Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS Portland, OR

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CXUS56 KPQR 050409 RRB
CLAAST

ANNUAL CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
800 PM PST THU 4 JAN 2024

..ASTORIA 2023 WEATHER IN REVIEW...

2023 NOTABLE WEATHER EVENTS & RECORDS
 * COLD, WITH SNOW IN LATE FEBRUARY
 * HIGHEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED IN APRIL
 * WARM AND DRIER THAN NORMAL MAY
 * 3RD WARMEST AUGUST ON RECORD
 * THUNDERSTORMS TO START SEPTEMBER
 * HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS IN EARLY DECEMBER
 * 4TH WARMEST DECEMBER
 * HEAVY SURF FOR END OF DECEMBER

 * 2023:  27TH WARMEST YEAR, AND 28TH DRIEST YEAR


MONTHLY WEATHER RECAPS...

JANUARY...RATHER MILD WEATHER FOR JANUARY FOR THE ASTORIA AREA.
WHILE SEVERAL FRONTS PUSHED ACROSS THE REGION, NOT MANY WERE ALL
THAT MUCH IN WAY OF RAIN PRODUCERS. AS SUCH, RAINFALL AT ASTORIA WAS
ONLY ABOUT 66% OF NORMAL. BUT, FRONT ON THE 9TH DID PACK SOME STRONG
WINDS, WITH GUSTS 50 TO 60 MPH ALONG THE COAST, KNOCKING DOWN TREE
LIMBS AND CREATING SPOTTY POWER OUTAGES. CLATSOP SPIT RECORDED A 71
MPH GUST.

FEBRUARY...IT WAS A COOL FEBRUARY, WITH TEMPERATURES MOSTLY IN THE
40S FOR HIGHS. COLDEST MORNING WAS THE 25TH, WITH A MORNING LOW
TEMPERATURE OF 23 DEG. CHILLY WET WEATHER ON THE 13TH AND 14TH, WITH
RAIN AT ASTORIA. BUT, SNOW FELL IN THE NEARBY MOUNTAINS, WITH 10
INCHES RECORDED ON SADDLE MOUNTAIN. COLD WEATHER RETURNED ON THE
22ND INTO THE 23RD, WITH A HIGH OF ONLY 35 DEG ON THE 23RD. EAST
WINDS GUSTING TO 35 MPH BROUGHT THE WIND CHILL DOWN TO NEAR 20 DEG
AT TIMES. BRRRRR! EVEN SNOW FELL DOWN AS LOW AS SEA LEVEL, WITH 1.5
INCHES OF SNOW AT ASTORIA, AND 3 INCHES AT NASELLE. MUCH HEAVIER
SNOW FELL IN THE COAST RANGE AND WILLAPA HILLS.

MARCH...COOLER THAN NORMAL, BUT NEAR NORMAL RAINFALL. MOST FRONTS
PUSHING ACROSS THE REGION BROUGHT GUSTY WINDS AND RAIN. STRONGEST
FRONT WAS ON THE 2ND INTO THE 3RD, WITH SOUTH WINDS GUSTING 50 TO 55
MPH ALONG WITH A 1.50 TO 2.00 INCHES OF RAIN. BUT, NO FLOODING. A
STRONG FRONT PUSHED ACROSS THE REGION ON THE 24TH AND 25TH. WHILE
ANOTHER 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN FELL AT LOWER ELEVATIONS, IT WAS SNOW
FALLING IN THE NEARBY COAST RANGE, WITH OVER A FOOT OF SNOW.

APRIL...OVERALL, IT WAS A BIT WETTER AND COOLER THAN MOST APRILS.
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE DECEMBER, THERE WAS A DAY WITH OVER AN INCH
OF RAIN AT THE ASTORIA AIRPORT. IN FACT, APRIL HAD 3 SUCH DAYS, JUST
1 SHORT OF THE RECORD 4 DAYS BACK IN 1937.  APRIL 2023 TOTAL
RAINFALL WAS 8.42 INCHES, MAKING IT THE 14TH WETTEST APRIL. BIT OF
OFFSHORE FLOW ON THE 28TH OF THE MONTH BROUGHT SUMMER WARMTH, WITH A
HIGH OF 86 DEG, BEFORE WINDS SWITCHED TO THE SOUTHWEST AND BROUGHT
COOLER OCEAN AIR BACK ONSHORE. THE HIGH OF 86 WAS THE WARMEST DAY
EVER IN THE MONTH OF APRIL, BREAKING THE OLD RECORD 85 SET IN 2016.

MAY...AFTER A RATHER DANKISH AND DAMP SPRING, MAY BROUGHT MUCH
DELIGHT TO AREA GARDENERS, WITH WARM AND DRIER WEATHER. WARMEST
STRETCH WAS AROUND MOTHERS DAY, WITH HIGHS INTO THE 80S ON THE 12TH
AND UP TO LOWER 90S ON 13TH. THE HIGH OF 93 DEG ON THE 13TH TIED
2008 (MAY 16) AS THE WARMEST TEMPERATURE RECORDED IN MAY. REST OF
MAY SAW DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURES MOSTLY IN THE 60S. RAINFALL WAS ONLY
34% OF NORMAL.

JUNE...JUNE CONTINUED WHERE MAY ENDED, WITH SEASONAL TEMPERATURES
AND DRY CONDITIONS. WARMEST DAY OF THE MONTH WAS ON THE 6TH, WITH A
HIGH OF 77 DEG. BUT, FIRST FRONT OF THE MONTH ARRIVED ON THE 9TH,
WITH SPOTTY LIGHT RAIN. STRONGEST FRONT OF MONTH BROUGHT CLOUDS,
RAIN AND COOL WEATHER FOR FATHERS DAY. REST OF JUNE WAS RATHER
UNEVENTFUL, WITH VARYING DEGREES OF ONSHORE FLOW.

JULY...RATHER PLEASANT JULY, WITH DAILY HIGHS MOSTLY IN THE UPPER
60S TO LOWER 70S. WARMEST DAY WAS THE 4TH OF JULY, WITH A HIGH OF 83
DEG. IN FACT, IT WAS THE 2ND WARMEST INDEPENDENCE DAY ON RECORD,
JUST ONE DEGREE SHY OF THE RECORD 84 DEG SET IN 1975.

AUGUST...WARM AND DRY, AS HIGH PRESSURE DOMINATED. WAS RELATIVELY
WARM AUGUST, WITH DAILY HIGHS MOSTLY IN THE 70S OR WARMER. WARMEST
WAS A 2-DAY STRETCH WITH HIGHS ABOVE 90 DEG ON 13TH AND 14TH, WITH
HIGHS PEAKING AT 95 DEG ON THE 14TH. IT WAS THE 3RD WARMEST AUGUST
ON RECORD FOR ASTORIA. MOST OF THE MONTH WAS DRY, WITH ONLY SPOTTY
LIGHT RAIN ON THE 9TH AND AGAIN ON THE 22ND. BUT THAT ALL CAME TO AN
END AS AUGUST CLOSED WITH RATHER STRONG FRONT. THAT FRONT BROUGHT
NEARLY A HALF INCH OF RAIN TO THE AREA, ALONG WITH COOLER WEATHER.

SEPTEMBER...ACTIVE WEATHER CONTINUED IN EARLY SEPTEMBER. HIGHS IN
THE UPPER 70S ON THE 1ST AND 2ND, ALONG WITH AN UNSTABLE AIR MASS,
TRIGGERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE 3RD. NO SEVERE
WEATHER, BUT DECENT DOWNPOURS AND GUSTY WINDS WITH A FEW STORMS.
AFTERWARDS, WEATHER BECAME TRANQUIL, WITH VARYING DEGREES OF ONSHORE
FLOW AND TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S TO LOWER 70S. BUT, RETURN TO MORE
ACTIVE WEATHER ARRIVED ON 18TH/19TH, WITH A FRONT MOVING ONSHORE. AN
EVEN STRONGER FRONT ARRIVED ON THE 23RD, WITH HEAVY RAIN. RAIN AND
SHOWERS, ALONG WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES, CONTINUED THROUGH THE 28TH.
GUSTY WINDS OF 55 TO 70 MPH ON THE 27TH CAUSED MINOR TREE DAMAGE AND
SPOTTY POWER OUTAGES.

OCTOBER...THE MONTH STARTED ON A WARMER THAN NORMAL NOTE, WITH HIGHS
PEAKING IN THE LOWER 80S ON THE 6TH. AFTER THAT, OCCASIONAL FRONTS
BROUGHT RAIN AND GRADUALLY COOLER TEMPERATURES TO THE REGION. HIGH
PRESSURE AT END OF THE MONTH BROUGHT LIGHT OFFSHORE FLOW, WITH DRY
WEATHER AND MILD DAYS, ALONG WITH COOL NIGHTS.

NOVEMBER...RATHER TYPICAL NOVEMBER, WITH NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES
AND RAINFALL. RATHER POTENT FRONT MOVED ONSHORE ON THE 2ND/3RD, WITH
WINDS GUSTING 45 TO 55 MPH AND HEAVY RAIN. ANOTHER POTENT FRONT
PUSHED ONSHORE ON THE 11TH, WITH GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH AND 2 TO 3
INCHES OF RAIN. THERE WAS SOME LOCALLIZED LOWLAND FLOODING, MAINLY
IN AREAS WITH POOR DRAINAGE. HIGH PRESSURE WAS STRONG ENOUGH FOR A
TIME TO BRING DRY WEATHER TO THE REGION FROM 23RD TO 28TH, MAKING
FOR A RATHER PLEASANT THANKSGIVING BREAK.

DECEMBER...RAIN RETURNED WITH A VENGEANCE TO START THE MONTH. A
SERIES OF ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS BROUGHT HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS
DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF DECEMBER, WITH OVER 12 INCHES OF RAIN
AT ASTORIA AIRPORT AND OVER 20 INCHES IN THE NEARBY MOUNTAINS.
REST OF THE MONTH RETURNED TO MORE QUIET WEATHER, WITH ONLY A FEW
FRONTS WITH RAIN AT TIMES. PERSISTENT LOW PRESSURE OFFSHORE AT
END OF THE MONTH KICKED UP LARGE SWELL, RESULTING IN HEAVY SURF
CONDITIONS  WITH SEAS OF 20 TO 25 FT ALONG THE COAST.

==============================================================
NEW RECORDS SET IN 2023       (PREVIOUS RECORD IN PARENTHESES)
               + INDICATES MOST RECENT OF MULTIPLE OCCURRENCES

JANUARY...
  NO RECORDS SET OR TIED.

FEBRUARY...
  23RD  NEW.  DAILY COOL HIGH TEMP           35  (  37 /1917 )

MARCH....
  NO RECORDS SET OR TIED.

APRIL...
  18TH  NEW.  DAILY COOL HIGH TEMP           46  (  48 /1970 )
  28TH  NEW.  DAILY WARM HIGH TEMP           86  (  81 /1925 )

MAY...
   4TH  TIED. DAILY WARM HIGH TEMP           51  (  51 /2010+)
  13TH  TIED. DAILY WARM HIGH TEMP           89  (  89 /1939+)
  14TH  NEW.  DAILY WARM HIGH TEMP           93  (  87 /2014 )
  18TH  TIED. DAILY WARM LOW TEMP            55  (  55 /1926 ).

JUNE...
  18TH  TIED. DAILY COLD LOW TEMP            40  (  40 /1988+)

JULY...
  NO RECORDS SET OR TIED.

AUGUST...
   3RD  NEW.  DAILY WARM LOW TEMP            62  (  60 /1994 )
   5TH  NEW.  DAILY WARM LOW TEMP            63  (  60 /2000 )
   6TH  NEW.  DAILY WARM LOW TEMP            61  (  60 /1920 )
   7TH  NEW.  DAILY WARM LOW TEMP            63  (  60 /1976 )
  14TH  NEW.  DAILY WARM HIGH TEMP           95  (  90 /2010+)
       *** TIED FOR 3RD WARMEST AUGUST ON RECORD ***
          AUG 2023 MEAN TEMP OF 64.8 (3.5 DEG ABOVE AVERAGE)
          TIES FOR 3RD WARMEST (WITH 1936). WARMEST AUGUST WAS
          1891 WITH MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 65.3 DEG.

SEPTEMBER...
  NO RECORDS SET OR TIED.

OCTOBER...
   6TH  NEW.  DAILY WARM LOW TEMP            57  (  56 /1965+)

NOVEMBER...
  NO RECORDS SET OR TIED.

DECEMBER...
   5TH  TIED. DAILY WARM LOW TEMP            50  (  50 /1989 )
   5TH  NEW.  DAILY RAINFALL               2.52" (2.14"/1981 )


=============================================================
2023 ASTORIA:  TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION RANKINGS
THIS TABLE SHOWS WHERE EACH MONTH/YEAR RANKS IN ASTORIA`S
CLIMATE RECORD (1892-2023). RANKINGS APPLY TO ALL OF THE
SAME MONTH:  EX. WHERE JUNE 2023 COMPARES TO ALL OTHER JUNES.

        JA  FE  MA  AP  MA  JU  JL  AU  SE  OC  NO  DE  2023
AVG T   38 107 107 104  15  73  19   3  59  23  65   4    27
PRECIP 106 111  59  14 124 122  97  71  48  93  67  47   103

MAX T   40  93  94 114  36  87  15  11  47  22  31   4    26
MIN T   39 113 111  62   4  64  49   5  79  33  94   6    37

ASTORIA`S RANGE IS 1 TO 131, WHERE  1 = WARMEST OR WETTEST
                                  131 = DRIEST OR COLDEST

=============================================================
2023 ASTORIA TEMPERATURE DATA
               + BY DATE = MOST RECENT OF MULTIPLE OCCURENCES

      |--- AVERAGES ----|MEAN T DEPART| EXTREME TEMPS & DATE|
MONTH |HIGHS LOWS   MEAN| FROM NORMAL | HIGHEST      LOWEST |
--------------------------------------------------------------
JAN    49.4  38.1   43.7   +0.0 DEG     58 /12TH    24 /30TH
FEB    48.6  34.6   41.6   -2.6 DEG     59 / 9TH    23 /25TH
MAR    51.0  36.1   43.5   -2.5 DEG     65 /18TH    26 / 1ST
APR    53.9  41.2   47.6   -1.1 DEG     86 /28TH    32 / 5TH
MAY    64.1  49.5   56.8   +3.4 DEG     93 /14TH    41 /10TH
JUN    64.3  50.1   57.2   -0.1 DEG     77 / 6TH    40 / 5TH
JUL    70.7  53.7   62.2   +1.6 DEG     83 / 4TH    49 / 4TH
AUG    74.2  56.8   65.5   +4.2 DEG     95 /14TH    48 /20TH
SEP    68.2  49.9   59.1   +0.1 DEG     80 / 2ND    39 /30TH
OCT    63.6  47.6   55.6   +2.8 DEG     83 / 6TH    32 /28TH
NOV    55.0  39.2   47.1   +0.2 DEG     63 / 2ND+   29 /28TH+
DEC    53.1  41.8   47.4   +4.2 DEG     60 / 5TH+   32 /23RD

 2023  59.4  44.9   52.1   +0.7 DEG    95 /AUG 14  24 /JAN 30
NORMAL 58.4  44.5   51.4


DAYS IN 2023 WITH TEMPERATURE OF...
       |------ MAXIMUM TEMP --------||------ MINIMUM TEMP ---|
       <=32  60+  70+  80+  90+ 100+  <=20  <=32   50+   60+
--------------------------------------------------------------
JAN      0    0    0    0    0    0      0     8    0     0
FEB      0    0    0    0    0    0      0    11    0     0
MAR      0    2    0    0    0    0      0     6    0     0
APR      0    4    1    1    0    0      0     1    0     0
MAY      0   25    5    2    1    0      0     0   16     0
JUN      0   26    3    0    0    0      0     0   19     0
JUL      0   31   20    1    0    0      0     0   30     0
AUG      0   31   24    3    2    0      0     0   29     9
SEP      0   30   11    1    0    0      0     0   17     0
OCT      0   24    5    1    0    0      0     1   17     0
NOV      0    4    0    0    0    0      0     6    3     0
DEC      0    2    0    0    0    0      0     1    3     0

  2023   0  179   69    9    3    0      0    34  134     9
NORMAL  <1  164   37    6    0    0     <1    26  113     2

FIRST/LAST OCCURRENCES OF...           IN 2023      AVERAGE
  LAST 32 DEG OR COLDER IN SPRING        5 APR     (29 MAR)
  FIRST 70+ DEG OF THE YEAR             28 APR     (21 APR)
  FIRST 80+ DEG OF THE YEAR             28 APR     (13 JUN)
  FIRST 90+ DEG OF THE YEAR             14 MAY     (13 JUL)

  LAST 90+ DEG OF THE YEAR              14 AUG     (25 JUL)
  LAST 80+ DEG OF THE YEAR               6 OCT     (12 SEP)
  LAST 70+ DEG OF THE YEAR              18 OCT     (13 OCT)
  FIRST 32 DEG OR COLDER OF AUTUMN      29 OCT     ( 9 NOV)

==============================================================
2023 ASTORIA RAINFALL DATA

       TOTAL  DEPARTURE  DAYS WITH AT LEAST...   GREATEST IN
MONTH   RAIN  FM NORMAL  0.01 0.10 0.50 1.00    24HRS & DATE
---------------------------------------------------------------
JAN     6.67    -3.92      22   15    6    0    1.05 JAN 17-18
FEB     4.73    -2.45      22   16    1    0    0.84 FEB 25-26
MAR     7.99    +0.09      25   15    7    0    1.36 MAR 12-13
APR     8.42    +2.62      23   18    5    3    1.47 APR 18-19
MAY     1.17    -2.23       6    2    1    0    1.08 MAY 4-5
JUN     0.73    -1.57       8    2    0    0    0.45 JUN 17-18
JUL     0.35    -0.48       3    2    0    0    0.17 JUL 24
AUG     0.81    -0.31       5    2    0    0    0.43 AUG 31
SEP     3.36    +0.69      12    7    3    0    0.97 SEP 26-27
OCT     4.30    -2.44      12    7    4    0    1.15 OCT 24-25
NOV    10.90    -0.15      18   14    9    4    2.11 NOV 1-2
DEC    12.80    +2.12      21   16    9    4    3.02 DEC 4-5

  2023  62.23   -8.03     177  116   45   11    3.02 DEC 4-5
NORMAL  70.26             196  131   47   16

ASTORIA WATER YEAR 2022-23 (1 OCT 2022 THROUGH 30 SEP 2023)
        62.45 INCHES    (7.71  INCHES BELOW NORMAL )

============================================================
2023 ASTORIA WIND AND PRESSURE DATA

       AVERAGE SPEED (MPH)      STRONGEST WIND GUST
        2023   (NORMAL)     DIRECTION   SPEED    DATE
------------------------------------------------------------
JAN      7.4      (8.8)     SOUTH       50 MPH   JAN  9
FEB      8.3      (8.4)     SOUTH       53 MPH   FEB  3
MAR      7.4      (8.3)     SOUTH       46 MPH   MAR  2
APR      7.6      (8.2)     SOUTH       45 MPH   APR  9
MAY      7.8      (8.1)     EAST        31 MPH   MAY 14
JUN      8.5      (8.3)     NORTHWEST   41 MPH   JUN  4
JUL      7.4      (8.5)     SOUTH       35 MPH   JUL 24
AUG      6.9      (7.7)     NORTHWEST   30 MPH   AUG 20+
SEP      6.3      (7.0)     SOUTHWEST   51 MPH   SEP 26
OCT      6.0      (7.1)     SOUTHWEST   39 MPH   OCT 16
NOV      6.0      (8.3)     SOUTHWEST   48 MPH   NOV  2
DEC      6.9      (8.7)     NORTHWEST   51 MPH   DEC  2

2023     7.2 MPH  (8.0)     SOUTH       53 MPH   FEB 9

2023 BAROMETRIC PRESSURE EXTREMES...
   HIGHEST      30.72 INCHES     25 JAN ( 1055 AM PST )
   LOWEST       29.18 INCHES     15 JAN (  751 AM PST )

==============================================================
2023 ASTORIA OCEAN HIGHEST RECORDED WAVES

  BUOY 248 (~33 MILES OFFSHORE)      XX FT    ON DEC XX

  BUOY 29  (~20 MILES OFFSHORE)      XX FT    ON DEC XX

  BUOY 243 ( ~5 MILES OFFSHORE)      XX FT    ON DEC XX

=============================================================
ASTORIA CLIMATE PERIOD OF RECORDS...       1892 TO 2023
ASTORIA CLIMATE NORMALS...                 1991 TO 2020
=============================================================

DATA COMPILED BY ROCKEY AND HARTSOCK

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OREGON
         ONLINE AT:     WEATHER.GOV/PORTLAND

$$


MORE CLIMATE DATA AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE AT....
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