June, July, and December also ranked among the warmest 20 percent (top 25) of history for the region. As much as 5 inches (127 mm) of rain fell in a two-hour period on September 10, leading to flash flooding in Washington, D.C., and surrounding suburbs. There were at least five storm-related deaths. 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. The global land-only surface temperature was the eighth highest on record at +1.40C (+2.52F). Conditions improved somewhat over the winter and early spring, but then deteriorated across the region through the summer, fall, and even early winter. Collectively, the past eight years . Below-average temperatures occurred across parts of the Southeast Interior region. Hawaiis peak drought extent occurred during November with approximately 74 percent coverage. For example, in New Hampshire, an emergency drought law banning outdoor fires near public woods was in effect for a month, and several communities and the White Mountains National Forest had burn bans. During the spring, wet conditions across portions of the Southeast disrupted the application of herbicides, fertilizers, and nutrients to fields. 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. California, Nevada, and the Four Corners states all received below normal precipitation with some pockets of above normal in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. For instance, severe drought eased everywhere except southeastern New Hampshire and coastal Maine and moderate drought eased in a large portion of New England. Soil moisture conditions in the fall and early winter are important for the High Plains region because, as soils freeze, available moisture is locked in place until spring. The wettest locations were found across much of Virginia, the Carolinas, Alabama, northern and central Georgia, the western half of the Florida Panhandle, southeastern Florida, and Puerto Rico. Precipitation was primarily wetter than normal (Texas was slightly drier than normal), with Mississippi and Tennessee experiencing their sixth-wettest and eighth-wettest winters on record, respectively. Northern Delaware experienced some of its worst flash flooding in at least 15 years. In May, a Midland, Michigan dam failed due to heavy rains over three days, 17th-19th. Hurricane Laura was the worst of the seven, making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. All nine Midwest states were above their 1981-2010 normal by 0.9 to 1.8 degrees F (0.5 to 1.0 C). Every state with the exception of Louisiana had at least one month that was top-10 wettest on record, and two states (Mississippi and Oklahoma) had one month that was top-5 wettest on record. Several other locations had one of the five snowiest Octobers on record. Tropical Storm Isaias, the Atlantic Oceans earliest "I" named tropical system on record, produced extreme rainfall, tornadoes, and damaging winds in the Northeast on August 4. For instance, in late September, topsoil and subsoil were very dry for 80 to 100 percent of Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. These six regions differ spatially from the nine climatic regions of the National Climatic Data Center. From November 8th through the 12th, Tropical Storm Eta produced 5 to more than 10 inches (127 to more than 254 mm) of rainfall across portions of west-central and southern Florida. The Northeast had its hottest July since recordkeeping began with an average temperature of 73.7 degrees F (23.2 degrees C), which was 4.1 degrees F (2.3 degrees C) warmer than normal. Dulles Airport, Virginia, and Erie, Pennsylvania, set or tied their greatest number of April days with measurable precipitation. 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. Nearly 40 percent of the cotton crop in Alabama contained seed coat fragments, which is a sprouting or deterioration of the seed that occurs under extended wet conditions, reducing the quality of the cotton fiber. Quick rises on waterways were observed. In many fields in southern Alabama, Hurricane Sally blew down the cotton crop when bolls had yet to open. Conversely, Oklahoma had the fewest tornado reports (31), Tennessee had the fewest hail reports (60), and Louisiana had the fewest wind reports (256). One particularly notable event was severe flash flooding in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 6. This years drought could reduce next years growth of red oak and white pine trees in New Hampshire. The maximum wind speed was estimated at 85 mph, and three injuries were associated with the microburst. Hartford, Connecticut, tied its coldest June temperature on record on June 1 with a low of 37 degrees F (3 degrees C). One of the largest fires burned over 8,600 acres in Collier County and forced a portion of I-75 to close. On the same day, Caribou had a low temperature of 50 degrees F (10 degrees C), its warmest minimum temperature for winter on record. Based on preliminary analysis, the average annual temperature for the contiguous U.S. was 54.4F, 2.4F above the 20th century average. Precipitation across the region ranged from 50 percent or less of normal to 130 percent or more of normal, with the driest areas in western Texas and the wettest areas across parts of every state. The daily range of reported temperatures (gray bars) and 24-hour highs (red ticks) and lows (blue ticks), placed over the daily average high (faint red line) and low (faint blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. Up to 5 inches (127 mm) of rain fell, with the greatest amounts in northern and eastern Maine. January 2021 marked the first time since October 2019 (0.37%) where a record cold temperature occurred. April U.S. Release: Mon, 8 May 2023, 11:00 AM EDT, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, NOAA's Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index (REDTI), contiguous U.S. average annual precipitation, lowest known mean sea level pressure on record, nine climatic regions of the National Climatic Data Center, Northeast Regional Climate Center Home Page, Southeast Regional Climate Center Home Page, High Plains Regional Climate Center Home Page, Southern Regional Climate Center Home Page, Western Regional Climate Center Home Page. The event, which qualified as a derecho, caused widespread damage, downing trees and wires, knocking out power to more than 500,000 customers, and causing four deaths. Three more states had more than 2.00 inches (51 mm) above normal and another two (Illinois and Wisconsin) had more than 1.00 inch (25 mm) above normal. A man in Bradenton Beach, FL was electrocuted when he touched an appliance while standing in floodwater. A total of 13 tornadoes were spawned by Delta, including an EF-1 tornado that injured 2 people at a homeless shelter in Newton County, GA on October 10th. Oakland, California also logged its warmest year on record dating back to 1948 at 61.3 F (16.3 C), 3.8 F (2.1 C) above normal. While cotton producers in the Florida Panhandle continued their harvest, some noted that cotton yields were particularly poor this year from excessively wet weather. One of the wetter locations was northern Washington, west of the Cascades. Coastal flooding occurred from New Jersey to Maine. Through summer, the total area experiencing drought or abnormally dry conditions increased, with extreme and exceptional drought conditions developing by mid-August. The old record was 3.86 inches (98.04 mm) of precipitation on September 14, 1973. The Four Corners region began 2020 with a sizeable area of severe drought that has expanded and intensified with exceptional drought present in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado by the end of 2020. This . During the summer, drought conditions expanded to include over 70 percent of Wyoming and nearly all of Colorado. On August 5th, a 42-year-old man and a 77-year-old man were struck and killed while cleaning up debris from Hurricane Isaias in Wilmington, NC. A few northern Maine farmers initiated the process to allow for emergency haying and grazing on conservation reserve. The highest snowfall totals of 40 to 44 inches (102 to 112 cm) were reported in central New York, eastern Vermont, and western New Hampshire. 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. Numerous roads in the urbanized corridor of southeastern Florida became impassable due to flooding, with many reports of stalled or submerged vehicles. The statewide precipitation rankings for the year are as follows: Arkansas (eleventh wettest), Louisiana (ninteenth wettest), Mississippi (eleventh wettest), Oklahoma (twenty-seventh wettest), Tennessee (sixth wettest), and Texas (fifty-fourth driest). There were more than 120 wind damage reports in western New England and eastern New York, where there were two storm-related fatalities. Drought conditions expanded or intensified across much of the western U.S. and southern to central High Plains throughout 2020 with persistent above-average temperatures and precipitation deficits in place across much of the West. December 2019 was warmer and drier than normal (with the exception of Mississippi and Tennessee, which were slightly wetter than normal), with Oklahoma and Tennessee experiencing their tenth-warmest December on record while Louisiana experienced its eighth-driest December on record. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color . North Carolina had its second-wettest year on record during 2020 and Virginia was third wettest. Low reservoir levels and streamflows were contributing factors to the widespread drought intensification in 2020 throughout the West. Moderate drought first emerged in Minnesota in early June and by the end of July had touched parts of all nine Midwest states. The dryness extended to the east side of the Sierra Nevada into the Great Basin; Reno, Nevada saw its second driest year since 1938 with 2.72 in (69.09 mm, 37% of normal). According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, there were substantial changes in drought conditions across the High Plains region over the course of the year. This is a mere 0.12C above the 1991-2020 reference period, making it a decidedly "average" year in comparison to the climate of the recent past. The warmth kicked off in January with Boston, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; and Bridgeport, Connecticut, having their warmest January day on record with highs near or above 70 degrees F (21 degrees C). Lawns turned brown in parts of the Northeast. Baker City, Oregon logged a record low 3.36 in (85.34 mm), 33% of normal, for the year to accompany the record high temperatures. On October 7, a derecho produced a 320-mile (515 km) long path of damage from central New York to eastern New England. 2022 was the sixth-warmest year on record based on NOAA's temperature data. In fact, Utah's 7.23 inches of annual precipitation was 0.89 inches less than the previous record set in 1956. For a small area of northwest Oregon, western Washington, and northern Idaho, drought conditions improved with removal of drought for these locations. Flooding in southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and portions of New Jersey and Maryland led to road closures, stranded vehicles, and water rescues. In Maine, potato yields were expected to be down by at least 20 percent and wild blueberry yields were reduced due to drought and frost. On the 11th, Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport, NC (20002020) observed its second wettest day for any month on record, with 6.02 inches (153 mm) of precipitation. A historic snowstorm dropped snow on almost every part of the Northeast from December 16 to 17. Roanoke, VA (19122020) reported 8.32 inches (211 mm) of rainfall during this event, which is its fourth wettest 3-day rainfall total for any month on record. Of the 17 lightning fatalities across the United States during the year, seven occurred within the Southeast region, which is below the median annual frequency of 11 fatalities from 20002019. Temperatures rebounded in the summer, with most states in the High Plains ranking in the top 15 warmest summers on record. Significant flooding occurred, particularly in southeastern Pennsylvania where several waterways recorded their highest water levels on record. During the rest of spring and beginning of summer, there was improvement in the total area experiencing drought with several areas improving to the point of only containing abnormally dry conditions. Two other costly severe weather outbreaks in the Ohio River Valley included one on March 27th-28th and a severe hail storm on April 7th-8th. Livestock producers in Georgia had to travel far to buy hay since supplies were short from the drought conditions in autumn 2019. 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. Conditions improved in eastern New York but worsened in western New York and the western half of Pennsylvania. On the 30th, San Juan (18982020) observed its second wettest July day on record, with 4.46 inches (113 mm) of precipitation. All six states experienced warmer than normal temperatures, with Louisiana experiencing its sixth-warmest spring on record. Only Junes of 2015 (fourth warmest), 2016 (second warmest), 2019 (warmest), and 2020 (third warmest) were warmer and had a global temperature departure above +0.90C (+1.62F). The lowest known mean sea level pressure on record in Alaska was recorded on the 31st on Shemya Island at Eareckson AFB and registered at 924.8 millibars (27.31 inches of mercury). Issues with extreme wetness carried over into 2020 in parts of the Northern Plains, however. In October, Hurricane Zeta caused additional cotton losses in Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, as heavy rainfall led to an increase in boll rot. The August Complex, SCU Lightning Complex, Creek Fire, LNU Lightning Complex and the North Complex burned nearly 2.5 million acres in all. For instance, in February 2023, the average temperature across the North American. Upper Missouri Basin snowpack peaked in mid-April at just above normal above Fort Peck Reservoir and between Fort Peck and Garrison Reservoirs, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In September, many farmers in the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama reported a loss of cotton, peanuts, and pecans due to the passage of Hurricane Sally. Seven major climate sites including Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; and Atlantic City, New Jersey, tied their record for least snowy spring (March through May). It was only the second time since 1885 that Philadelphia recorded no snowfall during spring. Lower than usual streamflow on the Hudson River in New York in October led to increased sodium levels in Poughkeepsies water supply. In addition, hundreds of pecan trees were uprooted across southern Alabama, with some of the losses occurring in 90-year-old orchards. On June 10, Dulles Airport, Virginia, tied its warmest June low temperature with a low of 74 degrees F (23 degrees C). The warmest temperature observed during the year was 102 degrees F (38.9 degrees C), which was recorded at several locations across the region, including Macon, GA (July 20th), Athens, GA (July 20th), and Norfolk, VA (July 19th, 21st, and 28th). 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. Portland, Maine, recorded six days this August with a high of at least 90 degrees F (32 degrees C), tying its August record. Wilmington, Delaware; Huntington, West Virginia; and Charleston, West Virginia, set/tied their greatest number of March days with measurable precipitation. 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. Sixty-one tornadoes were confirmed in South Carolina, which is the states second highest annual count behind the 86 tornadoes observed during 2004. Water restrictions were in place for hundreds of locations in New England, as well as some locations in New York and Pennsylvania. 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. On the 16th, Pensacola, FL observed its fourth wettest day for any month on record, with 11.85 inches (301 mm) of rainfall. The U.S. Drought Monitor released on December 3 showed 21 percent of the Northeast in an extreme, severe, or moderate drought and 33 percent as abnormally dry. Hurricane Zeta was responsible for wind gusts over 100 mph (160.93 kph) in southeastern Louisiana, while Hurricane Laura generated a wind gust of 133 mph (214.04 kph) in southwestern Louisiana. In addition, Augusta, GA (18712020) observed only its second trace of snowfall on Christmas Day since records began 149 years ago. Five named storms (Cristobal, Marco, Laura, Delta and Zeta) made landfall in Louisiana in 2020, which is the most on record for any state in one year. The storm contributed to hundreds of vehicle crashes, including a pileup involving more than 65 vehicles on Interstate 80 in central Pennsylvania. Later in the season, a lack of snow cover across the Plains and low snowpack in the central Rockies also impacted skiing and snowmobiling activities. Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware each ranked warmest on record with six additional states' minimum temperatures ranking second warmest on record. Every state except for Oklahoma experienced warmer than normal temperatures while every state except for Texas experienced wetter than normal conditions. Maine had its worst year for fires in 20 years with 1,000 wildfires as of September 24. July was warmer than normal across all six states, with Texas experiencing its sixth-warmest July on record. Drought conditions expanded in coverage and intensified rapidly over the next month, with moderate-to-severe drought covering 83 percent of Florida by mid-April. 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. Cordova had its 4th driest year dating back to 1910 with 64.02 in (1626.11 mm, 71% of normal) and Kenai also saw its 4th driest year since records began in 1900 at 11.72 in (297.69 mm, 64% of normal). Hundreds of thousands of customers lost power in the Northeast, including more than 115,000 customers in Massachusetts. There were scattered areas of below normal temperatures across Arkansas that averaged 0 to 1 degrees F (0.00 to 0.56 degrees C) below normal. There were road closures, cars trapped in floodwaters, and water rescues. The U.S. Drought Monitor released on January 2, 2020, showed less than 1 percent of the Northeast, a small area in Maryland and Delaware, as abnormally dry. The path taken by the storm system was one of the furthest to the west and north in history. The California fire season started slow but then exploded due to a rare dry thunderstorm event in mid-August. Precipitation was primarily wetter than normal, although Arkansas and Texas were slightly drier than normal. Portions of New England were designated as natural disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, making some farmers eligible for federal assistance. Just a week later, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, a storm system dropped as much as 6 inches (152 mm) of rain on the region, with several locations having one of their 10 wettest December days on record. For example, irrigation and labor costs exceeded $50,000 at a Massachusetts farm and were around $30,000 at a New Hampshire farm. Although the vast majority of the Midwestern derecho impacted areas to the east of the region, it is worth noting that this was an incredibly devastating storm that caused an estimated $7.5 billion in damage, according to NOAAs U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters event database. While 25 long-term stations observed average daily maximum temperatures that were ranked within their five warmest values on record, more than four times the number of stations (102) observed average daily minimum temperatures that were ranked within their five warmest values on record. Isaias produced 17 tornadoes in the region (10 in Maryland, three in Delaware, two each in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and one in Connecticut), with the strongest rated EF-2. A streak of 14 straight weeks, from mid-January to mid-April, set a new record with no abnormally dry area in the region. 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. The summer was much more active, however, with several notable events occurring, such as the Western U.S. derecho in June and the Midwestern U.S. derecho in August, which started in the High Plains region. 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. Numerous fallen trees, mudslides, and river flooding were reported in southwestern Puerto Rico, according to local emergency management officials. . Autumn was wetter and warmer than normal for most of the Southern Region. While agricultural and livestock production was satisfactory across much of the Southeast during the year, exceptional wetness and numerous landfalling tropical cyclones did produce some significant impacts. Preliminary damage estimates in Delaware exceeded $20 million. Twelve of the 35 major climate sites had their least snowy February on record. In Pinellas County, FL, sheriff deputies rescued 33 people from flooded homes and stalled vehicles. More than 185,000 customers lost power in Pennsylvania. In Puerto Rico, moderate drought developed in mid-May and continued to intensify and expand in coverage through the early summer. Nevada and Utah ranked driest on record for 2020 with two additional western states ranking second driest. The center of the system moved across Iowa as just the second tropical system to do so. In late May, Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Burlington, Vermont, set/tied their hottest May day on record. The states fire tower network was extended due to increased fire risk. Much of the western half and eastern third of the CONUS experienced above-average maximum temperatures for the year with Arizona ranking warmest on record. That 21-week stretch extended to a 29-week stretch when the last eight weeks of 2019 were added making it the second longest stretch with no drought in the region since 2000. The highest thunderstorm wind gust recorded during the year was 84 mph (38 m/s), which was measured near Mountain Lake, VA as a squall line moved through southwestern Virginia on April 8th. Snowfall totals of 2 to more than 8 inches were found across portions of northern Virginia, with the greatest accumulation of 11.5 inches (292 mm) measured in Bayse, VA. About 200 vehicle crashes and 125 disabled vehicles were reported by the Virginia State Police along I-81 and across northern Virginia. 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.
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