http://members.cox.net/wxr/acon.htm
SUMMARY OF
CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA
MARCH 2006
In Memoriam
Francis J. Socey
ACON VA/NC/SC Charter Member ~ Weems, Virginia
It is with deep regret that I inform you of the recent word we received
from Margaret Socey about the passing on March 19, 2006
of her father and longtime ACON VA/NC/SC member, Francis J. Socey. For those of you who have been
with us here in monthly newsletter, then Internet form since 1995, we certainly
have seen a legend pass from our group. Francis was 92 years young and a vibrant
member of our group, who offered a long history of weather research and perspectives
(begun in October 1925 in Altoona, Pennsylvania). Francis provided
resources to his community including his forecasts and weather summaries for his
hometown newspaper. Thankfully, his many contributions to the study of weather will
outlive him.
For more about Francis' decades of service, visit
http://members.cox.net/pwrs/acon/socey.txt
MARCH 2006
...ABNORMALLY DRY WEATHER...
...MOST STATIONS REPORT ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES...
Some very dry conditions prevailed in March with several spots seeing the dry
weather persist for two consecutive months. Temperatures, as would be expected with
drier than normal conditions, were above normal for most of Virginia. However,
a mixed bag of temperature departures was noted in the Carolinas. A handful of stations throughout
Virginia and North Carolina
noted what appeared to be the last of seasonal snowfall.
WATCHING WEATHER
Kevin Shaw of ACON MD/DE/DC sends along this resource for you to check out.
It's called Watching Weather and has a guide to home weather stations.
A newsletter to which you can subscribe is another feature. And, you can
pose questions for response at the website. Check it out here:
http://www.home-weather-stations-guide.com/
GLOBAL WARMING NOT FEATURED IN NEW HURRICANE STUDY
- Here's a reprint of Virginia State Climatologist Patrick Michaels'
article [ http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=031606F ]
regarding global warming from Science magazine.
[ Many of you have
also seen the media's coverage of Dr. Michaels' views. ]
GROUND BROKEN FOR NEW NOAA CENTER FOR WEATHER & CLIMATE PREDICTION
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), in partnership
with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), has broken ground for
the new Center for Weather and Climate
Prediction. Opus East, L.L.C., of Rockville,
Maryland, will design, construct and own the
building and lease it to the GSA. More here.
UPCOMING NWS STERLING SKYWARN CLASSES
NWS Sterling, Virginia (LWX) has posted their SKYWARN classes,
dates and times, for 2006 at their website, to which a link is provided below.
It is recommended that those who have taken the classes take them
again as refreshing the memory and learning about changes and new information is vital to
the success of the program.
DROUGHT MONITOR
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html
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 - MARCH 2006
|
State
|
Maximum Temperature
|
Minimum
Temperature
|
Warmest
Average
Temperature
|
Coldest
Average
Temperature
|
Maximum
Precipitation
|
Minimum
Precipitation
|
|
Virginia
|
87°
Mechanicsville
|
17°
New Market
|
50.5°
|
43.2°
Blacksburg
|
0.76"
Lynchburg
|
0.05"
Arlington
|
|
North Carolina
|
83°
Charlotte
Fayetteville
Raleigh (RDU)
|
23°
Asheville
Elizabeth City
Raleigh (RDU)
|
53.9°
Fayetteville
|
47.5°
Asheville
|
1.87"
Beaufort
|
0.55"
Lumberton
|
|
South Carolina
|
85°
Columbia
Orangeburg
|
21°
Anderson
Florence
|
57.1°
Charleston
|
52.4°
North Myrtle Beach
|
2.29"
Orangeburg
|
0.44"
Charleston
|
( 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 R2 S CWA
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANN 57.84 36.19 47.02 +2.0 86 13 26 19 0 0 12 0 54% 43 WNW 15 0 0 0 0 0 2400 LWX
BCB 55.6 31.3 43.5 +2.1 78 13 19 23 0 0 17 0 64% 43 310° 2 6.9 1 0 0 0 3 2400 RNK
BRI 57.5 35.0 46.2 +2.4 77 12,31 22 5 0 0 13 0 41% 0 0 0 0 0 2400 LWX
CCV 2400 BCB
CEN 56.9 36.3 48.0 +5.9 84 13 25 8 0 0 12 0 40 327° 15 4.3 W 0 0 0 0 0 2400 LWX
CHO 59.6 35.5 47.5 +0.6 83 13 23 8 0 0 16 0 43 320° 2 6.0 0 0 1 0 1 2400 LWX
DAN 62.2 36.7 49.5 +1.6 83 12 24 4,23 0 0 10 0 54% 40 270° 15 7.9 1 0 0 1 2 2400 RNK
DCA 57.4 38.3 47.9 +1.4 85 13 28 4,19 0 0 10 0 50% 45 290° 15 10.8 0 0 0 0 0 2400 LWX
IAD 57.3 34.4 45.8 +2.4 85 13 23 8 0 0 14 0 51% 41 200° 10 8.8 0 0 0 0 0 2400 LWX
41 300° 15
FCH 56.0 37.0 46.5 85 13 25 4 0 0 11 0 42 15 0 0 0 0 1 2400 LWX
HAM 2400 AKQ
HER 55.6 35.1 45.4 +2.0 82.4 13 24.6 19 0 0 13 0 30 15 0 0 0 0 2400 LWX
LDY 62 34 48 -0.4 85 13 21 8 0 0 16 0 43% 0 0 1 0 0 2400 AKQ
LYH 59.8 33.6 46.7 +0.7 83 12 21 4 0 0 14 0 53% 41 300° 15 5.6 0 0 0 0 0 2400 RNK
NEW 57.64 30.16 43.90 -1.0 82 13 17 19 0 0 20 0 60% 40 NW 15 1 0 0 0 0 1800 LWX
NPN 60.4 37.8 49.1 84 12,13 25 8 0 0 8 0 36 NW 15 0 0 0 0 2 2400 AKQ
NOR 58.8 39.1 48.9 +0.6 84 12,13 27 8 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 2400 AKQ
ORF 58.6 40.8 49.7 +0.7 81 12,13 27 8 0 0 3 0 58% 45 240° 10 8.6 0 0 0 0 1 2400 AKQ
FHC 59.28 41.52 50.40 82.6 12 31.5 8 0 0 1 0 59% 44 230° 10 5.0 203 0 0 0 0 1 2400 AKQ
POR 60.8 40.2 50.5 +0.1 83.8 13 26.9 9 0 0 3 0 61% 37 023° 2 5.7 310° 0 0 0 0 1 36% 2400 AKQ
CTR 62.6 35.4 49.0 +1.8 85.1 13 21.4 19 0 0 14 0 53% 27 SW 13 1.4 N 0 0 0 0 0 40% 2400 AKQ
MEC 62.6 36.00 49.3 87 12,13 23 19 0 0 12 0 15 S 3 0 0 0 1 0 1700 AKQ
RIC 61.9 37.6 49.8 +2.1 86 12 24 19 0 0 10 0 50% 41 290° 15 9.5 0 1 0 0 1 2400 AKQ
ROA 59.7 37.5 48.6 +1.4 83 12 27 4 0 0 10 0 49% 51 280° 15 8.3 1 0 0 0 0 2400 RNK
AKQ 62 33 47.5 84 13 20 8 0 0 19 0 2400 AKQ
WAL 55.0 35.4 45.2 +0.6 80 13 24 20 0 0 14 0 41 320° 15 9.7 0 0 0 0 3 2400 AKQ
WOO 54.5 36.5 45.5 +0.1 81 14 24 4 0 1 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 2400 LWX
WSH 56.3 35.4 45.8 +2.13 81.9 13 23.0 23 0 0 11 0 51% 31 NNE 14 2.2 N 0 0 0 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 R2 S CWA
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AVL 59.2 35.7 47.5 +1.2 78 12 23 27 0 0 10 0 57% 44 180° 9 8.6 0 0 0 1 2 40% 2400 GSP
44 330° 15
MRH 60.9 43.3 52.1 72 11,12 30 8 0 0 1 0 38 220° 2 10.0 0 0 0 0 1 2400 MHX
CLT 63.6 39.8 51.7 -1.1 83 12 26 4,27 0 0 7 0 56% 35 320° 14 7.0 0 0 0 1 1 60% 2400 GSP
ECG 60.1 37.1 48.6 -3.2 81 12,13 23 8 0 0 10 0 62% 41 340° 15 10.1 0 0 0 0 4 2400 AKQ
FAY 65.8 41.9 53.9 83 12,13 28 8 0 0 3 0 55% 37 230° 10 8.6 1 0 0 0 1 2400 RAH
GSO 62.3 40.3 51.3 +2.2 82 12 27 5 0 0 6 0 54% 44 280° 15 8.3 1 0 0 1 2 2400 RAH
HSE 56.7 43.9 50.3 -2.1 71 11 31 3 0 0 3 0 36 240° 2 9.3 0 0 0 0 1 2400 MHX
36 290° 15
HKY 62.3 39.9 51.1 +1.1 82 12 27 23 0 0 7 0 33 210° 13 6.9 1 0 0 0 1 2400 GSP
LBT 64.6 39.3 51.9 -0.5 82 13 26 5 0 0 9 0 35 300° 15 7.3 0 0 0 0 0 2400 ILM
EWN 63.5 39.8 51.7 -1.5 81 11 24 8 0 0 6 0 36 220° 9 7.7 1 0 0 0 4 2400 MHX
RAL 63.9 37.6 50.8 +0.1 82 12 23 8 0 0 11 0 29 10 1 0 0 1 1 2400 RAH
RDU 63.4 39.5 51.4 +0.7 83 12 25 4 0 0 9 0 55% 40 280° 15 7.4 0 0 0 1 1 2400 RAH
ROX 62.6 38.9 50.8 +2.4 82 11 26 23 0 0 9 0 58% 39 NW 15 N 0 0 0 1 0 41% 2400 RAH
ILM 65.1 41.7 53.4 -1.6 81 11,12 28 5,8 0 0 6 0 43 220° 10 8.0 0 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 R2 S CWA
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AND 64.5 41.1 52.8 -0.1 82 12 27 4,26 0 0 5 0 40 310° 14 7.0 0 0 0 0 1 2400 GSP
41 300° 14
CAE 66.9 42.4 54.6 -0.8 85 12,13 28 5,27 0 0 5 0 57% 32 250° 2 7.0 0 0 0 0 0 2400 CAE
32 220° 14
CRE 62.6 42.2 52.4 -1.3 78 2 29 8 0 0 4 0 33 260° 2 7.2 0 0 0 0 3 2400 CHS
CHS 69.1 45.2 57.1 -0.6 83 11 33 8,26 0 0 0 0 40 360° 7 9.1 1 0 0 0 1 2400 CHS
FLO 66.1 41.8 54.0 83 12,13 27 4 0 0 4 0 36 250° 2 7.9 2 0 0 0 3 2400 ILM
GSP 64.4 41.5 52.9 +1.3 82 12 28 4,25 0 0 6 0 54% 35 200° 13 7.8 0 0 0 0 3 30% 2400 GSP
OGB 67.6 43.5 55.6 85 12 32 27 0 0 1 0 36 240° 2 6.9 1 0 0 0 1 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 R2 S CWA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRI 58.6 33.6 46.1 -0.4 78 11 19 5 0 0 15 0 38 270° 2 5.2 3 0 0 2 4 2400 MRX
DAV 40.4 23.2 31.8 69 14 12 4 0 11 25 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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANN 0.06 0.03 28 0.03 28 3 0 5.89 0.2 21 2 0 0.2 21.5 30.37 30 29.41 2 30.03 2400
BCB 0.69 -3.14 0.20 6 0.20 6 7 0 4.59 1.0 6 9 1 1.3 20.4 2400
BRI 0.54 -2.78 0.21 4 0.21 4 6 0 3.75 T 3 0.5 15.0 30.29 31 29.61 14 1615/1600
CCV 2400
CEN 0.10 -3.69 0.05 28 0.05 28 3 0 4.81 0.4 21 1 0 0.4 20.2 30.50 19 29.45 2 29.98 2400
CHO 0.22 -3.83 0.07 6 0.07 6 5 0 4.61 2400
DAN 0.56 -3.69 0.27 20 0.27 20 5 0 4.36 T 1 1 0 T 1.6 30.38 30 29.51 2 2400
DCA 0.05 -3.55 0.03 2 0.03 2 1 0 5.76 T 22 3 0 T 13.6 2400
IAD 0.07 -3.48 0.03 28 0.03 28 2 0 4.85 T 21 2 0 T 14.1 2400
FCH 0.16 0.13 2 0.13 2 3 0 5.63 0.2 22 1 0 0.2 13.9 2400
HAM through February 2006 ->3.22 0.2 20 1 0 0.2 2400
HER 0.06 -3.49 0.04 14 0.04 14 3 0 5.31 0.1 21 1 0 0.1 20.0 2400
LDY 0.14 -3.74 0.14 21 1 0 9.02 T 21 1 0 T 10.5 30.41 30 29.41 2 30.07 2400
LYH 0.76 -3.07 0.40 25 0.40 25 5 0 5.98 T 6,21, 3 0 8.1 12.9 30.39 30 29.49 2 2400
25
NEW 0.44 -2.50 0.16 14 6 0 5.03 T 21,22 4 0 T 16.75 30.50 27 29.74 7 1700
24,26
NPN 0.41 0.21 21 0.26 21-22 5 0 4.21 0.1 22 1 0 0.1 0.8 30.32 30 29.35 2 2400
NOR 0.55 -3.57 0.30 21 5 0 4.17 1 0 T 1.3 2400
ORF 0.52 -3.56 0.26 21 0.26 21 5 0 3.85 T 21,22 5 0 T 0.8 30.39 30 29.41 2 2400
FHC 0.58 0.29 21 0.33 21-22 5 0 4.99 T 22 1 0 T 1.0 30.382 30 29.419 2 30.042 2400
POR 0.46 -3.68 0.18 4, 0.19 11-12 8 0 3.33 0.5 20 5 0 0.5 1.0 30.53 19 29.38 4 30.049 2400
11
CTR 0.30 -3.99 0.14 22 0.14 22 4 0 4.39 1.4 22 4 0 1.4 6.5 30.36 30 29.40 4 30.024 2400
MEC 0.16 0.09 21 0.16 21-22 2 0 5.11 1.5 22 2 1 1.5 7.7 30.14 6 29.53 12,13 1700
RIC 0.20 -3.89 0.10 21 0.10 21 4 0 4.56 0.5 21 2 0 0.9 8.5 30.40 30 29.42 2 2400
ROA 0.35 -3.49 0.15 24 0.15 24 5 0 5.47 T 6,22 2 0 T 10.0 30.39 30 29.51 2 2400
AKQ 0.30 0.12 21 6 0 4.37 0.2 22 2 0 0.2 1.4 2400
WAL 0.28 -3.70 0.17 25 0.17 25 4 0 3.75 T 21 1 0 T 3.7 30.38 30 29.38 2 2400
WOO 0.22 -2.80 0.05 7 0 4.24 0.5 22 3 0 0.5 17.4 30.48 5 29.74 2 0800
WSH 0.34 -4.53 0.11 14 0.14 13-14 7 0 5.51 T 4 0 T 22.3 30.38 30 29.43 2 2400
28 |
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 0.91 -3.68 0.47 20 0.47 20 9 0 7.04 T 23,24 9 0 T 1.4 2400
25,26
MRH 1.87 1.15 24 6 1 7.51 0.0 0.0 0.0 30.39 30 29.59 2 2400
CLT 1.32 -3.07 0.78 20 0.78 20 8 0 5.72 0.0 0.0 T 2400
ECG 1.26 -3.41 0.63 21 0.63 21 5 0 4.64 T 21,22 2 0 T 0.5 30.40 30 29.45 2 2400
FAY 0.87 0.41 20 4 0 5.00 0.0 0.0 0.0 2400
GSO 0.95 -2.90 0.41 11 0.45 11 7 0 3.92 T 20 1 0 1.3 1.3 2400
HSE 1.63 -3.32 0.92 21 0.92 21 5 0 8.11 0.0 0.0 0.5 30.38 30 29.54 2 2400
HKY 1.67 -3.25 0.90 20 0.90 20 7 0 6.10 0.0 0.0 T 2400
LBT 0.55 -3.76 0.34 21 4 0 3.48 0.0 0.0 0.0 30.38 30 29.63 2 2400
EWN 2.27 -2.22 0.90 5 0 6.27 0.0 0.0 T 30.40 30 29.55 2 2400
RDU 1.25 -2.78 0.51 21 5 0 4.97 T 20 1 0 T T 1900
RAL 1.34 -2.69 0.96 20-21 10 0 5.55 0.0 0.0 T 30.38 30 29.53 2 2400
ROX 1.13 -2.70 0.40 20 0.40 20 6 0 5.22 0.0 0 0 0.0 2.1 30.46 30 29.56 2 30.09 2200
20
ILM 1.28 -2.94 0.54 24 6 0 6.51 0.0 0.0 0.0 30.39 30 29.67 21 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 1.72 -3.25 1.29 20 1.29 20 7 1 7.87 0.0 0.0 T 2400
CAE 0.89 -3.70 0.87 21 1 0 7.01 0.0 0.0 T 30.39 27 29.73 14 2400
CRE 1.65 -2.14 0.97 21 5 0 7.36 0.0 0.0 0.0 30.38 30 29.66 2 2400
CHS 0.44 -3.56 0.17 23 5 0 6.67 0.0 0.0 0.0 30.38 27 29.66 21 2400
FLO 0.47 -3.53 0.20 6 5 0 5.51 0.0 0.0 0.0 30.38 27 29.66 2 2400
GSP 1.34 -3.97 1.06 20 1.06 20 6 1 6.34 0.0 0.0 T 2400
OGB 2.29 2.14 21 3 1 8.26 0.0 0.0 0.0 30.39 27 29.75 21 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 2.89 -1.05 0.64 13 11 0 8.77 0.8 25 4 0 0.8 9.2 30.41 27 30.02 28 2400
DAV 3.34 0.62 13 17 0 13.00 4.1 22 17 8 21.3 159.2 0700 |
Virginia:
Annandale
- Lowell reports:
"
March was the driest March on record in the past 26-years with only 1.3 % of
the average monthly precipitation and 2.2°F above the average mean monthly
temperature. The average March mean temperature was 47.0°F which was the
6th highest in the past 26 years.
The March rainfall had a -4.28 inch departure with only 3 days having
measurable precipitation tying the 1981 record. March was not only the
driest March but also tied the record of the driest month in the last 26
years with October 2000. No measurable precipitation occurred in Annandale
for 18 days from March 3rd through March 20th. This is now the longest
period without measurable precipitation since 2001 when the 26-year record
was set of 34 days from Oct. 17th - Nov. 19th.
The highest temperature was 86°F on the 13th that was the highest
temperature recorded in March since 1998 when the 26-year record of 90°F
was set. The daily mean temperature for the 13th was 69.0° F and was the
highest daily mean for March since March 28, 1991 when 72°F was recorded.
The average daily temperature range of 21.7°F for March was the 3rd highest
on record. Only the 22.4°F in 1988 and the record of 23.6°F set in 1986
were higher. The least daily temperature range during March was 10°F that
occurred on the 21st which is now the 26-year record.
The total snowfall for March was 0.2 inches and was -2.6 inches less than
the 26-year average which is 2.8 inches.
The maximum wind gust of 43 mph from the WNW on the 15th at 1020 was the
8th strongest wi4nd gust recorded for March in the past 26 years.
4 daily records were tied or broken. (26-Years of records):
2 daily HIGH maximum temperature: 10, 13;
1 daily HIGH minimum temperature: 10;
1 daily HIGH temperature: 31.
[ + - ]
Arlington
- Report from Guyer at NWS LWX:
"
MARCH 2006 IS NOW THE RECORD DRIEST MARCH WITH ONLY 0.05 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION. THIS SMASHES THE OLD RECORD OF 0.57 INCHES SET BACK
IN 1910. 0.03 INCHES OF THE 0.05 FELL IN JUST A FEW HOURS ON MARCH
2ND. THERE WAS PLENTY OF TEASING GOING ON AS WELL...WITH 9 OTHER
DAYS REPORTING JUST A TRACE.
NOT ONLY WAS IT DRY...BUT IT WAS ALSO A LITTLE WARM. THE OVERALL
AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE WAS 1.4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. A HIGH
TEMPERATURE OF 85 DEGREES ON MARCH 13TH WAS 7 DEGREES ABOVE THE
AVERAGE OF HIGHEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES...AND THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE
OF 28 DEGREES WAS 5 DEGREES ABOVE. THERE WERE ALSO A FEW WINDY DAYS
THIS MARCH. WIND GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH ON THE 15TH COUPLED WITH LOW
RELATIVE HUMIDITIES PROMPTED RED FLAG WARNINGS ACROSS MUCH OF THE
REGION.
" [ + - ]
Bridgewater
- "
We had some snow, but little to show for it. The snow melted as it came down.
The temperature was 2.4° above normal while precipitation was 2.78" below
normal.
"
- [ + - ] - report from Clayton
Centreville
- "
Neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night, and so on; well, this March
certainly made it easy on these couriers and my event recorder chart paper.
With just 0.10" of precipitation for the month, and nearly half of that was
from a light snow event, we hardly had enough moisture to clean out the
bottom of the rain gauge. Our snowstorm of March 21st yielding 0.4" was
mostly seen on unpaved areas, and thankfully no one was injured. One sprinkle
on the 2nd coupled with 0.04" from melted snow, and a gully washer on the
28th giving us 0.05" in the bucket, was about as much as we could handle.
At 48°, our temperatures averaged almost six degrees above our 42.1° normal.
A low of 25° for the month on the eighth was followed five days later on
the 13th by a monthly high of 84°. From then on we tended to stay on the
warm side of normal. Our daytime average high of 56.9° was just 3.5° above
our 53.4° average. The low daily temperatures were fairly well-behaved
this month with a difference of a moderate 5.4° between the typical average
low of 30.9° and our recorded low of 36.3° which I'm sure helped to allow
for the swift completion of everyone's appointed rounds.
" - [ + - ] - summary from Paul
Dulles
- "
MARCH 2006 IS NOW THE RECORD DRIEST MARCH WITH ONLY 0.05 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION. THIS SMASHES THE OLD RECORD OF 0.57 INCHES SET BACK
IN 1910. 0.03 INCHES OF THE 0.05 FELL IN JUST A FEW HOURS ON MARCH
2ND. THERE WAS PLENTY OF TEASING GOING ON AS WELL...WITH 9 OTHER
DAYS REPORTING JUST A TRACE.
NOT ONLY WAS IT DRY...BUT IT WAS ALSO A LITTLE WARM. THE OVERALL
AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE WAS 1.4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. A HIGH
TEMPERATURE OF 85 DEGREES ON MARCH 13TH WAS 7 DEGREES ABOVE THE
AVERAGE OF HIGHEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES...AND THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE
OF 28 DEGREES WAS 5 DEGREES ABOVE. THERE WERE ALSO A FEW WINDY DAYS
THIS MARCH. WIND GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH ON THE 15TH COUPLED WITH LOW
RELATIVE HUMIDITIES PROMPTED RED FLAG WARNINGS ACROSS MUCH OF THE
REGION.
" - [ + - ] - report from NWS LWX
Falls Church
- "
March 2006 was my driest on record
since I've been keeping them (March 1994). While it may have been a very
dry month it lived up to its reputation of being a very windy month. My
peak gust of 42 mph occurred on March 15.
March 2006 was a roller coaster in terms of temperatures. I did see my
first 80 degree day on the 12th.
" - [ M - ] - report from NWS LWX
Herndon
- Bob notes:"
My average MAX temperature was 0.6 degrees ABOVE
the Dulles "normal" and the average MIN was 3.3 degrees
ABOVE "normal". Snowfall was 0.3 inches BELOW the Dulles average.
The groundwater observation well at Reston showed a net decline of about
1.5 feet for the month. Needless to say the miniscule
rainfall was a new 30-year record low for this site.
" - [ + - ]
Ladysmith
- Danny sends these notes:
"
March brought the first hint of spring (and summer)-like temperatures; but the
lack of precipitation was definitely the headline of the month. Despite temperatures
reaching 80° or above four times throughout the month, temperatures still finished
below normal thanks in large part to a stretch of below normal temperatures from
the 17th through the 28th. The season finishes with 10.5" of snowfall.
" - [ - - ]
Norfolk
- "
At the Fred Heutte Center, one of the driest March's on record, if not the driest. As database only
began for this station in 2003, difficult to say it was the driest for Norfolk.
A trace of snow in the month continuing the well-below snowfall departure for
the 2005-2006 winter season. The temperature average was near normal.
" [ -/+ - ]
Portsmouth
- "
In March, the temperature average was near normal (+0.4°)
Rainfall for the month was well below normal, by some 3.68". In fact,
March 2006 was the DRIEST MARCH ON RECORD WITH DATABASE TO
1976!
The 0.46" surpasses the previous least amount of 0.89" in 1986.
This is the 2nd consecutive month (February and March 2006)
with driest months ever (for February and March months only) in the database to 1976.
A trace of snow fell with the yearly total of 1.0", well below normal.
STATION RECORDS: 10th - Temperature Maximum 77° [previous 76° 1986];
10th - Temperature Maximum Minimum 61° [previous 57° 2000];
13th - Temperature Maximum Minimum 64° [previous 63° 1990]
For the year, the temperature average for the year was 47.4° or 3.0° above
normal. Rainfall at the end of March was 7.28" BELOW normal (34%)
" [ + - ]
Woodstock
- "
This was the second driest month recorded in my
21 years of records. Only October 2000 with .09 inches was drier.
" [ + - ]
North
Carolina:
Raleigh
- NWS Raleigh (RAH) reports:
"
The Raleigh-Durham Airport location recorded their2nd
driest March since
records have been kept in 1944. The dryness at many locations
ranked March 2006 as one of the top 5 driest March's on record.
There was only one widespread significant rainfall event during the entire
month of March. Otherwise, the month was dominated by several fast moving,
moisture starved weather systems. The total monthly precipitation generally
averaged around an inch across much of the state (20 to 35 percent of normal).
With the lack of significant precipitation, not only in March but also in the
first three months to begin 2006, soil moisture levels and stream flow
slipped to well below normal. Local reservoir levels remained nearly
steady but began a slow decline by month's end.
The full MARCH 2006 Weather Review is available at:
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/rah/ncsummaries/MonthlySummary.Mar.2006.doc.
" - [ + - ]
Elsewhere:
Tri-Cities:
-
"
The monthly average temperature at Tri-Cities was 46.1 degrees, which was
0.4 degrees below normal. It tied with 1957 as the 30th coolest March on
record at Tri-Cities. A daily record high temperature was broken on the
11th when the afternoon high reached 78 degrees, breaking the old record of
76 degrees set in 1990. The coolest March at Tri-Cities was back in 1960,
when the average temperature was only 33.5 degrees.
Tri-Cities received 2.86 inches of precipitation in March, which was 1.05
inches below normal. It tied with 1972 as the 20th driest March on record at
Tri-Cities. Measurable rainfall fell on 13 days, but only four of those days
had more than one-quarter of an inch of rain. The heaviest rain fell on the
13th, when 0.64 inches was reported. The driest March at Tri-Cities was back
in 1985, when 1.31 inches was recorded.
" - [- - ] - report from NWS MRX, Morristown, TN
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 2005-2006 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 |
| R2 sky cover percentage |
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 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 |
| ANN Annandale,
VA 1 3/4 ENE - Lowell Koontz 8/31/79 wwkoontz@verizon.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 |
WEE Weems, VA 3WNW Francis
J. Socey - deceased 3/19/06 |
| BRI Bridgewater,
VA Clayton Towers Ctowers@rica.net |
WOO Woodstock, VA 5NW Lauck
Walton - 12/1/85 jwalton@shentel.net |
|
CEN Centreville, VA Paul Bassett 1985, 38° 50.9788' N LAT. 77° 25.6374' W LON. | Elevation 324' | m.psb@verizon.net
|
LDY Ladysmith, VA Danny Jessee 2003 danny@dannyjessee.com
|
|
CCV Campbell County, VA - 37° 24' N 79° 04' W -
Roger Penny September 2005 bulletnva@yahoo.com
|
WAL Wallops Island, VA
37° 56'26" N
75° 27'47" W Wallops Flight Facility Airport
|
CHO Charlottesville,
VA Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport ASOS (Rappahannock County)
38-08-18N 078-27-21W 192M |
AVL Asheville,
NC Asheville Regional Airport 35-25-55N 082-32-15W 670M |
| |
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 |
BRE Brevard, NC
1SE Bob Keehn 1/1/90 rkeehn@brinet.com |
| IAD Dulles - Washington-Dulles
International Airport 38-56-05N 077-26-51W 93M |
CLT Charlotte,
NC NWS Charlotte/Douglas International Airpot 35-12-48N 080-56-55W 220M |
| 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 |
| HER Herndon, VA
R.M. Beall P- 10/76 T- 1/91 beall47@earthlink.net |
GSO Greensboro, NC NWS
Piedmont Triad International Airport 36-05-51N 079-56-37W 275M |
| HRN Herndon, VA 4SW Russ
Topping - 1985-2006 russ.topping@gmail.com - ceased operation March 2006 |
HSE Cape Hatteras,
NC Mitchell Field 35-13-56N 075-27-21W 3M |
| |
LBT Lumberton,
NC Lumberton Municipal Airport 34-36-26N 079-03-36W 37M |
| |
EWN New Bern,
NC Craven County Regional Airport 36-04-03N 077-02-50W 3M |
| LXI Lexington,
VA Scott M. Lancey, - 06/96 weather@midatlanticwx.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 |
|