MONTHLY SUMMARY: JANUARY 1997 UPDATED: 2/16/97 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE... Please use the most recent monthly data form I include in the mailing as the it is adjusted monthly for various weather data. For instance, the form changed the "past" from "past season's total snowfall" to "'96-'97 season's total" to reflect the first snowfall totals from you for the new season. Thus, some of you didn't do a total for the new, current season. Bill ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTES FROM "AROUND THE LEAGUE"- Arlington - NWS WBC reported that DCA recorded its second month in a row of warmer than normal temps, the first such occurrence since the summer of 1995. December and January have combined for a 6 degree warmer than normal winter so far. Snowfall was conspicuously absent in January and for the season, quite odd when compared with the winter of 1995-1996. With just over 2 inches in January, winter has amassed only 2.5" of snow. This time last year we had over 25 inches with more to arrive! Interestingly, the temps during the month were almost 2.5 degrees above normal, yet the month was the 3rd coldest of the eight Januaries in the 1990s. Inauguration Day on the 20th was at just the right time as cold air left in a hurry and the high temp that day rose to 45 degrees under a mostly sunny sky. Bridgewater - (report from Clayton Towers) What a contrast between this January and January last year. This month last year produced 27.2 inches of snow, while only 2.8 inches fell this year. There were no major snowstorms this month. Last January, we got 6.75 inches of precipitation, while this January only 1.71 inches occurred. Rain and melting snow created a flood during January of last year. On the 23rd, ice occurred on roads in spots, and also on metal and fiberglass roofs, when the temperature was 36 degrees. Evidently, this was caused by clearing skies after a nighttime rain when rapid evaporation occurred. Ice occurred along about daybreak. Schools started late, and there were a number of accidents. If anyone has a better explanation for this phenomenon, I would like to hear from you. It usually occurs once or twice a winter. Generally speaking, the month was rather boring weatherwise! Centreville - Paul Bassett says he hope his new 8 HP snow thrower will have a chance to do more than blow 4-5" as it did on the 11th! He thinks it felt a bit embarrassed throwing more smoke and noise than snow! Charlottesville - The month was a fraction of a degree colder than normal. A very warm beginning to the month was offset by a cold spell from the 11th to the 19th. Precip and snow were well below normal and the month saw lots of sunshine. Falls Church - Erica Page noted that the month was nearly 1 degree warmer than average with below normal precip and snowfall. Falls Church - January 1997, according to Lowell Koontz, was a nearly average month temperaturewise and had a period of record warmth on the 4th and very cold weather on the 19th. The 71 degrees on the 4th was the highest January daily maximum recorded at his station since records began in 1980. Snowfall was 7.3 inches below normal (based on last 12 years). January 1996 was the cloudiest on record and January 1997 came in as the clearest on record. Fredericksburg - From Ken McKneely comes this report: "January started off much warmer than normal; then the temps dropped dramatically. The first 7 days averaged 49.3 degrees, with a high of 73. The next 14 days averaged 26 degrees, with a low of -4 degrees. Precipitation was below normal, for a change. Overall, the month averaged about 1 degree above normal. 2.5" of snow fell on the morning of the 9th. Remnants remained for 2 weeks due to the cold temps." Hampton - High temps ranged from 30 to 70 degrees with overall temps rather average for the month. Precip was somewhat below normal and there were several near misses on snow. (report from Dave Kessel) Norfolk - ORF recorded rainfall 1.7" below normal while temps ran 2.2 degrees above normal. Portsmouth - Not a lot of weather to talk about here but what little we did have was about the unusually dry air accompanying the cold of mid-January. Don't recall such cold temps with such little moisture. For two days here the dew point was never above zero. Haven't seen that before. Backyard 4 X 8 X 15 foot pond froze over with nice frozen waterfalls. Will try to include a pix of it that I computer generated using Snappy! Compared with December, almost twice as many heating degree days. Can't wait for the gas bill! Only noteworthy snow came on the morning of January 11th, as a cold front passage provided a tenth of an inch which lingered for 36 hours in spots as cold temps prevailed. The absence of any major southern stream (Gulf states) storm was rather disappointing as this is where most of our southern VA snow develops. Richmond - RIC, as NWS AKQ noted, saw temps reach 2.0 degrees above the mean average temps while rainfall at 1.93" total was 1.31" below normal. Roanoke - January was 1.9 degrees above average while precip was just 0.09" above average. Snowfall was 2.6 inches below average. No big storms in January 1997, a rather quiet month. (report from Wendell Prillaman) Washington (VA) - According to Dave Yowell, January 1977 was the driest month since February of 1995 and the driest January at this location since records commenced in 1991. Woodstock - Lauck Walton recorded his highest January temperature (74 degrees recorded on the 5th) in the 12 years he has kept stats. The month produced average temps with below average precip. Asheville - The average monthly temp was 0.7 degrees above normal and the precip total was 1.19 inches above normal. (from NWS GSP) Brevard - Bob Keehn writes: "January was a moderate month, temperature and precipitation wise. We had the first snowfall of the season." Charlotte - CLT recorded a month with temps running 3.5 degrees above the mean average normal and the precip total 3/4 inch below normal. Greensboro - NWS RD. noted that a record high max was set on the 3rd when the temp reached 71 degrees. The mean monthly temp was 0.4 degrees above normal while the monthly precip was some 0.28" below normal. Henderson - George Stevenson says the winter of 199601997 will go down as mild. Raleigh - Pretty quiet month weatherwise, says Bob Woodson. So far the winter has been warm with December and January averaging over 1.6 degrees above normal. January also was the first month since August that precipitation has averaged below normal. Raleigh - NWS RDU noted a month with mean average temps some 2.4 degrees above normal with precip 0.35" below normal. A daily record high temp was set on the 3rd and the 4th. Roxboro - January 1997 was definitely cold with the windchill as fronts and arctic air swept through the area around mid-month. A taste of spring greeted the first week as temps reached 75 degrees here. The month averaged above normal temps in spite of the cold snap. Precip fell below normal. (report from Merriell Jay) Columbia - The monthly mean temp, according to NWS CAE, was 2.6 degrees above normal while total precip was just 0.18" below normal. Ruby - Franklin Hancock reports the month was about average in temps but a little above average for rainfall. Tri-cities - Like most all other stations, TRI saw temps above normal, 1.8 degrees to be exact. Rainfall was also above normal, some 0.68". Greenville-Spartanburg- The month of January saw the mean average temp run some 2.6 degrees above normal while precip ran nearly 3/4 inch above normal. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- UPDATED MEMBERS' E-MAIL ADDRESSES: (posted by permission) BRE Bob Keehn Bob_Keehn@juno.com BRI Clayton Towers Ctowers@rica.net POR Bill Trotter wtrotter@pen.k12.va.us 71470.1535@compuserve.com wtrotter@whro.org RAL Bob Woodson woods@pipeline.com CEN Paul Bassett III pbassett@nmaa.org WSH David Yowell deyowell@mnsinc.com FCH Erica Page erica@erols.com -----------------------------------------------------------------------------