San Juan Swamps Century-Plus Rainfall Record

Image (click to enlarge): Puerto Rico 24-hour precipitation ending 8 am EDT, July 19, 2013, from National Weather Service

Midnight Update: The final daily rainfall for San Juan is 9.23", the second highest for any day on record.

The year-to-date rainfall total is now 185% of normal and only about 8" below the normal for the entire year. If San Juan were to tie the record low rainfall for each of the remaining 5 months in the year, it would still finish 2013 less than 1" below normal.

5 PM Update: It's baaack! With 0.67" more in this hour, the total of 9.11" is now the second highest for any day in San Juan history and a little more than half an inch from the top spot. Moderate rain continues.

4 PM Update: Rain ended with only 0.02" in the past hour, but less than half an inch in the rest of the day would make second place on San Juan's all-time daily record list. The NWS reports that more is on the way.

The monthly total of 11.64" also breaks the old July record of 11.08" just 2 years ago.

3 PM Update: Another 1.91" in the past hour brings the San Juan daily rainfall total to 8.42", which is the second highest for any summer day and the 4th highest of all time.

2 PM Update: With light rain continuing to fall, the daily total so far is now 6.51", which is the 10th highest for any day in any month. The previous top 10 San Juan daily rainfall amounts:

15-Aug 9.67 in 1944
18-Sep 8.84 in 1989
14-Dec 8.84 in 1910
10-Sep 8.20 in 1996
11-Nov 7.92 in 1931
13-Sep 7.39 in 1928
15-Apr 7.10 in 1988
25-Nov 7.07 in 1979
12-Dec 6.96 in 1981
7-Apr 6.19 in 1915 

Original Post:
Puerto Rico should get a lot of heavy downpours in the summer with tropical cyclones, right? Well, with no organized tropical system whatever, San Juan has just smashed its all-time July daily rainfall record. The National Weather Service reports that the 4.92" so far today has exceeded by a wide margin the old record for July 18 of 3.19", set in 1950. As of that report, heavy rain was still falling.

Today's amount is also well above the old daily record for July of 4.04" on July 7, 1901. It's only the 5th time July daily precipitation has exceeded 3" in a climate history which began in 1898.

The previous top 5 July daily rainfall amounts for San Juan, from the National Climatic Data Center:

7-Jul 4.04 in 1901
23-Jul 3.66 in 1926
18-Jul 3.19 in 1950
12-Jul 3.01 in 1905
24-Jul 3.00 in 1949 

Record Rainfall Drenches Dulles; Update: Rain Ransacks Roanoke Record

Images (click to enlarge): Washington, DC regional radar, 12:49 am EDT, July 12, 2013, from The Weather Channel; 24-hour precipitation ending 8 am EDT, July 13, 2013, for Washington region, from National Weather Service

2 PM EDT Update: The 3.88" a day earlier (July 10) at Roanoke smashed the daily record of 2.67" in 1931. It was also a new all-time July daily record in a climate history which began over a century ago in 1912. Daily amounts of 3" or more had been observed only twice before in July at Roanoke.

The 1.84" at Richmond also broke a July 10 record of 1.36" set just last year.

To the north, the 2.44" at Pittsburgh beat the daily record of 1.81" in 1958.

10 AM EDT Update: The preliminary July 11 record daily total rainfall for Dulles is 3.71". The 24-hour total ending at 8 am is 4.49", with some light rain continuing.

2 AM EDT Update: Dulles has added 0.22" from lighter thundershowers in the past hour for a storm total so far of 3.79". The reported month-to-date total is now 370% of normal.

Original Post:
Persistent thunderstorms Thursday evening have produced record rainfall in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC. At Dulles Airport, the unofficial total of 3.61" through midnight (standard time) was over 3 times the old record for July 11 of 1.12" in 1977. Climate records at Dulles date back only a half-century to 1962, but this was also enough to beat the all-time July daily record of 3.50" on July 27, 1994.

The official climate record for Washington, DC, which began in 1871, shows that July daily rainfalls of 4" or more have occurred on at least 3 occasions:
4.69", July 9, 1970
4.35", July 22, 1969
4.25", July 30, 1878

Andrea Smashes Early-Season Rainfall Records

June 8, 10 AM Update: Added Salisbury, Wilmington, Allentown, Islip, Massena, Boston, Providence. Updated totals through midnight.

10 PM EDT Update: Added Richmond, New Bern, Hartford, Bridgeport, Worcester. Updated totals through 8 pm (10 pm for CT and MA).

Original post:
Heavy rainfall associated with the pre-storm environment and Tropical Storm Andrea itself has been smashing daily rainfall records along the East Coast. At Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, the unofficial total of 5.14" is the highest so early in the season and the second highest for any day in June for climate records dating back to 1887. Based on National Weather Service preliminary record reports, daily climate reports, and hourly precipitation data, here are the records so far (all for June 7 unless otherwise noted). The rain is continuing in most locations.

	Location	Record	Previous	Date
NC	Fayetteville	2.36	1.78	1930
	Raleigh/Durham	5.14	1.24	1930
	New Bern	1.51	1.20	2003
VA	Lynchburg	3.38	3.31	1989	6-Jun
	Roanoke	1.77	1.15	1934	6-Jun
	Blacksburg	2.70	1.09	1961	6-Jun
	Richmond	2.67	1.68	1913
MD	Salisbury	1.58	1.43	1913
DE	Wilmington	3.36	1.78	1916
NJ	Newark	3.71	1.11	1931
	Trenton	3.51	1.60	1989
PA	Philadelphia	3.50	1.79	1904
	Allentown	1.82	1.19	1948
NY	Kennedy Airport	4.01	1.18	2006
	LaGuardia Airport	3.33	1.08	2006
	Islip	4.15	1.27	2006
	Syracuse	2.39	1.20	2010	6-Jun
	NYC/Central Park	4.16	1.95	1918
	Massena	0.72	0.43	1984
CT	Hartford	2.53	1.54	1913
	Bridgeport	4.43	1.36	2006
MA	Worcester	2.68	1.75	2006
	Boston	3.07	2.89	2006
RI	Providence	3.23	3.08	2006

Record Northern Pacific Coast Rainfall

Image (click to enlarge): Northern California precipitation for 24 hours ending at 5 am PST, November 30, 2012, from National Weather Service

November 30 Update: Crescent City peaked out at 4.14" of rain yesterday, more than doubling the old record. Ukiah almost doubled its old record with 2.48", vs. 1.42" in 1938.

Other record reports from the National Weather Service:

A RECORD RAINFALL OF 2.22 INCH(ES) WAS SET AT MEDFORD OR YESTERDAY.   
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 1.25 SET IN 1917.  

A RECORD RAINFALL OF 1.6 INCH(ES) WAS SET AT ROSEBURG OR YESTERDAY.   
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 1.43 SET IN 1951.  

Original post:
The heavy rains pounding the Pacific Coast have already set daily records at several locations in northern California and Oregon as of early this evening. The National Weather Service reports:

..RECORD RAINFALL SET AT CRESCENT CITY CA  
A RECORD RAINFALL AMOUNT OF 2.50 INCHES HAS FALLEN SO FAR TODAY.   
THIS BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD AMOUNT OF 2.00 INCHES SET IN 1995.  

Since that report was issued at 4 pm local time, over one and a half inches of additional rain has been unofficially reported. Crescent City climate records began in 1894.

At Mt. Shasta, the 1.69" as of 4 pm was closing in on the record of 1.81" from 1932, and since then at least three-quarters of an inch of additional rain has fallen.

In Oregon, Medford's 1.58" as of 4 pm was enough to break the record of 1.25" from 1917.

Sandy Precipitation Update: Maryland in Bullseye

Preliminary analysis from the National Climatic Data Center for the precipitation totals from Superstorm Sandy shows that Maryland was in the bullseye. Nearly all of the area of highest rainfall (greater than 5.3") was within the state, with small areas extending into northern Virginia and extreme southwestern Delaware. The highest amounts reported from first-order National Weather Service stations:

Wallops Island WSSF, VA         8.48
Atlantic City, NJ               8.03
Cape Hatteras AP, NC            7.85
Salisbury AP, MD                7.55
Norfolk South, VA               7.33
Baltimore Washington AP, MD     6.83
Atlantic City AP, NJ            6.00
Mount Washington, NH            5.70
Washington Dulles AP, VA        5.65
Washington Reagan AP, VA        4.84  

Tropical Rainfall Rate in Arctic Alaska

From the National Weather Service in Alaska:

Roughly one third of the annual precipitation has fallen in Northwest Alaska over the past 4 days! 3.5 inches of rain at Kivalina, 2.5 inches at Kotzebue and 5 inches at Red Dog Mine, a region where rainfall in excess of 3 inches over 3 days is a once-in-a-hundred-year event.

The Wulik River below Tutak Creek crested at 6 A.M. this morning with a river level of 15.31 feet. This was the highest stage ever observed since the gauge was installed in 1985, and far exceeds the previous record of 12.21 feet set in August of 1994. Water levels in the area will remain high as additional rainfall of 1 to 3 inches is expected in the next 48 hours. Water levels are also high in the village of Noatak.

The system is moving east, and rises are expected on the Kobuk River, although the Kobuk near Kiana remains well below flood stage.

Many of the rivers in this area do not have gauges, but based on rainfall there is significant potential for widespread flooding.

Over 1 Foot of Non-Tropical Rainfall Smashes 99-Year Pensacola Record by Nearly 7 X

Image (click to enlarge): 24-hour precipitation ending at 7 am CDT, June 10, 2012 in the Mobile-Pensacola region, from National Weather Service

5 PM CDT Update: Rainfall has gradually tapered off this afternoon at Pensacola, but the daily total is up to 1.92".

Original post:
Excessive rainfall from a nearly stationary non-tropical storm crushed the daily precipitation record at Pensacola, Florida on June 9 (Saturday). The 13.13" of rain drowned the old record of 1.95" set in 1913 by a factor of 6.7 to 1. It was also the second highest all-time daily rainfall amount, exceeded only by the 15.29" from a tropical storm on October 5, 1934. The previous all-time June daily record was 10.10" on the 29th in 1887.

Over 1" fell in each of 5 consecutive hours and in 7 out of 8 consecutive hours. The largest amount was 3.17" (over 1" more than the previous daily record) in the hour ending at noon. An additional 1.51" of rain had already been recorded by 1 pm CDT today. The record for June 10 is 2.81" in 1968. Pensacola climate records began in 1879.

The 5.79" at Mobile, Alabama also smashed the June 9 record, which was 1.39" in 1968.

This schematic map from the National Weather Service shows a slow-moving upper-level low pressure area and a stationary front along the Gulf Coast (click to enlarge):



Contrast the current situation with the track of the October 1-6, 1934 tropical storm, from NOAA (click to enlarge):

Out-of-Season Downpour in Key West Sets New All-Time February Daily Rainfall Record; 9th Wettest February in 1 Day

The National Weather Service reports that the 4.34" of rainfall at Key West, Florida on February 5 is a new all-time daily rainfall record for the month of February. It also put this month into the position of 9th wettest February in climate records extending back to 1871. The 0.22" of precipitation as of 4 pm today moves the month up to 8th place, barely behind the 4.63" just 2 years ago.

The wettest February at Key West was in 1872, when 7.19" was recorded. Three of the wettest Februaries at Key West have now occurred in the last 15 years (1998, 2010, and 2012).

Key West also set a daily precipitation record by a wide margin on October 17, when the 6.91" smashed the previous record of 4.08" in 1910.

From the National Weather Service:

RAINFALL ON SUNDAY FEBRUARY 5TH TOTALED 4.34 INCHES AT KEY WEST   
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 2.89   
INCHES...WHICH WAS SET IN 1872. IN FACT...THIS WILL ALSO GO DOWN AS   
THE WETTEST FEBRUARY DAY IN HISTORY. THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 4.04   
INCHES WAS SET ON FEBRUARY 28TH...1954.   

..24-HOUR RAINFALL TOTALS...IN INCHES...FOR AVAILABLE STATIONS  
  
KEY WEST INT'L AIRPORT                                        4.34  
KEY WEST WFO                                                  3.79  
KEY LARGO NORTH--HANDAR                                       2.74  
BIG COPPITT KEY--COCORAHS                                     2.26  
CUDJOE KEY--COCORAHS                                          1.68  
CURRY HAMMOCK--COOP                                           1.50  
BIG PINE KEY--HANDAR                                          1.26  
CUDJOE KEY                                                    1.08  
MARATHON AIRPORT                                              1.03   

Image (click to enlarge): Radar-estimated rainfall for the Key West, Florida region, February 5, 2012, from wunderground.com

Dallas Deluge Demolishes Daily Downpour Data; New January Daily Rainfall Record, Second Wettest January

Following last year's exceptional drought, the climate pendulum has jumped to the opposite extreme, bringing record rainfall and floods to portions of north Texas. Although the National Weather Service reports that the heavy rain has ended, the 3.54" of rain so far today at Dallas is nearly 3 times the old record for the date of 1.28" in 1973. The daily total is also an all-time January daily record, exceeding the 3.15" on January 4, 1998, and it's the second-highest daily total for any winter day (December-February), behind the 4.22" on December 20, 1991.

The January 2012 monthly total to date of 6.04" is approaching 4 times the normal amount of 1.66". It also surpasses the 5.58" in January 2007 to become the second wettest January, behind 9.07" in 1932.

Note: Although the Dallas/Ft. Worth climate record is considered continuous back to 1898, data have been collected at several locations in the area:

• 1898-1940: Downtown Fort Worth
• 1940-1953: Fort Worth Meacham Field
• 1953-1974: Greater Southwest International Airport
• 1974-present: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

Image (click to enlarge): 24-hour rainfall totals ending 1 pm CST, January 25, 2012, in the Dallas region, from National Weather Service

Chicago Precipitation Update: 2011 Second Wettest Year

The 0.06" of rainfall through 4 pm today pushes the Chicago year-to-date rainfall to 49.41", exceeding the previous second highest annual total recorded in 1983.

Record Daily Rainfall Pushes Chicago Toward 2nd Wettest Year

December 15 Update: Yesterday's final rainfall total of 1.43" exceeded the old daily record at Chicago by over 40%. The monthly total to date, including an additional 0.02" today, brings the annual amount to 49.20", only 0.15" below the second highest on record.

Original post:
Today's heavy rainfall at Chicago set a daily record for December 14 and pushed the annual total closer to the second wettest year in 140 years of records. The 1.13" reported in the preliminary daily summary as of 4 pm CST exceeded the 0.99" first observed in 1907 and tied in 1975. The year to date total of 48.88" is 36% above the normal amount of 35.83". This is the third highest annual total, behind:

1) 2008   50.86"   
2) 1983   49.35"  

The 1.35" at Peoria also exceeded the daily record of 1.14" in 1975. The year to date total there of 39.12", however, is behind the 41.29" last year.

The 0.5" of snow so far this month at Chicago is well below the average amount of 3.3". Last year at this time, the monthly total was 6.9". Temperatures so far in December have averaged 4.2° above normal.

Precipitation Records Broken Tennessee to New England

Images (click to enlarge): 24-hour precipitation ending 7 am EST, December 8, 2011, from National Weather Service; Locations of daily precipitation records, December 7, 2011, from National Climatic Data Center

In addition to the all-time cold-season (November-March) daily rainfall record set at Washington, DC, records were also broken at 25 other major reporting locations (ASOS stations) on December 7. According to preliminary data from the National Climatic Data Center, the following new daily rainfall records were set from Tennessee to New England (alphabetical by state, amounts in inches):

State Location                        New     Old     Date   Years of Record
CT    HARTFORD (KBDL)                 2.05    1.8   12/7/1976  69
DE    WILMINGTON NEW CASTLE (KILG)    1.94    1.09  12/7/1976  69
MA    BOSTON (KBOS)                   1.6     1.15  12/7/1959  91
NH    CONCORD ASOS (KCON)             1.52    1.2   12/7/1976  90
NJ    MILLVILLE MUNI AP (KMIV)        2.46    1.94  12/7/1971  64
NJ    NEWARK INTL AP (KEWR)           1.9     1.26  12/7/1996  76
NJ    ATLANTIC CITY INTL AP (KACY)    1.55    1.46  12/7/1971  64
NY    WESTCHESTER CO AP (KHPN)        1.55    1.45  12/7/1976  62
NY    ALBANY INTL AP (KALB)           1.43    0.88  12/7/1976  73
PA    PHILADELPHIA INTL AP (KPHL)     2.04    1.14  12/7/1996  70
PA    ALLENTOWN AP (KABE)             1.72    1.54  12/7/1976  63
PA    WILLIAMSPORT RGNL AP (KIPT)     1.55    1.37  12/7/1976  63
PA    WILKES-BARRE INTL AP (KAVP)     1.32    1.04  12/7/1976  62
PA    ALTOONA FAA AP (KAOO)           1.31    1.04  12/7/1976  62
PA    MIDDLETOWN HARRISBG AP (KMDT)   1.25    0.95  12/7/1959  76
RI    PROVIDENCE (KPVD)               1.55    1.43  12/7/1976  69
TN    BRISTOL AP (KTRI)               1.46    1.25  12/7/1957  63
VA    WASHINGTON REAGAN AP (KDCA)     3.1     1.34  12/7/1971  75
VA    WASHGTN DULLES INTL AP (KIAD)   2.14    1.13  12/7/1976  49
VA    LYNCHBURG INTL AP (KLYH)        1.8     1.13  12/7/1976  81
WV    ELKINS RANDOLPH CY AP (KEKN)    1.8     1.35  12/7/1957  85
WV    BLUEFIELD MERCER CO AP (KBLF)   1.71    0.72  12/7/1996  52
WV    BECKLEY RALEIGH CY AP (KBKW)    1.66    0.85  12/7/1971  48
WV    MARTINSBURG E WV RGNL AP (KMRB) 1.46    1.05  12/7/1976  85
WV    CHARLESTON YEAGER AP (KCRW)     1.3     0.89  12/7/1950  63
WV    MORGANTOWN HART FLD (KMGW)      1.11    0.95  12/7/1976  66  

In addition to the Washington, DC record, the Bluefield report is also an all-time December daily record.

Rainfall Sets Mid-Atlantic Records;Update: Wettest December Day in History

1 AM Update: The final record-breaking total daily rainfalls:

Washington National 3.10" (1.34", 1971)
Washington Dulles   2.14" (1.13", 1976)
Baltimore/BWI       2.38" (1.27", 1976) 

The Washington National amount exceeded the normal monthly precipitation of 3.05" for December.

10 PM Update: With 0.14" more rain in the past hour, the daily total is unofficially over 3" for the first time in ANY MONTH from November through March! Here are the previous daily records for each month:

Nov 2.95" 1943
Dec 2.81" 1977 
Jan 2.77" 1915
Feb 2.29" 1896 
Mar 2.79" 1881 

9 PM Update: Washington National has now had just under 1" of additional rainfall since 4 pm, bringing the total to 2.91". This is now unofficially the wettest December day since precipitation records began in 1871, exceeding the old record of 2.81" on December 18, 1977.

Original post:
Cold-season precipitation extremes tend to be lower than those in warmer seasons because cold air holds less moisture than warm air. With heavy rainfall still falling, however, daily precipitation records for December 7 have already been set as of 4 pm in the Mid Atlantic area. Current totals (old records in parentheses):

Washington National 1.93" (1.34", 1971)
Washington Dulles   1.33" (1.13", 1976)
Baltimore/BWI       1.18" (1.27", 1976)  

Note: The Baltimore record was easily exceeded by the 0.54" which fell in the next 3 hours.

Lee's Leftovers Loosen Soggy Stranglehold on Mid Atlantic; Record Rain Relinquishes Reign

Image (click to enlarge): Mid Atlantic precipitation for 7 days ending 8 am EDT, Sept. 9, 2011, from National Weather Service

After drenching the Mid Atlantic region for most of the week, the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee have finally let up their relentlessly rainy reign. Although some flash flood warnings and watches as well as river flood warnings remain in effect, the heaviest rainfall has ended, leaving behind some record-breaking accumulations. Double-digit storm totals have been recorded across at least 10 states from Louisiana to New York. The highest amount appears to be 20.96" at a cooperative station near Colonial Beach, VA, but a plume of very heavy rainfall extended northward through the Susquehanna River watershed of Pennsylvania and New York.

In the immediate Washington/Baltimore area, official storm total rainfall reports include:

Washington National  6.47 
Washington Dulles    6.44
Ft. Belvoir         13.48 
Baltimore BWI        8.11
Baltimore Downtown   6.90 
Andrews AFB          9.06 
Patuxent River       2.13  

Selected reports of 10" or more as of 2 pm today from the National Weather Service include:

...ALABAMA...
FYFFE 6.3 NNE                       12.94                      
MOBILE 10.2 WSW                     12.93                      
ALBERTVILLE 4.8 WNW                 12.44                      
TILLMANS CORNER 4.3 WNW             11.74                      
GRAND BAY 0.6 NW                    11.32                      
ORANGE BEACH 3.0 ENE                10.50                      
FOLEY 2.0 SSW                       10.39       

  ...FLORIDA...
MILTON 1.4 NNE                      10.03       

...GEORGIA...
LA FAYETTE 2.9 NE                   11.01                      
RINGGOLD 5 W                        10.21 

...LOUISIANA...
HOLDEN                              15.43                      
N.O. CAROLLTON                      14.32                      
MAUREPAS                            13.63                      
PONCHATOULA 4 SE                    13.22                      
CONVENT 2 S                         13.04                      
WESTWEGO 1.8 NE                     13.03                      
RESERVE 0.5 SSE                     12.89                      
GRAY 0.5 ENE                        12.15                      
NEW ORLEANS/MOISANT                 11.00     

...MARYLAND...
WALDORF 3.6 SSE                     13.63                      
CROFTON 1.5 NNE                     11.85                      
ELLICOTT CITY 1.7 N                 11.36                      
CLARKSBURG                          10.60         

...MISSISSIPPI...
WAVELAND 1.1 NW                     14.11                      
FLORENCE 0.9 E                      13.45                      
SAUCIER 6.4 ESE                     11.75                      
GULFPORT 2.0 NE                     11.71                      
LONG BEACH 0.7 S                    11.59                      
PASS CHRISTIAN 5.0 N                11.31                      
RICHLAND 0.3 WSW                    11.25                      
PHILADELPHIA 5.4 E                  11.18                      
JACKSON WFO                         11.15                      
GULFPORT-BILOXI                     11.14                      
PASCAGOULA                          10.96     

...NEW YORK...
APALACHIN 3.0 SE                    11.83                      
ENDICOTT 5.2 SSE                    11.46                      
TIOGA TERRACE                       10.64                      
BINGHAMTON/BROOME                   10.09      

...PENNSYLVANIA...
ELIZABETHTOWN 1.1 NNE               15.58                      
PINE GROVE                          14.70                      
PAXTONIA 1.7 E                      13.95                      
HARRISBURG AIRPORT                  13.30                      
MUIR AAF/INDIANTOWN                 12.58                      
WILLIAMSPORT                        10.20          

...TENNESSEE...
CLEVELAND 3 ESE                     12.22                      
CHARLESTON                          11.50                      
CHATTANOOGA-LOVELL FIELD (ASOS)     10.28        

...VIRGINIA...
COLONIAL BEACH 1.2 SSE              20.96                      
WOODBRIDGE 0.5 SSW                  16.20                      
LORTON 1.2 NE                       15.09                      
FORT BELVOIR/DAVISON AFB            13.77                      
RESTON 2 N                          11.45                      
CHANTILLY 2 ESE                     10.18      

All-Time Daily Rainfall Record at Binghamton: Second in 2 Years

Image (click to enlarge): Binghamton region 24-hour precipitation ending 8 am EDT, Sept. 8, from National Weather Service

6 PM Update: As of 5 pm, an additional 1.41" of rain has fallen at Binghamton today, bringing the monthly total to 10.08" and the yearly total to 51.27". After slightly more than a week, this month's total is now the second highest all-time amount, behind the 11.45" in June 2006.

Original post:
After setting an all-time daily precipitation record just last September, Binghamton, New York has smashed that record by a wide margin with 7.49" yesterday (Sept. 7). Since the previous record was set in 2006, the 3 highest daily rainfall amounts at Binghamton have now occurred within the last 5 years. Climate records began in 1951 at the current airport location, but climate data in the city extend back to 1890. The record rainfall for any 24-hour period at the previous location was 4.55" in Sept. 1924.

The year-to-date total rainfall is also a new all-time annual record.

The National Weather Service report:

A RECORD RAINFALL OF 7.49 INCHES WAS SET AT THE BINGHAMTON REGIONAL
AIRPORT YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD FOR SEPTEMBER 7TH OF
0.80 INCHES SET IN 1996.

THIS CALENDAR DAY RAINFALL ALSO SHATTERS THE RECORD FOR ANY DAY.
THE OLD RECORD WAS 4.24 INCHES ON SEPTEMBER 30TH IN 2010.

PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR NOW TOTALS 49.86 INCHES AS OF MIDNIGHT.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD FOR ANY YEAR OF 49.78 INCHES SET IN 2006.
NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR REST OF THE YEAR IS CLOSE TO 10 INCHES SO
THIS SHOULD BREAK THE RECORD BY MANY INCHES.  

Record Daily Rainfall for September at Harrisburg

Sept. 8, 2 PM Update: The final Harrisburg daily rainfall total for Sept. 7 is 7.71". The 2-day total is 9.73". The storm total since Sunday evening is 13.30" as of 9 am today.

Sept. 8, 1 AM Update: Heavy rain has continued through midnight at Harrisburg, with 2.08" just in the hour ending at 1 am EDT (midnight standard time). That puts the daily total at the 2nd highest of all time.

Original post:
Downpours from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee have been producing record rainfall amounts in the Mid Atlantic area. The National Weather Service reports that the 5.05" of precipitation as of 5 pm today at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has already smashed the old daily record of 1.18" set in 1998. Unofficially, this is also an all-time daily record for September, beating the 4.59" on Sept. 26, 1975. The top two all-time daily rainfall records at Harrisburg were set on June 21 and 22, 1972 from the remnants of Hurricane Agnes. Today's amount is now the 3rd highest all-time amount.

The 2-day total on Sept. 25-26, 1975 was 8.87". Together with the 2.02" yesterday, the current 2-day total is 7.07". Climate records began at Harrisburg in 1888.

The previous top 10 daily rainfall amounts at Harrisburg:

22-Jun 1972 9.13
21-Jun 1972 5.81
31-May 1889 4.66
23-Aug 1933 4.66
26-Sep 1975 4.59
14-Sep 1973 4.34
21-Aug 1915 4.30
25-Sep 1975 4.28
10-Sep 1907 4.17
23-Jul 1969 4.00 

Image (click to enlarge): Mid Atlantic radar image September 7, 2011, from Accuweather

Lee Rainfall Breaks Every All-Time Record from 24 Hours to a Week at Jackson MS

Image (click to enlarge): Storm total rainfall in the Jackson, Mississippi region ending 7 am CDT, Sept. 6, 2011, from National Weather Service

The torrential rains from Tropical Storm Lee have broken precipitation records for every interval from 24 hours to one week at Jackson, Mississippi. Jackson climate records date back to 1896. The National Weather Service reports:

THE FOLLOWING JACKSON PRECIPITATION RECORDS WERE BROKEN DURING THIS 
RAINFALL EVENT...

*ALL TIME 24 HOUR RAINFALL RECORD (10.68" FROM 9/4 9 AM - 9/5 9 AM)
  PREVIOUS RECORD: 8.50" FROM 4/6/2003 11 AM - 4/7/2003 11 AM

*ALL TIME 2-DAY RAINFALL RECORD (10.82")
  PREVIOUS RECORD: 8.54" ON APRIL 11-12 1979

*ALL TIME 3-DAY RAINFALL RECORD (11.15")
  PREVIOUS RECORD: 9.81" ON APRIL 11-13 1980

*ALL TIME 4-DAY RAINFALL RECORD (11.15")
  PREVIOUS RECORD: 9.82" ON APRIL 11-14 1980

*ALL TIME 5-DAY RAINFALL RECORD (11.15")
  PREVIOUS RECORD: 9.82" ON APRIL 11-15 1980

*ALL TIME 6-DAY RAINFALL RECORD (11.15")
  PREVIOUS RECORD: 10.45" ON APRIL 8-13 1980

*ALL TIME 7-DAY RAINFALL RECORD (11.15")
  PREVIOUS RECORD: 10.55" ON APRIL 7-13 1980

*SEPTEMBER 4TH DAILY RAINFALL (5.12")
  PREVIOUS RECORD: 2.37" IN 1949

*SEPTEMBER 5TH DAILY RAINFALL (5.70")
  PREVIOUS RECORD: 1.48" IN 1906   

Record Rainfall From Lee Approaches Exceeds Double Digits on Gulf Coast

Image (click to enlarge): Tropical Storm Lee rainfall totals through 7 pm CDT, Sept. 3, from National Weather Service

Sept. 5, 11 pm Update: Updated storm totals of 10" or more reported by the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center:

SELECTED STORM TOTAL RAINFALL IN INCHES THROUGH 1 PM CDT 

...ALABAMA...
TILLMANS CORNER 4.3 WNW             11.74                      
MOBILE 10.2 WSW                     11.62                      
GRAND BAY 0.6 NW                    11.32                      
ORANGE BEACH 3.0 ENE                10.50                      
FOLEY 2.0 SSW                       10.39                      
THEODORE 3.7 WNW                    10.31      
       
...FLORIDA...
MILTON 1.4 NNE                      10.03  

...LOUISIANA...
HOLDEN                              15.43                      
N.O. CAROLLTON                      14.32                      
MAUREPAS                            13.63                      
PONCHATOULA 4 SE                    13.22                      
CONVENT 2 S                         13.04                      
RESERVE 0.5 SSE                     12.43                      
GRAY 0.5 ENE                        12.15                      
MARRERO 1.9 E                       11.21                      
MONTICELLO 3.0 ENE                  10.91                      
NEW ORLEANS/MOISANT                 10.80                      
PONCHATOULA 11.8 E                  10.59                      
MERAUX 0.8 WNW                      10.10  

...MISSISSIPPI...
FLORENCE 0.9 E                      13.45                      
WAVELAND 1.1 NW                     13.20                      
SAUCIER 6.4 ESE                     11.75                      
GULFPORT 2.0 NE                     11.71                      
LONG BEACH 0.7 S                    11.59                      
PASS CHRISTIAN 5.0 N                11.31                      
RICHLAND 0.3 WSW                    11.25                      
PHILADELPHIA 5.4 E                  11.18                      
PEARL 3.4 ESE                       11.14                      
JACKSON WFO                         11.13                      
KILN 6.6 N                          10.90                      
GULFPORT-BILOXI                     10.78   

Sept. 4, 11 pm Update: Updated official totals of 5" or more through 7 pm CDT:

HOLDEN              13.93   
N.O. CAROLLTON      12.97  
MAUREPAS            11.97  
CONVENT 2S          11.55  
N.O. AUDUBON        11.42 THROUGH 7PM  
GALLIANO            11.40  
LIVINGSTON          11.24  
N.O. ARMSTRONG      10.72 THROUGH 7PM  
PASCAGOULA          10.70 THROUGH 7PM  
SLIDELL CITY        10.62  
COVINGTON           10.46  
TERRYTOWN 3S         9.86  
BILOXI               9.79 THROUGH 7PM  
N.O. LAKEFRONT       9.48 THROUGH 7PM  
PONCHATOULA 4SE      9.42  
BAPTIST              9.31  
GULFPORT AIRPORT     9.13 THROUGH 7PM  
BOOTHVILLE           8.93 THROUGH 7PM  
BAYOU MANCHAC PT     8.80 (I)  
ROBERT               8.50  
DENHAM SPRINGS       8.40  
OCEAN SPRINGS        8.24  
BATON ROUGE          8.17 THROUGH 7PM  
ABITA RIVER          8.05  
DONALDSONVILLE 4SW   7.82  
B.R. SHERWOOD        7.79  
MANDEVILLE           7.72  
GONZALES             7.63  
SLIDELL AIRPORT      7.52 THROUGH 7PM  
BAYOU SORREL LOCK    7.26  
BUSH                 6.70   
B.R. CONCORD         6.39  
BOGALUSA             6.10  
MCCOMB               5.87 THROUGH 7PM  
KILLIAN              5.50 (I)  
SUN                  5.32  
PLAQUEMINE 2N        5.03   

Original post:
A report from the National Weather Service this evening shows rainfall amounts from Tropical Storm Lee approaching double digits along the Gulf Coast. Precipitation reports over 5" are shown below. The daily amounts of 4.95" through 5 pm today at New Orleans and 5.59" at Baton Rouge have already set new records for the date.

RAINFALL TOTALS ARE GIVEN IN INCHES. TOTALS BEGIN AT 7AM THURSDAY   
MORNING AND END AT 7AM THIS MORNING UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.   
INCOMPLETE DATA IS NOTATED WITH AN (I) BEHIND THE OBSERVATION.   
  
OFFICIAL NWS OBSERVATIONS  
AUTOMATED OBSERVATIONS/CO-OP SITES  
  
PASCAGOULA          9.59 THROUGH 7PM  
N.O. AUDUBON        9.58 THROUGH 7PM  
N.O. CAROLLTON      8.82  
GALLIANO            8.80  
N.O. LAKEFRONT      7.87 THROUGH 7PM  
SLIDELL CITY        7.77  
N.O. ARMSTRONG      7.63 THROUGH 7PM  
BOOTHVILLE          7.19 THROUGH 7PM  
GULFPORT            6.78 THROUGH 7PM  
BILOXI              6.78 THROUGH 7PM  
3S TERRYTOWN        6.74  
4SW DONALDSONVILLE  6.13  
BATON ROUGE         5.95 THROUGH 7PM  
B.R. SHERWOOD       5.85  
SLIDELL AIRPORT     5.62 THROUGH 7PM  
KILLIAN             5.50  
GONZALES            5.47  
BAYOU MANCHAC       5.30 (I)    

Irene Sets 25 All-Time Rainfall Records

Update: In addition to the 18 all-time records on August 28, there were 24 more which set new daily records for any date in August.

Original post:
Preliminary reports from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) indicate that rainfall from Hurricane Irene set 25 all-time daily rainfall records on August 27-29 from North Carolina to Maine. The map (click to enlarge) from NCDC shows the 18 locations which set records on August 28 alone. First Order National Weather Service stations include:

                 Amount    Previous Record

Danbury CT        5.35"    5.22"  2008-09-06

Teterboro NJ      5.41"	   4.22"  2004-09-29	

Glens Falls NY    3.67"	   3.65"  1971-08-28

St. Johnsbury VT  4.83"	   4.53"  1999-09-17 

The St. Johnsbury climate record extends back 118 years.

Dr. Jeff Masters also reports that the 11.23" of rain at Mendo, Vermont "was the greatest single-day rainfall in Vermont's history, according to wunderground's weather historian Christopher C. Burt, beating the 9.92" that fell at Mt. Mansfield on 9/17/1999 during the passage of Tropical Storm Floyd. The 13.30" that fell on East Durham, NY during Irene was just shy of New York State's all-time 1-day rainfall record: 13.70" at Brewster on 9/16/1999, from Tropical Storm Floyd."

Irene Sets Rainfall Records in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, NJ, NY, CT, MA, NH, VT; All-Time N Y City Record

Images (click to enlarge): Hurricane Irene radar image at 5:05 pm, August 27, from Intellicast; 24-hour precipitation ending 8 am, August 28, for New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and Richmond regions, from National Weather Service. [Update: Added 24-hour precipitation ending August 29 for Portland ME, Burlington VT, Albany NY, and Boston regions]

August 29, 3 PM Update: Updated daily rainfall records for August 28 (Sunday):

Caribou ME         1.52"  (0.98", 1967) 

Bangor ME          1.97"  (1.71", 1973)

Concord NH         2.66"  (1.99", 1911)

Burlington VT      3.38"  (2.38", 1971)  

St. Johnsbury VT   4.83"  (1.97", 1971)

Massena NY         1.02"  (0.80", 1971)

Albany NY          4.69"  (3.50", 1971) 

Heavy rain extended northward into Canada, where Sherbrooke, Quebec reported 107 mm, and Doaktown, New Brunswick had 89 mm. Montreal measured 56.4 mm, bringing the monthly total to 223.0 mm; normal for August is 92.7 mm.

August 28, 9 PM Update: Today's 3.99" of rain at Central Park, New York breaks the old record for the date of 1.80" set in 1971 and raises the new all-time monthly record to 18.95". That is 464% of the normal August amount to date. The Irene storm total is 6.71".

More new daily rainfall records from today (old record and year in parentheses):

Bangor ME          1.85"  (1.71", 1973)

Concord NH         2.54"  (1.99", 1911)

Burlington VT      2.70"  (2.38", 1971)  

Worcester MA       3.80"  (0.99", 1971) 

Hartford CT        3.84"  (1.35", 1971)

Albany NY          4.56"  (3.50", 1971)

Binghamton NY      2.69"  (1.66", 1990)  

Islip NY           1.80"  (0.72", 2006) 

Newark NJ          5.22"  (2.04", 1971) 

August 28, 1:30 PM Update: The National Weather Service reports a near-record water level at the Battery in New York:

  AT 8:42 AM EDT THIS MORNING THE TIDE LEVEL AT THE BATTERY REACHED 

  9.5 FEET MLLW. THIS IS THE SIXTH HIGHEST LEVEL EVER RECORDED AT THE 

  BATTERY. AT 9:06 AM A MAXIMUM SURGE OF 4.5 FEET OCCURRED WITH THIS 

  HIGH TIDE IN COMBINATION WITH THE ASTRONOMICAL TIDE.

  

  OTHER NOTABLE LEVELS REACHED INCLUDE THE TOP TWO OF 11.2 FEET MLLW 

  AND 10.9 FEET MLLW WHICH OCCURRED DURING THE HURRICANE OF SEPTEMBER 

  1821 AND HURRICANE DONNA IN 1960 RESPECTIVELY...AND 9.6 FEET MLLW

  DURING THE NOREASTER OF DECEMBER 1992.  

August 28, 1 PM Update: Updated storm total rainfalls for Hurricane Irene, from National Weather Service:

Danbury CT         6.34"

Bridgeport CT      3.25"

Central Park NY    6.71"

White Plains NY    5.97"

Newark NJ          8.73"

Atlantic City NJ   4.56"

Philadelphia PA    4.84"

Dover DE           7.52"

Wilmington DE      5.77"

Georgetown DE      5.69" 

Rehoboth Beach DE  4.88" 

Salisbury MD       7.75"

Ocean City MD     12.09"

Baltimore MD       3.83"  

Easton MD         11.34"

Washington DC      3.36"

Richmond VA        4.73"

Suffolk Airpt VA  11.04"

Elizabeth City NC  7.50"  

August 28, Noon Update: The storm total rainfall of 6.71" at Central Park brings the monthly total to an unofficial 18.79", which is an all-time monthly record for New York City. The previous record was 16.85" in September, 1882.

Midnight Update: Philadelphia had 1.70" of rain in the 6 hours ending 8 pm and an additional 2.14" in the following 3 hours.

9 PM Update: Suffolk Airport in Virginia is reporting a storm total rainfall so far of 11.04". The Norfolk official total is incomplete, apparently because of a sensor failure of the automated station, but a co-operative observer reports 7.73".

7 PM Update: The National Hurricane Center reports:

RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 10 TO 14 INCHES HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED OVER A

LARGE PORTION OF EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA...WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNT

OF 14.00 INCHES REPORTED AT BUNYAN NORTH CAROLINA THUS FAR. 

Original post:
Heavy rain is still falling from Hurricane Irene in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware, but daily rainfall records have already been set as of 5 pm (old record in parentheses):

Richmond VA        3.42" (2.04", 1899)

Norfolk VA         4.47" (3.77", 1998)

Salisbury MD       3.05" (tie,   1922)

Georgetown DE      2.87" (1.14", 1964)

Elizabeth City NC  4.50" (4.33", 1971)

August 26:

New Bern NC        3.30" (2.45", 1999) 

Cape Hatteras NC   3.67" (2.27", 1962)  

Philadelphia has also added to its all-time record monthly rainfall with a total so far of 14.38". With 0.39" so far today, Central Park, New York has reached 12.47" for the month, which sets a new record for highest August rainfall.