Content-Length: 57922 | pFad | http://weather.uky.edu/public/annual08.txt

More rainfall occurred this July than in the past several months in the Bluegrass state, but long-term dry conditions continued to plague many sections of the state. This was also the first month in the past three months that averaged with cooler that normal temperatures. July 2007 started out with severe hydrologic drought in the eastern half of the Commonwealth and moderate drought in the western half. By the end of the month, the east had improved to moderate drought and the west had lowered into severe hydrologic drought. It was a very spotty rainfall pattern the entire month....with one rainfall event on the 26th and 27th providing significant improvement to most central, bluegrass and eastern sections...but not the west and southwest...which seemed to miss many rainfall events for much of the month. For the west, rainfall for July was only one- quarter to one-half of what would normally occur. It was the 10th driest January through July in the past 113 years with only 22.81 inches received during the period...which was only 76 percent of normal. Limited severe weather occurred during July. The busiest day of the month was the 19th, with 16 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings issued. On the 18th, six Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were issued for Fayette County alone. So far for the growing season, only three weeks had received above normal rainfall, and two of those weeks occurred in July, the final two weeks of July for the state. And while it was a relatively cool month, Paducah reported 14 days with temperatures maxing out at 90 degrees or above...but only one day with 95 or above (96 degrees on the 18th). Louisville had 5 days with 90 or above, Lexington 6 and Jackson 4. This was below normal in all cases. Temperatures for the period averaged 74.7 degrees across the state which was 1.7 degrees below normal. High temperatures averaged from 88 in the West to 85 in the East. Departure from normal high temperatures ranged from 2 degrees below normal in the West to 2 degrees below normal in the East. Low temperatures averaged from 65 degrees in the West to 64 degrees in the East. Departure from normal low temperature ranged from 1 degree below normal in the West to 2 degrees below normal in the East. Rainfall for the period totaled 4.25 inches statewide which was 0.15 inches below normal. Rainfall totals by climate division, West 3.09 inches, Central 3.14 inches, Bluegrass 5.45 inches and East 5.31 inches, which was -1.02, -1.38, +0.93 and +0.81 inches respectively from normal. By station, rainfall totals ranged from a low of 0.43 inches at Nashville to a high of 6.90 inches at UK Spindletop (Lexington). --- Kentucky Climate Summary: June 2007 Above Normal Temperatures and Below Normal Rainfall: Click here for the monthly Rainfall Departure Map from NWS:AHPS. After a very warm and dry April and May, June 2007 continued the dry and warm spell and only received 79 percent of normal rainfall. June began with mild to moderate drought conditions across the state. The month ended with the entire state in moderate to severe drought...and counties along the Kentucky/Tennessee border in extreme hydrologic drought. By the 15th of June, the state Division of Water issued a Water Shortage Watch for 61 counties ...mostly in central, Bluegrass and eastern sections of the state. The weather pattern changed during the final 10 days of the month, which allowed scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms to provide above normal rainfall for west, central and east. The exception was the Bluegrass area which only received near normal rainfall during the final few days of the month. This helped provide some relief from the hydrologic drought for most locations, but was very timely and beneficial for crops across the state. The total rainfall for April, May and June was 8.39 inches, ranking the 3 month period as the 5th driest April thru June in 113 years. The driest April thru June's were 1930, 1988, 1936 and 1914. Temperatures for the period averaged 73.9 degrees across the state which was 1.6 degree above normal and 6 degrees warmer than the previous month. High temperatures averaged from 87 in the West to 86 in the East. Departure from normal high temperatures ranged from near normal in the West to 3 degrees above normal in the East. Low temperatures averaged from 64 degrees in the West to 63 degrees in the East. Departure from normal low temperature ranged from 1 degree above normal in the West to near normal in the East. Rainfall for the period totaled 3.38 inches statewide which was 0.88 inches below normal. Rainfall totals by climate division, West 3.88 inches, Central 3.81 inches, Bluegrass 2.91 inches and East 3.01 inches, which was 0.10, 0.55, 1.44 and 1.32 inches respectively below normal. By station, rainfall totals ranged from a low of 0.76 inches at Buckhorn Lake to a high of 5.30 inches at Paducah. Kentucky 6/ 1/2007 to 6/30/2007 Temperature Precipitation cd temp norm dev prcp norm dev percent 1 75.8 74.5 1.3 3.88 3.99 -0.10 97 2 74.5 72.9 1.7 3.81 4.36 -0.55 87 3 73.6 71.9 1.7 2.91 4.35 -1.44 67 4 72.0 71.0 1.1 3.01 4.33 -1.32 69 State 73.9 72.3 1.6 3.38 4.26 -0.88 79 --- Kentucky Climate Summary: May 2007 Above Normal Temperatures and Below Normal Rainfall: ...11th Driest and 19 Warmest May on Record... Click here for the monthly Rainfall Departure Map from NWS:AHPS. It was a very warm month with a significant drying trend for the Bluegrass state. Most of the limited rainfall received occurred during the first week of the month. Then the Commonwealth suffered thru 3 weeks with very little rainfall and temperatures mostly in the 80s to near 90 degrees. By the end of the month, much of Kentucky was in or near Moderate hydrologic drought...with crops stressed from lack of moisture, and pastures and lawns starting to turn brown. And this weather senario occurred after a very mild March and historic cold temperatuers during the first week of April. Since Jan. 1st, most of southern Kentucky was 7 to 9 inches below normal rainfall and the northern half of the state was 3 to 5 inches below normal rainfall. Bluegrass rainfall has been below normal six out of the past seven months. Temperatures for May 2007 averaged 67.7 degrees across the state which was 3.3 degrees above normal and 14 degrees warmer than the previous month. High temperatures averaged from 82 in the West to 80 in the East. Departure from normal high temperatures ranged from 1 degree above normal in the West to 4 degrees above normal in the East. Low temperatures averaged from 58 degrees in the West to 55 degrees in the East. Departure from normal low temperature ranged from 2 degrees above normal in the West to near normal in the East. Rainfall for the month totaled 2.43 inches statewide which was 2.56 inches below normal and only 49 percent of normal. Rainfall totals by climate division, West 2.50 inches, Central 3.33 inches, Bluegrass 1.62 inches and East 2.28 inches, which was 2.49, 1.93, 3.29 and 2.57 inches respectively below normal. By station, precipitation totals ranged from a low of 0.76 inches at Williamstown to a high of 4.16 inches at Campbellsville. Kentucky 5/ 1/2007 to 5/31/2007 Temperature Precipitation cd temp norm dev prcp norm dev percent 1 70.2 66.3 3.9 2.50 4.99 -2.49 50 2 68.3 64.7 3.5 3.33 5.26 -1.93 63 3 67.4 63.7 3.7 1.62 4.91 -3.29 33 4 65.5 63.1 2.4 2.28 4.85 -2.57 47 State 67.7 64.3 3.3 2.43 4.99 -2.56 49 --- ...Overall, a warm and dry spring... Spring was a lesson in contrasts, with historic cold in early April followed by very warm and dry weather in May. By far the biggest severe weather event of the season took place on April 3 as hail and high winds raked the entire region. Two tornadoes occurred on that day: an EF0 in Taylor County and an EF1 in Casey County. The cold front that brought the severe weather to us on April 3 also ushered in an extremely cold air mass. Temperatures plunged well below normal for several days, with the apex of the cold blast coming on April 7 when temperatures were 20 to 25 degrees below normal. Morning lows on April 7 were in the lower to middle 20s. However, the season as a whole was quiet, with much less severe weather than usual. In May no severe weather occurred after the 15th, with not very much before that date either. Temperatures soared in late May, and the rain vanished. Southern Kentucky entered a moderate drought by the end of the month. --- Kentucky Climate Summary: For April 2007 Below Normal Temperatures and Slightly Below Normal Rainfall: Click here for the monthly Rainfall Departure Map from NWS:AHPS. A very difficult weather pattern for Kentucky for the month of April 2007. The month started very warm for the first 3 days, and after one of the warmest March's on record. But from April 5-9, historic (record) cold air provided hard freezes for the entire state with low temperatures in the low 20s for the 4 day period. We even saw snow on the 6th, with up to an inch accumulating in the Bluegrass region around Lexington. The London Corbin airport recorded its coldest April temperature with a reading of 19 degrees. The damage done to Kentucky's wheat crop and fruit trees was also historic, according to specialists in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. Below normal temperatures continue for the next 2 and 1/2 weeks. The final 10 days of the month were mostly above normal. While rainfall was only slightly below normal, both west and central sections of the state were nearly 1 inch below normal for the month. The east was nearly 1 inch above normal. New records: Lexington, April 6, new record snowfall of 0.8" Louisville, April 7, new record cold maximum temperature of 37 degrees Lexington, April 7, new record cold maximum temperature of 34 degrees Bowling Green, April 7, new record snowfall of a trace Bowling Green, April 8, new record low of 23 degrees Three days experienced severe weather: the 3rd, 11th, and 26th. The most widespread event was on the 3rd, which included the first two tornadoes of the year: an EF1 in Casey County and an EF0 in Taylor County. Temperatures for the April 2007 averaged 53.3 degrees across the state which was 2 degrees below normal and nearly the same average temperature as for the previous month. High temperatures averaged from 67 in the West to 65 in the East. Departure from normal high temperatures ranged from 5 degrees below normal in the West to 1 degrees below normal in the East. Low temperatures averaged from 44 degrees in the West to 44 degrees in the East. Departure from normal low temperature ranged from 2 degrees below normal in the West to 1 degrees below normal in the East. Precipitation (liq. equ.) for the month totaled 3.94 inches statewide which was 0.16 inches below normal and 96 percent of normal for the entire state. Precipitation totals by climate division, West 3.59 inches, Central 3.26 inches, Bluegrass 3.88 inches and East 4.73 inches, which was -0.93, -0.94, -0.02 and +0.91 inches respectively from normal. By station, precipitation totals ranged from a low of 1.71 inches at Quicksand to a high of 5.89 inches at Williamstown. Kentucky 4/ 1/2007 to 4/30/2007 Temperature Precipitation cd temp norm dev prcp norm dev percent 1 55.3 57.5 -2.3 3.59 4.53 -0.93 79 2 53.6 56.1 -2.5 3.26 4.20 -0.94 78 3 52.6 54.5 -1.9 3.88 3.89 -0.02 100 4 52.1 54.4 -2.3 4.73 3.82 0.91 124 State 53.3 55.6 -2.3 3.94 4.09 -0.16 96 --- Kentucky Climate Summary: March 2007 Much Above Normal Temperatures and Below Normal Rainfall: ...8th Warmest, 22nd Driest March on Record (113 years)... After a bitter cold February 2007, March 2007 will go into the record books as one of the top 10 warmest March's on record. Temperatures in the 80s, usually a rare event in March in the Bluegrass state, occurred on 4 to 6 days for most of the state. Rainfall was limited for most of the month and only 60 percent of normal rainfall occurred. Weekly weather summaries for March indicated above normal temperatures and below normal rainfall most weeks. Only the final week, March 26 to March 31, received near normal rainfall. By mid-month, southeast sections of the state indicated dry moisture conditions at a level of moderate hydrologic and agricultural drought, according to the US Drought Monitor. Temperatures for the period averaged 52.8 degrees across the state which was 6.3 degrees above normal. High temperatures averaged from 68 in the West to 66 in the East. Departure from normal high temperatures ranged from 7 degrees above normal in the West to 11 degrees above normal in the East. Low temperatures averaged from 45 degrees in the West to 44 degrees in the East. Departure from normal low temperature ranged from 9 degrees above normal in the West to 9 degrees above normal in the East. Precipitation (liq. equ.) for the period totaled 2.76 inches statewide which was 1.81 inches below normal. Precipitation totals by climate division, West 2.16 inches, Central 2.36 inches, Bluegrass 3.29 inches and East 3.16 inches, which was 2.52, 2.51, 1.06 and 1.24 inches respectively below normal. By station, precipitation totals ranged from a low of 0.44 inches at Bowling Green to a high of 5.54 inches at Williamstown. Kentucky 3/ 1/2007 to 3/31/2007 Temperature Precipitation cd temp norm dev prcp norm dev percent 1 55.2 48.1 7.1 2.16 4.68 -2.52 46 2 54.0 47.2 6.9 2.36 4.87 -2.51 48 3 51.3 45.2 6.0 3.29 4.35 -1.06 76 4 51.0 45.6 5.4 3.16 4.40 -1.24 72 State 52.8 46.5 6.3 2.76 4.57 -1.81 60 --- Kentucky Climate Summary For February 2007 Much Below Normal Temperatures and Below Normal Precipitation: ...11th Coldest and 26th Driest February for Kentucky in the Past 112 Years... After an extended cold spell during February 2007, mild temperatures during the final week helped to keep this month from the "Top Ten" list of coldest February's. Temperatures in the single digits and low teens were common... contrasted with a max temperature of 72 degrees at Paducah on February 28th. Additionaly, very moist conditions continued in west, central and bluegrass areas for the entire month. Yet, southeastern sections of the state moved into the Moderate hydrologic drought stage, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The western section of the state received twice as much liquid precip as the eastern section of the state. Snow events were also common during this February with locations west and north receiving 4 to 15 inches of snow (Covington 11.2", Louisville 4.4", Paducah 15.3", Bowling Green 4.7", Lexington 5.9") Temperatures for February 2007 averaged 29.7 degrees across the state which was 7.7 degrees below normal. High temperatures averaged from 40 in the West to 38 in the East. Departure from normal high temperatures ranged from 10 degrees below normal in the West to 6 degrees below normal in the East. Low temperatures averaged from 23 degrees in the West to 22 degrees in the East. Departure from normal low temperature ranged from 4 degrees below normal in the West to 4 degrees below normal in the East. Precipitation (liq. equ.) for the period totaled 2.30 inches statewide which was 1.45 inches below normal. Precipitation totals by climate division, West 3.12 inches, Central 2.29 inches, Bluegrass 2.57 inches and East 1.50 inches, which was 0.93, 1.84, 0.86 and 1.97 inches respectively below normal. By station, precipitation totals ranged from a low of 0.55 inches at Buckhorn Lake to a high of 3.69 inches at Cape Girardeau. As would be expected of a typical El Nino winter, we experienced below normal precipitation throughout most of the region for the month. Here are some highlights from the past month of February: The following stats are from NWS Louisville: Lexington barely nudges into the ninth coldest February with a monthly average of 27.5 degrees surpassing the formerly 9th place from 1912 of 27.6 degrees. Lexington and Bowling Green recorded its highest daily snowfall total on the 2nd, with 2.2 and 1.9 inches respectfully. Louisville recorded its highest daily snowfall total of the month on the 17th of 1.6 inches. Lexington recorded 15 days with highs 32 or below, all before the 19th. Louisville recorded 13 days with highs 32 or below, all before the 19th. The lowest temperatures across the region occurred on the 5th and the 16th of the month, with Louisville and Lexington recording 5 and 1 degrees on the 5th; and Bowling Green recording its monthly low of 10 on the 16th. Bowling Green was more than two inches below normal for precipitation for the month (-2.15 inches.) Kentucky 2/ 1/2007 to 2/28/2007 Temperature Precipitation cd temp norm dev prcp norm dev percent 1 32.0 38.6 -6.6 3.12 4.04 -0.93 77 2 30.6 38.1 -7.5 2.29 4.12 -1.84 55 3 26.5 36.1 -9.5 2.57 3.43 -0.86 75 4 29.4 36.9 -7.6 1.50 3.46 -1.97 43 State 29.7 37.4 -7.7 2.30 3.75 -1.45 61 --- Kentucky Climate Summary: January 2007 Above Normal Temperatures and Above Normal Precipitation: January 2007 was expected to be a mild and dry month, based on the projections of anticipated mild El Nino conditions in the equatorial Pacific. In fact, it was the third warmer-than-normal month in a row. While the first three weeks of the month were mild, it was not a dry month. In addition, the final week to 10 days of the month turned to seasonal temperatures, and, at times, very cold. The western section of the Bluegrass state was so wet that water ponded in fields along with river's flooded for extended periods through the month. With the mild temperatures for most of the month, limited snowfall occurred. Jackson reported 3.3 inches of snow and Covington reported 4.9 inches of snow, with only trace amounts reported at Paducah, Louisville, and Lexington. Temperatures for January 2007 averaged 37.4 degrees across the state which was 4.3 degrees above normal. High temperatures averaged from 44 in the West to 45 in the East. Departure from normal high temperatures ranged from 1 degree above normal in the West to 6 degrees above normal in the East. Low temperatures averaged from 30 degrees in the West to 32 degrees in the East. Departure from normal low temperature ranged from 6 degrees above normal in the West to 9 degrees above normal in the East. Extreme high temperatures were in the mid to upper 60s and extreme low temperatures were in upper single digits. Precipitation (liq. equ.) for the month totaled 4.21 inches statewide which was 0.49 inches above normal. Precipitation totals by climate division, West 5.40 inches, Central 4.33 inches, Bluegrass 3.81 inches and East 4.49 inches, which was +1.69, +0.31, +0.36 and -0.20 inches respectively from normal. By station, precipitation totals ranged from a low of 1.59 inches at Bristol to a high of 6.43 inches at Paducah. Kentucky 1/ 1/2007 to 1/31/2007 Temperature Precipitation cd temp norm dev prcp norm dev percent 1 37.5 33.8 3.7 5.40 3.70 1.69 146 2 38.0 33.5 4.5 4.33 4.02 0.31 108 3 36.8 31.9 4.9 3.81 3.45 0.36 110 4 37.3 33.2 4.1 3.49 3.70 -0.20 94 State 37.4 33.1 4.3 4.21 3.72 0.49 113 --- * Based on Preliminary Data ---