The Atlantic Coast Observer Network - Virginia/North Carolina/South Carolina
http://members.cox.net/wxr/acon.htm

SUMMARY OF CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA 


DECEMBER 2009


...BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND EXCESS PRECIPITATION...
...LARGE SNOWSTORM HITS MUCH OF THREE-STATE REGION IN LATE MONTH...
A lot of rainfall fell across the region in early December as yet another coastal low deepened as it moved north bringing heavy rains. This storm was not as strong as the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida of November 2009, but still brought rains, coastal flooding, and high winds. In any average month, this second nor'easter would have captured the monthly headlines. But a different storm later in the month would turn-out to be the top weather event.

For our snowlovers, December 2009 brought an abundance of the white stuff for much of the region. Take a look at the snowfall totals below for a month mostly known for some snow in the western and northern reaches before Christmas. Quite impressive! The December 18-19th Winter Storm impacted the northern half of the area with anywhere from a few tenths inch of snow to our "snow shovel" winner's amount- Randy Ashby in Herndon - of a whopping 23.7" on the 19th. And many enjoyed a white Christmas as temps cooled off significantly after this snow, preserving the surface snow for the holidays. Temperatures remained extremely cold well into the first half of January 2010. Many of you have high heating bill costs as testimony to the very cold conditions which followed this record setting snowstorm and served as a marked contrast to the above normal temps of early December 2009.

  • OPERATIONAL SIGNIFICANT EVENT IMAGERY Here's an excellent source from NOAA for current event imagery. The imagery is high quality. Take a look http://www.osei.noaa.gov/Events/Current/.

  • NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL HAZARDS (NWR) (from the CoCoRaHS website)   NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest National Weather Service office. NWR broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Working with the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) Emergency Alert System , NWR is an "All Hazards" radio network, making it your single source for comprehensive weather and emergency information. In conjunction with Federal, State, and Local Emergency Managers and other public officials, NWR also broadcasts warning and post-event information for all types of hazards including natural (such as earthquakes or avalanches), environmental (such as chemical releases or oil spills), and public safety (such as AMBER alerts or 911 Telephone outages). Known as the "Voice of NOAA's National Weather Service," NWR is provided as a public service by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the Department of Commerce. NWR includes more than 985 transmitters , covering all 50 states, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Pacific Territories. NWR requires a special radio receiver or scanner capable of picking up the signal. Click on the following link to find out more about where to listen: NOAA Weather Radio - http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwrbro.htm

  • NEW SLIDESHOWS ON ICE ACRETION AND WEIGHING SNOW (from the CoCoRaHS website)   CoCoRaHS has added two new training slide shows to their "Training Slide Shows" page (http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=training_slideshows). They are "Ice Accretion" and "Weighing Snow". In addition, they have updated their other slide shows and now all are now viewable in HTML, so you can watch them right on your screen (pdf is available for those who like to download them). Please take a few minutes and click on this link the link above to view this important information. to NOAA Weather Radio in your area: NOAA Weather Radio -

  • NOAA's NATIONAL OPERATIONAL HYDROLOGIC REMOTE SENSING CENTER (NOHRSC) (from the CoCoRaHS website)   NOHRSC provides comprehensive snow observations, analyses, data sets and map products for the nation with info including National Snow Observation Database, Airborne Snow Surveys, Satellite Snow Cover Mapping, Snow Modeling and Data Assimilation, Analyses, Maps, and Interactive Visualization Tools, Integrated Snow Datasets for Geospatial Applications and Applied Snow Research, among others. Its products and services support a wide variety of government and private-sector applications in water resource management, disaster emergency preparedness, weather and flood forecasting, agriculture, transportation and commerce. For more information visit NOHRSC's web site at: http://www.nohrsc.nws.gov/.

  • DROUGHT MONITOR    http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html    More information on drought can be found at NOAA's Drought Information Center http://www.drought.noaa.gov/

  • 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 Member Station Extremes - DECEMBER 2009
    State
    Maximum Temperature
    Minimum
    Temperature
    Warmest
    Average
    Temperature
    Coldest
    Average
    Temperature
    Maximum
    Precipitation
    Minimum
    Precipitation
    Virginia
    73°
    Norfolk (ORF,FHC)
    2°
    New Market
    44.0°
    Norfolk (FHC)
    31.18°
    New Market
    9.23"
    Portsmouth
    4.05"
    New Market
    North Carolina
    75°
    Lumberton
    17°
    Asheville
    50.2°
    Beaufort
    36.6°
    Asheville
    9.16"
    Asheville
    3.98"
    Lumberton
    South Carolina
    76°
    Florence
    23°
    Greenville-Spartanburg
    50.9°
    Charleston
    40.2°
    Greenville-Spartanburg
    10.06"
    Charleston
    5.04"
    Florence


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

    TEMPERATURE / WINDS/ ELEMENTS

    VIRGINIA
    [Reminder: All NWS DATA HEREIN IS NOT OFFICIAL]
    
     STN  A      B    C     C1     D    E  F    G    H  I  J K K1  L  M      N   N1   N2   O P Q R R1 S   CWA
     ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     BCB 41.3  23.9  32.6   -1.5  59    9  11   12   0  5 30 0 80% 40 260°   9   5.4       0 0 0 3  5 2400 AKQ
     BLK 40.1  24.6  32.4   -1.7  58    9  12   12   0  6 29 0                                        2400 RNK
     BRI 40.71 25.45 33.08  -2.92 56   15   7   20   0  3 25 0 68%                         0 0 0 0  0 0510/1600 LWX
     CEN 41.9  27.8  34.9   -0.8  61    3  18   30   0  2 24 0 65% 44 075°  29   7.1  320° 0 0 1 3  4 2400 LWX
     CHT 42.4  37.5  34.9   -1.8  63.3  3  15.6 24   0  2 23 0 76% 23 203°   2   0.5  360° 0 0 2 3  3 2400 LWX
     CHO 44.4  27.5  36.0         63    3  15   21   0  2 23 0     28 200°   9   3.9       0 0 0 0  8 2400 LWX
     DAN 47.7  28.9  38.3   -1.8  64  2,3  18   12   0  0 25 0 68% 81 090°  28   5.5       1 0 0 3  5 2400 RNK
     DCA 44.3  31.5  37.9   -1.6  65    3  23   30   0  1 18 0 62% 45 310°  27   8.5       0 0 3 1  5 2400 LWX
     IAD 42.9  37.5  35.2   -0.8  62    3  13   24   0  2 24 0 65% 48 290°  29   7.1       0 1 3 1  9 2400 LWX
     FCH 41.9  28.9  35.4         63    3  15  2,4   0  0    0     42       29             1 0 0 3  4 2400 LWX
     GAV 46.84 28.35 37.60        67    3  16   21   0  1 23 0 71% 29 158°   2             0 0 1 2  3 2400 AKQ
     HDV 42.2  26.3  34.2   -3.8  62    3  12   24   0  3 25 0 70%                         2 0 1 2  3 2400 LWX
     LDY 43.3  29.7  36.3   -3.7  63    3  17   21   0  1 22 0 64%                         0 0 1 2  2 2400 AKQ
     LYH 44.1  25.6  34.8   -3.4  61   15  14   20   0  1 27 0 66% 35 040°  19   4.7       0 0 0 3  7 2400 RNK
     NEW 40.67 21.70 31.18  -5    56  3,15  2   24   0  5 32 0 81% 35 270°  10  15.74 180° 0 0 3 2  4 1700 LWX
     NPN 49.8  33.0  41.4   -1.8  71.0  9  23.2 12   0  0 16 0     38 180°   3   4.2  300° 0 0 1 1  0 2400 AKQ
     NOR 50.5  35.0  42.7   +0.9  73    9  24   12   0  0 14 0                             0 0 1 0  1 2400 AKQ
     ORF 50.9  36.8  43.9   -0.3  73    9  25   12   0  0 12 0 67% 45 230°   9   8.4       1 0 0 0  3 2400 AKQ
     FHC 50.53 37.47 44.0   +2.2  72.0  9  27.8 30   0  0  9 0 74% 40 023°   2   3.1  360° 1 0 0 0    2400 AKQ
     POR 49.8  35.4  42.6   -1.8  71    9  25   12   0  0 14 0 80% 38 090°  19   5.5  010° 1 0 0 0  1 2400 AKQ
     CTR 47.4  28.6  38.0   -2.7  65.6  3  17.0 21   0  0 24 0 76% 19 113°   2   0.5  030° 1 0 0 1  1 2400 AKQ
                                                                      225°   3
                                                                      045°  19
     MEC 49.9  29.0  37.7         65    3  15   21   0  0 23 0                             0 0 0 1  1 1700 AKQ
     RIC 47.9  30.8  39.4   -1.0  69    3  17   21   0  0 20 0 67% 38 260°   3   6.5       0 0 1 1  5 2400 AKQ
     ROA 44.6  29.9  37.3   -1.8  63    9  20   12   0  0 20 0 63% 49 240°   9   6.2       0 0 3 2  3 2400 AKQ
     WAL 47.8  32.8  40.3   -0.1  68    9  21   30   0  0 17 0     48 050°  19   9.3       0 0 0 2  1 2400 AKQ
     WOO 42.7  27.4  35.0   -4.6  59    2  17   30                                         0 0 0 2  6 2400 LWX
     WSH 42.2  28.4  35.3   -1.78 61.0  3  19.1 30   0  4 22 0 73% 25 090   10   0.8  023° 0 0 1 0  0 2400 LWX
    NORTH CAROLINA
    [Reminder: All NWS DATA HEREIN IS NOT OFFICIAL]     
        
     STN  A      B    C     C1    D    E  F      G  H  I  J K K1  L  M     N    N1   N2  O P Q R R1 S    CWA
     -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     AVL 45.3  27.9  36.6  -2.4  65     9 17    21  0  1 23 0 71% 40 220°  9    7.1      0 0 2 2  6 2400 GSP
                                                                  40 330° 15                                     
     MRH 58.8  41.5  50.2        73     9 29    30  0  0  4 0     46 230°  9    9.9      0 0 0 0  0 2400 MHX
     CLT 49.6  30.2  39.9  -4.5  67     9 22     6  0  0 20 0 69% 43 230°  9    5.4      1 0 1 0  6 2400 GSP
     ECG 54.0  36.1  45.0  -0.9  73     9 24    12  0  0 14 0 65% 41 200°  3    9.2      0 0 0 0  3 2400 AKQ
     FAY 53.3  34.2  43.8        74     9 25    30  0  0 16 0 67% 38 130° 25    6.7      1 0 0 0  5 2400 RAH
     GSO 47.5  30.4  39.0  -2.0  66     9 22 12,30  0  0 24 0 65% 51 230°  9    6.2      0 0 1 4  4 2400 RAH
     HSE 55.5  41.9  48.7  -1.3  73     2 28 22,23  0  0  6 0     53 190°  3   10.2      0 0 0 0  2 2400 MHX
                                                                  53 100° 19
     HKY 46.1  29.5  37.8  -4.0  63     9 22  6,12  0  0 26 0     35 210° 2,3,  3.5      0 0 0 4 11 2400 GSP
                                                                  35 220°  9
     LBT 53.5  35.6  44.6  -0.1  75     9 26    30  0  0 13 0 73% 35 250°  3    5.8      2 0 0 0  4 2400 ILM
                                                                  35 090° 15
                                                                  35 070° 18
                                                                  35 130° 25
     EWN 55.5  36.1  45.8  -1.6  74     9 25    21  0  0 13 0   % 44 210°  9    6.4      1 0 0 0  3 2400 MHX
     RDU 49.8  31.2  40.5  -2.5  70     9 22    12  0  0 19 0 68% 51 240°  9    5.0      1 0 1 0  6 2400 RAH
     RAL 50.7  30.5  40.6  -2.4  71     9 19    12  0  0 18 0 72% 36       9             1 0 1 1  4 2400 RAH
     ROX 47.8  30.1  38.8  -1.1  68.0   9 21.0  30  0  1 22 0 74% 36 270°  9        270° 1 0 1 2  5 2200 RAH
     ILM 57.3  38.1  47.7  +1.2  73     9 25    29  0  0  9 0 77% 44 200°  9    7.8      1 0 0 0  2 2400 ILM
    SOUTH CAROLINA
    [Reminder: All NWS DATA HEREIN IS NOT OFFICIAL]     
       
     STN  A      B    C     C1    D    E  F      G  H  I  J K K1  L  M     N   N1   N2   O P Q R R1 S    CWA
     -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     AND 50.7  32.3  41.5  -2.9  67     9 24    21  0  0 16 0     41 230°  9   6.0       1 0 0 0  4 2400 GSP
     CAE 54.2  34.5  44.4  -2.6  77     9 25    30  0  0 13 0 69% 32 310°  9   5.2       0 0 0 0  4 2400 CAE
     CRE 57.4  40.5  48.9  +1.1  71     2 28    30  0  0  6 0 71% 41 210°  9   6.9       1 0 0 0  2 2400 ILM
     CHS 60.3  41.6  50.9  +0.4  74  9,15 30    29  0  0  3 0     41 200°  2   8.1       1 0 0 0  3 2400 CHS
     FLO 53.6  35.4  44.5  -3.0  76     9 24 21,30  0  0 12 0 71% 37 280°  9   6.6       2 0 0 0  4 2400 ILM
     GSP 49.1  31.2  40.2  -3.3  65     9 23    21  0  0 19 0 69% 46 200°  9   5.6       1 0 5 1  7 2400 GSP
     OGB 55.9  37.7  46.8        78     9 27    30  0  0  7 0     40 300°  9   6.1       0 0 0 0  4 2400 CAE
    NEARBY STATIONS
    [Reminder: All NWS DATA HEREIN IS NOT OFFICIAL]     
       
     STN  A      B    C     C1    D     E  F     G  H  I  J K K1  L  M     N   N1   N2   O P Q R R1   S    CWA
     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     TRI 45.0  28.3  36.6  -0.7   61     9 15   12  0  1 23 0     58 230°  9   4.8       0 0 0 0  6   2400 MRX
     DAV              25   -4     52    15  3   30  0 16 28 0                                         0700 PBZ

    (Please note the column denotations table below.)
    PRECIPITATION / BAROMETRIC PRESSURE

    VIRGINIA
    [Reminder: All NWS DATA HEREIN IS NOT OFFICIAL]
       
     STN  T      T1     U  U1   V    V1   W X   Y      Z  1   2 3    4    5     6   6A   7    7A    8    S
     -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     BCB  6.66  +3.79 1.34 13 1.34    13 11 3 50.52 10.4 18  10 3 20.6 20.6                             2400
     BLK  6.92  +4.05 1.41 13            12 4       11.0 18   5 4 21.5                                  2400
     BRI  5.44  +2.88 0.96  2 1.6    8-9 10 1 38.46           4 4 22.5 22.5  30.50  12 29.59   3        0510/1600
     CEN  6.82  +3.80 1.30  9 1.70   8-9 11 1 49.24 17.4 19   6 3 25.2 25.2  30.58  12 29.27   9        2400
     CHT  5.65  +2.58 1.02 19 1.38   8-9 11 1 49.80 16.0 19   5 3 23.0 23.0  30.634 12 29.251  9 30.113 2400
     CHO  7.66        1.45 19 1.60   8-9 11 1 45.36                                    29.26   9        2400
     DAN  5.73  +2.57 1.20 25 1.26   8-9 10 2 48.78  5.3 18   3 1  5.5  5.5  30.61  12 29.37   9        2400
     DCA  6.79  +3.74 1.34 19 1.59   8-9 11 2 46.90 15.0 19   5 2 16.6 16.6  30.64  12 29.26   9        2400
     IAD  5.98  +2.91 1.34 19 1.34    19 11 1 48.39 16.0 19   7 3 21.4 21.4  30.62  12 29.24   9        2400
     FCH  4.24        1.78  9 1.91   8-9  7 2 44.00               17.0 17.0                             2400
     GAV  8.44        1.48  2 1.80 18-19 11 4 53.62  8.7 18   3 2 12.9 12.9  30.63  12 29.33   9 30.08  2400
     HDV  6.98  +3.71 1.72 19            11 2 51.77 23.7 19   5 3 30.8 30.8  30.59  12 29.20   9        2400
     LDY  6.86  +3.44 1.22 13 1.60   8-9 14 3 42.07 11.0 19   3 3 18.0 18.0  30.65  12 29.44   3 30.11  2400
     LYH  6.82  +3.59 1.52 13 1.52    13 10 2 47.03  8.2 18   4 2 12.5 12.5  30.62  12 29.34   9        2400
     NEW  4.05  +2.00 1.34  9            10 2 41.61 17.0 19   3 3 23.0 23.0  30.66  24 30.64   9        1700
     NPN  9.09  +5.28 2.04  9 2.46   8-9 11 5 69.88  1.5 19   2 1  1.5  1.5  30.64  12 29.33   9        2400
     NOR  8.71  +4.72 2.12  9 2.29   8-9 11 2 76.36  0.2 19   1 0  0.2  0.2                             2400
     ORF  7.57  +4.54 1.96  9 2.15   8-9 11 2 64.25  0.2 19   2 0  0.2  0.2  30.64  12 29.32  19        2400
     FHC  6.97  +3.94 1.87  9 2.02   8-9 14 1 64.00  0.1 19   2 0  0.1  0.1  30.600 12 29.309 19 30.060 2400
     POR  9.23  +5.97 2.89  9 3.10   8-9 12 2 70.43  0.3 19   1 0  0.3  0.3  30.62  12 29.33  19 30.079 2400
     CTR  8.65  +5.44 1.83  2 1.83     2 13 2 55.29  6.0 18   2 2  8.0  8.0  30.63  12 29.31 12, 30.088 2400
                                                                                              27 
     MEC  8.88        2.24  3 2.36   2-3 12 4 51.73 11.0 19   2 1 12.0 12.0  30.36  12 29.15   9 29.88  0700
     RIC  8.16  +5.04 1.64  2 2.35   2-3 11 3 46.83  6.0 18   4 2  7.4  7.4  30.66  12 29.32   9        2400
     ROA  8.22  +5.36 1.44 25 1.75   8-9 10 4 50.78 12.0 18   8 3 19.0 19.0  30.63  12 29.33   9        2400
     WAL  8.72  +5.58 2.93  9 3.13   8-9 11 3 57.18  0.3 19   4 0  0.3  0.3  30.63  12 29.32   9        2400
     WOO  4.45  +1.72         1.28   8-9 11 1 42.72 18.0 19   6 4 21.7 21.7  30.72  12 29.75   9        0800
     WSH  6.38  +3.01 1.41  2 1.49   8-9 11 3 47.39 13.9 19   4 4 22.5 22.5  30.67  12 29.32   9        2400
    NORTH CAROLINA
    [Reminder: All NWS DATA HEREIN IS NOT OFFICIAL]
       
     STN  T      T1     U  U1   V    V1   W X   Y      Z    1 2 3   4    5     6    6A   7    7A    8     S
     -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     AVL  9.16  +5.76 2.46 25 2.64 24-25 11 4 32.13  10.1  18 7 4 10.4 10.4  30.59  12 29.44   9         2400
     MRH  6.20        1.36  2 1.76   2-3 13 2 57.39   0.0   0 0 0  0.0  0.0  29.62  12 29.23  19         2400
     CLT  7.01  +3.83 2.30 25 2.34 24-25 13 2 48.14     T  18 1 0    T    T  30.61  12 29.49   9         2400
     ECG  5.27  +2.21 1.20  9 1.45 25-26 11 1 50.80     T  19 1 0    T    T  30.65  12 29.27  19         2400
     FAY  4.19        1.04  9 1.19   8-9 11 1 34.28                                    29.39   9         2400
     GSO  5.03  +1.97 1.25 25 1.25    25 10 1 46.04   3.0  18 1 1  3.0  3.0            29.39   9         2400
     HSE  6.48  +1.92 1.62 26 1.62    26 13 2 58.74   0.0   0 0 0  0.0  0.0  30.27   8 29.19   9         2400
     HKY  7.78  +4.19 2.43  2 2.43     2 10 3 50.74     T  31 1 0    T    T  30.58  12 29.39   9         2400
     LBT  3.98  +0.76 1.60  9 1.72   8-9 10 1 31.88                          30.61  12 29.40  19         2400
     EWN  5.50  +1.66 1.26  2 1.40   2-3 14 2 52.88     T  19 1 0    T    T  30.64  12 29.27  19         2400
     RDU  6.09  +3.05 2.30  2 2.30     2 10 1 40.43   0.1  18 1 0  0.1  0.1            29.42   9         1900
     RAL  6.66  +3.62         1.19   2-3 11 4 51.21   0.5  18 1 0  1.0  1.0  30.62  12 29.42   9         2400
     ROX  7.61  +4.25 1.82  2 1.82     2 10 5 54.39   4.2  18 1 1  4.5  4.5  30.62  12 29.47  19   30.13 2200
     ILM  8.86  +5.08 2.70  2 2.82   2-3 14 3 59.18   0.0   0 0 0  0.0  0.0  30.61  12 29.31  19         2400
    SOUTH CAROLINA
    [Reminder: All NWS DATA HEREIN IS NOT OFFICIAL]
       
     STN  T      T1     U  U1   V    V1   W X   Y     Z   1  2 3  4     5     6    6A   7    7A    8     S
     ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
     AND  9.48  +5.64 3.93  2  3.94   2-3 12 4 55.81    T 30 2 0     T    T  30.60  12 29.53   2         2400
     CAE  9.31  +5.93 3.06 25  3.06    25 12 3 54.59  0.0  0 0 0   0.0  0.0  30.59  12 29.53  18         2400
     CRE  8.70  +5.25 3.07  2  3.08   2-3 13 2 46.04                         30.59  12 29.34  19         2400
     CHS 10.06  +6.82 3.18 18  3.18    18 14 2 60.61  0.0  0 0 0   0.0  0.0            29.40             2400
     FLO  5.04  +1.57 1.39 25  1.39    24 13 2 38.99                         30.60  12 29.41  19         2400
     GSP  8.67  +4.81 3.11  2  3.11     2 19 0 53.81    T    5 0     T    T  30.60  12 29.49   9         2400
     OGB  7.44        1.99  2  1.99     2 14 3 46.43                         30.57  12 29.48  18         2400
    NEARBY STATIONS
    [Reminder: All NWS DATA HEREIN IS NOT OFFICIAL]
       
     STN  T      T1     U  U1   V      V1  W X   Y      Z  1  2  3   4     5     6   6A   7    7A 8      S
     -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     TRI  5.64  -2.25 1.27 18 2.01   8-9 12 3 47.39  6.4  18  6  2   8.9   8.9 30.57 12 29.41   2        2400
     DAV  7.6   +3.3  1.68  7            22 1 62.8  11.4  20 20  9  48.0  59.0                           0700

    Virginia:

    Arlington - From NWS WBC come these notes: " FOR WASHINGTON THE BIG STORY IN DECEMBER 2009 WAS THE RECORD SETTING SNOWSTORM OF 18-19 DECEMBER. THE FOLLOWING RECORDS WERE SET: 15.0 INCHES SNOW ON 19TH...MOST SNOWFALL FOR ANY CALENDAR DAY IN DECEMBER...AND THE THIRD HIGHEST DAILY SNOWFALL ON ANY CALENDAR DAY FOR ANY MONTH AT WASHINGTON DC SINCE SNOWFALL RECORDS BEGAN IN 1884. MONTHLY TOTAL SNOWFALL OF 16.6 INCHES...IS SNOWIEST DECEMBER ON RECORD FOR WASHINGTON DC...PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 16.2 IN 1962. A SNOW DEPTH OF 16 INCHES MEASURED ON THE 20TH IS THE DEEPEST SNOW DEPTH EVER RECORDED IN WASHINGTON IN DECEMBER. THE PREVIOUS HIGHEST SNOW DEPTH WAS 12 INCHES ON DECEMBER 17 1932. THE STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL OF 16.4 INCHES ON DEC 18-19 2009 MARKS THE 6TH HIGHEST TWO-DAY SNOWFALL RECORD FOR WASHINGTON DC...PUTTING IT JUST BELOW THE PRESIDENT/S DAY STORM IN 2003 AND AHEAD OF THE JAN 1996 STORM. PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH OF 5.85 INCHES MAKES IT THE 7TH WETTEST MONTH ON RECORD. MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN NORMAL. " [ - + ] 

    Bridgewater - " The average temperature as 2.92 degrees below normal while the precipitation was 2.88 inches above normal. The heavy precipitation during the month has helped to bring the yearly moisture to a little above normal. The heavy snowfall on 18/19 was the greatest in December for at least 47 years according to my records. The snowfall last winter was only 6.5 inches. This winter season, we have had 22.5 inches, and the winter has just begun. For the year, the average annual temperature was 53.90° (above normal) and total rainfall was 38.45" (about an inch above normal) , annual snowfall measured 28" (about 5" above normal) and we had 12 thunderstorms. In my opinion, the biggest weather event of the year was the big snowstorm. In December. According to my records, this was the biggest snowstorm for the month of December in at least forty-seven years. Measurements of twenty-four inches were recorded in a number of locations from Pittsburgh through Central Virginia. Another noteworthy weather happening was the lack of thunderstorms. The first half of the year produced eleven thunderstorms. There was only one from July 1 to the end of the year. It was unusual to have had this many rainy spells with so little thunder. There were very few hurricanes or remnants of hurricanes occurring during 2009. In the Bridgewater area farmer's crops and local gardens did fairly well in spite of a few dry spells. Corn stayed green most of the summer. It has been a pretty good year! (Afterthoughts: Looks like we will have a white Christmas this year. There is plenty of snow around, and should keep the ground white for Christmas. Got 16 inches last Friday and Saturday (18th - 19th). This is the second biggest white Christmas in the last 47 years. In 1969, nine inches fell on Christmas Day. It snowed all day long. Everything was white and the roads were covered. It was truly a very white Christmas. Since then, we have had around four white Christmases with light snow or heavy flurries. I would count them as borderline white Christmases. My last white Christmas occurred in 2002. With all the snow on the ground, I rate this one as the second biggest according to my records. This year, we have already gotten 20 inches of the white stuff, and it all came before winter started. It looks like our winter will be a little more active this time. Our total snowfall last year was only 6.5 inches. " - [ - + ] - Clayton sends these notes

    Centreville - " Yearly Precip. +6.63" over the 42.61" annual average. AVG monthly low temp is 2.3° over 25.5° December's low avg. The 2009 recorded deviation was +4.5°. Dec 18,19 snow event = 20.4". " - [ - + ] - additional notes from Paul

    Chantilly - Russ reports: December brought well below average temperatures and well above average precipitation, with measurable precipitation on 14 of 31 days in the month. Year-to-date precipitation finished 1.01" above average after being more than 8" below normal at the end of September. Year-to-date temperatures finished 1.08° below normal. A total of 17.0" of snow fell in the storm on the 18th and 19th. Happy New Year! *Please note, anemometer is currently partially obstructed from the Southeast " - [ - + ]

    Chesterfield - Albert adds: " RAINFALL FOR THIS MONTH WAS ALMOST HAS MUCH AS WHAT WE RECEIVED WHEN GASTON PASSED THROUGH IN 2006 (11.05 INCHES). " - [ - + ]

    Dulles - from NWS Sterling (KLWX) come these notes: " FOR WASHINGTON DULLES...PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER OF 5.24 INCHES MADE IT THE 7TH WETTEST DECEMBER AT DULLES. THE MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN NORMAL. FOR WASHINGTON DULLES THE BIG STORY IN DECEMBER 2009 WAS THE RECORD SETTING SNOWSTORM OF 18-19 DECEMBER. HERE IS INFORMATION ON THIS STORM: MOST SNOWFALL FOR ANY SINGLE CALENDAR DAY IN DECEMBER ...16.0 INCHES ON THE 19TH...BREAKS THE OLD DECEMBER CALENDAR DAY RECORD OF 10.6 INCHES ON DECEMBER 12 1982. ALSO THE 16.0 INCHES OF SNOW RECORDED ON THE 19TH IS THE THIRD HIGHEST DAILY SNOWFALL OCCURRING ON ANY SINGLE CALENDAR DAY FOR ANY MONTH. AT WASHINGTON DULLES SINCE SNOWFALL RECORDS BEGAN IN NOV 1962. THE HIGHEST SINGLE DAY SNOWFALL RECORD AT DULLES REMAINS 22.5 INCHES ON FEB 11 1983. MONTHLY TOTAL SNOWFALL OF 21.4 INCHES...MAKES DECEMBER 2009 THE 2ND SNOWIEST DECEMBER ON RECORD AT WASHINGTON DULLES. THE RECORD REMAINS AT 24.2 INCHES SET IN DECEMBER 1966. THE SNOW DEPTH OF 18 INCHES ON THE 20TH RANKS AS THE DEEPEST SNOW DEPTH EVER RECORDED IN DECEMBER AT WASHINGTON DULLES. THE PREVIOUS HIGHEST SNOW DEPTH IN DECEMBER WAS 13 INCHES ON DECEMBER 26 1969. THE ALL-TIME HIGHEST SNOW DEPTH EVER MEASURED AT DULLES REMAINS AT 24 INCHES ON JAN 8 AND 9 1996. THE STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL OF 18.0 INCHES ON DEC 18-19 2009 MARKS THE 6TH HIGHEST TWO-DAY SNOWFALL AT WASHINGTON DULLES. IT NOW RANKS AS THE 4TH BIGGEST SNOWSTORM ON RECORD AT DULLES JUST BELOW... ...THE JAN 7-8 1996 SNOWSTORM...23.2 INCHES ...THE FEB 10-11 1983 SNOWSTORM...22.8 INCHES ...AND THE PRESIDENTS' WEEKEND STORM FEB 15-16 2003...20.1 INCHES. " - [ - + ]

    Falls Church - Erica reports: " A cold wet month. Way above average snowfall!!! My first inch of snow fell on 12/5. On the night of the 18th the snow started around 9pm and continued all day on the 19th. This Blizzard of 2009 was a historic storm for sure. I had a total of 16" which was an inch more than I had during the Blizzard of 1996. The rains Christmas day brought over an inch of rain. " - [ - + ]

    Glen Allen - Lowell Koontz sends these notes: " December was colder than average as the monthly mean temperature was 37.6°F, a -1.4°F departure, and was also much wetter than average (when compared to Ashland, Virginia records) Also there were 23 days the minimum temperature dropped below freezing and one day that the maximum didn't climb above freezing. The 8.44 inches of rain for December was a +5.14 inch departure when compared to the Ashland, VA average. The maximum rainfall recorded in a day was 1.48 inches on the 2nd. The total snowfall was 12.9 inches for the month recorded on the 18th and 19th which was a huge +10.9 inch departure compared to Ashland, Virginia records. The snow storm of the 18th and 19th was the biggest news of the month. The Richmond International Airport had 6.4 inches on the 18th and 19th. This was the whitest Christmas ( the most snow in the period of the 18th to the 25th) since 1966 when 8.8 inches fell on the 23rd and 24th but the record is 1908 when 17.2 inches of snow occurred on the 22nd and 23rd. This month's storm set many December records to the west and north of Richmond. You can view Lowell's 2009 summary with a click here -> GAV 2009 Summary. " - [ - + ] 

    Herndon - Randy adds these notes: " December was below normal for temperature and well above normal for precipitation. The temperatures ranged between a high of 62 and a low of 12. The average high and low were about 5 and 3 degrees below normal, respectively. On the precipitation side, the month was the wettest (6.98") I have ever recorded in December and the snowfall that fell on the 18/19 set records throughout the area. I measured 25.1" snow for the storm with a water equivalent of 1.82". We also had 5.5" of snow on the 5th and 0.2" of sleet with some freezing rain on the 31st. The 6.98" for the month was 3.71" above normal. 2009 was a very cyclic year for precipitation with very dry winter (record low amount in Feb), a wet spring (most ever in May), a dry summer, and now a very wet fall with the most ever precip in Dec. We ended the year with 51.77" which was 5.75" above normal. " - [ - + ]

    Ladysmith - Danny notes: " December brought well below average temperatures and well above average precipitation, with measurable precipitation on 14 of 31 days in the month. Year-to-date precipitation finishes 1.01" above average after being more than 8" below normal at the end of September. Year-to-date temperatures finished 1.08° below normal. A total of 17.0" of snow fell in the storm on the 18th and 19th. Happy New Year! " - [ - + ]

    New Market - Joyce sends this year-end report: " The annual mean temperature was 52.93° and that was 1° below normal. The high temp for the year reached 92° on August 20th while the low temperature reached -4° on the 17th of January. On twelve days the temp rose to 90° or above with 78 days recording a low temp of 32° or less. Annual rainfall of 41.61" was 5" above normal. This December's snowfall was the greatest monthly amount. For the calendar year, snowfall totalled 32". There were 59 cloudy days and 40 days with fog. On February 12th wind gusted from the west to 58mph. Average wind speed was 18.47 mph, average relative humidity was 71.61%. 258 heating degree-days were recorded and there were 107 cooling degree days. " - [ - + ]

    Norfolk (ORF) - " NWS AKQ reports that the annual rainfall total of 64.66" was 18.92" in excess of the normal Norfolk rainfall. The annual average temperature was 60.2° which was 0.6° ABOVE normal. " - [ - + (for December) ] 

    Portsmouth - " December was a colder and wetter month relative to normal Decembers for the period from 1976 to 2008. The 9.23" of rain was a whopping 5.97" ABOVE normal rainfall (283% of normal). The month's average temp was 1.8° BELOW normal. A second fall nor'easter produced over 3" of rain on the 8th and 9th resulting in flooding in prone areas. Again the local street was flooded at the station. The first half of the month featured above normal temps while the second half brought below normal temps and the season's first snowfall on the 19th. STATION RECORDS: A NEW STATION DECEMBER MONTHLY RAINFALL RECORD of 9.23" was established in the West Cradock section (SE corner) of Portsmouth. (database to 1976) 6th - TEMPERATURE TIED Minimum Maximum 40° [previous 1997]; 9th - RAINFALL 2.39" [previous 0.93" 1989]; 19th- SNOWFALL 0.3" [previous TRACE in 2003]; 31st - RAINFALL 0.89" [previous 0.34" 1977]. " - [ - + ] 

    Richmond - " NWS AKQ reports that the annual rainfall total of 48.32" was 4.41" in excess of the normal Richmond rainfall. The annual average temperature was 58.7° and that was 1.1° ABOVE normal. " - [ - + (for December) ] 

    Woodstock - " I had my first freeze (32 or below) on Dec 1, the latest- by one week - in 25 years of records. " - notes from Lauck [ - + ] 

    North Carolina:

    Greensboro - NWS RAH reports: " - A RECORD SNOWFALL OF 3.00 INCHES OCCURRED ON DECEMBER 18TH. THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 2.70 INCHES WAS SET IN 1945. " - [ - + ]

    Raleigh - Bob sends these notes: " Cold and very wet month! The first snowfall of the season occurred on the 18th with 0.5" measured. There were nine days (9) that were 100% overcast during the daytime. During December, there were 18 days that the minimum temperature was 32 degrees or lower (15 days in 2008). No severe weather was observed; however a tornado watch was issued on December 2nd. " - [ - + ]

    Raleigh - NWS Raleigh (RAH) reports: A RECORD RAINFALL OF 2.30 INCHES WAS SET ON DECEMBER 2ND. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 0.99 INCHES...SET IN 1984. THIS WAS THE 4TH WETTEST DECMEMBER ON RECORD FOR RALEIGH-DURHAM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. Word from NWS RAH... the North Carolina Weather Reviews have been discontinued. " - [ - + ]

    Nearby Cities:

    Davis, WV - from Dave Lesher's website: " December had a mean temperature that was 4° BELOW NORMAL and rainfall that was ABOVE NORMAL (+3.3") Snowfall for the month was 48.0" which was a whopping 22" ABOVE normal. Year-end rainfall of 62.8" was 6.5" ABOVE normal. The season-to-date snow total on 12/31/09 was 59" and that was 17" BELOW NORMAL " - [ - + ]

    Tri-cities, TN - from NWS MRX in Morristown, TN: " The monthly-averaged temperature at Tri-Cities was 36.6 degrees, which was 0.7 degrees below normal. It tied with 1942 and 1997 as the 25th coldest December on record. The coldest December at Tri-Cities was back in 1963, when the average temperature was 27.8 degrees. Tri-Cities received 5.64 inches of precipitation in December, which was 2.25 inches above normal. It ranked as the 7th wettest December on record. Measurable precipitation occurred on 12 days, and five of those days had more than one-quarter of an inch of precipitation. In fact, more than an inch of precipitation fell on two of those days. The heaviest precipitation fell on the 18th when 1.27 inches of precipitation was reported, which broke the old daily rainfall record of 1.11 inches set in 1967. The wettest December of the 72 years of observations was back in 1961, when 6.75 inches of precipitation was recorded. The annually-averaged temperature at Tri-Cities for 2009 was 55.6 degrees, which was 0.7 degrees above normal. It ranked in the middle one-third of all the years on record. The warmest year at Tri-Cities was back in 1990, when the average temperature was 58.2 degrees. Tri-Cities received an annual total of 48.66 inches of precipitation for 2009, which was 7.33 inches above normal. It ranked as the 9th wettest year on record. The wettest year was back in 2003, when 65.65 inches of precipitation was recorded. " - [ - + ]



    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 2007-2008 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 ACON VA/NC/SC Recent Weather News, Search GOOGLE at CNN
    http://www.cnn.com/WEATHER
     

    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:

      
       ROK   Roanoke, VA 6SW Wendell Prillaman  4/76 wlprillaman@cox.net
      AKQ    Wakefield, VA NWS Wakefield Municipal Airport 36-58-53N 077-00-04W 33M
    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   
    BLK  Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA Andrew Earehart September 2009, | aeare07@vt.edu WOO  Woodstock, VA 5NW Lauck Walton - 12/1/85 jwalton@shentel.net
       LDY Ladysmith, VA Danny Jessee 2003 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' | m.psb@verizon.net 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 Airpot 35-12-48N 080-56-55W 220M
    IAD   Dulles - Washington-Dulles International Airport  38-56-05N 077-26-51W 93M  SSB    Sunset Beach, NC   33.9° N 78.5° W  Tom Myers
    FCH    Falls Church, VA Erica Page - 3/7/94 Windie1970@aol.com HKY  Hickory, NC 
    HAM    Hampton, VA 5NE Dave Kessel 1989 david82@verizon.net ECG  Elizabeth City, NC,  Coast Guard Air Station 36-15-47N 076-10-58W 11M
    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 - new location December 2006 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'. Randolph_Ashby@Raytheon.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
    FRV     Front Royal, VA  Michael Perritt -  04/08 mjperritt@gmail.com RAL    Raleigh, NC 7NNW  Bob Woodson -  6/1/93 kf4mmm@qsl.net
    LKU     Louisa, VA 1N Joseph Bowers 1944 - NWS ID  44-5050-02jmbiii@earthlink.net RDU   Raleigh-Durham, NC Raleigh-Durham International Airport 35-52-14N 078-47-11W 130M
    LOU     Louisa, VA 6S John Bullock (about 1970) INACTIVE 1/1/02 - MEMBER DECEASED FALL 2004 ROX    Roxboro, NC 2SE Merriell A. Jay 1/93
    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 joywood@shentel.net CHS   Charleston, SC NWS Charleston Air Force Base 32-53-56N 080-02-26W 13M
    NPN     Newport News, VA 7N Gary Leonard -  6/91 GaryMLeonard@aol.com 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@canaantv.tv