Climatological Report (Seasonal)
Issued by NWS

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CXUS53 KIWX 010724
CLSSBN

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
324 AM EDT TUE JUN 01 2021

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

...THE SOUTH BEND CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SPRING SEASON...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1893 TO 2021

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           89   05/24         MM      MM       90
                       05/25
LOWEST            15   03/02         MM      MM       17
AVG. MAXIMUM    61.9               58.5     3.4     58.4
AVG. MINIMUM    39.3               37.5     1.8     38.3
MEAN            50.6               48.0     2.6
DAYS MAX >= 90     0                0.7    -0.7        1
DAYS MAX <= 32     0                3.6    -3.6        0
DAYS MIN <= 32    28               30.6    -2.6       35
DAYS MIN <= 0      0                0.1    -0.1        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM       19.83   1976
 MINIMUM        4.24   1971
TOTALS          7.57              10.04   -2.47    10.99
DAILY AVG.      0.08               0.11   -0.03     0.12
DAYS >= .01       31               39.2    -8.2       49
DAYS >= .10       18               21.4    -3.4       23
DAYS >= .50        5                6.8    -1.8        7
DAYS >= 1.00       2                1.7     0.3        2
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL   1.10

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL          34.6   1960
 24 HR TOTAL      MM
TOTALS           0.7                7.8    -7.1      6.7
SINCE 7/1       52.4               64.5   -12.1     45.7
SNOWDEPTH AVG.     T                                   0
DAYS >= TRACE      5                6.6    -1.6       14
DAYS >= 1.0        0                2.3    -2.3        3
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH        0                                   2
 24 HR TOTAL     0.5   04/01 TO 04/01

DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL   1397               1624    -227     1561
 SINCE 7/1      5792               6358    -566       MM
COOLING TOTAL     94                 55      39       61
 SINCE 1/1        94                 56      38       61
..............................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              9.2
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    39/260    DATE  05/27
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    58/290    DATE  05/27

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.37
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR           49
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             34
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY          9

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     60

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              2     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                6     RAIN                       9
LIGHT RAIN               34     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       2
LIGHT SNOW                6     SLEET                      0
FOG                      31     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      1
HAZE                     13

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

SPRING 2021

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 50.6 DEGREES IS 2.6 DEGREES ABOVE THE
NORMAL OF 48.0 DEGREES. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 7.57 INCHES WHICH IS
2.47 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 30TH DRIEST SPRING ON
RECORD. THIS IS THE DRIEST SPRING SINCE 6.03 INCHES IN 2012. SNOW
TOTALED ONLY 0.7 INCHES WHICH IS 7.1 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS TIES
2004 AS THE 2ND LEAST SNOWIEST SPRING ON RECORD. THIS IS OUR LEAST
SNOWIEST SPRING SINCE A TRACE OF SNOW FELL IN THE SPRING OF 2010.

ACCORDING TO THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR, "ABNORMALLY DRY" TO "MODERATE
DROUGHT" CONDITIONS CONTINUED TO IMPACT AT LEAST A PORTION OF OUR
AREA THROUGH THE SPRING. THE AREAS EFFECTED MOVED FROM SOUTH TO
NORTH THROUGH THE SPRING. A NOTABLE DEGRADATION OF DROUGHT OCCURRED
OVER MUCH OF MICHIGAN BY THE END OF THE SEASON.

A MONTH BY MONTH SUMMARY IS BELOW.

MARCH
...WARM WITH A DRY START, BUT A WET FINISH...

MARCH WILL BE KNOWN AS A WARM MONTH. THIS IS MAINLY BECAUSE THE
AVERAGE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 54.9 DEGREES AND
RANKED AS THE 7TH WARMEST. SOUTH BEND HAD AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF
43.1 DEGREES FOR MARCH, WHICH RANKED AS THE 14TH WARMEST MARCH.

WITH HOW WARM MARCH WAS FOR SOUTH BEND, THERE WAS ONLY A TRACE OF
SNOW FOR THE MONTH. A TRACE OF SNOW WAS REPORTED ON THE 1ST AND 31ST
OF THE MONTH. THIS RANKED AS TIED FOR THE LEAST SNOWIEST MARCH.

SOUTH BEND HAD A VERY DRY START TO MARCH WITH MARCH 1 TO MARCH 24
RECEIVING ONLY 0.36 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. THIS RANKED AS THE
SECOND DRIEST STRETCH BEHIND ONLY 1981. FURTHERMORE, 14 STRAIGHT
DAYS OF PRECIPITATION TOTALING LESS THAN 0.02 INCHES OCCURRED FROM
MARCH 1ST TO MARCH 14TH. THIS RANKED AS THE 7TH LONGEST STRETCH OF
"DRY" WEATHER IN MARCH. AFTER THE DRY START, A PERIOD OF ACTIVE
WEATHER MOVED IN FOR THE LATTER PART OF THE MONTH WITH MARCH 24TH TO
MARCH 31ST RECEIVING 2.00 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. THIS RANKED AS
THE 13TH WETTEST STRETCH FOR THIS PERIOD. OVERALL, SOUTH BEND
RECEIVED 2.36 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH, RANKING AS THE
52ND DRIEST MARCH.

APRIL
...DROUGHT CONDITIONS CONTINUE WITH ROLLER COASTER TEMPERATURES...

FROM A TEMPERATURE POINT OF VIEW, APRIL FEATURED TWO LARGE EPISODES
OF TEMPERATURE SWINGS. AFTER A CRISP START ON THE 1ST AND 2ND,
TEMPERATURES WARMED DRAMATICALLY THEREAFTER. THE PERIOD FROM APRIL 1
TO APRIL 13TH RANKS AS THE 8TH WARMEST ON RECORD, WITH AN AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 53.3 DEGREES. WITHIN THIS STRETCH, ON THE 6TH, SOUTH
BEND PICKED UP ITS FIRST 80-DEGREE DAY OF THE YEAR. THIS IS ABOUT 20-
DAYS SOONER THAN AVERAGE AND IS THE EARLIEST 80-DEGREE DAY SINCE
MARCH 14, 2012. THIS TIES 1921 AND 1988 AS THE 11TH EARLIEST 80-
DEGREE DAY ON RECORD (14TH EARLIEST IF DUPLICATES ARE CONSIDER TO
EACH HAVE THEIR OWN RANK).

FOLLOWING THAT WARM SPELL, A STRETCH OF DAYS WITH BELOW-NORMAL
TEMPERATURES WAS OBSERVED FROM THE 14TH TO 25TH. THIS PERIOD RANKED
AS THE 10TH COLDEST ON RECORD. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 40 DEGREES ON
THE 20TH NARROWLY MISSED THE RECORD OF 38 SET IN 1947. SOON AFTER,
HIGH TEMPERATURES SOARED INTO THE 80S ONCE MORE. THE HIGH OF 85
DEGREES ON THE 27TH BEAT THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 84 IN 1986.

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 49.8 DEGREES WHICH IS NEAR
THE NORMAL OF 49.0.

DROUGHT CONDITIONS REMAINED LARGELY THE SAME IN THE GREATER SOUTH
BEND AREA THROUGH THE MONTH. THERE WAS A PERIOD OF SOME IMPROVEMENT
MID-MONTH THANKS TO THE COOL CONDITIONS AND ABOUT ONE INCH OF RAIN
FROM THE 8TH THROUGH 12TH. HOWEVER, CONDITIONS DETERIORATED BY THE
END OF THE MONTH WITH A CONTINUED LACK OF PRECIPITATION. ALL TOLD,
PRECIPITATION TOTALED 2.24 INCHES AND IS 0.99 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.
THIS RANKS AS THE 32ND DRIEST ON RECORD. SINCE JANUARY 1ST,
PRECIPITATION IS 1.88 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.

LASTLY, IT WOULD NOT BE APRIL IN THE MIDWEST WITHOUT SOME SNOW! SNOW
OCCURRED ON THREE DAYS THIS MONTH TOTALING 0.7 INCHES. THIS IS 0.7
INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 1.4 INCHES. APRIL OF 2020 RECORED 3.7
INCHES!

MAY
......FROSTY NIGHTS AND CONTINUED DROUGHT...

THE MONTH BEGAN WITH FOLKS BREAKING OUT THEIR SUMMER ATTIRE AS A
HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 79 AND 82 WERE OBSERVED ON THE 1ST AND 2ND,
RESPECTIVELY. TEMPERATURES QUICKLY TUMBLED THEREAFTER. THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE DEPARTURE FROM THE 5TH THROUGH 15TH RANGED FROM 4 TO 15
DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. A NUMBER OF FROST ADVISORIES WERE ISSUED
DURING THIS STRETCH. PATIENCE PAID OFF AS SUMMER-LIKE TEMPERATURES
RETURNED FROM THE 16TH TO 27TH WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE DEPARTURE
AS GREAT AS 16 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL (20TH, 22ND, 25TH). THE MONTH
ENDED WITH PATCHY FROST IN OUTLYING AREAS ON THE 29TH AND 30TH WITH
A LOW OF 38 REPORTED AT THE AIRPORT. SUCH A MINIMUM TEMPERATURE THIS
LATE IN THE SPRING IS UNFORTUNATE, BUT IT OCCURS MORE OFTEN THAN YOU
MAY THINK.

LET ME EXPLAIN: BY SEARCHING THE CLIMATE DATA BY FIRST AND LAST DATE
FOR A MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF LESS THAN 40 DEGREES, I FOUND THAT THE
MEAN LAST DATE IS 5/21. THE LATEST THIS HAS OCCURRED IS 6/22(!) IN
1992. SORTING THIS LIST BY YEAR, 5/21/2019 SAW A LOW OF 39 DEGREES
AS DID 5/29/2008. HOWEVER, OUR LOW OF 38 ON 5/30/2021 IS THE LATEST
IT HAS BEEN THIS COLD SINCE 2003 WHEN A LOW OF 37 WAS REPORTED ON
JUNE 2ND.

THOSE TEMPERATURE SWINGS NEARLY CANCELED EACH OTHER OUT IN THE END,
AS THE MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 58.9 DEGREES IS ONLY 0.2
DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.

PRECIPITATION CONTINUED TO BE ELUSIVE FOR SOME. ONLY 2.97 INCHES WAS
OBSERVED WHICH IS 1.23 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. MOST OF THE MONTH`S RAIN
FELL ON MOTHER`S DAY: 1.10 INCHES. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY 15 DAYS
WITHOUT MEASURABLE RAINFALL. DURING THAT TIME, DROUGHT CONDITIONS
WORSENED. TO EASE THE BURDEN, HOWEVER, WAS 1.42 INCHES FROM THE 25TH
THROUGH 28TH. EVEN WITH THIS LATE-MONTH RAIN, MAY 2020 TIES 1898 AS
THE 50TH DRIEST MAY ON RECORD. THIS IS THE DRIEST MAY SINCE 2.49" IN
2016. SOUTH BEND IS CURRENTLY 4.04 INCHES BELOW-NORMAL FOR THE
CALENDAR YEAR.

BROWN/ROLLER/MARSILI

$$


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