Climatological Report (Seasonal)
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
000 CXUS51 KGYX 060353 CLSGYX PWMCLSGYX 000 TTAA00 GYX 041415 CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME 1015 AM EDT SUN SEP 04 2022 ................................... ...THE GRAY ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SEASON, FROM 6/1/2022 TO 8/31/2022... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1995 TO 2022 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE NORMAL .............................................................. TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 99 07/22/2011 LOW 37 06/01/2009 HIGHEST 94 08/07 93 1 95 LOWEST 46 06/01 44 2 47 AVG. MAXIMUM 79.0 76.9 2.1 78.0 AVG. MINIMUM 59.6 57.6 2.0 60.4 MEAN 69.3 67.2 2.1 69.2 DAYS MAX >= 90 5 3.8 1.2 8 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 21.77 2009 TOTALS 9.60 12.30 -2.70 12.99 DAILY AVG. 0.10 0.13 -0.03 0.14 DAYS >= .01 32 36.5 -4.5 43 DAYS >= .10 24 21.0 3.0 20 DAYS >= .50 5 8.0 -3.0 6 DAYS >= 1.00 1 3.1 -2.1 4 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 1.73 08/31 2.84 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 0 24 HR TOTAL 0 0.0 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 99 139 -40 84 SINCE 7/1 3 31 -28 48 COOLING TOTAL 523 348 175 492 SINCE 1/1 550 357 193 510 .............................................................. - 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 GRAY AREA AS AN UPPER LEVEL 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 THE 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 GRAY. 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 GRAY AREA 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 4TH TO 8TH WHEN HIGH TEMPERATURE REMAINED IN THE UPPER 80S TO LOW 90S WITH AUGUST 7TH BEING THE HOTTEST DAY WHEN THE HIGH REACHED 94 DEGREES. ALSO DURING THIS STRETCH THE LOW TEMPERATURE DID NOT DROP BELOW 70 DEGREES FROM THE 5TH TO THE 7TH. 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 BOUTS OF RAINFALL WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL OCCURRING ON AUGUST 31ST WHEN THE GRAY AREA RECEIVED 1.74 INCHES. 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 GRAY AND SURROUNDING AREAS IN MODERATE TO SEVERE DROUGHT. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR SUMMER WAS 69.3 DEGREES, WHICH WAS 2.1 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND THE WARMEST SUMMER ON RECORD. THE SECOND WARMEST SUMMER ON RECORD WAS IN 2021 ALONG WITH 2016 AND 1999 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 69.2 DEGREES. THE COOLEST WAS 65.5 DEGREES IN 2009 AND IN 2000. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE WARMEST SUMMERS ON RECORD AT GRAY. WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN SUMMER (SINCE 1996)... RANK TEMP YEAR 1 69.3 2022 <=== 2 69.2 2021 69.2 2016 69.2 1999 5 69.1 2001 A TOTAL OF 9.60 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL, WHICH WAS 2.70 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THE DRIEST SUMMER WAS IN 1999 WHEN ONLY 6.92 INCHES FELL. THE WETTEST WAS 21.77 INCHES IN 2009. $$ DS