Summer 2012 Climate Summary

The following are the Summer of 2012 summaries plus daily data for each month in a spreadsheet for the five ASOS (Automated Surface Observing Systems) stations in Western Massachusetts. I plan on releasing an autumn climate summary in December and thereafter a summary for each month with seasonal updates as well. Hope you find them useful!

KCEF (Springfield/Chicopee) Summer

June 2012 Daily Data
July 2012 Daily Data
August 2012 Daily Data

Temperature (°F)
Average High: 83.6
Average Low: 58.1
Highest: 98 (7/17)
Lowest: 45 (8/30)
Lowest High: 56 (6/4)
Highest Low: 72 (8/5)
Days with Highs 90 or Above: 23 (6/20, 6/21, 6/22, 6/29, 6/30, 7/1, 7/4, 7/6, 7/8, 7/12, 7/13, 7/14, 7/16, 7/17, 7/18, 7/24, 8/2, 8/3, 8/4, 8/5, 8/8, 8/9, 8/31)

Dew Point (°F)
Highest: 77 (8/5)
Lowest: 44 (7/10, 8/29)

Weather
Thunderstorm Days: 16
Foggy Days: 28

Precipitation
Total: 9.62"
Highest Daily: 1.81" (6/2)
Days with 0.01 Inch or More: 31
Days with 0.10 Inch or More: 20
Days with 0.50 Inch or More: 6
Days with 1.00 Inch or More: 4

Wind Speed
Highest Wind Gust: 38 mph (6/23)

Sea Level Barometric Pressure
Highest: 30.35" (6/16, 8/26)
Lowest: 29.56" (7/24)

KBAF (Westfield) Summer

June 2012 Daily Data
July 2012 Daily Data
August 2012 Daily Data

Temperature (°F)
Average High: 84.5
Average Low: 59.5
Highest: 100 (7/17)
Lowest: 46 (6/7)
Lowest High: 57 (6/4)
Highest Low: 73 (8/5)
Days with Highs 90 or Above: 23 (6/20, 6/21, 6/22, 6/29, 6/30, 7/1, 7/4, 7/6, 7/7, 7/8, 7/11, 7/12, 7/13, 7/14, 7/16, 7/17, 7/18, 7/24, 8/2, 8/3, 8/4, 8/5, 8/31)

Dew Point (°F)
Highest: 75 (8/5)
Lowest: 40 (8/29)

Weather
Thunderstorm Days: 11
Foggy Days: 12

Precipitation
Total: 13.84"
Highest Daily: 2.90" (8/15)
Greatest 24-Hour: 2.90" (8/15)
Days with 0.01 Inch or More: 33
Days with 0.10 Inch or More: 16
Days with 0.50 Inch or More: 8
Days with 1.00 Inch or More: 6

Wind Speed
Highest Wind Gust: 52 mph out of the NW (8/15)

Sea Level Barometric Pressure
Highest: 30.35" (6/16)
Lowest: 29.55" (7/24)

KPSF (Pittsfield) Summer

June 2012 Daily Data
July 2012 Daily Data
August 2012 Daily Data

Temperature (°F)
Average High: 78.9
Average Low: 56.7
Highest: 91 (6/20, 7/17)
Lowest: 43 (6/5)
Lowest High: 55 (6/4)
Highest Low: 70 (8/5)
Days with Highs 90 or Above: 3 (6/20, 6/21, 7/17)

Dew Point (°F)
Highest: 74 (8/5)
Lowest: 42 (6/5)

Weather
Thunderstorm Days: 16
Foggy Days: 30

Precipitation
Total: 8.82"
Highest Daily: 1.53" (8/11)
Greatest 24-Hour: 1.54" (8/11-8/12)
Days with 0.01 Inch or More: 32
Days with 0.10 Inch or More: 20
Days with 0.50 Inch or More: 7
Days with 1.00 Inch or More: 2

Wind Speed
Highest Wind Gust: 38 mph out of the NW (8/17) and 38 mph out of the WNW (8/18)

Sea Level Barometric Pressure
Highest: 30.34" (6/16)
Lowest: 29.54" (6/29)

KAQW (North Adams) Summer

June 2012 Daily Data
July 2012 Daily Data
August 2012 Daily Data

Temperature (°F)
Average High: 80.7
Average Low: 55.8
Highest: 94 (7/17)
Lowest: 43 (6/8)
Lowest High: 57 (6/4)
Highest Low: 67 (8/5, 8/10)
Days with Highs 90 or Above: 7 (6/20, 6/21, 6/29, 7/13, 7/17, 8/3, 8/4)

Dew Point (°F)
Highest: 73 (8/5)
Lowest: 40 (6/2, 7/21)

Weather
Thunderstorm Days: 15
Foggy Days: 22

Precipitation
Total: 7.97"
Highest Daily: 1.52" (8/11)
Greatest 24-Hour: 1.52" (8/11)
Days with 0.01 Inch or More: 37
Days with 0.10 Inch or More: 18
Days with 0.50 Inch or More: 3
Days with 1.00 Inch or More: 2

Wind Speed
Highest Wind Gust: 37 mph out of the ESE (6/1)

Sea Level Barometric Pressure
Highest: 30.36" (6/16)
Lowest: 29.58" (6/29, 7/26)

KORE (Orange) Summer

June 2012 Daily Data
July 2012 Daily Data
August 2012 Daily Data

Temperature (°F)
Average High: 81.9
Average Low: 57.0
Highest: 97 (6/20)
Lowest: 46 (8/30)
Lowest High: 55 (6/4)
Highest Low: 71 (7/18)
Days with Highs 90 or Above: 15 (6/20, 6/21, 6/22, 6/29, 6/30, 7/1, 7/12, 7/14, 7/16, 7/17, 7/18, 8/2, 8/3, 8/4, 8/5)

Dew Point (°F)
Highest: 74 (6/20, 8/5)
Lowest: 37 (6/1)

Weather
Thunderstorm Days: 14
Foggy Days: 20

Precipitation
Total: 8.83"
Highest Daily: 1.81" (6/2)
Greatest 24-Hour: 1.81" (6/2)
Days with 0.01 Inch or More: 34
Days with 0.10 Inch or More: 18
Days with 0.50 Inch or More: 4
Days with 1.00 Inch or More: 2

Wind Speed
Highest Wind Gust: 43 mph out of the NNW (6/23)

Sea Level Barometric Pressure
Highest: 30.36" (6/16, 8/26)
Lowest: 29.56" (6/29, 7/24)

November Nor'easter Recap: Snowfall Totals

Many places in Western Massachusetts saw their first snowflakes of the season thanks to an early season nor'easter. We saw accumulations mainly along and south of the Mass Pike but north of it we had a hard time accumulating. The reason behind this was that there was too much dry air in place due to low dew point values. So even though the radar showed snow, none of it was reaching the ground (virga). The coast of Connecticut ended up as the jackpot where up to a foot of snow fell! Impressive for November and we broke many daily snowfall records across Southern New England. Monson had the highest snowfall total in Western Massachusetts with 7.5" of snow.

Snow accumulations:

********************STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL********************

...BERKSHIRE COUNTY...
   MONTEREY               3.3   450 PM 11/07  TRAINED SPOTTER
   OTIS                   3.0   435 PM 11/07  TRAINED SPOTTER
   1 N OTIS WOOD LANES    2.0  1000 AM 11/08  SKI AREA
   ALFORD                 0.2   454 PM 11/07  WEATHERNET6
   SAVOY                  0.1   358 PM 11/07  WEATHERNET6

...HAMPDEN COUNTY...
   MONSON                 7.5   918 AM 11/08  HAM RADIO
   CHICOPEE               3.5   515 AM 11/08  NONE

**********************24 HOUR SNOWFALL**********************

...HAMPSHIRE COUNTY...
   2 SW WESTHAMPTON       0.2   600 AM 11/08  COCORAHS

From WGGB Springfield:

Snow Totals Map: http://www.wggb.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Snow-Totals1.jpg

Holland: 4"
Otis: 4"
Blandford: 3"
Hampden: 3"
Monson: 3"
Palmer: 2"
Agawam: 1"
Chicopee: 1"
Northampton: 1"
Springfield: 1"
Greenfield: Trace
Pittsfield: Trace

From WWLP Springfield:
Monson: 6"
Wales: 6"
Granville: 5"
Hampden: 4"
Holland: 4"
Brimfield: 3"
Enfield, CT: 2.1"
Suffield, CT: 2"
East Longmeadow: 1.5"
West Springfield: 0.5"
Chicopee: Coating
Goshen: Coating

Early November Nor'easter: What to Expect

After nine days since Superstorm Sandy, we have another storm bearing down on us. This time around though, instead of a hurricane, we will be dealing with a combination of snow/mix/and rain due to a dynamic nor'easter as we get an early taste of winter here in Western Massachusetts. A Winter Weather Advisory has been posted for Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin County from 2PM this afternoon to 7AM Thursday for accumulations of snow between 1 and 4 inches followed by the potential for some light freezing rain. It doesn't take much snow to cause roads to become slippery out there so take it easy while driving this evening. In addition, winds will gust up to 45 mph in spots making it feel very chilly! Stay tuned by following my Twitter (@SenhW) where I will be posting updates and live coverage of the event.

Below is my snowfall map from yesterday. Click map to enlarge image.

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
1021 AM EST WED NOV 7 2012

...ACCUMULATING SNOW FOLLOWED BY A LIGHT GLAZE OF ICE IS EXPECTED
LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT ACROSS INTERIOR SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND...

CTZ002>004-MAZ002>004-008>012-026-NHZ011-012-015-RIZ001-072330-
/O.CON.KBOX.WW.Y.0012.121107T1900Z-121108T1200Z/
HARTFORD CT-TOLLAND CT-WINDHAM CT-WESTERN FRANKLIN MA-
EASTERN FRANKLIN MA-NORTHERN WORCESTER MA-WESTERN HAMPSHIRE MA-
WESTERN HAMPDEN MA-EASTERN HAMPSHIRE MA-EASTERN HAMPDEN MA-
SOUTHERN WORCESTER MA-NORTHERN MIDDLESEX MA-CHESHIRE NH-
EASTERN HILLSBOROUGH NH-WESTERN AND CENTRAL HILLSBOROUGH NH-
NORTHWEST PROVIDENCE RI-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...HARTFORD...WINDSOR LOCKS...UNION...
VERNON...PUTNAM...WILLIMANTIC...CHARLEMONT...GREENFIELD...
ORANGE...BARRE...FITCHBURG...CHESTERFIELD...BLANDFORD...AMHERST...
NORTHAMPTON...SPRINGFIELD...MILFORD...WORCESTER...AYER...
JAFFREY...KEENE...MANCHESTER...NASHUA...PETERBOROUGH...WEARE...
FOSTER...SMITHFIELD
1021 AM EST WED NOV 7 2012

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM THIS
AFTERNOON TO 7 AM EST THURSDAY...

* LOCATIONS...SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE...WESTERN AND CENTRAL
  MASSACHUSETTS...NORTHERN CONNECTICUT AND FAR NORTHWEST RHODE
  ISLAND.

* HAZARD TYPES...ACCUMULATING SNOW FOLLOWED BY THE POTENTIAL FOR
  SOME LIGHT FREEZING RAIN.

* ACCUMULATIONS...SNOW ACCUMULATION BETWEEN 1 AND 4 INCHES...
  ALONG WITH UP TO A TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE. THE BEST CHANCE
  FOR THE HIGHER SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE ACROSS THE HIGHER
  TERRAIN.

* TIMING...SNOW WILL OVERSPREAD THE REGION FROM SOUTH TO NORTH.
  THIS WILL OCCUR BY MID AFTERNOON IN AREAS SOUTH OF THE
  MASSACHUSETTS TURNPIKE. THE SNOW WILL ARRIVE ACROSS INTERIOR
  NORTHERN MASSACHUSETTS AND SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE BY LATE
  AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING. THE SNOW WILL THEN CHANGE TO LIGHT
  FREEZING RAIN AND PERHAPS EVENTUALLY PLAIN RAIN IN SOME
  LOCATIONS LATER TONIGHT.

* IMPACTS...UNTREATED ROADS WILL BECOME SNOW COVERED AND
  SLIPPERY. THE EVENING RUSH HOUR WILL BE IMPACTED IN SOME
  LOCATIONS.

* WINDS...NORTH 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH.

* TEMPERATURES...NEAR FREEZING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN SNOW AND/OR ICE IS
FORECAST TO DEVELOP IN THE AFFECTED AREAS...BUT ACCUMULATIONS ARE
EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT. ANY SNOW OR ICE WOULD MAKE DRIVING AND
WALKING DIFFICULT...BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE...ON UNTREATED ROADWAYS
AND SIDEWALKS.  WHEN TEMPERATURES ARE BELOW FREEZING...MOTORISTS
NEED TO BE ESPECIALLY CAREFUL ON BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES WHERE
SLIPPERY SPOTS CAN EASILY DEVELOP.

Sandy Post-Storm Recap

As far as impacts here locally, Hurricane (or "Superstorm") Sandy did not severely impact Western Massachusetts and power outages here were less than initially feared. That was great news! Gusts of 40-50 mph were commonly felt throughout the region but wind damage were fortunately minimal. Flooding was a non-issue here as well as rainfall totals were unimpressive for the most part. In fact, in my opinion, Irene from last year was a more powerful storm here because Irene caused several rivers to reach flood stage. Part of the reason why we escaped the worst was the fact that only the outer fringes of Sandy impacted Western Massachusetts while Irene directly made a run at us.

On the other hand, coastal areas weren't so lucky and sustained major damage from storm surge, wind, and flooding. The worst hit was along the southern coast of Connecticut, Long Island, the New York City area, and New Jersey. Pictures I have seen on Twitter showed incredible flooding and infrastructure damage. Parts of the Atlantic City boardwalk in New Jersey even washed away! It's been almost a week since Sandy made landfall but there are still millions out there without power and are suffering in the cold in the wake of Sandy. To make things worse, a nor'easter could impact devastated areas middle of the week which is not good! The last thing they need is another powerful storm. My thoughts and prayers go out to those impacted by Sandy and I wish them a fast and full recovery. Superstorm Sandy broke many records along the way and will go down as one of the most destructive hurricanes ever causing an estimated $50 billion dollars of damage.

Here are figures from Superstorm Sandy:

Totals across the country

The Stats Are In: Superstorm Sandy Totals: http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/sandy-statistics-rain-wind-snow/876665

Totals across Western Massachusetts

HIGHEST WIND GUSTS:
Pittsfield: 58 mph
North Adams: 54 mph
Chicopee: 51 mph
Westfield: 51 mph
Orange: 43 mph

From NWS Albany:

...MASSACHUSETTS...

...BERKSHIRE COUNTY...
1 NE HANCOCK                               443 PM OCT 29      77 MPH
3 SSE OTIS (1450 FT)(APRSWXNET)            423 PM OCT 29      61 MPH
PITTSFIELD MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (ASOS)        919 PM OCT 29      58 MPH
HARRIMAN-AND-WEST AIRPORT (ASOS)          1105 PM OCT 29      54 MPH
2 NNW SHEFFIELD (662 FT)(MESOWEST)         330 PM OCT 29      46 MPH
2 WSW EAST WINDSOR (1894 FT)(APRSWXNET)    400 PM OCT 29      45 MPH
PERU                                       450 PM OCT 29      45 MPH

HIGHEST SUSTAINED WIND SPEED:
Pittsfield: 35 mph
Chicopee: 33 mph
North Adams: 32 mph
Westfield: 32 mph
Orange: 30 mph

RAINFALL TOTALS:
Orange: 1.36"
Pittsfield: 1.23"
North Adams: 0.69"
Chicopee: 0.62"
Westfield: 0.30"

From NWS Albany:

MASSACHUSETTS

...BERKSHIRE COUNTY...
   SAVOY                 1.60  1200 PM 10/30  WEATHERNET6
   LANESBOROUGH          1.00   638 AM 10/30  WEATHERNET6
   CLARKSBURG            0.84   627 AM 10/30  WEATHERNET6
   PITTSFIELD            0.70   659 AM 10/30  WEATHERNET6

LOWEST SEA LEVEL BAROMETRIC PRESSURE:
Pittsfield: 28.97" Hg (981 mb)
Chicopee: 29.04" Hg (983 mb)
Westfield: 29.05" Hg (984 mb)
North Adams: 29.06" Hg (984 mb)
Orange: 29.18" Hg (988 mb)