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I figured this might be a good thread to make on its own since a lot of these discussions get bogged up in the seasonal, etc threads. This will be my thread to report everything on Southeast US weather monitoring (heat monitoring, cold and frost monitoring, rain monitoring, severe weather monitoring, etc), and anyone is welcome to join in.
To start it off, besides just current reporting, I will be writing some summaries for how the special spot monitoring was this season, in the same way as I wrote this one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Can't think of username
Amen to that. So happy you appreciate my efforts, I'm very pleased to keep up monitoring and sharing the results.
To keep on sharing, I also forgot: this is looking like it will be special spot Charleston Airport's first entirely good monitoring season (read: their best monitoring season) EVER. The 6 criteria for a Southeast US place to have an entirely good monitoring season (defined as October-April and primarily November-March) are:
1) All months must be at least around average if not above average.
2) The frost-free season must last until at least December and begin no later than the end of February.
3) Once the matter of the frost-free season is settled, all months must have cold extremes around the usual coldest if not warmer than usual.
4) Likewise, with heat monitoring being just as important as cold/frost monitoring, all months must have heat extremes at the usual hottest if not warmer than usual.
5) There must be wild temperature fluctuations between the heat and cold for that Southeast US flavor.
6) Last but not least, rainfall must be around or above normal so there is no drought (not every month has to be at or above normal however, a dry month can be fixed with a wetter one down the line).
For Charleston Airport this season:
1) October-March have ranged from 0.2C to 3C above average, running 1.3C above average and April is looking to continue that trend from the Climate Prediction Center. Check.
2) First frost December 12, last frost February 20 - and even a bonus month-long frost free period between January 22 and February 20. Check.
3) October-March have ranged from getting exactly normal cold extremes to +5C above normal cold extremes, with their total being cold extremes 0.8C above usual and a usual winter minimum 2C above usual. Climate Prediction Center again points to April following this, so check.
4) October-March have ranged from getting exactly normal heat extremes to +3C above normal heat (even tying an all time record high for January), with their total being heat extremes 1C above usual. April, again, is pointed to following this, so check.
5) The following 10 day stretch in Charleston Airport's January 2024 is a serious contender for the best wild temperature swing monitoring I have ever done!
1/19: 18/3C
1/20: 7/-3C
1/21: 7/-5C (coldest day of the month and season)
1/22: 16/-5C
1/23: 19/10C
1/24: 25/17C
1/25: 26/17C
1/26: 28/17C (warmest day of the month and tying the all time record high for the month)
1/27: 26/16C
1/28: 21/10C
Notice how the hottest and coldest days were only 5 days apart, and how in a mere 3 days it went from an average January day in Wichita to an average January day in the Florida Keys.
6) Even if April gets no rain at all, the October-March rainfall total is 31mm higher than the average October-April rainfall total, so check.
Incredibly satisfying for a cold hole I initially totally disregarded in favor of the right-on-the-coast-downtown station to be lavishing me with better performance than I could ever expect!
Last edited by Can't think of username; 04-07-2024 at 07:13 AM..
Going by the drought monitor ral31 put in the spring thread, this major monitoring season has really helped to erase widespread drought. I very much like that.
I think this also helped contribute to good monitoring criteria beyond simply Number 6. Several places have had periods of above average rain and cloud cover which helps cut back on the number of radiational frosts.
Looking forward to an April heatwave next week for much of the area. Should be plenty of 30sC for everywhere just about.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BullochResident
Nearly 3.5 inches of rain at the Savannah Airport last night, double the amount that was forecast.
Looks like I can check off the box for Savannah Airport meeting the good rainfall criteria for the April 2024 monitoring, then. Monthly total exceeded in one night.
Looks like I can check off the box for Savannah Airport meeting the good rainfall criteria for the April 2024 monitoring, then. Monthly total exceeded in one night.
I guess I ought to do a preliminary report on special spot Valdosta Airport. This report will only be for 2024 so far instead of the full season (because it was ripped off from a December 31 first frost at the end of November and so the full season wasn't entirely good), but all of 2024's criteria meeting makes up for that, and I'm optimistic that this will be the first good full calendar year for it since 2020.
1) January-March have all been at least 1.5C above average and as much as 2.8C above average, all 3 averaging to 2C above average.
2) Like Charleston Airport, last frost February 20, and a bonus 1 month frost-free period between January 21 and February 20. Plus, for Valdosta Airport, this is the earliest in 12 years.
3) Coldest temperature of the season 1.8C above normal (-4C vs -5.8C). Averaging it out with February and March gives an average of cold extremes 2.3C above normal, and April doesn't seem like it will get below 6C, so that would make the cold extremes 3.2C above normal.
4) This is the very reason Valdosta Airport is a special spot, and it delivered fabulously. 29C in January to tie the all-time record high, 28C in February (while pretty much exactly the usual maximum, that is the figure that made me realize the heat it's capable of), and a tropical March with 32C - best of all, the winter part had the 32C and averaged tropical.
Averaging out to 1.9C above normal.
5) All this happened in 11 days between January 17-27:
6) January-April rainfall total is already 17mm above normal thanks to the April soak, even if there is no rain for the rest of April this box is checked.
Overall 2024 is looking like a combination of the 2015 and 2020 that I so regret not monitoring Valdosta Airport for. And if it keeps that up to the end, that will make up for the 3 or more ripoffs I have seen from it in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
I guess I ought to do a preliminary report on special spot Valdosta Airport. This report will only be for 2024 so far instead of the full season (because it was ripped off from a December 31 first frost at the end of November and so the full season wasn't entirely good), but all of 2024's criteria meeting makes up for that, and I'm optimistic that this will be the first good full calendar year for it since 2020.
1) January-March have all been at least 1.5C above average and as much as 2.8C above average, all 3 averaging to 2C above average.
2) Like Charleston Airport, last frost February 20, and a bonus 1 month frost-free period between January 21 and February 20. Plus, for Valdosta Airport, this is the earliest in 12 years.
3) Coldest temperature of the season 1.8C above normal (-4C vs -5.8C). Averaging it out with February and March gives an average of cold extremes 2.3C above normal, and April doesn't seem like it will get below 6C, so that would make the cold extremes 3.2C above normal.
4) This is the very reason Valdosta Airport is a special spot, and it delivered fabulously. 29C in January to tie the all-time record high, 28C in February (while pretty much exactly the usual maximum, that is the figure that made me realize the heat it's capable of), and a tropical March with 32C - best of all, the winter part had the 32C and averaged tropical.
Averaging out to 1.9C above normal.
5) All this happened in 11 days between January 17-27:
6) January-April rainfall total is already 17mm above normal thanks to the April soak, even if there is no rain for the rest of April this box is checked.
Overall 2024 is looking like a combination of the 2015 and 2020 that I so regret not monitoring Valdosta Airport for. And if it keeps that up to the end, that will make up for the 3 or more ripoffs I have seen from it in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Valdosta Airport is full god mode but yeah its great info
I can't help but wonder how toasty Valdosta Airport's April 2024 will end up. All the highs to April 21 are forecasted to be between 30-33C, and given how it overperformed today by 1C I wonder if it can reach 34C on one of the 33C days - would be a nice touch to give me what I missed from April 2020.
Not to mention, it's in the 'above normal' area for the rest of April from what the CPC has put out so far. Looks like my heat monitoring expectations for this April will be exceeded when all the data comes in on May 1.
Nashville hit 31 C / 87 F today, April 14, 2024. 1991-2020 average is May 1 for first 87 F.
Bigger overperformance than Valdosta. The forecast for Nashville today was 29C, 2C colder than that.
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. The forecast for Nashville today was 29C, 2C colder than that.