PREVIOUS WEATHER REPORTS

Fairly Typical for Norfolk

By Russell Russ

The month’s high temperature of 85 degrees was observed on August 9. The low temperature of 47 degrees was observed on August 28. The average mean temperature this month was 67.8 degrees, 1.6 degrees above the August normal.

Temperatures were fairly typical for August. There were thirteen days with temperatures at or above the 80 degree mark. There were no days at or above 90 degrees, and no days with record temperatures. There were some cooler days toward the end of the month, but we did not get a big cold snap as we frequently can get during the month of August.

The weather station, on average, gets to 90 degrees or above 2.5 times per year. This year at the station the temperature broke 90 degrees twice, both in July. By contrast, at the end of August the official station at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks had 31 days at or above 90 degrees for the year. Bradley Airport’s average is 18 days per year, their record is 38 days. As many of us know, there is a big temperature difference between Norfolk and Bradley Airport (and Hartford). The proof is in the numbers.

The total precipitation recorded for the month was 3.90 inches, 0.63 inch below normal. It seemed like a dry month, but it ended up being only a little below normal. A majority of the monthly rain came in only a handful of days, with only three thunderstorms observed at the station this month. For the 2010 calendar year, through August, the total precipitation amount is 33.79 inches, 0.57 inch below normal.

As is typical for Norfolk, there was some coloring starting to show in the trees around the second week of August. By the end of the month there was noticeable coloring in many locations around town. Autumn is just around the corner.

What a difference a year makes

By Russell Russ

June was close to average weather-wise. No records were set for either temperature or precipitation. It was a great month for fruit and vegetable growing. Many plants were nearly two weeks ahead of schedule. Compared to last year, this June was a real gem for growers.

The month’s low temperature of 43 degrees was observed on June 9 and the high temperature of 86 degrees was observed on June 24. The average mean temperature was 65.8 degrees, 2.5 degrees above normal and 4.1 degrees above last June’s average. In June 2009, we reached 80 degrees just once. This year we topped 80 degrees ten times and reached 79 degrees five times.

The total precipitation for the month was 4.32 inches, 0.38 inch below normal. There were seven thunderstorms observed at the weather station this month. None were severe in strength. Through June this year, the total precipitation amount was 26.16 inches, 0.58 inch above normal. Just about average.

July, on the other hand, was a record setter for warmth. There were no individual daily records, but as a month it was the third warmest July in the last 79 years. Only July 1955 with an average temperature of 72.1 degrees and July in the years 1935 and 2006, with average temperatures of 71.7 degrees, were warmer. Nearly half of July experienced typical hazy, hot and humid weather. Comparing again to last year, this July was much warmer. Last July was the fifth coolest on record with just one day at or above 80 degrees. This year there were 21 days at or above 80 degrees, including two days above 90 degrees. Another two days reached 79 degrees.

The month’s low temperature of 51 degrees was observed on July 1, 2, 3 and on the 31st. The high temperature of 92 degrees was observed on July 6 and 7. The average mean temperature was 71.5 degrees, 3.5 degrees above normal and 6.4 degrees above last July’s average.

The total precipitation was 3.73 inches, 0.52 inch below normal. There were six thunderstorms. A few packed a punch, but caused no severe damage locally. During the afternoon of July 21, Norfolk was just to the north of a strong storm cell that produced confirmed tornados in numerous towns from Sharon to Bristol. Through July, the total precipitation for the year was 29.89 inches, just 0.06 inch above normal.

Another Record Setting Warm month

By Russell Russ

The month’s low temperature of 28 degrees was observed on May 11. The high temperature of 87 degrees was observed on both May 2 and May 26. The average mean temperature this month was 58.8 degrees, 4.2 degrees above the May normal. There were two record high temperatures this month. The high temperature of 84 degrees on May 1 replaced the 81 recorded in 1936 and the high of 87 degrees on May 2 shattered the 80 recorded in 1933. It was Norfolk’s fourth warmest May in the last 79 years. The warmest May on record was in 1991 with an average mean temperature of 59.7.

The total precipitation recorded for the month was 2.89 inches, 1.46 inches below normal. For the 2010 calendar year, through May, the total precipitation amount is 21.84 inches, 0.96 inch above normal. There were six thunderstorms this month, but around here none were severe in nature.

With very light flurries falling on two separate days there was a trace of snowfall this month. The May normal snowfall amount is 0.4 inches. For the calendar year, through May, the total snowfall amount is 53.2 inches, 13.1 inches below normal. A final look at the 2009-10 winter season snowfall amount shows that Norfolk recorded 73.3 inches from October through May. This is 17.9 inches below normal. It is a bit hard to believe, but the last time we saw more than two inches of snowfall was way back on February 27.

May started and ended on the warm side, but we did have a few cool mornings during the second week of the month. There was a hard frost at the weather station and many locations during the early morning of May 11 when some lower elevation locations around town dipped into the mid to upper 20’s. We missed a record low temperature on May 11 by just one degree. The record warm temperatures over the last few months resulted in a much earlier blooming year for many plants. The lilacs, laurel and many others were nearly two weeks ahead of normal.

A very interesting optical phenomenon occurred over the skies of Norfolk on May 17 when a circumhorizontal arc appeared around noontime. A circumhorizontal arc is a huge, multi-colored band running parallel to the horizon with its center beneath the sun. Often only parts of the band are displayed in the high cirrus clouds, but on this day one whole cloud was lit up with this bright coloring. The phenomenon only occurs when the sun is high in the sky and is formed by sunlight entering horizontally-oriented flat hexagon ice crystals through a vertical side face and leaving through the near horizontal bottom face. Where you are located on the Earth determines who can see one. The factors involved in its formation are not all that rare in the Continental U.S., but it still is not a common thing to see. It is the first one I’ve ever seen and because of its size and brightness it startled me when I first saw it. Luckily it lasted for a good half hour and even better, I had my camera with me at the time.

Warmest April on Record

By Russell Russ

The month’s high temperature of 85 degrees was observed on April 7. The low temperature of 31 degrees was observed on April 14. There were two record high temperatures set this month. The high temperature of 72 degrees on April 2 beat the 1934 record of 70 degrees for that date and the high of 85 on April 7 beat the 1991 record of 81 degrees for that date. At the weather station there were only two days at or below 32 degrees. The average mean temperature this month was 49.4 degrees, 6.5 degrees above normal.

It was Norfolk’s warmest April in the last 79 years, as far back as our records go. The second warmest April was 1945 with an average mean temperature of 48.7 degrees. Three of our top four warmest and five of our top ten warmest Aprils have all occurred within the last nine years. Windsor Locks, CT reported it as their warmest April in 105 years.

The total precipitation recorded for the month was 1.94 inches, 2.41 inches below normal. With only two days with light flurries there was no measurable snowfall this month, making it 6.3 inches below normal. It is unusual, but not unheard of, to have no snow during the month of April.

The snowfall total for this winter season, October through April, is now at 73.3 inches, 17.5 inches below normal. For the calendar year the snowfall total of 53.2 inches is 12.7 inches below normal. Our total precipitation of 18.95 inches since January is 2.42 inches above normal. The precipitation has come, but with record warmth in both March and April, it just hasn’t come as much in the form of snow.

Third Warmest March on Record

By Russell Russ

The month’s high temperature of 65 degrees was observed on March 19, 20 and 21. It was a record high for March 19, beating the old record of 60 degrees set in 1945. The low temperature of 17 degrees was observed on March 27. The average mean temperature this month was 38.4 degrees, 7.9 degrees above normal. It was Norfolk’s third warmest March in the last 79 years, being surpassed only by 1946 with 40.9 degrees and 1945 with 40.4 degrees. Five of our ten warmest Marches have occurred since 1995. In Albany, NY it was the tenth warmest March in the last 191 years.

The total precipitation recorded for the month was 7.51 inches, 3.02 inches above normal. It was the sixth wettest March in the last 79 years. The wettest March was in 1953 when 10.37 inches were measured. March’s snowfall total was a mere 2.7 inches, 15.7 inches below normal. It was Norfolk’s fifth lowest March snowfall total. The least amount of March snow over the last 79 years came in 1946 when only 0.5 inches fell. The last day with measurable snow on the ground at the station was March 22. It was gone one week earlier than last year. In Albany, NY it was the fifth least snowiest March in the last 126 years.

The snowfall total for this winter season, October through March, is now at 73.3 inches, 11.2 inches below normal. What a difference a month makes. At the end of February we were 4.5 inches above normal. For the first quarter of 2010 we are 6.4 inches below normal for snowfall, but 4.83 inches above normal for total precipitation.

The ice went out on local ponds and lakes about four to five days earlier this year than last year. Tobey Pond went out on March 25 while Wangum Lake went out on March 26. This is earlier than normal, but not all that record breaking. Typically the ice goes out anywhere from the last week of March to the first or second week of April.

Early reports indicate that it was not a particularly good year for maple syrup making in Connecticut. It was a month marked by flooding in many Connecticut locations. Norfolk and Litchfield County did get more rainfall than normal, but we were spared the record setting flooding that hit parts of southern Connecticut.

Finally some snow

By Russell Russ

The month’s low temperature of 5 degrees was observed on February 7. The high temperature of 42 degrees was observed on February 22. The average mean temperature this month was 24.1 degrees, 2.3 degrees above normal. The trend which started back in December of having the average daily high temperatures lower than normal and the average daily low temperatures higher than normal continued through the month of February. This may or may not be something of great importance, but it sure seems to be the norm for this winter. February is typically when we get most of our lowest temperature readings.

The total precipitation recorded for the month was 5.74 inches, 2.12 inches above normal. February’s snowfall total was 35.3 inches, 15.1 inches above normal. It was Norfolk’s ninth highest snowfall total for the month of February in the last 79 years. It was the most snow we’ve seen in a February since the 39.9 inches we got back in 1972. The two late February storms that hit between February 22 and 27 all by themselves exceeded our normal monthly amounts for precipitation and snowfall. There was snow cover on the ground at the station every day this month with depths ranging from 5 to 23 inches.

February gave us our largest snowstorm of the season to date. The storm that hit February 22 to 24 dumped a total of 16.1 inches of snow on Norfolk. The snowfall total for this winter season, October through February, is now at 70.6 inches, 4.5 inches above normal. So far, for the two months of 2010 we are at 50.5 inches of snowfall, 9.3 inches above normal, and 9.50 inches for total precipitation, 1.81 inches above normal.

Snow core measurements were taken several times during the month to determine the amount of water that was sitting on the ground in the form of snow and ice. At the end of the month, after February’s three big storms, we had nearly 5 inches of water equivalent in the nearly 20 inches of snow and ice on the ground. This will become important to forecasters as we approach the spring thaw. It all seems to be pointing towards a big mud season in the coming month or two.

Where’s the Snow?

By Russell Russ

The month’s high temperature of 53 degrees was observed on January 25. This tied the 1938 record high temperature for that date. The low temperature of minus 5 degrees was observed on January 30. The average mean temperature this month was 22.0 degrees, 1.2 degrees above the January average.

January was similar to December in that the average daily high temperatures were lower than normal, while the average daily low temperatures were higher than normal. This may or may not be some sort of trend forming, but it is something to watch for the rest of the winter.

The total precipitation recorded for the month was 3.76 inches, 0.31 inches below normal. January’s snowfall total was 15.2 inches, 5.8 inches below normal. There was snow cover on the ground at the station every day this month, with depths ranging from 3 to 9 inches. The snowfall total for this winter season (October through January) is now at 35.3 inches. This is 10.6 inches below normal and 11.8 inches below where we were through January last year.

In the month of January, we did not top the seven-inch snowfall that came during the snowstorm on December 9. It is hard to believe that Norfolk cannot get more than seven inches in one storm, while places like Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. are getting buried in snow. Even southern parts of Connecticut are getting more snow than us.

One of Norfolk’s weather highlights from January was when we received over 2.25 inches of rain during a twelve-hour period on January 25. The warm temperatures and heavy rain caused some minor problems in the region, including a mudslide along Route 44 here in Norfolk.

Even without much snow and a record high temperature, it still felt like winter. By the end of January, after freezing-over around December 19, both Wangum Lake and Tobey Pond were covered with 14 to 16 inches of ice. Temperatures were pretty cold, and we had what seemed like more than our fair share of windy days. There were several days where wind chill temperatures hit minus 10 to minus 20 degrees. On the morning of January 30, one of the weather stations at Great Mountain Forest recorded a wind chill temperature of minus 26 degrees.

Average month closes average year

By Russell Russ

The last month of 2009 was fairly average all the way around. The month’s high temperature of 60 degrees was observed on December 3. This was a record high temperature for that date, beating the old record of 58 degrees set in 2001. The low temperature of 2 degrees was observed on December 18. The average mean temperature was 24.6 degrees, which was just 0.7 degree below normal. With numerous windy cold days, the second half of the month felt much colder than the first half. Wind chill temperatures hit 15 and 16 degrees below zero at times.

December’s total precipitation amount was 5.35 inches, 0.87 inches above normal. The monthly snowfall total of 17.6 inches was very near normal, being just 0.1 inch above normal. The largest snowfall of the month, and season so far, was the 7 inches that fell during the morning of December 9. Interestingly, that storm ended with a brief late afternoon thunderstorm and short rain shower. The snowfall total for this winter season to date, October through December, is 20.1 inches. This is 4.8 inches below the normal for this time period.

Monthly weather highlights include a beautiful bright rainbow that showed up around 8:00 a.m. on December 3. There was a large 36 degree temperature swing between 6:00 a.m. December 2 and 6:00 a.m. December 3, peaking at the monthly high of 60 degrees. Many smaller ponds, including Pond Hill Pond, iced over on December 8 while Wangum Lake and Tobey Pond iced over on December 18 and 19 respectively. By the end of the month Tobey had a good 7 inches of ice. Last year both Tobey and Wangum iced over on December 18. And, not to be forgotten was the New Year’s Eve blue moon which was unfortunately mostly cloud covered for most of the evening.

In review of Norfolk’s weather for the 2009 calendar year it was an average year for the most part. The yearly mean temperature was 44.9 degrees, just 0.2 degree above average. The yearly total precipitation amount was 55.70 inches. This was 3.20 inches above normal and 12.51 inches below the 2008 yearly total. Snowfall for the year totaled 77.0 inches, exactly the same amount of snow as was recorded for 2008. This was 14.1 inches below the yearly average, but by no means a record for least amount of yearly snowfall.

Here are the averages over the last ten year period, 2000 through 2009, with our overall 78 year averages shown in parenthesis for comparison. Yearly mean temperature was 46.0 degrees (44.7 degrees). Yearly total precipitation amount was 54.01 inches (52.50 inches). Yearly snowfall amount was 73.2 inches (91.1 inches).

Third Warmest November on Record

By Russell Russ

The month’s low temperature of 23 degrees was observed on November 7 and the high temperature of 66 degrees was observed on November 9. The average mean temperature was 42.5 degrees, which was 5.6 degrees above normal, making it the third warmest November over the last 78 years. This November’s warmth was only surpassed by that of 2006 with an average temperature of 43.2 degrees and 2001 with an average of 43.1 degrees. Yes, the top three warmest Novembers have all occurred since 2001, but looking at the top ten warmest shows them occurring over a number of years ranging from the mid 1940’s up through 2009.

November’s total precipitation amount was 2.70 inches, 2.06 inches below normal. There were only two days with a trace of snowfall observed, but no measurable amount of snow fell. It is fairly unusual to have a snowless November, but it is not unheard of over the years. The average November snowfall amount is 6.8 inches.

The total precipitation recorded so far for 2009 is 50.35 inches, 2.11 inches below the normal yearly amount. Comparing this to an average year through the month of November we are currently 2.37 inches above normal. It is looking like a fairly normal year as far as precipitation is concerned.

For the 2009 calendar year through November the station has recorded 59.4 inches of snow. With just one month to go in the year we are 31.8 inches below our normal yearly amount. Through the month of November we are 14.3 inches below our average snowfall amount. It is looking like another year with below normal snowfall totals.

For being such a warm month it was not an overly sunny one. There were a handful of sunny days, but overall it was mostly a cloudy month. By late November last year we saw many smaller ponds frozen over with just the larger ponds staying open. Not this year. It looks like we will have to wait until December or later to see any ice this year.

First Snow of the Season

By Russell Russ

The month’s low temperature of 29 degrees was observed on October 15. The high temperature of 68 degrees was observed on October 22. The average mean temperature this month was 45.1 degrees, 2.5 degrees below the October normal. No temperature records were set this month.

Similar to last October, we had numerous days throughout the month with frost. The first real hard freeze came on October 14, about a week earlier than last year.

The total precipitation recorded for the month was 4.81 inches, 0.61 inches above normal. Our first snowfall of the season came on October 15. By the end of the day there was about a 0.5 inch covering. During the early morning of October 16 there was 2.5 inches on the ground. The monthly snowfall total was 2.5 inches, 1.9 inches above the October normal. This is not a large amount of snow, but it was the fifth snowiest October in the last 78 years. Snowfall in October is not all that uncommon here in Norfolk, but anything over 2 inches is something special. The record snowfall for October came in 1987 when 9.5 inches fell.

For the 2009 calendar year, through October, the total precipitation amount is 47.65 inches, 4.43 inches above normal. It is getting to that time of year so snowfall amounts will again be included here. The total snowfall for the year 2009, through October, is 59.4 inches. We are 7.5 inches below normal for the calendar year.

After six years with nice, warm weather for Halloween we finally had some rain to contend with while trick-or-treating. The rain held off for a while, but by 7:30 p.m. it started to come down at a steady rate.