WED JAN 01, 1997 9:50 AM EST ------------------------------------------------------------------- MONTHLY SUMMARY OF CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA - PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA Portsmouth Weather Records Service Portsmouth, Virginia 23702-2017 (3 miles south / West Cradock Section) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Monthly summary of Local Climatological Data for Portsmouth, Virginia, West Cradock Section, during the month of December 1996. Time is EST. ------------------------------------------------------------------- D HT DN LT DN MT DN HDD PREC WD WS SC WXR TYPE/REMARKS ------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 68 +10 52 +11 60.0 +11 5.0 .36 S 36 C RW R- F WINDY 2 63 +4 40 +1 51.5 +2 13.5 .11 SW 30 PC R- F FROPA 3 55 -2 35 -3 45.0 -3 20.0 ESE17 PC FR- F- (AM) 4 53 -4 37 -1 45.0 -2 20.0 N 26 SU FR-(AM) FROPA 5 49 -6 31 -6 40.0 -6 25.0 .53 ESE31 PC FR-GF-(AM) R- RW 6 52 -6 36 -1 44.0 -3 21.0 WSW34 PC FROPA WINDY (AM) 7 57 +2 36 0 46.5 +1 18.5 .83 NNW30 C R F FROPA 8 50 -5 32 -3 41.0 -4 24.0 SW 18 SU FR-(AM) 9 43 -12 34 -2 38.5 -7 26.5 T NNW36 PC RW-(AM) FROPA WINDY 10 47 -8 30 -5 38.5 -6 26.5 SW 22 PC 11 62 +11 38 +3 50.0 +7 15.0 T WSW20 PC RW- 12 69 +17 52 +16 60.5 +17 4.5 SW 18 PC MILD 13 58 +4 47 +10 52.5 +7 12.5 .07 NNW30 PC RW F L- FROPA 14 47 -5 43 +8 45.0 +1 20.0 T NNW30 C WINDY COLDER L-RW- 15 44 -11 40 +3 42.0 -4 23.0 T NNE30 C WINDY L- COLD 16 48 -4 43 +7 45.5 +2 19.5 T NNE19 C F+ L- 17 64 +12 45 +10 54.5 +11 10.5 .04 SSW27 PC F+ L RW- 18 67 +15 51 +17 59.0 +16 6.0 .04 SSW22 PC F+ RW- FROPA(EVE) 19 51 +1 31 -2 41.0 0 24.0 1.41 WNW32 C R F RW SW FROPA 20 33 -15 23 -11 28.0 -13 37.0 WNW31 SU COLD FROST PM 21 38 -12 19 -14 28.5 -13 36.5 SW 11 SU FR(AM & PM) 22 46 -3 23 - 9 34.5 - 6 30.5 WSW13 PC FROST+(AM) 23 59 +4 39 +4 40.0 +4 16.0 WSW21 PC MILD AFTERNOON 24 70 +15 48 +12 59.0 +14 6.0 .21 S 35 PC WINDY RW FROPA 25 53 +3 33 +1 43.0 +2 22.0 WNW25 PC WINDY AM COLDER 26 52 +6 28 -3 40.0 +1 25.0 .18 E 19 PC FR+(AM) R-(PM) 27 47 +2 43 +10 45.0 +6 20.0 .44 NW 17 C R-FROPA L- F+(EVE) 28 56 +3 45 +9 50.5 +6 14.5 W 15 PC F+(AM) 29 70 +19 50 +15 60.0 +17 5.0 WSW28 PC F(AM) MILD AFTERNOON 30 67 +18 49 +16 58.0 +17 7.0 ESE17 PC F+(AM) FROPA 31 65 +13 42 +8 53.5 +11 11.5 .22 NE 22 C F R FROPA BREEZY(PM) -------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY OF DECEMBER 1996: TEMPERATURE: Monthly mean: High = 54.9 Low = 38.5 Mean = 46.7 Departure < Normal: High = + 2.1 Low = + 3.2 Mean = + 2.7 Degree Days: Heating = 566.0 Cooling = 0.0 Number of Days Using: Heating = 31 Cooling = 0 Days with maximum temperature >= 90: 0 Days with maximum temperature <= 32: 0 Days with minimum temperature <= 32: 8 Days with minimum temperature <= 0: 0 PRECIPITATION: Total month = 4.44" Departure < Normal = + 1.47" Normal month (to date) 2.97" or 149% Average daily = 0.14" Normal daily = 0.10" Number of days with measurable precipitation = 12 Year-to-date = 57.21" Departure = + 9.87" or 121% of normal Maximum for December = 5.73" in 1983 --> (Since Minimum for December = 0.76" in 1988 --> 1976) Number of days with 0.01" or more: 12 Snowfall Number of days with 0.10" or more: 9 December total = TRACE Number of days with 0.50" or more: 2 December max = 1.70" Number of days with 1.00" or more: 1 in 1993 DAILY EXTREMES: Low temperature = 19 on the 21st High temperature = 70 on the 24th, 29th Maximum daily precipitation = 1.41" on the 19th Maximum 24-hour rainfall = 1.43" on the 18th-19th Maximum wind gust = S 36 mph on the 1st NNW 36 mph on the 9th Maximum barometric pressure = 30.679 on the 21st Minimum barometric pressure = 29.595" on the 7th NUMBER OF: Days Cloudy: 8 Days with thunderstorms: 0 Days Partly Cloudy: 19 # of Thunderstorms: 0 Days Clear/Sunny: 4 Days with some type of snowfall: 1 Days with Fog/Ground Fog:17 Days with Dense Fog: 5 Days with Frost: 8 ------------------------------------------------------------------ YEAR-TO-DATE: Temperatures Degree Days Precipitation Mean maximum: 68.2 (-1.3) Heating: Aqueous: 57.21" (DEP +9.88") Mean minimum: 49.9 (-0.9) 3681.0 Maximum monthly: 11.80"/JUL. Mean monthly: 59.0 (-1.1) Cooling: Minimum monthly: 2.65"/FEB. 1486.0 Highest: 98, May 20th Snowfall: 15.90" Lowest: 8, February 5th Maximum daily: 4.50"/JAN. 6 Days with max temperature >= 90: 31 Maximum monthly: 8.00"/FEB. Days with max temperature <= 32: 9 Seasonal total: 16.20" Days with min temperature <= 32: 66 Days with some type of Days with temperature <= 0: 0 snowfall: 16 Days with measurable Number of: precipitation: 139 or 38% Days using Heating: 209 Days using Cooling: 155 Days with thunderstorms: 40 Days Cloudy: 60 Number of thunderstorms: 52 Days Partly Cloudy: 250 Days Clear/Sunny: 56 Greatest 24-hour period Days with fog/ground fog: 140 rainfall: 3.90"/OCT. 7-8th Wind (Highest Gust): SSW 64 miles per hour, January 19th Barometer: Highest 30.937" on March 10th Lowest: 29.168" on October 8th ------------------------------------------------------------------ DENOTATIONS (Weather/sky conditions) Intensity Markings A Hail GF Ground fog RW Rainshower Precipitation: AP Small hail GL Glaze S Snow - Light B Blowing H Haze SG Snow granules + Heavy C Cloudy IP Ice pellets SP Snow pellets Sky Condition: CL Clear K Smoke SU Sunny -Thin or Partial D Dust L Drizzle TRW Thundershower Departures from F Fog LTG Lightning T Thunderstorm Norms: FR Frost PC Partly Cloudy X Obscurred Sky - below; + above R Rain Y Spray ZL Freezing drizzle ZR Freezing rain ------------------------------------------------------------------ OTHER DENOTATIONS: NA, not available; NR, not recorded; TEMP, temperature; MAX, maximum; MIN, minimum; T, trace of precipita- tion; INOP, inoperative equipment; MPH, miles per hour; DN, depar- ture from normal; DEP, departure; YR, year; NORM, normal; DST LTG, distant lightning; FROP or FROPA, frontal passage; AM morning; PM afternoon hours; EVE evening hours; E estimated; VBL, variable wind directions ------------------------------------------------------------------ COLUMN DENOTATIONS: D Date PREC Precipitation HT High Temperature WS Maximum Wind Speed (Gust) LT Low Temperature WD Direction of Maximum Wind Gust MT Mean Temperature HB High Barometer Reading (Inches) DN Departure from Normal LB Low Barometer Reading (Inches) SC Dominant Daily Sky Cover HDD Heating Degree Days WXR TYPES Observed Weather CDD Cooling Degree Days Conditions and Remarks ------------------------------------------------------------------ NOTES: All temperatures are in degrees fahrenheit. All precipita- tion measurements are in inches. All wind speeds are in miles per hour. ------------------------------------------------------------------