In August, every state except for Arkansas and Oklahoma experienced warmer than normal temperatures, while every state except for Oklahoma and Texas experienced wetter than normal conditions. From July 19th through the 22nd, Norfolk, VA observed its longest streak of 4 consecutive days with a maximum temperature of at least 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C). On May 5th, damaging straight-line winds and an associated gustnado were observed in Lancaster County, SC, with the highest estimated gust of 105 mph. Snowfall averages for: Alta Brian Head Brighton Ogden Provo. Precipitation was primarily wetter than normal, although Arkansas and Texas were slightly drier than normal. Average high and low temperatures, total snowfall and precipitation for each year since 2010. From September through early October conditions remained relatively steady, but by the end of October conditions began to deteriorate rapidly. The year 2020 proved to be a warm year for the Southern Region. Early on December 25th, snow flurries were reported as far south as Charleston International Airport, SC, which is only its second trace of snowfall on Christmas Day since 1938. The strong winds downed trees and wires, knocked out power to more than 86,000 customers in Massachusetts, and caused whiteout conditions in northern Maine. In July, the warmest month, the average day time temperature rises to 90.6F. Conditions generally improved in the region during November. During October, beneficial rainfall improved drought conditions in portions of New England; however, drought and abnormal dryness expanded or intensified in parts of New York and Pennsylvania. There were at least five storm-related deaths. The precursor disturbance to Tropical Storm Bertha caused a significant multi-day rainfall event across southern Florida, with accumulations of more than 8 inches in several locations. There were road closures, cars trapped in floodwaters, and water rescues. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric pressure. March was an exceptionally warm month for the region, as three states (Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) experienced a top-5 warmest March on record, while Oklahoma experienced a top-10 warmest March on record. Data for 2020 should be considered preliminary. The 8.59.5 feet (2.62.9 meters) of storm surge destroyed many sand dunes and sea turtle nests in Oak Island, NC. These conditions improved slightly during the spring, but quickly gave way to further expansion and deterioration, particularly during the summer and fall. On the 11th, Sarasota-Bradenton, FL (19112020) observed its wettest November day on record, with 6.41 inches (163 mm) of rainfall. Pasture and rangeland conditions were rated very poor (the lowest level) for 70 to 90 percent of southern New England, while 10 percent of Pennsylvanias corn crop was rated very poor, making it some of the worst corn condition ratings in the country. Farther inland, winds gusted over 50 mph (22 m/s) in northern Georgia, Upstate South Carolina, and North Carolina, resulting in widespread downed trees and power outages. Current Hazards. The record of 163 consecutive days was set last year. There were several flash flooding events during the year. Sixty-one tornadoes were confirmed in South Carolina, which is the states second highest annual count behind the 86 tornadoes observed during 2004. This value will be evaluated by the State Climate Extremes Committee later in 2021 to determine if a state record for lowest mean sea level pressure will be established. Several Midwest states had record yields for corn and/or soybeans. The year started off on the warm side, with winter temperatures generally above normal, except for western areas of Colorado and Wyoming. Moderate drought first emerged in Minnesota in early June and by the end of July had touched parts of all nine Midwest states. Utah, Utah gets 15 inches of rain, on average, per year. Hints of this transition began in the fall of 2019, when drought conditions developed across southern Kansas and western and southern Colorado. The severe weather season got off to a very slow start this year, with only 10 tornado watches issued nationally during May. Severe drought touched parts of the five western-most states and extreme drought affected parts of southwestern Missouri and western Iowa. The last time New York and New England experienced drought conditions was in the summer/fall of 2018. Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (18842020) and Hickory, NC (19492020) observed their wettest February day on record, with 5.36 and 5.31 inches (136 and 135 mm) of precipitation, respectively. This ranked 2020 as the 12th warmest since 1895, and the warmest year since 2012. Texas had the most severe weather reports total (1,520) while Louisiana had the fewest (407). Like Alaska, such data limitations required us to constrict our 20th century averages to the years available. These averages are specific to each county and month. 8th warmest year. Annual precipitation totals were well above average across the Southeast region, with widespread areas of exceptional wetness occurring in every state and Puerto Rico. It was also just the third to make it as far north as Wisconsin. Seven of the 12 landfalling storms produced at least $1 billion in damage, breaking the old record of four separate billion-dollar tropical cyclones in both 2004 and 2005. Other sites saw only a trace, but for Islip, New York, it made May a snowier month than February. Conditions improved in eastern New York but worsened in western New York and the western half of Pennsylvania. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph (22 m/s) were recorded in several coastal locations of Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey, where some coastal flooding occurred. The highest thunderstorm wind gust recorded during the year was 84 mph (38 m/s), which was measured near Mountain Lake, VA as a squall line moved through southwestern Virginia on April 8th. Annual precipitation averaged across the Midwest was 37.72 inches (958 mm), 0.78 inches (20 mm) above normal. Most of the contiguous U.S. experienced above-average temperatures during 2020. Power outages lasted five days in some locations. On November 11th and 12th, the interaction of moisture surging northward from Tropical Storm Eta and an approaching cold front produced 3 to more than 8 inches (76 to more than 203 mm) of rainfall across much of the Carolinas and Virginia. Good harvest conditions in Iowa limited the loss from the derecho and lodged crops. The timing was particularly bad for farmers that were in the midst of harvesting a variety of vegetable crops bound for holiday tables, including sweet corn, green beans, lettuce, cabbage, and radishes. All state rankings are based on the period spanning 1895-2020. Many locations had precipitation totals that ranked in the top 10 driest on record, rivaling the drought years of 2017, 2012, and the Dust Bowl. For example, irrigation and labor costs exceeded $50,000 at a Massachusetts farm and were around $30,000 at a New Hampshire farm. The Roanoke River crested almost 6 feet (1.8 meters) above flood stage on May 21st, sending water rushing onto some roadways and making them impassable. Unfortunately, in early June the total area experiencing at least abnormally dry conditions began to increase. Although drought has impacted parts of the region in recent years, such as the 2017 Northern Plains drought, this is the most expansive drought in the region since 2012-2013. Caribou and Portland, Maine, had/tied their hottest November day on record, while Burlington, Vermont, had its warmest November low temperature on record. With 4.3 inches (10.92 cm) of snow, Boston, Massachusetts, had its snowiest October (old record was 1.1 inches [2.8 cm] in 2005) and snowiest October day on record. Several tropical systems affected the Northeast this year, with Tropical Storm Fay, Tropical Storm Isaias, and Tropical Storm Zeta being particularly noteworthy. These areas included portions of northern New England, New York, and Pennsylvania. A pocket of extreme rainfall occurred in the Rocky Mount-Wilson area of eastern North Carolina, with a 2-day total of 9.84 inches (250 mm) recorded at Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport. Based on weather reports collected during 19852015. Numerous long-term stations observed their highest or second highest annual count of days with a minimum temperature at or above 70 degrees F (21.1 degrees C), including West Palm Beach, FL (18882020; 261 days, 71 percent of the year), Orlando, FL (18922020; 177 days, 48 percent of the year), Lumberton, NC (19032020; 87 days, 24 percent of the year), and Roanoke, VA (19122020; 45 days, 12 percent of the year). Summer was warmer and wetter than normal for most of the Southern Region. Washington, D.C. observed its lowest annual snowfall total since records began in 1884, while Washington Dulles International Airport, VA observed its third lowest annual snowfall total (4.7 inches, 119 mm) since records began in 1962. On August 7, just a few days after Isaias' excessive rainfall, strong storms produced heavy rain and more flash flooding in southeastern parts of the region. difference from average precipitation Hurricane averages 3 inches of snow per year. Wind gusts of up to 62 mph (28 m/s) accompanied the storm in coastal areas, where minor to moderate flooding occurred. As the low-pressure system that produced the severe weather moved towards New England, a second low developed over the Gulf of Maine and rapidly strengthened to a near-record level for April for Maine. Early season snows were promising, but merely slowed the intensification and expansion of drought. Despite a cold start to the year in Alaska, the statewide average annual temperature was 27.5F, 1.5F above the long-term average and was the coldest year since 2012. The dryness extended to the east side of the Sierra Nevada into the Great Basin; Reno, Nevada saw its second driest year since 1938 with 2.72 in (69.09 mm, 37% of normal). In October, Worcester, Massachusetts, took one of its reservoirs offline due to low water levels. These dry conditions were coupled with extreme heat, which helped fuel some of the largest wildfires in Colorados history. Meanwhile, another of the wettest cites in the state at the southern extent of Southeast Alaska, Ketchikan, logged 175.10 in (4447.54 mm, 124% of normal) making the 11th wettest year on record since 1914. The only streak longer was during the first 32 weeks of 2019. The most up-to-date temperature and precipitation data is available through Climate at a Glance. The U.S. Drought Monitor released on December 3 showed 21 percent of the Northeast in an extreme, severe, or moderate drought and 33 percent as abnormally dry. Although the vast majority of the Midwestern derecho impacted areas to the east of the region, it is worth noting that this was an incredibly devastating storm that caused an estimated $7.5 billion in damage, according to NOAAs U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters event database. This topped the 12-week stretch in early 2019 with no abnormally dry conditions. In addition, Highlands was only 3.44 inches (87 mm) short of exceeding the highest annual precipitation total ever recorded in North Carolina, which occurred just two years ago on Mt. Non-thunderstorm wind gusts of up to 70 mph (31 m/s) were recorded in New England and on New Yorks Long Island, with reports of downed trees and wires. Issued 12 January 2021: Unless otherwise noted, temperature and precipitation rankings refer to a 126-year period of record (1895-2020), and long-term average refers to the 20th century (1901-2000) value. On the 12th, Appomattox, VA (19372020) and Concord 4 SSW, VA (19502020) observed their second and third wettest day for any month on record, with 7.28 and 6.85 inches (185 and 174 mm) of precipitation, respectively. In Mantua, Utah, the There were no areas of below-average annual temperatures observed across the Lower 48 during 2020. 18.57 inch: Av. The total area experiencing at least abnormally dry conditions grew from roughly one-third of the region to two-thirds of the region by the end of the year while the total area experiencing exceptional drought conditions increased. With 1.1 inches (28 mm) of snow on the 25th, Asheville, NC (18692020) observed its fifth highest snowfall on Christmas Day since records began 151 years ago. Storm reports also indicated that hail accumulation of several inches was plowed off roads in western West Virginia. North Carolina had its second-wettest year on record during 2020 and Virginia was third wettest. In fact, by the end of September, all of Rhode Island was in an extreme drought for the first time in the U.S. Drought Monitors history (since 2000). In September, many farmers in the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama reported a loss of cotton, peanuts, and pecans due to the passage of Hurricane Sally. Totals are given in units of inches, with trace values being represented as a value of T. Coloring is based on the legend at the bottom-left of the map. Precipitation across the region ranged from 50 percent or less of normal to 130 percent or more of normal, with the driest areas in western Texas and the wettest areas across parts of every state. 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