CXUS51 KGYX 080508 CLAAUG PWMCLMAUG 000 TTAA00 KGYX 022101 CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME 1208 AM EST TUE JAN 8 2019 ................................... ...THE AUGUSTA CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2018... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1948 TO 2019 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR'S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL ................................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 100 08/05/1955 LOW -23 02/02/1962 HIGHEST 93 07/05 93 0 93 05/18 07/04 LOWEST -15 01/01 -10 -5 -15 12/29 AVG. MAXIMUM 54.9 54.7 0.2 55.4 AVG. MINIMUM 37.4 36.8 0.6 37.8 MEAN 46.1 45.7 0.4 46.6 DAYS MAX >= 90 7 4.8 2.2 3 DAYS MAX <= 32 58 57.5 0.5 54 DAYS MIN <= 32 158 145.4 12.6 141 DAYS MIN <= 0 6 11.0 -5.0 8 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 57.31 2005 MINIMUM 25.79 2001 TOTALS 42.14 41.88 0.26 39.88 DAILY AVG. 0.12 0.11 0.01 0.11 DAYS >= .01 128 135.4 -7.4 137 DAYS >= .10 81 79.1 1.9 84 DAYS >= .50 31 26.7 4.3 23 DAYS >= 1.00 12 9.2 2.8 11 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 1.83 DEGREE_DAYS HEATING TOTAL 7317 7422 -105 7041 SINCE 7/1 2911 2755 156 2598 COOLING TOTAL 557 388 169 446 ................................................................. WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 6.9 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 39/340 DATE 01/04 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 51/340 DATE 01/04 SKY COVER AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 70 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && THE YEAR 2018 WAS THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURE AND WAS THE FIRST YEAR WITH ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION SINCE 2014. HOLIDAYS OFTEN SAW EXTREME WEATHER WITH RECORD COLD ON NEW YEARS DAY, RECORD HEAT ON INDEPENDENCE DAY, AND RECORD COLD ON THANKSGIVING. THE YEAR BEGAN IN THE MIDST OF AN INTENSE COLD SPELL THAT HAD BEGUN ON CHRISTMAS DAY AND INTENSIFIED INTO THE NEW YEAR. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE WAS 15 BELOW ZERO ON JANUARY 1, AND AUGUSTA SAW A RECORD TYING 6 CONSECUTIVE DAYS THAT THE TEMPERATURE DID NOT WARM TO DOUBLE DIGITS. MOST CONSECUTIVE DAYS MAX LESS THAN 10 (SINCE 1948)... RANK DAYS DATES 1 6 DEC 28, 2017 TO JAN 2, 2018 <=== 6 FEB 10 TO FEB 15, 1979 3 3* JAN 21 TO JAN 23, 2005 * MOST RECENT OF SEVERAL OCCURRENCES AN INTENSE NOR'EASTER ON JANUARY 4 BROUGHT BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AND MORE COLD AIR POURED IN BEHIND IT. THE TEMPERATURE DID NOT EVEN MAKE IT TO ZERO DEGREES ON JANUARY 6, THE COLDEST DAY RECORDED SINCE 2004. ALTHOUGH IT SEEMED THE INTENSE COLD WOULD NEVER END, THE JANUARY THAW WAS JUST AROUND THE CORNER. THE TEMPERATURE WARMED INTO THE 40S AND 50S JANUARY 11 THRU 13 WITH MORE THAN 2 INCHES OF RAIN FALLING. THE RAIN AND SNOW MELT CAUSED FLOODING ALONG THE KENNEBEC RIVER. A STRONG COLD FRONT ON JANUARY 13 BROUGHT THE THAW TO AN END WITH MORE COLD TEMPERATURES. THIS WAS NOT TO LAST, THOUGH, AS A WARMING TREND SOON BEGAN WHICH LASTED INTO FEBRUARY. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A FEW PERIODS OF COLD AND SNOW, IN GENERAL THE TEMPERATURE WAS ON ITS WAY UP. IT PEAKED ON FEBRUARY 21 WHEN THE TEMPERATURE HIT 59 DEGREES, THE SECOND WARMEST TEMPERATURE ON RECORD FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. WARMEST TEMPERATURE IN FEBRUARY (SINCE 1948)... RANK TEMP DATE 1 60 FEB 18, 1981 2 59 FEB 21, 2018 <=== 59 FEB 20, 1994 59 FEB 23, 1990 5 58 FEB 1, 1989 THE WARM WEATHER CONTINUED INTO EARLY MARCH LEADING SOME TO THINK AN EARLY SPRING HAD ARRIVED. HOWEVER, ABOUT A WEEK INTO MARCH THE COLD RETURNED AGAIN. TWO NOR'EASTERS BROUGHT HEAVY SNOW ABOUT A WEEK APART FROM EACH OTHER IN MID MARCH. COLDER AIR MOVED IN BEHIND THE SECOND ONE WITH THREE CONSECUTIVE SUBFREEZING DAYS. THE COLDEST OF THE WEATHER ONLY LASTED FOR ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE THINGS RETURNED TO NORMAL. FOR A FEW WEEKS A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL TROUGHS OF LOW PRESSURE BROUGHT IN COLDER AIR FROM CANADA WITH THE SPRING SUN TRIGGERING AFTERNOON RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS. THE COLDEST OF THESE TROUGHS CAME IN MID APRIL WHEN AUGUST DID NOT EVEN WARM ABOVE FREEZING ON APRIL 15 WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN LEAVING AN ICY COATING UNCOMMON FOR SO LATE IN THE SEASON. IN FACT IT WAS THE LATEST SUBFREEZING DAY ON RECORD AT AUGUSTA. LATEST DAY IN SPRING WITH MAX 32 OR COLDER (SINCE 1948)... RANK HIGH DATE 1 32 APR 15, 2018 <=== 2 32 APR 12, 1976 3 31 APR 10, 1974 4 29 APR 9, 1997 32 APR 9, 1977 THE EXTREME COLD WAS PUSHED AWAY THE NEXT DAY WITH MORE THAN AN INCH OF RAIN FALLING AND A TREND TOWARD WARMER WEATHER BEGINNING. THE LAST FREEZE OF THE SEASON CAME ON APRIL 23. MORE HEAVY RAIN CAME ON APRIL 25 AND 26 WHEN MORE THAN 2 INCHES FELL, BUT THIS WOULD BE THE LAST SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL FOR A WHILE AS THE WEATHER PATTERN SHIFTED FROM COOL AND WET TO WARM AND DRY. BY MAY 2 THE TEMPERATURE WARMED ALL THE WAY TO 88 DEGREES. A COLD FRONT BROUGHT ENDED THE SUMMER LIKE HEAT AS QUICKLY AS IT BEGAN, BUT WARM CONDITIONS CONTINUED. TYPICALLY SPRING WEATHER FEATURES A LOT OF COOL, WET WEATHER AS WINDS BLOW FROM THE STILL-FRIGID GULF OF MAINE. THIS YEAR WAS DIFFERENT AS A SERIES OF DRY COLD FRONTS BROUGHT A FLOW OF DRY AIR OUT OF CANADA. THIS MEANT FREQUENTLY WARM DAYS AND COOL NIGHTS RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF JUNE. LOW PRESSURE BROUGHT MORE THAN AN INCH OF RAIN ON JUNE 28. THIS WAS THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL IN TWO MONTHS AND SIGNALED A SHIFT IN THE WEATHER PATTERN. WARM AND HUMID AIR MOVED IN BEHIND THIS STORM WITH HEAT AND HUMIDITY CONTINUING THROUGH THE FIRST WEEK OF JULY. THE TEMPERATURE TOPPED 90 DEGREES FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS FROM JULY 3 THROUGH 5, THE FIRST TIME THAT HAS HAPPENED IN AUGUSTA SINCE 2011. A FEW COLD FRONTS BROUGHT OCCASIONALLY COOLER AND DRIER WEATHER IN MID JULY, BUT THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY RETURNED AGAIN. A SUBTROPICAL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC PULLED HOT AND HUMID AIR AROUND IT AND INTO NEW ENGLAND BEGINNING IN LATE JULY. THIS PERSISTED THROUGH AUGUST AND INTO SEPTEMBER WITH ONLY OCCASIONAL COLD FRONTS ABLE TO BREAK THROUGH THE RIDGE AND PROVIDE SOME BRIEF COOLER WEATHER. ALTHOUGH THE TEMPERATURE OCCASIONALLY REACHED 90 DEGREES, THE PERSISTENT HUMIDITY KEPT THE TEMPERATURE FROM DROPPING MUCH AT NIGHT WITH SEVERAL DAYS THAT DID NOT FALL BELOW 70 DEGREES. ALTHOUGH MORE SUBSTANTIAL COLD FRONTS BROUGHT A FEW PERIODS OF COOLER WEATHER, THE OVERALL PATTERN OF WARM, HUMID CONDITIONS ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE CONTINUED THROUGH THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER. AFTER WARMING TO 83 DEGREES ON OCTOBER 10 A COLD FRONT BROUGHT SOME RAIN AND COLDER WEATHER. THIS WAS THE START OF A SHIFT IN THE WEATHER PATTERN WHICH HAD BEEN STAGNANT THE PREVIOUS FEW MONTHS. A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPED OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN UNITED STATES WITH FREQUENT ROUNDS OF COLDER AIR MOVING INTO NEW ENGLAND. THE FIRST FREEZE OF THE SEASON CAME ON OCTOBER 18, ABOUT A WEEK LATER THAN NORMAL. BEING PREDOMINANTLY ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE UPPER TROUGH MEANT THAT STORM SYSTEMS EXITING THE COUNTRY OFTEN PASSED NEAR NEW ENGLAND BRINGING NEW PRECIPITATION EVERY FEW DAYS. EVEN COLDER AIR BEGAN POURING INTO THE REGION IN MID NOVEMBER. AFTER AN INCH OF RAIN ON NOVEMBER 13, A COLD FRONT MOVED THROUGH AND BROUGHT AN EARLY SEASON ARCTIC AIR MASS INTO THE AREA. THE TEMPERATURE DID NOT WARM ABOVE FREEZING FOR TWO DAYS WITH SNOW OBSERVED ON NOVEMBER 16 AND AGAIN ON NOVEMBER 19 THRU 21. AFTER THE SECOND SNOWFALL, EVEN COLDER AIR MOVED INTO NEW ENGLAND JUST IN TIME FOR THANKSGIVING. AFTER DROPPING TO 4 DEGREES ON THANKSGIVING MORNING, NOVEMBER 22, THE TEMPERATURE ONLY ROSE TO 14 THAT AFTERNOON. THIS WAS THE COLDEST NOVEMBER DAY ON RECORD. COLDEST TEMPERATURES OBSERVED IN NOVEMBER (SINCE 1948)... HIGH TEMPERATURE | LOW TEMPERATURE RANK TEMP DATE | TEMP DATE 1 14 NOV 22, 2018 <=== | 4 NOV 22, 2018 <=== 2 15 NOV 27, 1978 | 4 NOV 27, 1978 3 20 NOV 23, 1989 | 4 NOV 28, 1951 4 23 NOV 26, 1978 | 5 NOV 24, 1989 5 24 NOV 28, 2002 | 7 NOV 26, 1978 6 24 NOV 24, 1989 | 7 NOV 30, 1958 7 24 NOV 30, 1958 | 8 NOV 25, 2000 8 24 NOV 26, 1957 | 8 NOV 23, 1978 9 24 NOV 27, 1949 | 8 NOV 27, 1949 WHILE THE BRUTAL COLD GRADUALLY MODERATED AT THE END OF NOVEMBER AND BEGINNING OF DECEMBER, ONE MORE ROUND OF VERY COLD WEATHER WAS IN STORE. THE TEMPERATURE DID NOT WARM ABOVE FREEZING FOR 9 OUT OF 10 DAYS FROM DECEMBER 4 THRU 13. THIS LONG LASTING COLD SPELL ALSO PUT AN END TO THE FREQUENT STORMY WEATHER OF THE PREVIOUS SEVERAL WEEKS. AUGUSTA WENT 14 DAYS WITHOUT MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION FROM DECEMBER 3 TO 16. A SHIFT TO WARMER WEATHER BEGAN IN MID DECEMBER. A RAINSTORM ON DECEMBER 21 AND 22 BROUGHT NEARLY 2 INCHES OF RAIN AND TEMPERATURES IN THE 50S. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 46.1 DEGREES WHICH WAS 0.4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD WAS IN 1999 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 49.3 DEGREES. THE COOLEST WAS IN 1968 WHEN IT WAS 42.8 DEGREES. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR EACH MONTH OF 2018 INCLUDING DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL. AVERAGE TEMPERATURES BY MONTH IN 2018 MONTH MAXIMUM MINIMUM AVERAGE NOTES JANUARY 28.7 (+1.1) 12.3 (+1.3) 20.5 (+1.2) FEBRUARY 36.7 (+4.9) 20.4 (+5.9) 28.5 (+5.3) 5TH WARMEST MARCH 39.2 (-1.2) 25.8 (+2.4) 32.5 (+0.6) APRIL 49.9 (-3.2) 32.7 (-1.9) 41.3 (-2.6) 10TH COLDEST MAY 70.8 (+5.6) 45.8 (+1.2) 58.3 (+3.4) 6TH WARMEST JUNE 74.1 (+0.3) 52.1 (-2.1) 63.1 (-0.9) JULY 81.5 (+2.3) 61.5 (+1.6) 71.5 (+2.0) AUGUST 80.8 (+2.8) 62.3 (+3.8) 71.5 (+3.2) 3RD WARMEST SEPTEMBER 72.3 (+2.7) 52.2 (+1.7) 62.2 (+2.2) OCTOBER 53.0 (-4.2) 38.5 (-1.1) 45.7 (-2.7) 7TH COLDEST NOVEMBER 38.5 (-6.7) 27.1 (-3.5) 32.8 (-5.1) 2ND COLDEST DECEMBER 33.6 (+0.1) 17.7 (-0.9) 25.6 (-0.5) ANNUAL 54.9 (+0.2) 37.4 (+0.6) 46.1 (+0.4) A TOTAL OF 42.14 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL WHICH WAS 0.26 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL AND THE WETTEST YEAR SINCE 2014. THE WETTEST YEAR ON RECORD WAS IN 2005 WHEN 57.31 INCHES FELL. THE DRIEST WAS IN 2001 WHEN ONLY 25.79 INCHES WAS RECORDED. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS FOR EACH MONTH OF 2018 INCLUDING DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL. MONTHLY PRECIPITATION TOTALS FOR 2018 MONTH PRECIPITATION NOTES JANUARY 4.40 (+1.79) FEBRUARY 2.59 (+0.16) MARCH 2.55 (-0.82) APRIL 4.78 (+0.99) MAY 1.08 (-2.61) 5TH DRIEST JUNE 2.81 (-0.75) JULY 3.35 (-0.07) AUGUST 2.67 (-0.64) SEPTEMBER 3.81 (+0.07) OCTOBER 4.22 (-0.14) NOVEMBER 6.27 (+1.91) DECEMBER 3.61 (+0.37) ANNUAL 42.14 (+0.26) THERE WERE 12 DAYS THAT RECORDED AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION. THIS WAS 2.8 MORE DAYS THAN NORMAL AND THE MOST SINCE 2009. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE DAYS WHICH RECEIVED AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION IN 2018. DAYS WITH AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION IN 2018 DAY PRECIPITATION JANUARY 12 1.07 JANUARY 13 1.37 MARCH 8 1.08 APRIL 16 1.02 APRIL 26 1.29 JUNE 28 1.08 JULY 26 1.10 SEPTEMBER 11 1.59 SEPTEMBER 25 1.10 NOVEMBER 3 1.61 NOVEMBER 13 1.00 DECEMBER 21 1.83 CLIMATE INFORMATION FROM AUGUSTA IS TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM THE AUTOMATED SURFACE OBSERVING SYSTEM AT THE AUGUSTA STATE AIRPORT. SNOWFALL DATA IS NOT AVAILABLE AS THE AUTOMATED SYSTEM DOES NOT REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS AND SUPPLEMENTAL SNOWFALL OBSERVATIONS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. THE FOLLOWING DAILY RECORDS WERE SET OR TIED IN 2018... DATE RECORD PREVIOUS JAN 1 7 - COLDEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 8 IN 1957 JAN 1 -15 - COLDEST LOW TEMPERATURE -8 IN 1999 AND OTHERS JAN 6 -1 - COLDEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 2 IN 1959 JAN 12 42 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 38 IN 2017 JAN 12 1.07 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 10.06 IN 1957 JAN 13 53 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 48 IN 2017 AND 2006 JAN 13 1.37 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 0.73 IN 2002 FEB 21 59 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 52 IN 1981 AND 1953 APR 15 32 - COLDEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 37 IN 1981 APR 26 1.29 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.22 IN 2017 JUN 4 49 - COOLEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 54 IN 2014 AND 1975 JUN 5 55 - COOLEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 57 IN 2017 AND 1992 JUL 4 93 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 93 IN 2002 (TIED) JUL 5 93 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 91 IN 2010 AND 1999 AUG 14 68 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 68 IN 1984 (TIED) SEP 16 84 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 83 IN 2015 AND 1971 OCT 10 83 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 68 IN 2011 AND 1997 OCT 27 37 - COOLEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 38 IN 1957 NOV 15 28 - COLDEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 28 IN 1996 (TIED) NOV 15 12 - COLDEST LOW TEMPERATURE 14 IN 1996 NOV 16 29 - COLDEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 30 IN 1997 AND 1967 NOV 22 14 - COLDEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 25 IN 2008 AND 1989 NOV 22 4 - COLDEST LOW TEMPERATURE 9 IN 1978 DEC 21 57 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 57 IN 1973 (TIED) DEC 21 1.83 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.81 IN 1993 $$ KIMBLE