Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
183
CXUS53 KIWX 011009
CLASBN
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
509 AM EST WED JAN 01 2025
...................................
...THE SOUTH BEND CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2024...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1893 TO 2024
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE
NORMAL
..............................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 109 07/24/1934
LOW -22 01/20/1943
01/25/1897
HIGHEST 97 08/27 MM MM 96
LOWEST -9 01/14 MM MM 3
01/15
AVG. MAXIMUM 63.6 58.7 4.9 62.1
AVG. MINIMUM 44.1 39.9 4.2 43.4
MEAN 53.9 49.3 4.6
DAYS MAX >= 90 19 13.5 5.5 15
DAYS MAX <= 32 23 44.7 -21.7 14
DAYS MIN <= 32 93 126.4 -33.4 100
DAYS MIN <= 0 6 5.8 0.2 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 55.61 1990
MINIMUM 25.15 1963
TOTALS 40.18 39.23 0.95 39.91
DAILY AVG. 0.11 0.11 0.00 0.11
DAYS >= .01 144 147.5 -3.5 140
DAYS >= .10 85 80.0 5.0 85
DAYS >= .50 25 24.6 0.4 23
DAYS >= 1.00 11 7.5 3.5 11
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 141.7 1978
TOTALS 36.3 64.5 -28.2 24.2
SINCE 7/1 10.9 19.0 -8.1 4.9
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 0
DAYS >= TRACE 45 42.2 2.8 51
DAYS >= 1.0 9 20.3 -11.3 11
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 10 01/20 5
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 4929 6400 -1471 5157
SINCE 7/1 1867 2404 -537 1886
COOLING TOTAL 958 722 236 820
SINCE 1/1 958 723 235 820
..............................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 8.7
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 41/260 DATE 12/04
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 58/250 DATE 12/04
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.43
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 180
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 101
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 85
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 70
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 44 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 41 RAIN 64
LIGHT RAIN 141 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 6 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 3 SNOW 11
LIGHT SNOW 44 SLEET 0
FOG 184 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 33
HAZE 77
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
&&
... WARMEST YEAR EVER AND SEVENTH LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW ON RECORD...
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 53.9 DEGREES WHICH IS 4.6
DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 49.3 DEGREES. SINCE 1893 WHEN RECORDS
BEGAN, 2024 RANKS AS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR SOUTH BEND! THE
PREVIOUS WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD WAS 2012 WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
OF 53.3 DEGREES. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 97 DEGREES
ON AUGUST 27TH. THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS -9 DEGREES
ON JANUARY 14TH AND 15TH. THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE THIS YEAR WAS
64.6 DEGREES, WHICH RANKS AS THE WARMEST ON RECORD! THE AVERAGE LOW
TEMPERATURE THIS YEAR WAS 44.1 DEGREES, WHICH RANKS 2ND ONLY BEHIND
1973, WHICH HAD AN AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE OF 44.4 DEGREES.
THE TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR WAS 40.18 INCHES. THIS IS 0.95
INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 39.23 INCHES. THIS RANKS AS THE 37TH
WETTEST YEAR ON RECORD AND IS THE WETTEST SINCE 2021.
TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE YEAR WAS 36.3 INCHES, WHICH IS 28.2 INCHES
BELOW THE NORMAL OF 64.5. THIS IS THE 7TH LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW ON
RECORD.
NOTABLE WEATHER EVENTS THIS YEAR INCLUDE:
- WINTER 2023-2024 WAS THE 2ND WARMEST ON RECORD
- WARMEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD; 10.9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL
- THE REMNANTS OF HURRICANE BERYL BROUGHT ALMOST 3 INCHES OF RAIN TO
SOUTH BEND FROM JULY 9-10TH
- EARLY SUMMER HEATWAVE IN MID-JUNE BROUGHT SEVERAL DAYS OF RECORD
HIGHS AND RECORD WARM LOWS
- RECORD HIGHS IN THE LOW 80S AT THE END OF OCTOBER
- 22 DAYS WITHOUT MEASURABLE RAINFALL FROM LATE AUGUST THROUGH MID
SEPTEMBER TIED FOR THE 13TH LONGEST STRETCH WITHOUT RAIN
- 70% OF THE FORECAST AREA WAS EXPERIENCING MODERATE DROUGHT IN
SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER
JOHNSON
A MONTH BY MONTH SUMMARY IS BELOW:
JANUARY 2024
...WETTEST JANUARY IN 11 YEARS; 10TH WETTEST JANUARY ON RECORD...
THIS MONTH HAD IT ALL: A RECORD COLD HIGH TEMPERATURE, RECORD DAILY
PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL, AND A SIGNIFICANT LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENT.
THE FIRST 12 DAYS OF JANUARY WERE MILD, WITH AN AVERAGE DAILY
TEMPERATURE AS GREAT AS 11 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL (JANUARY 9TH). BY
THE END OF THAT PERIOD, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH (32.3
DEGREES) WAS 7.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL WHICH RANKS AS THE 25TH
WARMEST ON RECORD. AS THE POLAR VORTEX WEAKENED, COLD AIR BLASTED
INTO THE REGION. FROM THE 13TH THROUGH 21ST, THE AVERAGE DAILY
TEMPERATURE WAS AS MUCH AS 26 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL (JANUARY 15TH).
HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AT TIMES AND OVERNIGHT
LOWS WERE BELOW ZERO. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH, -9 ON
THE 14TH AND 15TH, WAS THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE RECORDED AT SOUTH
BEND SINCE -20 DEGREES ON JANUARY 31, 2019 (NOTE: A LOW OF -8 WAS
RECORDED ON DECEMBER 23, 2022). THIS CHILL WAS SHORT LIVED AS ABOVE-
NORMAL TEMPERATURES RETURNED TO END THE MONTH. THE MONTH ENDED WITH
AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 26.7 DEGREES WHICH IS 2.6 DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 49TH WARMEST JANUARY ON RECORD. RECORDS
BEGAN IN 1893.
ONE TEMPERATURE RECORD WAS SET THIS MONTH. THE HIGH OF 6 DEGREES ON
THE 14TH BROKE THE PREVIOUS DAILY COLDEST HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD OF
7 DEGREES SET IN 1929.
AS THE ARCTIC AIR ARRIVED AND SUBSEQUENTLY DEPARTED, A COUPLE
EPISODES OF SNOW OCCURRED TOTALING 22.2 INCHES FOR THE MONTH. THIS
IS 0.6 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL AND RANKS AS THE 37TH MOST ON RECORD.
THIS IS NOTABLY MORE THAN THE PALTRY 7.5 INCHES THAT WERE RECORD IN
JANUARY 2023.
SNOW ON THE 9TH WAS NOTABLE BECAUSE A PRECIPITATION RECORD OF 1.03"
OCCURRED THAT DAY PAIRED WITH 2.3 INCHES OF HEAVY WET SNOW. THIS WAS
A RESULT OF RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW. STANDING WATER WAS TRAPPED
BENEATH THIS "CONCRETE SNOW" MAKING FOR SOUPY, SLOPPY CONDITIONS
THROUGHOUT THE REGION. LATER IN THE MONTH, A DOMINANT LAKE EFFECT
SNOW BAND DEVELOPED AND DROPPED NEARLY 3` (UNOFFICIAL MEASUREMENT)
OF SNOW IN THE LAPORTE AND MICHIGAN CITY AREA. THE CO-OP SITE AT
LAPORTE HAD A TWO-DAY TOTAL OF 32.4 INCHES ENDING EARLY IN THE
MORNING ON THE 20TH.
AS PART OF THIS LAKE EFFECT SNOW, SOUTH BEND RECORDED A NEW DAILY
SNOWFALL RECORD OF 5.9 INCHES ON THE 19TH. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS
DAILY RECORD OF 5.7 INCHES SET IN 2012.
LASTLY, PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH TOTALED AN IMPRESSIVE 4.53
INCHES. THIS IS 1.87 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL AND TIES 1916 AS THE 10TH
WETTEST ON RECORD. THIS WAS THE WETTEST JANUARY SINCE 4.82 INCHES IN
JANUARY 2020. FOR PERSPECTIVE, THIS MONTHLY TOTAL IS COMPARABLE TO
THE NORMAL PRECIPITATION AMOUNT FOR MAY: 4.20 INCHES.
BROWN/JOHNSON
SOUTH BEND FEBRUARY 2024
...WARMEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD...
AFTER AN ASTONISHINGLY WARM MONTH, SOUTH BEND HAS OFFICIALLY
CLINCHED THE WARMEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD! ONLY TWO DAYS THIS MONTH
WERE BELOW NORMAL; IN COMPARISON, 15 DAYS THIS MONTH WERE 10+
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL! THE LAST WEEK OF FEBRUARY FEATURED A THREE DAY
STRETCH OF HIGHS 60 DEGREES OR MORE. ON AVERAGE, FEBRUARY HAS ONE
DAY IN THE 60S; THIS YEAR, THERE WERE FIVE DAYS IN THE 60S AND ONE
DAY IN THE 70S. IN FACT, THE 73 DEGREE HIGH TEMPERATURE ON FEBRUARY
27TH WAS ONLY THE 3RD OCCURRENCE OF 70S IN FEBRUARY IN 130 YEARS!
THE MOST RECENT 70+ DEGREE DAY IN FEBRUARY BEFORE THEN WAS FEBRUARY
25, 2000.
SEVERAL TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE TIED OR BROKEN THIS MONTH. THERE
WERE FOUR HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS BROKEN ON FEBRUARY 9TH, 26TH,
27TH, AND 28TH. THERE WERE ALSO TWO DAILY RECORD WARM LOW
TEMPERATURES BROKEN ON FEBRUARY 9TH AND 27TH. THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE FOR FEBRUARY WAS 38.0 DEGREES, WHICH IS 10.9 DEGREES
ABOVE NORMAL.
PRECIPITATION WAS TOUGH TO COME BY THIS MONTH. THERE WERE NO DAILY
RAINFALL TOTALS OVER HALF AN INCH. THERE WERE ONLY TWO DAYS WHERE
RAINFALL TOTALED OVER A QUARTER INCH OR MORE: FEBRUARY 22ND AND
23RD. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 0.78" FOR THE MONTH. THIS IS 1.53" BELOW
NORMAL AND WAS THE 12TH DRIEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD. THIS WAS THE
DRIEST FEBRUARY SINCE 2004 FOR SOUTH BEND (0.76").
DESPITE THE LACK OF ICE COVER ON LAKE MICHIGAN, DUE TO THE
ANOMALOUSLY WARM TEMPERATURES, SNOWFALL WAS NOTABLY LACKING THIS
MONTH. SNOWFALL TOTALED ONLY 2.8" FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH. THIS IS
13.3" BELOW NORMAL AND RANKS AS THE 13TH LEAST SNOWIEST FEBRUARY ON
RECORD.
JOHNSON
...A WET AND TOP 10 WARMEST START TO SPRING...
MUCH LIKE FEBRUARY, ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES CONTINUED THROUGH
MARCH, ESPECIALLY DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH. 14 OF THE
FIRST 15 DAYS OF MARCH HAD AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE ABOVE NORMAL.
TYPICALLY, THERE ARE 5 DAYS WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE AT OR ABOVE 60
DEGREES IN MARCH; THIS YEAR, THERE WERE 11 60+ DEGREE DAYS IN SOUTH
BEND (THIS INCLUDES TWO DAYS WITH HIGHS IN THE 70S). OVERALL, THE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR MARCH WAS 44.1 DEGREES, WHICH IS 7.4 DEGREES
ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS THE WARMEST MARCH SINCE 2012. MARCH 2024 TIES
FOR THE 8TH WARMEST MARCH ON RECORD. RECORDS DATE BACK TO 1897.
ALTHOUGH MANY DAYS THIS MONTH DID NOT HAVE MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION,
THE MONTH OVERALL WAS STILL ABOVE AVERAGE. THIS IS BECAUSE MUCH OF
THE MONTH`S RAINFALL FELL IN THREE DAYS! MARCH 8TH AND MARCH 30TH
HAD RAIN TOTALS JUST SHY OF AN INCH (0.98 AND 0.90 INCHES
RESPECTIVELY). MARCH 14TH HAD THE HIGHEST DAILY RAINFALL TOTAL WITH
1.44"! THIS IS THE HIGHEST SINGLE DAY RAINFALL TOTAL IN MARCH SINCE
1.48" FELL ON MARCH 31, 2023. OVERALL, THE MONTH TOTALED 4.34 INCHES
OF RAIN, WHICH IS 1.99 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS THE 13TH
WETTEST MARCH ON RECORD.
DUE TO THE WARM TEMPERATURES, SNOWFALL WAS NOTABLY LACKING IN MARCH.
ONLY 0.4" OF SNOW WAS MEASURED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MONTH, WHICH IS
6.4" BELOW AVERAGE. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHERE ONLY A
TRACE OF SNOW HAS BEEN RECORDED IN MARCH, SO THIS IS NOT A RECORD.
MARCH 2024 RANKS AS THE 11TH LEAST SNOWIEST ON RECORD AND IS THE
LEAST SNOWIEST MARCH SINCE 2021.
NO RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH.
JOHNSON
....15TH WARMEST, 35TH WETTEST APRIL ON RECORD....
IN TYPICAL SPRING FASHION, APRIL FEATURED LOTS OF TEMPERATURE SWINGS
AND FLUCTUATIONS. THERE WERE 10 DAYS WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES 70+
DEGREES THIS MONTH, INCLUDING ONE DAY IN THE 80S. A HIGH TEMPERATURE
OF 80 DEGREES WAS OBSERVED ON APRIL 27TH, MARKING THE FIRST 80+
DEGREE DAY IN SOUTH BEND. ON AVERAGE, THE FIRST 80+ DEGREE DAY
OCCURS ON APRIL 25TH. IN ADDITION, THERE WERE 4 NIGHTS THIS MONTH
WITH A LOW BELOW FREEZING, INCLUDING 2 NIGHTS WHERE A HARD FREEZE
OCCURRED. A LOW TEMPERATURE OF 26 DEGREES OCCURRED ON APRIL 6TH AND
A LOW OF 28 DEGREES OCCURRED ON APRIL 25TH. ON AVERAGE, THE LAST
HARD FREEZE IN SOUTH BEND HAPPENS ON APRIL 15TH. OVERALL, THE MONTH
FINISHED WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 52,4 DEGREES, WHICH IS 4.3
DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL. THIS WAS THE 15TH WARMEST APRIL ON
RECORD AND THE WARMEST APRIL SINCE 2010.
A SERIES OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS PASSING THROUGH THE MIDWEST LED TO
A VERY WET AND SOGGY APRIL. THERE WAS A SHARP GRADIENT IN MONTHLY
RAINFALL TOTALS IN NORTHERN INDIANA; BETWEEN FORT WAYNE AND SOUTH
BEND (ABOUT 90 MILES APART), THERE WAS OVER 3 INCHES DIFFERENCE IN
RAINFALL TOTALS! SOUTH BEND HAD THE WETTEST APRIL SINCE 2019. IN
TOTAL, 4.27 INCHES OF RAIN FELL, WHICH IS 0.78 INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE
AND RANKS AS THE 35TH WETTEST APRIL ON RECORD.
THERE WAS ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW THIS MONTH, WHICH IS UNSURPRISING
GIVEN THE WARM TEMPERATURES. THIS IS 1.0 INCHES BELOW AVERAGE. APRIL
2024 IS TIED FOR THE 6TH LEAST SNOWIEST APRIL ON RECORD. THE LAST
TIME MEASURABLE SNOW OCCURRED IN APRIL WAS IN 2022.
JOHNSON
...WARMEST MAY IN SIX YEARS...
PICKING UP WHERE APRIL ENDED, MAY BEGAN UNSEASONABLY WARM WITH HIGH
TEMPERATURES EXCEEDING 80 DEGREES BY MAY 2ND AND AGAIN ON THE 4TH.
THE MONTH WAS MILD OVERALL WITH ONLY FOUR DATES RECORDING AN AVERAGE
DAILY TEMPERATURE DEPARTURE BELOW NORMAL (INCLUDING THE FINAL THREE
DAYS OF MAY). A TOASTY 88 DEGREES WAS THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE
RECORDED ON BOTH THE 20TH AND 21ST (FIVE DEGREES SHY OF A RECORD FOR
BOTH DATES). THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 64.0 DEGREES
WHICH IS 4.9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 16TH WARMEST ON
RECORD AND IS THE WARMEST MAY IN SIX YEARS.
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE FREQUENT, WITH ONLY 11 DRY DAYS
OBSERVED. DESPITE THIS, THE OBSERVED RAINFALL TOTAL OF 3.49 INCHES
WAS ACTUALLY 0.71 INCHES BELOW NORMAL, RANKING AS THE 62ND WETTEST
ON RECORD. THIS IS NOTABLY MORE MAY RAINFALL THAN THE 1.80 INCHES
RECORDED LAST YEAR.
A PEAK WIND GUST OF 50 MPH WAS RECORDED AT THE AIRPORT ON THE 20TH
AS AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM APPROACHING THUNDERSTORMS BLEW THROUGH.
PRECEDING THIS, THE THUNDERSTORMS KNOCKED DOWN FIVE ELECTRIC
TRANSMISSION TOWERS NEAR UNION MILLS, IN.
ON THE 7TH, TORNADOES AND LARGE HAIL WERE RECORDED ACROSS PORTIONS
OF MICHIANA. HAIL AS GREAT AS 4 INCHES IN DIAMETER WAS DOCUMENTED IN
LEONIDAS AND UNION CITY, MI. TORNADOES INCLUDED AN EF2 WITH A PATH
LENGTH JUST SHY OF 20 MILES. THIS TORNADO TRACKED FROM SOUTHERN
CENTREVILLE TO SOUTHWEST OF UNION CITY.
NO RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH.
BROWN
...WARMER AND WETTER THAN NORMAL JUNE...
JUNE 2024 WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR ONE OF THE EARLIEST LONG DURATION
HEATWAVES ON RECORD. FROM JUNE 16TH TO 22ND, 7 DAYS WITH HIGHS 90+
DEGREES WERE RECORDED, WHICH TIED FOR THE 2ND LONGEST JUNE STRETCH
OF 90+ DEGREE DAYS IN SOUTH BEND. NOT ONLY WERE THE HIGH
TEMPERATURES IMPRESSIVE, BUT THE LOW TEMPERATURES WERE TRULY
UNPRECEDENTED; THERE WERE 3 NIGHTS OF RECORD BREAKING WARM LOW
TEMPERATURES DURING THE HEATWAVE. JUNE 18TH, 19TH, AND 22ND ALL HAD
RECORD WARM LOWS WHICH TIED OR BROKE OLD RECORDS. OVERALL, JUNE 2024
FINISHED WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 72.4 DEGREES, WHICH IS 3.6
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS THE 10TH WARMEST JUNE ON RECORD AND
THE WARMEST JUNE SINCE 2021.
WITH A HOT AND DRY STRETCH OF DAYS MID-MONTH, THIS LED TO FLASH
DROUGHT CONCERNS DEVELOPING. SOUTH BEND WAS NEVER OFFICIALLY IN A
DROUGHT IN JUNE 2024, THANKS TO DAILY POP-UP SHOWERS AND STORMS
DURING THE MIDDLE TO END OF THE MONTH. THERE WERE 2 DAYS WITH
RAINFALL TOTALS OVER AN INCH THIS MONTH: 1.15" (JUNE 23RD) AND 1.06"
(JUNE 25TH). ULTIMATELY, SOUTH BEND ENDED THE MONTH WITH 4.87" OF
RAIN, WHICH IS 0.83" ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS THE WETTEST JUNE SINCE
2021 AND THE 33RD WETTEST JUNE OVERALL.
JOHNSON
JULY 2024
...SOAKING RAIN FROM BERYL AND NEAR-NORMAL TEMPERATURES...
A NOTABLE LACK OF 90-DEGREE DAYS WAS PAIRED WITH ABOVE-NORMAL
PRECIPITATION FOR JULY. THERE WERE 14 DAYS THIS MONTH WHERE THE
AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE DEPARTURE WAS BELOW NORMAL. AS A RESULT,
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES OF 72.5 DEGREES NEARLY MATCHES THE NORMAL OF
72.4 DEGREES.
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE JULY 2017, THERE WERE NO 90-DEGREE DAYS
OBSERVED IN JULY. THE MONTH TYPICALLY HAS FIVE 90-DEGREE DAYS.
INSTEAD, THE MAXIMUM OBSERVED TEMPERATURE THIS MONTH WAS 89.
REMNANTS OF HURRICANE BERYL MOVED THROUGH THE AREA ON JULY 9TH AND
10TH BRINGING EFFICIENT RAINFALL RATES DUE TO TROPICAL MOISTURE
OVERHEAD. 1.87 INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED ON THE 9TH, FOLLOWED BY
1.06 ON THE 10TH AT SOUTH BEND. ELSEWHERE IN THE FORECAST AREA,
TRAINED SPOTTERS, COCORAHS OBSERVERS, AND THE PUBLIC REPORTED
RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 INCHES TO NEARLY 9 INCHES OF RAIN THROUGH JULY
10TH. SEVERAL REPORTS OF FLOODING WERE RECEIVED. THE ST. JOSEPH
RIVER AT SOUTH BEND REACHED A CREST OF 7.6 FEET LATE IN THE DAY ON
JULY 10TH WHICH IS JUST BELOW MODERATE FLOOD STAGE (8 FEET). WIND
GUSTS OF 35 MPH TO 45 MPH RESULTED IN UPROOTED TREES THANKS TO THE
SATURATED SOIL.
SOUTH BEND RECORDED 4.67 INCHES OF RAIN WHICH IS 0.89 INCHES ABOVE
NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 36TH WETTEST ON RECORD.
THERE WERE NO RECORDS SET THIS MONTH.
BROWN
...HOT AND DRY AUGUST...
ALTHOUGH THERE WERE SEVERAL COOLER THAN NORMAL DAYS MID-MONTH, AFTER
A STRETCH OF VERY HOT AND HUMID DAYS TO END THE MONTH, IT COMES WITH
NO SURPRISE THAT AUGUST ENDED UP WARMER THAN NORMAL. THERE WERE 7
DAYS THIS MONTH WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE AT OR ABOVE 90 DEGREES. THIS
WAS THE MOST 90+ DEGREES DAYS IN AUGUST SINCE 2020; THE NORMAL
AMOUNT OF 90+ DEGREE DAYS IN AUGUST IS 4 DAYS. THE HOTTEST
TEMPERATURE THIS MONTH WAS 97 DEGREES (ON AUGUST 27TH), WHICH WAS
THE HOTTEST AUGUST DAY SINCE IT REACHED 97 DEGREES ON AUGUST 21,
2003! OVERALL, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 73.1 DEGREES, WHICH IS
2.4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND TIES AS THE 28TH WARMEST AUGUST ON
RECORD.
A NEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE AND A NEW RECORD WARM LOW TEMPERATURE
WERE SET THIS MONTH IN SOUTH BEND. THE LOW TEMPERATURE OF 76 DEGREES
ON AUGUST 26TH BROKE THE OLD DAILY RECORD OF 75, WHICH WAS
PREVIOUSLY SET IN 1983. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 97 DEGREES ON AUGUST
27TH BROKE THE OLD DAILY RECORD OF 96, WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY SET IN
1948.
SCATTERED POP-UP SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE VERY HIT OR MISS, WHICH AT
TIMES LED TO A RAINFALL DEFICIT. SOUTH BEND RECEIVED 2.21" OF RAIN
IN AUGUST, WHICH IS JUST OVER 50% OF THE NORMAL AMOUNT. MUCH OF THIS
RAIN FELL IN JUST 1 DAY, AS 1.19" OF RAIN WAS MEASURED ON AUGUST
27TH. THIS SET A NEW DAILY RECORD RAINFALL AT SOUTH BEND, BREAKING
THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.15" SET IN 2016. THE MONTH ENDED 1.80"
BELOW NORMAL AND RANKS AS THE 34TH DRIEST ON RECORD.
JOHNSON
...SEPTEMBER 2024...
THE NEED FOR RAIN WAS STARTING TO BECOME DIRE AS ON SEPTEMBER 19TH,
IT HAS BEEN 22 DAYS SINCE SOUTH BEND HAD MEASURABLE RAINFALL. THIS
WAS THE 13TH LONGEST STRETCH (TIED WITH 1999 AND OTHERS) WITHOUT
RAIN ON RECORD. LAWNS WENT DORMANT, CREEKS, STREAMS, AND PONDS WERE
VERY LOW, CROPS DRIED DOWN QUICKLY, AND SOME FIELD FIRES WERE
REPORTED. DROUGHT CONDITIONS, AS REPORTED BY THE US DROUGHT MONITOR,
WORSENED RAPIDLY DURING THIS TIME. AT THE END OF AUGUST, ONLY 13% OF
THE FORECAST AREA WAS DEEMED TO BE EXPERIENCING "MODERATE DROUGHT"
CONDITIONS. BY SEPTEMBER 17TH, THE NUMBER BALLOONED TO NEARLY 71% OF
THE AREA. A PORTION OF NORTHWEST OHIO AND NORTHEAST INDIANA WAS
WORSE OFF, WITH "SEVERE DROUGHT". MUCH NEEDED RAIN SOON FOLLOWED.
THE STAGNANT UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE WHICH WAS PARKED OVER THE EASTERN
GREAT LAKES WAS FINALLY DISPLACED AND 0.09" OF RAIN WAS MEASURED ON
THE 20TH. THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED WERE VERY ACTIVE WITH NOT ONLY
RAIN, BUT HAZARDOUS WEATHER IN THE FORM OF MICROBURSTS AND TORNADOES
AS WELL. 3.17 INCHES OF RAIN FELL FROM THE 22ND THROUGH 25TH. A NEW
DAILY RAINFALL RECORD WAS SET ON THE 24TH AS 1.79 INCHES BROKE THE
RECORD OF 1.77 INCHES IN 1945. TO FINISH OFF THE MONTH, THE REMNANTS
OF HURRICANE HELENE ARRIVED OVER THE MIDWEST BRINGING ADDITIONAL
DROUGHT RELIEF.
DURING THAT STRETCH OF DRY WEATHER, HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE 80S AND
EVEN 90 WERE COMMON. SOUTH BEND RECORDED THREE 90-DEGREE DAYS (SAME
AS 2023 AND 2021) AND AN IMPRESSIVE 15 DAYS WITH A HIGH OF 80
DEGREES OR WARMER (TIES 2022 AND 2021). THESE UNSEASONABLY WARM
TEMPERATURES WERE IN CONTRAST TO SEPTEMBER 7TH AND 8TH WHEN THE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE DEPARTURE WAS 10 TO 11 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL
(HIGHS IN THE 60S AND LOWS IN THE 40S). DESPITE THESE UNSEASONABLE
TEMPERATURES, NO RECORDS WERE SET.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 68.1 DEGREES. THIS IS 4.4
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND RANKS AS THE 15TH WARMEST ON RECORD.
PRECIPITATION TOTALED 3.42 INCHES WHICH IS 0.02 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.
BROWN/FISHER
...TOP 20 WARMEST AND 31ST WETTEST OCTOBER ON RECORD...
WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH THE MONTH RESULTED IN WORSENING
DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS THE REGION. ON THE OCTOBER 1ST US DROUGHT
MONITOR, ABOUT 8.5% OF THE NORTHERN INDIANA FORECAST AREA WAS UNDER
A SEVERE DROUGHT (D2) OR WORSE. BY OCTOBER 29TH, THIS VALUE
BALLOONED TO 77.9%. FALL HARVEST YIELDS HAVE GENERALLY BEEN GOOD
ACCORDING TO USDA CROP REPORTS, THOUGH FIELD FIRES HAVE BEEN
PROBLEMATIC AND A LACK OF RAIN HAS NEGATIVELY IMPACTED THE
GERMINATION OF WINTER WHEAT. THIS WAS THE DRIEST OCTOBER SINCE 2015
WITH ONLY FIVE DAYS OF MEASURABLE RAINFALL. THE OBSERVED MONTHLY
TOTAL OF 1.67 INCHES IS 2.05 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. OCTOBER 2024 WAS
THE 31ST DRIEST OCTOBER SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1893.
NO SNOW WAS RECORDED THIS MONTH, IN CONTRAST TO 1.4 INCHES THAT WAS
OBSERVED IN OCTOBER 2023. OCTOBER USUALLY AVERAGES 0.2 INCHES OF
SNOW IN SOUTH BEND.
A TASTE OF FALL ARRIVED MID-MONTH, WHICH WAS ALSO WHEN THE FIRST
FROST WAS OBSERVED ACROSS MANY OUTLYING AREAS. THIS IS CONSISTENT
WITH THE TYPICAL FIRST FROST DATE FOR THE AREA. HEAT SOON FOLLOWED
WITH HIGHS WELL INTO THE 70S AND EVEN 80 DEGREES (80 ON THE 21ST).
THEN, 80S RETURNED AT THE END OF THE MONTH, INCLUDING A RECORD HIGH
OF 81 ON THE 29TH (PREVIOUS RECORD 79 IN 1999). A RECORD WARM LOW
WAS ALSO SET WITH A LOW OF 67 ON THE 30TH (PREVIOUS RECORD WARM LOW
WAS 64 IN 1900). SOUTH WAS JUST 2 DAYS SHY OF THE LATEST 80-DEGREE
DAY ON RECORD IN THE CALENDAR YEAR, WHICH OCCURRED ON NOVEMBER 1ST,
1950.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 56.8 DEGREES WHICH IS 4.8
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE 20TH WARMEST OCTOBER ON
RECORD AND THE WARMEST SINCE 2021.
BROWN/JOHNSON
NOVEMBER 2024
MUCH OF NOVEMBER FEATURED WARMER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES, WITH A
COLD SNAP RIGHT AT THE END OF THE MONTH AFTER THANKSGIVING. QUITE A
DRAMATIC SHIFT IN TEMPERATURES WAS OBSERVED FROM THE BEGINNING OF
THE MONTH TO THE END; THE WARMEST TEMPERATURE IN NOVEMBER WAS THE 69
DEGREE HIGH TEMPERATURE ON THE 5TH AND THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE WAS
THE 15 DEGREE LOW THAT OCCURRED ON NOVEMBER 30TH. 23 DAYS IN
NOVEMBER HAD ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES, WHICH LED TO THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE IN NOVEMBER BEING WELL ABOVE NORMAL. THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 45.3 DEGREES IS 5.5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS IS THE
11TH WARMEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD AND THE WARMEST SINCE 2020.
DESPITE A DRIER THAN NORMAL FALL, THERE WAS A PATTERN SHIFT IN
NOVEMBER THAT LED TO MORE ACTIVE WEATHER TOWARDS THE MIDDLE TO END
OF THE MONTH. SOUTH BEND RECORDED 3.07 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION THIS
MONTH WHICH IS 0.29 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS TIES WITH 2000 AS THE
48TH WETTEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD. THE HIGHEST SINGLE DAY
PRECIPITATION TOTAL WAS 0.59 INCHES ON NOVEMBER 4TH.
WHILE THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW WAS NOT AS PROLIFIC AS IT WAS 2 YEARS
AGO, SOUTH BEND DID MANAGE TO PICK UP 2.9 INCHES OF SNOW THIS MONTH.
THIS IS 2.2 INCHES BELOW NORMAL AND RANKS AS THE 47TH LEAST SNOWY
NOVEMBER ON RECORD. A MAJORITY OF THE MONTH`S SNOWFALL FELL ON
NOVEMBER 21ST, WHICH HAD 1.9 INCHES.
THERE WERE TWO NEW RECORD WARM LOW TEMPERATURES SET THIS MONTH ON
NOVEMBER 4TH AND 5TH. ON NOVEMBER 4TH, THE LOW TEMPERATURE OF 62
DEGREES TIED THE PREVIOUS DAILY RECORD WARM LOW OF 62 DEGREES, SET
IN 1994. ON NOVEMBER 5TH, THE LOW TEMPERATURE OF 60 DEGREES BROKE
THE PREVIOUS DAILY RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE OF 58 DEGREES, SET IN
1994. IN ADDITION, SOUTH BEND TIED THE ALL-TIME NOVEMBER RECORD WARM
LOW OF 62 DEGREES ON NOVEMBER 4TH, WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN SET IN
1902, 1924, 1958, 1975, AND 1994.
JOHNSON
DECEMBER 2024
...COLDEST START TO DECEMBER IN 14 YEARS GIVES WAY TO MILD MONTH
OVERALL...
WINTER ARRIVED QUICKLY IN THE FORM OF COLDER-THAN-NORMAL
TEMPERATURES TO START THE MONTH. THROUGH DECEMBER 7, THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 6.8 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL (26.2 DEGREES
OBSERVED), GOOD FOR THE COLDEST START TO METEOROLOGICAL WINTER SINCE
25.4 DEGREES IN 2010. THE LAKE MICHIGAN WATER TEMPERATURE WAS RIGHT
NEAR 40F AND SO LAKE EFFECT SNOW CAME BLASTING IN AS WELL WITH 6.1
INCHES OF SNOW MEASURED ON THE 5TH. THIS BEAT THE PREVIOUS DECEMBER
5TH RECORD OF 5.7 INCHES IN 1985. BY MONTH`S END, 8 INCHES OF SNOW
WAS RECORDED WHICH IS 5.7 INCHES BELOW NORMAL AND RANKS AS THE 38TH
LEAST AMOUNT ON RECORD.
THE AFORMENTIONED COLD WAS NEARLY ERASED IN THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED
AS HIGH TEMPERATURES SOARED INTO THE MID-40S AND EVEN MID-50S. ON
THE 9TH, THE DAILY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 48 DEGREES WAS A WHOPPING
17 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. FIVE DAYS THIS MONTH REACHED A HIGH OF 50
DEGREES OR WARMER WHICH IS TWO LESS THAN DECEMBER 2023. ONE MORE
BRIEF COLD SNAP OCCURRED FROM THE 11TH THROUGH 13TH BEFORE A RETURN
TO VERY MILD TEMPERATURES. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS
32.9 DEGREES WHICH IS 3.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND TIES AS THE 26TH
WARMEST ON RECORD (1974 AND 1940).
PRECIPITATION WAS FREQUENT THANKS TO A PROGRESSIVE JET STREAM AND
MILD LAKE MICHIGAN WATER TEMPERATURES. THE US DROUGHT MONITOR WAS
GENERALLY UNCHANGED IN OUR AREA THROUGH DECEMBER WITH ABOUT 34
PERCENT OF THE AREA EXPERIENCING "SEVERE DROUGHT" (LEVEL 2 OF 4),
WHILE ALL OF THE AREA WAS DEEMED AT LEAST UNDER A "MODERATE DROUGHT"
(LEVEL 1 OF 4). THE MONTH RECORDED 2.81 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION
WHICH IS 0.41 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL AND IS 51ST WETTEST ON RECORD.
BROWN
$$