Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS Northern Indiana
Issued by NWS Northern Indiana
412
CXUS53 KIWX 011416
CLAFWA
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
916 AM EST MON JAN 01 2024
...................................
...THE FORT WAYNE CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 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 106 06/28/2012
06/25/1988
07/14/1936
LOW -24 01/12/1918
HIGHEST 92 06/03 MM MM 96
07/27
09/05
LOWEST 4 02/01 MM MM -9
AVG. MAXIMUM 63.0 60.3 2.7 60.9
AVG. MINIMUM 42.9 41.4 1.5 40.8
MEAN 52.9 50.9 2.0
DAYS MAX >= 90 12 15.7 -3.7 13
DAYS MAX <= 32 9 39.7 -30.7 47
DAYS MIN <= 32 106 123.6 -17.6 121
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 6.2 -6.2 7
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 54.58 1990
MINIMUM 24.40 1962
TOTALS 34.34 39.48 -5.14 33.59
DAILY AVG. 0.09 0.11 -0.02 0.09
DAYS >= .01 124 135.4 -11.4 125
DAYS >= .10 68 77.3 -9.3 67
DAYS >= .50 22 25.2 -3.2 22
DAYS >= 1.00 7 8.9 -1.9 5
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 68.6 2014
TOTALS 15.6 33.6 -18.0 27.6
SINCE 7/1 0.9 9.6 -8.7 7.0
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 0
DAYS >= TRACE 38 34.0 4.0 66
DAYS >= 1.0 4 10.7 -6.7 9
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 7 01/26 9
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 5041 5968 -927 5945
SINCE 7/1 1868 2257 -389 2200
COOLING TOTAL 766 849 -83 925
SINCE 1/1 766 849 -83 925
..............................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 8.6
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 45/260 DATE 03/31
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 68/260 DATE 03/31
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.63
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 74
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 142
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 149
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 70
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 36 MIXED PRECIP 4
HEAVY RAIN 29 RAIN 53
LIGHT RAIN 157 FREEZING RAIN 1
LT FREEZING RAIN 3 HAIL 1
HEAVY SNOW 3 SNOW 6
LIGHT SNOW 38 SLEET 2
FOG 189 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 17
HAZE 55
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
&&
...FIFTH WARMEST YEAR AND SEVENTH LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW ON RECORD...
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 52.9 DEGREES WHICH IS 2.0
DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 50.9 DEGREES. THIS RANKS AS THE 5TH
WARMEST ON RECORD, AND IS THE WARMEST SINCE 53.8 DEGREES IS 2012.
THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 92 DEGREES ON SEPTEMBER
5TH, JULY 27TH, JUNE 3RD. THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 4
DEGREES ON FEBRUARY 1ST.
THE TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR WAS 34.34 INCHES. THIS IS 5.14
INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 39.48 INCHES. THIS RANKS AS THE 53RD
DRIEST YEAR ON RECORD.
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE YEAR WAS 15.6 INCHES, WHICH IS 18.0 INCHES
BELOW THE NORMAL OF 33.6. THIS IS THE 7TH LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW ON
RECORD. THIS IS THE LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW SINCE 13.8 INCHES IN 2006.
NOTABLE WEATHER EVENTS THIS YEAR INCLUDE:
--WINTER 2022-2023 WAS THE 5TH WARMEST ON RECORD.
--6TH WARMEST JANUARY ON RECORD.
--JANUARY: 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.
--FEBRUARY: 5TH WARMEST, 3RD LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW, 10TH WETTEST ON
RECORD.
--14 TORNADOES WERE CONFIRMED ON MARCH 31 ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA.
--11TH DRIEST JUNE ON RECORD; MODERATE TO SEVERE DROUGHT ONGOING.
--SEPTEMBER: 80% OF THE FORECAST AREA IS EXPERIENCING MODERATE
DROUGHT.
--5TH DRIEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD TOTALING 0.64 INCHES.
--2ND WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 39.8
DEGREES. (1ST WARMEST IS 41.5 IN 2015)
BROWN
...JANUARY 2023...
...SIXTH WARMEST ON RECORD...
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.
BROWN
...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.)
ROLLER/BROWN
...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 6.7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH TURNED
NOTABLY COLDER, ESPECIALLY ON THE 18TH AND 19TH WHEN THE DAILY
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WAS ONLY 24 DEGREES AND 28 DEGREES. 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 55 WHICH IS 11 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE MAXIMUM
TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH, 63, AND THE MINIMUM OF 18 SHOWCASE THE
MONTH`S TYPICAL VOLATILITY. OVERALL, THE MONTH`S AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
OF 38.9 DEGREES WAS 0.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
TOTAL SNOW FOR THE MONTH WAS 4.1 INCHES WHICH IS ONLY ONE-HALF INCH
BELOW NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 51ST GREATEST SNOW TOTAL ON RECORD.
THIS IS THE GREATEST MARCH SNOW TOTAL INCHES 8.6 INCHES IN 2015.
WET CONDITIONS FROM FEBRUARY CARRIED OVER INTO MARCH AS TOTAL
PRECIPITATION WAS 2.05 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 14TH WETTEST MARCH ON RECORD. THIS IS THE WETTEST MARCH
SINCE 5.70 INCHES WAS RECORDED IN 2009.
FROM JANUARY 1 THROUGH MARCH 31, FORT WAYNE CURRENTLY RANKS AS THE
7TH WETTEST ON RECORD, MEASURING 11.77 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. THIS
IS THE WETTEST START TO THE YEAR SINCE 12.12 INCHES IN 1990.
NO RECORDS WERE SET FOR FORT WAYNE.
BROWN
...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 83 BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 81 SET IN
1910. A SECOND RECORD WAS TIED, WITH 1985, WHEN THE TEMPERATURE
REACHED 84 ON THE 20TH. TEMPERATURES MET OR EXCEEDED 80 DEGREES FOUR
TIMES THIS MONTH. THIS IS THE GREATEST NUMBER OF 80-DEGREE DAYS
SINCE APRIL 2010 WHEN FIVE 80-DEGREE DAYS WERE RECORDED.
ON THE FLIP SIDE, A RECORD LOW WAS SET ON THE 26TH WHEN THE
TEMPERATURE WAS 28. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 29 IN 2006.
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 50.9 DEGREES, WHICH IS 0.7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. APRIL
2023 RANKS AS THE 35TH COOLEST ON RECORD. THIS IS THE WARMEST APRIL
SINCE 2017, WHICH HAD AN AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE OF 55.2 DEGREES.
FOLLOWING A WET START TO SPRING, APRIL DRIED OUT, ESPECIALLY MID-
MONTH. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 1.96 INCHES WHICH IS 1.78 INCHES BELOW
NORMAL. THIS IS THE 14TH DRIEST APRIL ON RECORD AND THE DRIEST APRIL
SINCE 2012, WHICH HAD 1.29 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. THERE WAS A
TRACE OF SNOW THIS MONTH.
BROWN/JOHNSON
...MAY...
...FLASH DROUGHT TO CONCLUDE THE MONTH...
THE MONTH STARTED NOTABLY COLD WITH A TRACE OF SNOWFALL AND AN
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE DEPARTURE THROUGH THE 4TH OF ABOUT 12 DEGREES
BELOW NORMAL. CHEERFUL SPRING WEATHER ARRIVED SOON AFTER WITH HIGHS
IN THE 70S AND 80S. A COUPLE OF SOAKING THUNDERSTORMS (7TH AND 12TH)
ACCOUNTED FOR 3.08 INCHES OF THIS MONTH`S 4.06 INCH PRECIPITATION
TOTAL. THESE TWO SOAKING RAIN EVENTS PROVIDED A BUFFER AHEAD OF THE
VERY DRY CONDITIONS THAT DEVELOPED LATE IN THE MONTH. THE QUICK
ONSET OF DRY CONDITIONS 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 11 STRAIGHT DAYS WHICH HAS OCCURRED
NUMEROUS TIMES (RANKS AS AS 215TH OVERALL, TIED AS 19TH LONGEST
BASED ON NUMBER OF DAYS, WHERE 41 DAYS IS THE LONGEST ENDING
SEPTEMBER 27, 1908) IN THE PERIOD OF RECORD. THE RECORD BOOKS ALSO
SHOW THAT, IN INSTANCES OF 11 CONSECUTIVE DRY DAYS OR MORE, THE
ENDING DATE WAS IN MAY 15 TIMES. EIGHT OF THOSE 15-TIMES HAVE AN END
DATE IN THE FINAL 10-DAYS OF THE MONTH. RECENT STRETCHES OF DRY
WEATHER INCLUDE JUNE 25, 2022, WHEN A 12-DAY DRY STRETCH ENDED. THE
YEAR 2021 FEATURED FOUR DIFFERENT DRY PERIODS, RANGING FROM 16 DAYS
(ENDING MAY 25) TO 11 DAYS. ALL THAT TO SAY, THESE PROLONGED
STRETCHES OF DRY WEATHER DO OCCUR SOMEWHAT OFTEN IN THE 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
CAUSED CONCERN FOR NEWLY-PLANTED CROPS.
PRECIPITATION TOTALED 4.06 INCHES WHICH RANKS AS THE 75TH DRIEST ON
RECORD. THE PRECIPITATION TOTAL IS 0.52 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.
A TRACE OF SNOW WAS RECORDED ON MAY 1, WHICH IS ABOVE-NORMAL FOR THE
MONTH AND IS THE 4TH SNOWIEST ON RECORD FOR THE MONTH. MAY 2020 ALSO
FEATURED A TRACE OF SNOW.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 73.4 DEGREES WHICH IS 1.2
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. ONE 90-DEGREE DAY WAS RECORDED; ON THE 30TH.
THIS IS 15 DAYS AHEAD OF THE NORMAL START DATE OF 90-DEGREE
TEMPERATURES, JUNE 13TH.
TWO PRECIPITATION RECORDS WERE BROKEN THIS MONTH. ON THE 7TH, 1.53
INCHES BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.08 INCHES IN 2004. ON THE
12TH, 1.55 INCHES BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.05 INCHES SET IN
1914.
BROWN
...JUNE...
...CONTINUED DROUGHT STRESSES CROPS...
FLASH DROUGHT CONDITIONS DEVELOPED LAST MONTH AND DRY WEATHER
PERSISTED THROUGH JUNE WITH ONLY A COUPLE EXCEPTIONS. ACCORDING TO
THE US DROUGHT MONITOR, "ABNORMALLY DRY" CONDITIONS WERE PRESENT ON
MAY 30TH. BY LATE-JUNE, A "MODERATE DROUGHT" AND "SEVERE DROUGHT"
WERE UNDERWAY IN NORTHERN INDIANA AND NORTHWEST OHIO. IRRIGATION
BECAME MORE COMMON TO COMBAT CROP STRESS. DRY SOIL, LARGE
EVAPOTRANSPIRATION RATES, AND LOW WATER LEVELS OF CREEKS, STREAMS,
AND PONDS WERE REPORTED.
FORT WAYNE RECORDED 1.39 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION THIS MONTH, WHICH
IS 3.09 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 11TH DRIEST ON RECORD
AND IS THE DRIEST SINCE 0.65 INCHES IN JUNE OF 2012 (THIRD DRIEST ON
RECORD). RAIN TOTALS FROM THE 25TH AND 26TH (0.33 AND 0.15 OBSERVED
AT FORT WAYNE INT`L AIRPORT , RESPECTIVELY) WERE HIGHLY VARIABLE IN
THE REGION, WITH SOME LOCATIONS NORTH AND WEST OF FORT WAYNE
REPORTING MORE THAN TWO INCHES. THE FORT WAYNE AIRPORT ONLY RECORDED
MEASURABLE RAINFALL 4 DAYS THIS MONTH. THE LARGEST 24 HOUR RAINFALL
TOTAL OF 0.63 INCHES FELL ON JUNE 13TH.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF 69.0 DEGREES WAS 1.7
DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. WHILE THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF JUNE STARTED VERY
WARM, A PERIOD OF COOL WEATHER EMERGED FROM THE 7TH THROUGH 18TH AS
A RESULT OF COOL NORTHERLY FLOW.
NO RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH.
BROWN/JOHNSON
...JULY...
WHILE THE SOUTHWEST US ROASTED BENEATH A PERSISTENT RIDGE OF HIGH
PRESSURE, THIS SAME PATTERN BROUGHT SOMEWHAT COOL NORTHWEST FLOW AND
FREQUENT THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA. DROUGHT CONDITIONS IMPROVED AS A
RESULT. ON JUNE 27TH, THE US DROUGHT MONITOR INDICATED ABOUT 87% OF
THE FORECAST AREA WAS EXPERIENCING MODERATE DROUGHT OR SEVERE
DROUGHT. BY JULY 25TH, THIS WAS DOWN TO ONLY 28%.
PRECIPITATION TOTALED 5.28 INCHES WHICH IS 1.23 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL
AND RANKS AS THE 22ND MOST ON RECORD. ONE RECORD WAS SET THIS MONTH:
1.66 INCHES OF RAIN ON THE 20TH BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.46 IN
1946.
THERE WERE FOUR DAYS THIS MONTH WITH A HIGH OF 90 DEGREES OR MORE,
WHICH IS ONE MORE THAN JULY 2022 AND IS TWO DAYS SHY OF NORMAL. SO
FAR THIS SUMMER THERE HAVE BEEN EIGHT 90-DEGREE DAYS WHICH IS JUST
SHY OF THE NORMAL OF 11 DAYS. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH
WAS 73.6 DEGREES WHICH IS RIGHT NEAR NORMAL.
BROWN
...AUGUST...
UNCOMFORTABLY HOT AND HUMID FOR A FEW DAYS THIS MONTH, OTHERWISE
COOL THANKS TO RATHER PERSISTENT NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. THIS PATTERN
IS GENERALLY NOT CONDUCIVE FOR RAINFALL, WHICH IS REFLECTED BY BELOW-
NORMAL PRECIPITATION.
FOLLOWING A RATHER WET JULY, THE SO-CALLED FAUCET TURNED OFF AND THE
MONTH ENDED WITH PRECIPITATION 1.32 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS RANKS
AS THE 48TH DRIEST ON RECORD. THE STATE OF INDIANA HAS GENERALLY
BEEN WORKING ITS WAY OUT OF ABNORMALLY DRY OR DROUGHT CONDITIONS
THIS SUMMER. HOWEVER, ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS LOOM AGAIN AS FORT
WAYNE HAS ONLY RECORDED A TRACE OF RAIN SINCE AUGUST 18.
AN UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE THAT HAS DOMINATED THE SOUTHERN PLAINS THIS
SUMMER WAS NUDGED EASTWARD INTO THE GREAT LAKES FOR A FEW DAYS LATE
THIS MONTH. THIS RESULTED IN ABOVE NORMAL DAILY TEMPERATURES FROM
THE 20TH THROUGH 26TH. THE PEAK OF THE HEAT OCCURRED ON THE 23RD AND
24TH WHEN FORT WAYNE RECORDED AIR TEMPERATURES OF 90 DEGREES AND A
HEAT INDEX OF 105 AND 106, RESPECTIVELY. ACCORDING TO THE MIDWESTERN
REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTER, FROM 1973 TO 2018, FORT WAYNE SEES ABOUT
ONE HOUR PER YEAR IN AUGUST WITH A HEAT INDEX NEAR 105.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 70.0 DEGREES WHICH IS
1.6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.
BROWN
...SEPTEMBER...
...29TH DRIEST SEPTEMBER ON RECORD RESULTS IN WORSENING DROUGHT...
RECALL THAT ONLY A TRACE OF RAIN HAD FALLEN AT FORT WAYNE FROM
AUGUST 18TH TO 31ST. THIS DRYNESS CONTINUED INTO SEPTEMBER AS
MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION WAS NOT RECORDED UNTIL THE 6TH (0.06
INCHES). AS A RESULT, DROUGHT CONDITIONS CAME BLAZING BACK TO THE
REGION ACCORDING TO THE US DROUGHT MONITOR. ON SEPTEMBER 5TH, JUST
OVER 65% OF THE FORECAST AREA WAS EXPERIENCING "ABNORMALLY DRY"
CONDITIONS, WHILE ABOUT 3% WAS DEEMED TO BE IN A "MODERATE DROUGHT".
BY SEPTEMBER 26H, 80% OF THE FORECAST AREA WAS EXPERIENCING
"MODERATE DROUGHT". LAWNS BECAME DORMANT. SOIL WAS VERY DRY AND
CRACKED, AND VERY LOW WATER LEVELS WERE NOTED ACROSS PONDS, CREEKS,
STREAMS AND RIVERS. PASTURE CONDITIONS DETERIORATED AND SOYBEAN PODS
WERE SHATTERING IN CENTRAL INDIANA.
WHILE SMALL DOSES OF RAIN OCCURRED HERE-AND-THERE IN SEPTEMBER,
NOTABLE RELIEF FINALLY OCCURRED AT THE END OF THE MONTH WHEN A TOTAL
OF 1.31 INCHES WAS RECORDED FROM THE 26TH THROUGH 28TH. (JUST WEST
OF THE AIRPORT, SOME COCORAHS OBSERVERS RECORDED OVER 2".) PRIOR TO
THE 26TH, FORT WAYNE WAS ON PACE TO RECORD PERHAPS ITS DRIEST
SEPTEMBER ON RECORD (0.32"). INSTEAD, PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH
TOTALED 1.63 INCHES WHICH IS THE 29TH DRIEST ON RECORD. THIS IS THE
DRIEST SINCE 2010 WHEN 1.36 INCHES WAS OBSERVED. (NOTE: 1.65 AND
1.67 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION WAS RECORDED IN SEPTEMBER 2018 AND
2017, RESPECTIVELY.)
PAIRED WITH THE DRY CONDITIONS WERE SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL
TEMPERATURES. A BLOCKING RIDGE WAS A FACTOR ONCE AGAIN. HIGH
TEMPERATURES WELL INTO THE 80S BEGAN THE MONTH, WITH ONE 90-DEGREE
DAY RECORDED. THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH FEATURED A FALL-LIKE COOL
DOWN, WITH A TEN-DAY STRETCH OF BELOW-NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THIS WAS
QUICKLY OFFSET BY UNSEASONABLY MILD CONDITIONS IN THE FINAL THIRD OF
THE MONTH. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 66.1 DEGREES
WHICH IS 1.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 45TH WARMEST ON
RECORD.
NO RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH.
BROWN
...OCTOBER...
...DROUGHT CONDITIONS IMPROVE...
THERE WAS NEAR RECORD WARMTH TO BEGIN THE MONTH, AS HIGH
TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE 80S OCTOBER 1ST THROUGH 4TH. MID-OCTOBER
FEATURED NEAR TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THE LAST WEEK
OF THE MONTH FEATURED A 40+ DEGREE TEMPERATURES SWING; A HIGH OF 77
DEGREES WAS OBSERVED ON OCTOBER 24TH AND A WEEK LATER, THE 2ND
COLDEST HALLOWEEN ON RECORD WAS OBSERVED WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF
39 DEGREES. HALLOWEEN 2023 WAS THE COLDEST SINCE 1917! OVERALL, THE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 54.7 DEGREES. THIS IS 1.5
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND RANKS AS THE 41ST WARMEST OCTOBER ON RECORD.
PRECIPITATION TOTALED 3.44 INCHES, WHICH WAS 0.49 INCHES ABOVE
NORMAL AND WAS THE 34TH WETTEST OCTOBER ON RECORD FOR FORT WAYNE.
THE WETTEST DAY WAS OCTOBER 29TH WITH 0.75". THERE WERE NO DAYS THIS
MONTH WITH A DAILY RAIN TOTAL OVER AN INCH; FORT WAYNE HAS NOT HAD A
DAY WHERE AN INCH OF RAIN OF MORE HAS FALLEN SINCE JULY 20!
THE FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON FELL ON HALLOWEEN! FORT WAYNE MEASURED
A TRACE FOR THE DAY, WHICH TIES AS THE 5TH SNOWIEST HALLOWEEN ON
RECORD. THIS IS ONLY THE 8TH TIME SINCE RECORD KEEPING BEGAN IN 1897
THAT SNOW HAS BEEN OBSERVED ON HALLOWEEN. OVERALL, SNOWFALL FOR THE
MONTH WAS 0.1" BELOW NORMAL.
DROUGHT CONDITIONS GRADUALLY IMPROVED THROUGHOUT THE MONTH WITH THE
ABUNDANCE OF PRECIPITATION, WITH NO DROUGHT REMAINING BY HALLOWEEN.
THERE WERE SEVERAL HARD FREEZES NEAR THE END OF THE MONTH, WHICH LED
TO THE END OF THE GROWING SEASON.
JOHNSON
...NOVEMBER 2023...
...5TH DRIEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD...
TEMPERATURES IN NOVEMBER WERE ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THE FIRST TWO THIRDS
OF THE MONTH, BEFORE A PATTERN SHIFT TO BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES
AROUND THANKSGIVING AND TO FINISH OUT THE MONTH. THERE WERE 9 DAYS
WITH HIGHS AT OR ABOVE 60 DEGREES, WHICH IS ABOVE AVERAGE (NORMALLY
THERE ARE 6 DAYS WITH HIGHS AT OR ABOVE 60 IN NOVEMBER). OVERALL,
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 41.3 DEGREES. THIS IS 0.2
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND TIES FOR THE 53TH WARMEST NOVEMBER ON
RECORD IN FORT WAYNE.
THE LACK OF PRECIPITATION THIS MONTH IS LIKELY THE MOST NOTABLE
STATISTIC. OVER HALF OF THE MONTHLY TOTAL PRECIPITATION FELL IN JUST
24 HOURS; THE HIGHEST DAILY RAINFALL TOTAL WAS 0.34" ON NOVEMBER
21ST. PRECIPITATION TOTALED ONLY 0.64" FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH! THIS IS
2.32" BELOW NORMAL AND RANKS AS THE 5TH DRIEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD
FOR FORT WAYNE. THIS WAS THE DRIEST NOVEMBER SINCE 2012. RECORDS
BEGAN IN 1897.
ONLY ONE DAY IN NOVEMBER RECORDED MEASURABLE SNOW; 0.4" OF SNOW FELL
ON NOVEMBER 26TH. THE TOTAL OF 0.4" OF SNOW FOR THE MONTH WAS 1.5"
BELOW NORMAL. NOVEMBER 2023 TIES FOR THE 34TH LEAST SNOWIEST ON
RECORD.
NO RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH.
JOHNSON
...DECEMBER 2023...
...2ND WARMEST DECEMBER, 6TH LEAST SNOWIEST ON RECORD...
TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT DECEMBER 2023 WERE WELL ABOVE AVERAGE. THE
MOST NOTABLE TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES OCCURRED AROUND CHRISTMAS; THERE
WAS A 4 DAY STRETCH OF HIGHS IN THE 50S WITH THE DAILY AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE EACH DAY EXCEEDING 15-20 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. OVERALL,
29 OF 31 DAYS THIS MONTH WERE ABOVE AVERAGE! THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
FOR THE MONTH WAS 39.8 DEGREES, WHICH IS AN ASTOUNDING 8.9 DEGREES
ABOVE NORMAL! DECEMBER 2023 WAS THE 2ND WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD
AND THE WARMEST SINCE 2015. RECORDS BEGAN IN 1897.
PRECIPITATION WAS ONCE AGAIN LACKING THIS MONTH. THERE WERE NO DAILY
RAINFALL TOTALS OVER HALF AN INCH. THERE WERE SEVERAL DAYS WHERE
RAINFALL ONLY TOTALED A QUARTER INCH OR LESS; THE HIGHEST DAILY
RAINFALL TOTAL WAS 0.28" ON DECEMBER 22ND. PRECIPITATION TOTALED
1.69" FOR THE MONTH. THIS IS 0.78" BELOW NORMAL AND WAS THE 36TH
DRIEST DECEMBER ON RECORD FOR FORT WAYNE.
ONLY ONE DAY IN DECEMBER RECORDED MEASURABLE SNOW; 0.5" OF SNOW FELL
ON DECEMBER 18TH. THE TOTAL OF 0.5" OF SNOW FOR THE MONTH WAS 7.1"
BELOW NORMAL. DECEMBER 2023 TIES FOR THE 6TH LEAST SNOWIEST ON
RECORD.
NO RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH.
JOHNSON
$$