Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
359 CXUS51 KGYX 060106 CLAAUG PWMCLAAUG 000 TTAA00 GYX 030203 CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME 806 PM EST TUE JAN 05 2021 ................................... ...THE AUGUSTA CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2020... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1981 TO 2010 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1948 TO 2021 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL ................................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 100 08/05/1955 LOW -23 02/02/1962 HIGHEST 94 06/20 93 1 92 07/21 07/20 LOWEST -9 02/15 -10 1 -2 02/27 02/01 01/14 AVG. MAXIMUM 56.6 54.7 1.9 53.9 AVG. MINIMUM 38.7 36.8 1.9 36.6 MEAN 47.7 45.7 2.0 45.2 DAYS MAX >= 90 5 4.8 0.2 4 DAYS MAX <= 32 35 57.5 -22.5 67 DAYS MIN <= 32 150 145.4 4.6 151 DAYS MIN <= 0 6 11.0 -5.0 8 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 57.31 2005 MINIMUM 25.79 2001 TOTALS 43.33 41.88 1.45 41.22 DAILY AVG. 0.12 0.11 0.01 0.11 DAYS >= .01 122 135.4 -13.4 150 DAYS >= .10 71 79.1 -8.1 82 DAYS >= .50 29 26.7 2.3 24 DAYS >= 1.00 13 9.2 3.8 10 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 2.41 10/13 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 6803 7422 -619 7515 SINCE 7/1 2452 2756 -304 2718 COOLING TOTAL 581 388 193 445 ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 6.9 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 38/340 DATE 12/06 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 56/160 DATE 11/16 SKY COVER AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.45 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 69 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 15 HEAVY RAIN 25 RAIN 44 LIGHT RAIN 116 FREEZING RAIN 2 LT FREEZING RAIN 5 HEAVY SNOW 5 SNOW 17 LIGHT SNOW 43 FOG 191 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 81 HAZE 40 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && THE YEAR BEGAN WITH A RELATIVELY MILD WINTER WITH ONLY BRIEF PERIODS OF COLDER WEATHER. THE TEMPERATURE WARMED INTO THE 50S ON JANUARY 11 AND 12. THE MOST CONSISTENT PERIOD OF COLD WEATHER WAS ABOUT A WEEK LATER WHEN AUGUSTA STAYED BELOW FREEZING FOR 5 STRAIGHT DAYS AND SAW A LOW OF 3 BELOW ZERO ON JANUARY 18. BUT MILD WEATHER KEPT RETURNING. THERE WERE A FEW MORE BRIEF BOUTS OF ARCTIC AIR IN FEBRUARY INCLUDING 4 MORE SUBZERO LOWS, THE COLDEST BEING 9 BELOW ON FEBRUARY 15. BUT OVERALL THE WINTER PERIOD WAS QUITE MILD. BY LATE FEBRUARY AND EARLY MARCH THERE WERE EVEN A FEW MORE 50 DEGREE DAYS, WITH THE WARMEST REACHING 61 ON MARCH 9. MORE FREQUENT STORMY WEATHER WAS OBSERVED IN THE FIRST PART OF THE SPRING. A NEW STORM SYSTEM WOULD BRING RAIN OR WINTRY WEATHER JUST ABOUT EVERY WEEK. MORE THAN AN INCH OF RAIN FELL ON APRIL 2 AND 3. A WEEK LATER SAW ANOTHER INCH OF PRECIPITATION ON APRIL 9 AND 10, THIS TIME WITH RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW AS THE TEMPERATURE COOLED. A FEW DAYS LATER SAW NEARLY 2 INCHES OF RAIN ON APRIL 13. AFTER THIS STORM MOVED BY, THE WEATHER TURNED COOLER WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES QUITE COMMON FROM THE LAST HALF OF APRIL INTO THE FIRST HALF OF MAY ALONG WITH FREQUENT PRECIPITATION INCLUDING A VERY LATE SNOWFALL ON MAY 9. THIS WAS ALSO THE LAST FREEZE OF THE SPRING. SUDDENLY IN MID MAY THE FREQUENT STORMY WEATHER ENDED AND PRECIPITATION LARGELY STOPPED. THE PERSISTENT TROUGH WHICH BROUGHT THE COOL AND STORMY WEATHER SHIFTED TO THE EAST. INSTEAD, FREQUENT COOL, DRY AIR MASSES SPILLED DOWN OUT OF CANADA. THE LAST SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL WAS ON MAY 15 WHEN MORE THAN HALF AN INCH OF RAIN FELL. BARELY ANY RAIN FELL AGAIN FOR MORE THAN A MONTH CAUSING DROUGHT CONDITIONS TO DEVELOP RAPIDLY. THE TEMPERATURE DURING THIS TIME WAS FREQUENTLY WARM DURING THE DAY AND COOL AT NIGHT DUE TO THE DRY AIR MASSES WHICH DOMINATED THE PERIOD. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE SOME DAYS OF 80 DEGREE WARMTH IN LATE MAY, THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED INTO THE 30S ON JUNE 1. THE FIRST STRETCH OF CONSISTENTLY HOT WEATHER CAME IN MID JUNE WHEN AUGUSTA SAW 3 STRAIGHT DAYS ABOVE 90 DEGREES FROM JUNE 18 THROUGH 20. THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURE OF THE YEAR WAS 94 ON JUNE 20. JUST AS THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY BEGAN TO CLIMB TOWARD THE END OF JUNE, FINALLY SOME DROUGHT RELIEF ARRIVED. FROM JUNE 28 THROUGH 30 NEARLY 2 INCHES OF RAIN FELL AS A SLOW MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM BROUGHT FREQUENT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. UNTIL THIS RAINFALL, AUGUSTA WAS ENDURING ITS DRIEST PERIOD ON RECORD FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. SUCH CONSISTENTLY DRY WEATHER WAS UNPRECEDENTED FOR THE SPRING WHICH IS TYPICALLY THE RAINIEST TIME OF YEAR. THE TABLE BELOW LISTS THE LEAST PRECIPITATION OBSERVED DURING THIS STRETCH OF TIME. LEAST PRECIPITATION MAY 16 THROUGH JUN 27 (SINCE 1948)... RANK PRECIP YEAR 1 0.53 2020 <=== 2 1.90 1964 3 2.04 2018 4 2.16 1963 5 2.29 2016 ALTHOUGH THE DROUGHT BUSTING RAINS ENDED, MORE FREQUENT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN JULY KEPT THE DROUGHT FROM WORSENING, AT LEAST FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH. LATER IN JULY THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY BEGAN TO BUILD AGAIN WITH MANY DAYS IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S AND NIGHTTIME LOWS IN THE MID 60S TO LOW 70S. THIS CONTINUED THROUGH MID AUGUST WITH ONE EXCEPTION. TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS MOVED THROUGH THE REGION ON AUGUST 4 BRINGING ABOUT HALF AN INCH OF RAIN AND 45 MPH WIND GUSTS. THE FIRST STRONG COLD FRONT CAME THROUGH ON AUGUST 15, BRINGING THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY TO AN END. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A FEW MORE HOT DAYS IN LATE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL, THE PERSISTENT HEAT WAS OVER. THIS WAS THE 6TH WARMEST SUMMER ON RECORD AT AUGUSTA. MORE THAN AN INCH OF RAIN FELL ON AUGUST 29, BUT THIS WOULD BE THE LAST SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL FOR A WHILE AS DROUGHT CONDITIONS EMERGED AGAIN IN SEPTEMBER. BARELY ANY RAIN FELL DURING THE NEXT 4 WEEKS AS A SERIES OF COLD FRONTS BROUGHT DRY, CONTINENTAL AIR MASSES INTO THE REGION. THIS OFTEN BROUGHT WARM DAYS AND OCCASIONALLY COOL NIGHTS. THE COOLEST TEMPERATURES WERE IN MID SEPTEMBER WHEN AUGUSTA SAW A FEW FROSTY NIGHTS IN THE MID 30S. FINALLY AFTER A MONTH OF DRY WEATHER A STORM SYSTEM ON SEPTEMBER 30 BROUGHT NEARLY AN INCH OF RAIN ALONG WITH 49 MPH WINDS. THIS BEGAN A GRADUAL SHIFT IN THE WEATHER PATTERN WITH MORE FREQUENT STORMINESS RETURNING. FREQUENT FRONTAL SYSTEMS BROUGHT A TOPSY TURVY TEMPERATURE PATTERN WITH OCCASIONAL WARMTH REPLACED BY COLD. THE FIRST FREEZE WAS ON OCTOBER 12. THE FIRST OF THE SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEMS BROUGHT MORE THAN 2 INCHES OF RAIN ON OCTOBER 13. A FEW DAYS LATER ANOTHER 2 INCHES WAS RECORDED ON OCTOBER 16 AND 17. LATER IN OCTOBER THE TEMPERATURE TURNED COLDER WITH SNOW OBSERVED JUST BEFORE HALLOWEEN. WHILE THE COLDER WEATHER LASTED A FEW WEEKS, ANOTHER SHIFT WAS IN STORE FOR NOVEMBER. AUGUSTA SAW ONE OF THE MOST INTENSE AND LONG LASTING LATE SEASON WARM SPELLS ON RECORD. BEGINNING ON NOVEMBER 5, AUGUSTA SAW 8 STRAIGHT DAYS WARM INTO THE 60S OR HIGHER INCLUDING 7 CONSECUTIVE DAILY RECORD HIGHS. THE WARMEST WAS 73 ON NOVEMBER 7. A COLD FRONT ON NOVEMBER 12 BROUGHT THE UNUSUAL WARMTH TO AN END WITH A COOLER AND STORMIER PATTERN RETURNING. A STRONG STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT SOME RAIN AND WIND ON NOVEMBER 15 AND 16 WITH GUSTS TO 56 MPH BRINGING DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES IN THE AREA. THE NEXT STORM ON NOVEMBER 23 BROUGHT MORE THAN 2 INCHES OF RAIN. ANOTHER STRONG STORM ON NOVEMBER 30 INTO DECEMBER 1 BROUGHT MORE THAN 3 INCHES OF RAIN AND 55 MPH WINDS, AGAIN CAUSING DAMAGE IN THE AREA. JUST A FEW DAYS LATER ANOTHER COLDER STORM BROUGHT A HEAVY WET SNOWFALL WHICH ALSO CAUSED DAMAGE TO TREES AND POWER LINES. MORE THAN 2 INCHES OF LIQUID EQUIVALENT PRECIPITATION WAS RECORDED FROM THIS SNOW ON DECEMBER 5. THE COLDEST AIR OF THE NEW WINTER SEASON CAME IN MID DECEMBER WITH AUGUSTA STAYING BELOW FREEZING FOR 7 STRAIGHT DAYS ALONG WITH SOME MORE SNOW. HOWEVER, A WARM UP BEGAN BEFORE CHRISTMAS. BY CHRISTMAS DAY ANOTHER WARM RAIN STORM HAD ARRIVED. IT WAS THE WARMEST AND WETTEST CHRISTMAS ON RECORD AT AUGUSTA WITH THE TEMPERATURE REACHING 60 DEGREES, MORE THAN 2 INCHES OF RAIN FALLING, AND WINDS GUSTING TO 48 MPH. ALTHOUGH THE TEMPERATURE COOLED BEHIND THIS STORM, IT REMAINED MILD THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 47.7 DEGREES WHICH WAS 2.0 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND THE 5TH WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD. THE WARMEST YEAR WAS IN 1999 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AS 49.3 DEGREES. THE COLDEST WAS 42.8 DEGREES IN 1968. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR EACH MONTH OF 2020 INCLUDING DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL. AVERAGE TEMPERATURES BY MONTH IN 2020 MONTH MAXIMUM MINIMUM AVERAGE NOTES JANUARY 33.2 (+5.6) 18.0 (+7.0) 25.6 (+6.3) 5TH WARMEST FEBRUARY 33.9 (+2.1) 17.2 (+2.7) 25.6 (+2.4) MARCH 44.4 (+4.0) 26.6 (+3.2) 35.5 (+3.6) 8TH WARMEST APRIL 50.3 (-2.8) 33.6 (-1.0) 42.0 (-1.9) MAY 66.0 (+0.8) 43.5 (-1.1) 54.8 (-0.1) JUNE 76.7 (+2.9) 55.2 (+1.0) 66.0 (+2.0) JULY 80.5 (+1.3) 62.9 (+3.0) 71.7 (+2.2) 3RD WARMEST AUGUST 79.3 (+1.3) 59.7 (+1.2) 69.5 (+1.2) SEPTEMBER 71.9 (+2.3) 51.2 (+0.7) 61.6 (+1.6) OCTOBER 56.5 (-0.7) 39.7 (+0.1) 48.1 (-0.3) NOVEMBER 49.9 (+4.7) 32.7 (+2.1) 41.3 (+3.4) 9TH WARMEST DECEMBER 37.2 (+3.7) 24.5 (+5.9) 30.9 (+4.8) 7TH WARMEST ANNUAL 56.6 (+1.9) 38.7 (+1.9) 47.7 (+2.0) 5TH WARMEST THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 47.7 DEGREES WAS THE 5TH WARMEST ON RECORD FOR AUGUSTA. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE WARMEST AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURES AT AUGUSTA. WARMEST ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE (SINCE 1948)... RANK AVE YEAR 1 49.3 1999 2 48.4 2010 3 47.9 1998 4 47.8 2006 5 47.7 2020 <=== 47.7 2012 7 47.5 1973 8 47.4 1953 9 47.2 2016 47.2 1990 47.2 1971 THE GROWING SEASON, AS DEFINED AS THE LONGEST CONSECUTIVE DAYS ABOVE FREEZING, LASTED FOR 155 DAYS IN 2020 FROM MAY 9 THROUGH OCTOBER 12. THIS WAS 11 DAYS SHORTER THAN THE NORMAL OF 166 DAYS. IT WAS ALSO THE SHORTEST GROWING SEASON OBSERVED AT AUGUSTA SINCE 1995. THE SHORTEST GROWING SEASON WAS 117 DAYS LONG IN 1956. THE LONGEST WAS 201 DAYS IN 2017 AND 1968. A TOTAL OF 43.33 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL WHICH WAS 1.45 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FELL ON NOVEMBER 30 AND DECEMBER 1 WHEN 3.36 INCHES OF RAIN WAS MEASURED. THE WETTEST YEAR WAS 2005 WHEN 57.31 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL. THE DRIEST WAS 2001 WITH ONLY 25.79 INCHES RECORDED. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS AND DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL FOR EACH MONTH OF 2020. MONTHLY PRECIPITATION TOTALS FOR 2020 MONTH PRECIPITATION NOTES JANUARY 1.92 (-0.69) FEBRUARY 2.29 (-0.14) MARCH 2.51 (-0.86) APRIL 5.32 (+1.53) MAY 1.98 (-1.71) JUNE 2.44 (-1.12) JULY 4.12 (+0.70) AUGUST 2.95 (-0.36) SEPTEMBER 1.13 (-2.61) 5TH DRIEST OCTOBER 5.69 (+1.33) NOVEMBER 6.86 (+2.50) 7TH WETTEST DECEMBER 6.12 (+2.88) 7TH WETTEST ANNUAL 43.33 (+1.45) THERE WERE 13 DAYS THAT RECORDED AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION, 3.8 DAYS MORE THAN NORMAL. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE DAYS WHICH RECEIVED AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION IN 2020. DAYS WITH AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION IN 2020 DAY PRECIPITATION JANUARY 25 1.37 APRIL 2 1.00 APRIL 9 1.15 APRIL 13 1.78 JUN 29 1.24 AUGUST 29 1.05 OCTOBER 13 2.41 OCTOBER 17 1.50 NOVEMBER 23 2.38 NOVEMBER 30 2.30 DECEMBER 1 1.06 DECEMBER 5 2.08 DECEMBER 25 2.06 THE FOLLOWING DAILY RECORDS WERE SET OR TIED IN 2020... DATE RECORD PREVIOUS JAN 11 54 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 54 IN 1983 (TIED) MAR 4 36 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 36 IN 1974 (TIED) APR 9 1.15 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 0.87 IN 2000 APR 13 1.78 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.19 IN 2002 APR 22 37 - COOLEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 38 IN 1989 MAY 1 0.76 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 0.62 IN 1974 MAY 29 65 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 61 IN 1987 JUN 1 38 - COLDEST LOW TEMPERATURE 40 IN 2009 AND 1961 JUN 6 60 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 60 IN 1966 (TIED) JUL 11 67 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 67 IN 2010 AND OTHERS (TIED) JUL 12 70 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 70 IN 1988 (TIED) JUL 14 0.87 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 0.66 IN 1971 JUL 27 72 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 71 IN 1989 AND OTHERS AUG 27 64 - COOLEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 65 IN 2006 SEP 28 64 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 62 IN 2008 SEP 29 63 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 62 IN 1967 AND 1959 OCT 13 2.41 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 2.05 IN 1983 OCT 17 1.50 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.01 IN 2019 OCT 28 37 - COOLEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 38 IN 1965 OCT 30 36 - COOLEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 37 IN 1966 NOV 3 36 - COOLEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 36 IN 1962 (TIED) NOV 6 66 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 65 IN 1959 NOV 7 73 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 66 IN 1975 NOV 7 55 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 55 IN 2008 (TIED) NOV 8 66 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 66 IN 2011 (TIED) NOV 9 69 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 68 IN 1975 NOV 10 69 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 64 IN 1948 NOV 11 71 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 65 IN 2002 NOV 12 63 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 62 IN 2012 NOV 23 2.38 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.45 IN 1953 DEC 1 44 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 40 IN 1991 DEC 5 2.08 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.12 IN 1950 DEC 25 60 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 56 IN 2015 DEC 25 50 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 41 IN 1964 DEC 25 2.06 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 0.86 IN 1979 $$ KIMBLE