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I think that largely depends on what one considers a summer and on prevailing large scale atmospheric circulation patterns.
For us in The Pacific Northwest (and in Canada's Pacific Southwest) the ocean is our major climate driver - at least up to the Cascades and B.C's Coast Range. Water temperatures play a huge role, not only in our summer temperatures but in our overall warmth relative to long term averages.
We are entering a phase where the water temperatures off our coast are up to 3.5 (2) degrees cooler than normal and will remain anywhere from slightly to very much cooler than average regardless of what phase of ENSO we're in. This temperature drop doesn't seem like much but the ocean is a great heat sink/source and therefore the effect is huge. Additionally this cool-water phase we are in is predicted by some climatologists to last for up to 25 more years so for us, the prospects for hot summer like conditions (even by our not-so-high standards) are pretty bleak and will remain so for a very long time.
The OP you fail as a comic, being funny isn't your forte I guess. How can you say that where you live, in Philly, has ever skipped a summer? What I find to be most disturbing is your grandiose assertion that Philly doesn't always have good summers, especially when the climatic averages suggest otherwise.
What I find to be most disturbing is your grandiose assertion that Philly doesn't always have good summers, especially when the climatic averages suggest otherwise.
Philadelphia is always well into summer territory; whether they're "good" or not is a matter of opinion. For me no summer is a good summer; more specifically a mild summer (60's/40's Fahrenheit) that more resembles spring vegetation-wise.
I guess it depends on your definition, but in our region (PA/NJ) we virtually never skip summer. Even 2009 still had average highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s...well within "summer territory". However, if you define winter as a season with at least decent snowfall and stretches of snowcover, then it's far easier to skip winter in these parts.
To the OP: how long have you lived in this area? Can you please identify for me the last summer we skipped? As I have shown, 2009 was more cloudy than cool. And not every month was below normal. How bout before that? I don't ever remember a summer here where avg highs were not in the 80's in both July and August.
From what I've read from New York, 1967 was a standout year for cooler than normal temperatures there. So perhaps you could look at 1967 for the Mod-Atlantic . I can't say anything about the below-80 criterion, since I don't have that much familiarity with that area. I'm sure even the coolest summer since records began averaged at least in the mid 70's Fahrenheit.
2009, although below normal temperature-wise, certainly wasn't anywhere near what I'd say is cool or even mild. However, it certainly was wet and stormy, and that was one the hallmarks for that summer across a wide swath of the States.
From what I've read from New York, 1967 was a standout year for cooler than normal temperatures there. So perhaps you could look at 1967 for the Mod-Atlantic . I can't say anything about the below-80 criterion, since I don't have that much familiarity with that area. I'm sure even the coolest summer since records began averaged at least in the mid 70's Fahrenheit.
2009, although below normal temperature-wise, certainly wasn't anywhere near what I'd say is cool or even mild. However, it certainly was wet and stormy, and that was one the hallmarks for that summer across a wide swath of the States.
Spring 1967 (especially March and May) were quite cool in my area, but the summer looked close to average. Funny that you mention that year, because I notice a lot of still-standing records.
From what I've read from New York, 1967 was a standout year for cooler than normal temperatures there. So perhaps you could look at 1967 for the Mod-Atlantic . I can't say anything about the below-80 criterion, since I don't have that much familiarity with that area. I'm sure even the coolest summer since records began averaged at least in the mid 70's Fahrenheit.
2009, although below normal temperature-wise, certainly wasn't anywhere near what I'd say is cool or even mild. However, it certainly was wet and stormy, and that was one the hallmarks for that summer across a wide swath of the States.
2009 made the list of top 10 coolest June and July for New York. July averaged 72.7°F, June 67.5°F, though isn't really a peak summer month. So, yes 2009 was exceptionally cool. 1967 didn't make the list.
Then it appears that the "rumors" were incorrect. Were those still-standing records for spring cool spells or summer cool spells? I'm inclined to think you meant the former, but you leave it unclear. Just curious: was 1967 wet instead of cool? In Northeastern circles wetness is often used as a metric for heat-lovers' measure of summer lousiness, instead of how cool the temperature is. We have yet to get any figures on summers prior to 2009 that could have been cooler across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. So if anyone has stats on their particular location, I'd like to see the timing and figures for your record coolest summers.
Also I'd like to clarify that I was referring to high temperatures, not daily means. A daily mean above 72F qualifying for a top 10 coolest Julys is a joke when it comes to notions of skipping summer. Likely Southeast Pennsylvania's top 10s are even less cool.
I was referring to spring. The all-time record low for March (-10 F) was in 1967. May 1967 was very cool, but it looks like May 1966 has more record lows (but it wasn't as cool on average as May 1967).
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. I can't say anything about the below-80 criterion, since I don't have that much familiarity with that area. I'm sure even the coolest summer since records began averaged at least in the mid 70's Fahrenheit.
