Hints of this transition began in the fall of 2019, when drought conditions developed across southern Kansas and western and southern Colorado. A pocket of extreme rainfall occurred in the Rocky Mount-Wilson area of eastern North Carolina, with a 2-day total of 9.84 inches (250 mm) recorded at Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport. November 2020 was warmer than average across most of the U. S. A dry beginning for 2012 across much of U. S. Monthly and Annual Numbers of Tornadoes - Graphs and Maps, Climate Outlooks for the Next 3 Months - Probability Maps. Every state except for Arkansas experienced warmer than normal temperatures while every state except for Oklahoma and Texas experienced wetter than normal conditions, with Texas experiencing its seventh-warmest summer on record. In Florida, West Palm Beach, Jacksonville (18712020), and Pensacola (18792020) observed their highest or second highest annual count of 313, 238, and 208 days with a maximum temperature at or above 80 degrees F (26.7 degrees C). National Overview January Highlights JanuaryAverage Temperature Departures January Temperature January 2022 Statewide Temperature Ranks For January, the average contiguous U.S. temperature was 31.0F, 0.9F above the 20th-century average, ranking in the middle third of the 128-year record and was the coolest January since 2014. All but three of these 25 stations were located in North Carolina and Virginia. The Albany International Airport in New York recorded a wind gust of 67 mph (30 m/s), its highest October wind gust since 1987. Fires were a major issue across Colorado and Wyoming this year, with the three largest fires in Colorados history burning this summer and fall. Numerous mountain ranges received heavy snowfall including the Klamath Mountains, Sierra Nevada, San Francisco Peaks, White Mountains, San Juan Mountains, and the ranges/plateaus of southern Utah. Southern parts of the region experienced severe weather from April 7 to 9. Warmth in the first three weeks of the month was widespread and gave way to some colder than normal temperatures during the last 10 days of the month. The U.S. One tornado in Delaware was on the ground for over 35 miles (56 km), the state's longest tornado track on record. Overall, drought covered dropped around 1.5 percent according to the January 28th U.S. Drought Monitor compared to the start of the month. Some areas of the region, especially western and southern Colorado, had departures over 2.0 degrees F (1.1 degrees C), which led to many locations ranking in the top 10 warmest years on record. June 2023 National Climate Report | National Centers for Environmental Parts of northwestern and western Texas as well as southern Louisiana experienced temperatures 0 to 2 degrees F (0.00 to 1.11 degrees C) below normal. The center of the system moved across Iowa as just the second tropical system to do so. Several notable widespread wind events occurred in the Northeast this year. Of this 24-hour precipitation total, Key West observed 3.95 inches (100 mm) in a single hour, which is its second highest hourly rain rate ever recorded. Two-day snowfall totals ranked as the largest on record for any month at Binghamton, New York, which saw 40.0 inches (101.6 cm) of snow, and Williamsport, Pennsylvania, which picked up 24.7 inches (62.7 cm). In addition, for the first time on record, Newark did not reach 70 degrees F (21 degrees C) during the month of April. In contrast, parts of southwestern and northwestern Arkansas, northern, central, and western Oklahoma, and eastern, central, and northern Texas received 150 percent or more of normal precipitation, while parts of northeastern, western, and southeastern Oklahoma as well as central and eastern Texas received precipitation 200 percent or more of normal. Although the season was below average, it was more than the 1993 to 2020 minimum of 23,000 acres set in 2004. Rainforest: Mission: Biomes - NASA Earth Observatory The year 2020 proved to be a warm year for the Southern Region. Texas had the most severe weather reports total (1,520) while Louisiana had the fewest (407). The statewide precipitation rankings for January were as follows: Arkansas (fifty-fifth wettest), Louisiana (thirty-second driest), Mississippi (twenty-seventh driest), Oklahoma (twenty-sixth wettest), Tennessee (thirty-second driest), and Texas (fifty-fourth wettest). For example, irrigation and labor costs exceeded $50,000 at a Massachusetts farm and were around $30,000 at a New Hampshire farm. Numerous trees and branches were felled due to a combination of strong winds, drought stress, and being fully leafed. The storms winds also downed trees and power lines. There were five fatalities and 65 injuries associated with this tornado, many of which occurred in the hardest hit areas just south of Estill, SC. Parts of northwestern Iowa remained in extreme drought as the year came to an end. In western areas of the region, drought continued to be a prominent feature, with mountain snowpack below median for this time of the year. The lack of precipitation in the northern areas was also noticeable in the snow totals for that area. One of the wetter locations was northern Washington, west of the Cascades. Seven major climate sites including Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; and Atlantic City, New Jersey, tied their record for least snowy spring (March through May). Power outages lasted five days in some locations. Summer was warmer and wetter than normal for most of the Southern Region. Texas experienced landfalls from Hurricane Hanna and Tropical Storm Beta. Autumn was wetter and warmer than normal for most of the Southern Region. A complex storm system moved across the Northeast from November 30 to December 1. Further south, Stockton, California reported its warmest year on record (in the past 72 years) at 64.8 F (18.2 C), 3.5F (1.9 C) above normal. All western states had stations reporting in the top ten warmest years on record. June was cooler than normal for every state except Oklahoma and Texas, while precipitation was mixed, as three states (Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi) experienced wetter than normal conditions while three states (Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas) experienced drier than normal conditions. Meet COP21 Education Ambassador Shannon Bartholomew! Elkins, West Virginia, had its snowiest May day and snowiest month of May on record, while Concord, New Hampshire, saw measurable snow in May for the first time in over 50 years. Iowa, northern Missouri, and along the Illinois-Wisconsin border had above normal snowfall, but the rest of the region was below normal. Statewide, average temperatures were near normal to above normal for the monthincluding Santa Barbara with single-day record highs of 82 F (27.8 C) on Jan 1618. Hurricane Iota was the second-strongest November hurricane on record for the Atlantic and was the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record to occur so late in the calendar year. Over 45 percent (77 of 168) of the long-term stations observed annual mean temperatures that were within their five warmest values on record. Preliminary damage estimates in Delaware exceeded $20 million. That means precipitation across the contiguous United States was about 70% of average. Eleven of the Northeasts 35 major climate sites set or tied their record for least snowy March. There were road closures, some evacuations, and reports of water in houses. The winds caused water levels to rise significantly along Lake Eries eastern shoreline, resulting in flooding near Erie, Pennsylvania, and Buffalo, New York. Despite the snowfall, the fall season was dry, overall, and the majority of the region went into winter with dry soils. These were some of the highest non-thunderstorm wind gusts in recent years. A stream gauge near Colesville, Maryland, rose eight feet (2.4 m) in around an hour. Following a record-warm December, the atmosphere seemed to remember in January that it was supposed to be winter in the United States. Texas experienced its third-warmest March on record, Louisiana and Mississippi experienced their fourth-warmest March on record, Oklahoma experienced its tenth-warmest March on record, and the region as a whole experienced its sixth-warmest March on record. This years tornado reports were particularly low, with only 129 reported through October. The fire started just across the state line in North Dakota and traveled quickly to the southeast. Average Annual Precipitation by City in the US - Current Results On the 30th, San Juan (18982020) observed its second wettest July day on record, with 4.46 inches (113 mm) of precipitation. The region-wide average temperature was 27.4 degrees F (-2.6 C) which was 5.3 degrees F (2.9 C) above normal. . Alaska temperatures were warmer than average, but not extremely so: the average temperature of 3.9 F falls into the middle third of the state's historical record. Large areas of eastern Kansas and eastern Nebraska had totals up to 400 percent of normal. Caribou, Maine, tied its greatest number of June nights with a low of 32 degrees F (0 degrees C) or lower on June 1 and 2. There were seven tropical cyclones that directly impacted the Southern Region in 2020. Annual snowfall accumulations were below average across much of the Southeast region, particularly in the higher elevations of North Carolina and Virginia. A streak of 14 straight weeks, from mid-January to mid-April, set a new record with no abnormally dry area in the region. The timing was particularly bad for farmers that were in the midst of harvesting a variety of vegetable crops bound for holiday tables, including sweet corn, green beans, lettuce, cabbage, and radishes. This was a record fifth consecutive year with at least one Category 5 storm in the Atlantic. Dulles Airport, Virginia, and Erie, Pennsylvania, set or tied their greatest number of April days with measurable precipitation. Temperatures for the month of January varied spatially across the Southern Region, with cooler than normal temperatures in the west and warmer than normal temperatures in the north and east. The region as a whole experienced its thirty-eighth warmest January on record. Concord, New Hampshire, saw 24.2 inches (61.5 cm) on December 17, making it the sites all-time snowiest day on record and qualifying as the largest December snowstorm. 2020 was the hottest year on record for six major climate sites: Scranton and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Portland, Maine; Central Park, New York; and Providence, Rhode Island. JANUARY --** 10th snowiest January on record since 1885 with 21.9 inches of snow. January in the United States: Weather and Event Guide - TripSavvy In late May, Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Burlington, Vermont, set/tied their hottest May day on record. Baker City, in northeast Oregon, saw its warmest year on record going back to 1944 with an annual average temperature 48.3 F (9.1 C), 3.9 F (2.2 C) above normal. The drought that was already in place combined with a failure of the monsoon and well above normal temperature were the primary climate enablers of fire in the Colorado River Basin this year. January 2022 Climate Summary - National Weather Service The damage pattern suggested that this tornado may have had multiple vortices, which can occur with the strongest tornadoes. Every state except for Texas experienced wetter than normal conditions. rank precipitation jan avg 3.96 avg 1 7.71 2022 2 7.28 1994 3 7.16 1995 4 6.55 1999 5 5.80 2009 6 5.73 2013 7 5.63 1996 8 5.57 2006 9 5.28 1982 10 5.12 2005 11 4.86 2012 12 4.71 2017 13 4.27 2010 14 4.26 2019 4.26 2023 16 4.23 2004 17 4.09 2002 18 3.76 1998 19 3.55 2021 20 3.53 1997 21 3.50 1985 22 3.48 1989 23 3.37 2020 24 3.29 2016 25 3.16 . For instance, Wichita, KS had its 4th wettest January with 2.86 inches (73 mm) of precipitation (period of record 1888-present). In February, five of six states experienced warmer than normal conditions (Texas was slightly cooler than normal) while all six states were wetter than normal, with Mississippi experiencing its fifth-wettest February on record while Tennessee experienced its eighth-wettest February on record. This led to rapid rises and moderate flooding on some waterways. All state rankings are based on the period spanning 1895-2020. This value will be evaluated by the State Climate Extremes Committee later in 2021 to determine if a state record for lowest mean sea level pressure will be established. Several nights of frost and freezing temperatures during the month caused some grass damage in pastures across northern and central Florida, while low-lying areas of pastures in southern Florida sustained flooding. Hurricanes Hanna and Delta were primarily rain events, with reports of 15 inches (381 mm) in southern Texas from Hanna and 17 inches (431.80 mm) in southwestern Louisiana from Delta. Ohio ranked as the 7th warmest in its history and Michigan ranked 10th. Approximately four percent of Californias nearly 100 million acres were consumed by wildfires in 2020, which is the largest wildfire season on record for the state. On the 11th, Sarasota-Bradenton, FL (19112020) observed its wettest November day on record, with 6.41 inches (163 mm) of rainfall. With a daily maximum temperature of 24 degrees F (-4.4 degrees C), Asheville, NC (18762020) recorded its coldest Christmas Day since 1983, while Huntsville, AL (19072020) observed its coldest Christmas Day since 1985, with a daily maximum temperature of 32 degrees F (0 degrees C). In early May, Binghamton, New York; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Kennedy Airport, New York; and LaGuardia Airport, New York recorded their coldest May temperature on record. Many waterways in drought areas across the Northeast saw below-normal streamflow during summer and the first half of fall. The Midwest was completely free of drought from January through May of 2020. Back-to-back storms from February 5 to 8 brought an extreme mix of weather conditions to the Northeast. Precipitation in the United States increased to 746.83 mm in 2021 from 737.57 mm in 2020. In addition, December 17 became the snowiest December day on record for Binghamton, with 26.4 inches (67.1 cm), and Albany, New York, with 19.7 inches (50.0 cm). Precipitation totals ranged from 150 to 300 percent of normal. Wind gusts of up to 62 mph (28 m/s) accompanied the storm in coastal areas, where minor to moderate flooding occurred. On June 3, a line of intense thunderstorms with wind gusts of up to 93 mph (42 m/s) raced across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. More than 4.3 million acres were consumed across California during 2020. The Northeast wrapped up 2020 just barely on the dry side of normal, seeing 43.61 inches (110.77 cm) of precipitation, 98 percent of normal. Nevada and Utah ranked driest on record for 2020 with two additional western states ranking second driest. In the Desert Southwest, Roswell, New Mexico reported its warmest year on record since records began in 1949 with an annual average temperature of 64.6 F (18.1 C), 3.8 F (2.1 C) above normal. Temperatures rebounded in the summer, with most states in the High Plains ranking in the top 15 warmest summers on record. There were road closures, cars trapped in floodwaters, and water rescues. Burlington and Caribou, Maine, also had their warmest minimum temperature for May. In parts of North Carolina, the soybean harvest was delayed due to heavy rainfall and flooding from Eta, while newly seeded livestock pastures sustained damage. More than half the country remains in drought. Much of New England saw an unusually high number of fires or atypical fire behavior, with fires burning deeper and taking longer to extinguish. Above-average annual precipitation was observed from the Great Lakes and Plains to the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. For instance, severe drought eased everywhere except southeastern New Hampshire and coastal Maine and moderate drought eased in a large portion of New England. Record dryness (dating back to 1949) was also observed in Tucson, Arizona with 4.17 in (105.92 mm, 36% of normal) falling throughout the year. This EF-4 tornado, with a path length of more than 24 miles (39 km) and a maximum path width of 1,300 yards (1,189 meters), damaged and destroyed many residences, including mobile and single-family homes. Sixty-one tornadoes were confirmed in South Carolina, which is the states second highest annual count behind the 86 tornadoes observed during 2004. Heavy rainfall during early December saturated vegetable fields in southern Florida, resulting in crop losses, increased disease pressure on lettuce and beans, and bloom dropping in pepper and tomato plants. There were three months (January, February, and September) where every state was wetter than normal and one month (November) where every state was drier than normal. The extreme departures in annual mean temperatures across the region were driven primarily by exceptionally warm daily minimum temperatures, as a persistent influx of tropical moisture and cloud cover suppressed nighttime cooling during the year. Meanwhile, autumn was characterized by extreme temperature swings, with October ranking in the top 10 coldest and November ranking in the top 10 warmest for some states in the region. Freezing rain accumulations of 0.05 to as much as half of an inch (1 to as much as 13 mm) occurred in central and western portions of North Carolina, as well as southwestern, central, and northern parts of Virginia. Precipitation was primarily wetter than normal, although Arkansas and Texas were slightly drier than normal. Seven of the 12 landfalling storms produced at least $1 billion in damage, breaking the old record of four separate billion-dollar tropical cyclones in both 2004 and 2005. The remnants of Fay helped spawn an EF-0 tornado in southern Maine on July 11. This ranked as the fifth-warmest year in the 126-year record. In addition, two weak (EF-0 or EF-1) tornadoes snapped trees and damaged houses in northern Maryland. These conditions both improved and deteriorated through winter and into spring, with the total area experiencing at least abnormally dry conditions decreasing but the total area experiencing extreme drought conditions increasing, with a small area of exceptional drought conditions developing. Snow fell across portions of New England, New York, northern Pennsylvania, and northern New Jersey, with the greatest snowfall totals at least 6 inches (15 cm) in central and eastern Massachusetts. Pecan production was substantially impacted for this years crop, as many immature nuts were blown to the ground. In San Simeon, the observing station at Hearst Castle recorded 12.79 in (325 mm; 233% of normal) for January including a daily record-breaking rainfall accumulation of 6.33 in (161 mm) on Jan 27. 2021 Annual Climate Summary - National Weather Service The average low temperature was 41.9 degrees, which is 1.9 . On October 7, a derecho produced a 320-mile (515 km) long path of damage from central New York to eastern New England. Based on NOAA's Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index (REDTI), the contiguous U.S. temperature-related energy demand for 2020 was 31 percent of average and the 7th lowest value in the 126-year period of record. This was the eighth straight year above the 1981-2010 normal for the region. Fay made landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey, on July 10 and dropped between 3 and 7 inches (76 to 178 mm) of rain on parts of Maryland, Delaware, eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, southeastern New York, and southwestern Connecticut. Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas experienced a top-10 warmest year on record, and the region as a whole had an average annual temperature of 63.58 degrees F (17.54 degrees C), making it the fourteenth-warmest year on record. Meanwhile, another of the wettest cites in the state at the southern extent of Southeast Alaska, Ketchikan, logged 175.10 in (4447.54 mm, 124% of normal) making the 11th wettest year on record since 1914. Good harvest conditions in Iowa limited the loss from the derecho and lodged crops. National Overview July Highlights JulyAverage Temperature Departures July Percent of Average Precipitation July Temperature July 2020 Statewide Temperature Ranks The contiguous U.S. average temperature during July was 75.7F, 2.1F above the 20 th century average and ranking 11 th warmest third of the 126-year record. Atlanta, GA (18782020) received 4.55 inches (116 mm) of rainfall from Delta on the 10th, making it the second wettest October day on record. Winds gusted to 82 mph (37 m/s), with locally higher gusts of up to 100 mph (45 m/s) in eastern New York. Meanwhile, northern locations received heavy snow, with the greatest totals of more than 12 inches (30 cm) in New York and northern New England. The U.S. Drought Monitor released on October 29 showed 47 percent of the Northeast in an extreme, severe, or moderate drought and 24 percent as abnormally dry. Several tropical systems affected the Northeast this year, with Tropical Storm Fay, Tropical Storm Isaias, and Tropical Storm Zeta being particularly noteworthy. Wind gusts of at least 75 mph (121 km/hr) were reported in each of the High Plains states, with gusts over 90 mph (145 km/hr) at isolated locations. Conversely, Oklahoma had the fewest tornado reports (31), Tennessee had the fewest hail reports (60), and Louisiana had the fewest wind reports (256). Mitchell (139.94 inches, 3,554 mm). After making landfall near Creole, LA on October 9th, the remnants of Hurricane Delta impacted parts of the Southeast with heavy rain and flooding. Several major storms affected the Northeast during 2020. Lincoln, NE had some of the highest snowfall amounts, with 2-day storm totals around 15.0 inches (38 cm). Annual losses in 2020 exceeded $95 billion, the fourth highest cost on record. Parts of New Jersey also experienced heavy rain and flash flooding, with reports of water up to car hoods in Ocean City. Spring freeze damage was reported in a mid-April freeze despite not being particularly late in the season. On August 31st, a line of slow-moving thunderstorms brought over 5 inches of rainfall to Johnston County, NC, where a 5-year-old girl and her 4-year-old brother were swept away in floodwater. In October, Arctic sea ice concentration was the lowest value since the satellite records began. After a dry first half of the month across much of the region, a series of Pacific storm systems in late January delivered significant precipitation accumulations to areas of the West experiencing drought including portions of California, Nevada, and the Four Corners states. In addition, storm surge flooding reached 5.6 feet (1.7 meters) in Pensacola, which is the third highest storm surge ever recorded in the city. In addition, hundreds of pecan trees were uprooted across southern Alabama, with some of the losses occurring in 90-year-old orchards. Precipitation for all 12 Northeast states ranged from 57 percent of normal in Pennsylvania to 80 percent of normal in West Virginia. That means precipitation across the contiguous United States was about 70% of average. Almost the entire Northeast saw below-normal snowfall during spring and the snow season (October through May). There were several flash flooding events during the year. The dry conditions didn't extend to Alaska, however, which ranked in the wettest third of the historical record. Further east, in Californias Central Valley, Sacramento received 7.86 in (199.64 mm, 39% of normal) making it the fifth driest year since 1878. In northern parts of the region, extreme warmth was a consistent feature, as temperatures were routinely much above normal. Warm and dry conditions led to drought development in California and Nevada and major drought intensification in the Four Corners states during Calendar Year 2020. A few small pockets of moderate drought developed in north-central Puerto Rico during late December. The severe weather season got off to a very slow start this year, with only 10 tornado watches issued nationally during May. Rainfall totals were generally less than 3 inches (8 cm), with higher amounts in northern West Virginia, south-central Pennsylvania, and central and southern Maryland. Conditions worsened during September, with moderate and severe drought expanding and the introduction of extreme drought in New England for the first time since February 2017. In addition, snow fell across portions of West Virginia, western Maryland, western Pennsylvania, and western New York. On December 1, Caribou, Maine, recorded a high temperature of 60 degrees F (16 degrees C), its warmest winter temperature on record. Indeed, Cape Hatteras, NC (1874-2021) received 7.47 inches (190 mm) of precipitation, which was more than 2 inches (51 mm) above average. Several other locations in central and northern California reported the second or third warmest year on record. To the north, in western Pennsylvania, three weak (EF-0 or EF-1) tornadoes damaged trees and buildings, the Pittsburgh International Airport recorded its second highest thunderstorm wind gust on record at 75 mph (34 m/s), and a hangar and plane were destroyed at the Arnold Palmer Municipal Airport. Portland, Maine, recorded six days this August with a high of at least 90 degrees F (32 degrees C), tying its August record. The statewide precipitation totals for the month were as follows: Arkansas 3.97 inches (100.84 mm), Louisiana 3.43 inches (87.12 mm), Mississippi 3.52 inches (89.41 mm), Oklahoma 2.15 inches (54.61 mm), Tennessee 3.10 inches (78.74 mm), and Texas 1.56 inches (39.62 mm). Annual average temperatures for the twelve Northeast states ranged from 1.9 degrees F (1.1 degrees C) above normal in West Virginia to 2.8 degrees F (1.6 degrees C) above normal in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Moderate drought first emerged in Minnesota in early June and by the end of July had touched parts of all nine Midwest states. Through the end of summer, most of the Southeast region remained drought-free, except for a few short-lived pockets of moderate drought in portions of northern and coastal Virginia, Georgia, southeastern Alabama, and west-central Florida. In fact, by the end of September, all of Rhode Island was in an extreme drought for the first time in the U.S. Drought Monitors history (since 2000). Precipitation varied across the High Plains region this month, with some areas receiving record-breaking precipitation and others receiving little to none. Caribou, Maine, received only 0.88 inches (22.35 mm) of precipitation during June, tying as the driest June on record. Following the passage of Tropical Storm Eta in November, vegetable crops in southern Florida were severely damaged, with estimated costs ranging from $85 to as much as $320 million. March 20th saw six flooding deaths in Indiana when bridges were washed out near Laurel, Indiana. Numerous daily precipitation extremes were recorded across the region during the year. On August 7, just a few days after Isaias' excessive rainfall, strong storms produced heavy rain and more flash flooding in southeastern parts of the region. These six regions differ spatially from the nine climatic regions of the National Centers for Environmental Information. Q: What do the colors mean? For more details on the January and winter-to-date climate for the United States, read the Centers' U.S. climate summary for January. 2020 also marks the sixth consecutive year (2015-20) in which 10 or more separate billion-dollar disaster events have impacted the U.S. There were 8 fatalities from Hurricane Zeta, including in Acworth, GA where a large oak tree was uprooted and fell onto a mobile home, killing a man. Washington, D.C. observed its lowest annual snowfall total since records began in 1884, while Washington Dulles International Airport, VA observed its third lowest annual snowfall total (4.7 inches, 119 mm) since records began in 1962.