Annandale - Lowell reports: "December 2001: December was very
warm with a mean temperature of 43.3øF for the month a departure +5.7øF. It
was the warmest December since 1984. December was very dry with a
precipitation total of 1.55 inches a departure of -1.64. It was the driest
December since 1988. December's maximum temperature was 74øF a departure of
+8.3øF. Only 3 Decembers have had higher maximums. The average daily
temperature range was 16.5øF the highest since 1990. The record was 21.9øF
set in 1984. The average ground temperature at one foot was 49.3øF the
highest on record since records were started in 1984. The barometer fell to
29.29 on the 18th the lowest since 3-4-1999 and the lowest in December since
1997. The fall has been very dry and the last four months were well below
average. The total precipitation for 2001 is 36.18 a departure of -7.84
inches the least for a year since 1991. The minimum temperature for 2001
was 16øF the highest recorded in the last 21years. The old record is 14øF
set in 1998 and 1991. Records for the date- December 1, 2001 Record Warm
December Day. The maximum temperature today was 71øF, a new 21 year high
maximum temperature record for the date; the old record was 68øF in 1980.
December 5, 2001 Large Temperature Range Gave A Warm December Day The maximum
temperature today was 74øF, and equaled the 21 year high maximum temperature
record for the date; the old record was set in 1998. The temperature range
today was 26øF, a new 21-year maximum temperature range record for the date;
the old record was 21 øF in 2000. December 11, 2001 Record Warmth Night For
December The minimum temperature today was 42øF, a new 21 year high minimum
temperature record for the date; the old record was 40øF in 1985. December 14,
2001 Record Warmth For December The minimum temperature today was 54øF,
a new 21-year high minimum temperature record for the date; the old record
was 52øF in 1984. The maximum temperature today was 65øF, a new 21-year
high maximum temperature record for the date; the old record was 63øF in
1991. December 31, 2001 Temperature plus 2øF of the Low for 2001 The
minimum temperature today was 18.4øF. The minimum was only 2øF from the
low for 2001. The lowest temperature for 2001 was 16øF that occurred on
January 22, 2001. [ + - ]
Arlington - NWS WBC's Dewey Walston notes: ...RECORDS...
LATEST FIRST FREEZE ON RECORD OCCURRED ON DECEMBER 22ND.
THE PREVIOUS
RECORD WAS DECEMBER 14, 1980. RECORD DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 75 DEGREES SET
ON DECEMBER 5TH. PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 73 DEGREES SET IN 1998. RECORD DAILY
HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 71 DEGREES SET ON DECEMBER 1ST. PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 70
DEGREES SET IN 1927. ...SUMMARY... DECEMBER 2001 WAS ANOTHER WARM AND DRY
MONTH OVER THE AREA.
The average wind speed was 8.7 mph. [ + - ]
Ashburn - Gary writes:
Rather an interesting month, all in all. Started out much warmer than
normal, and ended up being 5.6ø F warmer than normal (as opposed to
November, which was 5.5ø F warmer than normal.) On December 3rd, we were
running a full 17.7ø above normal. Winter finally sort of made its
presence known around the 18th, as a cold front passed through and dropped
temperatures pretty significantly. No recovery to warmer temperatures such
as seen earlier in the month was made. December remained drier than
normal; while not as bad as November, December still ran a full 1.82"
below normal. The 18th was an interesting day, with several station
records broken, some dramatically. The 18th saw the barometer fall to
29.300 in. Hg, a new station low.
The high wind gust for the year was experienced at 34 mph at my far-less-
than-ideally-placed anemometer. A new high daily average wind speed of
6.2 mph was recorded along with a new high 10-minute average wind speed of
15 mph. Finally had a day where the high was below freezing on the 30th.
As diurnal temperatures dropped that day I was expecting a very cold
night, but the temperature fluctuations up and down after sunset were
quite interesting. The temperature dropped to 17.7ø F at just after
10pm, and went back up to 22ø F by midnight. It did drop to 14.8ø F
by the early morning hours of the 31st, but the dramatic plummet seen
earlier had come to a grinding halt and changed to a wobbling up and
down pattern. The 30th also recorded the station's first negative dew
point at -1ø F. Hard to imagine having spent decades at my home in
Pasadena watching the Rose Parade early on New Year's morning
when it would occasionally "plummet" into the 40's on New Year's Day,
we thought a new Ice Age was coming!" (note: it reached 12.1ø F here
on 1/1/2002 and only one rain event on parade day in Pasadena in 113 years!) [ + - ]
Blacksburg - NWS Blacksburg reports a
tied monthly max temp of 75° set in 1984. The monthly mean temp
was 5.3° above normal while rainfall was 0.8" below normal. [ + - ]
Bridgewater -
The precipitation for the month was .9 degrees below normal. The
precipitation for the last three months has amounted to only 2.99 inches.
This is the lowest for these three months in at least the last thirty-seven
years.
Snowfall for this past year was only 4.1 inches which was the lowest
according to my records of thirty-seven years. There were no major
snowstorms, and there was very little tropical activity, especially during
the later part of the year. There were twenty-two thunderstorms which is
about normal. In the last three years, the precipitation has been 19.2
inches below normal." - email notes from Clayton [ + - ]
Centreville -
"Boy, when I was told that winter would soon be here, the jolly fat man's little
helpers weren't kidding. The first three weeks of December offered
temperatures averaging in the mid 40øs with daffodils confused enough to
believe that spring was on its way. A shock of reality on the 21st set our
temperatures on the straight and narrow for the rest of the month though,
with averages slightly above 30ø; a difference of over fifteen degrees from
earlier in the month. For December, our average temperature was 42.2ø,
nearly 7ø above normal, with extremes of 76ø and 16ø. With five nights
when temperatures were in the 50øs and nearly as many in the 40øs, it's no
wonder that the average low for the month was just about 8ø above the 25.8ø
normal. As for the daffodils, they are now quietly napping in their beds.
The lack of precipitation in Western Fairfax County continues to raise its
dusty head with just 1.29" in the bucket for the month; a mere 25% of the
3.29 average, and not a trace of snow. On December 8th and 9th nearly 50%
of our monthly total accumulated and subsequently brought temperatures down
to respectable levels, even if just for a couple of days. There was another
50% or so of precipitation, which also fell during the month, but at this
rate, who's counting. Happy New Year!" - notes by Paul [ + - ]
Charlottesville - The monthly rainfall total was 1.52" below
normal. The mean temp was 5.7° above the norm. The average wind speed was
5.1 mph. [ + - ]
Dulles - The mean temp was 5.9° above normal. The monthly
rainfall was 1.66" below normal. Average wind speed = 6.3 mph. - from NWS WBC
[ + - ]
Falls Church - December 2001 was warmer and drier than normal.
On the 18th, gusty winds with a peak gust at 40 MPH knocked my power out for
about 3 hours in the early morning. Not even a trace of snow this month!!! [ + - ]
Hampton - Dave notes: "
The first rainfall of 1.00" occurred since July 29, but still could not ease
the drought. Monthly precip was 1.75" below normal with balmy conditions
until Christmas. Monthly temps averaged 6.2 degrees above normal with
record highs of 75 on 12/6 and 12/14. Somewhat more seasonal conditions
returned after Christmas with temps a little below climo. [ + - ]
Harrisonburg - Terry sends these notes:
The average temperature for December was 6.1ø above normal.
Precipitation for the month was .72" below normal even though this was the
highest monthly amount of rain since August. Year to date rain finished
11.65" below normal. [ + - ]
Herndon Bob reports: "Another dry month - but the substantial rains of
May-Aug have tided us over. The annual total at this
site was only a half inch below the new 1971-2000
annual normal of Wash.-Dulles, about 5 miles away." [ + - ]
Herndon - December rainfall was 1.2 inches below normal.
Temperatures averaged 2.4ø above normal. A record high
temperature of 69.2 occurred on the 1st and a record
high of 76.6 occurred on the 5th. Still waiting for our
first inch of snow. We have seen no trace of snow this
season. - notes from Russ [ + - ]
Lexington - Computer problems here... no notes for December -
- email from Scott
Louisa - Again, John Bullock is unable to get to his instruments
anymore, so he will not be reporting weather for us in the future. We wish
him well and thank him for all the years he's given much effort.
Lynchburg - Rainfall for the month was 0.07" below normal while
the mean temp was 3.6° above normal. - from NWS Blacksburg [ + - ]
New Market - Joyce notes: "What a month! This month we are
4° above average temperature and 1.50" below average in precipitation and
-4.5" in snow. The first part of December was much warmer than usual and
the last week we have been in the icebox." [ + - ]
Newport News - Gary writes: "I know it sounds like a broken record,
but it continues to be above normal in temperatures and below normal in
precipitation. For the year, the mean temp was 59.7° while rainfall was 32.42 inches." [ + - ]
Norfolk - NWS AKQ reported the mean temp at ORF was 5.9° above normal.
Rainfall was 1.40" below normal. Rainfall for the year was 12.38" below normal.
The average wind speed was 9.1 mph. [ + - ]
Portsmouth - The monthly mean temp here was 5.4° above normal and
rainfall was 0.98" below normal (66%). Rainfall for the year was
a whopping 15.42" below normal (67%). The month began with mild temps with
the first significant cool-down coming just before Christmas and continuing
until the New Year. The month was the 4th Warmest December
in the database behind 1984, 1990, and 1998. A daily rainfall record
was set on the 11th with 1.36". Max min temps were set on the 11th (53°),
13th (54°), and on the 14th(63°). A new station daily max temp was set on
the 14th with 72° (previously 71° in 1991). The average wind speed was
3.7 mph from a dominant northerly direction.
[ + - ]
Richmond - NWS AKQ reported the mean temp at RIC was 5.9° above normal.
Rainfall was 1.59" below normal. Rainfall for the year was 12.42" below normal.
The average wind speed was 7.3 mph. [ + - ]
Mechanicsville - "We received more precip in December than in the
past two months. This provided some drought relief over the area." - notes from Glenn
Roanoke - Wendell reports: December was warm and snowless. Temps
were 4.9° above normal while rainfall was 0.41" below normal. For the year,
rainfall was 11.20" below normal. [ + - ]
Roanoke - NWS Blacksburg reports that the monthly mean temp was
5.0° above normal. Rainfall was 0.38" below normal. [ + - ]
Weems - Francis is recovering from a severe head cold. The "sage"
among our members (70+ years in weather!!) he adds that he'd love to chat and
have a real visit from anyone who comes to Kilmarnock, VA! His phone number
is 1-804-438-6604. [ + - ]
Woodstock - "This was the warmest December in 17 years. An
astonishing 80° on the sixth. Precipitation was below average after a very
dry fall. I keep records of the first date in the fall that the
temperature drops below 30. Until this year I had not recorded a date later than
November 30. This year it was December 22!" - notes from Lauck
North Carolina:
Asheville -from NWS GSP: The monthly mean temp was 5.3° above
normal and the rainfall was 1.18" below normal. The average wind speed was
7.0 mph and the average relative humidity was 67%. [ + - ]
Brevard - Bob Keehn sends us this special message:
"Here it is, the last report from BREVARD (BRE). I have enjoyed my
association with you, Kevin Shaw [ACON DC/MD/DE], and both Evelyn and
I with the now defunct weather observers organizations. I appreciate your
keeping me on your mailing list. I intend to give up my recording of the
weather here in Brevard as of 1 January 2002. It is getting increasingly
difficult to walk to the various instruments used in recording. Switching
from late evening to late afternoon to make my recordings helped some, but
the benefits are wearing thin. If it isn't too much trouble, I would like
to continue receiving your reports.
December: Measurements of precipitation were recorded daily. All other readings were
recorded on all but four days, the 14th, 17th, 22nd, and 27th. December was
a mild, dry month (what did you expect) with high and low temperatures of
55.2 and 31.6° F compared with ten-year averages of 53.2 and 30.1°. About 7
percent less heating was required. Rain, 2.31" recorded, was slightly more
than half the December ten-year average of 4.24" and the year total, 44.59",
was only two thirds of the ten-year average annual rainfall of 66.92".
Elizabeth City - The Elizabeth City Coast Guard Station [ECG]
reported an average wind speed of 8.9 mph. The mean temp was 4.7° above
normal while rainfall was 1.98" below normal. - from NWS AKQ [ + - ]
Greensboro - NWS RAH notes a mean temp some 5.6° above normal.
Rainfall was 1.15" below normal. The average wind speed was 6.9 mph.
The mean relative humidity was 67%. A record high of 74° was set on the 5th
A record high minimum temp of 60° was set on the 14th. For the year, the mean temp of
59.0° was 1.2° below normal. Precip was 12.79" below normal. Snowfall for
the year was 7.7" below the normal 10.2". 2001 was the
3RD DRIEST since records began in 1928. There were 7 days on which
a record high was set or tied while there were 2 days on which a record low
was set or tied. [ + - ]
Lumberton - The average wind speed was 5.4 mph. - from NWS ILM
Raleigh - NWS RDU reported the following records: a record
high of 76° was tied on the 5th and a record high of 73° was tied on the 14th.
A record high min temp of 60° was set on the 14th. A record high of 70°
was set on the 17th. The mean temp was 5° above normal while rainfall was
1.23" below normal. The average wind speed was 3.5 mph. For the year,
the mean temp was 60.9° which was 1.6° above normal. Rainfall was 6.65"
below the normal for a year. 2001 was the 8th Driest Year
since 1887. There were 15 days on which a record high temp was
set or tied while there were 5 days on which a record low temp was set or tied.
[ + - ]
Raleigh - Bob notes: "December was very similar to November
weather with mild temperatures and below normal precipitation. The average
daily temperature was 47.6° which is 5.0° above normal. This is record for
December since moving to this location in 1993. Dry conditions continued
with the rainfall deficit now of 5.98" since September." [ + - ]
Roxboro - Merriell reports: December was much warmer and drier
than normal. Temperatures averaged 6.5° above normal. Rainfall was about
2/3rds the normal. [ + - ]
Wilmington - From NWS ILM: Above normal temperatures and
below normal precipitation in the Port City...(same header as last month!)
The average temperature for the month 5.4° above normal for the month.
Total rainfall was 2.32" below normal.
This has brought the yearly rainfall deficit to 16.28". The last month
Wilmington received above normal amounts of rainfall for a monthly period
was March 2001. A normal amount of sunshine was received with 59% of
possible sunshine. The average wind speed for December was 6.7 mph. [ + - ]
South Carolina:
Columbia - NWS CAE reports that the mean temp here was 4.7° above
normal. Rainfall was 2.41" below normal. Yearly rainfall was a whopping
21.93" below normal. The average relative humidity was 69%. [ + - ]
Florence - The mean temp here for December was 5.1° above normal
while rainfall totals were 2.72" below normal. The average wind speed was 6.6
mph. - from NWS ILM [ + - ]
Greenville-Spartanburg - The monthly mean temperature was 4.9°
above normal while rainfall was 1.91" below normal. The average wind speed
was 5.5 mph and the average relative humidity was 66%. - from NWS GSP [ + - ]
Charleston - NWS CHS reports the monthly mean temp was 5.9° above
normal. Rainfall was 1.43" below normal. The average wind speed was 6.9 mph.
[ + - ]
North Myrtle Beach - The mean temp was 6.7° above normal while
rainfall was 1.00" below normal. The average wind speed was 6.1 mph. A record
high temp was set on the 13th with 74°, beating the old record of 73° set in 1949.
On the 17th, the old record of 67° set in 1992 was surpassed when the temp
rose to 71°. A record high temp of 69° on the 18th surpassed the 67° set
on the same date in 1990. - from NWS ILM
Orangeburg - NWS CAE reports the average relative humidity here
was 64%.
Nearby Cities:
Tri-cities - The mean temp was 4.6° above normal while the
monthly precip was 0.03" above normal. The yearly rainfall-to-date is 1.04"
in excess of the norm. - from NWS MRX
[ + + ]
