FOR RELEASE: Sept. 17, 1997
Contact: Blaine P. Friedlander Jr.
Office: (607) 255-3290
Internet: [email protected]
Compuserve: Bill Steele, 72650,565
http://www.news.cornell.edu
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Several precipitation records belonging to Atlantic City, N.J., were flooded out of the history books in August, while many parts of the Northeast region remained dry, according to the climatologists at the Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC) at Cornell University.
The Atlantic City rain event of August 20-21 deluged the area with 13.52 inches. Atlantic City's daily precipitation total of 11.2 inches on Aug. 20 more than surpassed their all-time daily rainfall record of 6.46 inches set on July 10, 1949.
Both the August monthly total and the all-time monthly total rainfall records also fell. The previous record for August (11.98 inches set in 1967) and the all-time monthly rainfall total (13.09 inches set in July 1959) tumbled with the August 1997 total of 16.12 inches, according to Keith Eggleston, climatologist at the center.
Connecticut weather stations recorded an average of 6.71 inches of rain during the month for their 10th wettest August on record.
The area-weighted averages for the states of Rhode Island and Vermont also exceeded 5 inches of rain. Meanwhile, parts of western and central New York and most of Maryland and Delaware reported precipitation deficits once again this month. Delaware reported the region's greatest departure at 65 percent of normal precipitation.
Overall, the Northeast region fared much better, reporting 108 percent of the long-term August average. For the summer months (June-July-August), Delaware reported only 69 percent of the normal precipitation for its 13th driest summer on record and Maryland reported 77 percent of normal for its 10th driest summer in the last 103 years.
Monthly average temperatures in the Northeast were once again cooler than normal during August. Five of the last six months in the Northeast now have had below-normal temperatures. The month of August averaged 1.4 degrees cooler than normal. This was 1.7 degrees cooler than August 1996 and the 23rd coolest August in the last 103 years. The greatest departures were found in the southwestern portion of the region, where West Virginia reported a statewide average monthly departure of 2.1 degrees for their 10th coolest August on record. The only place in the region to report warmer than normal temperatures was the southern portion of Maine.
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New Weather Records
Daily Maximum Temperature Records
(all temperatures in Fahrenheit)
City Date New Previous
National Airport, Va. 16th 102"¢ 95"¢ in 1995
Philadelphia 16th 98"¢ 95"¢ in 1938
Atlantic City Airport, N.J. 16th 96"¢ 94"¢ in 1984
Baltimore 16th 101"¢ 96"¢ in 1951
Atlantic City Marina, N.J. 17th 97"¢ 92"¢ in 1911
National Airport, Va. 17th 105"¢ 102"¢ in 1988
Baltimore (tie) 18th 100"¢ 100"¢ in 1988
Harrisburg, Pa. tie) 18th 97"¢ 97"¢ in 1965Daily Minimum Temperature Records
City Date New Previous
Caribou, Maine 4th 40"¢ 41"¢ in 1960
Beckley, W.Va. 6th 48"¢ 51"¢ in 1972
Pittsburgh 7th 47"¢ 51"¢ in 1994
Beckley, W.Va. 7th 47"¢ 51"¢ in 1989
Wilmington, Del. (tie) 7th 55"¢ 55"¢ in 1964
Morgantown, W.Va. 7th 47"¢ 48"¢ in 1957
Elkins, W.Va. 8th 44"¢ 45"¢ in 1989
Allentown, Pa. (tie) 8th 49"¢ 49"¢ in 1989
Morgantown, W.Va. (tie) 8th 48"¢ 48"¢ in 1975
Baltimore 8th 53"¢ 54"¢ in 1989
Beckley, W.Va. (tie) 23rd 49"¢ 49"¢ in 1973
Beckley, W.Va. 24th 44"¢ 45"¢ in 1971
Huntington, W.Va. (tie) 24th 50"¢ 50"¢ in 1946
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