St. Simons Island weather

The showers of April?

2012-04-01T13:32:00.004-07:00

April is a transition month. It is usually pleasant, but sometime this month, I will have to use the air-conditioning for the first time. The majority of Aprils do not reach 90, but I have a feeling we will this year!

Despite some decent rains in March, including the last day of the month, the year has continued very dry. Normal rainfall by April 1st is 10.57" (the 1971-2000 average was 11.71"). So far this year we have had 6.67". Last year we have had 7.11". In 2010, which turned out to be the driest year on record, we had 8.74" by April 1st. So the drought continues, and it is very scary.

March 2012 was the warmest March on record at St. Simons Island. The average temperature was 68.2 degrees and 7.9 degrees above normal. This March was warmer than the average April! We have had to use the air conditioning frequently since March 16. Encouragingly we were slightly wetter than average, with rainfall of 4.01", which is 0.13" above normal. I hope April also has decent rains.

Some highlights from March and the previous winter:

At St Simons Island, the warmest ever March was helped in part to the extended period of onshore flow and the warmer than normal Atlantic ocean water temperatures. In fact the minimum temperature for the month was only 46 degrees, which was also an all-time record. A daily record high of 85 degrees was set on March 29th, and a total of six daily record high minimum temperature records were broken as several nights only fell into the mid to upper 60s. A total of only 4 freeze events (days with minimum temperature less than or equal to 32 degrees) were recorded during the winter of 2011-12, this is below the average number of 11 freeze events for the winter season. This is the fewest amount since the winter of 1997-98.

Courtesy of Jason Hess of the Jacksonville National Weather Service Office, a list of the warmest first quarters of the year at St. Simons Island. Much thanks!

BRUNSWICK MALCOLM MCKINNON AP (KSSI)
Extremes
Highest Average Average Temperature degrees F
Days: 1/1 - 3/31
Length of period: 90 days
Years: 1948-2012

Rank Value Ending Date
1 62.1 3/31/1974
2 61.1 3/31/2012
3 60.4 3/31/1949
4 60.1 3/31/1950
5 59.3 3/31/1997
6 58.9 3/31/1990
7 58.6 3/31/1989
8 58.4 3/31/1975
9 58.2 3/31/1953
10 57.7 3/31/1957

Ending Date is the last day of the 90-day period.
Only periods with no missing data were evaluated.

On April 2nd St. Simons Island set a new record high temperature of 89, beating the old record of 87 set in 2006.

On April 2nd St. Simons Island tied its record high minimum temperature of 67, originally set in 1979.

On April 3rd ST. Simons Island tied its record high minimum temperature of 68, originally set in 1979.

Date..................actual..............normal................departure.............notes

April 1...............61.7 / 81.1.......55.1 / 71.7...........+8.0
April 2...............64.9 / 86.7.......55.4 / 71.9..........+12.1
April 3...............65.8 / 82.8.......55.5 / 72.1..........+10.5

Highs for 2012

40s..........2
50s..........7
60s..........31
70s..........43
80s..........11

Lows for 2012

20s..........3
30s..........7
40s..........21
50s..........34
60s..........29

8 day model forecast graphic:

March 2012

2012-03-01T19:13:00.054-08:00

March is usually a mild and pleasant month. Seabreezes cool the afternoons and keep us considerably milder than inland, where temps reach the 70s with ease and 80s frequently. The past 2 Marches we have not had to use our air conditioning. We will see how that goes. March averages 3.88" of rain, up from 3.47" in February. Most of this increase comes from the longer month. The average temperature for March is 60.8 degrees, up 5.8 degrees from February.

February 2012 was very warm, with a temperature averaging 4.8 degrees above normal. All our winter months have averaged more than 4 degrees above normal, which may be a unique occurrence. February continued our dry streak as well, although some significant rains on February 19th, 22nd, and 27th helped. I hope that pattern continues in March!

During February 2012 3 new record daily highs were set and 1 daily record high was tied. List is below. One new record high low was also set, which tied the record for the warmest low in February. No record lows or precipitation records were set during February.

February 5, record high, 81, old record 80 set in 1997
February 19, 82, tying old record of 82, set in 1956
February 23, record high low of 65, breaking old record of 62 in 1975
February 23, record high, 82, old record 80 set in 1996
February 24, record high, 84, old record 82 in 1962

On March 21 St. Simons Island tied its record for the warmest daily low, 66 degrees. The original record was set in 1982

On March 22 St. Simons Island broke its record for the warmest daily low. 69, breaking the original record of 63 set in 1972. This also was the warmest low so early in the year.

On March 23 St. Simons Island broke its record for the warmest daily low. 69, breaking the original record of 66 set in 1952.

On March 24 St. Simons Island broke its record for the warmest daily low. 68, breaking the original record of 66 set in 1991.

On March 29 St. Simons Island broke its record for the warmest daily high. 85, breaking the record of 83 in 1974.

The technical weather discussion from the Jacksonville weather office can be read here.

St. Simons Island's official weather observations for the past 72 hours can be viewed here.

MARCH WEATHER DIARY

March 1...........62.4 / 75.4.......48.6 / 66.1............+11.5
March 2...........63.5 / 79.2.......48.9 / 66.2............+13.8
March 3...........58.3 / 77.0.......49.1 / 66.4..............+9.8..........3.29" rain
March 4...........41.5 / 61.0.......49.2 / 66.6...............-6.6..........0.96" rain........29.68" (1005.2 mb)
March 5...........40.6 / 72.9.......49.4 / 66.8...............-1.3..........record rise from morning low to afternoon high 32.3
March 6...........47.3 / 65.8.......49.5 / 67.0...............-1.7
March 7...........58.8 / 72.7.......49.6 / 67.2..............+7.3..........30.51" (1033.0 mb)
March 8...........59.4 / 75.4.......49.8 / 67.3..............+8.3
March 9...........60.1 / 79.0.......49.9 / 67.4............+10.9...........0.46" rain....last day of mid winter.
March 10.........55.2 / 64.2.......50.1 / 64.2..............+0.8...........first day of late winter
March 11.........58.3 / 70.7.......50.4 / 67.8..............+5.4
March 12.........59.2 / 73.0.......50.7 / 67.9..............+6.8
March 13.........58.3 / 75.9.......50.9 / 68.1..............+7.6
March 14.........59.9 / 78.8.......51.1 / 68.3..............+9.6
March 15.........58.6 / 78.6.......51.5 / 68.5..............+8.6
March 16.........60.3 / 79.5.......51.8 / 68.8..............+9.6
March 17.........60.8 / 80.2.......52.1 / 69.0..............+9.9
March 18.........60.4 / 79.3.......52.3 / 69.1..............+9.1
March 19.........59.7 / 79.0.......52.6 / 69.3..............+8.4
March 20.........62.2 / 80.2.......52.7 / 69.5.............+10.1
March 21.........63.0 / 80.6.......52.9 / 69.7.............+10.5...........0.02" rain
March 22.........64.9 / 80.6.......53.0 / 69.8.............+11.3...........last day of late winter
March 23.........65.7 / 80.6.......53.2 / 70.0.............+11.5...........first day of early spring....0.60" rain
March 24.........64.8 / 80.1.......53.3 / 70.2.............+10.7...........0.07" rain
March 25.........56.8 / 75.6.......53.6 / 70.4...............+2.7...........0.01" rain
March 26.........55.8 / 79.2.......53.9 / 70.6...............+5.2
March 27.........57.6 / 72.1.......54.1 / 70.8...............+2.4
March 28.........62.6 / 80.6.......54.2 / 70.9...............+9.0
March 29.........62.1 / 84.7.......54.4 / 71.1.............+10.6
March 30.........61.2 / 81.7.......54.6 / 71.2...............+8.5
March 31.........64.2 / 72.1.......54.9 / 71.4...............+5.0...........0.43" rain

Highs for 2012

40s..........2
50s..........7
60s..........31
70s..........43
80s..........8

Lows for 2012

20s..........3
30s..........7
40s..........21
50s..........34
60s..........26

8 day model forecast graphic:

February 2012

2012-02-01T19:17:00.028-08:00

January was warmer than normal and very dry! We had a sharp freeze on January 3-4, but much of the month was warm. The average temperature at KSSI was 55.6 degrees, which is 4.1 degrees above normal.

Rainfall was very low, 0.45", which is 2.77" below normal. A very discouraging start to the year. Perhaps this will be the 7th lean year in a row for rain. We had been hoping not after the exceptionally dry years of 2010 and 2011. But we get what we get.

We tied one record during January. On January 24, we tied our record for the warmest low temperature, 59 degrees. The record was previously set in 2002.

February is a transition month here, but still wintry by our standards. Days are cooler than you might thing in south GA, being moderated by the cool ocean. Freezes are half as frequent as in January, however. And by late in the month, even afternoon temperatures start to rise enough to notice.

The average rainfall increases slightly in February, to 3.47", vs 3.22" in January. I really hope we exceed the normal! Average temperature in February is 54.3 degrees, up 2.9 degrees from January.

The technical weather discussion from the Jacksonville weather office can be read here.

St. Simons Island's official weather observations for the past 72 hours can be viewed here.

FEBRUARY WEATHER DIARY

Feb 1...........52.3 / 71.2.......43.2 / 60.7............+9.8
Feb 2...........56.7 / 72.5.......43.3 / 60.8..........+12.5
Feb 3...........55.4 / 66.4.......43.4 / 61.0............+8.7
Feb 4...........57.6 / 72.7.......43.6 / 61.1..........+12.8
Feb 5...........58.8 / 76.6.......43.8 / 61.3..........+15.1
Feb 6...........56.3 / 62.1.......44.1 / 61.5...........+6.4
Feb 7...........49.5 / 62.1.......44.3 / 61.6...........+2.8
Feb 8...........45.9 / 68.2.......44.5 / 61.7...........+3.9
Feb 9...........41.5 / 62.8.......44.6 / 61.9............-1.1
Feb 10.........53.6 / 63.0.......44.8 / 62.1...........+4.8.............0.03" rain
Feb 11.........32.7 / 59.2.......44.9 / 62.3............-7.6.............0.01" rain
Feb 12.........24.3 / 47.3.......45.0 / 62.4..........-17.9
Feb 13.........26.8 / 54.5.......45.2 / 62.5..........-13.2
Feb 14.........42.4 / 63.5.......45.4 / 62.6...........-1.0..............0.07" rain
Feb 15.........55.0 / 60.4.......45.4 / 62.8..........+3.5..............0.13" rain
Feb 16.........55.4 / 72.5.......45.6 / 63.0..........+9.6
Feb 21.........47.8 / 64.9.......46.5 / 64.0..........+1.1
Feb 22.........51.1 / 72.9.......46.7 / 64.3..........+6.5..............0.36" rain
Feb 23.........63.3 / 80.6.......47.0 / 64.5.........+16.2
Feb 24.........57.4 / 83.1.......47.3 / 64.7.........+14.2.............0.06" rain
Feb 25.........45.5 / 59.0.......47.5 / 65.0...........-4.0..............37.6° degree drop
Feb 26.........43.3 / 59.0.......47.7 / 65.1...........-5.2..............0.05" rain
Feb 27.........56.5 / 63.9.......47.9 / 65.3..........+3.6..............0.81" rain
Feb 28.........58.5 / 65.1.......48.2 / 65.6..........+4.9
Feb 29.........56.7 / 78.3.......48.5 / 65.9..........+10.3

Highs for 2012

40s..........2
50s..........7
60s..........28
70s..........19
80s..........4

Lows for 2012

20s..........3
30s..........7
40s..........18
50s..........30
60s..........2

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE
0526 PM EST SUN FEB 05 2012

...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT ST SIMONS ISLAND...

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 81 DEGREES WAS SET AT ST SIMONS ISLAND
TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 80 SET IN 1997.

**************************************************************

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE
0526 PM EST SUN FEB 19 2012

...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT ST SIMONS ISLAND...

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 82 DEGREES WAS SET AT ST SIMONS ISLAND TODAY.
THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 82 SET IN 1956.

**************************************************************

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE
715 PM EST THU FEB 23 2012

...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT ST SIMONS ISLAND...

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 82 DEGREES WAS SET AT ST SIMONS ISLAND
TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 80 SET IN 1996.

The Jax NWS office didn't issue a statement for this, but the record for the highest low temperature has also been broken for February 23. The low was 65, breaking the record of 62 in 1975. This ties the record for the warmest monthly low in February, which was also set on February 14, 1950.

****************************************************************

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE
0527 PM EST FRI FEB 24 2012

...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT ST SIMONS ISLAND...

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 84 DEGREES WAS SET AT ST SIMONS ISLAND TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 82 SET IN 1962.

****************************************************************

0610 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 6 NNE BRUNSWICK 31.22N 81.42W
02/24/2012 GLYNN GA PUBLIC

THE PUBLIC REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD BETWEEN BRUNSWICK AND
ST SIMONS ISLAND.

8 day model forecast graphic:

January and a few 2011 highlights.

2012-01-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

2011 continued to be very dry, with a rainfall of 29.25", the third lowest annual total since records began in 1948. It was better than the 24.27" of 2010, but not much better. This is the first time that we have had two consecutive years below 30". We also had a very hot summer, with a record total of 90+ days for the year. I hope this year will be wetter! Heck, 3 feet of rain this year would be nice.

August 2011 was our hottest August on record. We also set a record for the most days of 90 or higher (30), and had our second longest streak of consecutive 90+ days.

December 2011 was warm and dry. No freezes occurred during the month. That is a bit unusual, but not rare. A coming arctic cold wave assures we will have freezes during the first week of January. The lack of freezes has allowed a lot of gnats to survive, which is annoying.

December had an average temperature of 58.7, which is 4.6 degrees above normal. Rainfall was 1.32", exactly half of the average monthly total of 2.64". Warm and dry. Again. Almost all the rain fell on December 12th.

January is normally our coldest month, with an average temperature of 51.4 degrees according to the 1981-2010 normals. January also averages a little wetter than December, with a monthly total of 3.20". I hope we are above average this month. That may not mean much--both 2010 and 2011 saw rainfall near or above normal in January, before the rest of the year became crackingly dry.

The latest monthly normals for 1981-2010 vs 1971-2000 show January having 0.48" less rain and being 0.3 degrees colder.

The technical weather discussion from the Jacksonville weather office can be read here.

St. Simons Island's official weather observations for the past 72 hours can be viewed here.

Some records I keep for extremes in our area (since November 22, 2003)

Record high....... June 14, 2010...................................98.4
Highest low........July 9, 2005......................................80.4
Lowest high.......January 9, 2010.................................35.4
Lowest low.........December 14, 2010...........................21.7
Highest waves (buoy 41008).....February 27, 2005........13.8 feet
Lowest waves...(same buoy)....many dates..................0.7 feet
Highest pressure......January 3, 2008..........................30.75" / 1041.2 mb
Lowest pressure.......March 2, 2010............................29.43" / 996.8 mb
Highest wind..............May 21, 2008............................47 mph sustained, gust 66 mph
Heaviest rain..............October 4, 2005........................6.78"
................................October 5, 2005........................7.94" {Tropical storm Tammy}

Altamaha River
Highest stage / greatest flow.........April 11, 2009.....................14.58 feet / 96,500 cfs
Lowest state / lowest flow.............September 18, 2011............0.87 feet / 1,170 cfs

Tidal departure

April 15, 2007......................-3.50 feet

August 22, 2008..................+4.01 feet {Tropical storm Fay}

Date..............actual..............normal................departure.............notes

JANUARY WEATHER DIARY

Jan 1...........52.9 / 70.2.......43.6 / 60.4...........+9.5
Jan 2...........40.1 / 62.2.......43.6 / 60.4............-0.8
Jan 3...........28.4 / 41.7.......43.6 / 60.4...........-16.9
Jan 4...........25.2 / 51.3.......43.6 / 60.3...........-13.7
Jan 5...........36.9 / 62.8.......43.5 / 60.3...........-2.0
Jan 6...........41.7 / 65.8.......43.4 / 60.3..........+1.9
Jan 7...........46.8 / 68.9.......43.4 / 60.3..........+6.0
Jan 8...........50.0 / 71.1.......43.3 / 60.1..........+8.8
Jan 9...........52.3 / 70.2.......43.2 / 60.2..........+9.5
Jan 10.........50.5 / 68.0.......43.3 / 60.3..........+7.5
Jan 11.........53.4 / 64.9.......43.3 / 60.3..........+7.3.........0.46" rain.....29.67" (1004.7 mb)
Jan 12.........46.8 / 68.7.......43.2 / 60.3..........+6.0
Jan 13.........36.3 / 59.2.......43.0 / 60.2...........-3.8
Jan 14.........31.3 / 52.7.......42.9 / 60.2...........-9.5
Jan 15.........37.8 / 59.7.......42.7 / 60.2...........-2.7........30.50" / 1032.8 mb
Jan 16.........40.8 / 62.6.......42.6 / 60.1..........+0.3........30.55" / 1034.5 mb
Jan 17.........47.7 / 70.3.......42.6 / 60.1..........+7.6
Jan 18.........45.5 / 64.0.......42.5 / 60.1..........+3.4........0.03" rain....coldest daily average temp for year
Jan 19.........35.4 / 57.4.......42.5 / 60.1...........-4.9.......coldest daily average temp for year
Jan 20.........43.3 / 70.7.......42.6 / 60.3..........+5.5
Jan 21.........55.2 / 71.2.......42.7 / 60.2........+11.2
Jan 22.........55.0 / 63.5.......42.6 / 60.1..........+7.9
Jan 23.........54.9 / 68.7.......42.6 / 60.1........+10.4
Jan 24.........58.6 / 71.1.......42.7 / 60.2........+13.4
Jan 25.........57.7 / 70.0.......42.7 / 60.3........+12.3
Jan 26.........58.6 / 72.3.......42.7 / 60.2........+14.0
Jan 27.........49.5 / 69.3.......42.7 / 60.2.........+7.9........0.04" rain
Jan 28.........43.5 / 67.1.......42.7 / 60.3.........+3.8
Jan 29.........41.2 / 59.7.......42.8 / 60.4..........-1.1
Jan 30.........35.1 / 62.6.......42.9 / 60.5..........-2.8
Jan 31.........40.6 / 67.5.......43.0 / 60.6.........+2.2

Highs for 2012

40s..........1
50s..........4
60s..........13
70s..........13

Lows for 2012

20s..........1
30s..........6
40s..........12
50s..........11
60s..........1

Freezes: 2

On January 24 St. Simons Island tied their record warmest low temperature of 59 degrees. The record was originally set in 2002.

8 day model forecast graphic:

December, the onset of winter.

2011-12-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

November was a little warmer than normal and, as has been typical for the past two years, a drier than normal month. The average temperature was 62.6, 0.8 degrees above normal. Rainfall was 1.15", 0.88" below normal. Rainfall was 57% of normal.

Despite that, a daily rainfall record was set on November 23, with 0.73". The old record was not much, 0.09" in 1977. That was the only record of any kind set in November.

December is usually a little wetter than November, rainfall increasing to 2.62" from 2.03", or 30%. Let's hope we have a wet December to close out the year!

December has falling temperatures through the month, but not in an intuitive way. During the first week of December average temperatures fall the fastest of the year, not in October or November as you might expect. December 4th has the greatest temperature fall of any day of the year, with a fall of 0.45 degrees. December 5th and 12th are in second place with a daily fall of 0.4 degrees. No other days have a fall of 0.4 degrees or more. There is also a pause in the temperature fall from December 15-18. On December 1, the average high is 66.5 and by December 31 the average high has fallen to 60.4, a fall of 6.1 degrees. On December 1 the average low is 49.7, which falls to 43.7 by December 31, a fall of 6.0 degrees.

On December 7, St. Simons Island tied its record high of 79. This record was originally set in 1971.

On December 7-8, at my home the temperature dropped 39.7°F from high to low. This ties the greatest temperature change in 24 hours or less since I started observations in November 2003.

The forecast discussion from the Jacksonville National Weather Service Office is linked here.

The weather observations for the last 72 hours at Malcom-McKinnon airport on St. Simons Island are here.

Date..............actual..............normal................departure.............notes

Dec 1...........37.2 / 60.6.......49.7 / 66.5............-9.2
Dec 2...........41.4 / 62.2.......49.5 / 66.3............-6.2
Dec 3...........41.9 / 63.9.......49.2 / 66.0............-4.7
Dec 4...........58.8 / 67.3.......48.6 / 65.7...........+5.9
Dec 5...........57.4 / 74.5.......48.2 / 65.3...........+9.2
Dec 6...........58.1 / 71.2.......47.9 / 65.1...........+8.1
Dec 7...........41.5 / 76.6.......47.7 / 64.8...........+2.8..............0.04" rain...sustained wind 28 mph gust to 45 mph
Dec 8...........36.9 / 55.0.......47.4 / 64.5...........-10.0.............39.7°F drop from high to low
Dec 9...........44.8 / 62.8.......47.1 / 64.2............-1.8
Dec 10.........51.4 / 56.5.......46.9 / 64.0............-1.5
Dec 11.........52.7 / 56.7.......46.6 / 63.7............-0.4
Dec 12.........46.4 / 54.7.......46.2 / 63.3............-4.2..............1.22" rain
Dec 13.........48.4 / 62.1.......45.9 / 62.9...........+0.8
Dec 14.........49.5 / 66.4.......45.7 / 62.7...........+3.7
Dec 15.........52.3 / 71.4.......45.5 / 62.6...........+7.8
Dec 16.........52.9 / 70.9.......45.5 / 62.4...........+7.9
Dec 17.........47.8 / 69.8.......45.5 / 62.4...........+4.8...............0.01" rain
Dec 18.........39.4 / 58.5.......45.6 / 62.3............-5.0
Dec 19.........45.3 / 68.0.......45.5 / 62.2...........+2.8
Dec 20.........54.5 / 71.4.......45.5 / 62.0...........+9.2
Dec 21.........59.9 / 70.9.......45.4 / 61.9..........+11.7
Dec 22.........61.0 / 72.9.......45.2 / 61.7..........+13.5
Dec 23.........61.9 / 72.3.......45.1 / 61.6..........+13.7..............0.01" rain
Dec 24.........52.9 / 64.8.......45.0 / 61.5...........+5.6
Dec 25.........56.3 / 67.5.......44.9 / 61.4...........+8.7...............0.01" rain
Dec 26.........51.6 / 60.6.......44.7 / 61.3...........+2.6
Dec 27.........47.8 / 65.7.......44.5 / 61.1...........+3.9...............0.35" rain
Dec 28.........41.0 / 58.5.......44.3 / 60.9............-2.8
Dec 29.........40.6 / 59.4.......44.1 / 60.7............-2.4
Dec 30.........41.9 / 64.2.......43.9 / 60.6...........+0.8
Dec 31.........53.8 / 70.5.......43.7 / 60.4..........+10.1

The totals for highs and lows are official readings at KSSI, not temperatures I record at home.

Highs for 2011

40s...........4
50s.........26
60s.........58
70s.........94
80s.........109
90s.........73
100s.........1

Lows for 2011

20s..........4
30s.........17
40s.........47
50s.........92
60s.........65
70s.......131
80s...........9

Freezes.....6

8 day model forecast graphic:

November, the finest month!

2011-11-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

November has the finest weather on St. Simons Island. We like winter, and we have it to look forward to. But sometimes it is too cold, although almost never very long. But November is a mild, dry month. The driest month of the year! And almost always mild. Sometimes warm or cool, but almost never hot or cold. Some Novembers stay below 80 and never reach 40.

Temperatures continue to fall steadily through November. November 1st starts the month with an average high of 73.0 and an average low of 56.9 By November 30 the average high has fallen to 66.6 and the average low to 49.8 Rainfall is light during November, and the majority of Novembers do not have a day receiving an inch of rainfall. Snow, sleet, or ice have never been recorded.

October was a cool and dry month. Our rainfall (again) was well below normal. We received 2.25", and were 2.21" below normal. Barely 50%. An improvement from the 1/3 of normal rainfall we received in September. But still. Rainfall so far this year has been 26.78" officially, and ended October 13.55" below normal.

On October 2nd, St. Simons Island tied its record low of 51. This record was also set in 1984.

On October 15th, St. Simons Island tied its record high of 86. This record was also set in 1972.

October 19 also saw our pressure fall to 29.44" / 997.0 mb. This was our second lowest pressure reading in the past 8 years when I started keeping records.

The technical weather discussion from the Jacksonville weather office can be read here.

St. Simons Island's official weather observations for the past 72 hours can be viewed here.

Date..............actual..............normal................departure.............notes

Nov 1...........48.9 / 64.9.......56.9 / 73.0............-8.0
Nov 2...........51.3 / 69.1.......56.5 / 72.7............-4.4
Nov 3...........54.7 / 73.8.......56.3 / 72.4............-0.1
Nov 4...........49.8 / 68.0.......56.1 / 72.2............-5.3...............0.03" rain
Nov 5...........51.4 / 58.6.......55.9 / 72.1............-9.0
Nov 6...........52.7 / 63.0.......55.7 / 71.9............-5.9
Nov 7...........59.0 / 70.3.......55.5 / 71.6...........+1.1
Nov 8...........60.1 / 70.5.......55.1 / 71.4...........+2.0
Nov 9...........54.0 / 72.1.......54.9 / 71.2.............0.0
Nov 10.........48.6 / 77.0.......54.6 / 70.9............+0.0
Nov 11.........39.4 / 64.0.......54.4 / 70.7...........-10.8...............37.6 degree drop
Nov 12.........37.8 / 64.4.......54.1 / 70.5...........-11.2
Nov 13.........49.5 / 73.0.......54.0 / 70.3............-0.9
Nov 14.........56.8 / 74.5.......53.7 / 70.2...........+3.7
Nov 15.........62.4 / 76.3.......53.4 / 70.0...........+7.6...............last day of late fall
Nov 16.........64.4 / 76.1.......53.0 / 69.7...........+8.6...............first day of early winter
Nov 17.........50.2 / 74.5.......52.7 / 69.4...........+1.3...............0.21" rain
Nov 18.........48.6 / 62.2.......52.3 / 69.1............-5.3
Nov 19.........53.6 / 69.4.......52.0 / 68.8...........+1.1
Nov 20.........59.9 / 76.3.......51.6 / 68.6...........+8.0
Nov 21.........62.1 / 77.0.......51.4 / 68.4...........+9.6
Nov 22.........60.1 / 77.0.......51.2 / 68.2...........+9.0...............0.01" rain
Nov 23.........55.9 / 74.5.......50.9 / 68.0...........+5.7...............0.56" rain
Nov 24.........50.2 / 63.1.......50.7 / 67.9............-2.6
Nov 25.........49.1 / 68.0.......50.4 / 67.6............-0.4
Nov 26.........59.4 / 72.1.......50.2 / 67.4...........+6.9
Nov 27.........63.5 / 73.2.......50.1 / 67.2...........+9.7
Nov 28.........52.2 / 74.5.......50.0 / 67.0...........+4.8...............0.28" rain....last day of early winter
Nov 29.........41.7 / 56.5.......49.9 / 66.8............-9.2...............first day of mid winter
Nov 30.........38.1 / 55.2.......49.8 / 66.6...........-11.5

Highs for 2011

40s...........4
50s.........22
60s.........44
70s.........81
80s.........109
90s.........73
100s.........1

Lows for 2011

20s..........4
30s.........17
40s.........33
50s.........79
60s.........61
70s.......131
80s...........9

Freezes.......6

8 day model forecast graphic:

The Hunt for Wet October

2011-10-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

September 2011 was warmer and drier than average. The temperature departure was not exceptional, with the average being 79.1 degrees, 1.0 degrees above normal. Despite the above average temperature for the month, two record lows were recorded on September 8 & 9, breaking the old record lows by 1 degree on both days.

Rainfall was exactly 1/3 of the average, 1.92" vs. an average of 5.76".

As was the case last year, October finds us in continuing drought. We have exceeded last year's rainfall total already, but we are more than 11" below normal for the year.

October is a pleasant month on St. Simons Island, with summer gradually losing its grip. Temperature averages are somewhat misleading, since this is the season of our "Lake Wobegon Days" when most of our days are above average. How can this be? The answer is that we are an island, and the ocean is warm. Cold snaps can bring us down 10 or 15 degrees below normal for a day or two, then the maritime influence reasserts itself, with long stretches of days 2, 3, 4 degrees above normal. About 70% of our days in October have above average temperatures!

Average daily rainfall decreases rapidly through October. October 1 averages 0.177" of rain. By October 31 this falls to less than half, with a 0.086" daily average. Average temperatures fall steadily through the month, with October 1 averaging 67.1 / 81.1, falling to 57.2 / 73.3 by October 31. These are the 1971-2000 averages, and new averages for the 1981-2010 period will be available shortly. I will begin using these new averages when they become available.

The technical weather discussion from the Jacksonville weather office can be read here.

St. Simons Island's official weather observations for the past 72 hours can be viewed here.

Date..............actual..............normal................departure.............notes

Oct 1...........57.4 / 74.5.......67.1 / 81.1............-8.1
Oct 2...........48.9 / 73.4.......66.7 / 80.8..........-12.6
Oct 3...........49.8 / 75.7.......66.4 / 80.6..........-10.7
Oct 4...........54.5 / 77.9.......66.1 / 80.3............-7.0
Oct 5...........59.7 / 78.1.......65.7 / 80.0............-3.9.................last day of early fall
Oct 6...........63.1 / 80.4.......65.3 / 79.7............-0.7.................first day of mid fall
Oct 7...........67.8 / 81.1.......64.9 / 79.4..........+2.3
Oct 8...........67.8 / 78.6.......64.6 / 79.1..........+1.3..................0.37" rain
Oct 9...........67.6 / 75.6.......64.2 / 78.9..........+0.0..................0.21" rain
Oct 10.........70.0 / 80.6.......63.9 / 78.6..........+4.0..................0.54" rain........Wind 25 Gust 43
Oct 11.........69.3 / 82.9.......63.5 / 78.3..........+5.2..................0.07" rain
Oct 12.........69.4 / 81.1.......63.2 / 78.1..........+4.6..................0.02" rain
Oct 13.........63.5 / 82.2.......62.9 / 77.8..........+2.5..................0.11" rain........29.67" (1004.7 mb)
Oct 14.........59.9 / 77.7.......62.5 / 77.6...........-1.2
Oct 15.........56.7 / 82.8.......62.1 / 77.4............0.0
Oct 16.........58.5 / 79.2.......61.9 / 77.1...........-0.6
Oct 17.........58.5 / 81.3.......61.7 / 76.8..........+0.6
Oct 18.........68.4 / 77.0.......61.4 / 76.6..........+3.7..................0.57" rain........29.58" (1001.5 mb)
Oct 19.........53.2 / 76.6.......61.2 / 76.4...........-3.9..................0.08" rain........29.44" (997.0 mb)
Oct 20.........46.2 / 64.4.......60.9 / 76.2..........-13.2
Oct 21.........44.4 / 67.1.......60.7 / 75.9..........-12.5
Oct 22.........45.1 / 67.3.......60.3 / 75.7..........-11.8
Oct 23.........49.1 / 71.1.......60.0 / 75.4............-7.6.................last day of mid fall
Oct 24.........54.1 / 72.7.......59.6 / 75.1............-3.9.................first day of late fall
Oct 25.........51.3 / 75.4.......59.2 / 74.9............-3.7
Oct 26.........58.3 / 75.7.......58.9 / 74.7...........+0.2
Oct 27.........63.9 / 79.2.......58.7 / 74.5...........+4.9
Oct 28.........64.6 / 77.0.......58.4 / 74.2...........+4.5..................0.01" rain
Oct 29.........48.9 / 68.9.......58.0 / 73.9............-7.0..................0.39" rain
Oct 30.........48.7 / 66.7.......57.6 / 73.6............-7.9
Oct 31.........55.4 / 68.5.......57.2 / 73.3............-3.3..................0.04" rain

8 day model forecast graphic:

Highs for 2011

40s...........4
50s.........20
60s.........36
70s.........61
80s.........109
90s.........73
100s.........1

Lows for 2011

20s..........4
30s.........15
40s.........30
50s.........62
60s.........53
70s.......131
80s...........9

Freezes.......6

On October 2nd, St. Simons Island tied its record low of 51. This record was also set in 1984.

On October 15th, St. Simons Island tied its record high of 86. This record was also set in 1972.

The noreaster of October 8th to the 12th, long heralded by models, was disappointing. For days the weather computer models showed us getting 6" of rain or more. Officially we got less than an inch, and 1.21" at my house. That was nice, but didn't put much of a dent in the drought.

The storm of Oct 18-19 did not bring heavy rains or destructive winds but did bring our second lowest pressure of the past 8 years, with a minimum of 29.44" (997.0 mb.)

September--the long sunburnt afternoon of summer.

2011-09-01T17:54:00.001-07:00

August was extraordinarily hot. We had a monthly average of 85.3, our warmest August on record, breaking the record set last year. We reached 90 or more for the last 30 days of the month, the most 90 degree days ever recorded in August, and our second longest streak of 90 degrees or higher on record. We did not reach 90 on September 1st, so our record for consecutive days of 90+ is safe for the year.

September is a summer month in south GA. Warm and as humid as any month. For the first 2 weeks of September, heat continues as in August---after that some cool fronts can come and temper the heat from time to time. Rainfall begins to decrease dramatically the last week of the month.

Average high temperatures fall at a slowly accelerating rate by 5.7 degrees between August 31 and September 30. Low temperatures fall very slowly during the first 10 days of September, then speed up their fall, decreasing by 6.1 degrees between August 31 and September 30. About half of Septembers get down into the 50s, and I hope this year is one of them!

A web briefing by the JAX NWS office about the summer of 2011 can be viewed here.

The technical weather discussion from the JAX wx office can be read here.

And the official climate reports for St. Simons Island and other local stations can be viewed here.

And the weather observations for St. Simons Island for the past 72 hours can be viewed here.

Date..............actual..............normal................departure.............notes

Sep 1...........74.3 / 85.8.......73.6 / 86.7...........-0.1
Sep 2...........68.9 / 85.5.......73.6 / 86.6...........-2.9
Sep 3...........71.1 / 86.0.......73.5 / 86.5...........-1.4
Sep 4...........70.9 / 86.7.......73.5 / 86.4...........-1.1....................1.00" rain
Sep 5...........70.9 / 87.6.......73.3 / 86.2...........-0.5....................0.07" rain
Sep 6...........70.9 / 82.0.......73.3 / 86.1...........-3.2....................lowest average diurnal range.
Sep 7...........64.4 / 82.4.......73.2 / 86.0...........-6.2....................lowest average diurnal range.
Sep 8...........61.7 / 80.6.......73.0 / 85.9...........-8.3
Sep 9...........63.1 / 83.8.......72.8 / 85.8...........-5.8
Sep 10.........67.1 / 84.6.......72.7 / 85.6...........-3.3
Sep 11.........70.9 / 85.8.......72.5 / 85.4...........-0.6
Sep 12.........70.9 / 86.2.......72.3 / 85.2...........-0.2
Sep 13.........68.9 / 87.6.......72.1 / 85.1...........-0.3
Sep 14.........71.4 / 85.3.......71.9 / 84.9...........-0.0
Sep 15.........72.0 / 91.0.......71.7 / 84.7..........+3.3
Sep 16.........70.9 / 82.0.......71.6 / 84.6...........-1.6
Sep 17.........62.8 / 75.7.......71.3 / 84.4...........-8.6
Sep 18.........64.4 / 75.9.......71.1 / 84.2...........-7.5...................0.87 feet / 1,170 cfs flow in Altamaha river.
Sep 19.........66.9 / 80.4.......70.8 / 84.0...........-3.7
Sep 20.........71.2 / 82.4.......70.6 / 83.8...........-0.4...................0.41" rain
Sep 21.........72.1 / 82.6.......70.4 / 83.7..........+0.3...................0.12" rain
Sep 22.........73.0 / 86.0.......70.1 / 83.5..........+2.7...................last day of late summer
Sep 23.........72.5 / 86.0.......69.9 / 83.3..........+2.6...................first day of early fall.......0.14" rain
Sep 24.........70.9 / 85.6.......69.5 / 83.1..........+1.9
Sep 25.........70.9 / 88.0.......69.3 / 82.8..........+3.4...................0.73" rain
Sep 26.........68.7 / 85.6.......69.0 / 82.5..........+1.4...................0.55" rain
Sep 27.........69.4 / 85.1.......68.7 / 82.2..........+1.8
Sep 28.........71.8 / 87.6.......68.3 / 81.9..........+4.6
Sep 29.........68.5 / 83.1.......67.9 / 81.6..........+1.0
Sep 30.........69.6 / 86.7.......67.6 / 81.3..........+3.7

Highs for 2011

40s...........4
50s.........20
60s.........33
70s.........47
80s.........95
90s.........73
100s.........1

Lows for 2011

20s..........4
30s.........15
40s.........27
50s.........49
60s.........44
70s.......125
80s...........9

Freezes.......6

On September 8, St. Simons Island had a record low of 63, breaking the old record low of 64 set in 1972.
On September 9, St. Simons Island had a record low of 64, breaking the old record low of 65 set in 1956.

Light In August

2011-08-01T18:40:00.000-07:00

August is a slow, sluggish month. Sometimes I think it is the longest month of the year. The days shorten steadily, yet temperatures do not respond much. Nighttime temperatures barely fall at all. Daytime highs fall nearly twice as much as nighttime lows--more than 2 degrees, vs 1.

And yet there are some changes compared to July. August is our rainiest month of the year, according to our new climate normals for 1981-2010, that honor previously belonging to September. And towards the end of the month, there is a change to the quality of light--by the end of August the sun fails to reach 70 degrees in altitude, even at solar noon. And tropical activity picks up markedly as August wears on.

August got to a good start this month, with 3.77" of rain in the home gauge before 4 a.m. Not a drought buster, but a drought denter, yes! It was our heaviest rain at home since 3.82" on August 31, 2009. Officially at KSSI there was 2.72", not a daily record.

Emily was not a factor. Irene won't be much of one besides marine influence.

Date..............actual..............normal................departure.............notes

Aug 1...........72.3 / 83.5.......75.2 / 89.3...........-4.3.....................3.77" rain
Aug 2...........74.7 / 88.0.......75.2 / 89.3...........-0.9
Aug 3...........74.5 / 90.5.......75.1 / 89.3..........+0.6
Aug 4...........77.9 / 95.4.......75.1 / 89.3..........+4.4
Aug 5...........78.3 / 90.7.......75.0 / 89.2..........+2.4
Aug 6...........78.4 / 89.1.......75.0 / 89.1..........+1.7
Aug 7...........78.3 / 94.6.......74.9 / 89.1..........+4.4
Aug 8...........77.2 / 94.5.......74.8 / 89.0..........+3.9
Aug 9...........74.5 / 94.6.......74.8 / 89.0..........+2.7.....................0.01" rain
Aug 10.........73.4 / 92.7.......74.8 / 88.9..........+1.2
Aug 11.........75.9 / 96.1.......74.7 / 88.8..........+4.2
Aug 12.........73.4 / 96.1.......74.7 / 88.7..........+3.0.....................0.03" rain
Aug 13.........71.2 / 89.6.......74.7 / 88.6...........-1.2.....................0.40" rain
Aug 14.........72.5 / 93.0.......74.7 / 88.5..........+1.1.....................0.29" rain
Aug 15..........74.3 / 92.5......74.7 / 88.4..........+1.8
Aug 16..........70.7 / 89.8......74.6 / 88.3...........-1.9
Aug 17..........72.0 / 88.0......74.6 / 88.2...........-1.4....................0.11" rain
Aug 18..........75.2 / 88.7......74.5 / 88.1..........+0.6
Aug 19..........72.1 / 87.8......74.5 / 88.0...........-1.3
Aug 20..........75.2 / 88.0......74.5 / 88.0..........+0.3
Aug 21..........76.6 / 88.9......74.4 / 87.9..........+1.6
Aug 22..........76.3 / 93.9......74.3 / 87.7..........+3.6
Aug 23..........75.6 / 87.1......74.2 / 87.6..........+0.4
Aug 24..........75.7 / 88.5......74.2 / 87.5..........+1.2
Aug 25..........72.7 / 89.2......74.1 / 87.4..........+0.2....................0.02" rain
Aug 26..........73.6 / 87.7......74.1 / 87.2..........+0.0....................0.28" rain..........29.66" (1004.5 mb)
Aug 27..........74.7 / 95.4......74.0 / 87.1..........+4.5....................29.58" (1001.7 mb)
Aug 28..........74.5 / 91.0......73.9 / 87.1..........+2.2....................29.66" (1002.9 mb)
Aug 29..........73.0 / 90.1......73.9 / 87.0..........+1.1
Aug 30..........75.2 / 88.3......73.8 / 87.0..........+1.3
Aug 31..........72.1 / 87.4......73.7 / 86.9...........-0.5....................0.32" rain

Highs

40s..........4
50s.........20
60s.........33
70s.........46
80s.........70
90s.........69
100s.........1

Lows

20s..........4
30s.........15
40s.........27
50s.........49
60s.........36
70s........104
80s...........8

Freezes.......6

A new record high was set on August 7, 98 degrees. This beat the old record of 97 set in 1984 and tied in 2008.
The record high for August 9 was tied, 97 degrees. This tied the old record of 97 set in 1972.
A new record high was set on August 11, 101 degrees. This beat the old record of 98 degrees set in 1968.
A new record high was set on August 15, 97 degrees. This beat the old record of 96 degrees set in 1948.

Since records on St. Simons Island began on August 12, 1948, this was the oldest surviving record.

A new record high was set on August 27, 99 degrees. This beat the old record of 98 degrees set in 1998. This is also the hottest day so late in the season.

We had a surprise rainshower in predawn hours of August 17 at 5:00 - 5:30 a.m. with 0.11". Not bad for 0% chance of rain! Not a droughtbuster by any means but welcome!

Also, the daily temperature norms have come out for St. Simons Island. A mild surprise was that January lows have been lowered. We have a good stretch of days with an average low of 42. The previous coldest average lows were 43. I await with interest the average temps to the tenth of a degree being released on the Southeastern Regional Climate Center website.

All other seasons of the year were revised upwards. We now have a long stretch of average lows of 76 and our highest average daily lows were previously 75, and the hottest average high of 91 has been expanded considerably.

August 19 marks the first day of being an hour or more shorter than the summer solstice. We are actually 1 hour 1 minute shorter this day. From now through the end of October our days will shorten rapidly. Temperatures will take longer to respond.

Hurricane Irene did not have much impact on St. Simons Island. At home we had 0.30" of rain on August 25-26. Breezy winds but nothing worth recording. Highest official sustained wind was 20 mph on August 25 and highest gust was 33 mph on August 26. Storm surge was 2.3 feet.

July, the summit of summer

2011-07-02T10:36:00.001-07:00

July is heat. Not the shimmering heat of the desert, but a cloying, humid heat that soaks the skin. Shirt collars wilt by 9 in the morning. The sun beats down with a palpable presence---almost overhead at the solar noon at the beginning of the month, and not much lower at it's end. Sea breezes still bring relief, although they are weaker than in June, and slowly weaken through the month. Temperatures do not vary much, with average temperatures rising by a tenth of a degree per day during the first week, with the rise slowing asymptotically towards its peak on July 24. Then, more than a month after the solstice, average temperatures peak and afterwards begin a slow, imperceptible decline.

With the seabreeze weaker, storms are more frequent, and they provide relief. Clouds gather and grow dark, the thunder rumbles, and a fat drop of rain plops down in front of your feet. Then another. And another. Suddenly, a current of rain falls down, and the temperature drops below the morning low. Ahhhhhhh! If the storm is early enough, the sun returns bringing back steamy heat. If the storm is late, a calm drippy night lies ahead, with temperatures staying constant or slowly rising as night goes on.

Tropical systems affecting us in July are rare. They do happen on occasion, but not nearly as often as the last week of August of the first half of September. We wait for action.

Date..............actual..............normal................departure.............notes

July 1...........72.3 / 85.8.......74.1 / 89.0...........-2.5
July 2...........73.6 / 86.5.......74.1 / 89.1...........-1.5
July 3...........73.0 / 86.2.......74.2 / 89.2...........-2.1
July 4...........73.8 / 87.4.......74.3 / 89.3...........-1.2
July 5...........74.7 / 91.4.......74.4 / 89.4..........+1.1
July 6...........76.8 / 89.2.......74.5 / 89.5..........+1.0
July 7...........74.5 / 88.5.......74.6 / 89.6...........-0.6
July 8...........76.5 / 81.9.......74.6 / 89.6...........-2.9....................0.02" rain
July 9...........75.6 / 90.0.......74.8 / 89.7..........+0.5....................0.03" rain
July 10.........74.5 / 89.6.......74.8 / 89.8...........-0.2
July 11.........74.3 / 89.1.......74.9 / 89.8...........-0.6
July 12.........75.2 / 90.0.......75.0 / 89.9..........+0.1....................last day of early summer
July 13.........78.1 / 94.5.......75.0 / 90.0..........+3.8....................first day of high summer
July 14.........78.1 / 90.0.......75.1 / 90.0..........+1.5
July 15.........71.2 / 80.4.......75.1 / 90.1...........-6.8....................2.62" rain
July 16.........74.5 / 81.7.......75.1 / 90.1...........-4.5....................0.08" rain
July 17.........75.9 / 85.8.......75.2 / 90.1...........-1.8
July 18.........72.9 / 85.1.......75.2 / 90.1...........-3.6
July 19.........70.7 / 89.2.......75.2 / 90.1...........-2.7
July 20.........73.4 / 94.8.......75.3 / 90.0..........+1.4
July 21.........77.0 / 91.8.......75.3 / 90.0..........+1.7
July 22.........76.8 / 91.9.......75.3 / 90.0..........+1.7
July 23.........75.4 / 89.8.......75.3 / 90.0...........-0.0
July 24.........76.3 / 91.4.......75.4 / 90.0..........+1.1.......highest daily average temperature / last day of high summer
July 25.........75.7 / 93.0.......75.4 / 89.9..........+1.7.......first day of late summer
July 26.........71.6 / 88.5.......75.3 / 89.8...........-2.5....................1.72" rain
July 27.........73.0 / 86.9.......75.3 / 89.7...........-2.0....................0.32" rain
July 28.........71.4 / 87.6.......75.3 / 89.7...........-3.0
July 29.........75.4 / 89.4.......75.3 / 89.6...........-0.0
July 30.........75.9 / 93.9.......75.2 / 89.5..........+2.5
July 31.........77.7 / 91.8.......75.2 / 89.4..........+2.0

Highs

40s.........4
50s.........20
60s.........33
70s.........46
80s.........69
90s.........40

Lows

20s.........4
30s.........15
40s.........27
50s.........49
60s.........36
70s.........78
80s.........3

Freezes.......6

Record daily rainfall July 15, 3.22" officially. Wettest St. Swithun's day on record! Also 6th heaviest daily rainfall recorded in July, and heaviest daily rainfall in July since July 13, 1978.

June Bugs

2011-06-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

June bugs me sometimes---the heavy storms of summer almost always are slower to arrive than I'd like, and the tropicas are (usually) quiet. However this year may be an exception---some of the model forecasts for the Caribbean from June 5th on are quite rambunctious! June is a warm month here, although not usually very hot. However, last year we had our highest temperature in 8 years of records at my home station on June 14th! So you never know!

Usually, rainfall increases during June as the atmosphere begins to moisten and the seabreezes that push showers inland weakens (slightly). However, this year may be an exception, as last year was. Our drought is of such long duration, and I see nothing in the patterns that wants to break it.

May was hot and dry, with an official rainfall of 0.58", 2.11" below normal for the month. Our yearly deficit started at 5.00" below normal at the beginning of May, and deepened to 7.11" below normal at the end of May. Our rainfall deficit has been more than 60" since January 1, 2006. Last year was our driest on record, going back to 1948. We had rainfall of 24.27" in 2010, exactly 24" below normal. This year rainfall has been 9.67" so far, which is 1.37" less than last year on this date. Will we have a new driest year on record? It's beginning to be a serious possibility.

May was warmer than normal, although the departure was not as great as in April. May had an average temp of of 75.3 at KSSI, which is 1.6 degrees above normal. The highest temperature was 92 on May 21st and the lowest was 54 on May 5th and 18th. Two records were tied, none were broken.

Date..................actual..............normal................departure.............notes

June 1...............72.5 / 88.5.......70.3 / 84.7...........+3.0
June 2...............73.4 / 85.1.......70.5 / 84.9...........+1.5
June 3...............71.8 / 87.6.......70.7 / 85.0...........+1.8
June 4...............72.7 / 85.8.......70.9 / 85.2...........+1.2
June 5...............71.8 / 89.8.......71.1 / 85.3...........+2.6
June 6...............74.3 / 88.3.......71.3 / 85.5...........+2.9
June 7...............74.1 / 86.2.......71.5 / 85.7...........+1.5
June 8...............71.6 / 84.4.......71.6 / 85.8............-0.7
June 9...............69.6 / 84.2.......71.7 / 85.9............-1.9
June 10.............68.7 / 85.1.......71.9 / 86.0............-2.0
June 11.............71.6 / 85.3.......72.0 / 86.2............-0.6
June 12.............70.7 / 86.5.......72.1 / 86.4............-0.6
June 13.............75.0 / 91.6.......72.3 / 86.5............+3.9
June 14.............72.9 / 96.8.......72.5 / 86.7............+5.2
June 15.............75.6 / 87.8.......72.5 / 86.8............+2.0
June 16.............65.5 / 84.4.......72.6 / 87.0............-4.8.................2.77" rain
June 17.............70.9 / 87.4.......72.8 / 87.1............-0.6.................0.06" rain
June 18.............69.6 / 90.9.......72.8 / 87.1............+0.3
June 19.............76.5 / 91.2.......72.9 / 87.2............+3.8
June 20.............75.6 / 95.2.......73.0 / 87.4............+5.2
June 21.............76.3 / 91.9.......73.0 / 87.5............+3.8
June 22.............72.7 / 92.5.......73.1 / 87.7............+2.2................0.47" rain
June 23.............71.6 / 89.8.......73.2 / 87.8............+0.2................0.29" rain
June 24.............71.8 / 88.0.......73.3 / 87.9............-0.7
June 25.............70.3 / 86.7.......73.4 / 88.0............-2.2.................0.06" rain
June 26.............69.3 / 88.5.......73.5 / 88.2............-1.9
June 27.............71.2 / 90.5.......73.6 / 88.4............-0.1
June 28.............71.2 / 86.5.......73.7 / 88.6............-2.3
June 29.............72.7 / 90.3.......73.9 / 88.7...........+0.2.................1.87" rain
June 30.............72.9 / 85.3.......74.0 / 88.8............-2.3

Highs

40s.........4
50s.........20
60s.........33
70s.........46
80s.........57
90s.........21

Lows

20s.........4
30s.........15
40s.........27
50s.........49
60s.........36
70s.........50

Freezes.......6

Record high tied June 14, 99, also 99 in 2010 and 1963.
June 16 had the coolest morning low since May 19, and was the wettest day since January 21, 2010, which had 2.78"

The events of May

2011-05-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

May is a quiet month here, one of our driest as sea breezes suppress and push away convection, and fronts lose their push. May and September are probably the best months to visit here---the weather is warm but not too hot yet (usually).

April was hot and dry,

Temperature 3.9 degrees above normal.
Rain 0.82" below normal.

So the drought continues. More than 60" below normal since Jan 1, 2006

Rainfall YTD is 5.00" below normal as of April 30. Rainfall was 0.54" lower than last year, YTD. Last year was our driest in history.

My model forecast. Still dry as you can see!

Date..................actual..............normal................departure.............notes

May 1...............65.5 / 80.6.......62.2 / 78.5...........+2.7
May 2...............69.1 / 80.6.......62.5 / 78.7...........+4.2
May 3...............68.6 / 81.1.......62.8 / 79.0...........+3.9
May 4...............61.2 / 76.1.......63.1 / 79.2...........-2.5
May 5...............55.9 / 72.3.......63.3 / 79.4...........-7.2
May 6...............63.9 / 74.5.......63.5 / 79.5...........-2.3....................0.05" rain
May 7...............57.0 / 78.4.......63.8 / 79.7...........-4.0
May 8...............61.9 / 86.9.......64.0 / 79.9...........+2.5...................last day of mid spring
May 9...............67.1 / 84.2.......64.3 / 80.0...........+3.5...................first day of late spring
May 10.............70.3 / 83.8.......64.6 / 80.3...........+4.6
May 11.............71.4 / 86.9.......65.0 / 80.6...........+6.3...................greatest av daily temp rise
May 12.............70.7 / 82.0.......65.3 / 80.8...........+3.3
May 13.............71.8 / 88.7.......65.5 / 80.9...........+7.0
May 14.............65.1 / 74.5.......65.8 / 81.1...........-3.6....................0.33" rain....29.68" / 1005.0 mb
May 15.............63.5 / 79.3.......66.1 / 81.3...........-2.3....................29.67" / 1004.7 mb
May 16.............57.4 / 73.0.......66.3 / 81.5...........-8.7....................29.67" / 1004.7 mb
May 17.............56.1 / 75.6........66.6 / 81.7..........-7.8....................29.66" / 1004.5 mb
May 18.............53.4 / 77.9........66.9 / 81.9..........-8.7
May 19.............61.2 / 79.5........67.1 / 82.2..........-4.3
May 20.............68.0 / 82.6........67.4 / 82.5..........+0.3
May 21.............70.3 / 91.4........67.8 / 82.7..........+5.6
May 22.............68.7 / 86.9........68.1 / 82.9..........+2.3
May 23.............71.2 / 86.0........68.3 / 83.1..........+2.9
May 24.............71.2 / 88.0........68.6 / 83.3..........+3.6
May 25.............69.6 / 86.0........68.8 / 83.5..........+1.6
May 26.............71.6 / 83.8........69.1 / 83.8..........+1.2
May 27.............72.9 / 84.2........69.3 / 83.9..........+1.9...................0.02" rain
May 28.............70.3 / 84.6........69.5 / 84.1..........+0.6
May 29.............74.1 / 84.6........69.7 / 84.2..........+2.4
May 30.............72.1 / 84.7........69.9 / 84.4..........+1.3...................last day of late spring
May 31.............70.5 / 84.7........7.01 / 84.6..........+0.2...................first day of early summer

Highs

40s.........4
50s.........20
60s.........33
70s.........46
80s.........44
90s.........4

Lows

20s.........4
30s.........15
40s.........27
50s.........49
60s.........34
70s.........22

Freezes.......6

Record low tied May 18, 54, also in 1984
Record highest low tied May 29, 77, also in 1975

The showers of April

2011-04-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

We need showers and storms badly!

April is a transition month. It is usually pleasant, but sometime this month, I will have to use the air-conditioning for the first time. The majority of Aprils do not reach 90, but we already had our first 90 back on March 22!

Despite decent rains the last two days of March, the year has continued very dry. Normal rainfall by April 1st is 11.74" So far this year we have had 7.11" Last year, which turned out to be the driest year on record, had 8.74" by April 1st. So the drought continues, and it is very scary.

Weather stats for March

temp 64.2 +3.8 above normal
rainfall 1.73" -2.20" below normal

Date..................actual..............normal................departure.............notes

April 1...............45.5 / 71.1.......55.1 / 71.7...........-5.1
April 2...............50.4 / 74.5.......55.4 / 71.9...........-1.2
April 3...............49.8 / 72.7.......55.5 / 72.1...........-2.5
April 4...............60.1 / 78.6.......55.7 / 72.3...........+5.3
April 5...............49.5 / 70.7.......55.9 / 72.5...........-4.1.....................0.54" rain
April 6...............45.1 / 68.4.......56.2 / 72.7...........-7.7
April 7...............55.9 / 73.9.......56.5 / 73.1...........+0.1
April 8...............60.8 / 81.0.......56.7 / 73.3...........+5.9
April 9...............66.7 / 88.7.......56.9 / 73.6..........+12.4...................first use of air conditioning
April 10.............66.4 / 88.7.......57.2 / 73.8..........+12.0
April 11.............64.2 / 82.6.......57.4 / 74.1...........+7.6
April 12.............59.4 / 74.7.......57.5 / 74.3...........+1.1....................0.07" rain
April 13.............54.1 / 78.4.......57.6 / 74.5...........+0.2
April 14.............58.5 / 77.4.......57.7 / 74.7...........+1.7
April 15.............64.9 / 76.8.......57.9 / 74.9...........+4.4
April 16.............67.5 / 85.6.......58.1 / 75.1...........+9.9
April 17.............53.1 / 69.3.......58.4 / 75.3...........-5.6
April 18.............53.1 / 74.3.......58.6 / 75.5...........-3.3
April 19.............64.9 / 80.4.......58.9 / 75.6...........+5.4
April 20.............66.4 / 83.1.......59.1 / 75.9...........+7.2
April 21.............66.7 / 86.4.......59.4 / 76.2...........+8.7....................0.16" rain
April 22.............67.5 / 80.1.......59.7 / 76.4...........+5.7....................last day of early spring
April 23.............67.6 / 81.3.......60.0 / 76.6...........+6.1....................first day of mid spring
April 24.............69.3 / 81.9.......60.3 / 76.9...........+7.0
April 25.............68.0 / 81.0.......60.7 / 77.1...........+5.6
April 26.............71.2 / 81.9.......61.0 / 77.4...........+7.3....................0.11" rain
April 27.............73.0 / 82.9.......61.2 / 77.6...........+8.5
April 28.............69.6 / 82.4.......61.4 / 77.8...........+6.4....................0.17" rain
April 29.............56.1 / 77.9.......61.7 / 78.1...........-2.9.....................0.32" rain
April 30.............58.1 / 79.3.......61.9 / 78.3...........-1.2

I think at the end of the year 80s will win for highs, and 70s for lows. We will see!

Record high April 9, 89. Old record 88, in 1999
Record high April 10, 90. Old record 85, 1n 1963
Record warmest low tied April 25, 72. Old record 72 in 2002.
Record warmest low broken April 26, 74. Old record 70 in 1957. This is also the second warmest daily low for the month of April.
Record warmest low broken April 27, 75. Old record 72 in 1991. This ties the warmest daily record low for the month of April, set on April 29, 1991.

Highs

40s.........4
50s.........20
60s.........33
70s.........38
80s.........23
90s.........2

Lows

20s.........4
30s.........15
40s.........27
50s.........44
60s.........25
70s.........5

Freezes.......6

The winds of March

2011-03-01T20:47:00.000-08:00

Howled today, but not like a lion---more like the last breath of our old friend winter, soon to depart. Wind gusts rose into the 30s for the first of March, and it is deliciously cool! We'll see how the rest of the month goes!

On a more ominous note, the drought seems to be continuing again. We had decent rains up to February 10th, but almost none since. Dry, dry dry! It was like this last year too, with decent winter rains and then horribly dry---our driest year on record by more than 2" (record goes back to 1948). In fact, we are now drier than we were last year at this time. Rainfall to date is 5.40". Last year was 6.29" this date. Normal is 7.49" to date. The upcoming pattern looks 'droughty' to me. I hope it doesn't last. Our last year of above normal rainfall was 2005--since then we have been more than 55" below normal. It's really quite scary.

Date...................actual..............normal................departure...................notes

March 1.............52.7 / 69.6.......48.6 / 66.1...........+3.8..........................0.02" rain
March 2.............50.0 / 63.5.......48.9 / 66.2............-0.8
March 3.............52.3 / 66.0.......49.1 / 66.4...........+1.4..........................0.01" rain
March 4.............56.3 / 68.2.......49.2 / 66.6...........+4.3..........................0.01" rain
March 5.............57.0 / 69.8.......49.4 / 66.8...........+5.3
March 6.............50.2 / 73.6.......49.5 / 67.0...........+3.6..........................0.01" rain
March 7.............40.3 / 57.0.......49.6 / 67.2...........-9.7
March 8.............52.9 / 66.0.......49.8 / 67.3...........+0.9
March 9.............56.3 / 69.6.......49.9 / 67.4...........+4.3..........................0.62" rain......last day of mid winter.
March 10...........46.2 / 63.9.......50.1 / 67.6...........-3.8...........................0.05" rain......first day of late winter
March 11...........39.9 / 61.0.......50.4 / 67.8...........-8.6
March 12...........38.7 / 66.6.......50.7 / 67.9...........-6.6
March 13...........46.8 / 72.0.......50.9 / 68.1...........-0.1
March 14...........50.4 / 72.5.......51.1 / 68.3...........+1.7
March 15...........50.2 / 71.6.......51.5 / 68.5...........+0.9
March 16...........56.8 / 78.1.......51.8 / 68.8...........+7.1
March 17...........50.2 / 70.5.......52.1 / 69.0...........-0.2
March 18...........54.0 / 81.3.......52.3 / 69.1...........+6.9
March 19...........56.7 / 83.5.......52.6 / 69.3...........+9.1
March 20...........61.3 / 73.9.......52.7 / 69.5...........+6.5
March 21...........56.7 / 74.1.......52.9 / 69.7...........+4.1
March 22...........58.5 / 87.1.......53.0 / 69.8..........+11.4...last day of late winter....new record high 90
March 23...........60.1 / 85.5.......53.2 / 70.0..........+11.2...first day of early spring...new record high 88
March 24...........63.9 / 85.8.......53.3 / 70.2..........+13.1...new record high 88
March 25...........49.6 / 72.0.......53.6 / 70.4............-1.2.....36.2°F drop from afternoon high 3/24 to morning low 3/25
March 26...........52.9 / 73.9.......53.9 / 70.6...........+1.1
March 27...........59.7 / 86.5.......54.1 / 70.8.........+10.6.........................0.04" rain
March 28...........52.3 / 63.3.......54.2 / 70.9...........-4.7..........................0.15" rain
March 29...........50.2 / 60.4.......54.4 / 71.1...........-7.4..........................0.04" rain
March 30...........60.1 / 68.9.......54.6 / 71.2..........+1.6..........................0.78" rain....29.63" (1003.2 mb)
March 31...........56.7 / 67.3.......54.9 / 71.4...........-1.6..........................0.78" rain....29.56" (1000.8 mb)

The 90 on March 22 tied the record for March, and is only the second time it has hit 90 here in March. The

Record high March 22 90, old record 85 in 1997. The other 90 was on March 12, 1967.
Record high March 23 88, old record 87 in 1995
Record high March 24 88, old record 87 in 1975
Record high March 27 88, old record 78 in 1949

Temperature drops of 35°F or more from previous afternoon high to morning low are very rare--couple times a year or sometimes none at all. Since I started my weather diary and got my equipment in 2003, I have never recorded a 40°F drop. All have occurred from November through April. The biggest temperature fall was 39.7°F on Dec 21-22, 2008.

We have never had temperatures rise 32°F or more from a morning low. The biggest temperature rise from a morning low was 31.7°F on April 17, 2007.

I'd like to see a 40 degree swing someday.

March 27 record high broken by 10 degrees! Our records were officially started on August 12, 1948, so we don't have as long a record as major cities and we do break records by wide margins sometimes. But it's been a while since I saw a record taken out by 10 degrees here.

I think at the end of the year 80s will win for highs, and 70s for lows. We will see!

Highs

40s.........4
50s.........20
60s.........31
70s.........26
80s.........8
90s.........1

Lows

20s.........4
30s.........15
40s.........24
50s.........35
60s.........12

Freezes.......6

February 2011

2011-02-01T22:04:00.000-08:00

February weather diary. February is a transition month here, but still wintry by our standards. Days are cooler than you might thing in south GA, being moderated by the cool ocean. Freezes are half as frequent as in January, however. And by late in the month, even afternoon temperatures start to rise enough to notice.

Date......................actual................normal................departure...................notes

February 1.............50.2 / 57.9.......43.2 / 60.7...........+2.2
February 2.............56.1 / 72.0.......43.3 / 60.8...........+12.0..........................0.21" rain
February 3.............43.2 / 57.2.......43.4 / 61.0...........-2.0.............................0.14" rain
February 4.............41.9 / 48.4.......43.6 / 61.1...........-7.2
February 5.............46.4 / 64.4.......43.8 / 61.3...........+2.8............................0.05" rain
February 6.............45.7 / 56.3.......44.1 / 61.5...........-1.8.............................0.04" rain
February 7.............48.6 / 52.0.......44.3 / 61.6...........-2.6.............................1.25" rain
February 8.............37.9 / 54.1.......44.5 / 61.7...........-7.1
February 9.............34.5 / 55.2.......44.6 / 61.9...........-8.4
February 10...........41.4 / 50.0.......44.8 / 62.1...........-7.9.............................1.06" rain
February 11...........36.7 / 52.3.......44.9 / 62.3...........-8.9
February 12...........32.0 / 58.5.......45.0 / 62.4...........-8.4
February 13...........34.5 / 60.8.......45.2 / 62.5...........-6.2
February 14...........39.7 / 68.4.......45.4 / 62.6...........+0.0
February 15...........42.4 / 59.5.......45.4 / 62.8...........-3.1
February 16...........50.9 / 64.9.......45.6 / 63.0...........+3.6
February 17...........52.9 / 66.7.......45.7 / 63.1...........+5.4
February 18...........54.7 / 74.5.......45.8 / 63.3..........+10.0
February 19...........53.1 / 70.7.......45.9 / 63.4...........+7.2
February 20...........50.9 / 66.0.......46.2 / 63.7...........+3.5
February 21...........58.5 / 77.7.......46.5 / 64.0..........+12.8.........New official record high of 82
February 22...........61.0 / 77.7.......46.7 / 64.3..........+13.8.........Tied official record high of 81
February 23...........52.0 / 66.0.......47.0 / 64.5...........+3.2
February 24...........48.7 / 69.3.......47.3 / 64.7...........+3.0
February 25...........59.5 / 74.1.......47.5 / 65.0..........+10.5.............................0.02" rain
February 26...........54.9 / 67.8.......47.7 / 65.1...........+4.9
February 27...........53.8 / 73.9.......47.9 / 65.3...........+7.2
February 28...........58.5 / 77.0.......48.2 / 65.6..........+10.8

I think at the end of the year 80s will win for highs, and 70s for lows. We will see!

40s.........4
50s.........19
60s.........22
70s.........12
80s.........2

Lows

20s.........4
30s.........14
40s.........22
50s.........16
60s.........3

Freezes.......6

January and a few 2010 highlights (entry updated daily)

2011-01-23T13:29:00.000-08:00

I'm going to write a daily summary of the month, as it progresses. Also put in a few highlights from 2010.

I've kept a weather station at home since November 22, 2003, and keep a weather journal on paper. The format will resemble what I keep in my notebook.

2010 set some records at my house. We set a new record for cold twice, the old record being 22.6 on Feb 4, 2009.
22.5 on January 10th, and 21.7 on December 14th. We also set a record for the coldest high at my personal weather station, 35.4 on Janurary 9, 2010. Exactly 6 months before we set our final record for cold we also set a new record for heat, 98.4 on June 14th. The old record being 96.6 on August 4, 2006.

We also set a new low pressure record, 29.43" / 996.8 mb on March 2, 2010.

A very important record was broken for the year. We had an annual rainfall of 24.27" this year, which was the driest official year since records began in 1948. The previous record was 26.65" set in 1990. But we are getting rain tonight, so I am optimistic :)

A full report of the weather extremes (and there were many) is here http://www.srh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=jax&storyid=61683%source=0

Each of the last 4 years also had below normal rainfall, 2006, 2007 and 2008 all being more than a foot below normal.

The records I keep

Record high....... June 14, 2010...................................98.4
Highest low........July 9, 2005......................................80.4
Lowest high.......January 9, 2010.................................35.4
Lowest low.........December 14, 2010...........................21.7
Highest waves (buoy 41008).....February 27, 2005........13.8 feet
Lowest waves...(same buoy)....many dates..................0.7 feet
Highest pressure......January 3, 2008..........................30.75" / 1041.2 mb
Lowest pressure.......March 2, 2010............................29.43" / 996.8 mb
Highest wind..............May 21, 2008............................47 mph sustained, gust 66 mph
Heaviest rain..............October 4, 2005........................6.78"
................................October 5, 2005........................7.94" {Tropical storm Tammy}

Altamaha River
Highest stage / greatest flow.........April 11, 2009.....................14.58 feet / 96,500 cfs
Lowest state / lowest flow.............October 8 & 9, 2007............0.90 feet / 1,340 cfs

Tidal departure

April 15, 2007......................-3.50 feet
August 22, 2008..................+4.01 feet {Tropical storm Fay}

Date......................actual................normal................departure...................notes

January 1.............51.8 / 65.5.......43.6 / 60.4...........+6.6........................0.04" rain
January 2.............48.9 / 69.6.......43.6 / 60.4...........+7.2........................0.18" rain
January 3.............35.6 / 51.6.......43.6 / 60.4...........-8.4
January 4.............41.0 / 59.4.......43.6 / 60.3...........-1.7
January 5.............43.2 / 53.2.......43.5 / 60.3...........-3.8.........................0.29" rain
January 6.............41.2 / 57.9.......43.4 / 60.3...........-2.3...............29.68" / 1005.2 mb
January 7.............36.7 / 59.0.......43.4 / 60.3...........-4.0...............29.57" / 1001.2 mb
January 8.............39.7 / 56.8.......43.3 / 60.1...........-3.4...............29.59" / 1001.8 mb
January 9.............31.5 / 44.6.......43.2 / 60.2...........-13.6
January 10...........39.2 / 51.6.......43.3 / 60.3...........-6.4.........................0.82" rain
January 11...........35.4 / 43.3......43.3 / 60.3............-12.4
January 12...........28.4 / 44.6......43.2 / 60.3............-15.2
January 13...........24.3 / 42.3......43.0 / 60.2............-18.3............30.52" / 1033.3 mb
January 14...........25.3 / 47.7......42.9 / 60.2............-14.5
January 15...........28.8 / 52.2......42.7 / 60.2............-10.9
January 16...........34.9 / 55.2......42.6 / 60.1............-6.3
January 17...........41.9 / 53.4......42.6 / 60.1............-3.7.........................0.17" rain
January 18...........47.8 / 61.5......42.5 / 60.1............+3.3...coldest av daily temp
January 19...........44.2 / 59.9......42.5 / 60.1............+0.7...coldest av temp..0.05" rain
January 20...........39.6 / 59.9......42.6 / 60.3............-1.7
January 21...........46.6 / 51.8......42.7 / 60.2............-2.2.........................0.01" rain
January 22...........34.3 / 49.8......42.6 / 60.1............-9.3
January 23...........28.6 / 50.2......42.6 / 60.1............-11.9
January 24...........33.6 / 53.4......42.7 / 60.2
January 25...........47.7 / 59.9......42.7 / 60.3.............+2.3.......................2.29" rain
January 26...........42.1 / 58.3......42.7 / 60.2.............-1.2
January 27...........34.3 / 54.0......42.7 / 60.2.............-7.3
January 28...........38.5 / 63.0......42.7 / 60.3.............-0.7
January 29...........41.5 / 61.5......42.8 / 60.4.............-0.1
January 30...........45.9 / 68.4......42.9 / 60.5.............+5.4
January 31...........51.6 / 62.1......43.0 / 60.6.............+5.0.......................0.02" rain

I will also be keeping a record of highs and lows from our official KSSI site. I suspect at the end of the year, the 80s will win for highs, and 70s will win for lows. We will see!

Highs

40s.........4
50s.........11
60s.........14
70s.........2

Lows

20s.........4
30s.........9
40s.........15
50s.........3

Freezes.......6