Climatological Report (Seasonal)
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
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000 CXUS51 KGYX 041628 CLSPWM PWMCLSPWM 000 TTAA00 GYX 041415 CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME 1015 AM EDT SUN SEP 04 2022 ................................... ...THE PORTLAND ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SUMMER SEASON, FROM 6/1/2022 TO 8/31/2022... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1941 TO 2021 (FOR TEMPERATURES) CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2021 (FOR PRECIPITATION) CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1882 TO 2021 (FOR SNOWFALL) WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL ................................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 103 08/02/1975 LOW 33 08/31/1965 06/04/1944 HIGHEST 96 08/07 93 3 97 06/28 LOWEST 45 06/06 42 3 46 06/01 06/20 AVG. MAXIMUM 79.0 77.3 1.7 78.1 AVG. MINIMUM 59.2 58.6 0.6 59.9 MEAN 69.1 68.0 1.1 69.0 DAYS MAX >= 90 7 4.2 2.8 7 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 22.31 2009 MINIMUM 4.10 1999 TOTALS 9.53 11.15 -1.62 12.58 DAILY AVG. 0.10 0.12 -0.02 0.13 DAYS >= .01 26 31.9 -5.9 33 DAYS >= .10 17 18.8 -1.8 22 DAYS >= .50 5 6.7 -1.7 10 DAYS >= 1.00 3 2.6 0.4 3 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 2.19 08/22 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 0.0 TOTALS 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 SINCE 7/1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 DAYS >= TRACE 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS >= 1.0 0 0.0 0.0 0 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 0 24 HR TOTAL 0 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 99 115 -16 75 SINCE 7/1 1 21 -20 31 COOLING TOTAL 503 390 113 474 SINCE 1/1 514 401 113 490 ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 6.8 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 30/250 DATE 06/17 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 45/260 DATE 06/17 SKY COVER AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.48 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 71 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 12 HEAVY RAIN 7 RAIN 10 LIGHT RAIN 31 FREEZING RAIN 0 LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0 LIGHT SNOW 0 FOG 33 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 6 HAZE 4 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && THE SUMMER SEASON STARTED OFF COOL AND DAMP IN THE PORTLAND AREA AS AN UPPER LOW REMAINED NEARLY STATIONARY OVER THE CANADIAN MARITIMES THROUGH THE FIRST SEVERAL DAYS OF JUNE. ONCE THIS UPPER LOW LOOSENED ITS GRIP ON THE REGION, TEMPERATURES REBOUNDED CLOSER TO NORMAL WHILE ADDITIONAL TROUGHS OF LOW PRESSURE CROSSED THE REGION BRINGING A SOAKING RAIN TO BEGIN THE SECOND WEEK OF JUNE. ANOTHER UPPER LOW ROLLED ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA AND SETTLED OVER NEW ENGLAND AT THE END OF THE THIRD WEEK OF JUNE BRINGING SEVERAL DAYS OF BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. DURING THIS PERIOD THE UPPER LOW BROUGHT SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES AT THE HIGHEST PEAKS IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS WITH MT WASHINGTON RECORDING 1.7 INCHES OF SNOW FROM 18TH INTO THE 19TH. TEMPERATURES THEN REBOUNDED CLOSER TO NORMAL DURING THE FINAL WEEK OF JUNE. THE PERSISTENT TROUGHING AND UPPER LOWS OVER THE NORTHEAST LED TO TEMPERATURES RUNNING BELOW NORMAL FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE, BUT THIS WOULD CHANGE THROUGH THE END OF SUMMER. THE PERSISTENT TROUGHING OVER THE NORTHEAST US CONTINUED INTO JULY ALTHOUGH THE CORE OF THE TROUGH SHIFTED FARTHER NORTH INTO EASTERN CANADA WITH THE TROUGH AXIS BECOMING ALIGNED ALONG A SIMILAR LONGITUDE TO PORTLAND. THIS TROUGH POSITION ACTED TO SUPPRESS MOISTURE SOUTH OF NEW ENGLAND AND FAVORED HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEMS TO BUILD INTO NEW ENGLAND FROM THE NORTHWEST BRINGING DRY AND COOL CANADIAN AIRMASSES THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF JULY. DURING THE THIRD WEEK OF JULY THE TROUGH STARTED TO SHIFT TO THE WEST AND ALLOWED FOR WARMER AND MORE HUMID AIRMASSES TO ENTER THE REGION. THE BUILDING HEAT AND HUMIDITY LED TO ONE OF THE MORE WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS OF THE SUMMER ACROSS THE INTERIOR ON JULY 21ST WHEN A COLD FRONT CROSSED THE REGION. THIS COLD FRONT DID NOT BRING ANY RELIEF TO THE HEAT WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES PERSISTING THROUGH THE END OF JULY. THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY CONTINUED INTO AUGUST WITH THE HOTTEST STRETCH OF THE SUMMER OCCURRING AUGUST 7TH TO THE 9TH WHEN THE HIGH TEMPERATURE CLIMBED ABOVE 90 DEGREES FOR THREE DAYS IN A ROW WITH THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE SUMMER OCCURRING ON AUGUST 7TH WHEN THE HIGH REACHED 96 DEGREES. A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT CROSSED THE AREA LATE AUGUST 9TH BRINGING RELIEF FROM THE HEAT WITH TEMPERATURES RUNNING BELOW NORMAL THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST. THE SECOND HALF OF AUGUST FEATURED A BUILDING RIDGE IN THE WESTERN ATLANTIC THAT ALLOWED FOR THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY TO RETURN WITH TEMPERATURES RUNNING ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE END OF SUMMER. DURING THE SECOND HALF OF AUGUST A SERIES OF UPPER TROUGHS BROUGHT FRONTAL SYSTEMS ACROSS THE AREA AND THESE SYSTEMS CAPITALIZED ON ABUNDANT MOISTURE, BRINGING THREE HEAVY RAINFALL EVENTS ON AUGUST 22ND, 26TH, AND 31ST. BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL IN JUNE AND JULY LED TO EXPANDING AND INTENSIFYING DROUGHT CONDITIONS, ALTHOUGH ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL DURING THE END OF AUGUST HELP LESSEN THE SEVERITY OF THE DROUGHT. DESPITE THE HEAVY RAINFALL AT THE END OF AUGUST, DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE STILL IN PLACE ACROSS MUCH OF NEW ENGLAND TO END SUMMER WITH PORTLAND AND SURROUNDING AREAS IN MODERATE TO SEVERE DROUGHT. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR SUMMER WAS 69.1 DEGREES, WHICH WAS 1.1 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND THE SECOND WARMEST SUMMER ON RECORD. THE WARMEST SUMMER ON RECORD WAS IN 2020 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 70.5 DEGREES. THE COOLEST WAS 63.7 DEGREES IN 1964. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE WARMEST SUMMERS ON RECORD AT PORTLAND. WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN SUMMER (SINCE 1941)... RANK TEMP YEAR 1 70.5 2020 2 69.1 2022 <=== 3 69.0 2021 69.0 2016 5 68.9 2018 6 68.8 2010 7 68.7 1988 8 68.6 1973 9 68.5 2012 68.5 1999 68.5 1991 A TOTAL OF 9.53 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL, WHICH WAS 1.62 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THE DRIEST SUMMER ON RECORD WAS 4.10 INCHES IN 1999. THE WETTEST WAS 22.31 INCHES IN 2009. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FELL ON AUGUST 22ND WHEN 2.19 INCHES WERE RECORDED. THE FOLLOWING DAILY RECORDS WERE SET OR TIED IN SPRING 2022... DATE RECORD PREVIOUS JUNE 3 5 -SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 5 IN 2012 (TIED) AUG 7 96 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 93 IN 2018, 2011 AUG 7 74 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 71 IN 2018 AUG 7 85 - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 82 IN 2018 AUG 8 95 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 95 IN 1949 (TIED) AUG 8 80 - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 79 IN 1980, 1949 AUG 19 90 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 90 IN 2009 (TIED) AUG 22 2.19 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.85 IN 1885 AUG 24 66 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 66 IN 2020 (TIED) AUG 30 68 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 68 IN 2005 (TIED) DS $$