This is my fictional Fort Smith, Arkansas climate in which I have over 50 years of fictional weather data for. It is based on the climate of Fort Smith, but on an earth that is tilted at a greater degree on its axis. Here is the climograph.
I have tweaked it slightly since my last post. I am going to explain each of the seasons and what can be expected.
Winter (Jan-Mar)
January and February are the coldest months, with maximum temperatures barely above freezing most years. There is usually a warm spell or two but they don't last long.
Don't let the maximum average fool you though, its quite common to go weeks on end without ever going above freezing during January and February. Extreme cold snaps are frequent sending low temperatures below zero for significant periods of time. The cold, arctic air that dominates in January and February has rather minimal moisture limiting precipitation. Snow is minimal in January and February but makes a comeback during the first half of March. March is the second snowiest month. The old idiom 'in like a lion, out like a lamb' rings true for March in this climate. March usually begins with temperatures at or near the single digits with a blizzard or two. In the middle of the month, it transitions to a cold, rainy pattern as temperatures make their way above freezing. Usually by the end of the month, there will be a few days of pleasant, early spring weather.
Spring (Apr-Jun)
April starts out schizophrenic with cold snaps still sending temperatures below freezing at night common through April 15. April also begins the rainiest season of the year with numerous days of soaking rain guaranteed. Nice, spring days are also common throughout the month. Towards the end of the month, storms begin to fire in the afternoons bringing almost daily scattered showers during what otherwise are very pleasant days. That pattern continues into May, the wettest month, in which most rain comes from those storms. Cold snaps are still possible early in May but by the middle of the month, spring is in full swing and the afternoon temperatures rise into the 70s and 80s consistently. As May turns to June, the northwest flow comes in bringing nighttime thunderstorms instead of afternoon showers. These thunderstorms dump more rain but are less frequent than May's afternoon popup storms.
June is the most pleasant month of the year, with ample rainfall and consistent warm (but not too hot) temperatures.
Summer (Jul-Sep)
Summer starts with a bang, almost consistently during the first week of July. If we are lucky, we can get one last rainfall in before the ridge of high pressure out of the desert Southwest locks itself over the Southern Plains cutting off all precipitation until September. That final rainfall almost always occurs before July 6th. After that, it's clear skies and hot, hot temperatures day after day. The humidity and dewpoint trends lower as summer progresses. By the middle of July high temperatures are flirting with 100 and lows in the 70s. By the end of the month however, high temperatures are usually flirting with 110.
All plant life is dormant by the end of July and the trees have lost their leaves by that point. August sees high temperatures climb even higher. The one saving grace is as the plants go into dormancy, the air loses its last bits of moisture.
As a result, nighttime lows in August are much more comfortable than they are in July. Rainfall simply does not happen in August and in fact has only been recorded three times in 50 years. Dust storms however are frequent but welcome as the black air keeps the temperature down on those days. The first half of September is basically a continuation of August, though by this time, the diminishing rays of the sun keep it from getting as hot as it does in mid-August. This pattern continues through around the time of the autumnal equinox when drastic changes happen. The jet stream shifts south, pushing away the 'Ring of Fire' and bring much, much cooler, early fall temperatures as well as soaking rains.
98% of September's rain falls within the last week of the month.
Fall (Oct-Dec)
October starts out schizophrenic with summer trying to make one final appearance. It doesn't last long though and cold snaps become a regular occurrence by the middle of the month. Regular storms return bringing ample rainfall once again. Usually the first freeze occurs by October 15th. Throughout October, temperatures climb to the 60s and 70s between cold snaps so you better keep your summer and winter clothing both handy. As October turns to November, the warm spells people enjoy in October become less and less common. The first half of November sometimes brings a cool, rainy pattern though that doesn't happen every year. The second half of November brings the season's first major snowfalls, usually coming around or after Thanksgiving. December is the snowiest month, averaging almost 15 inches with at least a couple blizzard events likely during the month. Chances of a white Christmas are pretty high, with at least some snow being on the ground on Dec 25th around 50% of the time. Storms in November and December usually come out of the Rockies rather than the arctic. This allows
relatively warm conditions to appear from time to time throughout the late autumn between storm systems. Due to seasonal lag, bitterly cold arctic air usually holds off until January.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
