PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1000 PM CST MON JAN 3 2000
...A LOOK BACK AT 1999 FOR ROCHESTER...
***8TH WARMEST...9TH WETTEST YEAR ON RECORD***
TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION
MONTH HIGH LOW AVE DEPARTURE TOTAL DEPARTURE SNOW
JAN 18.8 3.5 11.1 -0.4 2.07 +1.29 29.4
FEB 32.1 20.3 26.2 +9.1 1.00 +0.26 5.4
MAR 41.5 24.1 32.8 +3.0 0.81 -0.97 6.7
APR 55.4 38.0 46.7 +1.8 6.47 +3.74 T
MAY 67.6 48.5 58.1 +1.3 5.32 +1.92 0.0
JUN 75.1 56.2 65.7 -0.8 3.76 +0.04 -
JUL 83.0 63.4 73.2 +2.3 8.73 +4.53 -
AUG 75.5 57.9 66.7 -1.5 6.20 +2.32 -
SEP 69.1 47.1 58.1 -1.1 0.74 -2.73 -
OCT 58.4 35.5 47.0 -0.9 0.92 -1.40 0.5
NOV 50.4 29.8 40.1 +7.5 1.00 -0.61 T
DEC 32.1 15.0 23.6 +6.4 0.49 -0.54 7.6
TOTALS 54.9 36.6 45.8 +2.0 37.51 +8.61 49.6
************************* RECORDS **********************************
TEMPERATURE...
HIGHS: 75 ON NOVEMBER 8TH
71 ON NOVEMBER 9TH
71 ON NOVEMBER 13TH
46 ON DECEMBER 29TH
HIGHEST LOW: 34 ON FEBRUARY 10TH
74 ON JULY 4TH
73 ON JULY 29TH
48 ON NOVEMBER 9TH
LOWEST HIGH: 60 ON SEPTEMBER 9TH...TIED OLD RECORD
43 ON OCTOBER 1ST
44 ON OCTOBER 2ND
43 ON OCTOBER 3RD
MONTHLY: 8TH WARMEST FEBRUARY AT 26.2 DEGREES
3RD WARMEST NOVEMBER AT 40.1 DEGREES
YEARLY: TIED FOR 8TH WARMEST AT 45.8...ALSO IN 1930
PRECIPITATION...
ONE-DAY PCPN: 1.50 ON APRIL 22ND
1.55 ON MAY 16TH
1.75 ON JULY 4TH
1.98 ON JULY 18TH
2.48 ON AUGUST 18TH
ONE-DAY SNOWFALL: 1.4 ON JANUARY 1ST
2.1 ON JANUARY 8TH
4.2 ON JANUARY 14TH
MONTHLY: 7TH WETTEST JANUARY WITH 2.07 INCHES
ALL-TIME WETTEST APRIL WITH 6.47 INCHES...TIED WITH 1990
5TH WETTEST JULY WITH 8.73 INCHES
9TH WETTEST AUGUST WITH 6.20 INCHES
SEASONAL: 6TH WETTEST SUMMER WITH 18.69 INCHES
5TH DRIEST FALL WITH 2.66 INCHES
YEARLY: 9TH WETTEST WITH 37.51 INCHES
FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW...ROCHESTER SET A YEARLY TEMPERATURE
RECORD...FINISHING AS ONE OF THE TEN WARMEST AT 45.8 DEGREES. THIS ALSO
MARKS THE SECOND TIME IN THE 1990/S THAT THE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE FOR A
YEAR FELL AMONG THE ALL-TIME WARMEST. THE ONLY OTHER COMPARABLE PERIOD
WERE THE LATE 30/S WHICH PLACED 1938...1939...AND THEN 1941 IN THE TOP
TEN WARMEST YEARS ON RECORD.
JANUARY GAVE NO INDICATION OF THE WARM YEAR THAT WAS AHEAD...WITH
TEMPERATURES AT THE NORMALS. PRECIPITATION WAS WELL ABOVE NORMAL...
WITH NEARLY 30 INCHES OF SNOW DROPPING ON THE ROCHESTER AREA. THE
MEASURABLE SNOW SPREAD ITSELF OUT OVER 16 DAYS...AND MOSTLY IN VARIOUS
SMALL AMOUNTS. ON THE AVERAGE...JANUARY HAS 8 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE
PRECIPITATION (RAIN OR SNOW).
FEBRUARY SERVED AS A HARBINGER OF THE WARMTH TO COME...FINISHING 9
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL! STILL...THIS ONLY MADE IT THE 8TH WARMEST
FEBRUARY ON RECORD. THE SNOWS ALSO ENDED...AS ONE MIGHT EXPECT
DUE TO THE WARMTH...WITH A LITTLE OVER 5 INCHES FALLING FOR THE MONTH.
IN FACT...THE MONTHLY TOTAL CAN BE ACCOUNTED FOR BY ONLY 3 DAYS WORTH
OF ACCUMULATING SNOWS. ANOTHER INTERESTING FACT ABOUT THIS PAST
FEBRUARY IS THE LACK OF SUBZERO TEMPERATURES. IN AN AVERAGE FEBRUARY
THIS WOULD HAPPEN 9 TIMES.
MARCH CONTINUED THE DRY AND WARM TREND...ALMOST REACHING THE 70 DEGREE
MARK AT THE END OF THE MONTH. NEARLY ALL THE MONTHLY SNOWFALL CAN BE
ACCOUNTED FOR BY ONE STORM...WHICH BLANKETED ROCHESTER IN 6.7 INCHES ON
THE 8TH AND 9TH. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENT OF THIS MONTH WAS THE
EXTENDED DRY SPELL...WITH 18 CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITHOUT ANY
PRECIPITATION.
APRIL AND MAY BROUGHT MORE UNSEASONABLE WARMTH...BUT A LOT MORE
PRECIPITATION. IT WAS "FEAST OR FAMINE" WHEN IT CAME TO RAIN TOTALS.
WHEN IT RAINED...EITHER A LOT CAME DOWN AT ONE TIME...OR VERY LITTLE.
OUT OF THE 31 MEASURABLE RAIN EVENTS OVER THE TWO MONTHS...7 OF THEM
TOTALED AT LEAST AN INCH. THOSE 7 DAYS ACCOUNTED FOR 71% OF APRIL AND
MAY/S TOTAL. ROCHESTER CRACKED THE 70 DEGREE BARRIER ON THE LAST DAY OF
APRIL...WITH THE FIRST 80 DEGREE DAY OF THE SEASON OCCURING ON MAY
28TH.
JUNE WAS PROBABLY THE MOST "NORMAL" MONTH OF THE YEAR...WITH
TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION FINISHING RIGHT AT OR NEAR THE MONTHLY
NORMALS. TEMPERATURES DID TAKE A ROLLERCOASTER RIDE THOUGH...
WITH A WEEK OF COOL TEMPERATURES...THEN WARM...AND SO ON. THERE WERE NO
REAL EXTREMES IN THE DAILY RAINFALL EITHER...WITH ONLY ONE DAY
RECORDING OVER AN INCH OF RAIN.
JULY WOULD REALLY ADD TO THE WET YEARLY CONDITIONS...DUMPING ALMOST 8
3/4 INCHES! TWO LARGE RAIN EVENTS DOMINATED THE MONTH...WITH 1.75
INCHES ON THE 3RD AND ALMOST 2 INCHES ON THE 18TH. THE 90 DEGREE
BARRIER FELL 5 TIMES IN JULY...WITH THE FIRST 90 DEGREE DAY OF THE YEAR
COMING ON THE 15TH. JULY WAS ALSO THE ONLY MONTH IN 1999 WHERE
TEMPERATURES WARMED TO AT OR ABOVE 90 DEGREES.
AUGUST ROUNDED OUT THE SUMMER ON A WET BUT COOLER NOTE. MORE RECORD
PRECIPITATION FELL ACROSS ROCHESTER...AND LIKE THE OTHER SUMMER
MONTHS...AUGUST WAS DOMINATED BY JUST A FEW LARGE RAIN EVENTS. THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT EVENT WAS ON THE 18TH WHEN NEARLY 2 1/2 INCHES FELL...
ACCOUNTING FOR 40% OF THE MONTHLY TOTAL. ADD AUGUST TOGETHER WITH JUNE
AND JULY...AND THIS PAST SUMMER WAS THE 6TH WETTEST ON RECORD WITH
18.69 INCHES.
SEPTEMBER WAS A CHANGE OF PACE...WITH BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR
ONLY THE 2ND TIME ALL YEAR. TEMPERATURES WERE BELOW NORMAL ON THE
AVERAGE...WITH SOME LARGE VARIATIONS IN HIGHS. THE WARMEST HIGH
TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH WAS 88 ON THE 3RD...WITH THE COLDEST HIGH A
CHILLY 52 ON THE 20TH. TEMPERATURES EVEN DROPPED TO FREEZING FOR THE
FIRST TIME FOR THE NEW FALL SEASON...REACHING THAT MARK ON THE 21ST.
APPARENTLY MOTHER NATURE WAS TRYING TO MAKE UP FOR WHAT WAS BECOMING
A VERY WET YEAR BY MAKING IT VERY DRY FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS. OCTOBER
WAS THE BEARER OF MORE ARID CONDITIONS...ENDING UP ALMOST 1 1/2 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL. ON TOP OF THAT...WHAT LITTLE RAIN DID ACCUMULATE
"BOOKENDED" THE MONTH. THE MAJORITY OF THE 0.92 INCHES THAT FELL IN
OCTOBER CAME ON THE 1ST AND THE 29TH...LEAVING EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN
VERY DRY. THE FIRST SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON WAS IN OCTOBER THOUGH...
WITH 0.5 INCHES FALLING ON THE 1ST.
THE WARMTH RETURNED FOR NOVEMBER WITH A WEATHER PATTERN MORE TYPICAL
OF EARLY FALL RATHER THEN THE TRANSITION INTO WINTER. NOVEMBER STAYED
DRY...WITH MEASURABLE RAIN ONLY FALLING ON 3 DAYS. ONE OF THOSE
EVENTS...ACCOUNTED FOR 75% OF THE MONTHLY TOTAL. THAT WAS ON THE 23RD
WHEN 0.75 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. BY MONTH/S END THE WEATHER PATTERN HAD
SWITCHED TO A MORE SEASONABLE PATTERN...AND TEMPERATURES COOLED DOWN TO
REFLECT THAT.
DECEMBER ROUNDED OUT THE YEAR ON A MILD NOTE...WITH THE ONLY BOUT OF
COLD WEATHER OCCURING JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS. THERE WASN/T THAT MUCH
SNOW EITHER...ALTHOUGH WHAT DID OCCURRED AROUND THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY.
*********************************************************************
HIGHEST TEMPERATURE FOR 1999........... 93 ON JULY 29TH
LOWEST TEMPERATURE FOR 1999............-22 ON JANUARY 9T H
HIGHEST ONE-DAY PRECIPITATION.......... 2.48 INCHES ON AUGUST 18TH
HIGHEST ONE-DAY SNOWFALL............... 5.1 INCHES ON MARCH 8TH
NUMBER OF DAYS WITH HIGHS AT OR ABOVE 90 DEGREES.... 5
NUMBER OF DAYS WITH HIGHS AT OR BELOW 32 DEGREES.... 61
NUMBER OF DAYS WITH ZERO OR BELOW TEMPERATURES...... 19
NUMBER OF DAYS WITH MEASURABLE RAIN................. 113
PERCENTAGE OF DAYS WITH MEASURABLE RAIN............. 31%
NUMBER OF DAYS WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES....... 208
PERCENTAGE OF DAYS WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES... 57%
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