The persistence of nighttime warmth was exceptional for many locations across the region, particularly in Florida. Prolonged dryness in April and May led to an outbreak of numerous wildfires across Florida. Corn yields were new records in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Kentucky. Five of the six warmest years on record at Hilo have occurred since 2015. Burlington and Caribou, Maine, also had their warmest minimum temperature for May. One tornado in Delaware was on the ground for over 35 miles (56 km), the state's longest tornado track on record. Rainfall is fairly even throughout the year, with May being the wettest month. 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. In May, a Midland, Michigan dam failed due to heavy rains over three days, 17th-19th. Much of New England saw an unusually high number of fires or atypical fire behavior, with fires burning deeper and taking longer to extinguish. The greatest rain totals ranged from 4 to 9 inches (102 to 229 mm), with Allentown, Pennsylvania, having its wettest August day with 4.92 inches (124.97 mm) of rain. These dry conditions were coupled with extreme heat, which helped fuel some of the largest wildfires in Colorados history. This dryness eased by mid-February, with the Northeast becoming free of abnormal dryness for the first time since July 2019. 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. Low reservoir levels and streamflows were contributing factors to the widespread drought intensification in 2020 throughout the West. Alaska experienced its coldest first two months of the year in 2020 and coldest winter (December 2019 - February 2020) since 1999. After two consecutively wet years, 2020 was an extremely dry year for the majority of the High Plains region. In addition, Baltimore, Maryland; Hartford, Connecticut; LaGuardia Airport, New York; Philadelphia and Scranton, Pennsylvania; Providence, Rhode Island; and Washington, D.C. recorded their greatest number of days with a high of at least 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) for any month on record. We defined all monthly temperature and precipitation values to be average in comparison to the 20th century average if they fell within two standard deviations of the 20th century average. 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. Several notable widespread wind events occurred in the Northeast this year. The snow from the storm helped Caribou have its second longest streak with at least an inch (2.54 cm) of snow depth at 159 days (November 12, 2019 to April 18, 2020). In order for precipitation to be counted you have to get at least .01 inches on the ground to measure. This years tornado reports were particularly low, with only 129 reported through October. Snowfall is an ample 60 (1524mm) in Salt Lake City and substantial in much of the state except the far southern valleys. This was a record fifth consecutive year with at least one Category 5 storm in the Atlantic. Overall, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year the region experienced a slight decrease in the total area of at least abnormally dry conditions. Non-thunderstorm wind gusts of up to 70 mph (31 m/s) were recorded in New England and on New Yorks Long Island, with reports of downed trees and wires. Some reservoirs also experienced below-normal water levels. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 18% of the West was in drought at the beginning of the year with no locations worse than severe drought (D2). We reconstructed these averages to verify that we were using the proper methodology and then applied that methodology to the county-level monthly average dataset. Early on December 25th, snow flurries were reported as far south as Charleston International Airport, SC, which is only its second trace of snowfall on Christmas Day since 1938. annual snowfall: 47 inch: Share. Beckley, West Virginia, recorded its hottest March day since 1896 with a high temperature of 85 degrees F (29 degrees C). Its NOAA Monthly US Climate Divisional Database (NClimDiv)1 provides data for temperature, precipitation, drought indices, and heating and cooling degree days for US climate divisions, states, multi-state regions, and the nation from 1895 to the present. April was primarily cooler and wetter than normal, with every state except for Louisiana and Texas experiencing cooler than normal temperatures while every state except for Oklahoma and Texas experienced wetter than normal conditions. 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. Ten states across the Southwest, Southeast and East Coast had their second-warmest year on record. In September, every state except for Louisiana and Mississippi experienced cooler than normal temperatures, while every state experienced wetter than normal conditions. The Northeast had its third warmest year on record with an average temperature of 49.5 degrees F (9.7 degrees C), 2.2 degrees F (1.2 degrees C) above normal. On the 11th, Sarasota-Bradenton, FL (19112020) observed its wettest November day on record, with 6.41 inches (163 mm) of rainfall. Snowfall January through June, September through December are months with snowfall in Mantua, Utah. Severe drought was introduced in Maine and New York, while moderate drought expanded and abnormal dryness encompassed nearly half the region. One particularly notable event was severe flash flooding in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 6. The combination of heavy rain, melting snow, and wet antecedent conditions led to flooding in central/eastern New York, the eastern half of Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The country's total annual precipitation total was 30.28 inches in 2020, which was about 0.34 inches above average. Explore where these weather factors are staying average and when the monthly average hit a 20-year anomaly. Precipitation was drier than normal across all six states. Monthly: 1981-2010 normals History: 2007-2019. Seven major climate sites including Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; and Atlantic City, New Jersey, tied their record for least snowy spring (March through May). From April 12 to 13, a storm system produced damaging winds in the Northeast. 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. 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. WebThe NClimDiv database hosts multiple types of historical averages: 30-year averages starting from 1901, 1895-2010 average, and 20th century average, the latter is being In fact, according to the National Weather Service, it was the latest occurrence of snow on record for the New York City area climate sites, which saw a trace. The storm's highest wind gusts ranged from 60 to 78 mph (27 to 35 m/s). The US average is 38 inches of rain per year. 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. The states fire tower network was extended due to increased fire risk. Get the facts here, including data from the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration. The U.S. Drought Monitor released on July 30 showed 29 percent of the Northeast in a severe or moderate drought and 42 percent was abnormally dry. Pasture and rangeland conditions were rated very poor (the lowest level) for 70 to 90 percent of southern New England, while 10 percent of Pennsylvanias corn crop was rated very poor, making it some of the worst corn condition ratings in the country. During June, abnormal dryness expanded to include parts of every state except New Jersey and moderate drought was introduced in parts of New England and New York. After making landfall near Creole, LA on October 9th, the remnants of Hurricane Delta impacted parts of the Southeast with heavy rain and flooding. All state rankings are based on the period spanning 1895-2020. This bucket categorization is critical to eliminate data noise as regional geographies experience natural fluctuations in temperature and precipitation from year to year. Current Conditions. As the derecho headed east the winds eased slightly but continued to do significant damage in the other states affected. During August, conditions worsened in New England, with severe and moderate drought expanding and almost every part of that region experiencing some level of dryness. June and July were Puerto Ricos most significant drought months with over 50 percent coverage; Alaska was nearly drought free during most of 2020. A plan to pump 80,000 acre feet of water a year from Lake Powell to Sand Hollow Reservoir passed the Utah legislature in 2006 and met immediate opposition from Many locations had precipitation totals that ranked in the top 10 driest on record, rivaling the drought years of 2017, 2012, and the Dust Bowl. From May 8 to 11, the polar jet stream plunged south and Arctic air spilled into the Northeast, with many areas seeing snow. 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. The statewide average annual temperatures are as follows: Arkansas - 61.15 degrees F (16.19 degrees C), Louisiana 68.18 degrees F (20.10 degrees C), Mississippi 65.31 degrees F (18.51 degrees C), Oklahoma 60.70 degrees F (15.94 degrees C), Tennessee - 59.34 degrees F (15.19 degrees C), and Texas 66.81 degrees F (19.34 degrees C). Such methodology was applicable to all counties in the contiguous United States. There were several flash flooding events during the year. All values that fell below or above two standard deviations are defined as climatic anomalies; cooler/wetter than or warmer/drier than the historical norm, respectively. Meanwhile, northern locations received heavy snow, with the greatest totals of more than 12 inches (30 cm) in New York and northern New England. On January 31st, Charlotte, NC continued its record of reporting at least a trace of snow in every winter season since 1878. 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). Corn and soybean crops in the Midwest had favorable conditions in 2020 except for the areas hit by drought and the derecho. 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). The contiguous U.S. average annual precipitation was 30.28 inches, which is 0.34 inches above the long-term average, ranking in the middle third of the historical record. 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 lowest annual precipitation total for any station (excluding CoCoRaHS) across the region was recorded in East Hill on St. Croix, USVI, which observed only 35.69 inches (907 mm) of precipitation. A climate chart for your city, indicating the monthly high temperatures and rainfall. A complex storm system brought severe weather and snow to the Northeast in early April. 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