Climatological Report (Seasonal)
Issued by NWS Northern Indiana

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CXUS53 KIWX 012100
CLSFWA

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
0400 PM EST WED MAR 01 2023

...................................

...THE FORT WAYNE CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SEASON, FROM
12/1/2022 TO 2/28/2023...

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             73   02/25/2000
 LOW             -24   01/12/1918
HIGHEST           62   01/03         MM      MM       62
LOWEST            -8   12/23         MM      MM       -9
AVG. MAXIMUM    40.7               35.5     5.2     37.3
AVG. MINIMUM    26.2               21.2     5.0     20.4
MEAN            33.5               28.4     5.1
DAYS MAX >= 90     0                0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32    14               35.5   -21.5       37
DAYS MIN <= 32    67               76.7    -9.7       76
DAYS MIN <= 0      2                6.1    -4.1        5

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM       17.85   1950
 MINIMUM        1.58   1920
TOTALS          9.48               7.07    2.41     8.04
DAILY AVG.      0.11               0.08    0.03     0.09
DAYS >= .01       33               36.3    -3.3       29
DAYS >= .10       17               17.1    -0.1       17
DAYS >= .50        5                4.3     0.7        8
DAYS >= 1.00       3                0.9     2.1        0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL   1.93   02/22 TO 02/22

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL          61.1   1982
 24 HR TOTAL     6.7   02/02/2022 TO 02/03/2022
TOTALS          13.4               26.2   -12.8     19.3
SINCE 7/1       17.6               28.2   -10.6     20.9
SNOWDEPTH AVG.     0                                   1
DAYS >= TRACE     28               25.3     2.7       40
DAYS >= 1.0        4                8.4    -4.4        6
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH        7   01/26                           9
 24 HR TOTAL     6.2   01/25 TO 01/25

DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL   2821               3298    -477     3224
 SINCE 7/1      3958               4497    -539     4245
COOLING TOTAL      0                  0       0        0
 SINCE 1/1         0                  0       0        0
..............................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              10.5
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    43/240    DATE  02/09
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    61/230    DATE  02/09

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.80
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            5
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             21
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         64

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     75

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              3     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                7     RAIN                      12
LIGHT RAIN               37     FREEZING RAIN              1
LT FREEZING RAIN          4     HAIL                       1
HEAVY SNOW                2     SNOW                       3
LIGHT SNOW               27     SLEET                      2
FOG                      50     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE     11
HAZE                     19

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.


&&

WINTER 2022-2023

OVERALL, WINTER 2022-2023 CAN BE DESCRIBED AS MILD AND WET.

TEMPERATURE-WISE, MUCH OF DECEMBER FEATURED TEMPERATURES THAT WERE
NEAR NORMAL TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL. THE EXCEPTION WOULD BE THE
ARCTIC AIR OUTBREAK IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO CHRISTMAS, WHERE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 20 TO 30 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL AND
OVERNIGHT LOWS DROPPED NEAR TO BELOW ZERO SEVERAL NIGHTS IN A ROW.
WIND CHILLS WERE AS LOW AS -38 BELOW ZERO ON DECEMBER 23RD AND 24TH.
JANUARY AND FEBRUARY BOTH FEATURED TEMPERATURES THAT WERE WELL ABOVE
NORMAL FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE MONTH. MANY DAYS IN JANUARY SAW
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES THAT WERE 5 TO 20 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THERE
WERE ONLY THREE DAYS IN JANUARY THAT WERE COOLER THAN NORMAL:
JANUARY 27TH, 30TH, AND 31ST. IN FEBRUARY, TEMPERATURES FLUCTUATED
MORE THAN IN JANUARY BUT OVERALL, REMAINED WARM. THIS WINTER
AVERAGED 33.5 DEGREES AND RANKS AS THE 5TH WARMEST WHEN COMPARED TO
THE PERIOD OF RECORD.

PRECIPITATION-WISE, DECEMBER WAS SLIGHTLY WETTER THAN NORMAL WITH
ONLY 4 DAYS OF PRECIPITATION TOTALS HIGHER THAN 0.25 INCH. THERE WAS
ONE DAY, DECEMBER 30TH, WITH OVER AN INCH OF PRECIPITATION. A
SLIGHTLY WETTER THAN NORMAL JANUARY WAS ALSO OBSERVED, BUT ONLY 1
DAY OF PRECIPITATION HAD A TOTAL HIGHER THAN 0.5 INCH. FEBRUARY
ENDED WETTER THAN NORMAL WITH 2 DAYS OF PRECIPITATION TOTALS HIGHER
THAN 1.0 INCH. OVERALL, THIS WINTER TOTALED 9.48 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION. THIS WAS THE 14TH WETTEST WINTER WHEN COMPARED TO THE
PERIOD OF RECORD.

SNOWFALL-WISE, SNOW WAS NOTABLY LACKING DURING ALL THREE MONTHS,
WITH A TOTAL DEFICIT OF 12.8 INCHES FROM DECEMBER THROUGH FEBRUARY.
THE LACK OF COLD AIR MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR PRECIPITATION TO FALL AS
SNOW. THERE WERE ONLY 4 DAYS THIS WINTER WITH SNOW TOTALS EQUAL TO
OR GREATER THAN 1 INCH, WHEREAS THE AVERAGE IS USUALLY 6 DAYS. THE
MOST NOTABLE SNOW CAME IN JANUARY, AS THERE WAS ENOUGH COLD AIR AND
PRECIPITATION TO PRODUCE 7.1 INCHES OF SNOW FROM JANUARY 25TH TO
27TH. THIS WINTER TOTALED 13.4 INCHES OF SNOW AND WAS THE 24TH LEAST
SNOWIEST WHEN COMPARED TO THE PERIOD OF RECORD.

A MONTH BY MONTH SUMMARY IS BELOW.

DECEMBER 2022
...WINTER STORM BRINGS WIND, SNOW, AND ARCTIC AIR...

A WELL-ADVERTISED BLAST OF ARCTIC AIR CHILLED THE REGION, AND MUCH
OF THE UNITED STATES, IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO CHRISTMAS. WHILE NO
DAILY TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE BROKEN AT FORT WAYNE, IT WAS THE
FIRST TIME SINCE 2017 THAT DECEMBER RECORDED A TEMPERATURE BELOW
ZERO. THE ARCTIC FRONT FEATURED 45-55 MPH WIND GUSTS AND SNOW. THE
COLDEST WIND CHILL AT FORT WAYNE DURING THIS EVENT WAS -38 ON THE
MORNING OF THE 23RD. THE PEAK WIND GUST WAS 51 MPH THAT SAME
MORNING. WIND CHILLS ANYWHERE CLOSE TO THIS MAGNITUDE WERE LAST
RECORDED IN JANUARY 2019. FORT WAYNE RECORDED A WIND CHILL AS LOW AS
-40 ON THE MORNING OF JANUARY 30, 2019.

PRIOR TO THIS COLD AIR MASS, DECEMBER WAS MILD. THROUGH THE 16TH,
THE TEMPERATURE DEPARTURE WAS 3.0 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. BETWEEN THIS
MILD START AND THIS ARCTIC BLAST, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE
MONTH, 30.4 DEGREES, ENDED JUST SHY OF THE NORMAL.

FORT WAYNE RECORDED 2.8 INCHES OF SNOW THIS MONTH. THIS IS 4.8
INCHES BELOW NORMAL AND RANKS AS THE 33RD LEAST AMOUNT OF DECEMBER
SNOW ON RECORD.

MUCH-NEEDED PRECIPITATION ARRIVED AT THE END OF THE MONTH. PRIOR TO
DECEMBER 30, THE MONTH WAS OVER 1 INCH BELOW NORMAL. IN THE FINAL
TWO DAYS OF DECEMBER, 1.61 INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED. THE TOTAL OF
1.33 INCHES ON THE 30TH WAS NEARLY A RECORD (1.49 IN 1936). THE
TOTAL FOR THE MONTH WAS 2.57 INCHES. THIS RANKS AS THE 53RD WETTEST
ON RECORD.

THERE WERE TWO RECORDS SET THIS MONTH. ON THE 30TH, A NEW WARM
RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE WAS SET; 44 DEGREES BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD
OF 43 SET IN 1936. ON THE 22ND, 1.2 INCHES OF SNOW BROKE THE
PREVIOUS DAILY RECORD OF 0.9 SET IN 1953.

JANUARY 2023
...WINTER STORM BRINGS WIND, SNOW, AND ARCTIC AIR...

FOLLOWING THE ARCTIC BLAST THAT OCCURRED NEAR CHRISTMAS, ONE MIGHT
HAVE ASSUMED THAT WE WERE IN STORE FOR A BRUTAL WINTER PERIOD AHEAD.
THAT WAS FAR FROM THE TRUTH. JANUARY ENDED WITH AN AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 34.2 DEGREES WHICH IS 8.7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS
RANKS AS THE 6TH WARMEST ON RECORD. THIS WAS THE MILDEST JANUARY
SINCE 2006, WHICH WAS ALSO THE RECORD WARMEST WITH AN AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 36.9 DEGREES.

HOW DID WE GET HERE? ANOMALOUS RIDGING ALOFT EVENTUALLY ALLOWED
ARCTIC AIR TO RETREAT BY DECEMBER 28TH (HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 44).
UNSEASONABLE WARMTH VARIED AT TIMES BUT LASTED THROUGH NEARLY ALL OF
JANUARY. SOME ADDITIONAL FACTS:

--THE MAXIMUM HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 62 ON THE 3RD. THIS
BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 61 SET IN 2004. THIS WAS THE FIRST 60-
DEGREE TEMPERATURE IN JANUARY SINCE 2017.
--THERE WERE FIVE DAYS WITH A HIGH OF 50 OR WARMER; THE MOST SINCE
2018 WHEN THERE WERE SEVEN.

HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE ONLY A PART OF THE STORY, HOWEVER. FROM THE
1ST THROUGH 26TH, THE AVERAGE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS THE SECOND
WARMEST ON RECORD, 30.8 DEGREES. THE RECORD FOR THAT PERIOD WAS 32.8
DEGREES IN 1932. BY THE END OF THE MONTH, THE OBSERVED MINIMUM
TEMPERATURE WAS 28.5 DEGREES. THIS IS THE FOURTH WARMEST ON RECORD.
THE NORMAL AVERAGE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH IS 18.4
DEGREES.

DESPITE THE WARMTH DESCRIBED ABOVE, SNOWFALL WAS RIGHT NEAR NORMAL
BECAUSE OF A SNOWSTORM THAT DROPPED 6.2 INCHES (NEW RECORD FOR THE
DAY. PREVIOUS, 5.4 INCHES IN 1978). A SYSTEM PRIOR TO THAT RESULTED
IN A 2-DAY SNOW TOTAL OF 3.0 INCHES. SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH WAS 0.4
INCHES BELOW NORMAL AND TIES (WITH 2021) AS THE 43RD MOST AMOUNT OF
JANUARY SNOW ON RECORD. PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH WAS NEAR NORMAL,
AT 2.75 INCHES.


FEBRUARY 2023
TOP-TEN WARMEST, WETTEST, AND LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW.

ASIDE FROM TWO OF THE FIRST FOUR DAYS OF FEBRUARY LEANING BELOW
NORMAL AVERAGE-TEMPERATURE WISE, ONLY TWO OTHER DAYS DURING THE
MONTH OF FEBRUARY LEANED BELOW NORMAL (THE 17TH AND THE 24TH). THIS
ALLOWED THE MONTH TO FINISH OUT ABOVE NORMAL AND AS THE 5TH WARMEST
FEBRUARY ON RECORD. THIS IS THE WARMEST SINCE 2017 (RANKS AS #1,
39.8 DEGREES) THIS IS THANKS TO THE PREVAILING PATTERN INCLUDING AN
EAST COAST RIDGE AND TRACES OF A WEST COAST TROUGH ALLOWING WARM AIR
TO STREAM INTO THE AREA FROM THE PLAINS AND GULF STATES.

MOST DAYS WITH OBSERVED PRECIPITATION WERE NEAR 0.10". OFTEN TIMES
THIS LEADS TO BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION OVERALL FOR THE MONTH.
HOWEVER, THE 22ND, AND 27TH BOTH SAW PRECIPITATION EXCEEDING 1 INCH.
TWO 1-INCH RAIN EVENTS IN THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY TIES AS A RECORD FOR
THE MONTH (2014, 1990, 1900). AS A RESULT, FEBRUARY FINISHED AS THE
10TH WETTEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD. THE CONNECTION TO THE GULF AIR MASS
AS WELL AS A LOOSE CONNECTION TO PACIFIC AIR HELPED PROMOTE THESE
HEAVY RAIN EVENTS.

IN LIGHT OF THE ANOMALOUS WARMTH, SNOW WAS HARD TO COME BY THIS
MONTH WITH ONLY 0.2 INCHES OBSERVED. THIS IS THE 3RD LEAST AMOUNT OF
SNOW ON RECORD (1998 AND 1899 REPORTED A TRACE OF SNOW.)


BROWN/ROLLER/JOHNSON




$$


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