Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Climate Change Clock Counts CO2


Last night's PBS News Hour had a report on the climate clock recently installed in Manhattan, a block away from Madison Square Garden and Macy's. The counter displays total worldwide emissions of carbon dioxide, which are increasing at the rate of 800 metric tons a second. The current number on the display is over 3.64 trillion. A desktop widget of the counter is available for download.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Mid Atlantic June Precipitation Update


Images (click to enlarge): Washington, DC 2008 vs. 2009 monthly precipitation and June 2009 7-day moving average daily precipitation by CapitalClimate from National Weather Service data; June precipitation percentage of average from NWS

Midnight Update: An additional 0.02" this evening brings the monthly total to 5.86".

Original post:
With only a minimal chance of a passing shower through the rest of today, this June will go into the record books with precipitation slightly under 200% of average in Washington, DC. Far from setting any records, however, the official Washington National observation of 5.84" is not enough to put this month in the top 20 wettest Junes. Monthly precipitation for June has reached double digits 3 times in history; this is exceeded only by the 5 Septembers which have seen more than 10". The most recent occurrence was only 3 years ago, when the June monthly record of 14.41" was set.

In a carryover from May's heavy precipitation, the first 10 days of June were the wettest on average, as shown by the chart of the 7-day moving average above (normal daily amounts are shown by the red line). By the middle of the month, only 0.08" of rain fell in the week ending on the 17th. Average daily amounts picked up somewhat from there, but the month ended with only about half the normal daily amount.

Although widespread areas in northern Virginia through central Maryland and the vicinity of Baltimore have had over 150% of their June rainfall, parts of western Virginia and especially the state of West Virginia have seen substantial shortfalls of precipitation for the month.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Shriveled Rose of Texas: More June Heat Records

See Record Heat for the latest updates.

More record heat was observed in Texas on Monday, June 29:
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 105 DEGREES WAS SET AT AUSTIN  
BERGSTROM TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 102 SET IN 1956.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 104 DEGREES WAS SET AT SAN ANTONIO
TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 102 SET IN 1980.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 106 DEGREES WAS SET AT AUSTIN CAMP MABRY TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 102 SET IN 1956.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 100 DEGREES WAS SET AT BEAUMONT PORT ARTHUR TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 96 SET IN 1969.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 102 DEGREES WAS TIED AT VICTORIA
REGIONAL AIRPORT TODAY. THE RECORD WAS SET IN 1937.
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 101 DEGREES WAS SET AT VICTORIA YESTERDAY.
THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 101 SET IN 1953.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 99 DEGREES WAS SET AT CORPUS CHRISTI
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 97 SET IN
1989.

Louisiana:
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 100 DEGREES WAS SET AT NEW IBERIA TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 97 SET IN 2005.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 101 DEGREES WAS SET AT LAFAYETTE TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 100 SET IN 1930.
Some perspective on the heat wave through June 28 from the National Weather Service:
WITH ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT THIS JUNE...JUNE 2009 IS SO FAR THE 
2ND WARMEST JUNE AT AUSTIN MABRY...THE 8TH WARMEST AT AUSTIN
BERGSTROM...A TIE WITH 1980 FOR THE 5TH WARMEST JUNE AT DEL RIO...
AND THE 4TH WARMEST JUNE AT SAN ANTONIO. THE LIST BELOW SHOWS THE
WARMEST JUNES OF RECORD. THE DATA FOR 2009 IS FOR JUNE 1ST TO
28TH...SO WITH STILL 2 DAYS LEFT THE FINAL FIGURES FOR JUNE 2009
COULD CHANGE.

AUSTIN MABRY 1854 TO 2009

1. 87.4 2008
2. 86.6 JUNE 1 TO 28...2009
3. 86.4 1998
4. 86.3 1925
5. 85.9 1881 AND 1990

FOR JUNE 2009 FROM JUNE 20TH TO JUNE 28TH...
AUSTIN MABRY AND AUSTIN BERGSTROM HAD 9 100 DEGREE DAYS
IN A ROW. THIS BROKE THE OLD RECORD OF 6 IN A ROW DURING JUNE AT
AUSTIN BERGSTROM IN JUNE 1953...AND THE RECORD OF 8 IN A ROW AT
AUSTIN MABRY...IN JUNE 1925. SAN ANTONIO HAS HAD 5 100 DEGREE DAYS
IN A ROW FROM JUNE 12 TO 16 AND AGAIN FROM JUNE 24 TO 28 IN 2009.
THE JUNE RECORD AT SAN ANTONIO FOR 100 DEGREE DAYS IN A ROW WAS 11
IN JUNE 1990.

THE ALL TIME GREATEST NUMBER OF 100 DEGREE DAYS IN A ROW
AT AUSTIN...DEL RIO...AND SAN ANTONIO IS LISTED BELOW.

DEL RIO............50 FROM JUNE 17 TO AUGUST 5...1980
AUSTIN BERGSTROM...23 FROM JULY 27 TO AUGUST 18...1951
AUSTIN MABRY.......21 FROM JULY 12 TO AUGUST 1...2001
SAN ANTONIO........21 FROM JULY 24 TO AUGUST 13...1962

HOUSTON IS SUFFERING THROUGH IT'S 2ND WARMEST
JUNE. JUNE 2009 IS NOW WARMER THAN THE JUNE OF 1980 AND ONLY
TRAILS THE BRUTAL JUNE OF 1998 BY 0.1 DEGREES. AT HOBBY
AIRPORT...THIS IS ALSO THE 4TH WARMEST JUNE. GALVESTON IS
ENDURING IT'S 5TH WARMEST JUNE AND COLLEGE STATION IS ENDURING
IT'S 4TH WARMEST JUNE.

COLLEGE STATION HAS REACHED OR EXCEEDED 100 DEGREES TEN TIMES
DURING JUNE 2009...INCLUDING THE LAST NINE CONSECUTIVE DAYS. THE
PREVIOUS RECORD FOR MOST CONSECUTIVE 100 DEGREE DAYS IN JUNE WAS
EIGHT AND THIS OCCURRED BETWEEN JUNE 13 1996 AND JUNE 20 1996.
COLLEGE STATION ENDURED 26 CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH 100 DEGREE HEAT
BETWEEN JULY 29 1917 AND AUGUST 23 1917. THAT IS THE LONGEST
CONSECUTIVE 100 DEGREE STREAK IN CITY HISTORY. THE MOST 100 DEGREE
DAYS DURING JUNE FOR COLLEGE STATION WAS 13 DAYS AND THIS OCCURRED
IN 1925. THERE WERE 11 100 DEGREE DAYS BACK JUNE OF 1998 AND 1948.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Texas Toast: Record Heat Continues

After setting an all-time June heat record on Wednesday, Houston tied that record of 104° on Friday; a record high minimum was also set Saturday, with a record also likely today:
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 104 DEGREES WAS SET AT HOUSTON   
INTERCONTINENTAL YESTERDAY [Friday]. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 102
DEGREES SET IN 1980. THIS ALSO TIES THE RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR
THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JUNE...WHICH WAS SET ON JUNE 24TH 2009.

THE OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE AT HOUSTON INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT ON
THE 27TH WAS 82 DEGREES. THIS IS A NEW RECORD HIGH MINIMUM
TEMPERATURE FOR THE DAY. THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH MIN WAS IN 1999.
THE LOW TEMPERATURE THIS MORNING WAS 81 DEGREES AND THIS WILL ALSO
BE A RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE IF THE TEMPERATURE DOES NOT
FALL BELOW 80 DEGREES (PREVIOUS RECORD 1999).
Other records set or tied on Sunday, June 28:
THE AFTERNOON TEMPERATURE HAS REACHED 102 DEGREES AT EASTERWOOD   
FIELD AIRPORT...WHICH BREAKS THE OLD RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 100
DEGREES SET IN 1925.

THE AFTERNOON HIGH REACHED 101 DEGREES AT HOUSTON INTERCONTINENTAL
AIRPORT. THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 101 SET IN 1980.

HOBBY AIRPORT IN SOUTH HOUSTON MADE IT TO 100 DEGREES TODAY...WHICH
BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 99 DEGREES SET IN 1980.

THERE IS A NEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 102 DEGREES SET AT COLLEGE
STATION TODAY...WHICH BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 100 DEGREES SET IN
1925.

Seasonal Outlook

Latest seasonal forecast: Click here.


Latest 3-month temperature outlook from Climate Prediction Center/NWS/NOAA.