Climatological Report (Seasonal)
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
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000 CXUS53 KIWX 011329 CLSSBN CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 929 AM EDT THU JUN 01 2023 ................................... ...THE SOUTH BEND CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SEASON, FROM 3/1/2023 TO 5/31/2023... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1893 TO 2023 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE NORMAL .............................................................. TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 97 05/27/2012 LOW -13 03/08/1943 HIGHEST 92 05/30 MM MM 91 LOWEST 16 03/18 MM MM 15 AVG. MAXIMUM 60.8 58.5 2.3 59.7 AVG. MINIMUM 39.1 37.5 1.6 40.1 MEAN 49.9 48.0 1.9 DAYS MAX >= 90 2 0.7 1.3 2 DAYS MAX <= 32 1 3.6 -2.6 3 DAYS MIN <= 32 29 30.6 -1.6 29 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.1 -0.1 0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 19.83 1976 MINIMUM 4.24 1971 TOTALS 10.00 10.04 -0.04 9.98 DAILY AVG. 0.11 0.11 0.00 0.11 DAYS >= .01 39 39.2 -0.2 43 DAYS >= .10 27 21.4 5.6 25 DAYS >= .50 5 6.8 -1.8 7 DAYS >= 1.00 2 1.7 0.3 0 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 1.48 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 34.6 1960 24 HR TOTAL 0.5 04/01/2021 TO 04/01/2021 TOTALS 10.5 7.8 2.7 7.3 SINCE 7/1 58.4 64.5 -6.1 56.0 SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 0 DAYS >= TRACE 18 6.6 11.4 17 DAYS >= 1.0 4 2.3 1.7 4 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 2 03/10 4 03/12 24 HR TOTAL 3.4R 03/03 TO 03/03 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 1427 1624 -197 1479 SINCE 7/1 5433 6358 -925 5767 COOLING TOTAL 64 55 9 117 SINCE 1/1 64 56 8 117 .............................................................. WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.3 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 35/270 DATE 03/31 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 52/200 DATE 04/05 SKY COVER POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.41 NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 45 NUMBER OF DAYS PC 23 NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 24 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 61 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 11 MIXED PRECIP 1 HEAVY RAIN 11 RAIN 17 LIGHT RAIN 39 FREEZING RAIN 0 LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0 HEAVY SNOW 2 SNOW 6 LIGHT SNOW 15 SLEET 0 FOG 40 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 3 HAZE 24 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && BY THE END OF MARCH, SOUTH BEND WAS EXPERIENCING ITS SECOND WETTEST START TO THE YEAR. BY THE END OF MAY, HOWEVER, A FLASH DROUGHT WAS UNDERWAY 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. BECAUSE OF THE TRANSITION FROM WET CONDITIONS TO FLASH DROUGHT, TOTAL PRECIPITATION WAS ONLY SOMEWHAT ABOVE NORMAL, TOTALING 10.00 INCHES WHICH IS 0.04 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. SNOWFALL WAS 2.7 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL, TOTALING 10.5 INCHES. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR SPRING WAS 49.9 DEGREES WHICH IS 1.9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS TIES 2022 AS THE 26TH WARMEST ON RECORD. 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 7.1 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH TURNED NOTABLY COLDER, ESPECIALLY ON THE 18TH WHEN THE DAILY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WAS ONLY 22 DEGREES; 15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. 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 57 WHICH IS 15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH, 64, AND THE MINIMUM OF 16 SHOWCASE THE MONTH`S TYPICAL VOLATILITY. OVERALL, THE MONTH`S AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 37.9 DEGREES WAS 1.2 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS THE COOLEST MARCH SINCE 2019 (33 DEGREES) BUT RANKS AS THE 51ST WARMEST ON RECORD OVERALL. ON MARCH 3RD, SOUTH BEND WAS ON THE COLD SIDE OF A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE REGION. THIS RESULTED IN 3.4 INCHES OF SNOW. AN ADDITIONAL SNOWY STRETCH OF WEATHER OCCURRED FROM THE 10TH THROUGH 13TH. TOTAL SNOW FOR THE MONTH WAS 10.5 INCHES WHICH IS NEARLY 4 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 41ST GREATEST SNOW TOTAL ON RECORD. THIS IS THE GREATEST MARCH SNOW TOTAL INCHES 11.8 INCHES IN 2014. WET CONDITIONS FROM FEBRUARY CARRIED OVER INTO MARCH AS TOTAL PRECIPITATION WAS 3.55 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 THIRD WETTEST MARCH ON RECORD. THIS IS THE WETTEST MARCH SINCE 1977 AND 1976. FROM JANUARY 1 THROUGH MARCH 31, SOUTH BEND CURRENTLY RANKS AS THE 2ND WETTEST ON RECORD BEHIND 1976, MEASURING 12.40 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. TWO RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH: DAILY PRECIPITATION ON THE 31 TOTALED 1.48 INCHES, BREAKING THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.07 INCHES IN 1926. DAILY PRECIPITATION ON THE 3RD WAS ALSO A NEW RECORD, TOTALING 1.28 INCHES. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.15 INCHES IN 1906. APRIL 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 84 BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 81 SET IN 1941. TEMPERATURES MET OR EXCEEDED 80 DEGREES FIVE TIMES THIS MONTH. THIS IS THE GREATEST NUMBER OF 80-DEGREE DAYS SINCE APRIL 1985 WHEN SIX 80-DEGREE DAYS WERE RECORDED. 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 50.7 DEGREES WHICH RANKS AS THE 29TH WARMEST ON RECORD. THIS IS THE WARMEST APRIL SINCE 2017, WHICH HAD AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 52.2 DEGREES FOR THE MONTH. FOLLOWING A WET START TO SPRING, APRIL DRIED OUT SOME, ESPECIALLY MID-MONTH. THUNDERSTORMS PROVIDED NEARLY 1 INCH OF RAIN OVER TWO DIFFERENT DAYS IN THE FIRST FIVE DAYS OF APRIL, WHILE SLOW-MOVING CUTOFF LOWS PROVIDED SMALLER RAIN AMOUNTS OVER SEVERAL DAYS LATE IN THE MONTH. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 2.30 INCHES WHICH IS 1.19 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS IS THE 34TH DRIEST APRIL ON RECORD. ALSO, THIS IS THE DRIEST APRIL SINCE 2021. THERE WAS A TRACE OF SNOW THIS MONTH. ...FLASH DROUGHT TO CONCLUDE THE MONTH... MAY STARTED WITH A BANG, FEATURING MOST OF THE MONTH`S PRECIPITATION TOTAL (INCLUDING A TRACE OF SNOW) AND TEMPERATURES WELL BELOW NORMAL. CHEERFUL SPRING WEATHER ARRIVED SOON AFTER WITH HIGHS IN THE 70S AND 80S. THE END OF THE MONTH IS REALLY WHAT CAPTURED HEADLINES AS DRY CONDITIONS DEVELOPED VERY QUICKLY. THIS 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 12 STRAIGHT DAYS WHICH HAS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES ON RECORD (TIED FOR 154TH OVERALL, TIED AS 17TH LONGEST BY NUMBER OF DAYS WHERE THE LONGEST STRETCH OF DAYS WAS 36 DAYS ENDING SEPTEMBER 23, 1908) IN THE PERIOD OF RECORD. THE RECORD BOOKS ALSO SHOW THAT, IN INSTANCES OF 12 CONSECUTIVE DRY DAYS OR MORE, THE ENDING DATE WAS IN MAY 14 TIMES. HALF OF THOSE 14-TIMES HAVE AN END DATE IN THE FINAL 10-DAYS OF THE MONTH. OTHER RECENT STRETCHES OF DRY WEATHER INCLUDE, OCTOBER 10, 2022 WHICH WAS THE END OF A 13-DAY DRY STRETCH. THE YEAR 2021 FEATURED AN 11-DAY STRETCH (FINAL DAY NOVEMBER 10) AND A 15-DAY DRY STRETCH (ENDING MAY 24). ALL THAT TO SAY, THESE PROLONGED STRETCHES OF DRY WEATHER DO OCCUR SOMEWHAT OFTEN IN THE SOUTH BEND 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 RESULTED IN SOME CONCERN FOR NEWLY-PLANTED CROPS. OVERALL, PRECIPITATION TOTALED 1.80 INCHES WHICH RANKS AS THE 23RD DRIEST ON RECORD AND IS 2.40 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS IS THE DRIEST MAY SINCE 1.70 INCHES IN 2007. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 61.2 DEGREES WHICH IS 2.1 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 41ST WARMEST ON RECORD. TWO 90-DEGREE DAYS WERE RECORDED (30TH AND 31ST). THIS IS 13 DAYS AHEAD OF THE NORMAL START DATE OF 90-DEGREE TEMPERATURES, JUNE 11TH. A TRACE OF SNOW WAS RECORDED ON MAY 1, WHICH IS ABOVE-NORMAL FOR THE MONTH AND IS THE 9TH SNOWIEST ON RECORD FOR THE MONTH. MAY 2020 ALSO FEATURED A TRACE OF SNOW. BROWN/JOHNSON $$