Climatological Report (Seasonal)
Issued by NWS Northern Indiana
Issued by NWS Northern Indiana
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000 CXUS53 KIWX 011329 CLSFWA CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 929 AM EDT THU JUN 01 2023 ................................... ...THE FORT WAYNE CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SEASON, FROM 3/1/2023 TO 5/31/2023... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1897 TO 2023 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE NORMAL .............................................................. TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 97 05/28/2018 LOW -10 03/01/1967 HIGHEST 90 05/30 MM MM 92 LOWEST 18 03/15 MM MM 16 03/19 AVG. MAXIMUM 61.5 60.3 1.2 61.5 AVG. MINIMUM 39.0 39.7 -0.7 41.3 MEAN 50.3 50.0 0.3 DAYS MAX >= 90 1 1.1 -0.1 1 DAYS MAX <= 32 1 2.7 -1.7 1 DAYS MIN <= 32 28 27.8 0.2 21 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.1 -0.1 0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 18.50 2011 MINIMUM 5.07 1958 TOTALS 10.88 11.13 -0.25 8.79 DAILY AVG. 0.12 0.12 -0.00 0.09 DAYS >= .01 35 38.6 -3.6 40 DAYS >= .10 20 22.1 -2.1 21 DAYS >= .50 7 7.1 -0.1 8 DAYS >= 1.00 4 2.3 1.7 0 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 1.93 03/22 TO 03/23 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 19.5 1964 24 HR TOTAL 4.2 04/20/2021 TO 04/20/2021 TOTALS 4.1 5.4 -1.3 2.3 SINCE 7/1 21.7 33.6 -11.9 23.2 SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 -1 DAYS >= TRACE 10 5.7 4.3 13 DAYS >= 1.0 2 1.8 0.2 0 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 1 03/10 0 03/12 24 HR TOTAL 1.7 03/10 TO 03/10 04/24 TO 04/24 05/01 TO 05/01 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 1389 1448 -59 1344 SINCE 7/1 5347 5943 -596 5589 COOLING TOTAL 57 69 -12 119 SINCE 1/1 57 70 -13 119 .............................................................. WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.9 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 45/260 DATE 03/31 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 68/260 DATE 03/31 SKY COVER POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.64 NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 16 NUMBER OF DAYS PC 36 NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 40 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 63 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 9 MIXED PRECIP 3 HEAVY RAIN 8 RAIN 12 LIGHT RAIN 43 FREEZING RAIN 0 LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0 HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 2 LIGHT SNOW 10 SLEET 0 FOG 37 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 0 HAZE 10 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && BY THE END OF MARCH, FORT WAYNE WAS EXPERIENCING ITS SEVENTH WETTEST START TO THE YEAR. BY THE END OF MAY, HOWEVER, A FLASH DROUGHT WAS DEVELOPING WITH A PROLONGED STRETCH OF DRY WEATHER. TEMPERATURES OVER THE PAST THREE MONTHS FEATURED THEIR USUAL MIDWEST-SPRING SWINGS AND AS A RESULT ENDED UP NEAR NORMAL AFTER ALL. TOTAL PRECIPITATION WAS 10.88 INCHES WHICH IS ONLY 0.25 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. SNOWFALL TOTALED 4.1 INCHES WHICH IS 1.3 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 50.3 DEGREES IS ONLY 0.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. SPRING SEVERE WEATHER PEAKED ON MARCH 31 WHEN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED 13 TORNADOES, LARGE HAIL, AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. THIS WAS THE GREATEST SINGLE-DAY TORNADO OUTBREAK IN OUR FORECAST AREA SINCE 14 TORNADOES OCCURRED ON AUGUST 24, 2016. A MONTH-BY-MONTH SUMMARY IS BELOW. 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 6.7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH TURNED NOTABLY COLDER, ESPECIALLY ON THE 18TH AND 19TH WHEN THE DAILY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WAS ONLY 24 DEGREES AND 28 DEGREES. 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 55 WHICH IS 11 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH, 63, AND THE MINIMUM OF 18 SHOWCASE THE MONTH`S TYPICAL VOLATILITY. OVERALL, THE MONTH`S AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 38.9 DEGREES WAS 0.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. TOTAL SNOW FOR THE MONTH WAS 4.1 INCHES WHICH IS ONLY ONE-HALF INCH BELOW NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 51ST GREATEST SNOW TOTAL ON RECORD. THIS IS THE GREATEST MARCH SNOW TOTAL INCHES 8.6 INCHES IN 2015. WET CONDITIONS FROM FEBRUARY CARRIED OVER INTO MARCH AS TOTAL PRECIPITATION WAS 2.05 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 14TH WETTEST MARCH ON RECORD. THIS IS THE WETTEST MARCH SINCE 5.70 INCHES WAS RECORDED IN 2009. FROM JANUARY 1 THROUGH MARCH 31, FORT WAYNE CURRENTLY RANKS AS THE 7TH WETTEST ON RECORD, MEASURING 11.77 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. THIS IS THE WETTEST START TO THE YEAR SINCE 12.12 INCHES IN 1990. NO RECORDS WERE SET FOR FORT WAYNE. APRIL BROWN 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 83 BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 81 SET IN 1910. A SECOND RECORD WAS TIED, WITH 1985, WHEN THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 84 ON THE 20TH. TEMPERATURES MET OR EXCEEDED 80 DEGREES FOUR TIMES THIS MONTH. THIS IS THE GREATEST NUMBER OF 80-DEGREE DAYS SINCE APRIL 2010 WHEN FIVE 80-DEGREE DAYS WERE RECORDED. ON THE FLIP SIDE, A RECORD LOW WAS SET ON THE 26TH WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WAS 28. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 29 IN 2006. 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 50.9 DEGREES, WHICH IS 0.7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. APRIL 2023 RANKS AS THE 35TH COOLEST ON RECORD. THIS IS THE WARMEST APRIL SINCE 2017, WHICH HAD AN AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE OF 55.2 DEGREES. FOLLOWING A WET START TO SPRING, APRIL DRIED OUT, ESPECIALLY MID- MONTH. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 1.96 INCHES WHICH IS 1.78 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS IS THE 14TH DRIEST APRIL ON RECORD AND THE DRIEST APRIL SINCE 2012, WHICH HAD 1.29 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. THERE WAS A TRACE OF SNOW THIS MONTH. ...FLASH DROUGHT TO CONCLUDE THE MONTH... MAY STARTED NOTABLY COLD WITH A TRACE OF SNOWFALL AND AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE DEPARTURE THROUGH THE 4TH OF ABOUT 12 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. CHEERFUL SPRING WEATHER ARRIVED SOON AFTER WITH HIGHS IN THE 70S AND 80S. A COUPLE OF SOAKING THUNDERSTORMS (7TH AND 12TH) ACCOUNTED FOR 3.08 INCHES OF THIS MONTH`S 4.06 INCH PRECIPITATION TOTAL. THESE TWO SOAKING RAIN EVENTS PROVIDED A BUFFER AHEAD OF THE VERY DRY CONDITIONS THAT DEVELOPED LATE IN THE MONTH. THE QUICK ONSET OF DRY CONDITIONS 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 11 STRAIGHT DAYS WHICH HAS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES (RANKS AS AS 215TH OVERALL, TIED AS 19TH LONGEST BASED ON NUMBER OF DAYS, WHERE 41 DAYS IS THE LONGEST ENDING SEPTEMBER 27, 1908) IN THE PERIOD OF RECORD. THE RECORD BOOKS ALSO SHOW THAT, IN INSTANCES OF 11 CONSECUTIVE DRY DAYS OR MORE, THE ENDING DATE WAS IN MAY 15 TIMES. EIGHT OF THOSE 15-TIMES HAVE AN END DATE IN THE FINAL 10-DAYS OF THE MONTH. RECENT STRETCHES OF DRY WEATHER INCLUDE JUNE 25, 2022, WHEN A 12-DAY DRY STRETCH ENDED. THE YEAR 2021 FEATURED FOUR DIFFERENT DRY PERIODS, RANGING FROM 16 DAYS (ENDING MAY 25) TO 11 DAYS. ALL THAT TO SAY, THESE PROLONGED STRETCHES OF DRY WEATHER DO OCCUR SOMEWHAT OFTEN IN THE 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 CAUSED CONCERN FOR NEWLY-PLANTED CROPS. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 4.06 INCHES WHICH RANKS AS THE 75TH DRIEST ON RECORD. THE PRECIPITATION TOTAL IS 0.52 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. A TRACE OF SNOW WAS RECORDED ON MAY 1, WHICH IS ABOVE-NORMAL FOR THE MONTH AND IS THE 4TH SNOWIEST ON RECORD FOR THE MONTH. MAY 2020 ALSO FEATURED A TRACE OF SNOW. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 73.4 DEGREES WHICH IS 1.2 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. ONE 90-DEGREE DAY WAS RECORDED; ON THE 30TH. THIS IS 15 DAYS AHEAD OF THE NORMAL START DATE OF 90-DEGREE TEMPERATURES, JUNE 13TH. TWO PRECIPITATION RECORDS WERE BROKEN THIS MONTH. ON THE 7TH, 1.53 INCHES BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.08 INCHES IN 2004. ON THE 12TH, 1.55 INCHES BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.05 INCHES SET IN 1914. BROWN/JOHNSON $$