DEGREE ABOVE NORMAL...WHICH TIES FOR THE THIRD WARMEST AUGUST OF THE 1990S. DAYTIME TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE 90S FOR MOST OF THE FIRST TWO-THIRDS OF THE MONTH. HOWEVER...FROM THE 19TH TO THE END OF THE MONTH...EVERY DAY BUT ONE WAS IN THE 70S AND 80S. THIS WAS THE RESULT OF A LARGE SLOW MOVING LOW PRESSURE AREA FOLLOWED BY THE CLOUDS AND NORTHEAST WINDS FROM HURRICANE DENNIS. SIGNIFICANT RAIN FELL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN QUITE A WHILE OVER WASHINGTON THIS MONTH. A LARGE SWIRL OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE MIDWEST SLOWLY DRIFTED EAST FROM THE 23RD TO THE 27TH ALLOWING SOUTHEAST WINDS TO DRAG OCEANIC MOISTURE OVER THE REGION. MAINLY AFTERNOON AND NIGHTTIME THUNDERSTORMS DURING THIS STRETCH MANAGED TO DROP OVER FOUR INCHES OF RAIN /4.38"/ ON NATIONAL AIRPORT. THE 25TH AND 26TH IN PARTICULAR HAD A TWO DAY TOTAL OF NEARLY THREE AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN /3.40"/...WHICH WAS MORE THAN JUNE AND JULY COMBINED. HURRICANE DENNIS APPROACHED THE AREA DURING THE FINAL DAYS OF THE MONTH...BUT RAIN STAYED WELL TO THE SOUTHEAST OF WASHINGTON. OUR ONLY EFFECTS WERE CLOUD COVER AND NORTHEAST BREEZES WHICH HELD THE DAYTIME TEMPERATURES IN THE RELATIVELY COOL LOWER 70S." For the month, the average temp was 1.1 deg. above normal while precip was 1.11" above normal. On the 1st the temp reached 98 tying the previous record for the date set in 1980. Blacksburg - From NWS BCB: AUGUST WAS FAIRLY CLOSE TO A NORMAL MONTH...AT LEAST AS FAR AS TEMPERATURES ARE CONCERNED. MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE ONLY SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. ONLY ONE NEW RECORD HIGH WAS SET DURING THE MONTH...AND THE NUMBER OF DAYS THE HIGH WAS 90 DEGREES OR ABOVE ALSO WAS AROUND NORMAL. PRECIPITATION...HOWEVER...WAS AGAIN BELOW NORMAL...SO AREAS AFFECTED BY THE DROUGHT WERE HELPED NOT AT ALL BY AUGUST RAINFALL. RAINFALL WAS NOT TOO FAR BELOW NORMAL. BLACKSBURG RECEIVED 87 PERCENT OF ITS NORMAL AUGUST RAINFALL...MUCH CLOSER TO NORMAL THAN ROANOKE OR LYNCHBURG. THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE WAS ALSO ONLY 0.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE IN BLACKSBURG EQUALLED OR EXCEEDED 90 ONLY ONCE...ALTHOUGH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 80S WERE NOT UNCOMMON. RECORD SET IN AUGUST: HIGH OF 91 ON THE 13TH. OLD RECORD 90...SET IN 1995. Bridgewater - Clayton writes: "The precipitation for the year so far is 5.4 inches below normal. Since July 1 of last year, the precipitation is around 16 inches below normal. All the months in the last 14 have had precipitaion below normal with the exception of 1. With the spotty showers that we have had, the grass has turned green once again. We have had 36 days in the last two months with temperatures of 90 degrees or above. This is a record for me. My records go back 39 years." Centreville - Paul notes that nearly 1/4 of annual rain occured in August with over 10% of yearly total happening in 1 day!! The average low of 66.5 was nearly 4 deg. above the average while the average daily temp was 2.5 degrees above the average, a difference of .3 deg. While July was hot by 5 deg. over the average, the swing between the avg. daily high and the avg. low was only 0.3 deg. March had the greatest difference of 1.9 degs. This trend of warmer average lows compared to the average daily temps has been observed for at least the past ten years. Falls Church - Erica notes: "August 1999 had 2" above average rainfall which was a welcome relief from the drought. The temperatures were average for the month. The number of t-storm days was 3 above the average of 5." Fredericksburg - 2.84" of rain for the month but much more is needed. Nevertheless, the total helped. As the month ended, Hurricane Dennis was off the coast of NC. At that point, the only effect here were clouds generated by the system. -notes from Ken Hampton - August, reports Dave, was slightly cooler and drier in Hampton. Monthly temps averaged 2 deg. above normal while precip was 1/2" below normal. Scattered thunderstorms provided some rainfall, but local amounts varied considerably. Hurricane Dennis (30th) contributed to higher than normal tides and gale force gusts, even into the first days of September. Records for August at Hampton: High minimum 79 13th Low maximum 75 30th Low maximum 71 31st Wind gust 59 30th Wind gust 46 31st Herndon - Bob Beall notes that 3 potentially dry months lie ahead. Don't ask for a hurricane unless you are ready for one. Herndon - Russ notes: "We finally began receiving some drought relief. Rainfall on the 25th and 26th caused minor flooding but was welcome." Lynchburg - NWS BCB reports: AUGUST WAS PRETTY CLOSE TO NORMAL FOR TEMPERATURES. ..BUT BELOW FOR PRECIPITATION. THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE WAS SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. HIGH TEMPERATURES OF 90 OR MORE OCCURRED NINE TIMES...THE NORMAL IS SEVEN. TOTAL MONTHLY PRECIPITATION WAS 1.08 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. New Market - Joyce notes: "14 days with 90 or more temperature and 2 of those days were 100. Normal temperatures for month and rainfall +0.1" for the month. Grass and fields much greener." Norfolk - NWS AKQ reported Norfolk Airport's average monthly temperature was 2.3 degree above normal. Precip was 0.34" above normal. The average wind speed was 8.1 MPH. Year-to-date rainfall was 0.64" below normal. Portsmouth - The excessive rainfall amounts in Portsmouth continued into August. Several new daily precip records were set and the month ended up with 161% of the normal precip, some 3.14" as a matter of fact! The 8.31" for the month pushed the yearly rainfall to an excess of 6.44" by month's end. As you can see, no drought here. In fact, some loss of plant life due to abundant moisture and warm, humid temps. Thunderstorms were responsible for the bulk of rainfall with another frog-strangler on the 14th when slow moving cells inundated the area with more localized flash flooding. At month's end, the area had a brush with Tropical Storm Dennis with gusty northeast winds in the 40-50 MPH range (greatest at the beaches) and rainfall totalling about an inch. (This was our first brush with Dennis. It would stall offshore then return southwest to NC to produce round 2 in September!!) I posted a summary of Dennis' impact locally at http://www.pilot.infi.net/~bsmoot/articles.htm The month was warmer than normal or +1.5 degrees and the average wind speed was 3.7 MPH from the north-northeast. The records PC program calmed down a bit this month although 9 MORE NEW STATION records were set or tied, down 10 from July. They are as follows: Date Value Established 1 28 MPH new daily max wind gust 8 78 new max minimum temp 13 80 new max minimum temp 14 3.56" new daily max precip 18 78 tie of max minimum temp 25 74 new max minimum temp 25 1.85" new daily max precip 30 37 MPH new daily max wind gust 31 72 new min maximum temp Richmond - The mean temp was 1.1 degrees above normal while precip was 2.40" below normal. The average wind speed was 7.5 MPH. Year-to-date rainfall was 3.24" below normal. - from NWS Wakefield (AKQ) Richmond - Roy Britt writes: "Strong thunderstom on the 26th about 5 PM had pea- size hail. Large tree limbs broken off tree across the street from my house. More trees were blown down about 2 miles northeast of the house. All damage appeared to be caused by microburst winds." Mechanicsville - "Strong T-storms moved through the area on the 1st, 15th, and 20th with downpours and sharp lightning." - notes from Glenn Roanoke - Notes from Wendell: "August was hot but due to some cooler days and nights in the 2nd half, the average temp was only 0.7 deg. above normal. Rainfall was .29" below normal. Despite this, streams are still very low and wells are running dry in rural areas, This observer will be gald to see the cooler and hopefully wetter months of fall and winter." Roanoke - NWS BCB reports: TEMPERATURES WERE NOT FAR ABOVE NORMAL...BUT PRECIPITATION WAS AGAIN WELL BELOW NORMAL. THE HIGH REACHED 90 OR ABOVE 8 TIMES...WHICH IS ABOUT NORMAL...AND NO RECORD HIGHS WERE SET IN AUGUST. RAINFALL MEASURED AT THE ROANOKE AIRPORT WAS ONLY 63 PERCENT OF THE NORMAL MONTHLY AMOUNT. THIS DID NOT...HOWEVER...MAKE THE TOP TEN LIST OF DRIEST YEARS. MONTHLY PRECIP WAS 1.52 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. Weems - Please take a look at Francis' WeatherView for September!! He really "timed" tropical activity well!! Woodstock - Lauck reports that August precip was above normal, the first time since January. Almost all fell in the last half of the month. Fields are green but the creeks are dry. Temps were a little above average. Asheville - The average monthly temperature was 2.1 degrees above normal and the precip total was 1.32" below normal. Monthly average wind speed was 4.9 mph. Brevard - Bob's notes: "While August 1999 was another warm month, month average temperature = 74.5 degrees F, compared with 73.4 and 73.7 deg. F for five and ten year averages, more remarkable was the continued shortage of rain. We have had 3.72 inches of rain compared with five and ten year August averages of 6.08 and 7.20 inches respectively. More remarkable, however, is the continued shortage of rain for the year. The year's accumulation to date, 32.58 inches, compares with a ten year average of 47.49 inches, or 14.91 inches below "expected." While rainfall during August shows considerable variation, the last three Augusts are the three lowest in the ten years that I have recorded. " Charlotte - NWS GSP reported the monthly average temp was 1.1 above below normal while total precip was 2.31" below normal. The average wind speed was 5.6 MPH. Raleigh - Bob reports that August saw unusually high temps continuing with 3 days of 100+ deg and a total of 5 100+ deg. days for the summer. The NWS at RDU has recorded 12 days of 100+ temps (see article). As expected, temps for August were 2 deg. above the mean while rainfall was near normal. Hurricane Dennis had little affect except for some scattered power outages. Roxboro - Merriell noted: "Dog days of summer resulted in min/max temp averages above normal. The area experienced drought conditions the first half of the month, although the monthly total rainfall was about 1/4" above normal." Wilmington - Excerpts from NWS ILM's summary: ...A RECORD WARM AUGUST IN THE PORT CITY... BUOYED BY THE 2ND WARMEST DAY EVER IN WILMINGTON... AUGUST 1999 WILL GO DOWN IN THE RECORD BOOKS AS THE WARMEST AUGUST EVER (RECORDS DATE TO 1871). THE MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 82.6 DEGREES WAS 2.9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE AVERAGE HIGH AND LOW TEMPS WERE 91.1 AND 74.1 DEGREES RESPECTIVELY. HIGH TEMPS REACHED 90 DEGREES OR ABOVE ON 19 DAYS. THE HIGH OF 103 DEGREES ON THE 1ST NOT ONLY BROKE THE RECORD FOR THE DATE AND THE MONTH... IT WAS ALSO ONE DEGREE BEHIND THE WARMEST TEMP EVER (SET ON JUNE 27TH 1952). THE LOW OF 83 DEGREES ON THE 1ST WAS ALSO THE WARMEST LOW TEMP EVER RECORDED IN THE PORT CITY (THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 81 DEGREES WAS SET MOST RECENTLY ON THE 29TH OF JULY AND MOST RECENTLY OCCURRING IN AUGUST ON 8/30/1998). OTHER RECORD WARM LOWS WERE SET ON THE 13TH (79/1900) AND 18TH (78/1955). RECORD HIGHS WERE TIED ON THE 8TH (98/1879) AND 11TH (97/1980). OTHER RECORD WARM LOWS WERE TIED ON THE 2ND (78/1883)... 26TH (78/1903) AND 27TH (78/1882). THE LOW FOR THE MONTH WAS 64 DEGREES ON THE 31ST...THANKS TO COOL AIR WRAPPING AROUND HURRICANE DENNIS. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE PERIOD OF JUNE THROUGH AUGUST (THE CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMER) WAS 81.1 DEGREES. THIS MARKED THE 2ND WARMEST SUMMER ON RECORD (WARMEST 81.4/1872). THE WARMTH WAS HELPED ALONG BY A STREAK OF 17 STRAIGHT DAYS WITH HIGHS OF 90 DEGREES OR WARMER (JULY 18TH-AUGUST 3RD) WHICH TIED FOR THE 4TH LONGEST SUCH STREAK. IT WAS ALSO A RAINY MONTH IN WILMINGTON... BUT OVER HALF THE RAIN FELL IN ONE DAY. THE AUGUST TOTAL WAS 8.35 INCHES... 1.41 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. BUT 4.73 INCHES OF THE RAIN FELL BETWEEN THE 29TH AND 30TH AS DENNIS IMPACTED THE AREA. THE 4.27 INCHES WHICH FELL ON THE 30TH ALSO BROKE A RECORD FOR THE DATE (3.82/1935). THE PORT CITY RECEIVED 67 PERCENT OF POSSIBLE SUNSHINE IN AUGUST (NORMAL IS 62 PERCENT). THE AUGUST AVERAGE WIND SPEED WAS 7.5 MPH. DENNIS BROUGHT ALL THE WIND AWARDS TO THE 30TH. IT WAS THE BREEZIEST DAY (A DAY-LONG AVERAGE OF 23.9 MPH) AND HAD THE HIGHEST 2-MINUTE WIND (48 MPH FROM THE NORTHEAST) AS WELL AS THE PEAK GUST (61 MPH FROM THE NORTHEAST). THE AVERAGE WINDS FOR THE 29TH AND 31ST WERE 12.9 MPH AND 11.3 MPH RESPECTIVELY. Columbia - The average temperature for the month was 3.7 degrees above normal while rainfall was 4.78" below normal. A record high temperature was set on the 1st and tied on the 11th. - from NWS CAE Charleston - Eleanor notes that temps were 2.5 deg. above normal while precip was a whopping 3.54" below the norm! The average wind speed was 7.8 MPH. Year-to-date precip is running 13.10 below normal. Eleanor notes these local records for August: Charleston Airport-- -1st: Record High 105 previous 99 1980; also all time record for airport previous 104 July 19 & 20, 1986 and August Record High previous 102 August 14, 1995) -1st: Record High Min 81 previous 80 1933 -8th: Record High (tie) 99 previous 99 1968 -13th: Record High Min (tie) 79 previous 79 1935 -31st Record Low (tie) 61 previous 61 1936 Charleston downtown-- -1st: Record High 103 previous 98 1970 also August Record High previous 102 August 5, 1954 and all time record tie previous 103 July 22, 1977 -1st Record High Min 86 previous 81 1958 also August Record High Min previous 85 August 29, 1998 -2nd Record High Min 84 previous 82 1993 -7th Record High Min 82 previous 81 1991 -10th Record High Min (tie) 80 previous 80 1987 -12th Record High Min 83 previous 80 1956 -13th Record High Min 83 previous 81 1963 -17th Record High Min 81 previous 80 1957 -31st Record Low (tie) 66 previous 66 1968 Beaufort-- -1st Record High 104 previous 99 1941 also August Record High previous 102 August 4 & 5, 1954 and all time record tie previous 104 August 15 & 22, 1932 -1st Record High Min 83 previous 80 1986 -8th Record High 99 previous 98 1972 -12th Record High 101 previous 99 1938 Savannah, GA-- -1st Record High 102 previous 101 1986 -12th Record High 100 previous 99 1954 -31st Record Low (tie) 61 previous 61 1986 In other words, it was a WARM month!! Persistent high pressure kept hot and humid air across the region through late August. Hurricane Dennis approached early on the 29th, but remained well south and east of coastal South Carolina. Only 3/4" of rain was recorded during Dennis' approach late on the 28th and the 29th. Highest wind gust was 38 mph from the north. Once Dennis moved to the Outer Banks, cool high pressure built across the region, allowing for temperatures to dip to record low levels early on the 31st. Another note--region still remains very dry. Charleston International Airport has a 13 inch rain deficit since the first of the year. Savannah is actually carrying a slight surplus of rainfall, but this is deceiving due to an extremely heavy rainstorm and flooding event in late June. Most of the region remains in moderate drought. Greenville-Spartanburg - NWS GSP noted the average monthly temp was 4.4 degree above normal while rainfall was 3.16" below normal. The average wind speed was 5.9 MPH. Ruby - Franklin writes: "This month was very hot but rainfall was almost normal. However, in some areas crops are burned-up." Tri-cities - NWS Knoxville/Tri-cities, TN reports that the Tri-cities/Bristol area recorded monthly average temps 0.7 degree above normal with precipitation some 1.16" below normal. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- UPDATED MEMBERS' E-MAIL ADDRESSES: BRE Bob Keehn Bob_Keehn@citcom.net BRI Clayton Towers Ctowers@rica.net POR Bill Trotter pwrs@pilot.infi.net RAL Bob Woodson woods@pipeline.com CEN Paul Bassett III pbassett@digizen.net WSH David Yowell runamok@runamok.com FCH Erica Page ERICA96661@aol.com RMD Roy Britt rbritt@erols.com NEW Joyce Winfree joywood@shentel.net FRB Ken McKneely mckneelys@email.msn.com STF Danny Jessee doppler2k3@hotmail.com danny@tidalwave.net (while at UVA) WOO Lauck Walton jwalton@shentel.net NPN Gary Leonard garleonard@aol.com LKU Joe Bowers jmbiii@mnsinc.com CHS Eleanor Vallier-Talbot Eleanor.Vallier-Talbot@noaa.gov evaltal@wpmedia.com HAM Dave Kessell tccdkessel@yahoo.com VNA Robert Boott boottr@vrinet.com CHW Dave Lesher wxdave@boo.net -----------------------------------------------------------------------------