Climatological Report (Annual) Issued by NWS Omaha/Valley, NE
000
CXUS53 KOAX 031034
CLAOFK
CLIMATE SUMMARY...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
435 AM CST THU JAN 3 2013
...2012 YEARLY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR NORFOLK...
THE CALENDAR YEAR 2012 WAS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD IN
NORFOLK...CARRIED BY AN EXCEPTIONALLY WARM SPRING. THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 53.3 WELL EXCEEDED THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 52.7 SET IN
1931. MARCH WAS THE RECORD WARMEST...AS WAS THE PERIOD OF DECEMBER
THROUGH MAY (WINTER/SPRING) AND THE PERIOD OF MARCH THROUGH AUGUST
(SPRING/SUMMER). THE 12 MONTHS OF OCTOBER 2011 THROUGH SEPTEMBER
2012 REGISTERED AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 53.9 DEGREES...WHICH IS
THE WARMEST OF ANY 12-MONTH PERIOD ON RECORD. IN ADDITION...2012
WAS AN EXCEPTIONALLY DRY YEAR IN NORFOLK... WITH 14.50 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION AS THE 2ND DRIEST YEAR ON RECORD. JULY WAS THE DRIEST
ON RECORD AND TIED FOR THE DRIEST MONTH OF ALL TIME...WITH NO
MEASURABLE RAIN. THE SUMMER MONTHS OF JUNE THROUGH AUGUST WERE THE
DRIEST ON RECORD...AS WAS PERIOD OF JUNE THROUGH NOVEMBER
(SUMMER/FALL).
THE YEAR BEGAN WITH MILD WEATHER ACROSS THE REGION CONTINUING FROM
LATE DECEMBER 2011...WITH A LOW SNOWPACK AND PERSISTENT WEATHER
PATTERNS COMBINING TO MAKE JANUARY THE 10TH WARMEST ON RECORD. THE
HIGH OF 70 DEGREES ON THE 5TH WAS A DAILY RECORD HIGH IN ADDITION TO
BEING THE WARMEST TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH...AND RECORD WARM HIGHS
ALSO WERE SET ON THE 4TH AND 30TH. THE SCANT 0.18 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION FELL AS THREE VERY LIGHT SNOW EVENTS...MAKING THIS THE
17TH DRIEST JANUARY ON RECORD IN NORFOLK.
THE MILD WINTER CONTINUED INTO FEBRUARY...WITH A SWING TO WETTER
CONDITIONS AS FEBRUARY WAS THE 8TH WETTEST ON RECORD. HEAVY SNOW
PASSED SOUTH OF NORFOLK ON THE 3RD AND 4TH...WITH JUST 1.7 INCHES OF
SNOW RECORDED AT NORFOLK WITH 0.38 INCHES OF LIQUID. THE COLDEST
TEMPERATURES OF THE WINTER OF 2011-12 FELL ON THE 12TH...FALLING TO -
4 DEGREES. MEANWHILE...ONLY SIX DAYS IN FEBRUARY SAW DAILY MAXIMUM
TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING...AND THE LAST OF THESE WAS ON THE 13TH.
THE FINAL SNOWFALL OF THE WINTER OF 2011-12 FELL ON THE 23RD TO
24TH...WITH 2.0 INCHES ON THE TWO DAYS. WITH A SHIFT TO WARMER
WEATHER FOR THE REST OF THE MONTH...THE FIRST THUNDERSTORMS OF THE
YEAR OCCURRED ON THE 28TH...WITH AN ADDITIONAL 0.68 INCHES OF RAIN.
FOR THE WINTER MONTHS OF DECEMBER THROUGH FEBRUARY...NORFOLK WAS
MUCH WARMER AND SLIGHTLY WETTER THAN NORMAL. THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 28.8 DEGREES WAS 4.2 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND THE 8TH
WARMEST WINTER ON RECORD. WITH A VERY DRY JANUARY AND A VERY WET
FEBRUARY...THE OVERALL PRECIPITATION IN THE WINTER MONTHS ENDED
SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL...REACHING 2.70 INCHES...WHICH IS 0.6 INCHES
ABOVE NORMAL. FOR THE WINTER OF 2011-12...15.3 INCHES OF SNOW
FELL...WHICH IS WELL BELOW THE NORMAL OF 30.5 INCHES.
MARCH WAS SIMPLY A MONTH OF SUPERLATIVES...WITH UNPRECEDENTED WARMTH
ACROSS MUCH OF THE US CENTERED ON THE CENTRAL PLAINS. TEMPERATURES
WERE ABOVE NORMAL EVERY DAY OF THE MONTH. TEN RECORD DAILY WARM
MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE SET...INCLUDING SEVERAL
READINGS THAT WERE THE EARLIEST TO REACH THOSE THRESHOLDS...AS WELL
AS THE RECORD WARMEST MARCH DAILY MINIMUM TEMPERATURE ON RECORD.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 53.0 DEGREES WAS 15.6 DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL AND 2.5 DEGREES ABOVE THE PREVIOUS AVERAGE TEMPERATURE RECORD
OF 50.5 DEGREES SET IN 1910. MARCH HAD THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF DAYS
WITH MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES EXCEEDING THE 70 AND 80 DEGREE
THRESHOLDS...AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES EXCEEDING THE
32...40...50...AND 60 DEGREE TEMPERATURE THRESHOLDS. THUNDER WAS
REPORTED ON 3 DAYS IN MARCH. HOWEVER...PRECIPITATION RETURNED TO
BELOW NORMAL TOTALS IN MARCH...WITH 0.58 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION
MAKING THIS THE 21ST DRIEST MARCH ON RECORD.
THOUGH OVERSHADOWED BY THE EXTREME WARMTH IN MARCH AND ONLY SLIGHTLY
WARMER THAN THAT MONTH...APRIL ALSO WAS VERY WARM...AS THE 9TH
WARMEST APRIL ON RECORD. THE LAST FREEZE OF THE SEASON OCCURRED ON
APRIL 23...WHICH WAS 2 DAYS EARLIER THAN THE AVERAGE IN 1981-2010.
HOWEVER...WITH THE EARLY START TO THE GROWING SEASON IN MARCH...THE
IMPACT OF THIS FREEZE WAS STILL MUCH LIKE A LATE FREEZE...WITH SOME
PLANT AND CROP DAMAGE. THUNDERSTORMS WERE RECORDED ON FOUR DAYS IN
APRIL. A SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK ON THE 14TH BROUGHT LARGE HAIL AND
FLASH FLOODING TO DOWNTOWN NORFOLK. THE RAINFALL TOTAL ON THE 14TH
WAS 1.29 INCHES AT THE AIRPORT AND MORE IN THE CITY...ACCOUNTING FOR
OVER A THIRD OF THE MONTHLY RAINFALL TOTAL.
WARM WEATHER CONTINUED THROUGH MAY...AS IT WAS THE 13TH WARMEST ON
RECORD...WITH A DAILY WARM MINIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORD SET EARLY IN THE
MONTH. STORMY WEATHER DOMINATED THE EARLY AND LATE PARTS OF THE
MONTH. THERE WERE 10 DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORMS RECORDED AT NORFOLK.
MAY WAS THE LAST MONTH WITH ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION UNTIL
DECEMBER...AND IT WAS ONLY SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL.
FOR THE SPRING SEASON OF MARCH THROUGH MAY...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
BLASTED AWAY THE PREVIOUS RECORD FOR THE WARMEST SPRING. THE MARCH-
APRIL-MAY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 57.4 DEGREES...BREAKING THE
PREVIOUS RECORD OF 55.0 DEGREES SET IN 1977. ALSO...THE COMBINED
WINTER AND SPRING SEASONS OF DECEMBER THROUGH MAY ALSO SET THE
RECORD FOR WARMEST...WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 43.3 DEGREES
THAT BROKE THE RECORD OF 41.9 DEGREES SET IN 1987 AND 1992. SPRING
PRECIPITATION WAS SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL AT 8.05 INCHES...WHICH IS
0.30 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.
WARM WEATHER CONTINUED THROUGH JUNE...WHICH WAS THE 13TH WARMEST ON
RECORD. JUNE SAW 10 DAYS AT OR ABOVE 90 DEGREES...WELL ABOVE THE
NORMAL 6 DAYS...AND ONLY THE 1ST SAW A MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE BELOW 70
DEGREES. ONLY ONE DAILY RECORD WARM TEMPERATURE WAS SET...BUT THE
PERSISTENCE OF HEAT WAS NOTABLE. PRECIPITATION WAS WELL BELOW
NORMAL IN JUNE...WITH 0.89 INCHES OF RAIN RANKING AS THE 4TH DRIEST
JUNE ON RECORD. MEASURABLE RAIN FELL ON ONLY 6 DAYS...WITH ONLY 4
THUNDERSTORM DAYS...AND WITH THE LAST RAIN OF THE MONTH FALLING ON
THE 23RD.
THE WARM YEAR OF 2012 BARRELED RIGHT THROUGH JULY...AS JULY WAS
RECORD DRIEST AND NEAR-RECORD HOTTEST IN NORFOLK. NO MEASURABLE
RAIN FELL IN NORFOLK IN JULY...MAKING IT THE DRIEST JULY ON RECORD
AND ALSO TIED WITH 8 OTHER MONTHS AS THE DRIEST MONTH ON RECORD (AND
WITH ALL OF THOSE OTHER MONTHS IN THE FALL AND WINTER). THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 82.5 DEGREES WAS THE 3RD WARMEST JULY ON RECORD. A
15-DAY STREAK OF DAYS ENDING ON THE 26TH WITH TEMPERATURES AT OR
ABOVE 95 DEGREES WAS THE 3RD LONGEST ON RECORD...AND ALSO FELL AS
THE 7TH LONGEST STREAK OF TEMPERATURES AT OR ABOVE 90 DEGREES. FOUR
CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF TEMPERATURES AT OR ABOVE 100 DEGREES ENDED ON
THE 25TH AND WAS THE 14TH LONGEST STREAK OF DAYS WITH TEMPERATURES
AT OR ABOVE 100 DEGREES. THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURE OF THE YEAR
OCCURRED ON THE 22ND...AT 105 DEGREES. THE COMBINATION OF EXTREME
HEAT AND EXTREME DRYNESS ALLOWED EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT TO SPREAD
QUICKLY INTO NORTHEAST NEBRASKA IN JULY.
DRY WEATHER LINGERED IN AUGUST...THOUGH TEMPERATURES FELL BACK TO
READINGS ONLY SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. THUNDERSTORMS BROUGHT 0.11
INCHES OF RAIN 1ST...BREAKING A STREAK OF 38 DAYS WITH NO MEASURABLE
RAINFALL IN NORFOLK...WHICH WAS THE 14TH LONGEST SUCH STREAK ON
RECORD AND THE 2ND LONGEST IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER MONTHS.
TEMPERATURES STILL WERE PREDOMINANTLY ABOVE AVERAGE...WITH SEVERAL
DAILY RECORD WARM TEMPERATURES SET...BUT A FEW COOL SPELLS MIXED IN
THROUGH THE MONTH.
FOR THE SUMMER SEASON OF JUNE THROUGH AUGUST...2012 WAS VERY WARM
AND RECORD DRIEST. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 76.6 DEGREES WAS THE
5TH WARMEST SUMMER ON RECORD. THE PRECIPITATION TOTAL OF 1.88 INCHES
WAS THE DRIEST ON RECORD...WELL BELOW THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 3.50
INCHES IN 1936. THE TWO-MONTH RAINFALL TOTAL OF 0.99 INCHES IN JULY
AND AUGUST ALSO WAS THE DRIEST ON RECORD. THE SPRING AND SUMMER
MONTHS (MARCH THROUGH AUGUST) WERE THE WARMEST ON RECORD IN
NORFOLK...WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 67.0 DEGREES...AND THE 2ND
DRIEST ON RECORD...WITH 9.93 INCHES OF RAIN.
SEPTEMBER BROUGHT MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES THAT WERE ABOVE NORMAL...AND
MINIMUM TEMPERATURES THAT WERE WELL BELOW NORMAL...FOR AN AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE THAT WAS NEAR NORMAL. DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUED IN
NORFOLK...WITH RAIN FALLING IN JUST THREE EVENTS. THE MOST
SUBSTANTIAL RAIN OF THE MONTH FELL ON THE 12TH...WITH 0.56 INCHES OF
STEADY RAIN. AN EARLY FREEZE ARRIVED ON THE 22ND...WITH A LOW OF 32
DEGREES. THIS WAS THE 17TH EARLIEST FREEZE ON RECORD IN
NORFOLK...12 DAYS EARLIER THAN THE 1981-2010 AVERAGE.
OCTOBER BROUGHT A BREAK FROM THE HEAT...WITH TEMPERATURES AVERAGING
COOLER THAN NORMAL...BUT WITH BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION PERSISTING.
LOWS FELL AT OR BELOW FREEZING 13 TIMES IN OCTOBER...WHICH IS THE
HIGHEST SINCE 2006. RAIN FELL ON 6 DAYS IN OCTOBER...INCLUDING 3
DAYS WITH THUNDER...THOUGH THE TOTAL PRECIPITATION WAS 1.58 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL. A COLD FRONT BROUGHT STRONG NORTHWESTERLY WINDS ON
THE 18TH...PEAKING AT 60 MPH...WHICH WAS THE HIGHEST WIND SPEED OF
THE YEAR. WITH THE DRY AND COOLER WEATHER...THE AVERAGE MINIMUM
TEMPERATURE FOR SEPTEMBER THROUGH OCTOBER WAS THE 2ND COOLEST ON
RECORD IN NORFOLK.
WARMER WEATHER RETURNED IN NOVEMBER...AND DRY WEATHER CONTINUED.
JUST 0.43 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL IN NOVEMBER...AND THAT FELL
IN JUST TWO DAYS. THE 0.39 INCHES OF RAIN ON THE 10TH WAS
ACCOMPANIED BY THUNDER...AND WAS FOLLOWED ON THE 11TH BY A TRACE OF
SNOW. RECORD WARM MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE
SET ON THE 21ST...THE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING...IN THE MIDST OF A
MID-MONTH WARM SPELL.
THE FALL MONTHS OF SEPTEMBER THROUGH NOVEMBER MATCHED THE NORMAL OF
50.4 DEGREES. THE AVERAGE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE IN THE FALL WAS THE
13TH COLDEST ON RECORD...WHILE THE AVERAGE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS
THE 26TH WARMEST ON RECORD. THE TOTAL PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE FALL
WAS 1.53 INCHES...WHICH IS THE 3RD DRIEST ON RECORD FOR YEARS WITH
COMPLETE DATA AND 4.60 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THE COMBINED SUMMER AND
FALL PRECIPITATION (JUNE THROUGH NOVEMBER) WAS THE DRIEST ON
RECORD...WITH 3.41 INCHES BEATING THE PREVIOUS RECORD (7.39 INCHES
IN 1976) BY 3.98 INCHES.
DECEMBER WAS DOMINATED BY WARM WEATHER THROUGH THE 19TH...WITH JUST
TWO DAYS IN THAT STRETCH WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE BELOW NORMAL.
LIGHT SNOW FELL ON THE 7TH...BRINGING TO AN END THE SECOND LONGEST
STREAK OF SNOW-FREE DAYS ON RECORD AT NORFOLK AT 286. A STRONG
SYSTEM MOVED ACROSS THE REGION ON THE 19TH INTO THE 20TH...ENDING
THE WARM PATTERN FOR THE REST OF THE MONTH. THE STORM BROUGHT 3.1
INCHES OF SNOW TO NORFOLK. COOLER WEATHER STUCK THROUGH THE REST OF
THE MONTH...WITH SOME MODERATION TOWARD NEW YEARS EVE. THE COLDEST
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH...AND TIED FOR THE COLDEST OF
2012...WAS THE 12 DEGREES OBSERVED ON CHRISTMAS DAY. LIGHT SNOW FELL
OVER THE COURSE OF TWO DAYS ON THE 27TH AND THE 28TH...BRINGING AN
ADDITIONAL 3.9 INCHES OF SNOW TO NORFOLK.
2012 STATISTICS
TEMPERATURE PRECIPITATION
MONTH AVG. DEPART. MAX MIN TOTAL DEPART. SNOW/SLEET TSTORM DAYS
JAN 29.4 6.8 70R 0 0.18 -0.41 2.1 0
FEB 29.3 2.5 59 -4 1.73 0.97 5.1 1
MAR 53.0 15.6 88 19 0.58 -1.19 T 3
APR 54.5 4.9 92 25 3.14 0.49 0 4
MAY 64.6 4.1 94 36 4.33 0.40 0 10
JUN 73.6 3.4 103 41 0.89 -3.37 0 4
JUL 82.5 7.5 105 54 TR -3.32 0 0
AUG 73.6 0.8 102 44 0.99 -2.26 0 5
SEP 64.6 0.8 102 30 0.61 -2.08 0 1
OCT 47.9 -3.1 83 18 0.49 -1.58 T 3
NOV 38.7 2.3 72 11 0.43 -0.94 T 1
DEC 26.4 2.1 64 -3 1.13 0.38 7.5 0
YEAR 53.3 4.1 105 -4 14.50 -12.91 14.7 32
DEGREE DAYS
MONTH HEATING DEPART. COOLING DEPART.
JAN 1095 -221 0 0
FEB 1031 -40 0 0
MAR 385 -471 21 21
APR 330 -144 20 8
MAY 115 -75 111 62
JUN 16 -14 281 95
JUL 0 -4 548 234
AUG 11 -1 286 31
SEP 108 -18 106 16
OCT 523 80 0 -9
NOV 781 -79 0 0
DEC 1189 -72 0 0
YEAR 5551 -1091 1373 458
WIND GUST SEA LEVEL PRESSURE
MONTH MAX MAX MIN
JAN 52 30.69 29.40
FEB 56 30.84 29.26
MAR 53 30.55 29.41
APR 52 30.40 29.15
MAY 59 30.40 29.38
JUN 44 30.23 29.33
JUL 35 30.15 29.59
AUG 48 MM 29.68
SEP 44 30.42 29.61
OCT 60 30.54 29.24
NOV 46 30.58 29.41
DEC 51 30.58 29.44
EXTREMES READING DATE
WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 105 JULY 22
COLDEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 12 JANUARY 19, DECEMBER 25
COLDEST LOW TEMPERATURE -4 FEBRUARY 12
WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 77 JULY 4, JULY 5, JULY 6
LAST SPRING FREEZE (32 DEGREES) 30 APRIL 23
FIRST FALL FREEZE (32 DEGREES) 32 SEPTEMBER 22
HIGHEST RAINFALL 2.05 MAY 27
HIGHEST SNOWFALL 3.0 DECEMBER 19
HIGHEST SNOW DEPTH 3 DECEMBER 20-22
LAST MEASURABLE SNOW (2011-12) 1.0 FEBRUARY 24
FIRST MEASURABLE SNOW (2012-13) 0.5 DECEMBER 7
HIGHEST WIND GUST 60 OCTOBER 18
HIGHEST SURFACE PRESSURE 30.84 FEBRUARY 11
LOWEST SURFACE PRESSURE 29.15 APRIL 15
DAILY RECORDS SET IN 2012
DATE RECORD READING PREVIOUS RECORD
JANUARY 4 WARM MAX TEMP 60 59 (1989)
JANUARY 5 WARM MAX TEMP 70 55 (1956)
JANUARY 30 WARM MAX TEMP 67 57 (1992, 1974, 1931)
MARCH 13 WARM MAX TEMP 80 76 (1946)
MARCH 16 WARM MAX TEMP 84 78 (2009)
MARCH 17 WARM MIN TEMP 62^ 57 (1894)
MARCH 17 WARM MAX TEMP 84 79 (1994)
MARCH 17 WARM AVG TEMP 73^ 67.5 (1894)
MARCH 18 WARM MIN TEMP 64^ 48 (1921)
MARCH 18 WARM MAX TEMP 84 82 (1921)
MARCH 20 WARM MIN TEMP 46 46 (TIES WITH 1894)
MARCH 21 WARM MIN TEMP 50 50 (TIES WITH 1938)
MARCH 26 WARM MIN TEMP 51 51 (TIES WITH 2004)
MARCH 26 WARM MAX TEMP 86 84 (1989)
APRIL 1 WARM MAX TEMP 92 88 (2003)
APRIL 24 WARM MAX TEMP 90 89 (1906)
MAY 5 WARM MIN TEMP 62 61 (1966)
JUNE 19 WARM MIN TEMP 76 74 (1988)
JULY 4 WARM MIN TEMP 77 76 (1999)
JULY 5 WARM MIN TEMP 77 77 (TIES WITH 1977)
JULY 6 WARM MIN TEMP 77 76 (1988, 1964)
JULY 23 WARM MAX TEMP 104 104 (TIES WITH 1936, 1901)
AUGUST 29 WARM MAX TEMP 102 101 (1948)
AUGUST 30 WARM MAX TEMP 102 99 (2000, 1953)
SEPTEMBER 4 WARM MAX TEMP 102 102 (TIES WITH 1913)
OCTOBER 7 COLD MIN TEMP 18 20 (2000)
NOVEMBER 21 WARM MAX TEMP 72 69 (1917, 1904)
NOVEMBER 21 WARM MIN TEMP 41 41 (TIES WITH 1899)
^ RECORD EARLIEST READINGS TO REACH THESE TEMPERATURES
MONTHLY RECORDS SET IN 2012
DATE RECORD READING PREVIOUS RECORD
MARCH 18 WARM AVG TEMP 74 73 (3-17-2012); 71 (3-30-1943)
MARCH 19 WARM MIN TEMP 64 62 (3-17-2012); 59 (3-29-2007)
MARCH WARM AVG TEMP 53.0 50.5 (1910)
MARCH WARM MIN TEMP 38.0 36.2 (1946)
JULY DRIEST T 0.18 (1936)
SEASONAL RECORDS SET IN 2012
SEASON RECORD READING PREVIOUS RECORD
MARCH-MAY WARMEST 57.4 55.0 (1977)
JULY-AUGUST DRIEST 1.88 3.50 (1936)
ANNUAL RECORDS SET IN 2012
RECORD READING PREVIOUS RECORD
WARMEST AVG TEMP 53.3 52.7 (1931)
WARMEST MAX TEMP 66.8 64.5 (1931)
DRIEST MONTH T T/0 (TIES WITH 8 OTHER MONTHS)
DAYS MAX TEMP >= 70F 184 178 (1934, 1921)
DAYS MAX TEMP >= 60F 225 224 (1981)
DAYS MAX TEMP >= 50F 277 271 (1933)
DAYS MAX TEMP >= 40F 315 315 (TIES WITH 1999, 1933)
&&
MAYES
JEK