----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 March 1996. Time is EST. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- D HT DN LT DN MT DN HDD CDD PREC WD WS SC WXR TYPE/REMARKS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 46 -6 30 -3 38.0 -4 27.0 0.18 ESE19 C R- 2 46 -9 35 -1 40.5 -5 24.5 0.31 N 22 PC R-F(AM) GF 3 53 -1 27 -10 40.0 -5 25.0 WNW40 SU FROPA WINDY COLDER 4 48 -9 25 -12 36.5 -10 28.5 WSW20 SU COLD 5 72 +13 34 -6 53.0 +3 12.0 SSW42 PC WINDY WARM 6 66 +10 58 +19 62.0 +14 3.0 0.36 S 34 C F R FROPA(LATE EVE) 7 66 +9 36 -1 51.0 +4 14.0 0.48 S 30 C F R RW WARMFROP COLDFROP 8 36 -20 24 -13 30.0 -16 35.0 0.10 S 31 PC R-IP-S-SW ACCUMULATION: 0.40" 9 31 -24 18 -18 24.5 -21 40.5 W 25 SU RECORD COLD WINDY (AM) 10 34 -23 23 -13 28.5 -18 36.5 WNW22 SU BREEZY COLD 11 40 -18 29 -7 34.5 -13 30.5 NE 28 PC BREEZY COLD 12 50 -9 32 -7 41.0 -8 24.0 NNE32 PC BREEZY 13 59 -3 27 -13 43.0 -8 22.0 NNW18 SU FR(AM) 14 73 +13 36 -4 54.5 +5 10.5 W 22 PC MILD AFT 15 79 +17 52 +12 65.5 +14 0.5 0.35 WSW32 PC T RW MILD 16 62 +3 46 +7 54.0 +5 11.0 SE 20 PC 17 50 -12 41 +2 45.5 -5 19.5 0.58 E 27 C TRW F 18 49 -10 45 +5 47.0 -3 18.0 T NE 15 C F R-(PM) 19 71 +12 46 +6 58.5 +9 6.5 0.19 SSW54 C R-F FROPA RW WINDY 20 53 -7 40 +3 46.5 -2 18.5 SSW37 PC WINDY 21 56 -5 36 -4 46.0 -4 19.0 WSW27 PC BREEZY 22 51 -8 36 -2 43.5 -5 21.5 0.01 SSW27 PC RW-SW-F- NW 27 23 55 -5 31 -7 43.0 -6 22.0 NW 33 SU 24 62 0 29 -13 45.5 -6 19.5 SSE27 SU 25 76 +15 41 0 58.5 +8 6.5 SSW36 PC MILDER 26 72 +11 49 +8 60.5 +9 4.5 SW 21 PC FROPA 27 49 -15 40 -2 44.5 -8 20.5 N 29 PC WINDY COLDER 28 48 -17 40 -5 44.0 -11 21.0 1.19 NE 25 C R F L WINDY RAW 29 43 -26 38 -7 40.5 -16 24.5 0.03 NNW24 C R- L- F 30 56 -12 40 -8 48.0 -10 17.0 N 20 PC PLEASANT AFTERNOON 31 61 -5 40 -6 50.5 -5 14.5 0.12 SE 15 PC R-F- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY OF MARCH 1996: TEMPERATURE: Monthly mean: High = 55.3 Low = 36.3 Mean = 45.8 Departure < Normal: High = -4.5 Low = -3.2 Mean = -3.8 Degree Days: Heating = 597.0 Cooling = 0.5 Number of Days Using: Heating = 30 Cooling = 1 Days with maximum temperature >= 90: 0 Days with maximum temperature <= 32: 1 Days with minimum temperature <= 32: 11 Days with minimum temperature <= 0: 0 PRECIPITATION: Total month = 3.90" Departure < Normal = -0.53" Normal month = 4.43" or 88% Average daily = 0.13" Normal daily = 0.14" Number of days with measurable precipitation = 12 Year-to-date = 12.15" Departure = +0.20" 102% of normal Maximum for March = 10.96" in 1994 --> (Since Minimum for March = 0.89" in 1986 --> 1977) Number of days with 0.01" or more: 12 Snowfall Number of days with 0.10" or more: 10 March total = 0.40" Number of days with 0.50" or more: 2 March maximum = 14.00" Number of days with 1.00" or more: 1 in 1980 DAILY EXTREMES: Low temperature = 18 on the 9th High temperature = 79 on the 15th Maximum daily precipitation = 1.19" on the 28th Maximum 24-hour rainfall = 1.19" on the 28th Maximum wind gust = SSW 54 mph on the 19th Maximum barometric pressure = 30.937" on the 10th Minimum barometric pressure = 29.196" on the 19th NUMBER OF: Days Cloudy: 8 Days with thunderstorms: 2 Days Partly Cloudy: 17 # of Thunderstorms: 2 Days Clear/Sunny: 6 Days with some type of snowfall: 2 Days with Fog/Ground fog: 11 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- YEAR-TO-DATE: (through March 31st, 1996) Temperatures Degree Days Precipitation Mean maximum: 50.9 (-2.0) Heating: 2094.0 Aqueous: 12.15" (DEP +0.20") Mean minimum: 33.1 (-1.1) Cooling: 0.5 Maximum monthly: 5.60"/JAN. Mean monthly: 42.0 (-1.6) Minimum monthly: 2.65"/FEB. Highest: 79, March 15th Snowfall: 15.90" Lowest: 8, February 5th Maximum daily: 4.50"/JAN. 6 Days with maximum temperature >= 90: 0 Maximum monthly: 8.00"/FEB. Days with maximum temperature <= 32: 27 Days with minimum temperature <= 32: 48 Days with some type of Days with temperature <= 0: 0 snowfall: 15 Days with measurable Number of: precipitation: 38 or 42% Days using Heating: 90 Days using Cooling: 1 Days with thunderstorms: 5 Days Cloudy: 25 Number of thunderstorms: 5 Days Partly Cloudy: 55 Days Clear/Sunny: 11 Greatest 24-hour period Days with fog/ground fog: 38 rainfall: 1.69"/Jan. 6-7th Wind (Highest Recorded Wind Gust): SSW 64 miles per hour, JAN. 19 Barometer: Highest 30.937" on March 10th; Lowest: 29.196" on March 19th --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 precipitation; INOP, inopera- tive equipment; MPH, miles per hour; DN, departure 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 of High, LB Low Barometer Reading (Inches) Low or Mean Temperature SC Dominant Daily Sky Cover HDD Heating Degree Days WXR TYPES Observed Weather Conditions CDD Cooling Degree Days and Remarks ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTES: All temperatures are in degrees fahrenheit. All precipitation measurements are in inches. All wind speeds are in miles per hour. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------