FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

Global climate averages for September are in. NOAA says global land surface temperatures averaged 1.57 degrees F. above the 20^th century norm, the fourth-warmest September since record-keeping began in 1880. (Eastern Asia and the central U.S. were cool.) Ocean surface temperatures were 0.72 degrees F. above the 20^th Century average, the 14^th warmest on record. The UK had its sixth-warmest September in 100 years. Arctic sea ice shrank to its second-smallest extent since 1979. 

(PHOTO: Warm September weather in London, Dan Istitine, AFP/Getty)   

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers, From the Sun's print edition
        

Darn right it's cold. Steve Zubrick, science officer at the National Weather Service regional forecast office in Sterling, Va. says this has been the second-coldest two-day start to an October in Baltimore in 112 years.

Steve said the two-day average temperature at BWI-Marshall Airport over the weekend was 50.8 degrees. That ranks second only to the 48.0-degree start to October in 1899. The 30-year average temperature for the first two days of the month is 61.5 degrees.

Looking at the highs for the two days, Zubrick found they averaged just 55.5 degrees. That ranks as the coldest high-temperature average on record here for the first two days of October, breaking the record of 57.5 degrees, also set in 1899. The normal average high for those two dates is 72 degrees.

Also, as noted in a previous post, Sunday's high of 51 degrees was the coldest maximum temperature for that date on record for the city. The old record was 53 degrees, set 72 years ago, in 1939.

And it's back to the 40s tonight. Can you keep your hands off the thermostat? Zubrick couldn't: "I've been running my furnace since Sat. afternoon," he said.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers
        

FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

We noted here a few days back that the period from Jan. 1 through September would rank as the fifth-wettest such period on record for Baltimore. We saw more than 46 inches in those nine months, nearly 5 inches more than our annual average.

Someone asked how close we came to the record. Another inch would have put us in fourth place, ahead of 1933, which also saw Baltimore’s wettest day (7.62 inches on Aug. 23). But we fell well short of the 51.11-inch record set Jan.-Sept., 1889.

(SUN PHOTO: Frank Roylance)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers, From the Sun's print edition
        

FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

Continuing today with more wet-weather statistics from the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va. Science Officer Steve Zubrick points out that it was Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee that made Aug. 13-Sept. 11 Baltimore’s wettest-ever 30 days (18.90”). Similarly, it was Hurricane Diane and Connie that made August 1955 the city’s wettest calendar month (18.35 inches). Finally, this year’s precipitation starting Jan. 1 would rank 6^th highest here since 1871.

(SUN PHOTO: Port Deposit flooding. Karl Merton Ferron, Sept. 8, 2011)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers, From the Sun's print edition
        

FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

We already know that September has already been the rainiest September on record for Baltimore, with 12.78 inches. Now the folks at NWS/Sterling have run more numbers. Science Officer Steve Zubrick discovered that the 30-day period from Aug. 13 through Sept. 11 was the wettest 30 days on record for Baltimore, with 18.90 inches at BWI. August through September was also the wettest such period on record here, with 23.16 inches at BWI. More here tomorrow.

(SUN PHOTO: Cockeysville flooding, Brian Krista, Sept. 14, 2011)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: By the numbers, From the Sun's print edition
        

By 6 p.m., the intermittent, but sometimes torrential showers had brought Baltimore’s total September rainfall to 12.73 inches, breaking the 12.41-inch record for September rainfall, set in 1934, the National Weather Service has confirmed.

Since Aug. 1, the airport has recorded more than 23 inches of rain, more than half the city’s annual average in less than two months. And while the heaviest rain is probably behind us, there are rain chances in the gloomy forecast through Wednesday.

(SUN PHOTO: Frank Roylance)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 5:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers
        

FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

Most of September still qualifies as summer, and record highs for Baltimore are all in the 90s or higher. But cold weather can and does intrude. Average lows sink to the low 50s by month’s end. And the record lows have reached the mid-30s. The records for Sept. 15 and 16 are among our oldest, at 40 and 41 degrees. Both were set in 1873. In 1983, we recorded lows of 40 and 39 degrees on the 23^rd and 24^th. Our coldest September day reached 35 degrees, on Sept. 25, 1963.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers, From the Sun's print edition
        

The slow-moving remnants of Tropical Storm Lee continued to unload on Maryland Wednesday morning, pushing rivers ands creeks toward flood stage, inundating many roadways and slowing the morning commute to a crawl.

Barely a week into the new month and already the airport has seen nearly a full 30 day's worth of rain.

With Lee's remains stalled to our south and west, Maryland is on the receiving end of wet, tropical air flows from the Gulf and the Atlantic. Forecasters said Central Maryland can expect rain to continue in showers and thunderstorms through Monday, with probabilities declining slowly from 100 percent today and tonight, to 30 percent by Monday.

Adding to our misery, Hurricane Katia, while still more than 450 miles east of Delmarva and not expected to make landfall here, is still funneling dangerous swells onto the coast and moist tropical air to help fuel the rain forecast here for the weekend.

On top of the rain today, forecasters say there is risk of damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes Wednesday afternoon along the I-95 corridor.

The past 24 hours have seen more than 3.3 inches of rain in White Marsh, with more than 2 inches in places as widespread as Leonardtown in St. Mary's County, Elkton in Cecil, Williamsport in Washington County, and St. Michaels in Talbot. All these data are from the CoCoRaHS Network.

BWI-Marshall Airport is reporting 3.27 inches from Monday morning through midnight last night, 3.43 inches in all, with more to come through Monday. The average for September is 4.03 inches, Baltimore's rainiest month.

A Flash Flood Warning was posted for Baltimore  City and Central Baltimore county through 12:45 p.m. Wednesday as heavy rain bands crossed the region, dropping a quick inch of rain.

Flash Flood Watches have been in effect for days, and will remain in effect at least through Wednesday evening. Forecasters said heavy showers and scattered thunderstorms stoked by the remnants of Lee are capable of adding 2 to 3 inches to the rain totals today. Some locations could see 5 inches. Forecasters said:

"VERY HEAVY RAIN MAY CAUSE RAPID RISES IN CREEKS AND STREAMS, AS WELL AS SIGNIFICANT PONDING IN URBAN AREAS. DO NOT DFRIVE THROUGH ROADWAYS COVERED WITH WATER."

"THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAIN WILL PERSIST THROUGH AT LEAST THURSDAY, WITH A CONTINUED RISK OF FLASH FLOODING."

Rivers and creeks are rising quickly. The U.S. Geological Survey is forecasting that the Potomac River at Point of Rocks, Md., which stood at 1.2 feet Wednesday morning, will crest Friday at 31 feet. Flood stage is at 16 feet.

The Susquehanna, at 3.6 feet this morning, is forecast to crest Friday at 23 feet. Flood stage is 17 feet. And the Juniata River, in south-central Pennsylvania, stood at 3.7 feet Wednesday morning. It was forecast to rise to 27 feet by Friday, five feet above flood stage.

The National Park Service declared a "Flood Emergency" Tuesday morning along the C&O Canal National Historic Park, describing what's coming as "what could be one of the top ten major floods in our area."

Areas of the park were being closed, including campgrounds, boat ramps, visitor centers and day use areas. Portable toilets were being emptied and closed on Tuesday. 

"Visitors are being asked to refrain from entering the park and respect all safety barriers. There is a risk of being swept away by swift water or becoming stranded along the towpath  as the waters rise," the park service advised. "The rising water will be carrying extremely hazardous debris, trees and man-made objects."

(SUN PHOTO: Frank Roylance. Main Street Ellicott aCity video from dreed876, courtesy of Sarah Angerer)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: By the numbers, Flooding
        

FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

Our very soggy August is finally over. Rainfall at BWI-Marshall Airport totaled 10.38 inches. That’s more than 7 inches above (and three times) the 30-year average of 3.29 inches. A big slice of the rain came from Hurricane Irene, of course – 4.69 inches.

It was the wettest Baltimore August in 40 years, and the 5^th-wettest on record. But get this: Four of the five wettest Augusts occurred in years ending in odd double digits: 2011, 1955, 1933 and 1911. (The 4th-wettest was 1971.) Weird.

(SUN PHOTO: Todd Spoth, Patuxent Publishing)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers, From the Sun's print edition
        

Here are the wind and rain maps for Hurricane Irene, just released by the National Weather Service regional forecast office in Sterling, Va. Click to enlarge.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: By the numbers, Cool pictures, Hurricanes
        

The National Weather Service's forecast office in Sterling, Va. has posted top wind gusts during Irene's passage across its coverage area west of the Chesapeake. Looks like Calvert County recorded some of the worst conditions on our side of the bay:

Top sustained winds:  56 mph, Calvert Cliffs.

Top wind gusts:  73 mph, Cobb Island buoy; 72 mph, Calvert Cliffs, Chesapeake Beach, Gaithersburg

Top rain total:  12.96 inches, West Plum Point, Calvert County; 12 inches, Perry Hall

OTHER WIND DATA: SUSTAINED WINDS

Point Lookout: 43 mph

Middle River:  42 mph

Solomons:  41 mph

GUSTS:

Bay Ridge:  69 mph

Highland Beach:  68 mph

Solomons:  68 mph

Patuxent River:  64 mph 

North Beach:  64 mph

Posted by Frank Roylance at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers, Hurricanes
        

The first numbers are starting to come in for Hurricane Irene's impact on Maryland, and Southern Maryland seems to have been hit hardest on rainfall.

BWI-Marshall Airport is reporting 4.6 inches of rain at 7 a.m. The heaviest rates were between 1 and 2 a.m., when 2.14 inches fell. Top sustained wind velocity was 30 mph, with gusts to 51 mph. The low barometer reading was 29.02 inches at 3 a.m.

The instruments at Ocean City Municipal Airport stopped reporting at 9 p.m. Not sure why. But the town's Office of Emergency Management issued a release this morning noting a rain total of 12 inches. Top sustained winds overnight were blowing at 60 mph, with gusts to 80.

With daylight, Ocean City officials were assessing damage at the resport. For now, the access routes onto the island remain closed until the damage assessment is complete and unsafe conditions secured.

Hurricane Irene made its second landfall at 5:35 a.m. near Little Egg Inlet, N.J., according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Winds were clocked at 75 mph. The barometric pressure there was 28.36 inches.  

Here is a tally of rain totals for Maryland west of the bay, from the NWS/Sterling.

Here are some statewide 24-hour rain totals for Maryland, from the CoCoRaHS Network:

Denton, Caroline:  11.55 inches

Leonardtown, St. Mary's County:  11.35 inches

Easton, Talbot:  11.34 inches

Hollywood, St. Mary's:  10.11 inches

Bishopville, Worcester:  7.71 inches

Elkton, Cecil:  7.10 inches

Waldorf, Charles: 6.55 inches

Hamilton, Baltimore City:  4.54 inches

Catonsville, Baltimore:  4.30 inches

Columbia, Howard:  3.61 inches

Taneytown, Carroll:  2.54 inches

Frederick, Frederick:  0.97 inch

Posted by Frank Roylance at 7:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers, Hurricanes
        

Woke up and heard all this talk about trees down and outages in the region due to Sunday's storms. But all we had out on the WeatherDeck in Cockeysville were a couple of brief morning showers. The rest of the day was humid, but mostly rain-free. 

Oh, we heard some thunder, in the distance. But no rain to speak of beyond the morning showers.

It was another day of hit-or-miss storms across Central Maryland. The Sun's weather station, at Calvert and Centre streets, shows 1.72 inches. BWI-Marshall Airport reported 0.99 inch.

Here are some of the totals, from the CoCoRaHS Network:

Columbia, Howard County:  2.00 inches

Catonsville, Baltimore County:  1.91 inches

Laurel, PG:  1.66 inches

Columbia, Howard:  1.64 inches

Severn, Anne Arundel:  1.34 inches

Jarrettsville, Baltimore County:  1.17 inches

Hamilton, Baltimore City:  1.06 inches

Pasadena, Arunde:  0.88 inch

Crofton, Arundel:  0.85 inch

Towson, Baltimore County:  0.49 inch

Bel Air, Harford:  0.40 inch

Salisbury, Wicomico:  0.25 inch

Taneytown, Carroll:  0.06 inch

Posted by Frank Roylance at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers, Events
        

Looks like Southern Maryland and the lower Eastern Shore missed Thursday's rain. This time it was Anne Arundel County that really dropped into the crosshairs of the late afternoon and evening storms, with well over 2 inches in some locations. BWI Airport picked up 1.72 inches, with 1.4 of that falling between 4 and 5 p.m.  

More showers and thunderstorms are expected again late Friday afternoon and evening, with more of the same due right through the weekend. There is a Flash Flood Watch in effect for all of Central Maryland.

Here are some of the local rain tallies, from the CoCoRaHS Network:

Green Haven, Anne Arundel:  2.82 inches

South Gate, Anne Arundel:  2.35 inches

BWI-Marshall Airport:  1.72 inches

Severn, Anne Arundel:  1.44 inches

White Marsh, Baltimore Co.:  1.25 inches

Bel Air, Harford:  0.57 inch

Taneytown, Carroll:  0.47 inch

Towson, Baltimore County:  0.18 inch

Baltimore City:  0.02 inch

The forecast from Sterling says there's a 60 percent chance the storms will resume Friday after 4 p.m., with up to a quarter-inch possible, and another quarter-inch to follow overnight. More rain is possible in thunderstorms. Like yesterday, some storms could become severe, with damaging winds and hail, localized heavy rain and flash flooding.

Rain chances continue, at diminished probabilities, through the weekend. But there's a cold front due to pass through Sunday or Monday. That should clear the air and leave us with sunny weather next week, and seasonable temperatures.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers
        

FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

Jo-Ann Orlinsky, in Baltimore, writes: “I have been noticing that during July, the daily records for many days has been 100 degrees or more. I am wondering if there are any days in July where the daily record has not hit 100.”  

When July began, Baltimore had four: July 12^th (97 degrees); July 13 (99); July 29 (99), and July 30 (98). Record highs for all the rest range from 100 to 107 degrees.

The July 29 record, set in 1954, was broken this year when BWI hit 101 degrees. Then there were three.

(PHOTO: Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers, From the Sun's print edition
        

FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

July was Baltimore’s hottest month on record. We weren’t alone. NOAA’s entire South climate region – Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas - also had the warmest month on record for any U.S. climate region.

Only seven of the lower 48 states had near or below-average Julys. The average U.S. temperature in July was the fourth-warmest on record, 2.7 degrees above the 1901-2000 average.

But, the Northwest region tied its second-coolest May-July period, NOAA said.

(SUN PHOTO: Jed Kirschbaum, 2011)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers, From the Sun's print edition
        

What a difference a day or two make. Two days after the end of our 17-day streak of 90-plus days, Thursday's official high temperature at BWI-Marshall Airport was just 80 degrees.

It is the first time the mercury at the airport has failed to rise beyond 80 since June 20, when the high was 79. There have been just four days that cool since June 1.

Nice.

It can't last, of course. The NWS predicts highs of 87 for the next two days, and we'll likely be back into the 90s by Sunday.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers
        

FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

Don Dobrow, in Baltimore, asks whether this summer, so far, is Baltimore’s hottest. Not yet. Summer 2010 was Baltimore’s hottest. And while last month may have been the city’s hottest July, June 2010 was hotter than June 2011 by more than 3 degrees.

So far (June and July), this summer is averaging 1.4 degrees cooler than last. This summer also trails 2010 on the number of 90-degree days (36 to 30), and the number of 100-degree days (7 to 5) through July.  

(SUN PHOTO: Barbara Haddock Taylor, June 2011)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers, From the Sun's print edition
        

The month just ended was the hottest July and the hottest month on record for Baltimore. And those weren't the only records broken. Here's a rundown from the National Weather Service regional forecast office in Sterling, Va.:

HOTTEST JULY AND HOTTEST MONTH EVER...MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMP OF 81.7F
EDGED THE PREVIOUS HOTTEST JULY/MONTH AVERAGE OF 81.5F SET JULY
2010...JULY 1995...AND JULY 1872.

THREE DAILY RECORD HIGHS WERE EITHER BROKEN...106F ON THE 22ND AND
101F ON THE 29TH...OR TIED...102F ON THE 23RD.

MOST NUMBER OF DAYS IN JULY...OR FOR ANY MONTH...WHEN DAILY TEMPS
HIT 90F OR BETTER...24. PREVIOUS HIGHEST TALLY OF DAYS HITTING 90F
OR BETTER...22...IN JULY 1988 AND JULY 1999.

HOTTEST MONTHLY AVERAGE MAX TEMP FOR ANY MONTH INCLUDING JULY OF
92.9F BEAT THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 92.5F SET LAST JULY 2010.

A READING OF 106F ON JULY 22ND TIED FOR 2ND ALL TIME DAILY HOTTEST
TEMPERATURE EVER. THE HOTTEST DAY IN BALTIMORE REMAINS 107F RECORDED
IN 1936 ON JULY 10TH.

A NEW DAILY HIGH MIN TEMPERATURE RECORD OF 81F WAS SET ON THE 22ND.

...INTERESTINGLY...THE JULY 2011 MONTHLY AVERAGE MIN TEMP OF 70.4F
RANKED AS THE 24TH WARMEST OF ALL JULYS IN BALTIMORE...AND WAS ONE
TENTH OF A DEGF LESS THAN THE MONTHLY AVERAGE MIN TEMP OF 70.5F FROM
LAST JULY 2010.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: By the numbers
        

It won't be official until all of today's numbers are in. But it looks from here like July 2011 will finish tonight as the hottest July on record for Baltimore.

Through Saturday, the average temperature for the month at BWI-Marshall Airport in July was 81.6 degrees. If that holds, it will place this month ahead of the current three-way tie for the hottest July - 81.5 degrees - set in 1872 and matched in 1995 and 2010. Third place would go to 1934 and 1949, at 81.4 degrees.

UPDATE 12 noon: The NWS says the average temperature for July was 81.7 degrees at BWI-Marshall Airport. That makes it the hottest July on record for Baltimore. The long-term average for July is 76.5 degrees. Earlier post resumes below. 

July 2011 is ending with a streak of 90-plus weather that has lasted 15 days, the third-longest such streak on record for Baltimore. The long-range forecast calls for a high of 89 next Saturday. If it proves accurate, that would end the streek at 20 consecutive days in the 90s, just short of the second-longest on record - 21 days.  

July 2011 also included four days of 100-plus weather at BWI, peaking at 106 degree on July 22. The 106-degree high was a record for BWI, but not for the city. A 107-degree reading downtown on July 10, 1936 remains the official record high for Baltimore. A 108-degree high at the Maryland Science Center on the 22nd, while unofficial because the NWS station-of-record moved to the airport in 1950, is the highest temperature ever recorded downtown.

Whew!

Posted by Frank Roylance at 7:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The NWS thermometer at BWI-Marshall Airport has reached 101 degrees at 5 p.m. That's a new Baltimore record for the date, beating the previous mark of 99 degrees, set in 1954. The Heat Index is 105 degrees. Sterling says that will be the max for today.

The station at the Maryland Science Center shows 104 degrees. The Heat Index is 109.

It was 102 degrees at The Sun's weather station at Calvert and Centre streets at 5 p.m.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers, Heat waves
        

UPDATE, 4 P.M.: The 4 p.m. reading at BWI was 100 degrees, setting a new record high for Baltimore on a July 29. It was 103 downtown, with a Heat Index of 109 degrees. Ho hum...  Heat Index this time last week was 120 degrees.

Earlier post resumes:  

The temperature at BWI-Marshall Airport reached 99 degrees at 2 p.m. today, tying the Baltimore record for the date, set at the airport in 1954. The Heat Index was 105 degrees.

It was 101 degrees at the Maryland Science Center at 2 p.m. (Heat Index 108), and 99 degrees at The Sun's weather station, at Calvert and Centre streets.

It was 101 degrees at Reagan National, breaking the 99-degree record set there in 1993. Dulles International Airport reported 99 degrees, breaking the 97-degree record set there in 1993.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers, Heat waves
        

FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

Wednesday’s official high at BWI-Marshall Airport was 90 degrees, the 11^th straight day with highs of 90 degrees or higher. The seven-day forecast calls for the streak to continue, with 90-plus forecasts each day, at least through Tuesday, bringing the total to 17.

By Monday, at 16, it will become the third-longest stretch of 90-degree weather since Baltimore record-keeping began. The record is 25 days, set July 12 to Aug. 5, 1995. Second longest was 21 days, from July 29 to Aug. 18, 1988.

(PHOTO: Rob Carr, Getty Images)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers, From the Sun's print edition
        

Another record-hot day in Central Maryland.

Saturday's high at BWI-Marshall Airport was 102 degrees. That tied the record set for this date in 1991. The downtown high looks like it was 103 degrees. 

Down at Washington-Dulles International Airport, they also tied the record set there on this date in 1991 - 99 degrees. (Sounds downright cool, doesn't it?)

At Reagan National, the airport set a new record-high minimum temperature for the date. The low for the day was 84 degrees, breaking the record of 81 set on this date in 1978.

Once again, for those who missed this bizarre bit of weather statistics:  The high temperatures on Friday at both BWI and in downtown Baltimore were the highest ever recorded at either location. It was 108 downtown and 106 at the airport.

But neither one stands as a new record. That's because the official station of record for Baltimore moved from downtown to the airport in 1950. So the 108-degree reading at the Inner Harbor on Friday doesn't qualify as an official record for the city. And the 106-degree reading at BWI, while an official new record for the date, is NOT an official all-time record for the city, because there was that 107-degree reading downtown in 1936, when THAT was the station of record.

Got it? Good. There will be a quiz in the morning.

Be cool. Forecast highs for Sunday: 96 at BWI, 98 at the Science Center downtown.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 8:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers
        

FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

An online comment from “Mike” says: “The average high for the period July 16 to July 25 is listed as 88 degrees, but those temps are rounded to the nearest full degree… Which day or days during the above period are actually, on average the hottest?” Steve Zubrick, at NWS/Sterling, says the averages are computed by something called a “cubic spline” method, which yields only round numbers. But the mid-point in the period of highest daily average temps is July 21.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers, From the Sun's print edition
        

Here are some of the high temperature records broken and set on Friday, from the National Weather Service:

Newark, NJ:  108 degrees, breaking the 101-degree record for the date, and the 105-degree all-time high set Aug. 9, 2001. Records began in 1931.

Washington Dulles:  105 degrees, breaking the daily record of 98 degrees set in 1998. It is also the highest temperature on record for the airport - 104 degrees, set  July 16, 1988 and matched Aug. 20, 1983.

Hartford, CT:  103 degress, breaking the 101-degree daily record and the all-time record of 102 degrees., set July 6, 2010.

Bridgeport, CT:  103 degrees, tied the daily record and the all-time record, both set in 1957.

New daily records were also set in New York City (104 degrees in Central Park); Atlantic City (104 degrees); Philadelphia (102 degrees); Georgetown, DE (103 degrees); Trenton, NJ (103 degrees); Bangor, ME (97 degrees), and Boston, MA (103 degrees, a tie).

Posted by Frank Roylance at 7:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The offical high temperature for Baltimore Friday was 106 degrees at BWI-Marshall Airport. That broke the 101-degree record for the date, set in 1957. It was also the highest temperature ever at the airport. The previous record was 105 degrees,  reached twice before, on Aug. 20, 1983 and July 6, 2010.

The high reading at the National Weather Service's unofficial station at the Maryland Science Center was 108 degrees. That is the highest temperature ever recorded in downtown Baltimore, beating the 107-degree record set on July 10, 1936.

But the 108-degree downtown reading won't go into Baltimore's record books because, since 1950, the station of record for Baltimore has been at the airport. Offically, Baltimore's highest temperature remains 107 degrees, in 1936.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 6:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers, Heat waves
        

The National Weather Service instruments at the Maryland Science Center at the Inner Harbor were reporting a temperature of 107 degrees at 3 p.m. Friday. The Heat Index - what it feels like with the humidity inhibiting our ability to cool off by sweating - was 120 degrees.

That ties the all-time record high temperature for Baltimore, recorded downtown on July 10, 1936. But because the official weather station for the city moved to the airport in 1950, today's Inner Harbor reading won't go into the record books.

The official reading for Baltimore at 3 p.m., out at BWI-Marshall Airport, was 104 degrees, with a Heat Index value of 117 degrees. That breaks the record for the date, 101 degrees, set in 1957. It's also the hottest official temperature for Baltimore since ... well, since last year. It was 105 degrees on July 6, 2010, and on four other dates since record-keeping began in 1871.

That said, the afternoon is still young, and we could still get higher readings at either station. Stay tuned. And stay cool.

UPDATE, 4:30 p.m.: The 4 p.m. reading at BWI was 105 degrees. It's the second summer in a row that we've reached a 105-degree high at the airport, and the sixth time since record-keeping began the official high for Baltimore has been that hot. They are:

Aug. 6 and 7, 1918 (downtown)

June 29, 1934 (downtown)

Aug. 20, 1983 (BWI)

July 6, 2010 (BWI)

July 22, 2011 (BWI)

Only one other date has topped it. It was 107 degrees in downtown Baltimore on July 10, 1936.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: By the numbers, Heat waves
        

The National Weather Service is reporting a temperature of 99 degrees at BWI-Marshall Airport at noon Friday. The Heat Index is at 115 degrees.

At the Inner Harbor, the temperature was 102 degrees, with a Heat Index of 119 degrees.

And I'm about to head out into the teeth of it. This ... is journalism.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The National Weather Service is reporting 100 degrees at 11 a.m. at the Maryland Science Center in downtown Baltimore. The dew point was 77, for a Heat Index value of 112 degrees. The forecast high downtown is 105 degrees.

It was 97 at BWI Marshall Airport, with a dew point also at 77 degrees. That gives us a Heat Index of 116 degrees. The forecast high for BWI is 103 degrees.

This week's heat comes to us thanks to a huge dome of high pressure over the eastern half of the nation. Clockwise circulation around the high is bringing hot, humid air up from the South, the Gulf and the Atlantic.

Subsidence of the air in the dome is suppressing the development of cooling thunderstorms, which need a column of rising air to form. Our first chance for relief should come tonight or Saturday afternoon as the high moves farther east, and our rain chances begin to rise again.

Any storms that do form, forecasters warn, could become severe, with a potential for damaging winds and heavy downpours.

Real relief is still a few days away, with thre arrival of a cold fron Sunday or Monday. High temperatures early next week should rop into the high 80s - pretty nearly average for this time of year.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers
        

Here's the rundown on temperatures and Heat Indices for the region at 10 a.m.:

BWI:  Temperature 96 degrees + dew point 76 degrees = Heat Index 109 degrees

Md. Science Center:  Temperature 97 + dew point 76 = Heat Index 111 degrees.

The Sun:  Temperature 97 degrees + dew point (not real reliable) 84 degrees = Heat Index 132 degrees.

I don't think there's much doubt that BWI will be setting a new daily heat record for Baltimore today. The hottest July 22 on the books for Baltimore reached 101 degrees, in 1957. We're just 5 degrees short of that mark at 10 a.m. and there's no rain in sight today. So I'd bet we will knock that record down this afternoon.

The official forecast high for today is 105 degrees downtown, and 103 at the airport. 

Speaking of records, the PJM Interconnection - the regional power grid that includes Maryland and parts of 12 other states plus the District of Columbia - reported this morning that the region set a new record Thursday for power consumption. We soaked up 158,450 megawatts of electricity. One megawatt is enough to power about 1,000 homes.

The previous record was set Aug. 2, 2006. After some adjustments for changes in the grid since then, PJM estimates the 2006 peak would have been 158,258 megawatts.

The demand for power to keep things cool across the region was met "without problems," the agency said. "Our efforts in fine-tuning how we forecast electricity demand and plan transmission improvements are paying big dividends for our system operations," said Michael Kormos, senior VP for operations.

(PHOTOT: Vicki Valerio, Philadelphia Inquirer, 2003)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers, Forecasts
        

The temperature at the Maryland Science Center reached 103 degrees at 3 p.m. Thursday. It's not Baltimore's official reading; that's taken at BWI-Marshall Airport, where it was a mere 98 degrees at the same hour.

But it's a good sampling of what anyone who ventures outside in the downtown area is experiencing. And with the dew point at 75 degrees, it adds up to a Heat Index value of 117 degrees. That's how it "feels," the combined effect of heat and high humidity on the bady's ability to cool itself.

Here at Calvert and Centre streets, our instruments read 99 degrees, with a (suspect) dew point of 82 degrees. That produces a Heat Index reading of 127 degrees.

Oh, by the way, Friday's forecast calls for a high of 104 degrees downtown. With a dew point at 75 again, that would yield a Heat Index of 119 degrees.

Is anybody actually out in this stuff?

Posted by Frank Roylance at 3:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Overnight thunderstorms dropped as much as 3.5 inches of rain in some locations across Central Maryland. But while the slow-moving tropical downpours were intense, they were also spotty, dropping more than in inch, for example, in Bel Air, but almost nothing in Elkton. BWI reported just 0.10 inch.

The highest rain totals in the region were recorded north of Towson. Jacksonville reported 3.58 inches in the 24 hours ending at 8 this morning. We clocked 3.06 inches on the WeatherDeck in Cockeysville overnight, bringing the 24-hour total to 4.14 inches. That's more than a month's worth of rain in 24 hours.

The deluge flooded sections of Papermill Road and York Road at Beaver Run. Downed trees and power outages were widespread elsewhere across the region. For more, click here.

The lightning shot is another great photo from James Willinghan, in Howard County.

Here are some other 24-hour rain totals from the CoCoRaHS Network:

Cockeysville: 2.17 inches

Ellicott City:  1.33 inches

Bel Air:  1.08 inches

Catonsville:  1.02 inches

Columbia:  0.76 inch

Baltimore:  0.58 inch

Reisterstown:  0.52 inch

Towson:  0.32 inch

Severn:  0.13 inch

Westminster:  0.07 inch

The forecast from Sterling calls for more of the same later today (Friday). As much as 1 to 2 inches of additional rain is possible overnight tonight, then ending Saturday morning.

(PHOTO: James Willinghan. Used with permission.)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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UPDATE: The official high temperature Wednesday at BWI was 99 degrees, reached at 2:38 p.m. With a dew point of 69 degrees, the Heat Index reading works out to 106 degrees, according to Carrie Suffern, a NWS meteorolgist at Sterling, Va.

The temperature at BWI-Marshall Airport reached 98 degrees early Wednesday afternoon, breaking the old 97-degree record for the date, set in 1999.

It was the fourth 90-plus record temperature for Baltimore in the last 10 days.

The mercury at The Sun's weather station at Calvert and Centre streets read 100 degrees just before 4 p.m. It was 99 at the Maryland Science Center. Frederick Airport is reporting 102 degrees.

Annapolis, cooled by a bay breeze, topped out at a positively chilly 87 degrees. Ocean City reached 93.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 3:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers
        

UPDATE, 5 p.m.: The National Weather Service says a final review of its temperature records for BWI this afternoon showed the mercury reached 98 degrees briefly at 12:55 p.m., setting a new Baltimore record for June 1. Earlier post below: 

The mercury at BWI-Marshall Airport reached 97 degrees at 2 p.m. Wednesday. That tied the record high for the date, set (downtown, in those days) in 1895. It is the oldest daily high record on the books for Baltimore in June, and the only June record daily high remaining from the 19th century.

There are several more hours for temperatures to rise a bit higher. But thunderstorms are still expected to move in this afternoon. That will bring in some clouds and reduce the solar heating, and then the rain will start to cool things down. It remains to be seen whether BWI can establish a new record high for the date.

In the past three days, we have tied two record highs and broken a third.

Monday: High of 98 tied the record for May 30, set in 1991

Tuesday: High of 97 broke the May 31 record of 96, set in 1991

Wednesday: 2 p.m. reading of 97 tied the June 1 record, set in 1895

(Graph shows temperature and dew point recorded by The Sun's weather station at Calvert and Centre streets)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

May got off to a cool start at BWI, tying a record low of 40 degrees on the 6^th, and racking up five days at or below the daily averages during that first week. It was gloomy, too, with rain in the air on five days. Then skies cleared for a beautiful stretch during the second week. Temperatures warmed a bit for the third week, but the rain returned. There’s been little rain since, and temperatures have soared, tying the record high of 98 on the 30^th. May ended about 4 degrees above average, and dry.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers, From the Sun's print edition
        

The temperature reading out at BWI-Marshall Airport has reached 96 degrees this afternoon. That matches the record high for the last day of May, set in 1991.

UPDATE, 6 p.m.: The high temperature at BWI this afternoon was 97 degrees, breaking the 96-degree record set for the date in 1991.

It's the second-straight day of heat records for Baltimore. Monday's high was 98 degrees, tying the record for that date (and the month), also set in 1991.

Tomorrow's forecast calls for similar heat, but with the chance of thunderstorms. An approaching cold front should throw some water on the sizzling sidewalks and push the Bermuda High that's responsible for the heat out to sea. Highs for the balance of the week, and the weekend, should hold in the upper 80s, with much lower humidity, if the forecasters have it right.

(SUN PHOTO: Terrence "Goody" Granger, a laborer with P. Flanigan & Sons, takes a drink during an asphalt paving job in Southwest Baltimore Tuesday. By Barbara Haddock Taylor)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 3:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Yesterday's high temperature of 98 degrees at BWI-Marshall Airport tied the record for the date, set in 1991. Ninety-eight degrees is also the record high for the month of May, reached on several May dates in 1925, 1941, 1962, 1991 and, now, 2011.

It was 92 degrees on the WeatherDeck in Cockeysville, 96 at The Sun's weather station at Calvert and Centre streets, and 99 degrees at the Inner Harbor.

Mary Ellen Hluska sent us the photo of the thermometer: "This was taken [around 6 p.m.] in southeast Baltimore. It's a meat thermometer measuring the SW wall of my house. The measurement time was approximately 3 minutes. It was still going up, but I had to go in." 

Today's forecast high for BWI is a relatively cool 93 degrees, although we can probably count on exceeding that by a bit. The record high for Baltimore on the 31st of May is 96 degrees, set in 1991, so that record may be within reach, too.

The National Weather Service has posted a Heat Advisory for the region again today until 8 p.m. That means the combination of high temperatures and high humidity will raise the risks of heat-related illness. The Baltimore Health Department has declared a Code Red Heat Alert for Tuesday, opening cooling centers across the city. Please check on neighbors, relatives and friends who may be vulnerable to the heat today. From the Weather Service:

"THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS TO DRINK PLENTY OF
FLUIDS. WATER AND SPORTS DRINKS ARE THE BEST CHOICES. IF YOU MUST
BE OUTSIDE...TAKE FREQUENT BREAKS IN THE SHADE DURING THE
AFTERNOON SUN. SPEND TIME IN AN AIR CONDITIONED ROOM DURING THE
HOTTEST PART OF THE DAY. NEVER LEAVE CHILDREN OR PETS IN A CAR...
TEMPERATURES INSIDE THE VEHICLE CAN EXCEED 130 DEGREES IN A
MATTER OF MINUTES."

There is also a Code Orange Air Quality Alert in effect again for this afternoon as air pollution rises to levels that pose a health risk to vulnerable populations, such as the very young, the elderly and those with respiratory problems. If you fall into those categories, stay indoors today, or in locations with air conditioning.

If there is any relief ahead, it could come with thunderstorms on Wednesday. Some of those storms could be severe, with damaging winds and large hail. Daytime highs should fall back into the 80s by Friday and through the weekend.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 7:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The mercury at BWI-Marshall Airport has topped 90 degrees for the first time this year. The 3 p.m. reading at the airport was 91, the first time it has hit the 90s since Sept. 25, 2010. It's not a record. The record high for a May 26 for Baltimore is 94 degrees, set in 1914.

The thermometer at The Sun's weather station, at Calvert and Centre streets was 92 degrees at 3 p.m. It's currently (4:30 p.m.) at 93. The dew point stood at a steamy 74 degrees.

The forecast calls for highs in the mid-80s for the weekend, with a high of 93 predicted for Memorial Day.

To our west, Washington and Allegany counties are under a Tornado Warning until 5 p.m. Washington County is under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 9 p.m., with a risk of damaging wind gusts, and large hail.

UPDATE, 5:15 p.m.: The Tornado Warning has been extended to Washington County, until 5:30 p.m. DO you have a NOAA Weather Radio?

A storm out near Keyser, W. Va. is reported to have "whitened the ground" with nickel-sized hailstones.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 4:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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The showers and thunderstorms that rolled up through parts of Baltimore and Harford counties Wednesday, triggering tornado warnings as they went, dropped more than an inch of rain in many locations, with the total topping 2 inches in Jacksonville. Talbot County also reported some hefty rain amounts from the thunderstorm that struck the Eastern Shore. Here are some numbers from the CoCoRaHS Network:

Jacksonville:  2.35 inches

White Marsh:  1.95 inches

WeatherDeck in Cockeysville:  1.72 inches

Long Green: 1.53 inches

Fallston:  1.40 inches

Hamilton, Baltimore City:  1.24 inches

St. Michaels, Talbot:  1.01 inches

BWI-Marshall Airport reported only 0.25 inch.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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So I've been sitting here on Calvert Street for days, cranking out posts to relay dire warnings from the weather service about showers and thunderstorms and flash flooding. There have been watches and warnings and ... So where's all the rain?

BWI-Marshall Airport is reporting just 0.38 inch since early Tuesday morning. We've had only 0.13 inch here at The Sun's weather station. It seems like there's been more water lapping over the City Dock in Annapolis than has been falling across the region.

It appears that most of the rain with this stubborn "cutoff low" has been falling to our west, in the mountain counties of Maryland and down in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Accident, in Garrett County reported 1.88 inches by 8 a.m. Wednesday, according to the CoCoRaHS Network.

The Potomac River is expected to crest at Paw Paw at 25.8 feet at 2 p.m. today, forecasters said - just above flood stage. Hancock was headed for 23.5 feet tonight - just below flood stage. Harper's Ferry and Sheperdstown should see peaks tomorrow, with Point of Rocks and Little Falls cresting on Friday.

The National Weather Service is reporting more than 2 inches in parts of Western Maryland, and upwards of 3 and 4 inches of rain down in parts of Virginia and West Virginia. Here's a sampling from both sources:

Winchester, Va.:  3.4 inches

Jones Springs, W.V.:  3.25 inches

Hollymead, Va.:  2.59 inches

Bridgewater, Va.:  2.32 inches

Eldersburg, Carroll Co. Md.: 0.90 inch

Columbia, Howard Co.:  0.75 inch

La Plata, Charles Co.:  0.69 inch

Severn, Arundel:  0.66 inch

Westminster, Carroll Co.:  0.49 inch

Bel Air, Harford Co.:  0.09 inch

That's not to say we've dodged the rain here in Baltimore. NWS forecasters continue to warn there's more coming. Showers and thunderstorms this afternoon and evening could produce heavy rain and flash flooding. Some could be severe, with damaging winds, large hail and even an isolated tornado.

Central Maryland remains under a Coastal Flood Warning as persistent southeasterly winds keep water bottled up in the Chesapeake. The winds, coupled with a full moon, are making for high tides in excess of two feet above normal today.  

Showers and thunderstorms remain in the forecast through Friday as the sluggish low drifts north from the southern Appalachians into the Ohio Valley.

"The heaviest rainfall is expected late this morning through this afternoon when instability will be at its highest," forecasters said.

The low is forecast to continue pumping loads of Atlantic moisture into the region, keeping us gray and drippy. Whenever solar energy is able to trigger thunderstorms, they are likely to drop heavy rain, with a risk of large hail and and damaging winds.

"This has been one of the most persistent upper lows I've ever experienced here," one forecaster said in this morning's forecast discussion. "But the end will be occurring soon."

By Friday the low will have moved into New Jersey. We'll still feel its effects, but they will be easing. And by Saturday we should see partly sunny skies with highs near 80 degrees.

Are we having fun yet?

Posted by Frank Roylance at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers, Forecasts
        

NOAA has run the numbers for April and in addition to historic flooding, a record-breaking tornado outbreak and huge wildfires, the month ended as the 10th wettest since national record-keeping began in 1895.

The average temperature across the Lower 48 states was 52.9 degrees, about 0.9 degrees above the 20th century average. Precipitation in April was 0.7 inches above the norm.

The heaviest rain fell in the Mississippi and Ohio valleys (map above; click to enlarge). The Ohio Valley region saw its wettest April on record. It was the second-wettest in the Northeast. West Virginia and Pennsylvania had their wettest Aprils since 1895. Kentucky saw an astonishing 11.88 inches of rain in April, obliterating the previous record for the month - just 7.61 inches in 1972. It was three times the long-term average for April in Kentucky.

The soaking suffered by the middle of the country is in stark contrast with the terrible drought in the Southern Plains. Texas saw its fifth-driest April on record. Ninety-four percent of the state is in Severe Drought or worse. Wildfires in April burned across 1.79 million acres of the nation, and Texas alone has seen 2.2 million acres charred since January.

Mid-Atlantic states enjoyed unusual warmth in April. Delaware saw its warmest on record; Virginia had its fourth-warmest; West Virginia its eighth warmest. Marylanders recorded their 10th warmest April on record.

The Northwest was unusually cool, with Washington state recording its second-coolest April on record - 5 degrees below the norm.  

Posted by Frank Roylance at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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These cool May mornings feel wonderful, and if it weren't for the pollen, it would be great to have the windows open at night and pull a blanket up. Alas, we've been forced to keep the windows closed and the furnace fans running (to circulate the air through the filters).

Friday's low temperature at BWI-Marshall Airport was 40 degrees, which matched the record low for the date, last reached on May 6, 1925. It's a relatively easy target. The rest of the record lows for the first half of the month are still in the low to mid-30s.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The low temperature Tuesday at BWI-Marshall Airport was 68 degrees. That broke the record-high minimum temperature for the date - 66 degrees - set in 1990, according to the National Weather Service.

Similar records were broken at Wednesday at Washington's Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport in Virginia. The instruments in Washington on the 27th showed a low of 66 degrees, breaking the 65-degree record set in 1908 and matched in 1990 and 1994.

Out at Dulles, the low temperature was 68 degrees, breaking the 63-degree record set on the same date in 2009.

The mild overnight temperatures were the result of a deep low-pressure system over eastern Canada that had dragged a warm front north of the region in advance of the low's trailing cold front, which finally passed through the region Thursday afternoon.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 1:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Instruments at BWI-Marshall Airport this afternoon show the temperature at 4 p.m. had reached 85 degrees. That ties the record high for the date, set 124 years ago, in 1887.

The temperature at The Sun's weather station at Calvert and Centre streets was 86 degrees. It was 73 closer to the bay in Annapolis, and 75 degrees at Martin State Airport in Middle River.

It is the second Monday in a row that the mercury has reached a record high in the 80s at BWI. For the Orioles' home opener April 4, the high was 86 degrees at 5 p.m. That broke the old record of 83 degrees, which had stood since 1956. The average high for an April 11 in Baltimore is 63 degrees.

Temperatures this time began to drop after clouds thickened ahead of tonight 's rain. It was 84 at 5 p.m. Forecasters said the 4 p.m. reading was likely to be the day's high at BWI.

Records at Washington's Reagan National Airport and Dulles International seemed safe this afternoon. It was 82 at Reagan at 4 p.m., where the record set in 1930 for the date is 91. At Dulles, the 4 p.m. reading was 84, and the record set in 1977 is 87 degrees. 

The heat won't last.

"The high tomorrow [Tuesday] will only be ... 62 for Baltimore," said NWS meteorologist Heather Sheffield, from the regional forecast office in Sterling, Va. "The cold front moves through and the rain will continue into tomorrow."

"We have a kind of a low forming as the front goes through, and that will keep the showers around tomorrow," she said. "It looks like by late tomorrow [Tuesday] night the low will be moving off the coast."

That should bring the sun back sometime Wednesday or Thursday, forecasters said. More showers and thunderstorms are forecast for late Friday and Saturday. Daytime highs drop back to the 50s early next week.

(SUN PHOTO: Frank Roylance, 4/11/11)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers, Sky Notes
        

FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

The PJM Interconnection, which manages the electric grid across all or part of 13 states, including Maryland, has issued its 2010 annual report. Last summer’s heat drove electric demand above 100,000 megawatts on more than 70 days, a new record. Consumers in the mid-Atlantic were asked to curtail demand on three dates. After adjusting for the heat, summer demand still grew by 1 percent over 2009, the largest such increase since 2006, attributed to a recovering economy.

(SUN PHOTO: Karl Merton Ferron, July 2010)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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UPDATE, 5 p.m.: The mercury at BWI-Marshall Airport touched 86 degrees at 5 p.m. Monday, establishing a new record high for the date. The previous record for an April 4 in Baltimore was 83 degrees. It had stood for 55 years, since 1956.

This is the second time this year the thermometer has topped 80 degrees at the airport. The first was on March 18, with a high of 81, also a record for the date.

The 1956 record of 83 degrees was the lowest daily record high for April. The lowest record high now is 84 degrees, set on April 5, last year. 

Washington's Reagan National Airport reported a high of 85 degrees, tying the record set there in 1956. Dulles International reported 84 degrees, breaking the 81-degree mark set on this date in 1999. 

This is the warmest weather Baltimoreans have seen since an 91-degree reading on Sept. 25, 2010. Perfect weather for Opening Day.

The graph above is for The Sun's weather station, not BWI. We reached 85.6 degrees at 4:50 p.m., after a climb from 46.9 degrees at 5:20 a.m., a gain of 38.7 degrees. 

By the way, the NWS is predicting rain and snow showers behind the cold front early Tuesday morning for the high ridges of the Maryland mountains. Really.

Here are some other 5 p.m. readings from around the region:

Continue reading "BWI hits 86 degrees, breaks record " »

Posted by Frank Roylance at 4:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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The National Weather Service is predicting an afternoon high Monday of 78 degrees at BWI-Marshall Airport. That's not a record. But Sterling pretty regularly underestimates high temperatures for Baltimore, so there's a good chance the airport will see something more than 78.

The record for Baltimore on an April 4 is 83 degrees, set in 1956. It just happens to be the lowest daily high-temperature record on the books for April, so it's low-hanging fruit. 

The forecast calls for mostly sunny skies today. The April sun is strong, so provided clouds don't dim the afternoon rays, we could well slip into the low 80s for the second time this year. The first, you'll recall, was the record high of 81 degrees, reached on March 18.

The welcome mild weather is the result of a warm front that passed through the region overnight. It is the precursor of a Midwest cold front that is approaching the Appalachians to our west. Its approach will be marked by gusty winds, showers and possibly thunderstorms, most likely after 11 p.m. Up to a quarter-inch of rain is possible, with more in thunderstorms. Damaging wind gusts and heavy rain are also in the cards tonight.

The front is due to pass over the Chesapeake Bay around sunrise Tuesday. Showers and storms are forecast to linger into the day, with another three-quarters of an inch of rain possible. Behind it they're expecting brisk northwest winds. They will begin to dry things out, clear the skies, and cool daytime highs back down to about 60 degrees for Wednesday.

Thursday remains sunny in the forecast, with highs warming to the mid-60s. But there's another chance for rain with a cold front due to pass by Friday afternoon and evening. If the forecast holds up, Saturday will bring mostly cloudy skies with highs in ther mid-60s. Sunday brings another chance for rain, but with milder temperatures in the mid-70s.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers
        

One of the fascinating things about springtime weather in these parts is the battle between persistent cold air to our north and rapidly warming air to our south. And today provides a terrific example.

With a low-pressure system approaching from the Midwest, the counter-clockwise flow around the low is drawing cold, wet Atlantic air in from the sea, giving us this chill, drizzly weather. It's snowing hard across northeastern Pennsylvania and Upstate New York. Forecasters don't expect us to get much above 50 degrees this afternoon.

At the same time, the flow around the same low is dragging much warmer, wet air from the Gulf states, driving today's temperatures to our south into the 70s to near 80 degrees. Charlottesville, Va. is expected to see a high today of 75 degrees.

And as the low passes through the region later today, and the associated cold front passes by, we're likely to see thunderstorms, some of which could become severe.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service say the storms could kick up after 4 p.m., with between a tenth- and a quarter-inch of rain possible, more in thunderstorms. The chance of storms continues into the evening, ending around 2 a.m. with a nother quarter-inch possible. But showers could persist until 8 a.m. Thursday. There's some chance the overnight precipitation could mix with snow, both in the mountains to our west, and in higher elevations along the Mason-Dixon line.

Looking toward the weekend, daytime temperatures will hold in the 40s - 10 degrees below the average - after the cold front passes by, and Canadian air moves in. Nighttime lows will drop to freezing or below from Thursday night right through the weekend.

The next storm system arrives Saturday night, and there's a 50 percent chance the rain could mix with snow by Sunday morning. No significant accumulations are likely, but forecasters caution that their confidence in the forecast this far out is low.  

Posted by Frank Roylance at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers
        

Our little one-day "heat wave" has pushed temperatures near Baltimore into the 80s this afternoon.

The official thermometer at BWI-Marshall Airport stood at 81 degrees just before 5 p.m. That seemed likely to stand as the day's high, but was already enough to set a new record for a March 18 in Baltimore. The old mark was 80 degrees, set on March 18, 1989.

It was also the first time Baltimore has reached the 80s since last Oct. 12, when the high was 81 degrees.

Elsewhere, temperatures pushed into the upper 70s and low 80s across the region. It was 82 degrees at the Maryland Science Center at 5 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. It was 81 at Martin State Airport in Middle River, in Frederick, and at The Sun's weather station (top)at Calvert and Centre Streets in Baltimore. Charlottesville, Va. reported 80 degrees.

It was 79 at Dulles Airport, also a new record, according to the National Weather Service. Annapolis reported 77 degrees; so did Reagan National Airport in Washington.

This will be it for this kind of weather for a while. The weekend looks sunny, but there's a cold front pushing through later today, so the weekend highs will only be in the 50s.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers
        

FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

(SUN PHOTO: Kim Hairston, Feb. 25, 2011)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The stats are coming in from Thursday's record-breaking rainfall, and it looks like locations in Baltimore County and in the city topped the charts, with totals of well over 3 inches in some locations.

In fact, an observer in Pimlico, in Baltimore City, reported 3.86 inches - the highest in the tallies so far from the National Weather Service or the CoCoRaHS Network.  I also had a call this morning from a reader in Pikesville who recorded 3.9 inches on his rain gauge.

We had 3.10 inches on the Weather Deck in Cockeysville. And The Sun's weather station at Calvert and Centre streets recorded 2.69 inches for the storm.

Many Harford County locations also reported rains in excess of 3 inches.

The official count at BWI-Marshall Airport was 2.61 inches for the date, and 2.63 inches for the storm. That broke the 1.74-inch record for a March 10 in Baltimore, set in 1883. Average March rainfall for Baltimore in March is 3.93 inches, the second-wettest month of the year after September.

Here are the first returns from the National Weather Service:

MARYLAND

...ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY...
   1 W ARNOLD            2.34   422 PM  3/10  MESONET
   1 N BALT-WASH INTL A  2.32   400 PM  3/10  ASOS
   2 NW RIVA             1.51   145 PM  3/10  TRAINED SPOTTER
   1 NNW PAROLE          1.20   945 AM  3/10  TRAINED SPOTTER
   CHURCHTON             1.20  1000 AM  3/10  TRAINED SPOTTER

...BALTIMORE COUNTY...
   1 ENE RUXTON          3.63   505 PM  3/10  MESONET
   1 NE LUTHERVILLE      3.45   519 PM  3/10  MESONET

...BALTIMORE CITY...
   PIMLICO               3.86   530 PM  3/10  TRAINED SPOTTER
   1 ENE BALTIMORE       2.78   513 PM  3/10  MESONET
   1 SSE DOWNTOWN BALTI  2.41   400 PM  3/10  ASOS

...CARROLL COUNTY...
   MANCHESTER            2.70   524 PM  3/10  MESONET

...HARFORD COUNTY...
   2 W CHURCHVILLE       3.58   447 PM  3/10  MESONET
   3 N HICKORY           3.52   524 PM  3/10  MESONET

...HOWARD COUNTY...
   1 S DANIELS           2.83   519 PM  3/10  MESONET

...PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY...
   LAUREL                1.57   200 PM  3/10  PUBLIC

...WASHINGTON COUNTY...
   1 NE MAUGANSVILLE     0.81   400 PM  3/10  ASOS

The heavy rains are still running off the land and into area rivers and streams. Many are running at record-high levels for the date. Check out this streamflow map from the US Geological Survey. Dark blue dots represent flows over 90 percent of the record. Black dots indicate record high flows.

(SUN PHOTO: Jerry Jackson, March 10, 2011)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers
        

We have already booked nearly a half-inch of rain here on the WeatherDeck in Cockeysville. And down in portions of Virginia - "upstream" in this river of rain we're facing today - they're reporting totals that are already well over an inch. Here are some early rainfall totals for the region:

Culpeper, Va:  1.25 inches

Long Green:  0.80 inch 

White Marsh:  0.75 inch

Elkton:  0.65 inch

Bowie:  0.56 inch

Catonsville:  0.52 inch

BWI-Marshall Airport:  0.50 inch

WeatherDeck, Cockeysville:  0.49 inch

Westminster:  0.31 inch

Here's more from the CoCoRaHS Network.

The National Weather Service has posted Flood Warnings (bright green) for portions of Washington and Frederick counties, where the Monocacy and Potomac rivers are expected to flood today. There are Coastal Flood Advisories (yellowish green) for the Maryland portions of the Chesapeake, as east and southeast winds drive water into the Upper Bay and the tidal creeks.

If you see flooding today, and can safely take pictures, email them to me and we'll consider them for posting here. Your comments and reports on the weather you see around you are always welcome.

All of Central Maryland is under a Flood Watch through this evening, as 2 to 3 inches of rain could cause flooding in low-lying spots and poorly drained urban settings almost anywhere.

And, just to keep things interesting, Garrett County, in far western Maryland, is under a Winter Storm Watch for tonight. More than 6 inches of heavy, wet snow is possible overnight as the storm passes by and draws cold air down from the north behind the cold front.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 6:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers
        

For those who love statistics, here is the monthly weather summary for Baltimore, just in from the National Weather Service:

"THE FEBRUARY 2011 MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR BALTIMORE WAS
ABOVE NORMAL. IT WAS THE FIRST MONTH TO AVERAGE ABOVE NORMAL SINCE
NOVEMBER 2010. IT WAS ALSO THE WARMEST FEBRUARY SINCE 2002 WHEN IT
AVERAGED 39.3F DEG. THE WARMEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD WAS 44.1F DEG IN
1976.

"TEMPERATURES REACHED OR EXCEEDED 65F DEG ON FIVE DAYS THIS PAST
MONTH...WHICH WAS THE MOST OCCURRENCES IN FEBRUARY SINCE THE TEN
DAYS IN 1976.

"BALTIMORE HAD BACK-TO-BACK 70F-DEG DAYS ON 17-18 FEBRUARY. THE LAST
TIME CONSECUTIVE 70F-DEG DAYS OCCURRED IN FEBRUARY WAS 24-25
FEBRUARY 2000.

"A RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 51F DEG WAS SET ON THE
18TH...BREAKING THE OLD RECORD OF 50F DEG SET 1891.

"PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH WAS SLIGHTLY DRIER THAN NORMAL.
PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN BELOW NORMAL FOR THE PAST FIVE MONTHS.

"SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH WAS BELOW NORMAL AND ONLY 5 PERCENT OF THE
RECORD 50.0 INCHES MEASURED JUST LAST FEBRUARY.

"THIS FEBRUARY FEATURED SEVERAL HIGH WIND EVENTS. FOR EXAMPLE...WIND
GUSTS OF 55 MPH AND 60 MPH WERE MEASURED ON THE 19TH AND 25TH
RESPECTIVELY."

(SUN PHOTO: Kim Hairston, Feb. 28, 2011)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers
        

Some windstorm. Trees, branches down, wildfires and building fires get stoked and keep fire fighters on the run.

We were in Manhattan for most of it. There were times when it was all we could do to prevent the gusts from knocking us down as they funneled through the urban canyons. And temperatures had dropped into the 30s. Brutal.

And every bit of trash buried by the heavy snows up there over the past couple of months, and exposed by recent mild weather, was suddenly airborne. It was amazing. Driving to our hotel in NJ Saturday night was a wrestling match. We were pelted by trash. And on the drive home Sunday, the amount of tree debris and trash along the roadsides, and plastic bags snared by fences and trees, was monumental.

Apparently Baltimore experienced the same thing. We saw this appeal today from the city's Public Works Department:

"Public Works Director Alfred H. Foxx asked Baltimore City residents to assist city crews today in cleaning up the debris resulting from yesterday’s high winds. 'The winds that swept through our area yesterday caused many problems including blowing trash along our streets and alleys. We have crews out today going to major problem areas and working with DOT and Recreation and Parks on medians and parks. We are also going to address business districts, corner cans, and dirty streets and alleys.'

"Director Foxx emphasized the need for help from City residents. 'We can’t do it alone. We are asking residents to help by just spending 15 minutes to a half an hour cleaning up in front and rear of their homes, including the gutter, and along the street. Make sure you put the trash in a trashcan and keep it for your next scheduled trash day.'

"Residents can also assist by calling 311 to report problem areas, especially dirty streets and alleys. Many problems yesterday resulted from trash bags left on street corners. Baltimore City law requires the use of trashcans. Trash and recycling needs to be stored until the next regularly scheduled collection day."

Good luck with that.

Below, on the jump, is a pretty comprehensive rundown on peak wind gusts during the storm Saturday, from the National Weather Service. Flint, in Frederick County, takes the gold ring, at 63 mph. Parole, in Anne Arundel County, reported a gust at 60 mph. BWI topped out at 55.

(SUN PHOTO: Amy Davis, Feb. 20, 2011)

Continue reading "Final tally on Saturday's winds" »

Posted by Frank Roylance at 7:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers
        

Here are some early reports on overnight wind gusts in Maryland, courtesy of the National Weather Service. Flint, in Frederick County, appears to get the gold ring at 58 mph. Top gust in Baltimore was 48 mph:

MARYLAND

...ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY...
   1 W GLEN BURNIE         48   104 AM  2/19  MESONET
   1 N BALT-WASH INTL A    48   617 AM  2/19  ASOS

...ANZ538...
   3 W SPARROWS POINT      51  1200 AM  2/19  MESONET

...BALTIMORE CITY...
   1 SW BALTIMORE          48  1149 PM  2/18  MESONET
   1 ENE BALTIMORE         46   428 AM  2/19  MESONET

...CARROLL COUNTY...
   1 SE MANCHESTER         46  1245 AM  2/19  MESONET

...FREDERICK COUNTY...
   2 SW FLINT              58   402 AM  2/19  AWOS
   1 E BRUNSWICK           55  1254 AM  2/19  MESONET
   1 W PLEASANT WALK       48   357 AM  2/19  MESONET
   2 ENE PETERSVILLE       48  1257 AM  2/19  MESONET
   MIDDLETOWN              47   239 AM  2/19  MESONET

...HOWARD COUNTY...
   1 SSW ILCHESTER         47   530 AM  2/19  MESONET

...MONTGOMERY COUNTY...
   2 SW DAMASCUS           46   239 AM  2/19  MESONET

...PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY...
   SPRINGDALE              46  1259 AM  2/19  MESONET

...WASHINGTON COUNTY...
   1 E HAGERSTOWN          49  1135 PM  2/18  MESONET
   1 NE MAUGANSVILLE       48  1248 AM  2/19  ASOS

Posted by Frank Roylance at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The noontime temperature at BWI-Marshall Airport was 65 degrees, the wamest reading there since Nov. 23.

It was 64 here at Calvert and Centre streets, 66 at Washington's Reagan National Airport, 63 at Dulles International, 65 at Charlottesville, Va. and 63 at Annapolis.

UPDATE, 3:30 p.m.: Looks like the front has passed; the barometer is headed up again, and the temperature is headed down. Looks like 66 will be the day's high at BWI, 70 at Washington. UPDATED UPDATE: The FINAL, OFFICIAL high was 67 degrees.

Cooler weather lies ahead as a cold front moves through this afternoon, but we should be back in the 60s by Thursday and Friday.

So what are you doing to enjoy this break in what has been a pretty persistently cold winter? With all the wind that's going to pick up this afternoon, it seems like a perfect day for kites.

(SUN PHOTO: Lloyd Fox, Jan. 2007)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: By the numbers
        

I've always loved that old marketing slogan for Maryland - America in Miniature. From the beaches to the mountains, yadda yadda.

Today we are America in minature, from the balmy to the deep freeze.

At 4 p.m. or so, the temperature at the Wisp Resort in McHenry, Garrett County, was 25 degrees as cold air rushed in behind the ice storm. In Baltimore, here at The Sun (our thermometer is working again) it was 48 degrees, one of the mildest readings we've seen in a while. It's even above average for this time of year.

And out in Salisbury, on the Eastern Shore, the reading was 61 degrees under sunny skies. That springlike weather won't last, of course. The cold air will reach the Shore eventually. But how amazing that we can see such contrast across such a tiny state.

(PHOTO: Wisp Web cam, McHenry; Kite Loft web cam, Ocean City)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers
        

Dave G. left a comment on this blog Sunday about his high BGE bill, just arrived at his home. He was actually responding to a post we wrote a year ago, when THAT January's bills were coming in after a cold December - 2009.

I've picked up Dave's comment and I'm re-posting it here because I suspect a lot of people are choking on their own bills at the moment. So here's an opportunity to commiserate. 

Here's Dave query, and my response:

"What is the difference in degree days for December, 2010 and December 2011?  My usage was 55% higher this year than last. - Dave"

FR: Bill, I'll assume you meant Dec. 2009 and December 2010.  According to the NWS, the total degree-days in December 2009 was 929. That increased to 1,003 in December 2010. That's an increase of almost 8 percent.

I just checked by own bills, and my electric usage (heat pump & lights, etc.) increased 11.7 percent. My gas (furnace and water heater) consumption was up 13.6 percent.  During the same period, according to the bill, the average temperature was the same (32 degrees) both years.

Now, you do need to consider that your billing cycle probably doesn't match the calendar month of December, so you would not expect the average temperature during your cycle for those two months to track precisely with these HDD numbers for the calendar month. Mine, for example, runs from mid-December to mid-January. Plus, only about half of our annual utility bills arise from heating and cooling. 

Also, the number of degree days is based on daily average temperatures - the day's high, plus the low, divided by two. That may not reflect the number of hours we actually spent at or below 32 degrees, where heat pump auxilliary heat coils typically switch on. 

BGE released a statement  Jan. 21 noting that the hours below 32 degrees in November-December 2010 jumped 43 percent compared with the year before. They warned that bills would be high in this cycle as a result. For that full release, click here.

This last billing cycle may also have been a day or two longer than the same one a year ago. Mine was 34 days this time, 33 days last time. That adds one day of usage. And, you may have other usage issues, like relatives who won't leave and teenagers taking 30-minute showers.

All that being said, Dave's 55 percent usage increase would seem to be pretty high. Maybe it's time for an energy audit.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: By the numbers
        

Pretty cold night. We fell to 9 degrees here on the WeatherDeck in Cockeysville. The low was 12 at BWI, the coldest of the season so far. Here are some readings from around the region at 6 a.m. They are not necessarily to night's lows, but probably pretty close.

Reagan National: 17 degrees

Dulles International:  14 degrees

College Park:  19 degrees

Gaithersburg:  12 degrees

BWI-Marshall:  14 degrees

Martin State Airport: 16 degrees

Md. Science Center:  17 degrees

Baltimore Sun:  16 degrees

Annapolis:  17 degrees

Ocean City:  19 degrees

Salisbury: 18 degrees

Frederick:  10 degrees

Hagerstown:  11 degrees

Westminster:  10 degrees

Oakland:  0 degrees

Cumberland:  12 degrees

(SUN PHOTO: Frank Roylance, 2010)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The mercury here at The Sun is struggling to top the freezing mark today. Ten of the last 11 days have been below the seasonal norms at BWI-Marshall Airport. And 23 days in December were below the long-term averages, too. The average high for this date in Baltimore is 41. Our persistent cold weather comes to us courtesy of something called the Arctic Oscillation. You can read more on that, and La Nina, here. 

But we're a long way from the record-cold days our parents and grandparents experienced. Thursday was the 99th anniversary of the day in 1912 when thermometers in Oakland, out in Garrett County, registered 40 degrees below zero. That was, and still is, the record-cold reading for the state.

The high reading in Baltimore that day (Jan. 13, 1912) was 11 degrees, still a record low maximum for the date. The next morning, the low in Baltimore was minus-2 degrees, also still a record for a Jan. 14.

Thirteen years later, on Jan. 28, 1925, the low reading in Oakland was minus-31 degrees. Twice in the following 30 years the temperatures in that far Western Maryland burgh reached a negative 25 degrees. And on Jan. 28, 1955 they reached minus-26 degrees, according to our clips from the time.

Trust me, that's cold. Not long after we were married, my wife and I were living in Hanover, N.H. During our first or second winter there, the overnight temperatures fell to minus-27 degrees three days in a row. We quickly learned to bring our car battery indoors for the night, or face the certainty that the old crate would not turn over in the morning.

We later purchased a crankcase heater, and used that to keep the engine warm overnight. It consisted of little more than a heated dipstick with an electrical cord.

But with no place to plug it in at work, I was reduced to visiting the parking lot every two hours, during coffee breaks and lunch, to start and run the engine for 15 minutes. If I hadn't, by quitting time it would have been as inert as New Hampshire granite. The highs on those days failed to reach zero.

But I digress. On Jan. 28, 1955, The Sun reported that the low in Baltimore was 14 degrees above zero at daybreak. Cumberland reported a reading of zero. The Sun observed:

"The air, particularly cold because it had moved here rapidly from the Arctic, put heavy coatings of ice on lakes and ponds and gave skating enthusiasts continued sport.

"In the harbor, plumes of thick frost decorated masts and rigging and ships and coated piers. Service stations did a land-office business throught the night..."

(Thanks to Sun Librarian Paul McCardell)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The climate stats for 2010 are coming in. Here are the highlights, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. You can read the full release here.

GLOBALLY:

Surface Temperature: Combined land and water temperatures averaged 1.12 degrees F above the 20th Century average. Tied with 2005 as the warmest since records began in 1880.

Land temperatures averaged 1.8 degrees F above the 20th C. average, the warmest on record. Ocean surface temperatures averaged 0.88 degrees F. above the average, the third-warmest on record.

The year was also the 34th straight year with global temperatures above the 20th Century average.

Precipitation: Global average precipitation was the most on record, but patterns varied widely across the globe. The Pacific hurricane season was the least active since satellite observations began in the 1960s. The Atlantic season was the third-most-active for tropical storms; the second-most-active for hurricanes.

Storms: A negative Arctic Oscillation last winter sent arctic air south, producing record cold and heavy snows in parts of Eastern North America, Europe and Asia. In February, the AO Index was the largest negative reading since records began in 1950. An unusually strong jet stream twisted north into Russia, and then south into Pakistan, contributing to record summer heat in Russia, and severe flooding in Pakistan. The Russian heat wave was accompanied by forest fires that sent thick smoke in Moscow. (Photo)

CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES:

Surface Temperatures: Surface temperatures in 2010 in the U.S. ranked as the 23rd-warmest on record, and the 14th straight year averaging above the 20th Century average. Since 1895, surface temperatures have increased at an average rate of 0.12 degrees F per decade.  Twelve states had a record-warm summer (June through August). New York, Philadelphia, Trenton and Wilmington broke summertime records.

Precipitation: The average precipitation in 2010 was 1.02 inches above the long-term average. Since 1895, precipitation rates have increased by an average of 0.18 inches per decade. Seasonal snowfall records were broken in Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia, Wilmington and Atlantic City. Wisconsin had its wettest summer on record.

Storms: The year ranked among the 10 busiest for tornadoes since 1950, with 1,302 recorded. Minnesota had the most for the first time, with 104 confirmed. Increased precipitation helped shrink drought areas to less than 8 percent of the Lower 48 states. Hawaii experienced near-record dryness for most of the year.

(PHOTOS: Top: Natalia Kolensnikova, AFP Getty. Bottom: Sn Photo by Jed Kirschbaum, Feb. 9, 2010)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The weekend's mild temperatures sure provided a welcome break from the otherwise pretty cold days of December - the coldest since 2000. They almost had me out there raking the last of the autumn leaves. But ... nah.

The mercury at BWI-Marshall Airport climbed to 59 degrees on Saturday, and 60 on Sunday. We reached 59.5 degrees here at The Sun's weather station, at Calvert and Centre streets. It was a reminder of the first day of December, which hit 62 at BWI before cold winter weather finally struck.

But January highs in the 60s aren't all that rare in Baltimore. We reached the 60s in January as recently as last Jan. 25, when it was 66 degrees - in the middle of the snowiest winter on record here.

The records for the 1st and 2nd are 67 degrees (2005) and 71 degrees (1876), respectively. We've reached the 70s on 22 of the 31 dates in January. The record high for Baltimore in January, at least since they started keeping records in 1871, was 79 degrees, on Jan. 26, 1950.

But let's not forget where we are on the calendar. January's daily cold records range from minus-7 degrees (on three January dates), to 8 above zero, on Jan. 7, 1988. The average snowfall for this month in Baltimore is 7 inches. The snowiest January day was Jan. 28, 1922 (23.3 inches). And the snowiest January was in 1996, with 32.6 inches.

(SUN PHOTO: Amy Davis, Jan. 6, 1997)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers
        

FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

Our cold weather continues. December at BWI saw 13 days with highs below 40 in the first three weeks. It’s only the fourth time since 1871 that’s happened, says NWS forecaster Chris Strong. The record was 18 days below 40, in 1910. Ten Decembers since 1871 have been colder in their first three weeks than this one. The coldest was in 1989, with an average of 27.1 degrees. We’ve averaged 31.4 degrees so far. The next-coldest in recent years was 31.8 degrees, in 2005.

(SUN PHOTO: Karl Merton Ferron, 1996)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers, From the Sun's print edition, Sky Notes
        

The totals are in for the season's little starter snow on Thursday, and it looks like St. Mary's County wins the prize for this one, with the Lower Eastern Shore a close second. Most of the rest of us saw 1 to 2 inches. The official tally at BWI-Marshall was 1.2 inches. It was hardly a memorable storm, unless it was your car that slid into the ditch.

Here is a snow map from the NWS. Here are some totals from the CoCoRaHS Network:

Ridge, St. Mary's County:  3.2 inches

Colton's Point, St. Mary's:  3.2 inches

Frederick, Frederick:  2.3 inches

Prince Frederick, Calvert: 2.2 inches

Princess Anne, Somerset:  2.2 inches

Waldorf, Charles:  2 inches

Cumberland, Allegany:  2 inches

Elkridge, Howard:  1.8 inches

Columbia, Howard:  1.7 inches

Severn, Anne Arundel:  1.1 inches

Towson, Baltimore:  0.8 inch

Bel Air, Harford:  0.5 inch

Westminster, Carroll:  0.5 inch

(AP PHOTO: Rob Carr, Baltimore, Dec. 16, 2010)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers
        

With December arriving tonight along with what is expected to be a heavy rain, you could say we're entering the recharge season for the region's reservoirs.

Despite a summer of hot, dry weather, the city's reservoir system stands at 86 percent of capacity, according to the Department of Public Works. There are some 65 billion gallons in storage, about 10 billion short of capacity.

Liberty Reservoir is at 83 percent; Loch Raven is at 90 percent, and Prettyboy stands at 87 percent.

That's probably pretty good for this time of year, said Kurt L. Kocher, spokesman for the DPW:

"There have been so many fluctuations over the years that what is typical is hard to pinpoint.  In the mid 80s percent range is solid to a bit above average. We started out the year and went through most of last year with full or close to full reservoirs. We hit a dry spell in the summer with very hot temperatures which increases water usage. Higher temperatures meant high evaporation as well, then we had that one tropical event. Usually we would see a couple tropical storms replenish summer losses, but this is still quite good for late fall."

And with most vegetation now dormant for the winter, whatever falls in the watershed from now on will mostly seep into groundwater or flow into the surface system, recharging it for next year.

(SUN PHOTO: Barbara Haddock Taylor, Loch Raven Reservoir, November 2007)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers
        

It wasn't our record-setting heat alone that explains the region's all-time peak in demand for electrical power this summer.

The PJM Interconnection, the outfit that manages the production and distribution of power across the grid in Maryland, parts of 12 other states and the District of Columbia, said that after adjusting for the record heat, a reviving economy added another 1 percent to the jump in highest electrical demand.

"It may seem like a small increase, but it's consistent with expected effects of economic recovery," said Michael J. Kormos, PJM's senior vice-president for operations. "It's also a significant change from the reduction in peak demand experienced in 2009, and is the largest increase in weather-adjusted peak demand since 2006 when we recorded our all-time peak."

Peak demand is defined as the maximum demand over one hour. It's the mark that power production facilities must be built to supply, and it is typically reached in summer because of the region's demand for air conditioning.

The Summer of 2010 saw a record-high peak in electric demand across the PJM region, reaching 203.7 million megawatts. That broke the previous record of 203.4 million megawatts, set in 2005. It was 37 percent higher than the average summer peak. 

It was the hottest summer on record for Baltimore, averaging 79.3 degrees for the months of June, July and August. That broke the previous record of 79.1 degrees, set in 1943. The city also suffered a record 59 days of 90-degree weather in 2010, and tied the record for the number of 100-degree days (7). 

(SUN PHOTO: Lloyd Fox, July 22, 2010)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers
        

October is nearly finished and temperatures out at BWI-Marshall Airport are running more than 2 degrees above the average for the month. And there's cooler weather ahead this weekend, so that number may not hold. But it is likely to wind up as the second-most-nearly-average month so far in 2010.

Take a look at these numbers (departures from the 30-year averages for each month) for a sense of how unusually warm it's been since we got past February's cold and snow:

JANUARY:  + 0.04 degrees

FEBRUARY:  - 4.6 degrees

MARCH:  +4.8 degrees

APRIL:  +3.9 degrees

MAY:  +4.4 degrees

JUNE:  +7.0 degrees

JULY:  +5.0 degrees

AUGUST:  +2.9 degrees

SEPTEMBER:  +3.6 degrees

OCTOBER (through Weds.):  +2.3 degrees

(SUN PHOTO: Kim Hairston June 2010)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 5:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The low temperature at BWI-Marshall Airport on Wednesday was 67 degrees. That is the warmest low for any Oct. 27 since record-keeping began for Baltimore in 1871, breaking the previous record of 66 degrees set 90 years ago, in 1920.

It was also the second day in a row of record-warm lows at the airport. On Tuesday, the low temperature was 62 degrees, tying the previous record set in 1908.

After another mild day today - the forecast high for the airport is 73 degrees, about 10 degrees above the average for this time of year - things will return to the norm. The forecast high for Friday is just 58 degrees, after an overnight low of 48. Friday night's low will sink into the 30s.

(SUN PHOTO: Frank Roylance)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 8:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The Baltimore weather records just keep falling this year. Here's an updated and re-organized version of the tally we ran last month:

1. Most snow: The official total (for the season, which includes December 2009) was 77 inches. That broke the previous record of 62.5 inches at BWI, set in the winter of 1995-96.

2. Snowiest month/snowiest February: The total was 50 inches, beating the previous record of 40.5 inches, set in February 2003.

3. Most rain: The 6.02-inch deluge on Sept. 30 swamped the 1.6-inch record for Sept. 30, set in 1920. It also beat the 5.97-inch record rain total for any day in September, set on Sept. 24, 1912. The total is now the second-largest rainfall for any calendar date since record-keeping began for Baltimore in 1871, after the 7.62 inches that fell Aug. 23, 1933.

4. Most 90-degree days: The total stands at 59 days, and seems unlikely to change. That broke the previous record of 54 days, set in 1988.

5. Most 100-degree days: Seven days, actually a tie, matching the record total set in 1988.

6. Hottest summer: The average temperature at BWI-Marshall from June through August (the meteorological summer) was 79.3 degrees. That broke the previous record of 79.1 degrees, set in 1943.

7. Record-high daily temperatures were set or tied on 11 dates: April 5, (84 degrees); April 5, (90 degrees); June 23, (97 degrees); June 24, (100 degrees); June 27, (100 degrees); June 28, (99 degrees); July 6, (105 degrees); July 7, (101 degrees); July 24, (101 degrees); July 25, (100 degrees); Sept. 24, (95 degrees).

8. Record-high minimum daily temperatures: set May 3, (69 degrees); July 24, (82 degrees); tied Oct. 26, (62 degrees); Oct. 27, (67 degrees).

9. Record-low maximum daily temperature: Oct. 4, (54 degrees).

10. Warmest month/warmest July: Temperatures in July averaged 81.5 degrees. This matched the record for the warmest month and the warmest July, first set in 1949 and matched in 1995.

11. Hottest average daily high temperature: July's daily highs averaged 92.5 degrees. That beat the previous record of 91.9 degrees, set in 1988.

(SUN PHOTOS: Top, Amy Davis, February 2010; Bottom, Karl Merton Ferron, July 2010)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers
        

Got up just before 5 a.m. today to toss a blanket off the bed and open the window. It was raining pretty steadily, but we really needed the air. Temperatures overnight just never cooled off, and the house was stuffy.

The National Weather Service forecast office in Sterling, Va. says the low temperature at BWI-Marshall this morning was 68 degrees, nearly 30 degrees warmer than the average low for this time of year in Baltimore.

If that remains the day's low until midnight, it would set a new record for the date. The current record high minimum temperature for Oct. 27 in Baltimore is 66 degrees, set in 1920.

On Tuesday, we tied the record for the warmest low temperature for Baltimore on an Oct. 26. The low at BWI was 62 degrees, matching the record set on that date more than a century ago, in 1908. 

The mild weather is a consequence of the powerful low-pressure system, centered north of the Great Lakes, which has been dragging a violent cold front across the Midwest and South. Warm, moist air ahead of that front is sweeping up from the south and southwest, keeping us warm, even overnight.

We recorded just under a half-inch of rain overnight here at The Sun. The airport saw a little over a half-inch. Parts of Montgomery County saw nearly an inch of rain. Here are some other reports from the CoCoRaHS Network.

The front is now parked pretty much on top of us. Until it gets moving again, we'll see scattered showers and thunderstorms and plenty of clouds. By late today, however, winds will diminish and skies will start to clear.

Forecasters say it will be another day before the cold, dry air that typically moves in behind a cold front  actually arrives. So Thursday should be sunny and mild again, with highs in the low 70s.

But temperatures will start to drop Thursday night into Friday, with a forecast high on Friday of just 57 degrees, and overnight lows into Saturday in the 30s. Frost advisories may be posted for the western suburbs.

The weekend, including Hallowe'en, should remain sunny and more seasonably cool, if the forecast holds up, with highs only in the 60s, sliding toward overnight lows in the 40s.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The official thermometer out at BWI-Marshall Airport dipped to 39 degrees overnight, the first time we've seen that territory since May 11. 

It wasn't a record. The coldest reading for an Oct. 21 in Baltimore is 26 degrees, set in 1952. The coldest Oct. 22 was also in 1952, when the mercury reached 31 degrees.

But it was a signal that colder weather, and winter, are on the way. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued its Winter Outlook on Thursday. They see no strong trends either way for winter precipitation or temperatures in the mid-Atlantic states.

A strengthening La Nina event in the Pacific Ocean is expected to produce a cold, snowy winter across the northern tier of states, and a mild and very dry winter across the southern tier. But for us, they can't see more than equal chances for above- or below-average numbers for the coming winter.

Of course, a middling winter would be just fine with many Marylanders after last winter's snow circus. Three blizzards and a flurry of lesser storms dropped an official 77 inches on BWI-Marshall. Western Maryland saw totals well into the triple digits. Common sense is enough to suggest we couldn't see that kind of weather again soon. 

I spoke with Ken Reeves, at AccuWeather.com for today's story on the winter forecasts. His shop believes we'll see near- or below-average temperatures in November and December, which could give us an early taste of winter. By January, they expect the theme will be mostly mixed-precipitation events. Those would seem more typical of Baltimore than last year's performance, which put places like Buffalo and Erie to shame. And it would still be enough to send lots of Marylanders into winter-weather panics.

I think most of us would agree icy storms are scarier than big snows. Yes?

When I pressed him for a snow-total prediction for BWI, he hesitated, but finally offered 20 to 25 inches. That would top the long-term average for the city, which stands now at 18 inches. But he cautioned that he was more likely to be too high than too low with that forecast. I told him it was the same estimate I got last year from AccuWeather's Joe Bastardi when I asked him the same question. Obviously, Joe erred on the low side.

So, let the winter games begin!

The more immediate forecast calls for a warming trend this weekend. After our dip into the 30s this morning, we'll look for Friday's high to struggle for 60 degrees. There may also be some patchy frost in the area north and west of the urban centers tonight as temperatures again drop into the upper 30s. There are freeze watches in some mountainous areas of Virginia and West Virginia.

But as this high-pressure system (map, left) moves off the coast, we should begin to get some return flow from the west and southwest. And that will bring the weekend highs into the 70s by Sunday, where they will stick for most of the coming week.

Indoors at the WeatherDeck in Cockeysville, temperatures have sunk to 67 degrees, and the indoor humidity has climbed to 51 percent. The thermostat was very tempting last night, but we stuck with sweaters and the electric blanket. With milder weather just ahead, we have high hopes of making it to Nov. 1 before we turn to BGE for heat.

(SUN PHOTO: Kim Hairston, Dec. 2009)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers
        

FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:

Richard Rosenbaum, of Arnold, says high wind damaged his boat on the Magothy in June. But his insurance company “denies any significant weather event… Can you suggest any way to access weather archives to determine wind speed?”

The National Climatic Data Center has the official numbers. But you can see unofficial hourly data for BWI back to 1948 at http://weblogs.marylandweather.com/. Scroll down to “Resources and Sun coverage,” and click on “Baltimore weather archive.”  

(SUN PHOTO: Kim Hairston, 2007) 

Posted by Frank Roylance at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers
        

Looks like the rain has finally stopped. But the high water will be running off for some time, and the records set in the past two days will last a long, long time.

The official total at BWI-Marshall Airport topped 6 inches for the 29th and 30th. Additional rain after midnight Friday will likely push the total to about 6.4 inches when the official number is tallied.

Thursday's BWI total of 6.03 inches obliterated the record for the date - 1.60 inches, set in 1920. It also established a new record for a single day in September, breaking the old mark of 5.97 inches, set nearly a century ago, in 1912.

The September total of 8.26 inches makes it the 8th wettest September on record for Baltimore.

1934:  12.41 inches 

1999:  11.50 inches

1876:  10.52 inches

1882:  9.38 inches

1912:  8.75 inches

1975:  8.62 inches

1966:  8.50 inches

2010:  8.26 inches

As impressive as that is, other locations around Baltimore, and especially in Southern Maryland recorded far more rain than that. Some spots took in a couple of months of normal rainfall in a couple of days. Here is a sampling of two-day totals, from the CoCoRaHS Network:

Hollywood, St. Mary's Co.:  11.79 inches

Leonardtown, St. Mary's Co.:  9.92 inches

White Marsh, Baltimore Co.:  9.50 inches

Deale, Anne Arundel Co.:  9.39 inches

Havre de Grace, Harford Co.:  8.43 inches

Severna Park, Anne Arundel Co.:  7.77 inches

Park Hall, St. Mary's Co.:  7.22 inches

Annapolis, Anne Arundel Co.:  6.93 inches

Frederick, Frederick Co.:  3.64 inches

Cumberland, Allegany Co.:  2.41 inches

Salisbury, Wicomico Co.:  2.21 inches

(SUN PHOTO: Frank Roylance)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 7:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: By the numbers
        

Woke to the sound of rain on the WeatherDeck well before dawn Thursday. We've recorded nearly an inch already in Cockeysville. But some locations, mostly south of Baltimore, have reported well over 2 inches today, with a full day of additional precipitation on tap.

Flash Flood Warnings are posted for all of Central Maryland, from Frederick to Harford and south to St. Mary's County.

It's a sprinkling compared with what Wilmington, N.C. has seen since Sunday - more than 20 inches, according to AccuWeather.com.

Here are some of the early Maryland numbers from the CoCoRaHS Network:

Park Hall, St. Mary's Co.: 6.95 inches

Bowley's Quarters, Baltimore Co.:  5.30 inches 

Leonardtown, St. Mary's Co.:  4.77 inches

Hollywood, St. Mary's County:  3.90 inches

Kingsville, Baltimore Co.: 2.57 inches 

Deale, AA Co.: 2.37 inches

White Marsh, Baltimore Co,: 2.35 inches

Bowie, PG Co.:  2.10 inches

Crofton, AA Co.: 2.0 inches

South Gate, AA Co.:  1.88 inches

Baltimore Sun, downtown: 1.75 inches

North Beach, in Calvert County, is reporting some roads closed due to flooding.

Route 244 in Beauvue, St. Mary's County was under water.

Rock Creek, in Rockville, Montgomery County was also reported to be in flood at Rte. 28 and Avery Road.

Forecasters are still predicting 2 to 4 inches of rain in the region before the precipitation ends overnight tonight.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 6:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: By the numbers
        

Sure it's gray and drippy here. And there are no palm trees anywhere. But at least we're not in Los Angeles, which is sweltering in record 112-degree heat this afternoon. They've long-since broken the daily record (106 degrees in 1963). Now they've matched the all-time high for the city - 112 degrees. (Five days ago it was in the 70s, with lows near 60.)

And it's not even the hottest time of the day yet.

UPDATE: The NWS is now reporting 113 in downtown LA, the hottest reading there since record-keeping began in 1877.  

Here's the forecast discussion. This from the LA Times:

"As of noon, Weather.com reported that downtown L.A. was broiling at 109 degrees; Santa Monica hit 106, West Hollywood was at 111 and Long Beach was at 107. [Updated at 12:52 p.m.: As of 12:50 p.m.: downtown L.A. had hit 112 degrees, close to an all-time record.]

"The National Weather Service warned of extreme heat and red-flag fire dangers Monday. A small fire broke out in Ladera Heights but was quickly put out. Another small brush fire was contained Sunday night in South Pasadena. 

"On the energy front, California consumers are expected to use more than 45,000 megawatts by peak afternoon hours, said Gregg Fishman, a spokesman for Cal-ISO, which coordinates power for 85% of the state's grid. 

"Though the expected energy consumption is high for this time of year, increased usage is not expected to cause any serious problems, Fishman said. Still, Cal-ISO is recommending residents avoid using heavy appliances in the afternoon."

But it's a dry heat.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The rain that arrived before dawn on Sunday were not the tropical soaking we really needed. But they did top 1 inch in a few places in Central Maryland, and for that anyone with a farm or a garden or a lawn is really grateful.

"JS" left this comment on the Weather Blog: "People [at] work were cheering because it rained, it was headlines in Frederick, for us, the first rainfall in 29 days, 0.5 inches. Still about 7 inches short but we'll take anything...."

Here's how the Frederick News-Post sees the drought in Western Maryland. And here are a few more two-day totals from across the region, from the CoCoRaHS network:

Pasadena:  1.31 inches

Annapolis:  1.22 inches 

Bowie:  1.14 inches

Hamilton (Baltimore City): 0.94 inch

BWI-Marshall: 0.83 inch

Towson:  0.82 inch

Ellicott City:  0.81 inch

Jacksonville:  0.66 inch

College Park:  0.63 inch

Easton:  0.63 inch

Westminster:  0.52 inch

Bel Air:  0.35 inch

How badly do we need rain? The Weather & Crops report for last week showed 83 percent of the state's subsoil and topsoil were "short" or "very short" of moisture. 

Forty-seven percent of the pasture was in "poor" or "very poor" condition. Forty-six percent of the state's corn, 40 percent of the soybeans were in similar straits.

Thirty-three percent of the state last week was in "moderate" to "severe" drought. Streamflow was in the lowest 10th percentile in eight of 24 monitoring sites in Maryland - all in Western Maryland and the Lower Eastern Shore. Groundwater was in the lowest 10th percentile in wells in Allegany, Charles, Wicomico and Somerset counties. 

So how did you greet the rain? Giddy dancing in the garden? Wild puddle-splashing in the streets? An extra two hours of sleep (like me)? Drop us a comment.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers
        

Weather just isn't fair. Western and Southern Maryland and the Lower Eastern Shore are parched, while parts of Texas are deluged by rain from what was once Tropical Storm Hemine. Just take a look at these storm totals:

 ...TEXAS...
GEORGETOWN                          15.62                     
FRISCO 1.9 N                           14.82                     
ANDERSON MILL 1.4 NW             13.19                     
JOLLYVILLE 2.1 SSW                  13.14                     
CEDAR PARK 1.0 ESE                  12.99                     
LEANDER 2.5 ESE                        12.71                     
KILLEEN 2.9 SSW                        12.38                     
AUSTIN 10.7 N                           11.95                     
BRUSHY CREEK 1.4 S                  11.87                     
WEST LAKE HILLS 2.4 NNW           11.69  

(AP PHOTO: Star-Telegram, Joyce Marshall)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers
        

So let's see if I can gather up a complete record of all the Baltimore weather records broken or matched so far this year. Feel free to add more if you think I've missed something:

1. Hottest summer: The average temperature at BWI-Marshall from June through August (the meteorological summer) was 79.3 degrees. That broke the previous record of 79.1 degrees, set in 1943.

2. Most 90-degree days: The total now stands at 56 days, counting Wednesday 9/8. We broke the previous record of 54 days set in 1988.

3. Most snow: The official total at BWI was 77 inches (for the season). That broke the previous record of 62.5 inches set in the winter of 1995-96.

3. Snowiest month/snowiest February: The total was 50 inches, beating the previous record of 40.5 inches in February 2003.

4. Most 100-degree days: Seven days. This was a tie, matching the total in 1988.

5. Record-high daily temperatures were set on 10 dates: April 5 (84 degrees); April 6 (90 degrees); June 23 (97 degrees); June 24, (100 degrees); June 27, (100 degrees); June 28 (99 degrees); July 6 (105 degrees); July 7 (101 degrees); July 24 (101 degrees); July 25 (100 degrees);

6. Record-high minimum temperatures: set May 3 (69 degrees); July 24 (82 degrees)

7. Warmest month/warmest July: Temperatures in July averaged 81.5 degrees. This matched the record for the warmest month and the warmest July, first set in 1949 and matched in 1995.

8. Hottest average daily high temperature: July's daily highs averaged 92.5 degrees, beating the previous record of 91.9 degrees, set in 1988.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The thermometer out at BWI-Marshall Airport topped 90 degrees just before noon today. That makes it 54 days this year that temperatures have reached 90 degrees or more, tying the record for Baltimore, set in 1988.

The forecast high for BWI on Friday is 89 degrees, giving us a fighting chance to set a new record before a cold front sweeps through and sends daytime highs into the low 80s for a while.

Here, month by month, is how we got to 54 days of 90-plus weather:

April:  2 days

May:  3 days

June:  16 days

July:  20 days

August:  11 days

Sept.:  2 days

(AP PHOTO: Laura Emmons, Salisbury Daily Times)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: By the numbers
        

It's all still unofficial and preliminary and blah, blah, blah. But the National Weather Service's first crack at the numbers for the (meteorological) Summer of 2010, which ended Tuesday, finds that it has been the hottest since record-keeping here began in 1871.

Here's the word from the folks at Sterling:

"THE METEOROLOGICAL SUMMER MONTHS...JUNE TO AUGUST...OF 2010 WAS THE WARMEST ON RECORD FOR BALTIMORE MD. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE DURING THIS 92 DAY PERIOD WAS 79.3F...BREAKING THE PREVIOUS WARMEST SUMMER ON RECORD OF 79.1F IN 1943.

"THE HIGH TEMPERATURE AVERAGED OVER METEOROLOGICAL SUMMER OF 2010 FELL JUST SHY OF 90 DEGREES...89.6F. THE PREVIOUS WARMEST SEASONAL HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR METEOROLOGICAL SUMMER WAS 88.7F IN 1995.

"SO FAR THIS YEAR THROUGH AUGUST...BALTIMORE HAS EXPERIENCED 52 DAYS OF 90F OR GREATER...ONE DAY SHY OF THE MOST NUMBER OF 90-DEGREE DAYS THROUGH AUGUST 31ST OF 53 DAYS RECORDED IN 1988.

"BALTIMORE ONLY NEEDS TWO MORE 90-DEGREE DAYS THIS YEAR TO TIE THE RECORD...54 DAYS...SET IN 1988 OF THE MOST NUMBER OF 90-DEG DAYS IN A CALENDAR YEAR."

Well, we've already nabbed one of those days. The high at BWI-Marshall Wednesday was 95 degrees. That makes 53.

Down in Washington, DC, they've had their warmest summer, as well. They've tied the record there (Reagan National) for the most 90-degree days through August. But they're still short of the 67 needed to match the record for 90-degree days in a calendar year. 

Posted by Frank Roylance at 5:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The National Weather Service has recalculated. Now forecasters say that July 2010 tied with three other years for the hottest July on record for Baltimore, and the hottest single calendar month. Period.

When we posted on the July heat yesterday, we were using the web site for the NWS Baltimore-Washington Forecast Office in Sterling, Va. That listed July 1872 as the hottest July on record for the city, with an average temperature of 81.7 degrees.

July 2010 came in at 81.5, putting it in a tie with July 1995 for second place. Or so I thought.

Now, Sterling has consulted the final arbiter on such things - the National Climatic Data Center - and concluded that their own web site was wrong. The correct average temperature for July 1872 was listed by the NCDC as 81.5 degrees.

That would put this past July in a three-way tie with 1995 and 1872 for the hottest July on the books for Baltimore.

But wait. There's more. Steve Zubrick, science and operations officer at Sterling says 1949 also finished with an average temperature of 81.5 degrees, making it a four-way tie. That, despite the fact that the Sterling web site lists 1949 with an average of 81.4 degrees.

UPDATE: Steve tells me the problem appears to be differences in the protocols established for rounding temperature averages. For example, when you take the average monthly high and low for July 1949, add them and divide by two, you get 81.45 degrees. The weather service in 1949 appears to have rounded that DOWN to 81.4 degrees. Today's protocol at the NCDC would round it UP to 81.5 degrees.

Zubrick has asked the NCDC to explain past and current policies on rounding. Math teachers: here's a teachable moment.  

So, that's the story. Sterling has always said the "text file" on their web site contains "preliminary data," and that the NCDC has the last word. In the meantime, Zubrick said, "We're going to review that text file." Stay tuned.

(SUN PHOTO: Jed Kirschbaum, 1996)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers
        

Could hardly believe how cool it felt when we stepped outside this morning. It was 62 degrees on the WeatherDeck in Cockeysville. The overnight low at BWI-Marshall was 66 degrees. That's the lowest reading there since the morning of July 4, when the mercury dipped to 59 degrees.

Yesterday's airport high halted at 89 degrees. That matched the forecast, and it ended the 11-day stretch of 90-degree weather. But not for long. Sterling expects Baltimore will pop back into the 90s Tuesday and Wednesday, as high pressure builds and clear skies prevail. As the high begins to move off shore, we'll fall under the return flow out of the south. Temperatures will rise a bit more, as will the humidity.

That will increase the chances for showers and thunderstorms by late Wednesday - 50 percent by Wednesday night. Thursday, too will feel hot and muggy.

But that looks like the end of this hot spell for a while. Forecasters say the next cold front will push through out of the Great Lakes sometime on Thursday. Just how severe the storms accompanying the frontal passage will be remains in doubt. Forecasters say it depends on the timing.

If the front moves through in mid-afternoon - at the peak of the daytime heating - we could see a gusty storm front like the one on Sunday, they say.

Behind the front we are told to expect cooler, drier conditions. "Lows Thursday night may even drop into the 50s in higher elevations," according to this morning's forecast discussion.

"Northwest flow aloft will provide relief to the summer heat and humidity. Daytime highs in the low to mid-80s during these days will be the lowest in at least two weeks. with overnight lows in the 50s and 60s being the coolest since the first few days of the month."

So far, July 2010 is averaging 82 degrees, which is 5.5 degrees above the average July at BWI. The average is likely to drop some this week as cooler conditions prevail. But if the month ended today, this would rank as the hottest July for Baltimore in 138 years, beating the current record of 81.7 degrees, set in 1872, the year after they began keeping official records.

(SUN PHOTOS: Top: Druid Hill Park pool, Karl Merton Ferron; Bottom: Six Flags, Jerry Jackson, 2010)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: By the numbers
        

I do NOT want to see my next bill from BGE. Here are some factoids from the PJM Interconnection - the power grid than manages electrical distribution for the middle Atlantic states and Washington, D.C. Our thirst for power - electrical power - just keeps increasing.

Based on National Weather Service data, the amount of air conditioning demanded by consumers in the region has been 77 percent higher this summer than last summer, and 44 percent higher than the average. (Last summer was unusually mild.)

The highest demand for electricity so far this summer was 136,684 megawatts. That's nearly 10,000 megawatts more than the peak demand last year - 126,805 megawatts.

Every day last week, the demand for power across the PJM region exceeded last year's July peak of 116,599 megawatts. So far this month (through the 24th) our electrical consumption has topped last year's peak on 16 different days. 

Last weekend, consumers in the PJM region set a new all-time peak demand record for a Saturday. The peak was 128,452 megawatts, breaking the old record by more than 8,000 megawatts. PJM says that bump is enough juice to run a major city. The previous record was 120,324 megawatts, set Aug. 13, 2005. 

(SUN PHOTO: Doug Kapustin, 2005)

Posted by Frank Roylance at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: By the numbers
        

The official temperature for Baltimore topped 97 degrees sometime between noon and 1 p.m. Saturday. By the 1 p.m. reading it was 99 degrees, breaking the old record of 97 for the date, last reached in 1987.

UPDATE, 3:15 p.m.: The temperature at BWI reached 100 degrees at the 3 p.m. reading Saturday. The dew point is 72 degrees, yielding a Heat Index value of 110 degrees. It is the sixth day of 100-plus temperatures at BWI this year. That has happened in only three other years since record-keeping began in 1871 - in 1900, 1930 and 1988.

UPDATE, 9:45 p.m.: The high today at BWI was 101 degrees. It was 102 at the Inner Harbor. Here's more from the NWS:

RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN EXCEEDED SATURDAY AT
BWI...DCA...AND IAD [Dulles]. BELOW ARE THE SATURDAYS MAXIMA AND PREVIOUS
RECORDS/ WITH YEAR OF OCCURRENCE/

  JULY 24 /RECORD HIGHS/
BWI 101 97 /1987...1968/
DCA 101 96 /1987...1968...1884/
IAD  99 97 /1987/

Earlier post resumes below:

The forecast high for the day at BWI is now 102 degrees. The dew point stands at 72 degrees, putting the Heat Index number at 109 degrees. Downtown, at the Maryland Science Center - and alongside the water - it's "only" 98 degrees. The forecast high is 103 degrees.

It's 100 degrees at The Sun, Calvert and Centre Streets, with a dew point of 80 degrees (It always seems to read high; that would yield a Heat Index of 123 degrees).

And if you haven't been outside yet today, you can't begin to know how really suffocating this heat and humidity really is. I just visited a dry cleaning establishment in Cockeysville, and they are working without air conditioning. Instead, they have all the doors and windows open, with a powerful fan blowing somewhere, drawing a gale of hot air in off the parking lot and through the front door. It's like standing in front of glass furnace.

With four or five more hours of solar heating ahead, we will be setting new records for this date just about every hour at BWI. The all-time record high for Baltimore in July - or any other month - is 107 degrees, set on July 10, 1936. 

Obviously, there is an Excessive Heat Warning posted for the region through 10 p.m. Saturday. Heat Advisories, Code Orange Air Quality and (in Baltimore) a Code Red Heat Alert are also on the boards today.

Have you been outside in this stuff? Let's hear about it.  

And for more from the NWS on toppling records this weekend, continue reading below.

Continue reading "Temperature record falls at BWI-Marshall" »

Posted by Frank Roylance at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: By the numbers
        

Now that the mercury out at BWI-Marshall has topped 90 degrees for Friday, we are looking at a consecutive string of nine days at 90 or more. That seemed like a lot until I looked back at June and realized we had an 11-day stretch of 90-plus weather, from June 19-29.

I've had a little exchange on the topic with Steve Zubrick - science officer for the National Weather Service forecast office out in Sterling Va. With more hot weather forecast this weekend, I thought we might be nearing some kind of record.

We are, but not for consecutive days at 90 or more. Steve pointed out that the record for consecutive days at 90 or above is 25 days, set July 12 through Aug. 5, 1995. How quickly we forget.

If the Sterling forecast holds, however, Steve observed that by July 29, we will have extended the string of 90-plus days at BWI-Marshall to 15 days. That's still well short of the record. However, that would bring the month's total (not consecutive) number of days in the 90s or worse to 22 days. And THAT would tie the record for the greatest number of days in July with highs of 90 or above (set in 1999). It would also bring the year's total to 43 days.

Then, if we suppose just one of the last two days of this month (beyond the current forecast) tops 90, and add only the average number of 90-degree days in August and September (10), we would have a total of 54 days at 90 or above for the year. And that would tie the record of 54 days for one year in Baltimore.

And the temperature forecast calls for an above-normal August and September.

"It does appear, based on the above analysis, that Baltimore will probably break its single calendar year record of 90-plus days," he said, landing somewhere between 55 and 60 days.

Please, spare us.

(SUN PHOTO: Tasha Treadwell, 2009)