For a second year in a row the Southwest monsoon failed to produce much needed rainfall. Wind gusts of up to 62 mph (28 m/s) accompanied the storm in coastal areas, where minor to moderate flooding occurred. On January 11th, a thunderstorm wind gust of 75 mph (34 m/s) in Greene County, AL blew a very large tree down onto the water main in Forkland, and many thousands of gallons of water spilled out of the water tower. Southern parts of the region experienced severe weather from April 7 to 9. In central and eastern portions of South Carolina, heavy rainfall delayed the harvesting of row crops and the planting of small grains and cover crops. 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. Preliminary damage estimates in Delaware exceeded $20 million. Dulles Airport, Virginia, and Erie, Pennsylvania, set or tied their greatest number of April days with measurable precipitation. Northern Delaware experienced some of its worst flash flooding in at least 15 years. 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. Most of the islands saw below normal precipitation with the exception of Kauai and some of southern Hawaii. January 2021 marked the first time since October 2019 (0.37%) where a record cold temperature occurred. 2020 also marks the sixth consecutive year (2015-20) in which 10 or more separate billion-dollar disaster events have impacted the U.S. This ranked as the 37th wettest in history since 1895. On the Big Island, Hilo recorded an annual average temperature of 76.8 F (24.9 C), 2.9 F (1.7 C) above normal and the warmest on record dating back to 1950. Early season snows were promising, but merely slowed the intensification and expansion of drought. 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. Mississippi had the most tornado reports (127) while Texas had the most hail (601) and wind (817) reports. A pocket of extreme rainfall occurred in the Rocky Mount-Wilson area of eastern North Carolina, with a 2-day total of 9.84 inches (250 mm) recorded at Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport. Caribou, ME, also had significant snow during the 2019-2020 season receiving 146 inches and ranked ninth highest for any season on record. Earth's global average surface temperature in 2020 statistically tied with 2016 as the hottest year on record, continuing a long-term warming trend due to human activities. In many fields in southern Alabama, Hurricane Sally blew down the cotton crop when bolls had yet to open. From an agricultural perspective, drought caused many impacts, especially for livestock and winter wheat producers. Heavy rainfall during early December saturated vegetable fields in southern Florida, resulting in crop losses, increased disease pressure on lettuce and beans, and bloom dropping in pepper and tomato plants. The global ocean-only temperature departure of 0.58C (1.04F) was the smallest for January since 2014; however, this was also the eighth . Washington, D.C. observed its lowest annual snowfall total since records began in 1884, while Washington Dulles International Airport, VA observed its third lowest annual snowfall total (4.7 inches, 119 mm) since records began in 1962. Millions of acres of crops were flattened by the storm. In addition, hundreds of pecan trees were uprooted across southern Alabama, with some of the losses occurring in 90-year-old orchards. Precipitation for the year was above normal in the Interior and Southeast, and below normal in Southcentral and the Aleutian Islands. The total cost of U.S. billion-dollar disasters over the last five years (2016-2020) exceeds $600 billion. Texas experienced landfalls from Hurricane Hanna and Tropical Storm Beta. The nationally averaged maximum temperature (daytime highs) was above average for 2020 at 66.3F, 2.3F above average, ranking as sixth warmest in the 126-year record. Following the passage of Tropical Storm Eta in November, vegetable crops in southern Florida were severely damaged, with estimated costs ranging from $85 to as much as $320 million. The year ended quite warm, with a continuation of much-above-normal temperatures in December for most of the region. On the 11th, Sarasota-Bradenton, FL (19112020) observed its wettest November day on record, with 6.41 inches (163 mm) of rainfall. Numerous long-term stations observed their highest or second highest annual count of days with a minimum temperature at or above 70 degrees F (21.1 degrees C), including West Palm Beach, FL (18882020; 261 days, 71 percent of the year), Orlando, FL (18922020; 177 days, 48 percent of the year), Lumberton, NC (19032020; 87 days, 24 percent of the year), and Roanoke, VA (19122020; 45 days, 12 percent of the year). Utqiagvik reported an annual temperature of 14.6 F (-9.7 C), 3.1 F (1.7 C) above normal and the 8th warmest since 1921. By the end of 2020, 79% of the West was in drought and 22% of the region in exceptional drought (D4). The U.S. Drought Monitor released on December 31 showed four percent of the Northeast in a moderate drought and 19 percent of the region as abnormally dry. Meanwhile, autumn was characterized by extreme temperature swings, with October ranking in the top 10 coldest and November ranking in the top 10 warmest for some states in the region. Power outages affected millions in the region with many outages lasting days or even weeks in some cases. Spring was warmer and wetter than normal for the Southern Region. On the 30th, San Juan (18982020) observed its second wettest July day on record, with 4.46 inches (113 mm) of precipitation. Portions of West Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic also saw freezing rain, with ice accumulations of up to 0.41 inches (10.41 mm), and sleet. Issues with extreme wetness carried over into 2020 in parts of the Northern Plains, however. Plains snowpack was variable throughout the season. There were three months (January, February, and September) where every state was wetter than normal and one month (November) where every state was drier than normal. Preliminary estimates indicated millions of dollars in damage from flooding along the Schuylkill River near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On May 26th, Miami, FL observed a 24-hour rainfall total of 7.40 inches (188 mm), which is its third wettest May day on record. The last time New York and New England experienced drought conditions was in the summer/fall of 2018. These areas included portions of northern New England, 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. For further details on the weather and climate events in the Midwest, see the weekly and monthly summaries in the. San Francisco, California, with one of the longest climate records in the state dating back to 1850, recorded its second driest year on record at 7.81 in (198.37 mm, 33% of normal). Average daily maximum temperatures were well above average along coastal portions of the region. To the west, West Virginia saw flood-inducing heavy rain, with the greatest totals approaching 4 inches (102 mm). The drought that was already in place combined with a failure of the monsoon and well above normal temperature were the primary climate enablers of fire in the Colorado River Basin this year. The Roanoke River crested almost 6 feet (1.8 meters) above flood stage on May 21st, sending water rushing onto some roadways and making them impassable. Due to its. 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. Percentage Areas Very Warm/Very Cold Very Wet/Very Dry Climate at a Glance U.S. . Power outages lasted five days in some locations. From April 12 to 13, a storm system produced damaging winds in the Northeast. The maximum wind speed was estimated at 85 mph, and three injuries were associated with the microburst. The path taken by the storm system was one of the furthest to the west and north in history. Dry wells were reported in New York and across New England, including more than 275 wells in Maine. For instance, in Maryland, East Branch Herbert Run at Arbutus rose more than seven feet (2 m) in an hour and the Patapsco River at Elkridge rose 9.6 feet (2.9 m) in over an hour. 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. Meanwhile, another of the wettest cites in the state at the southern extent of Southeast Alaska, Ketchikan, logged 175.10 in (4447.54 mm, 124% of normal) making the 11th wettest year on record since 1914. Based on the 2-digit Hydrologic Unit Code watersheds, the California region had the lowest SWE at 76% of normal. The UK mean temperature for 2021 was 9.28C. 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. There were no areas of below-average annual temperatures observed across the Lower 48 during 2020. A complex storm system brought severe weather and snow to the Northeast in early April. The warmth extended northward to the island of Oahu where Honolulu recorded its 3rd warmest year on record at 78.9 F (26.1 C), 1.3 F (0.8 C) above normal. The 2020 annual precipitation totals indicate that precipitation for the year was above normal for much of the Southern Region, with Tennessee experiencing its sixth-wettest year on record while the region as a whole received an average annual precipitation total of 328.59 inches (8346.19 mm), making it the eleventh-wettest year on record. Annual mean temperatures were at least 2 degrees F (1.1 degrees C) above average for approximately 52 percent of the 168 long-term (i.e., period of record equaling or exceeding 50 years) stations across the region. Hawaiis peak drought extent occurred during November with approximately 74 percent coverage. Maine had its worst year for fires in 20 years with 1,000 wildfires as of September 24. Climate Extremes Index (CEI) Climatological Rankings Citing This Report 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 wettest cites in Alaska, Yakutat, also had a dry year with 104.55 in (2655.57 mm, 67% of normal) making it the 6th driest on record. Annual precipitation totals ranged from 12 to more than 20 inches (305 to more than 508 mm) above average in these areas. Lawns turned brown in parts of the Northeast. The strong winds downed trees and wires, knocked out power to more than 86,000 customers in Massachusetts, and caused whiteout conditions in northern Maine. The average temperature in the contiguous United States reached 53.37 degrees Fahrenheit (11.87 degrees Celsius) in 2022. In Pinellas County, FL, sheriff deputies rescued 33 people from flooded homes and stalled vehicles. However, from the 12th through the 16th, Sally impacted parts of Florida with numerous reports of localized flooding, resulting in several road closures, stalled vehicles, and water entering multiple residences and businesses. The spatial extent of drought increased slightly from 18% at the beginning of the year to 19% at the end of the year. Despite the snowfall, the fall season was dry, overall, and the majority of the region went into winter with dry soils. 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 the northern side of the city, Frankford Creek reached moderate flood stage for the second time in a week. 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. Find out how to read the year to date and temperature/precip plots. Rocky Mountain snowpack was near normal for most of the 2019-20 season (July-June). Lower than usual streamflow on the Hudson River in New York in October led to increased sodium levels in Poughkeepsies water supply. This record at Baker City is on the extreme end of the distribution and more than two inches less than the previous record of 5.63 in (143 mm) set in 2002. In addition, Columbus, GA (18912020) and Macon, GA (18922020) observed their wettest and second wettest April day on record, with 5.92 and 4.41 inches (150 and 112 mm) of rainfall, respectively. 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. Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas experienced a top-10 warmest year on record, and the region as a whole had an average annual temperature of 63.58 degrees F (17.54 degrees C), making it the fourteenth-warmest year on record. June was cooler than normal for every state except Oklahoma and Texas, while precipitation was mixed, as three states (Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi) experienced wetter than normal conditions while three states (Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas) experienced drier than normal conditions. Elkins, West Virginia, had its snowiest May day and snowiest month of May on record, while Concord, New Hampshire, saw measurable snow in May for the first time in over 50 years. During a four-day period (August 16-19) 8,532 lightning strikes were detected in central and northern California that ignited 362 new fires, including the August Complex which burned 1,032,649 acres. Portland, Maine, recorded its earliest 70 degrees F (21 degrees C) day on record on March 9. Six hurricanes made U.S. landfall, tying 1886 and 1985 for the most U.S. hurricane landfalls in a single season. Significant flooding occurred, particularly in southeastern Pennsylvania where several waterways recorded their highest water levels on record. Seven major climate sites including Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; and Atlantic City, New Jersey, tied their record for least snowy spring (March through May). In October, Arctic sea ice concentration was the lowest value since the satellite records began. Sixty-one tornadoes were confirmed in South Carolina, which is the states second highest annual count behind the 86 tornadoes observed during 2004. Tropical Storm Zeta and another storm system trekked through the Mid-Atlantic, bringing rain, snow, and gusty winds to the region from October 29 to 30. Farmers dealt with extremely dry conditions. However, the drought was rapidly eliminated by beneficial rainfall from Tropical Storm Isaias at the end of July. Burn bans were enacted in several locations. In addition, almost 400,000 customers lost power. 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. California and Nevada started the year with no drought present. Every state except for Arkansas experienced warmer than normal temperatures while every state except for Oklahoma and Texas experienced wetter than normal conditions, with Texas experiencing its seventh-warmest summer on record. The projection suggests that 2021 is very likely to be somewhere between the fifth and seventh warmest year on record. The USCEI is an index that tracks extremes (falling in the upper or lower 10 percent of the record) in temperature, precipitation, drought and landfalling tropical cyclones across the contiguous U.S. On June 26th, Tampa, FL tied its warmest daily maximum temperature for any month on record, at 99 degrees F (37.2 degrees C). This was approximately 1.35 . Worldwide, 2016 was the warmest year on record, 2020 was the second-warmest, and 2012-2021 was the warmest decade on record since thermometer-based observations began. In addition, West Virginia had its eighth wettest year while Maryland had its ninth wettest. Annual precipitation totals were well above average across the Southeast region, with widespread areas of exceptional wetness occurring in every state and Puerto Rico. Baker City, in northeast Oregon, saw its warmest year on record going back to 1944 with an annual average temperature 48.3 F (9.1 C), 3.9 F (2.2 C) above normal. Binghamton also tied its lowest maximum temperature for May with a high of 35 degrees F (2 degrees C). In early May, climate experts at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) issued an updated collection based on the weather occurring from 1991 to 2020.The data set reflects a "new normal" that takes the most recent 30 years of climate change-influenced weather and climate . Prolonged saturated soil caused some farmers to abandon portions of their soybean and cotton fields. Through the end of summer, most of the Southeast region remained drought-free, except for a few short-lived pockets of moderate drought in portions of northern and coastal Virginia, Georgia, southeastern Alabama, and west-central Florida.
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