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CXUS51 KGYX 090204
CLSAUG

PWMCLSAUG 000
TTAA00 GYX 060202

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
858 PM EST SAT MAR 05 2022

...................................

...THE AUGUSTA CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE WINTER SEASON, FROM
12/1/2021 TO 2/28/2022...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1948 TO 2022

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART   LAST YEAR`S
                VALUE   DATE(S)   VALUE   FROM     VALUE DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             67   12/06/2001
 LOW             -23   02/02/1962
HIGHEST           64   02/23         56       8       60  12/25
LOWEST           -13   01/27         -9      -4       -3  01/31
AVG. MAXIMUM    33.9               31.8     2.1     33.4
AVG. MINIMUM    16.0               15.4     0.6     20.2
MEAN            24.9               23.6     1.3     26.8
DAYS MAX >= 90     0                0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32    41               48.1    -7.1       43
DAYS MIN <= 32    84               84.8    -0.8       84
DAYS MIN <= 0     10                9.4     0.6        1

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM       17.78   1974
 MINIMUM        3.23   1980
TOTALS          6.34               8.38   -2.04    10.15
DAILY AVG.      0.07               0.09   -0.02     0.11
DAYS >= .01       33               31.9     1.1       32
DAYS >= .10       16               18.0    -2.0       14
DAYS >= .50        2                5.0    -3.0        5
DAYS >= 1.00       0                1.7    -1.7        4
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL   0.81   02/03 TO 02/04


DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL   3394               3723    -329     3367
 SINCE 7/1      4571               5218    -647     4767
COOLING TOTAL      0                  0       0        0
 SINCE 1/1         0                  0       0        0
................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              7.4
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    40/350    DATE  01/14
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    54/350    DATE  01/14

SKY COVER
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.49

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     66

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     HEAVY RAIN                 2
RAIN                      6     LIGHT RAIN                18
FREEZING RAIN             6     LT FREEZING RAIN          12
HEAVY SNOW                6     SNOW                      11
LIGHT SNOW               34     FOG                       43
FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE    20     HAZE                      34

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

&&

WINTER GOT OFF TO A MILD START WITH TEMPERATURES AVERAGING WELL
ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF DECEMBER THANKS TO SEVERAL
DAYS WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES INTO THE 50S AND A FEW NIGHTS WHERE
THE LOW TEMPERATURE DID NOT DROP BELOW FREEZING. THIS MILD START TO
WINTER CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO A PERSISTENT RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER
THE SOUTHEAST US THAT OFTEN EXTENDED INTO NEW ENGLAND. THIS RIDGE OF
HIGH PRESSURE OFTEN FORMS OVER THE SOUTHEAST US DURING LA NINA
WINTERS WITH THIS PAST WINTER FEATURING MODERATE LA NINA CONDITIONS
IN THE TROPICAL PACIFIC. THE MILD WEATHER PATTERN TURNED MORE WINTRY
AFTER A STRONG COLD FRONT CROSSED THE AREA ON DECEMBER 17TH. ON
DECEMBER 18TH TO 19TH LOW PRESSURE TRACKED ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW
ENGLAND BRINGING THE FIRST APPRECIABLE SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON
FOLLOWED BY TEMPERATURES STAYING NEAR OR BELOW NORMAL INTO CHRISTMAS
DAY. TEMPERATURES THEN TRENDED ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE END OF THE
YEAR INTO THE FIRST COUPLE OF DAYS OF JANUARY. THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF
JANUARY TEMPERATURES OSCILLATED BETWEEN BELOW NORMAL AND ABOVE
NORMAL AS THE WEATHER PATTERN ACROSS NORTH AMERICA STARTED TO
UNDERGO A TRANSITION. THIS TRANSITION WAS RELATED TO THE PACIFIC
NORTH AMERICAN PATTERN SHIFTING TO ITS POSITIVE PHASE AFTER BEING IN
ITS NEGATIVE PHASE DURING DECEMBER INTO EARLY JANUARY. THIS SHIFT TO
A +PNA LED TO A PERSISTENT RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS WESTERN
NORTH AMERICA WITH A DEEP TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN CONUS THROUGH THE
END OF JANUARY. THE TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN CONUS BROUGHT A PERIOD
OF PERSISTENT COLD DURING THE SECOND HALF OF JANUARY ALLOWING
TEMPERATURES TO AVERAGE BELOW NORMAL FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY. THIS
TROUGH ALSO PRODUCED A POWERFUL OCEAN STORM THAT BROUGHT BLIZZARD
CONDITIONS TO AUGUSTA JANUARY 29TH. GOING INTO FEBRUARY THE RIDGE
OVER THE SOUTHEAST US REDEVELOPED AND REMAINED A DOMINANT FEATURE
THROUGH THE END OF WINTER. MILD SOUTHWEST FLOW AROUND THE RIDGE
BROUGHT SEVERAL WARM SPELLS TO THE AUGUSTA AREA IN FEBRUARY. THE
WARMEST PERIOD CAME ON FEBRUARY 23RD WHEN THE HIGH TEMPERATURE
REACHED 64 DEGREES, WHICH ALSO SET THE NEW ALL TIME RECORD HIGH
TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. ANOTHER DOMINANT FEATURE ON
THE NORTH AMERICAN WEATHER MAP DURING FEBRUARY WAS A PERSISTENT
TROUGH OVER CENTRAL CANADA. AS NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND WAS POSITIONED
BETWEEN THIS TROUGH AND A RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHEAST US THE STORM
TRACK HAD A TENDENCY TO CUT ACROSS THE AREA WITH SYSTEMS BRINGING A
VARIETY OF PRECIPITATION TYPES IN FEBRUARY. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
PRECIPITATION EVENT OF THE WINTER OCCURRED ON FEBRUARY 3RD TO 4TH
WHEN WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE TRACKED ALONG A COLD FRONT THAT SLOWLY
SANK SOUTH THROUGH NEW ENGLAND AND THEN STALLED JUST TO THE SOUTH OF
AUGUSTA. THIS SET UP LED TO A PERIOD OF RAIN THAT THEN CHANGED OVER
TO SLEET AND THEN SNOW WITH A LIQUID EQUIVALENT STORM TOTAL OF 0.89
INCHES. SYSTEMS THAT THEN CROSSED THE AREA THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF
FEBRUARY WERE PRIMARILY RAIN PRODUCERS FOLLOWED BY SOME LIGHT SNOW
ON THE 25TH AND COLD WEATHER THROUGH THE END OF FEBRUARY.

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR WINTER WAS 24.9 DEGREES, WHICH WAS 1.3
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. A MECHANICAL ISSUE OCCURRED WHICH RESULTED IN
MISSING TEMPERATURE DATA ON JANUARY 20TH THROUGH JANUARY 23RD, WHICH
COINCIDED WITH A STRETCH OF COLD DAYS. THIS LIKELY IMPACTED THE
AVERAGE SEASONAL TEMPERATURE. THE WARMEST WINTER WAS IN 2001-02 WHEN
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 28.6 DEGREES. THE COLDEST WAS IN 1958-59
WHEN IT WAS 17.3 DEGREES.

A TOTAL OF 6.34 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION WAS RECORDED, WHICH WAS 2.04
INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FELL ON FEBRUARY 3RD
AND 4TH WHEN A LIQUID EQUIVALENT OF 0.89 INCHES. THE DRIEST WINTER
WAS IN 1979-80 WHEN ONLY 3.23 INCHES WAS RECORDED. THE WETTEST WAS
IN 1973-74 WITH 17.78 INCHES.

THE FOLLOWING RECORDS WERE SET OR TIED IN WINTER 2020/21...
DATE   RECORD                                PREVIOUS
DEC 16  33    - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE      33 IN 2011 AND OTHERS (TIED)
FEB 17  40    - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE      38 IN 1981
FEB 23  64*   - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE     59 IN 1990

*THE 64 DEGREES ON FEB 23RD ALSO SET A NEW ALL TIME RECORD HIGH
TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH FOR
FEBRUARY WAS 60 DEGREES ON FEB 18TH, 1981.

$$

SCHROETER