Super Summer Soaker Phloods Philadelphia Rainfall Record; Second Extreme in 3 Years

Images (click to enlarge): Top 10 wettest summers in Philadelphia, CapitalClimate chart from National Weather Service (NWS) data; Philadelphia precipitation percentage of normal for 90 days ending August 12, 2013, from NWS

There's a good reason if the Philadelphia Phanatic is looking greener than usual lately. After the summer rainfall record was broken just 1 day into August, another 2.02" this morning has pushed the Philadelphia seasonal precipitation total even further into record territory. With over 2 weeks left, the unofficial June-August rainfall total of 27.56" is barely less than 3" above the old record of 24.58" set just 2 years ago. The seasonal total to date is 245% of the climatological average for the entire 3 summer months.

New York on Track for Wettest June in 145-Year Climate Record

Images (click to enlarge): June total rainfall to date for New York and southern New England from National Weather Service (NWS); 48-hour total precipitation forecast through Friday evening, June 28, from WPC/NWS

June 27 (Thursday), 10:30 PM Update: The 0.23" so far tonight brings the monthly total to 10.09", which surpasses the 10.06" in 2009 as the second wettest June on record.

Original Post:
The 0.05" of rain which fell at New York's Central Park in light showers this evening brings the month-to-date total to 9.86". This puts June 2013 firmly in position as the 3rd wettest June in a climate history which extends back to 1869. Less than half an inch now separates the current month from the June record of 10.27" in 2003. With over 1" of rain forecast for Thursday and Friday (June 27-28), the record is well within reach.

The 3 wettest Junes in New York have now all occurred in the past 11 years. The all-time wettest month was August 2011, when 18.95" fell.

Moisture Madness in Madison: Wettest January Day, 3rd Wettest Winter Day in 144-Year Climate History

The record-breaking mid-winter heat earlier this week has also been accompanied by record precipitation. In Madison, Wisconsin, the 1.84" of rain on Tuesday was nearly double the previous daily record for January 29 of 0.98" in 1869. It was also the wettest January day in climate history extending back to 1869, exceeding the January 1, 1892 amount of 1.80". Furthermore, it was the 3rd largest rainfall in any winter month (December-February), exceeded only by 2.54" on December 27, 1904 and 2.19" on December 3, 1990.

In all, National Climatic Data Center preliminary reports show that 10 all-time January daily precipitation records were broken on January 29 and 24 more records were broken on January 30. Besides Madison, other Wisconsin records broken in century-plus climate histories included a cooperative station near Lancaster (2.06" vs. previous 1.60") with 120 years of records and Dodgeville (1.48" vs. 1.26") with 116 years. In Missouri, the Sedalia Water Treatment Plant recorded 3.05" to break the old record of 2.60" on January 19, 1907.

Pacific Coast Rainfall Record Update: Focus Shifts to Central California; 133-Year San Francisco Record Broken

The focus of record-breaking rainfall shifted southward to central California on Friday. At downtown San Francisco, where climate records began in 1850, the 1.39" broke a 133-year-old record for November 30 of 1.38" in 1879. (The airport's 1.96" failed to reach the record of 2.39" in 1973, however.) Other record rainfall amounts in the region (previous record and date in parentheses):

Livermore       1.85" (0.75", 1982)
Moffett Field   1.40" (1.31", 1973)
Oakland         1.88" (1.58", 1961)
San Jose        1.14" (0.95", 1997)    
Salinas         2.22" (1.49", 1982)

The 2.17" at Santa Rosa was also a record, but climate data there began only in 1998. Records also extended inland. The National Weather Service reports:

SACRAMENTO EXECUTIVE AIRPORT   
1.68 INCHES...OLD RECORD 1.04 IN 1973  
  
STOCKTON AIRPORT  
1.39 INCHES...OLD RECORD 0.64 IN 1997  
  
MODESTO AIRPORT  
0.80 INCHES...OLD RECORD 0.66 IN 1997  

A RECORD RAINFALL OF 0.62 INCH(ES) WAS SET AT FRESNO CA YESTERDAY.   
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 0.50 SET IN 1982.  

Preliminary Data: Sandy Precipitation Breaks Mid-Atlantic Records

October 30, 7 PM Update: Based on daily records from the National Climatic Data Center, yesterday's rain from Sandy was also the 5th wettest day of any month in Baltimore climate history dating back to 1871. It was the highest precipitation for any day other than in the months of July through September.

October 30, 4 PM Update:
The Washington National daily total of 3.85" is confirmed by the National Weather Service. The amounts at Washington Dulles and Baltimore were all-time daily records for the month of October:

A RECORD DAILY MAXIMUM RAINFALL OF 4.25 INCHES WAS SET AT WASHINGTON   
DULLES DC YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD FOR THE 29TH OF 1.03   
INCHES SET IN 2011.   
  
YESTERDAY'S RAINFALL WAS ALSO THE WETTEST CALENDAR DAY IN OCTOBER AT   
DULLES. THE PREVIOUS WETTEST OCTOBER DAY WAS 1 OCTOBER 1979...WHEN   
4.06 INCHES OF RAINFALL WAS OBSERVED.  

A RECORD RAINFALL OF 5.51 INCHES WAS SET AT BALTIMORE MD YESTERDAY.   
THIS BREAKS THE OLD DAILY RECORD FOR THE 29TH OF 1.51 INCHES SET IN   
1973. YESTERDAY'S RAINFALL WAS ALSO THE WETTEST CALENDAR DAY IN   
OCTOBER AT BALTIMORE. THE PREVIOUS WETTEST OCTOBER DAY WAS 10   
OCTOBER 1922...WHEN 4.38 INCHES OF RAINFALL WAS OBSERVED.  

Records were also set at Philadelphia, Atlantic City (more than doubling a 104-year-old record), Wilmington, Avoca PA, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Rochester, and Buffalo. According to the National Climatic Data Center, the records at Wilmington and Atlantic City were also all-time October daily records. The Washington National amount was an all-time October record at the current location (76 years). The NWS reports:

A RECORD DAILY RAINFALL AMOUNT OF 2.68 INCHES WAS SET AT THE   
PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THIS BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD   
OF 1.72 INCHES SET BACK IN 1953.   

A RECORD RAINFALL OF 4.79 INCHES WAS SET AT ATLANTIC CITY NJ   
YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 2.33 SET IN 1908.  

A RECORD RAINFALL OF 3.79 INCHES WAS SET AT WILMINGTON DE YESTERDAY.   
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 2.56 SET IN 1953.  

A RECORD RAINFALL OF 1.64 INCH(ES) WAS SET AT AVOCA PA TODAY.   
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 1.39 SET IN 1953.  

A RECORD RAINFALL OF 1.72 INCH(ES) WAS SET AT PITTSBURGH PA   
YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 1.19 SET IN 1973.  

A RECORD RAINFALL OF 2.93 INCHES WAS SET AT HARRISBURG YESTERDAY.   
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 1.87 SET IN 1935. A CONTINUOUS WEATHER RECORD HAS BEEN KEPT AT HARRISBURG SINCE 1888.  

A RECORD RAINFALL OF 1.44 INCHES WAS SET AT ROCHESTER NY YESTERDAY.   
THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 0.71 SET IN 1935.  

A RECORD RAINFALL OF 1.42 INCHES WAS SET AT BUFFALO NY YESTERDAY.   
THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 1.21 SET IN 1917.  

Original post:
The unofficial total rainfall today of 3.85" at Washington not only breaks the record for October 29 (2.69" in 1885) by over 1", but it is also the highest precipitation so late in the season. It's the second highest daily amount for any day in October, and it's the only time over 3" has been observed later in the year than October 25, except for the 3.10" on December 7 last year.

Wettest UK Summer in a Century

The UK Met Office reports that Summer 2012 is likely to be the wettest since 1912 and the second wettest on record:

Figures up to the 29 August show that 366.8 mm of rain fell across the UK. It is not expected that rainfall this summer will exceed the 384.4 mm of rain seen in the summer of 1912, which is the wettest.

These latest figures follow a record wet April, and an April to June period that was also the wettest recorded in the UK.

August 2012 looks set to be the driest and sunniest of the three summer months across the UK with 105.5 mm of rain to the 29 August and 140 hours of sunshine up to 28 August. The mean temperature for August was 15.7 °C, in a month that also saw the hottest day of the year so far, reaching 32.4 °C at Cavendish, Suffolk on the 18th.

Summer 2012 is also likely to be one of the dullest summers on record with just 399 hours of sunshine up to 28 August. This makes it the dullest summer since 1980 when the UK saw only 396 hours of sunshine.

To complete the disappointing picture, it has also been a relatively cool summer with a mean temperature of 14.0 °C, some 0.4 °C below the long term average. Despite this it was a little warmer than the summer of 2011 which saw a mean temperature of only 13.7 °C.

Unsettled weather has never been far from the UK during the past three months. Movements in the track of the jet stream, a narrow band of fast flowing westerly winds high in the atmosphere, have contributed to the weather we have seen. This summer has seen periods of heavy and prolonged rain, as well as short but exceptionally heavy thundery downpours and only brief warm sunny spells.

Looking at the individual countries of the UK, it is set to be the second wettest summer on record in England, third wettest in Wales, ninth in Northern Ireland, and the seventh wettest in Scotland. For sunshine it is expected to be the second dullest summer in England and Wales, 12th in Northern Ireland and 16th dullest in Scotland.

Image (click to enlarge): UK precipitation (mm/day), June 1-August 20, 2012, from NOAA/ESRL

Deluge Drowns Duluth: Wettest June Day, Second Wettest All-Time in 142-Year Rainfall Record

Torrential rainfall up to 9" yesterday caused widespread flooding in the Duluth, Minnesota, area and closed roads, including I-35:

Major flooding in and around Duluth has isolated neighborhoods, drowned zoo animals and closed state parks, pushing the city's mayor to declare a state of emergency after more than 8 inches of rain had fallen across areas of northeastern Minnesota.

Steady, torrential rain closed Interstate 35 and downtown tunnels in Duluth. Police say sinkholes and washouts have made travel dangerous. Residents of the south Duluth neighborhood of Fond du Lac, near the rising St. Louis River, were being asked to leave their homes.

The National Weather Service simply noted drily that the daily rainfall record was smashed by a factor of over 2.5 to 1:

A RECORD RAINFALL OF 4.14 INCHES WAS SET AT DULUTH INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 1.55 SET IN 1998. 

A CapitalClimate analysis of National Climatic Data Center reports from downtown Duluth (1871 to 1941) and Duluth Airport (1941 to 2011) shows that this was also the all-time June record daily precipitation, exceeding the 4" on June 23, 1876. Furthermore, this was second only to the 5.2" on July 21, 1909 for the wettest day in the 142-year record.

Some other precipitation reports from the Duluth area:

INCHES  LOCATION                 ST  COUNTY           TIME
 ------  -----------------------  --  --------------   -------
  9.00   4 SW DULUTH              MN  ST. LOUIS        0941 AM
                 DENFELD NEIGHBORHOOD OF WEST DULUTH
  8.38   DULUTH                   MN  ST. LOUIS        0800 AM
                 THIS MEASUREMENT WAS TAKEN IN THE MORLEY
                 HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD.
  8.34   ALBORN                   MN  ST. LOUIS        1037 AM
  7.72   ALBORN                   MN  ST. LOUIS        0815 AM
  7.41   4 E ISLAND LAKE          MN  ST. LOUIS        1130 AM
                 STORM TOTAL.
  6.00   9 WSW PORT WING          WI  DOUGLAS          0830 AM
                 THIS ESTIMATE WAS TAKEN AT THE MOUTH OF THE
                 BRULE RIVER.
  5.95   14 SSW BRIMSON           MN  ST. LOUIS        1200 PM
  5.38   DULUTH                   MN  ST. LOUIS        0700 AM
                 24 HOUR TOTAL
  5.15   CASTLE DANGER            MN  LAKE             1200 PM
  5.03   5 S PEQUOT LAKES         MN  CROW WING        0741 AM
  4.36   DULUTH                   MN  ST. LOUIS        0848 AM
  4.09   SWAN RIVER               MN  ITASCA           0712 AM
  3.44   12 N ISLE                MN  AITKIN           0800 AM
  3.35   N BRAINERD               MN  CROW WING        0710 AM   

Spring Super-Soaker Update: More Rainfall Records Set Across New England, New York

Image (click to enlarge): 24-hour precipitation ending 8 am EDT, April 23, 2012, from National Weather Service

April 24, 1 PM Update: Added Burlington VT, Massena NY, and Rochester NY.

Original Post:
In addition to the many daily rainfall records set on Sunday, April 22, more records were set on April 23 (old record in parentheses):

Providence RI  1.60"  (1.44" 2006)  [second consecutive day] 
Boston MA      1.48"  (1.14" 1998)
Burlington VT  1.08"  (0.92" 1977)
Portland ME    3.13"  (1.53" 1921)
Bangor ME      2.32"  (1.39" 2000) 
Houlton ME     1.32"  (0.86" 1993)
Caribou ME     1.42"  (1.31" 1958)
Massena NY     0.83"  (0.74" 1993)
Rochester NY   1.58"  (0.81" 1996)   

Spring Super-Soaker Sets Rainfall Records; Century-Old Mark Nearly Doubled at Norfolk

April 24 Update: See next post for more records set on April 23.

April 23, 10 AM Update:
Updated preliminary record daily precipitation reports from the National Weather Service:

Cape Hatteras NC  3.18"  (2.04" 2008) 
Elizabeth City NC 1.22"  (1.10" 1959)
Norfolk VA        2.24"  (1.18" 1912)
Salisbury MD      1.93"  (1.32" 2006)
Georgetown DE     1.67"  (1.32" 1993) 
Philadelphia PA   1.87"  (1.67" 2006)
Allentown PA      1.66"  (1.24" 1937)
Avoca PA          1.27"  (1.16" 2006)
Atlantic City NJ  1.71"  (1.63" 2006)
Trenton NJ        2.06"  (1.77" 2006)
Newark NJ         2.64"  (1.21" 2006)  
Islip NY          2.66"  (0.77" 2003)
LaGuardia NY      1.90"  (1.53" 1969)
Kennedy Airpt NY  2.14"  (1.79" 1969) 
Central Park NY   2.45"  (1.80" 1969) 
Bridgeport CT     1.72"  (1.64" 1969)
Providence RI     1.59"  (1.43" 2000) 

Richmond missed by just 0.01".

In addition to the first-order (ASOS) stations listed, at least 28 cooperative stations from Florida to Maine reported record daily rainfall.

2 AM Update: The Providence record is confirmed at 1.59".

1 AM Update: The following unofficial rainfall totals will also be new records if confirmed:

Philadelphia PA  1.86" (1.67", 2006)
Trenton NJ       2.06" (1.77", 2006)
Newark NJ        2.61" (1.21", 2006)
Central Park NY  2.43" (1.80", 1969)
Bridgeport CT    1.69" (1.64", 1969)
Providence RI    1.53" (1.43", 2000)  

9 PM Update: Salisbury has picked up slightly more than half an inch more of precipitation since 5 pm, bringing the total so far to 1.91". Rain has ended at Norfolk.

7:30 PM Update: With light rain continuing, Richmond has now had 0.27" more rainfall since 5 pm; 0.04" additional will tie the record.

Original Post:
The rapidly intensifying storm system moving up the East Coast has already set some daily precipitation records as of 5 pm EDT at several coastal and near-coastal locations (old record in parentheses):

Cape Hatteras NC   3.18" (2.04", 2008)
Norfolk VA         2.20" (1.18", 1912) 
Salisbury MD       1.40" (1.32", 2006) 

With 1.29" already recorded at Richmond, the 1.60" record set in 1984 is within reach.

Deluge Douses Des Moines: Earliest 3" Rainfall by 2 Weeks

Image (click to enlarge): Iowa 24-hour precipitation ending 7 am CDT, April 15, 2012, from National Weather Service.

April 15, AM Update: An additional 0.17" of rainfall in the 2 hours before midnight local time brings the daily record total to 3.43". The National Weather Service reports that Des Moines climate records date back to 1878.

Original post:
The 3.26" of rainfall at Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday not only smashes the record for April 14 of 2" in 1987, but it is only the second time that a daily rainfall has exceeded 3" in the first 4 months of the year at Des Moines. The 2.35" which fell in the hour ending at 6 pm CDT was enough by itself to break the old daily record. The all-time record daily rainfall for April occurred on a date 2 weeks later, 3.80" on April 28 in 1974.

Des Moines climate records began in 1896.

Deluge "Obliterates" Hawaii Rainfall Record

The National Weather Service reports that the 8.64" of rainfall at Lihue, Hawaii yesterday "obliterates" the old daily record for March 5 of 1.14" set in 1974. The 3.31" on Sunday was also a record for March 4. According to NWS records, the all-time daily rainfall record at Lihue was 6.71" on March 14, 2006. Official climate records in Lihue began in 1946. In the 3 days from March 3 through 5 Lihue reported 12.76" of precipitation. Some other rainfall reports from Kauai and Oahu as of Monday afternoon:

KAUAI  
/HNIH1/ HANALEI                                26.95  
/WLLH1/ MOUNT WAIALEALE RAINGAGE               24.44  
/WLDH1/ WAILUA DITCH - USGS                    22.66  
/WNHH1/ PH WAINIHA                             21.63  
/KPIH1/ KAPAHI                                 16.68  
/WUHH1/ WAILUA UH EXP STN                      14.02  
/LIHH1/ LIHUE VRTY STA                         12.40  
/KLOH1/ KILOHANA RG - USGS                     12.11  
/HLI  / LIHUE AIRPORT                           9.88  
/ANHH1/ ANAHOLA NO.2                            8.86  
/MLDH1/ MOLOAA DAIRY                            8.32  
/WLGH1/ WAIALAE RG - USGS                       4.42  
/OMAH1/ OMAO                                    4.29  
/KHEH1/ KALAHEO                                 4.26  
/KOKH1/ KOKEE                                   3.48  
/HBK  / BARKING SANDS ASOS                      3.31  
/MCRH1/ MOHIHI CROSSING - USGS                  3.28  
/WKRH1/ WAIAKOALI - USGS                        3.17  
  
OAHU  
/PNSH1/ PUNALUU STREAM - USGS                  12.65  
/OFRH1/ OAHU FOREST NWR                        11.35  
/MOGH1/ MOANALUA - USGS - USGS                 10.37  
/KNRH1/ KAHANA STREAM RG - USGS                 9.12  
/WPPH1/ WAIHEE PUMP                             8.78  
/AHUH1/ AHUIMANU LOOP                           8.10  
/NUUH1/ NUUANU UPPER                            7.92  
/LULH1/ LULUKU                                  7.42  
/WITH1/ WILSON TUNNEL                           6.70  
/WHSH1/ WAIAHOLE STREAM - USGS                  5.14  
/HNG  / KANEOHE MCAS                            5.06  
/STVH1/ ST. STEPHENS SEMINARY                   4.88  
/MAUH1/ MAUNAWILI                               4.85  
/HNL  / HONOLULU AIRPORT                        4.78  
/HAKH1/ HAKIPUU MAUKA                           4.78  
/KTAH1/ KAHUKU TRAINING AREA                    4.60  
/KAHH1/ KAHUKU                                  3.79  
/OFSH1/ OLOMANA FIRE STN                        3.76  
/KFWH1/ KII                                     3.25  
/WMLH1/ WAIMANALO NONOKIO                       3.13