MONTHLY SUMMARY: JULY 1997 UPDATED: 9/5/97 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- First off, a BIG WELCOME to Danny Jessee of Stafford, VA who has joined us this month! He has an e-mail address I've placed in the usual spot on the climat summary. Geez, a few days in the fold and he's already honored with a tropical storm/hurricane name! [Come to think of it, I've been honored this year, too! But, I didn't achieve the fame he has!] The biggest weather "noise" around the region was the arrival of the remnants of Hurricane Danny. After meandering across Alabama, the well-defined center drifted towards Atlanta then headed northest across Charlotte- depositing heavy, flooding rains there - then heading northeast to just south of Norfolk crossing directly over Back Bay in Virginia Beach. The center strengthened as it approached the SE VA coast, significantly enough for Miami to reclassify it as a tropical storm. Heat, humidity, and haziness characterized the month with scattered thunderstorms providing sufficient moisture for most of our region. Still, some isolated spots had little rain. I imagine that will be reflected in your data as it comes in. Seems that most areas received adequate amounts of rain- in some cases well above normal - due either to summer t-storm deluges or from the remnants of Hurricane Danny and rejuvenated Tropical Storm Danny. HOWEVER, look at that reading from Bob Beall in HERndon, VA! Only 0.22". Guess he got bypassed by everything!! Joyce Winfree (NEW) is looking for a good PC database program to maintain her daily/monthly/yearly records. I recommended two to her but wonder just how many good database programs are out there. PLEASE USE THE EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW AND SEND HER YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTES FROM "AROUND THE LEAGUE"- Arlington - NWS WBC noted that the monthly average temp was near normal (+0.4 degree) while precip was 2.66" below normal. The high temp of 100 degrees on the 28th tied the record originally set in 1993. Bridgewater - Some notes now from Clayton Towers: "Precipitation for the month was 1.26 inches above normal. We were lucky here in Bridgewater. Many places around here didn't get nearly this much. In spite of our rainfall, it was quite dry during the middle of the month with the grass turning brown. We are about an inch above for the year. A number of our rains came in big lumps. One rainy spell produced 2.79 inches in a three-day period. It would have been better if the moisture would have spread out a bit. We have had 8 thunderstorms so far this year. Last year at this time, we had 27. Unbelievable! Centreville - Paul poses an interesting question about which I too have pondered: "Does a hot dry summer with El-Nino acting-up remind anyone of conditions prior to the Blizzard of '95?" His station's average daily temp was 2 degrees above normal while precip was 1.97" below the normal. Falls Church - Another dry spot was found at Lowell Koontz' station with only 1.82" for July. This was 2.57" below ormal and resulted in the driest July since 1985! The mean temp was -0.26 degree. The average temp range was 20.16 degrees (+1.21) due in part to very clear skies with the clearest July since 1995. [Average low temps were nearly -1 degree while average max temp were +0.24]. Only 7 days produced measurable precip, the second least in the last 12 years. Areas to the north recorded many more days of measurable precip. Falls Church - Erica noted: "Even though this summer's been dry, for the month of July my rainfall total was .32" above average. My average high temp was 2.8 degrees above the norm and my average low temperature was 1.1 degree below the norm." Fredericksburg - July averaged close to normal temps, about 1/2 degree below normal. Highs were about 2.5 degrees below normal while lows were 1.6 degrees above normal. One hot spell from the 12th-19th with 8 consecutive days above 90 degrees. 100 degrees was reached on the 18th. Rainfall was above normal, but things are drying-up and water restrictions have been imposed. Hampton - Dave noted from his station that temps and precip were above normal. 6 inches of rain fell in 72 hours from Danny and helped relieve mild drought conditions. July 4th had a record tying high of 98 degrees, not only for his station, but also for LFI [Langley AFB]. Herndon - As mentioned earlier, Bob Beall recorded his driest July in the past 21 years! Louisa - Mechanicsville - Strong t-storms with sharp lightning moved into the area on the 9th at around 2200 local time. More storms moved into the area on the 22nd around 1600 hours producing more sharp lightning and downpours. On the 24th, rain- with some downpours- and drizzle occurred from the remnants of Danny. Norfolk - (From NWS AKQ) The big weather event of July 1997 was the drought which was increasing in severity and scope throughout much of SE VA until the 3rd week of the month. From July 3rd to the 15th barely a trace of rain fell. Although the July '97 rainfall total was 7.85", 80% of the month's rain fell over a four-day period. From July 21st through the 24th, 6.52" of rain fell at ORF while 7.88" were recorded at the Norfolk Naval Base (NGU). The greatest rainfall occurred from the remains of "Danny" on July 23rd and 24th as 2.73" fell at ORF, but higher 24-hour amounts from around the area were common. Severe weather occurred with the passage of the remains of "Danny" with remarkably strong winds. Cape Henry and Langley AFB both recorded a wind gust to 61 mph with Danny's passage and there were several tornadoes that touched down across Hampton Roads. Additional severe weather occurred on the 16th with high winds and hail. There were no record max or min temps set during the month. Portsmouth - A busy day on the 24th when the center of rejunvenated Tropical Storm Danny moved some 50 miles south of this station producing two hours of strong winds and squally weather, including nearly 2" of rain. Max wind gust was from the north at 56 MPH. The system spawned many local tornadoes, one 2 SM ENE of this station causing nearly $100,000 in damage, and another some 2 SM to the south. Temps (-0.4) and precip (+0.11") were near normal. Have included a pix of the tornado 2 statue miles ENE of the station. Without the rains from Danny, this site would have finished yet another dry month. Yearly precip is still only 72% of normal. Richmond - (from NWS AKQ) Heavy rains fell at mid-month but total rainfall was still below normal. The month was a dry one and a continuation in a series of below normal rainfall months that go back to the spring of 1997. The total rainfall was close to normal, most coming from the 22nd through the 24th. During this time 3/4ths of the month's rain fell. The yearly rainfall is still approximately 3 inches below norm. Temps during the month were close to normal. The were no max nor min temps set. Roanoke - Wendell notes that his temp average for the month was 0.1 degree above normal while rainfall was above normal at +0.59". No big storms this month. [RE: ROA monthly climatological summary alluded to in earlier ACON VA/NC/SC summaries, Wendell also notes: "Bill, when I inquired about monthly summaries last year, I was told those records were kept in AVL. Doesn't make much sense, does it? Mark this one up to 'progress', I guess!" ... to which I respond, "Amen!!!!" For those of you who didn't read this earlier, ROA's daily/monthly summaries, according to NWS Blacksburg, are still maintained at the ROA airport; however, no longer is any official monthly summary published!] Stafford - Danny noted, in particular, the week of July 13-19 when the high temperature averaged 97.7 degrees! On July 1st, a heavy rainfall measured 2.76". Overall, July was 1.4 degrees above normal. A very chilly 53 degrees was noted on the morning of the 31st. Washington - Last year this time, says Dave Yowell, rainfall had already totaled 39.36 inches! Weems - Woodstock - Asheville - The monthly average temp was 0.6 degree above normal while total precip for the month was 1.55" above normal. Brevard - Bob noted that July was not unusually hot, but felt so because of very high humidity, avg. = 85.1%, 20 of 28 observed days with dense fog in the morning. Rainfall, 3.41" was the second lowest July total from 1990, the lowest, 1.97", was recorded in 1992. Charlotte - NWS GSP reports: mean temps in CLT land were 2 degrees above normal while precip was 3.92" above normal Greensboro - NWS RDU noted that the Piedmont-Triad area has an average temp for the month +0.9 degree while the total precip was 1.48" BELOW nornal. A record low temperature of 56 set a new record on the 31st. (The previous record low was 57.) Two high min temps were tied during the month, on the 27th and 30th. Henderson - George reports that his station missed out on most storms during July '97. Raleigh - From Bob come these headlines for July: first, extreme heat plagued the area and, second, heavy rainfall is associated with Danny! On July 4th, Goldsboro reached 106 degrees while Fayetteville hit 102 degrees. Heavy rainfall from Danny resulted in flooding, including Crabtree Creek in Raleigh. Raleigh - NWS RDU noted 2 record highs were tied in July on the 4th and the 15th. One record low was tied on the 31st. A daily lowest max temp was broken on the 20th while 3 record daily high mins were tied on the 3rd, 27th, and 28th. A new record rainfall amount of 4.18" was recorded on the 24th. Average monthly temp was +1.4 degrees while the monthly precip total was +2.5". Roxboro - Merriell noted that July was hotter and drier than normal although there were record-breaking minimum temps. Wilmington - "...BACK TO THE DRY SPELL.." was ILM's monthly climatological report banner for July. With the last 2 days of the month being around 10 degree below normal, the month dropped back from warmer than normal to about average. Then mean temp for the month was -0.4 degree from normal while the precip was 25% below normal. The Port City received about 63% normal sunshine. The strongest individual winds occurred on the 29th with passage of a thunderstorm. Columbia - The average monthly temperature was 0.6 degree above normal whiule the total precip was 2.66" above normal. Greenville-Spartanburg - NWS reports that the average monthly temp was 0.6 degree above normal while the precip was 1.39" above normal. Ruby - The crops and gardens were burning-up very seriously until "Danny" came through. Since then, things are looking up for this area. No flooding from "Danny" in this immediate area. Tri-cities - A departure of +0.3 degree was noted for the monthly average temp; precip was only slightly above normal at +0.08" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- UPDATED MEMBERS' E-MAIL ADDRESSES: (posted by permission) BRE Bob Keehn Bob_Keehn@citcom.net BRI Clayton Towers Ctowers@rica.net POR Bill Trotter 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 RMD Roy Britt rbritt@erols.com NEW Joyce Winfree joywood@shentel.net FRB Ken McKneely 10774.3710@compuserve.com STF Danny Jessee wxnet@tidalwave.net -----------------------------------------------------------------------------