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Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
000
CXUS53 KIWX 011416
CLASBN
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
916 AM EST MON JAN 01 2024
...................................
...THE SOUTH BEND CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2023...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1893 TO 2023
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE
NORMAL
..............................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 109 07/24/1934
LOW -22 01/20/1943
01/25/1897
HIGHEST 96 08/24 MM MM 99
LOWEST 3 02/01 MM MM -8
AVG. MAXIMUM 62.1 58.7 3.4 60.2
AVG. MINIMUM 43.4 39.9 3.5 41.1
MEAN 52.8 49.3 3.5
DAYS MAX >= 90 15 13.5 1.5 17
DAYS MAX <= 32 14 44.7 -30.7 49
DAYS MIN <= 32 100 126.4 -26.4 125
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 5.8 -5.8 3
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 55.61 1990
MINIMUM 25.15 1963
TOTALS 39.91 39.23 0.68 35.15
DAILY AVG. 0.11 0.11 0.00 0.10
DAYS >= .01 140 147.5 -7.5 144
DAYS >= .10 85 80.0 5.0 81
DAYS >= .50 23 24.6 -1.6 24
DAYS >= 1.00 11 7.5 3.5 6
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 141.7 1978
TOTALS 24.2 64.5 -40.3 91.8
SINCE 7/1 4.9 19.0 -14.1 39.1
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 1
DAYS >= TRACE 51 42.2 8.8 74
DAYS >= 1.0 11 20.3 -9.3 27
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 5 01/26 15
01/27
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 5157 6400 -1243 5742
SINCE 7/1 1886 2404 -518 2196
COOLING TOTAL 820 722 98 1003
SINCE 1/1 820 723 97 1003
..............................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 8.4
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 51/200 DATE 07/05
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 80/220 DATE 07/05
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.46
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 169
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 88
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 108
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 69
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 33 MIXED PRECIP 2
HEAVY RAIN 42 RAIN 62
LIGHT RAIN 147 FREEZING RAIN 1
LT FREEZING RAIN 4 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 3 SNOW 14
LIGHT SNOW 46 SLEET 0
FOG 208 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 26
HAZE 95
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
&&
...FOURTH WARMEST YEAR AND THIRD LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW ON RECORD...
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 52.8 DEGREES, WHICH IS 3.5
DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 49.3 DEGREES. THIS RANKS AS THE 4TH
WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD. THIS IS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD SINCE
2012 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 53.3 DEGREES. THE HIGHEST
TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 96 DEGREES ON AUGUST 24TH. THE LOWEST
TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 3 DEGREES ON FEBRUARY 1ST.
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR WAS 39.91 INCHES. THIS IS 0.68
INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 39.23 INCHES. THIS RANKS AS THE 39TH
WETTEST YEAR ON RECORD. THIS IS 4.76 INCHES MORE PRECIPITATION
THAN 2022.
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE YEAR WAS 24.2 INCHES, WHICH IS A WHOPPING
40.3 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 64.5 INCHES. THIS IS THE LEAST
AMOUNT OF ANNUAL SNOWFALL SINCE 18.9 INCHES IN 2006. OVERALL, THIS
IS THE 3RD LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW ON RECORD (ALLOWABLE MISSING DAYS
SET TO 10). COMPARE THIS TO 2022, WHEN 91.8 INCHES WAS RECORDED;
12TH MOST SNOW ON RECORD.
NOTABLE WEATHER EVENTS THIS YEAR INCLUDE:
--WINTER 2022-2023 WAS THE 5TH WARMEST ON RECORD.
--3RD WETTEST MARCH ON RECORD, MEASURING 5.90 INCHES.
--14 TORNADOES WERE CONFIRMED ON MARCH 31 ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA.
--2ND WETTEST JULY ON RECORD, MEASURING 7.81 INCHES.
--80MPH WIND GUST RECORDED AT SOUTH BEND INT`L AIRPORT ON JULY 5TH;
A RECORD DATING BACK TO 1993.
--2.5 INCH DIAMETER HAIL IS REPORTED IN NEARBY MISHAWAKA ON JULY
20TH.
--HEAT INDEX OF 115 DEGREES RECORDED ON AUGUST 24TH.
--SEPTEMBER: 80% OF THE FORECAST AREA IS EXPERIENCING MODERATE
DROUGHT.
--11TH WETTEST OCTOBER ON RECORD, TOTALING 5.96 INCHES.
--4TH DRIEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD TOTALING 0.81 INCHES.
--2ND WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD. IT WAS ONE-TENTH OF A DEGREE SHY
OF THE 2015 RECORD; 39.4 DEGREES.
BROWN
...JANUARY 2023...
...FIFTH 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 33.9 DEGREES WHICH IS 9.8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS
RANKS AS THE 5TH WARMEST ON RECORD.
HOW DID WE GET HERE? ANOMALOUS RIDGING ALOFT EVENTUALLY ALLOWED
ARCTIC AIR TO RETREAT BY DECEMBER 28TH (HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 45).
UNSEASONABLE WARMTH VARIED AT TIMES BUT LASTED THROUGH NEARLY ALL OF
JANUARY. SOME FAST FACTS:
--THE MAXIMUM HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 60 ON THE 3RD (TIED
THE RECORD SET IN 2004). THIS WAS THE FIRST 60-DEGREE TEMPERATURE IN
JANUARY SINCE 2017.
--THERE WERE FOUR DAYS WITH A HIGH OF 50 OR WARMER; THE MOST SINCE
2018 WHEN THERE WERE FIVE.
--ON JANUARY 11, SOUTH BEND ECLIPSED JANUARY 1998 AS THE WARMEST
START TO THE MONTH ON RECORD WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE (JAN 1-11)
OF 39.0 DEGREES.
--THE AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE OF 36.1 DEGREES FROM JANUARY 1-26
RANKS AS THE WARMEST ON RECORD.
HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE ONLY A PART OF THE STORY, HOWEVER. THROUGH
THE 29TH, THE AVERAGE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 30 DEGREES TIES AS THE
WARMEST ON RECORD (2006). BY THE END OF THE MONTH, THE OBSERVED
MINIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS 28.7 DEGREES. THIS IS THE SECOND WARMEST ON
RECORD BEHIND 2006 (30.0 DEGREES). THE NORMAL AVERAGE MINIMUM
TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH IS 17 DEGREES.
DUE TO THE WARMTH, IT COMES AS NO SURPRISE THAT SNOWFALL WAS 14.1
INCHES BELOW NORMAL. ONLY 7.5 INCHES WERE OBSERVED. THIS IS THE
LEAST AMOUNT OF JANUARY SNOW SINCE 3.4 INCHES IN 2006 AND RANKS AS
THE 31ST LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW ON RECORD. ON THE OTHER HAND,
PRECIPITATION WAS NEAR NORMAL, TOTALING 2.41 INCHES.
BROWN
...FEBRUARY 2023...
...TOP-TEN WARMEST, WETTEST, AND LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW...
ASIDE FROM TWO OF THE FIRST THREE 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 AS THE 10TH WARMEST ON RECORD. THIS
IS THE WARMEST SINCE 37.3 DEGREES IN 2017 (WARMEST ON RECORD). 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 0.03" OR LESS. OFTEN
TIMES THIS LEADS TO BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH.
HOWEVER, THE 9TH, 22ND, AND 27TH, ALL SAW PRECIPITATION EXCEEDING 1
INCH. THREE 1-INCH RAIN EVENTS IN THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY IS A NEW
RECORD FOR THE MONTH. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS TWO 1-INCH
PRECIPITATION EVENTS (2018, 2017, 2001, 1976, 1954). AS A RESULT,
FEBRUARY FINISHED AS THE 7TH 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 WITH ONLY
1.3 INCHES OBSERVED (1" OF WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 25TH). THIS IS THE
6TH LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW ON RECORD. THIS IS THE LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW
SINCE 2014 WHEN 0.4 INCHES WAS OBSERVED.
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 7.1 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH TURNED
NOTABLY COLDER, ESPECIALLY ON THE 18TH WHEN THE DAILY AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES WAS ONLY 22 DEGREES; 15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. 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 57 WHICH IS 15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE MAXIMUM
TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH, 64, AND THE MINIMUM OF 16 SHOWCASE THE
MONTH`S TYPICAL VOLATILITY.
OVERALL, THE MONTH`S AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 37.9 DEGREES WAS 1.2
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS THE COOLEST MARCH SINCE 2019 (33
DEGREES) BUT RANKS AS THE 51ST WARMEST ON RECORD OVERALL.
ON MARCH 3RD, SOUTH BEND WAS ON THE COLD SIDE OF A LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE REGION. THIS RESULTED IN 3.4 INCHES OF
SNOW. AN ADDITIONAL SNOWY STRETCH OF WEATHER OCCURRED FROM THE 10TH
THROUGH 13TH. TOTAL SNOW FOR THE MONTH WAS 10.5 INCHES WHICH IS
NEARLY 4 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 41ST GREATEST SNOW
TOTAL ON RECORD. THIS IS THE GREATEST MARCH SNOW TOTAL INCHES 11.8
INCHES IN 2014.
WET CONDITIONS FROM FEBRUARY CARRIED OVER INTO MARCH AS TOTAL
PRECIPITATION WAS 3.55 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 THIRD WETTEST MARCH ON RECORD. THIS IS THE WETTEST MARCH
SINCE 1977 AND 1976.
FROM JANUARY 1 THROUGH MARCH 31, SOUTH BEND CURRENTLY RANKS AS THE
2ND WETTEST ON RECORD BEHIND 1976, MEASURING 12.40 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION.
TWO RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH: DAILY PRECIPITATION ON THE 31
TOTALED 1.48 INCHES, BREAKING THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.07 INCHES IN
1926. DAILY PRECIPITATION ON THE 3RD WAS ALSO A NEW RECORD, TOTALING
1.28 INCHES. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.15 INCHES IN 1906.
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 84 BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 81 SET IN
1941. TEMPERATURES MET OR EXCEEDED 80 DEGREES FIVE TIMES THIS MONTH.
THIS IS THE GREATEST NUMBER OF 80-DEGREE DAYS SINCE APRIL 1985 WHEN
SIX 80-DEGREE DAYS WERE RECORDED.
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 50.7 DEGREES WHICH RANKS AS THE 29TH WARMEST ON RECORD.
THIS IS THE WARMEST APRIL SINCE 2017, WHICH HAD AN AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 52.2 DEGREES FOR THE MONTH.
FOLLOWING A WET START TO SPRING, APRIL DRIED OUT SOME, ESPECIALLY
MID-MONTH. THUNDERSTORMS PROVIDED NEARLY 1 INCH OF RAIN OVER TWO
DIFFERENT DAYS IN THE FIRST FIVE DAYS OF APRIL, WHILE SLOW-MOVING
CUTOFF LOWS PROVIDED SMALLER RAIN AMOUNTS OVER SEVERAL DAYS LATE IN
THE MONTH. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 2.30 INCHES WHICH IS 1.19 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL. THIS IS THE 34TH DRIEST APRIL ON RECORD. ALSO, THIS IS
THE DRIEST APRIL SINCE 2021. THERE WAS A TRACE OF SNOW THIS MONTH.
BROWN/JOHNSON
...MAY...
...FLASH DROUGHT TO CONCLUDE THE MONTH...
THE MONTH STARTED WITH A BANG, FEATURING MOST OF THE MONTH`S
PRECIPITATION TOTAL (INCLUDING A TRACE OF SNOW) AND TEMPERATURES WELL
BELOW NORMAL. CHEERFUL SPRING WEATHER ARRIVED SOON AFTER WITH HIGHS
IN THE 70S AND 80S. THE END OF THE MONTH IS REALLY WHAT CAPTURED
HEADLINES AS DRY CONDITIONS DEVELOPED VERY QUICKLY. THIS 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 12 STRAIGHT DAYS WHICH HAS OCCURRED
NUMEROUS TIMES ON RECORD (TIED FOR 154TH OVERALL, TIED AS 17TH
LONGEST BY NUMBER OF DAYS WHERE THE LONGEST STRETCH OF DAYS WAS 36
DAYS ENDING SEPTEMBER 23, 1908) IN THE PERIOD OF RECORD. THE RECORD
BOOKS ALSO SHOW THAT, IN INSTANCES OF 12 CONSECUTIVE DRY DAYS OR
MORE, THE ENDING DATE WAS IN MAY 14 TIMES. HALF OF THOSE 14-TIMES
HAVE AN END DATE IN THE FINAL 10-DAYS OF THE MONTH. OTHER RECENT
STRETCHES OF DRY WEATHER INCLUDE, OCTOBER 10, 2022 WHICH WAS THE END
OF A 13-DAY DRY STRETCH. THE YEAR 2021 FEATURED AN 11-DAY STRETCH
(FINAL DAY NOVEMBER 10) AND A 15-DAY DRY STRETCH (ENDING MAY 24).
ALL THAT TO SAY, THESE PROLONGED STRETCHES OF DRY WEATHER DO OCCUR
SOMEWHAT OFTEN IN THE SOUTH BEND 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
RESULTED IN SOME CONCERN FOR NEWLY-PLANTED CROPS.
OVERALL, PRECIPITATION TOTALED 1.80 INCHES WHICH RANKS AS THE 23RD
DRIEST ON RECORD AND IS 2.40 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS IS THE
DRIEST MAY SINCE 1.70 INCHES IN 2007.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 61.2 DEGREES WHICH IS 2.1
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 41ST WARMEST ON RECORD. TWO
90-DEGREE DAYS WERE RECORDED (30TH AND 31ST). THIS IS 13 DAYS AHEAD
OF THE NORMAL START DATE OF 90-DEGREE TEMPERATURES, JUNE 11TH.
A TRACE OF SNOW WAS RECORDED ON MAY 1, WHICH IS ABOVE-NORMAL FOR THE
MONTH AND IS THE 9TH SNOWIEST ON RECORD FOR THE MONTH. MAY 2020 ALSO
FEATURED A TRACE OF SNOW.
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 SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN.
IRRIGATION BECAME MORE COMMON TO COMBAT CROP STRESS. DRY SOIL, LARGE
EVAPOTRANSPIRATION RATES, AND LOW WATER LEVELS OF CREEKS, STREAMS,
AND PONDS WERE REPORTED.
SOUTH BEND RECORDED 2.25 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION THIS MONTH, WHICH
IS 1.79 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 35TH DRIEST ON RECORD
AND WAS NEARLY AS DRY AS LAST JUNE (2.23). JUNE OF 2012, A NOTABLE
DROUGHT YEAR, RECORDED 1.53 INCHES. THE LARGEST 24 HOUR RAINFALL OF
0.79 INCHES OCCURRED ON JUNE 13TH.
PRIOR TO 0.78 AND 0.28 INCHES OF RAIN FALLING ON THE 25TH AND 26TH,
RESPECTIVELY, SOUTH BEND WAS ON PACE TO BE THE 19TH DRIEST JUNE ON
RECORD.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF 68.8 DEGREES MATCHES THE
NORMAL. WHILE THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF JUNE STARTED VERY WARM, A PERIOD
OF COOL WEATHER EMERGED FROM THE 7TH THROUGH 18TH. BENEFICIAL RAIN
OCCURRED DURING THIS TIME, AS DID COOL NORTHERLY FLOW.
NO RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH.
BROWN/JOHNSON
...JULY...
...SECOND WETTEST JULY ON RECORD...
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 A WHOPPING 7.81 INCHES WHICH IS THE SECOND
MOST ON RECORD (BEHIND 2006 WITH 8.66 INCHES). THIS IS 4.03 INCHES
ABOVE NORMAL. FROM THE 26TH THROUGH 30TH, 4.53 INCHES OF RAIN WAS
RECORDED THANKS TO "RIDGE RUNNING" THUNDERSTORMS. ONE RECORD WAS
TIED THIS MONTH: 1.78 INCHES OF RAIN ON 28TH TIED THE RECORD FROM
1971.
THERE WERE FOUR DAYS THIS MONTH WITH A HIGH OF 90 DEGREES OR MORE,
WHICH IS TIED WITH JULY 2022 AND IS JUST BELOW THE NORMAL JULY TOTAL
OF ABOUT FIVE. 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 72.7 DEGREES WHICH IS RIGHT NEAR
NORMAL. THIS IS THE COOLEST JULY SINCE 72.6 DEGREES IN 2018.
LASTLY, ON JULY 5TH THE ASOS RECORDED AN 80 MPH WIND GUST AS A
THUNDERSTORM COLLAPSED NEARBY. THIS APPEARS TO BE THE GREATEST WIND
GUST RECORDED AT THIS STATION THROUGH AT LEAST 1993, ACCORDING TO
MIDWESTERN REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTER.
BROWN/MURPHY
...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 THE SECOND-WETTEST JULY ON RECORD, THE SO-CALLED FAUCET
TURNED OFF AND THE MONTH ENDED WITH ONLY 2.11 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION; 1.90 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 31ST
DRIEST ON RECORD. THIS WAS ONLY SLIGHTLY MORE THAN AUGUST 2022, WHEN
2.03 INCHES WAS RECORDED. 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 SOUTH BEND
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 WELL-ABOVE NORMAL DAILY TEMPERATURES
FROM THE 20TH THROUGH 26TH. THE PEAK OF THE HEAT OCCURRED ON THE
23RD AND 24TH WHEN SOUTH BEND RECORDED A HEAT INDEX OF 114 AND 115,
RESPECTIVELY. ACCORDING TO THE MIDWESTERN REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTER,
FROM 1973 TO 2018, SOUTH BEND SEES WELL LESS THAN 1 HOUR ON AVERAGE
ANNUALLY WITH A HEAT INDEX OF 110 IN AUGUST.
ONE RECORD WAS SET THIS MONTH. THE LOW TEMPERATURE OF 77 ON THE 24TH
WAS THE WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE RECORDED. IT BREAKS THE PREVIOUS
RECORD OF 75 SET IN 1975.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 71.5 DEGREES WHICH IS NEAR
THE NORMAL OF 70.7 DEGREES.
BROWN
...SEPTEMBER...
...29TH DRIEST SEPTEMBER ON RECORD RESULTS IN WORSENING DROUGHT...
RECALL THAT ONLY A TRACE OF RAIN HAD FALLEN AT SOUTH BEND FROM
AUGUST 18TH TO 31ST. THIS DRYNESS CONTINUED INTO SEPTEMBER AS
MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION WAS NOT RECORDED UNTIL THE 6TH (0.60
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 26TH, 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. PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH
TOTALED 1.71 INCHES WHICH IS THE 29TH DRIEST ON RECORD. THIS IS THE
DRIEST SINCE 2020 WHEN 1.68 INCHES WAS OBSERVED.
PAIRED WITH THE DRY CONDITIONS WERE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. A
BLOCKING RIDGE WAS A FACTOR ONCE AGAIN. THERE WERE THREE 90-DEGREE
DAYS EARLY IN THE MONTH WHICH IS ABOVE THE NORMAL VALUE OF 1.5 DAYS
IN SEPTEMBER. (THE ANNUAL TOTAL IS NOW 15, WHICH IS ABOVE THE NORMAL
VALUE OF 13.5 DAYS PER YEAR.) THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH WAS COOLER,
WITH A NINE-DAY STRETCH OF BELOW-NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THIS WAS
QUICKLY OFFSET BY UNSEASONABLY MILD CONDITIONS ON THE 21ST AND 22ND
WHICH SAW A DAILY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 10 AND 11 DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL, RESPECTIVELY. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 66.6
DEGREES WHICH IS 2.9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 33RD
WARMEST ON RECORD, TIED WITH 1930 AND 1915.
NO RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH.
BROWN
...OCTOBER...
...11TH WETTEST OCTOBER ON RECORD...
THERE WAS RECORD WARMTH TO BEGIN THE MONTH, AS NEW RECORD HIGH
TEMPERATURES WERE SET ON OCTOBER 3RD AND 4TH WITH 87 AND 88 DEGREES
RESPECTIVELY. MID-OCTOBER FEATURED NEAR TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES. THE LAST WEEK OF THE MONTH FEATURED A 40+ DEGREE
TEMPERATURE SWING; A RECORD HIGH OF 82 WAS SET ON OCTOBER 24TH AND A
WEEK LATER, THE 2ND COLDEST HALLOWEEN ON RECORD WAS OBSERVED WITH A
HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 36 DEGREES. HALLOWEEN 2023 WAS THE COLDEST SINCE
1917! OVERALL, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 54.6
DEGREES. THIS IS 2.6 ABOVE NORMAL AND RANKS AS THE 37TH
WARMEST OCTOBER ON RECORD.
PRECIPITATION TOTALED 5.96 INCHES, WHICH WAS 2.24 INCHES ABOVE
NORMAL AND WAS THE 11TH WETTEST OCTOBER ON RECORD FOR SOUTH BEND.
TWO DAYS THIS MONTH HAD OVER AN INCH OF RAIN; OCTOBER 5TH (THE
WETTEST DAY OF THE MONTH) HAD 1.56" AND OCTOBER 14TH HAD 1.24".
THE FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON FELL ON HALLOWEEN! SOUTH BEND MEASURED
A TOTAL OF 1.4" FOR THE DAY, WHICH WAS 0.2" SHY OF TYING THE RECORD
FOR THE SNOWIEST HALLOWEEN ON RECORD. THIS IS ONLY THE 6TH TIME
SINCE RECORD KEEPING BEGAN IN 1893 THAT MEASURABLE SNOW HAS BEEN
OBSERVED ON HALLOWEEN. A TOTAL OF 1.4" OF SNOW FOR THE MONTH IS 1.2"
ABOVE NORMAL. OCTOBER 2023 RANKS AS THE 15TH SNOWIEST OCTOBER ON
RECORD.
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...
...4TH 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 7 DAYS
WITH HIGHS AT OR ABOVE 60 DEGREES, WHICH IS ABOVE AVERAGE (NORMALLY
THERE ARE 5 DAYS WITH HIGHS AT OR ABOVE 60 IN NOVEMBER). OVERALL,
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 41.7 DEGREES. THIS IS 1.9
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND TIES FOR THE 45TH WARMEST NOVEMBER ON
RECORD IN SOUTH BEND.
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 0.51" ON NOVEMBER
21ST. PRECIPITATION TOTALED ONLY 0.81" FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH! THIS IS
1.97" BELOW NORMAL AND WAS THE 4TH DRIEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD FOR
SOUTH BEND. THIS WAS THE DRIEST NOVEMBER SINCE 2012. RECORDS BEGAN
IN 1893.
ONLY TWO DAYS IN NOVEMBER HAD MEASURABLE SNOW: NOVEMBER 26TH AND
NOVEMBER 28TH. THE TOTAL OF 2.1" OF SNOW FOR THE MONTH WAS 3.0"
BELOW NORMAL. NOVEMBER 2023 TIES FOR THE 39TH LEAST SNOWIEST ON
RECORD.
NO RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH.
JOHNSON
...DECEMBER 2023...
...2ND WARMEST DECEMBER, 7TH LEAST SNOWIEST ON RECORD...
TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT DECEMBER 2023 WERE WELL ABOVE AVERAGE. THE
MOST NOTABLE TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES OCCURRED AROUND CHRISTMAS; THERE
WAS A 3 DAY STRETCH OF HIGHS IN THE 50S WITH THE DAILY AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE EACH DAY EXCEEDING 15-20 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. OVERALL,
30 OF 31 DAYS THIS MONTH WERE ABOVE AVERAGE! THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
FOR THE MONTH WAS 39.3 DEGREES, WHICH IS AN ASTOUNDING 9.7 DEGREES
ABOVE NORMAL! DECEMBER 2023 WAS THE 2ND WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD
AND THE WARMEST SINCE 2015. RECORDS BEGAN IN 1893.
PRECIPITATION WAS NEAR NORMAL IN SOUTH BEND THROUGHOUT DECEMBER. THE
HIGHEST DAILY RAINFALL TOTAL WAS 0.72" ON DECEMBER 1ST.
PRECIPITATION TOTALED 2.77" FOR THE MONTH, WHICH IS SLIGHTLY ABOVE
THE AVERAGE OF 2.40". DECEMBER 2023 WAS THE 52ND WETTEST DECEMBER ON
RECORD FOR SOUTH BEND.
MUCH OF THE MONTH`S PRECIPITATION FELL AS RAIN. ONLY TWO DAYS IN
DECEMBER RECORDED MEASURABLE SNOW; 1.0" OF SNOW FELL ON DECEMBER
18TH AND 0.4" ON DECEMBER 31ST. THE TOTAL OF 1.4" OF SNOW FOR THE
MONTH WAS 12.3" BELOW NORMAL. DECEMBER 2023 TIES FOR THE 7TH LEAST
SNOWIEST ON RECORD.
TWO DAILY TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE BROKEN THIS MONTH. THE DAILY HIGH
TEMPERATURE ON DECEMBER 9TH OF 59 DEGREES BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD
OF 58 DEGREES SET BACK IN 1946. ADDITIONALLY, A RECORD WARM MINIMUM
TEMPERATURE OF 46 DEGREES WAS SET ON CHRISTMAS DAY. THIS BREAKS THE
DAILY RECORD OF 40 DEGREES, WHICH WAS SET IN 1982.
JOHNSON
$$
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