Virginia:
Ashburn
- Gary sends these notes: "
Well, perhaps the biggest news for the month was the F0 tornado that
touched down in my development on the 9th. (I was at work missing the whole
thing). An F1 touched down west of the station near Purcellville and
Leesburg, but in both cases damage was mostly limited to trees and
tree limbs down. One home in Ashburn Farm was damaged from a portion of a
tree that fell against the house. Unfortunately - as luck would have it -
my weather station was experiencing a complete loss of signal condition on
its wireless link for most of that day. While no tornado winds were
experienced at the station, an aluminum flagpole mounted about one meter
from the mast holding the weather station was sheared off at its base.
No other damage was noted during the thunderstorm winds on that day
apart from shuffled lawn furniture and the like.
Continuing with my obsession about noting rainfall on the first day of the
month, July was the seventh month in a row with measurable precip (0.05")
of rain on the first. Looking at other Northern Virginia weather
stations, I noted quite a bit of spatial variance in rainfall amounts.
3.93" was recorded at my station, 0.42" above normal for July.
Temperatures for the month were quite seasonable overall, with the month
finishing at 0.9° above average. Wind was quite notably below average,
with a daily average wind speed of only 0.7 mph, well under the station
average for July (though the high wind speed for the month of 22 mph was -
just barely - a new station record for July). Average humidity for
the month was 76% and the average dew point was 67°. "
[ + +]
Annandale
- Lowell emails these notes: "
July was very wet and cooler and cloudier than average. July's mean average
temperature (76.8°) was the seventh coolest on record in the last 23-years
with a -1.0° departure. The 6.75" of rain made it the second wettest July
in the last 23-years with a +2.62" departure. It was the wettest July
since 1992 which holds the record with 6.97 inches. July had 14 days with
measurable rain that was the most since 1996 and was only three days
short of tying the record for the month. The 0.36" of rain that occurred
in five minutes on the 9th was the most intense since September of 2000
when 0.47" occurred in five minutes. This is also the eighth most intense
five-minute rainfall since these records were started in 1990. July was
also cloudier than average and the second cloudiest in 22 years of records
(no sky record for 1986). July's average sky cover makes it normally the
clearest month of the year.
July had only 8 days with 90° or above temperatures and last year we had
20 days. The total of equal to or greater than 90° is only a total of
12 days for 2003 the least since 1992 when 11 days occurred. The least is
8 days in 1982. In only five Julys in the last 23-years has the maximum
temperature for the month been less than 95°. The maximum for 2003 is
still 94° and is the first time since 1989 we have gone this long without a
95° day.
July's average temperature range was only 17.3° the least since 1996 and
only three years have been lower in the last 23-years.
The maximum gust of 36 mph from the NNW on the 9th at 1700 was the strongest
wind gust recorded for July since 1998. The wind caused minor damage to
trees. The top was broken out of neighbor's Bartlett pear tree and one
other tree near Lake Barcroft was uprooted.
There were only 6 daily records set!
July DAILY Records Tied or Broken- (23-Years of records):
1 daily LOW maximum 23-year temperature record for the date: 2;
1 daily LOW range 23-year temperature record for the date: 2;
4 daily HIGH 23-year precipitation records for the date: 9, 10, 11, 22."
[ - +]
Arlington
- NWS WBC reports:
"
Rainfall for
the month was 2.10" above normal while average temps were 1.5° below
normal. The average wind speed was 8.0 mph.
" [ - + ]
Blacksburg
- NWS Blacksburg reports the monthly mean temp was 0.5° below normal
while rainfall was 3.97" above normal. The average wind speed was 3.5
MPH. [ - + ]
Bridgewater
- "
The rainfall for July was only .02"above normal. The big rainstorms
missed us. Harrisonburg, just a few miles away, got over 7". We
haven't had a strong thunderstorm all year. I miss those beautiful thunderheads
popping up in the west.
Precipitation for the year is now over 10" above normal.
Farmers' corn fields look great, pasture fields are green, and gardens are
producing vegetables. There's no problem with well water. What a contrast
from last year!
" - report from Clayton [ M + ]
Centreville
- "
July is theoretically the hottest month of the year for us, so it
is comforting to report a monthly average of 77° being only 1.9° above the
75.1° average. Speaking of averages, right about mid-month, July 17th
registered a high of 86°, a low of 68°, both of which happen to be the
high and low average temperatures for the month. For highs, we peaked at 94°
on three days in early July while a quarter of the days this month
registered 90° or better. All of these excesses though had just a marginal
affect at the high end, but they did help to produce an average high of 86.1°
or, 0.8° below the 86.9° normal. So far all this sounds like a fairly
typical July, and after the nightly lows enter the equation, I'm sure
you'll see that we did really well in that department too. With 67.9°
logged as our average nighttime temperature, we find that it was just 4.7°
warmer than the 63.2° that the record books suggest. A large number,
ten nights, logged overall lows at the monthly low average 68°. Except for
January '03, the nearly 5° difference between my recorded entries and
the record book was the closest any month has been to being average
for the whole year. Quite a significant accomplishment since no snow was
observed during the entire month. Precipitation for July was again
above the average, but this time only by an average amount. With 3.53"
considered normal rainfall for July, we exceeded that by 156% or 2.37"
for a grand monthly total of 5.80". Our average of average monthly
precipitation excesses this year is 160%, so we came in just four
tips of the bucket short of that. The greatest contribution to the
watering can happened on the 22nd when 1.92" fell in about an hour and
a quarter. The nearly two inches amounted to roughly a third of our
monthly total, and ended an eleven day mid-month dry spell.
This July doesn't stand out for reports of tornadoes, drought conditions,
record heat, or widespread flooding. Snowfall was even within limits.
This July was just sorta' unusually average."
" - notes from Paul [ + + ]
Charlottesville
- The monthly average temperature was 3.8° below normal while rainfall
was 4.50" above normal. The average wind speed was 4.6 mph. - from NWS WBC
[ - + ]
Dulles
- The mean temp was 0.3° below normal. The monthly rainfall was 2.50"
above normal. Average wind speed, 5.6 mph. - from NWS WBC [ - + ]
Falls Church - "
July 2003 was cooler and wetter than average. We only had 10 days of 90° or
higher. The remnants of Tropical Storm Bill brought heavy rains on the
2nd and 3rd of this month and the night of the 10th into the wee hours of
the 11th brought a line of heavy thunderstorms through. Some of these storms
brought small hail. A windy day on the 21st produced a peak gust of 27 mph."
" - notes from Erica [ - + ]
Herndon
- Russ notes: "
The monthly temperature was 1.2 degrees below average
and precipitation was 1.77" above average." - [ - + ]
Herndon
- Bob reports: "
My average MAX temp was 3.7° below the Dulles "normal"
and the average MIN was 2.8° above.
Total precip was 2.3" above the Dulles "normal".
Another barometrically dull month.
Dulles is about 4 miles WSW and its normal is the 1971-2000 average.
This was a cool, moderately wet month, comfortable for July.
" - [ - + ]
Hampton
- "
A VERY WET AND MILD SUMMER CONTINUES. WE COULD NOT BUY RAIN LAST SUMMER,
AND NOW 8.00 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL WITH PLENTY MORE ON THE WAY!!
WE ARE ALSO APPROACHIMG THE PRIME TROPICAL STORM WEEKS FOR HAMPTON ROADS.
WELL SEE WHAT HAPPENS."
- notes from Dave [ - + ]
Herndon
- "
The monthly temperature was 2.2° below average,
precipitation was 7.23" above average. We received a
record 5.18" of rain on the 19th, which fell overnight
in a 3-hour period.
We had thunder on the 9th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 19th,
and 27th. The numbers speak for themselves. June was
even wetter than May! We had numerous flood and flash
flood watches and warnings."
- notes from Russ [ - + ]
Lexington
- Scott Lancey notes:
"Mean monthly temp was 1.9° below normal for July while total precipitation
was 1.22" above normal."
Lynchburg
- Rainfall for the month was 3.94" above normal while the mean temp was
1.3° below normal. The average wind speed was 4.2 MPH. The average sea-level
pressure was 30.02" LYH reported a tornado on the 5th.
- from NWS Blacksburg
[ - + ]
Norfolk
- NWS AKQ noted the average temperature in Norfolk was 1.0° above normal.
The month's rainfall was 3.39" above normal. The average wind speed was 9.3 mph.
The average relative humidity and sky cover were 76% and 40% respectively."
- [ + + ]
Norfolk
- The Fred Heutte Center, in Historic
Ghent, noted a mean barometer reading of 30.047". The mean relative humidity
was 85%. The average wind speed was 4 mph from a dominant SSW direction.
Portsmouth
-
Little change in the summer pattern here. Continued wet and cooler than normal.
Average max temp really kept down by the surrounding vegetation in the gardens
on the property. Lots of trees and plants help cool the surrounding air, particularly
during the afternoons. Rainfall at 160% of the norm (+3.23") and temps 1.4° below
normal. Yearly rainfall at the end of July was still well-above normal (+10.2" or
136% of the norm). Station daily records included: 2ND TEMPERATURE MINIMUM MAXIMUM 75° [PREVIOUSLY 78° 1985];
3RD TEMPERATURE MINIMUM MAXIMUM 79° [PREVIOUSLY 82° 1986];
7TH TEMPERATURE MAXIMUM MINIMUM 78° [PREVIOUSLY 77° 1977].
Winds averaged 2.84 MPH from a dominant SE direction, for the 2nd month in a
row. The average barometric pressure was 30.027".
The average relative humidity was a whopping 83% and the average sky
cover was 51.3%.
For the year-to-date, the temperature average was 1.2° below normal, again attributed to the excess rainfall.
[ - + ]
Richmond
- NWS AKQ reported the mean temp at RIC was 0.2° below normal. Rainfall
was 4.59" above normal. The average wind speed was 7.7 mph. The average relative
humidity was 79% while the average sky cover was 60%. [ - + ]
Mechanicsville
- Glenn notes: "
Another month with a lot of rain! Lots of thunderstorms with one having pea-size
hail on the 22nd.
"
Roanoke
- Wendell notes: "
Our wettest July on record at 6.94". Temps were
0.9° below normal. Despite a very wet month, we had a mini-dry spell of 12 days when only
0.05" of rain fell."
- [ - + ]
Roanoke
- NWS Blacksburg reports that the Roanoke airport monthly mean temp was 1.1° below normal.
Rainfall was 1.16" above normal. The average
wind speed was 5.6 mph."
[ - + ]
Woodstock
- "
Cool (4th coolest in 18 years). Wet (6th highest in 18 years).
Heavy rainfalls on June 30th/July 1 and July 28 were both measured at 1.58",
an interesting coincidence. So far I haven't recorded a single 90° day.
My hottest summer recorded 34 and my coolest just one!
" - notes from Lauck [ - + ]
North
Carolina:
Asheville
- from NWS GSP: The monthly mean temp was 1.0° below normal and the
rainfall was whopping 7.01" above normal. The average wind speed was 3.4 mph.
[ - + ]
Charlotte
- NWS GSP reports the mean temp here was 3.7° below normal and precip
was 1.64" above normal. The average wind speed was 5.3 mph.
- [ - + ]
Elizabeth
City - The Elizabeth City Coast Guard Station [ECG] reported an average
wind speed of 8.4 mph. The mean temp was 0.4° below normal while rainfall
was 0.75" below normal. The average relative humidity and sky cover were
81% and 20% respectively. - from NWS AKQ [ - - ]
Fayetteville
- NWS RDU reports the average wind speed was 7.3 mph while the respective relative
humidity and sky cover percentages were 79 and 30..
Cape Hatteras -
The average temperature in July 2003 was 78.4°. This was 0.4° cooler than the
1895-2003 average, the 38th coolest July on record. 8.68" of rain fell in
July. This was 3.23" more than the 1895-2003 average, the 21st wettest such month on
record in the database stretching 1895-2003.
- from NCDC [ - + ]
Greensboro
- NWS RDU notes a mean temp here that was 1.8° below normal. Rainfall was
3.13" above normal. The average wind speed was 6.6 mph. The average relative humidity and
sky cover were 79% and 50% respectively. The high temp of 72° on the 29th set
the record for the lowest max temp surpassing the previous record of 73° set
in 1936. New precip records: on the 2nd, 1.53" [previously 1.15" in 1959], on
the 29th, 3.19" [previously 1.48" in 1994]. - [ - + ]
Hickory
- The average wind speed was 3.8 mph. The average monthly temperature was 3.0°
below normal while rainfall was 1.59" above normal - from NWS GSP [ - + ]
Lumberton
- The average wind speed was 5.9 mph. The average monthly temperature was 0.1°
above normal while rainfall was 3.17" above normal - from NWS ILM [ + + ]
Raleigh
- NWS RAH reported the monthly average temp at RDU was 0.5° below normal while
rainfall was 0.09" above normal. The maximum temp of 77° on the 2nd set the record for the
lowest max temp, breaking the previous record of 78° set in 1981. A new daily
precip record was set on the 22nd with 0.89". The previous record was 0.76" in 1979.
The average wind speed was 6.9 mph."
- [ - + ]
Raleigh
- Bob notes: "
The weather pattern basically remains unchanged with temperatures
averaging below normal and precipitation above normal. For the year,
precipitation for this station is now 5.30" above normal. In comparison,
this station was 4.11" below normal as of July 31, 2002. What a difference
one year makes! In addition, the highest temperature so far has been only
95°.
No severe weather was observed at this station during July.
" - [ - + ]
Roxboro
- Merriell sends these notes: "
July was mostly cloudy, warmer and wetter than normal. Measurable rain fell on
16 of 31 days in the month.
" - [ - - ]
Wilmington
- From NWS ILM: The average temp was 0.8° below normal while rainfall
was a 2.93" above normal. The average wind speed was 8.0 mph. -
[ - - ]
South
Carolina:
Anderson
- NWS GSP reports the monthly mean temp was 2.3° below normal.
Rainfall was a whopping 3.92" above normal. The average wind speed was 5.4 mph. -
[ - + ]
Charleston
- NWS CHS reports the monthly mean temp was 0.4° below normal. Rainfall
was 2.97" above normal. The average wind speed was 7.5 mph. - [ - + ]
Columbia
- NWS CAE reports that the mean temp here was 2.3° below normal. Rainfall
was a 3.51" above normal. The average wind speed was 5.9 mph. Average relative
humidity was 76% while the average sky cover was 60%. [ - + ]
Florence
- The mean temp here was 1.5° below normal while rainfall totals were
2.74" above normal. The average wind speed was 6.3 mph. - from NWS ILM
[ - + ]
Greenville-Spartanburg
- The monthly mean temperature was 1.8° below normal while rainfall
was 3.38" above normal. The average wind speed was 5.5 mph. - from NWS
GSP [ - + ]
North
Myrtle Beach - The mean temp was 0.5° below normal while rainfall
was 4.00" above normal. The average wind speed was 8.5 mph."
- ILM [ - + ]
Orangeburg
- NWS CAE reports the average wind speed was 5.0 mph. The average relative
humidity was 79% while the average sky cover was 40%.
Nearby
Cities:
Tri-Cities
-
The mean temperature was 1.7° below normal while rainfall was 2.51" above the
norm. - from NWS MRX [ - + ]
