Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
000 CXUS51 KGYX 120407 CLAAUG PWMCLAAUG 000 TTAA00 GYX 032139 CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME 438 PM EST TUE JAN 03 2023 ................................... ...THE AUGUSTA CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2022... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1948 TO 2023 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL ................................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 100 08/05/1955 LOW -23 02/02/1962 HIGHEST 93 08/04 93 0 94 06/28 08/07 06/29 06/30 LOWEST -13 01/27 -10 -3 -3 01/31 AVG. MAXIMUM 58.3 55.3 3.0 57.2 AVG. MINIMUM 39.1 37.0 2.1 39.8 MEAN 48.7 46.1 2.6 48.5 DAYS MAX >= 90 11 4.9 6.1 9 DAYS MAX <= 32 45 56.6 -11.6 50 DAYS MIN <= 32 127 146.7 -19.7 131 DAYS MIN <= 0 10 10.0 0.0 1 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 57.31 2005 MINIMUM 25.79 2001 TOTALS 43.12 41.84 1.28 35.48 DAILY AVG. 0.12 0.11 0.01 0.10 DAYS >= .01 122 137.3 -15.3 138 DAYS >= .10 77 78.8 -1.8 71 DAYS >= .50 28 26.4 1.6 21 DAYS >= 1.00 12 9.2 2.8 7 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 3.31 10/13 TO 10/14 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 6281 7278 -997 6382 SINCE 7/1 2196 2667 -471 2234 COOLING TOTAL 656 428 228 542 ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 6.9 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 40/350 DATE 01/14 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 56/130 DATE 12/23 SKY COVER AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.41 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 67 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 15 HEAVY RAIN 33 RAIN 62 LIGHT RAIN 121 FREEZING RAIN 3 LT FREEZING RAIN 7 HEAVY SNOW 7 SNOW 10 LIGHT SNOW 39 FOG 165 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 67 HAZE 41 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && COLD WEATHER WAS ABLE TO TAKE HOLD OVER NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND DURING JANUARY AS A RIDGE IN THE JET STREAM DEVELOPED OVER WESTERN NORTH AMERICA WITH A DOWNSTREAM TROUGH CENTERED OVER THE GREAT LAKES. THIS PATTERN ALLOWED FOR SEVERAL INTRUSIONS OF ARCTIC AIR INTO NEW ENGLAND AS WELL AS A STORM TRACK ALIGNED NEAR THE EAST COAST. DURING ONE OF THESE ARCTIC AIR INTRUSIONS THE LOW TEMPERATURE ON JANUARY 27TH DROPPED TO 13 DEGREES BELOW ZERO AND WOULD BE THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE RECORDED FOR THE YEAR. THE COMBINATION OF COLD AIR AND COASTAL STORM TRACK SET THE STAGE FOR A SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL EVENT ON JANUARY 29TH WHEN A POWERFUL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEVELOPED OFF THE MID ATLANTIC COASTLINE AND TRACKED SOUTHEAST OF CAPE COD. ANOTHER IMPACTFUL WINTER STORM TO AFFECT NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND UNFOLDED ON FEBRUARY 3RD INTO THE 4TH WHEN A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINED DRAPED THROUGH SOUTHERN MAINE AND NEW HAMPSHIRE WITH WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE TRACKING ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. THIS SYSTEM BROUGHT SIGNIFICANT SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATIONS TO CENTRAL MAINE. A MILD END TO WINTER WAS FOLLOWED BY WARMER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH APRIL WITH A RELATIVE ACTIVE PATTERN BRINGING SEVERAL BOUTS OF RAIN. THE ACTIVE PATTERN IN APRIL GAVE WAY TO A WARM AND DRY PATTERN IN MAY. BEFORE THE WARM PATTERN SET IN THE LAST FREEZE OF THE SPRING SEASON OCCURRED ON APRIL 21ST WHEN THE LOW TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO 29 DEGREES. THEREAFTER WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS DOMINATED THROUGH THE MONTH OF MAY WITH THE FIRST 70 PLUS DEGREE DAY OCCURRING ON MAY 9TH. THE LACK OF LATE WINTER AND SPRING SNOW ALONG WITH A DRY PATTERN IN MAY LED TO LITTLE IN THE WAY OF THE TRADITIONAL MUD SEASON WITH DROUGHT CONDITIONS ONCE AGAIN DEVELOPING IN NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND FOR THE THIRD SPRING IN A ROW. THE SUMMER SEASON STARTED OFF COOLER THAN NORMAL WITH A PERIOD OF BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES EARLY IN JUNE. ANOTHER PERIOD OF COOL CONDITIONS ARRIVED DURING THE THIRD WEEK OF JUNE WHEN AN ANOMALOUS UPPER LOW SETTLED OVER NEW ENGLAND WITH MEASURABLE SNOWFALL OCCURING ON MT WASHINGTON ON JUNE 19TH. JUNE WAS ALSO DRY IN THE AUGUSTA AREA WITH DROUGHT CONDITIONS EXPANDING AND INTENSIFYING ACROSS NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND. TEMPERATURES THEN TRENDED WELL ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH JULY WITH NEAR NORMAL PRECIPITATION. THE DOMINANT WEATHER FEATURE WAS A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE OVER EASTERN CANADA THAT OFTEN FAVORED DRY CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEMS TO MOVE OVER NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND. THIS MADE FOR VERY WARM AND SUNNY DAYS LEADING TO THE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES BEING DRIVEN BY DAY TIME HIGHS. THE TREND IN ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES CONTINUED INTO AUGUST. FROM AUGUST 5TH TO THE 7TH THE LOW TEMPERATURE DID NOT DROP BELOW 70 DEGREES AND THE HIGH TEMPERATURE ECLIPSED THE 90 DEGREE MARK FOR THREE DAYS IN A ROW MAKING THIS THE HOTTEST STRETCH OF THE SUMMER. VERY WARM CONDITIONS CONTINUED DURING THE SECOND HALF OF AUGUST AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE DEVELOPED OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC. THIS RIDGE WAS IN A FAVORABLE POSITION TO ADVECT ATLANTIC MOISTURE INTO NEW ENGLAND LEADING TO VERY HUMID CONDITIONS IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THE INCREASE IN HUMIDITY LED TO MULTIPLE HEAVY RAIN EVENTS, WHICH ALLOWED AUGUST PRECIPITATION TO FINISH NEAR NORMAL. WARMER THAN NORMAL CONDITIONS IN AUGUST WERE FOLLOWED BY NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES IN SEPTEMBER ALONG WITH A RELATIVELY ACTIVE PATTERN AS A SERIES OF SLOW MOVING FRONTS CROSSED THROUGH NEW ENGLAND. THE ACTIVE WEATHER CONTINUED DURING OCTOBER AS A LARGE RIDGE BUILT ACROSS THE WEST COAST WITH A DOWNSTREAM TROUGH OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION AND ANOTHER RIDGE NEAR NEWFOUNDLAND. THIS ALLOWED FOR A COUPLE OF FRONTAL SYSTEMS TO CROSS THE AREA WITH ONE BRINGING THE GREATEST RAINFALL OF THE YEAR ON OCTOBER 13TH AND 14TH WHEN 3.31 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. BEFORE THIS HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT THE FIRST FREEZE OF THE FALL SEASON OCCURRED ON OCTOBER 11TH WHEN THE LOW TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO 31 DEGREES. A PERIOD OF EXCEPTIONAL WARMTH SET IN DURING THE FIRST 12 DAYS OF NOVEMBER WHEN THE HIGH TEMPERATURE ECLIPSED THE 70 DEGREE MARK FOUR TIMES AND A NEW ALL TIME RECORD HIGH FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER OCCURRING ON NOVEMBER 5TH WHEN THE HIGH REACHED 76 DEGREES. MUCH COOLER WEATHER SET IN DURING THE SECOND HALF OF NOVEMBER WITH TEMPERATURES RUNNING BELOW NORMAL, ALTHOUGH A RETURN TO ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ENSUED THROUGH DECEMBER. TWO SIGNIFICANT SYSTEMS IMPACTED NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND DURING DECEMBER WITH ONE OCCURRING ON THE 16TH INTO THE 17TH WHEN A SLOW MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CROSSED SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND INTO THE GULF OF MAINE BRINGING HEAVY WET SNOW TO CENTRAL MAINE THAT RESULTED IN NUMEROUS POWER OUTAGES. THE SECOND SYSTEM OCCURRED DECEMBER 22ND INTO THE 23RD WHEN A POWERFUL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TRACKED FROM THE GREAT LAKES INTO QUEBEC BRINGING HEAVY RAINFALL AND THE STRONGEST WIND GUST OF THE YEAR AT AUGUST WHEN SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS GUSTED TO 56 MPH. AVERAGE TEMPERATURES BY MONTH IN 2022 MONTH MAXIMUM MINIMUM AVERAGE NOTES JANUARY 27.6 (-1.2) 9.2 (-2.9) 18.4 (-2.0) FEBRUARY 36.0 (+4.1) 15.4 (+1.0) 25.7 (+2.5) MARCH 44.4 (+3.8) 26.3 (+2.9) 35.4 (+3.4) 9TH WARMEST APRIL 55.4 (+1.9) 37.1 (+2.9) 46.2 (+2.4) MAY 71.3 (+5.5) 46.9 (+2.2) 59.1 (+3.8) 4TH WARMEST JUNE 74.5 (+0.1) 54.4 (+0.3) 64.4 (+0.2) JULY 84.5 (+4.6) 62.5 (+2.2) 73.5 (+3.4) 4TH WARMEST AUGUST 81.9 (+3.0) 62.9 (+4.1) 72.4 (+3.5) 2ND WARMEST SEPTEMBER 70.9 (-0.0) 52.5 (+1.5) 61.7 (+0.7) OCTOBER 62.6 (+4.7) 42.3 (+1.9) 52.5 (+3.3) 6TH WARMEST NOVEMBER 51.7 (+6.0) 33.9 (+3.6) 42.8 (+4.8) 4TH WARMEST DECEMBER 38.7 (+4.0) 25.2 (+5.4) 32.0 (+4.8) 4TH WARMEST (TIED) ANNUAL 58.3 (+3.0) 39.1 (+2.1) 48.7 (+2.6) 2ND WARMEST THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 48.7 DEGREES WAS THE SECOND WARMEST ON RECORD FOR AUGUSTA. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WAS A MECHANICAL ISSUE WITH THE TEMPERATURE SENSOR AT AUGUSTA BETWEEN JANUARY 20TH THROUGH THE 23RD, WHICH COINCIDED WITH A COLD STRETCH OF WEATHER. AS A RESULT, THIS MAY LEAD TO THE AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE BEING HIGHER THAN IT ACTUALLY WAS. THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD WAS IN 1999 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 49.3 DEGREES. THE COLDEST WAS 42.8 DEGREES IN 1968. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE WARMEST AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURES AT AUGUSTA. WARMEST ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE (SINCE 1948)... RANK AVE YEAR 1 49.3 1999 2 48.7 2022 <=== 3 48.5 2021 4 48.4 2010 5 47.9 1998 6 47.8 2006 7 47.7 2020 47.7 2012 9 47.5 1973 10 47.4 1953 THE GROWING SEASON, AS DEFINED AS THE LONGEST CONSECUTIVE DAYS ABOVE FREEZING, LASTED FOR 172 DAYS IN 2022 FROM APRIL 21 THROUGH OCTOBER 11. THIS IS 6 DAYS SHORTER THAN THE NORMAL OF 166 DAYS. THE SHORTEST WAS ONLY 117 DAYS IN 1956. THE LONGEST GROWING SEASON WAS 201 DAYS IN 2017. A TOTAL OF 43.12 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL, WHICH WAS 1.28 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FELL ON OCTOBER 13TH AND 14TH WHEN AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE CROSSED THE AREA BRINGING HEAVY PRECIPITATION AND GUSTY SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS. THE WETTEST YEAR ON RECORD WAS IN 2005 WHEN 57.31 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION WAS RECORDED. THE DRIEST WAS IN 2001 WHEN ONLY 25.79 INCHES WAS RECORDED. MONTHLY PRECIPITATION TOTALS FOR 2022 MONTH PRECIPITATION NOTES JANUARY 1.40 (-1.22) FEBRUARY 2.56 (+0.24) MARCH 3.75 (+0.54) APRIL 4.63 (+0.81) MAY 1.64 (-1.63) JUNE 3.21 (-0.80) JULY 3.17 (-0.03) AUGUST 2.79 (-0.62) SEPTEMBER 3.88 (-0.02) OCTOBER 7.15 (+2.46) 9TH WETTEST NOVEMBER 4.57 (+0.62) DECEMBER 4.37 (+0.93) ANNUAL 43.12 (+1.28) DAYS WITH AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION IN 2022 DAY PRECIPITATION MARCH 19 1.15 APRIL 8 1.11 APRIL 27 1.05 JULY 18 1.60 SEPTEMBER 5 1.20 SEPTEMBER 22 1.75 OCTOBER 14 3.21 OCTOBER 18 1.55 NOVEMBER 11 1.10 NOVEMBER 30 1.31 DECEMBER 7 1.04 DECEMBER 23 2.16 THE FOLLOWING DAILY RECORDS WERE SET OR TIED IN 2022... DATE RECORD PREVIOUS FEB 17 40 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 38 IN 1981 FEB 23 64* -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 59 IN 1990 MAR 7 37 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 37 IN 1979 (TIED) MAY 14 92 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 87 IN 1961 MAY 22 59 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 59 IN 1992 /TIED/ JUL 18 1.60 -GREATEST PRECIPITATION 0.87 IN 2021 AUG 5 73 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 72 IN 1988, 1979 AUG 6 92 -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 92 IN 2001 (TIED) AUG 7 72 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 1980 (TIED) AUG 20 89 -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 89 IN 1955 (TIED) AUG 23 67 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 67 IN 2009 (TIED) AUG 30 69 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 69 IN 2010 (TIED) SEP 12 67 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 66 IN 2013 SEP 22 1.75 -GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.37 IN 1983 OCT 14 61 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 57 IN 2011, 1970 OCT 14 3.21 -GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.02 IN 1978 OCT 18 56 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 56 IN 1967 (TIED) OCT 26 61 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 52 IN 1971 NOV 5 76** -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 67 IN 1994 AND 1982 NOV 6 60 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 51 IN 1988 NOV 6 72 -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 66 IN 2020 NOV 7 75 -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 73 IN 2020 NOV 12 55 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 52 IN 1984 NOV 12 71 -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 63 IN 2020 DEC 23 2.16 -GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.42 IN 1970 DEC 30 51 -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 50 IN 1990 DEC 31 38 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 35 IN 1948 DEC 31 50 -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 47 IN 2010, 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 18, 1981. **THE RECORD HIGH OF 76 DEGREES ON THE 5TH WAS ALSO A NEW ALL TIME RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER. THE PREVIOUS ALL TIME RECORD HIGH FOR NOVEMBER WAS 74 DEGREES ON NOVEMBER 4TH, 1990. $$ DS/HAT