CXUS53 KIWX 011416 CLAFWA CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 916 AM EST MON JAN 01 2024 ................................... ...THE FORT WAYNE CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2023... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1897 TO 2023 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR'S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE NORMAL .............................................................. TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 106 06/28/2012 06/25/1988 07/14/1936 LOW -24 01/12/1918 HIGHEST 92 06/03 MM MM 96 07/27 09/05 LOWEST 4 02/01 MM MM -9 AVG. MAXIMUM 63.0 60.3 2.7 60.9 AVG. MINIMUM 42.9 41.4 1.5 40.8 MEAN 52.9 50.9 2.0 DAYS MAX >= 90 12 15.7 -3.7 13 DAYS MAX <= 32 9 39.7 -30.7 47 DAYS MIN <= 32 106 123.6 -17.6 121 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 6.2 -6.2 7 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 54.58 1990 MINIMUM 24.40 1962 TOTALS 34.34 39.48 -5.14 33.59 DAILY AVG. 0.09 0.11 -0.02 0.09 DAYS >= .01 124 135.4 -11.4 125 DAYS >= .10 68 77.3 -9.3 67 DAYS >= .50 22 25.2 -3.2 22 DAYS >= 1.00 7 8.9 -1.9 5 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 68.6 2014 TOTALS 15.6 33.6 -18.0 27.6 SINCE 7/1 0.9 9.6 -8.7 7.0 SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 0 DAYS >= TRACE 38 34.0 4.0 66 DAYS >= 1.0 4 10.7 -6.7 9 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 7 01/26 9 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 5041 5968 -927 5945 SINCE 7/1 1868 2257 -389 2200 COOLING TOTAL 766 849 -83 925 SINCE 1/1 766 849 -83 925 .............................................................. WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 8.6 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 45/260 DATE 03/31 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 68/260 DATE 03/31 SKY COVER POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.63 NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 74 NUMBER OF DAYS PC 142 NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 149 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 70 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 36 MIXED PRECIP 4 HEAVY RAIN 29 RAIN 53 LIGHT RAIN 157 FREEZING RAIN 1 LT FREEZING RAIN 3 HAIL 1 HEAVY SNOW 3 SNOW 6 LIGHT SNOW 38 SLEET 2 FOG 189 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 17 HAZE 55 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && ...FIFTH WARMEST YEAR AND SEVENTH LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW ON RECORD... THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 52.9 DEGREES WHICH IS 2.0 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 50.9 DEGREES. THIS RANKS AS THE 5TH WARMEST ON RECORD, AND IS THE WARMEST SINCE 53.8 DEGREES IS 2012. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 92 DEGREES ON SEPTEMBER 5TH, JULY 27TH, JUNE 3RD. THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 4 DEGREES ON FEBRUARY 1ST. THE TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR WAS 34.34 INCHES. THIS IS 5.14 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 39.48 INCHES. THIS RANKS AS THE 53RD DRIEST YEAR ON RECORD. TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE YEAR WAS 15.6 INCHES, WHICH IS 18.0 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 33.6. THIS IS THE 7TH LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW ON RECORD. THIS IS THE LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW SINCE 13.8 INCHES IN 2006. NOTABLE WEATHER EVENTS THIS YEAR INCLUDE: --WINTER 2022-2023 WAS THE 5TH WARMEST ON RECORD. --6TH WARMEST JANUARY ON RECORD. --JANUARY: THE MAXIMUM HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 62 ON THE 3RD. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 61 SET IN 2004. THIS WAS THE FIRST 60-DEGREE TEMPERATURE IN JANUARY SINCE 2017. --FEBRUARY: 5TH WARMEST, 3RD LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW, 10TH WETTEST ON RECORD. --14 TORNADOES WERE CONFIRMED ON MARCH 31 ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. --11TH DRIEST JUNE ON RECORD; MODERATE TO SEVERE DROUGHT ONGOING. --SEPTEMBER: 80% OF THE FORECAST AREA IS EXPERIENCING MODERATE DROUGHT. --5TH DRIEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD TOTALING 0.64 INCHES. --2ND WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 39.8 DEGREES. (1ST WARMEST IS 41.5 IN 2015) BROWN ...JANUARY 2023... ...SIXTH WARMEST ON RECORD... FOLLOWING THE ARCTIC BLAST THAT OCCURRED NEAR CHRISTMAS, ONE MIGHT HAVE ASSUMED THAT WE WERE IN STORE FOR A BRUTAL WINTER PERIOD AHEAD. THAT WAS FAR FROM THE TRUTH. JANUARY ENDED WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 34.2 DEGREES WHICH IS 8.7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 6TH WARMEST ON RECORD. THIS WAS THE MILDEST JANUARY SINCE 2006, WHICH WAS ALSO THE RECORD WARMEST WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 36.9 DEGREES. HOW DID WE GET HERE? ANOMALOUS RIDGING ALOFT EVENTUALLY ALLOWED ARCTIC AIR TO RETREAT BY DECEMBER 28TH (HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 44). UNSEASONABLE WARMTH VARIED AT TIMES BUT LASTED THROUGH NEARLY ALL OF JANUARY. SOME ADDITIONAL FACTS: --THE MAXIMUM HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 62 ON THE 3RD. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 61 SET IN 2004. THIS WAS THE FIRST 60- DEGREE TEMPERATURE IN JANUARY SINCE 2017. --THERE WERE FIVE DAYS WITH A HIGH OF 50 OR WARMER; THE MOST SINCE 2018 WHEN THERE WERE SEVEN. HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE ONLY A PART OF THE STORY, HOWEVER. FROM THE 1ST THROUGH 26TH, THE AVERAGE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS THE SECOND WARMEST ON RECORD, 30.8 DEGREES. THE RECORD FOR THAT PERIOD WAS 32.8 DEGREES IN 1932. BY THE END OF THE MONTH, THE OBSERVED MINIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS 28.5 DEGREES. THIS IS THE FOURTH WARMEST ON RECORD. THE NORMAL AVERAGE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH IS 18.4 DEGREES. DESPITE THE WARMTH DESCRIBED ABOVE, SNOWFALL WAS RIGHT NEAR NORMAL BECAUSE OF A SNOWSTORM THAT DROPPED 6.2 INCHES (NEW RECORD FOR THE DAY. PREVIOUS, 5.4 INCHES IN 1978). A SYSTEM PRIOR TO THAT RESULTED IN A 2-DAY SNOW TOTAL OF 3.0 INCHES. SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH WAS 0.4 INCHES BELOW NORMAL AND TIES (WITH 2021) AS THE 43RD MOST AMOUNT OF JANUARY SNOW ON RECORD. PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH WAS NEAR NORMAL, AT 2.75 INCHES. BROWN ...FEBRUARY 2023... ...TOP-TEN WARMEST, WETTEST, AND LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW... ASIDE FROM TWO OF THE FIRST FOUR DAYS OF FEBRUARY LEANING BELOW NORMAL AVERAGE-TEMPERATURE WISE, ONLY TWO OTHER DAYS DURING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY LEANED BELOW NORMAL (THE 17TH AND THE 24TH). THIS ALLOWED THE MONTH TO FINISH OUT ABOVE NORMAL AND AS THE 5TH WARMEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD. THIS IS THE WARMEST SINCE 2017 (RANKS AS #1, 39.8 DEGREES) THIS IS THANKS TO THE PREVAILING PATTERN INCLUDING AN EAST COAST RIDGE AND TRACES OF A WEST COAST TROUGH ALLOWING WARM AIR TO STREAM INTO THE AREA FROM THE PLAINS AND GULF STATES. MOST DAYS WITH OBSERVED PRECIPITATION WERE NEAR 0.10". OFTEN TIMES THIS LEADS TO BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION OVERALL FOR THE MONTH. HOWEVER, THE 22ND, AND 27TH BOTH SAW PRECIPITATION EXCEEDING 1 INCH. TWO 1-INCH RAIN EVENTS IN THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY TIES AS A RECORD FOR THE MONTH (2014, 1990, 1900). AS A RESULT, FEBRUARY FINISHED AS THE 10TH WETTEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD. THE CONNECTION TO THE GULF AIR MASS AS WELL AS A LOOSE CONNECTION TO PACIFIC AIR HELPED PROMOTE THESE HEAVY RAIN EVENTS. IN LIGHT OF THE ANOMALOUS WARMTH, SNOW WAS HARD TO COME BY THIS MONTH WITH ONLY 0.2 INCHES OBSERVED. THIS IS THE 3RD LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW ON RECORD (1998 AND 1899 REPORTED A TRACE OF SNOW.) ROLLER/BROWN ...MARCH... SPRING CAN BE A WILD MONTH AROUND HERE, ESPECIALLY WITH RESPECT TO TEMPERATURES. MARCH 2023 WAS NO DIFFERENT. THE FIRST NINE DAYS OF MARCH WERE MILD, WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE DEPARTURE FOR THAT STRETCH 6.7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH TURNED NOTABLY COLDER, ESPECIALLY ON THE 18TH AND 19TH WHEN THE DAILY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WAS ONLY 24 DEGREES AND 28 DEGREES. THE END OF THE MONTH WAS GENERALLY COLD AS WELL, BUT THE 31ST NEARLY OFFSET THOSE LATE COOLER-THAN-NORMAL DAYS WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE DAY OF 55 WHICH IS 11 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH, 63, AND THE MINIMUM OF 18 SHOWCASE THE MONTH'S TYPICAL VOLATILITY. OVERALL, THE MONTH'S AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 38.9 DEGREES WAS 0.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. TOTAL SNOW FOR THE MONTH WAS 4.1 INCHES WHICH IS ONLY ONE-HALF INCH BELOW NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 51ST GREATEST SNOW TOTAL ON RECORD. THIS IS THE GREATEST MARCH SNOW TOTAL INCHES 8.6 INCHES IN 2015. WET CONDITIONS FROM FEBRUARY CARRIED OVER INTO MARCH AS TOTAL PRECIPITATION WAS 2.05 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS RESULTED IN MANY RIVERS REACHING ACTION STAGE OR MINOR FLOOD STAGE. SEVERE WEATHER LATE IN THE MONTH NOT ONLY BROUGHT SOAKING RAIN, BUT ALSO HAIL, DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WIND, AND TORNADOES TO THE REGION. THIS RANKS AS THE 14TH WETTEST MARCH ON RECORD. THIS IS THE WETTEST MARCH SINCE 5.70 INCHES WAS RECORDED IN 2009. FROM JANUARY 1 THROUGH MARCH 31, FORT WAYNE CURRENTLY RANKS AS THE 7TH WETTEST ON RECORD, MEASURING 11.77 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. THIS IS THE WETTEST START TO THE YEAR SINCE 12.12 INCHES IN 1990. NO RECORDS WERE SET FOR FORT WAYNE. BROWN ...APRIL... APRIL FEATURED AN ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL STRETCH OF WEATHER FROM THE 8TH THROUGH 16TH, WITH DRY CONDITIONS, AND HIGH TEMPERATURES EVENTUALLY SOARING INTO THE 80S. A NEW RECORD HIGH WAS RECORDED ON THE 14TH. THE HIGH OF 83 BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 81 SET IN 1910. A SECOND RECORD WAS TIED, WITH 1985, WHEN THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 84 ON THE 20TH. TEMPERATURES MET OR EXCEEDED 80 DEGREES FOUR TIMES THIS MONTH. THIS IS THE GREATEST NUMBER OF 80-DEGREE DAYS SINCE APRIL 2010 WHEN FIVE 80-DEGREE DAYS WERE RECORDED. ON THE FLIP SIDE, A RECORD LOW WAS SET ON THE 26TH WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WAS 28. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 29 IN 2006. SUCH PLEASANT SPRING WEATHER IS AN ANOMALY HERE IN THE MIDWEST, SO OF COURSE COOLER AND WETTER WEATHER EVENTUALLY SETTLED IN. THE DREARY WEATHER THAT TOOK SHAPE AFTER THAT MILD STRETCH, AND AGAIN IN THE FINAL DAYS OF APRIL, WAS THE RESULT OF A LINGERING UPPER-LEVEL LOW OVER THE GREAT LAKES. OVERALL, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 50.9 DEGREES, WHICH IS 0.7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. APRIL 2023 RANKS AS THE 35TH COOLEST ON RECORD. THIS IS THE WARMEST APRIL SINCE 2017, WHICH HAD AN AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE OF 55.2 DEGREES. FOLLOWING A WET START TO SPRING, APRIL DRIED OUT, ESPECIALLY MID- MONTH. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 1.96 INCHES WHICH IS 1.78 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS IS THE 14TH DRIEST APRIL ON RECORD AND THE DRIEST APRIL SINCE 2012, WHICH HAD 1.29 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. THERE WAS A TRACE OF SNOW THIS MONTH. BROWN/JOHNSON ...MAY... ...FLASH DROUGHT TO CONCLUDE THE MONTH... THE MONTH STARTED NOTABLY COLD WITH A TRACE OF SNOWFALL AND AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE DEPARTURE THROUGH THE 4TH OF ABOUT 12 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. CHEERFUL SPRING WEATHER ARRIVED SOON AFTER WITH HIGHS IN THE 70S AND 80S. A COUPLE OF SOAKING THUNDERSTORMS (7TH AND 12TH) ACCOUNTED FOR 3.08 INCHES OF THIS MONTH'S 4.06 INCH PRECIPITATION TOTAL. THESE TWO SOAKING RAIN EVENTS PROVIDED A BUFFER AHEAD OF THE VERY DRY CONDITIONS THAT DEVELOPED LATE IN THE MONTH. THE QUICK ONSET OF DRY CONDITIONS IS KNOWN AS A FLASH DROUGHT. THIS FLASH DROUGHT WAS A RESULT OF AN OMEGA BLOCK (AS WELL AS A REX BLOCK LATER ON) OVER THE REGION WHICH CUT-OFF THE FLOW OF MOISTURE TO OUR LOCAL AREA, WHILE HIGH PRESSURE STEERED ANY SHOWER AND STORM CHANCES ELSEWHERE. DRY WEATHER PERSISTED FOR 11 STRAIGHT DAYS WHICH HAS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES (RANKS AS AS 215TH OVERALL, TIED AS 19TH LONGEST BASED ON NUMBER OF DAYS, WHERE 41 DAYS IS THE LONGEST ENDING SEPTEMBER 27, 1908) IN THE PERIOD OF RECORD. THE RECORD BOOKS ALSO SHOW THAT, IN INSTANCES OF 11 CONSECUTIVE DRY DAYS OR MORE, THE ENDING DATE WAS IN MAY 15 TIMES. EIGHT OF THOSE 15-TIMES HAVE AN END DATE IN THE FINAL 10-DAYS OF THE MONTH. RECENT STRETCHES OF DRY WEATHER INCLUDE JUNE 25, 2022, WHEN A 12-DAY DRY STRETCH ENDED. THE YEAR 2021 FEATURED FOUR DIFFERENT DRY PERIODS, RANGING FROM 16 DAYS (ENDING MAY 25) TO 11 DAYS. ALL THAT TO SAY, THESE PROLONGED STRETCHES OF DRY WEATHER DO OCCUR SOMEWHAT OFTEN IN THE AREA. ON ONE HAND, THIS DRY WEATHER WAS BENEFICIAL FOR THOSE CUTTING HAY AND PLANTING. ON THE OTHER HAND, SUCH A LONG STRETCH OF DRY WEATHER CAUSED CONCERN FOR NEWLY-PLANTED CROPS. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 4.06 INCHES WHICH RANKS AS THE 75TH DRIEST ON RECORD. THE PRECIPITATION TOTAL IS 0.52 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. A TRACE OF SNOW WAS RECORDED ON MAY 1, WHICH IS ABOVE-NORMAL FOR THE MONTH AND IS THE 4TH SNOWIEST ON RECORD FOR THE MONTH. MAY 2020 ALSO FEATURED A TRACE OF SNOW. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 73.4 DEGREES WHICH IS 1.2 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. ONE 90-DEGREE DAY WAS RECORDED; ON THE 30TH. THIS IS 15 DAYS AHEAD OF THE NORMAL START DATE OF 90-DEGREE TEMPERATURES, JUNE 13TH. TWO PRECIPITATION RECORDS WERE BROKEN THIS MONTH. ON THE 7TH, 1.53 INCHES BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.08 INCHES IN 2004. ON THE 12TH, 1.55 INCHES BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.05 INCHES SET IN 1914. BROWN ...JUNE... ...CONTINUED DROUGHT STRESSES CROPS... FLASH DROUGHT CONDITIONS DEVELOPED LAST MONTH AND DRY WEATHER PERSISTED THROUGH JUNE WITH ONLY A COUPLE EXCEPTIONS. ACCORDING TO THE US DROUGHT MONITOR, "ABNORMALLY DRY" CONDITIONS WERE PRESENT ON MAY 30TH. BY LATE-JUNE, A "MODERATE DROUGHT" AND "SEVERE DROUGHT" WERE UNDERWAY IN NORTHERN INDIANA AND NORTHWEST OHIO. IRRIGATION BECAME MORE COMMON TO COMBAT CROP STRESS. DRY SOIL, LARGE EVAPOTRANSPIRATION RATES, AND LOW WATER LEVELS OF CREEKS, STREAMS, AND PONDS WERE REPORTED. FORT WAYNE RECORDED 1.39 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION THIS MONTH, WHICH IS 3.09 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 11TH DRIEST ON RECORD AND IS THE DRIEST SINCE 0.65 INCHES IN JUNE OF 2012 (THIRD DRIEST ON RECORD). RAIN TOTALS FROM THE 25TH AND 26TH (0.33 AND 0.15 OBSERVED AT FORT WAYNE INT'L AIRPORT , RESPECTIVELY) WERE HIGHLY VARIABLE IN THE REGION, WITH SOME LOCATIONS NORTH AND WEST OF FORT WAYNE REPORTING MORE THAN TWO INCHES. THE FORT WAYNE AIRPORT ONLY RECORDED MEASURABLE RAINFALL 4 DAYS THIS MONTH. THE LARGEST 24 HOUR RAINFALL TOTAL OF 0.63 INCHES FELL ON JUNE 13TH. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF 69.0 DEGREES WAS 1.7 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. WHILE THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF JUNE STARTED VERY WARM, A PERIOD OF COOL WEATHER EMERGED FROM THE 7TH THROUGH 18TH AS A RESULT OF COOL NORTHERLY FLOW. NO RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH. BROWN/JOHNSON ...JULY... WHILE THE SOUTHWEST US ROASTED BENEATH A PERSISTENT RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE, THIS SAME PATTERN BROUGHT SOMEWHAT COOL NORTHWEST FLOW AND FREQUENT THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA. DROUGHT CONDITIONS IMPROVED AS A RESULT. ON JUNE 27TH, THE US DROUGHT MONITOR INDICATED ABOUT 87% OF THE FORECAST AREA WAS EXPERIENCING MODERATE DROUGHT OR SEVERE DROUGHT. BY JULY 25TH, THIS WAS DOWN TO ONLY 28%. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 5.28 INCHES WHICH IS 1.23 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL AND RANKS AS THE 22ND MOST ON RECORD. ONE RECORD WAS SET THIS MONTH: 1.66 INCHES OF RAIN ON THE 20TH BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.46 IN 1946. THERE WERE FOUR DAYS THIS MONTH WITH A HIGH OF 90 DEGREES OR MORE, WHICH IS ONE MORE THAN JULY 2022 AND IS TWO DAYS SHY OF NORMAL. SO FAR THIS SUMMER THERE HAVE BEEN EIGHT 90-DEGREE DAYS WHICH IS JUST SHY OF THE NORMAL OF 11 DAYS. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 73.6 DEGREES WHICH IS RIGHT NEAR NORMAL. BROWN ...AUGUST... UNCOMFORTABLY HOT AND HUMID FOR A FEW DAYS THIS MONTH, OTHERWISE COOL THANKS TO RATHER PERSISTENT NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. THIS PATTERN IS GENERALLY NOT CONDUCIVE FOR RAINFALL, WHICH IS REFLECTED BY BELOW- NORMAL PRECIPITATION. FOLLOWING A RATHER WET JULY, THE SO-CALLED FAUCET TURNED OFF AND THE MONTH ENDED WITH PRECIPITATION 1.32 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 48TH DRIEST ON RECORD. THE STATE OF INDIANA HAS GENERALLY BEEN WORKING ITS WAY OUT OF ABNORMALLY DRY OR DROUGHT CONDITIONS THIS SUMMER. HOWEVER, ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS LOOM AGAIN AS FORT WAYNE HAS ONLY RECORDED A TRACE OF RAIN SINCE AUGUST 18. AN UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE THAT HAS DOMINATED THE SOUTHERN PLAINS THIS SUMMER WAS NUDGED EASTWARD INTO THE GREAT LAKES FOR A FEW DAYS LATE THIS MONTH. THIS RESULTED IN ABOVE NORMAL DAILY TEMPERATURES FROM THE 20TH THROUGH 26TH. THE PEAK OF THE HEAT OCCURRED ON THE 23RD AND 24TH WHEN FORT WAYNE RECORDED AIR TEMPERATURES OF 90 DEGREES AND A HEAT INDEX OF 105 AND 106, RESPECTIVELY. ACCORDING TO THE MIDWESTERN REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTER, FROM 1973 TO 2018, FORT WAYNE SEES ABOUT ONE HOUR PER YEAR IN AUGUST WITH A HEAT INDEX NEAR 105. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 70.0 DEGREES WHICH IS 1.6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. BROWN ...SEPTEMBER... ...29TH DRIEST SEPTEMBER ON RECORD RESULTS IN WORSENING DROUGHT... RECALL THAT ONLY A TRACE OF RAIN HAD FALLEN AT FORT WAYNE FROM AUGUST 18TH TO 31ST. THIS DRYNESS CONTINUED INTO SEPTEMBER AS MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION WAS NOT RECORDED UNTIL THE 6TH (0.06 INCHES). AS A RESULT, DROUGHT CONDITIONS CAME BLAZING BACK TO THE REGION ACCORDING TO THE US DROUGHT MONITOR. ON SEPTEMBER 5TH, JUST OVER 65% OF THE FORECAST AREA WAS EXPERIENCING "ABNORMALLY DRY" CONDITIONS, WHILE ABOUT 3% WAS DEEMED TO BE IN A "MODERATE DROUGHT". BY SEPTEMBER 26H, 80% OF THE FORECAST AREA WAS EXPERIENCING "MODERATE DROUGHT". LAWNS BECAME DORMANT. SOIL WAS VERY DRY AND CRACKED, AND VERY LOW WATER LEVELS WERE NOTED ACROSS PONDS, CREEKS, STREAMS AND RIVERS. PASTURE CONDITIONS DETERIORATED AND SOYBEAN PODS WERE SHATTERING IN CENTRAL INDIANA. WHILE SMALL DOSES OF RAIN OCCURRED HERE-AND-THERE IN SEPTEMBER, NOTABLE RELIEF FINALLY OCCURRED AT THE END OF THE MONTH WHEN A TOTAL OF 1.31 INCHES WAS RECORDED FROM THE 26TH THROUGH 28TH. (JUST WEST OF THE AIRPORT, SOME COCORAHS OBSERVERS RECORDED OVER 2".) PRIOR TO THE 26TH, FORT WAYNE WAS ON PACE TO RECORD PERHAPS ITS DRIEST SEPTEMBER ON RECORD (0.32"). INSTEAD, PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH TOTALED 1.63 INCHES WHICH IS THE 29TH DRIEST ON RECORD. THIS IS THE DRIEST SINCE 2010 WHEN 1.36 INCHES WAS OBSERVED. (NOTE: 1.65 AND 1.67 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION WAS RECORDED IN SEPTEMBER 2018 AND 2017, RESPECTIVELY.) PAIRED WITH THE DRY CONDITIONS WERE SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. A BLOCKING RIDGE WAS A FACTOR ONCE AGAIN. HIGH TEMPERATURES WELL INTO THE 80S BEGAN THE MONTH, WITH ONE 90-DEGREE DAY RECORDED. THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH FEATURED A FALL-LIKE COOL DOWN, WITH A TEN-DAY STRETCH OF BELOW-NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THIS WAS QUICKLY OFFSET BY UNSEASONABLY MILD CONDITIONS IN THE FINAL THIRD OF THE MONTH. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 66.1 DEGREES WHICH IS 1.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 45TH WARMEST ON RECORD. NO RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH. BROWN ...OCTOBER... ...DROUGHT CONDITIONS IMPROVE... THERE WAS NEAR RECORD WARMTH TO BEGIN THE MONTH, AS HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE 80S OCTOBER 1ST THROUGH 4TH. MID-OCTOBER FEATURED NEAR TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THE LAST WEEK OF THE MONTH FEATURED A 40+ DEGREE TEMPERATURES SWING; A HIGH OF 77 DEGREES WAS OBSERVED ON OCTOBER 24TH AND A WEEK LATER, THE 2ND COLDEST HALLOWEEN ON RECORD WAS OBSERVED WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 39 DEGREES. HALLOWEEN 2023 WAS THE COLDEST SINCE 1917! OVERALL, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 54.7 DEGREES. THIS IS 1.5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND RANKS AS THE 41ST WARMEST OCTOBER ON RECORD. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 3.44 INCHES, WHICH WAS 0.49 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL AND WAS THE 34TH WETTEST OCTOBER ON RECORD FOR FORT WAYNE. THE WETTEST DAY WAS OCTOBER 29TH WITH 0.75". THERE WERE NO DAYS THIS MONTH WITH A DAILY RAIN TOTAL OVER AN INCH; FORT WAYNE HAS NOT HAD A DAY WHERE AN INCH OF RAIN OF MORE HAS FALLEN SINCE JULY 20! THE FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON FELL ON HALLOWEEN! FORT WAYNE MEASURED A TRACE FOR THE DAY, WHICH TIES AS THE 5TH SNOWIEST HALLOWEEN ON RECORD. THIS IS ONLY THE 8TH TIME SINCE RECORD KEEPING BEGAN IN 1897 THAT SNOW HAS BEEN OBSERVED ON HALLOWEEN. OVERALL, SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH WAS 0.1" BELOW NORMAL. DROUGHT CONDITIONS GRADUALLY IMPROVED THROUGHOUT THE MONTH WITH THE ABUNDANCE OF PRECIPITATION, WITH NO DROUGHT REMAINING BY HALLOWEEN. THERE WERE SEVERAL HARD FREEZES NEAR THE END OF THE MONTH, WHICH LED TO THE END OF THE GROWING SEASON. JOHNSON ...NOVEMBER 2023... ...5TH DRIEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD... TEMPERATURES IN NOVEMBER WERE ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THE FIRST TWO THIRDS OF THE MONTH, BEFORE A PATTERN SHIFT TO BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AROUND THANKSGIVING AND TO FINISH OUT THE MONTH. THERE WERE 9 DAYS WITH HIGHS AT OR ABOVE 60 DEGREES, WHICH IS ABOVE AVERAGE (NORMALLY THERE ARE 6 DAYS WITH HIGHS AT OR ABOVE 60 IN NOVEMBER). OVERALL, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 41.3 DEGREES. THIS IS 0.2 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND TIES FOR THE 53TH WARMEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD IN FORT WAYNE. THE LACK OF PRECIPITATION THIS MONTH IS LIKELY THE MOST NOTABLE STATISTIC. OVER HALF OF THE MONTHLY TOTAL PRECIPITATION FELL IN JUST 24 HOURS; THE HIGHEST DAILY RAINFALL TOTAL WAS 0.34" ON NOVEMBER 21ST. PRECIPITATION TOTALED ONLY 0.64" FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH! THIS IS 2.32" BELOW NORMAL AND RANKS AS THE 5TH DRIEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD FOR FORT WAYNE. THIS WAS THE DRIEST NOVEMBER SINCE 2012. RECORDS BEGAN IN 1897. ONLY ONE DAY IN NOVEMBER RECORDED MEASURABLE SNOW; 0.4" OF SNOW FELL ON NOVEMBER 26TH. THE TOTAL OF 0.4" OF SNOW FOR THE MONTH WAS 1.5" BELOW NORMAL. NOVEMBER 2023 TIES FOR THE 34TH LEAST SNOWIEST ON RECORD. NO RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH. JOHNSON ...DECEMBER 2023... ...2ND WARMEST DECEMBER, 6TH LEAST SNOWIEST ON RECORD... TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT DECEMBER 2023 WERE WELL ABOVE AVERAGE. THE MOST NOTABLE TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES OCCURRED AROUND CHRISTMAS; THERE WAS A 4 DAY STRETCH OF HIGHS IN THE 50S WITH THE DAILY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE EACH DAY EXCEEDING 15-20 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. OVERALL, 29 OF 31 DAYS THIS MONTH WERE ABOVE AVERAGE! THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 39.8 DEGREES, WHICH IS AN ASTOUNDING 8.9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL! DECEMBER 2023 WAS THE 2ND WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD AND THE WARMEST SINCE 2015. RECORDS BEGAN IN 1897. PRECIPITATION WAS ONCE AGAIN LACKING THIS MONTH. THERE WERE NO DAILY RAINFALL TOTALS OVER HALF AN INCH. THERE WERE SEVERAL DAYS WHERE RAINFALL ONLY TOTALED A QUARTER INCH OR LESS; THE HIGHEST DAILY RAINFALL TOTAL WAS 0.28" ON DECEMBER 22ND. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 1.69" FOR THE MONTH. THIS IS 0.78" BELOW NORMAL AND WAS THE 36TH DRIEST DECEMBER ON RECORD FOR FORT WAYNE. ONLY ONE DAY IN DECEMBER RECORDED MEASURABLE SNOW; 0.5" OF SNOW FELL ON DECEMBER 18TH. THE TOTAL OF 0.5" OF SNOW FOR THE MONTH WAS 7.1" BELOW NORMAL. DECEMBER 2023 TIES FOR THE 6TH LEAST SNOWIEST ON RECORD. NO RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH. JOHNSON $$