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000
CXUS51 KBUF 011847
CLMBUF

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
911 AM EDT WED AUG 1 2012

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

...THE BUFFALO NY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2012...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1871 TO 2012

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              97   07/15/1995
                        07/06/1988
 LOW               43   07/11/1945
HIGHEST            91   07/12                         95  07/22
                        07/05
LOWEST             58   07/11                         54  07/01
AVG. MAXIMUM     84.9              79.9     5.0     84.1
AVG. MINIMUM     66.1              62.3     3.8     66.4
MEAN             75.5              71.1     4.4     75.2
DAYS MAX >= 90      5               1.1     3.9        2
DAYS MAX <= 32      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MIN <= 32      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.0     0.0        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         8.93   1992
 MINIMUM         0.15   1933
TOTALS           0.87              3.23   -2.36     2.72
DAYS >= .01        10                                  7
DAYS >= .10         1                                  6
DAYS >= .50         1                                  2
DAYS >= 1.00        0                                  1
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    0.53   07/25 TO 07/26           07/06 TO 07/06
                                                          07/05 TO 07/06
                                                          07/06 TO 07/06

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL             MM   MM
TOTALS            0.0               0.0     0.0      0.0
SINCE 7/1         0.0               0.0     0.0
SNOWDEPTH AVG.      0                MM      MM        0
DAYS >= 1.0         0               0.0     0.0        0
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH         0   MM                             0  MM
 24 HR TOTAL      0.0   07/31 TO 07/31

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL       0                 9      -9        0
 SINCE 7/1          0                 9      -9        0
COOLING TOTAL     332               197     135      323
 SINCE 1/1        578               326     252      469
.......................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              8.0
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    36/310
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    48/300    DATE  07/26

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   68
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            4
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             22
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY          5

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     61

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               1
HEAVY RAIN                2     RAIN                       2
LIGHT RAIN                8     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       0
LIGHT SNOW                0     SLEET                      0
FOG                       5     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      0
HAZE                      8

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

&&
...WARM AND DRY...

JULY CONTINUED A SUMMER TREND OF WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS, LEADING TO
A MODERATE DROUGHT SITUATION ACROSS THE NIAGARA FRONTIER. WATER
USAGE WAS WAY UP AS GREEN LAWNS TURNED BROWN AND THE AGRICULTURAL
COMMUNITY STRAINED TO KEEP CROPS FROM DRYING UP. IN TERMS OF WEATHER
SYSTEMS, SEVERAL WEAK COLD FRONTS MOVED THROUGH DURING THE FIRST
THREE WEEKS OF THE MONTH WITH LITTLE IMPACT. THESE FRONTS PASSED ON
JULY 4TH, 7TH, 18TH, AND 23RD. A FEW OTHER WEAK FEATURES MOVED
THROUGH AT OTHER TIMES, BUT NONE WERE ABLE TO ALLEVIATE THE
PREVAILING WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS. THERE WERE TWO NOTABLE WEATHER
EVENTS DURING THE LAST WEEK OF THE MONTH, BUT BOTH GRAZED BUFFALO
WHICH MOSTLY STAYED DRY THANKS TO THE COOLING AND STABILIZING
EFFECTS OF NEARBY LAKE ERIE. THE FIRST SYSTEM DROPPED FAIRLY HEAVY
RAIN OVER THE SOUTHERN TIER ON THE 26TH AND 27TH, AND A COLD FRONT
DROPPED HEAVY RAIN JUST EAST OF THE BUFFALO AREA ON THE LAST DAY OF
THE MONTH.

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 75.5F WAS 4.4 ABOVE NORMAL. THIS MAKES
JULY 2012 THE 3RD WARMEST IN OUR 142 YEAR RECORD. 1921, 1955, WERE
WARMER WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 76.2 AND 76.0 RESPECTIVELY.
LAST YEAR WAS A CLOSE 4TH PLACE AT 75.3F. WE HAVE REACHED THE TOP 20
WARMEST JULY MONTHS SIX TIMES SINCE THE NEW MILLENNIUM. THERE WERE
28 DAYS AT OR ABOVE 80F. A 21 DAY STREAK OF 80 OR ABOVE STARTED ON
JUNE 28 AND ENDED ON JULY 18. THIS IS THE 4TH LONGEST STRETCH OF
DAYS AT OR ABOVE 80F. THERE WERE 5 DAYS AT OR ABOVE 90F. THE AVERAGE
NUMBERS OF DAYS SINCE RECORDS WERE REPORTED AT THE AIRPORT AT OR
ABOVE 90F ARE 2. THERE WERE NO RECORD DAILY MAXIMUM OR MINIMUM HIGHS
OR LOWS SET FOR THE MONTH, ALTHOUGH WE DID ACHIEVE A RECORD HIGH LOW
TEMPERATURE OF 76 ON JULY 17.

RAINFALL TOTALED 0.87 INCHES WHICH IS -2.36 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.
THIS MAKES IT THE 4TH DRIEST ON RECORD WITH 1933, 1923 AND 2001
DRIER AT 0.15, 0.71 AND 0.73 INCHES RESPECTIVELY. MODERATE DROUGHT
CONDITIONS WERE EXPERIENCED THROUGHOUT THE NIAGARA FRONTIER. LAKE
SHADOWING PREVENTED SOME OF THE HEAVIER RAINS FROM COLD FRONTS FROM
MOVING INTO THE REGION.  THE STRONGER SYSTEMS ON THE LAST WEEK OF
THE MONTH ALSO GENERALLY BYPASSED THE AREA AND INSTEAD HIT AREAS TO
THE SOUTH AND EAST MUCH HARDER. WITH LITTLE RAINFALL, THERE WERE NO
RECORDS SET FOR THE MONTH.

SUNSHINE FOR THE MONTH FINISHED AT 68 PERCENT, JUST ABOVE NORMAL. A
TOTAL OF 18 DAYS WHERE CLASSIFIED AS MOSTLY SUNNY /OVER 70 PERCENT/
AND 3 OF THESE DAYS HAD FULL SUNSHINE. ONLY 3 DAYS HAD 10 PERCENT OR
LESS SUNSHINE. WIND SPEEDS AVERAGED NEAR NORMAL, WITH A PEAK GUST OF
48 MPH ON JULY 26. LAKE ERIE SOARED QUICKLY TO 77F ON JULY 18 AND
WAS NEAR OR AT RECORD HIGHS FOR MUCH OF THE MONTH. HOWEVER, SOME
COOLING DEVELOPED TOWARD THE END OF THE MONTH AND IT NEVER QUITE
REACHED THE 80F ACHIEVED LAST YEAR.

THE MONTH WILL BE REMEMBERED AS A CONTINUATION OF A GENERALLY WARM
AND DRY YEAR FOR THE BUFFALO AREA.

&&

ZAFF/REYNOLDS
$$