Narrative Summaries for Other Years
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THE YEAR 2009
JANUARY 2009 SUMMARY
January was colder than average as the monthly mean temperature was 34.52 F, a -1.6 F departure,
and was also drier than average (when compared to Ashland, Virginia records).
Also there were 27 days the minimum temperature dropped below freezing and two days that the
maximum didn't climb above freezing.
The 1.95 inches of rain for January was a -1.41 inch departure when compared to the Ashland, VA
average.
The maximum rainfall recorded in a day was only 0.61 inches on the 27th on a day of sleet, snow,
glaze but mostly sleet.
Measurable precipitation occurred on only eight days and it is noteworthy that there wasn't any
measurable precipitation from and including the 12th to the 26th a fifteen day period.
The only frozen precipitation was 0.3 inches of mostly sleet for the month all recorded on the 27th
which was a -5.5 inch departure compared to Ashland, Virginia records.
January was cloudier than average.
The maximum temperature for January was only 62 F on the 23rd and the lowest minimum was
4 F recorded here on the 17th.
This was the lowest minimum temperature of the winter recorded at this station and according
to Channel 12 the coldest since January of 2004.
The lowest dew point temperature on the 16th at 1659 was -12.8 F quite low for the Glen Allen area.
The maximum wind gust of 37 mph occurred on the 7th at 1806.
This wind was associated with the lowest barometric pressure (29.17 inches) since April 15, 2007
when the pressure was also 29.17 inches when compared to Annandale, Virginia records.
The highest barometer recorded for the month was 30.64 inches on the 16th.
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FEBRUARY
FEBRUARY 2009 SUMMARY
February was warmer than average as the monthly mean temperature was 42.5 F, a +3.3 F departure,
and was much drier than average (when compared to Ashland, Virginia records).
There were 15 days the minimum temperature dropped below freezing and one day that the maximum
didn’t climb above freezing.
The 0.67 inches of rain for February was a -2.33 inch departure when compared to the Ashland, VA average.
The maximum rainfall recorded in a day was only 0.26 inches on the 28th on a day of sleet,
snow but mostly rain.
Measurable precipitation occurred on only five days and it is noteworthy that there wasn’t any measurable
precipitation from and including the 3rd to the 18th a fourteen day period.
The total frozen precipitation was 1.4 inches for the month recorded on the 3rd and 18th which was a
-3.6 inch departure compared to Ashland, Virginia records.
February was clearer than average.
The maximum temperature for February was 74 F on the 8th and the lowest minimum was 15 F
recorded on the 5th.
There were four days (7th, 8th 10th, 11th) that the temperature was 70 F or higher.
The lowest dew point temperature on the 5th at 1827 was -2.9 F.
The maximum wind gust was 39 mph from the west that occurred on the 11th at 1201.
The highest barometer recorded for the month was 30.49 inches on the 5th and the
lowest was 29.44 inches on the 19th.
WINTER RECORDS-- DECEMBER, JANUARY, FEBRUARY---
Ashland,VA averages were used to determine the departures.
TEMP. TEMP. Precip. Precip. Snow Snow
F Dep. Inches Dep. Inches Dep.
Dec. 43.19 +4.22 4.39 +1.09 0.4 -1.6
JAN 34.52 -1.60 1.95 -1.41 0.3 -5.5
FEB 42.48 +3.33 0.67 -2.33 1.4 -3.6
SUM 120.19 5.95 7.01 -2.65 2.1 -10.7
AVE. 40.06 1.98 2.34 -0.88 0.70 -3.57
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MARCH
MARCH 2009 SUMMARY
March was near average as the monthly mean temperature was 46.8 F, a +0.1 F departure,
and was much wetter than average (when compared to Ashland, Virginia records).
There were 9 days the minimum temperature dropped below freezing and two days that the
maximum didn’t climb above freezing.
The 4.28 inches of precipitation for March was a +0.53 inch departure when compared to the
Ashland, VA average.
The maximum precipitation recorded in a day was 0.74 inches on the 1st on a day of sleet
and snow but mostly snow.
Measurable precipitation occurred on only twelve days and it is noteworthy that there wasn’t
any measurable precipitation from and including the 3rd to the 12th a ten day period.
The total frozen precipitation was 9.5 inches for the month recorded on the 1st, 2nd and 13th
which was a +7.8 inch departure compared to Ashland, Virginia records.
We had a total of 9.0 inches on March 1st and 2nd. This was the biggest snow I have seen
since February 11th and 12th 2006 in Northern VA before moving to the Richmond area.
But for the people in western Richmond area this was the largest snow they had seen since
January 25, 2000.
The Richmond International Airport first reported 5.7 inches that was later revised to 6.3 inches.
I got this information from the Wakefield branch of the Weather Service.
A Cooperative Weather Observer near the airport reported a much larger amount thus they
felt the airport observation was in error and so increased the amount to 6.3 inches.
See the following link for an animation movie of the snow accumulation.
http://www.annandaleweather.com/links/snows08-09/3-1-2009.avi
Problems in recording the movie
1. The camera stopped working once and I didn't notice it for awhile.
2. I had to move the camera twice as the snow got too deep for a good angle across the surface.
This was a good problem though!!
3. We had a 30 mph wind blowing snow on the glass of the camera box and almost blocking the
view at times around midnight.
The wind also blew some snow from the camera snowboard thus giving a reduced amount of snow.
4. The temperature was above freezing until about midnight and snow stuck to camera box
glass window.
Link to a beautiful satellite image after the storm-
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=37261
The maximum temperature for March was 83 F on the 9th and the lowest minimum was 7 F
recorded on the 3rd which was the second coldest day of the winter.
On March 4th the Richmond International Airport recorded a minimum temperature of 10 F which
was not only a new record low for the date but also a new record low for the month of March.
It is also noteworthy that after the big snowstorm of the first, one week later it was 83 F and
about 50 F warmer.
There were three days (8th, 9th, 11th) that the temperature was 80 F or higher.
The lowest dew point temperature on the 5th at 1827 was -2.9 F.
The maximum wind gust was 39 mph from the west-southwest that occurred on the 29th at 1259.
The highest barometer recorded for the month was 30.53 inches on the 21st and the lowest was
29.30 inches on the 29th.
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APRIL
APRIL 2009 SUMMARY
April was warmer than average as the monthly mean temperature was 58.6 F, a +2.0 F departure,
and was near average in precipitation (when compared to Ashland, Virginia records).
The 3.05 inches of precipitation for April was a -0.02 inch departure when compared to the Ashland, VA
average.
The maximum precipitation recorded in a day was 0.80 inches on the 15th which was western
Henrico County’s private rain.
It started as a slow moving small area of rain in Powhatan County and grew in size and intensity then
morphed into an elongated NW- SE pattern that moved very slowly and trained the precipitation
over our area.
Measurable precipitation occurred on thirteen days and the rainfall of the 15th made our monthly total
closer to average where many local stations were more below average.
The maximum temperature for April was 93 F on the 26th, the hottest day since September 13, 2008
when it was also 93 F.
The lowest minimum was 34 F recorded on the 8th which was the last observed light frost.
here were three days (25th, 26th, 27th) that the temperature was 90 F or higher.
The lowest dew point temperature for April was 16.7 F on the 7th at 1816 and the highest dew point
was 64.8 F on the 25th at 0932.
The maximum wind gust was 41 mph from the west-southwest that occurred on the 3rd at 1404.
The highest barometer recorded for the month was 30.42 inches on the 29th and 30th.
The lowest reading for April was 29.24 inches on the 3rd which was the lowest pressure since January 7th
when it was 29.17 inches and was associated with a deep low pressure that passed to our NW.
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MAY
MAY 2009 SUMMARY
May was warmer than average as the monthly mean temperature was 68.0 F, a +3.4 F departure,
and was above average in precipitation (when compared to Ashland, Virginia records).
The 4.64 inches of precipitation for May was a + 0.79 inch departure when compared to the Ashland,
VA average.
The maximum precipitation recorded in a day was 1.03 inches on the 5th and thunder was heard
on eight days during May.
Measurable precipitation occurred on fifteen days which was near average as the 112 year average for
Richmond is 14.2 days and May has the highest frequency of precipitation of all the months of the year.
The maximum temperature for May was 88 F on the 9th and the lowest minimum was 41 F recorded
on the 19th which was near record cold for the later part of May.
Charlottesville reported 34 F and some western locations reported frost. KRIC had 41 F the lowest
for the date since 1935.
KRIC also had a 42 F minimum on the 20th which was only 1 F above the record for the date of 42 F
set in 2002.
The lowest dew point temperature for May was 24 F on the 18th at 1221 and the highest dew point was
74.7 F on the 28th at 1514.
The lowest relative humidity for the month was 23 % on the 18th and 20th giving very large daily
temperature ranges of 35 F on the 20th and 36 F on the 21st.
The maximum wind gust was 32 mph from the west-southwest that occurred on the 14th at 1635.
The highest barometer recorded for the month was 30.46 inches on the 19th and the lowest reading
for May was 29.67 inches on the 9th and 29th.
SPRING RECORDS-- MARCH, APRIL, MAY---
Ashland,VA averages were used to determine the departures.
Mean Ashland Dep. Precip. Ashland Dep. Snow Ashland Dep.
Temp. Average F Inches Average Inches Inches Average Inches
Mar. 46.79 46.74 0.05 4.28 3.75 0.53 9.5 1.7 7.8
Apr. 58.63 56.61 2.02 3.05 3.07 -0.02 0.0 0.1 -0.1
May 67.98 64.56 3.42 4.64 3.85 0.79 0.0 0.0 0.0
SUM 173.4 167.91 5.49 11.97 10.67 1.30 9.5 1.80 7.7
AVE. 57.80 55.97 1.83 3.99 3.56 0.43 3.2 0.60 2.6
JUNE
JUNE 2009 SUMMARY
June was warmer and wetter than average as the monthly mean temperature was 75.3 F, a +3.0 F
departure, and was above average in precipitation (when compared to Ashland, Virginia records).
The 5.22 inches of precipitation for June was a + 1.74 inch departure when compared to the Ashland,
VA average.
The maximum precipitation recorded in a day was 2.13 inches on the 3rd and thunder was heard on four
days during June. Measurable precipitation occurred on twelve days.
The main news for June was the very severe thunderstorm of June 3rd.
Time the rain started was at 1825 hours and the max wind gust was 28 mph at 1839 hours.
The total precipitation was 2.13 inches observation from an 8 inch Weather Service gauge.
The 4 inch plastic gauge read only 1.98 inches. (Hail bounced out of this gauge) Maximum one hour rainfall
was 2.13 inches between 1835-1930 hours and maximum five minute intensity was 0.48 inches.
Most of the hail was dime to penny size and the largest near nickel size and fell in a two to three minute
period around 1850 +/- 5 minutes. Pictures of storm damage on (18-21) at
http://glenallenweather.com/localphotos/18.htm
1. Tree limbs fell on a car in Sugar Court, Glen Allen, Virginia. (See picture 18)
2. A nearby lightning strike damaged the transmitter on my wireless Davis Vantage Pro 2 between 1925
and 1930 hours and solar sensor and also hail damage to plants in family garden.
3. A picture of the hail of June 3rd that was dime to penny size and the largest was nickel size and fell
in about two to three minute period around 1850 +/- 5 minutes.
The smaller hail fell first was flattened like platelets but the latter hail was rounded and fell later and
wasn't nearly as numerous as the platelets. (See picture 19)
4. Another neighbor reported that a lightning strike was observed to have split into two and hit two trees
and the trees fell on a fence damaging it.
5. Lightning blew this hole in the neighbor's backyard.
The energy of this lightning bolt followed his irrigation system to the control box and melted the control box
to the wall.
The key to the right is shown to give one an idea of the size of the hole.
They were fortunate that the energy did not cause a fire but caused a total of more than $6000.00 damage
(see 20 & 21).
6. The neighbor next door to the backyard lightning strike had her TV damaged.
The maximum temperature for June was 93 F on the 20th and the lowest minimum was 57 F recorded
on the 1st.
The highest barometer recorded for the month was only 30.18 inches on the 16th and the lowest reading
for June was 29.55 inches on the 29th.
The 30.18 inch reading was a very low maximum pressure for the month and was the lowest maximum since
2001 when it was 30.13 and the next lowest was 30.10 in 1977 when compared to my old station in Annandale, VA.
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JULY
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AUGUST
AUGUST 2009 SUMMARY
August was a little drier and much warmer than average.
August’s mean average temperature (79.4 F) was a +4.1 F departure when compared to Ashland’s
average and was 2.9 F warmer here when compared to last August.
The 3.80 inches of rainfall for August was a -0.28 inch departure when compared to Ashland’s average.
August had 11 days with measurable rain that was four more than last year.
The 0.40 inches of rain that occurred in five minutes on the 22nd was the fourth most intense in the
past thirteen months.
August had 14 days with 90 F or above temperatures.
The maximum temperature for 2009 and for August is 97 F recorded on August 10th which is the
warmest day since July 21st, 2008 when the maximum was 98 F.
The minimum temperature on the 21st was 76.6 at 0625 or 77 F which makes it the warmest night
recorded at the Glen Allen Springfield Park area station since its start in July of 2008.
At the Richmond International Airport the minimum was 76 F a new 113 year HIGH minimum
temperature record for the 21st; the old record was 75 F in 1968.
The average minimum temperature was 69.94 F which makes it the highest minimum monthly average
recorded at the Glen Allen station since its start in July of 2008.
On 18 nights the minimum temperature was 70 F or higher.
A wind gust of 28 mph from the NE on the 24th at 0237 was the strongest wind gust recorded for August.
SUMMER RECORDS-- JUNE, JULY, AUGUST---
Summer Mean Ashland Dep. Precip. Ashland Dep.
Temp. Average F Inches Average Inches
Jun 75.28 72.30 2.98 5.22 3.48 1.74
July 77.06 76.40 0.66 4.51 4.35 0.16
Aug 79.35 75.24 4.11 3.80 4.08 -0.28
SUM 231.69 223.94 7.75 13.53 11.91 1.62
AVE. 77.23 74.65 2.58 4.51 3.97 0.54
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SEPTEMBER
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OCTOBER
OCTOBER 2009 SUMMARY
October was warmer and wetter than average as the monthly mean temperature was 58.7 F, a +1.4 F departure,
and was also above average in precipitation (when compared to Ashland, Virginia records).
The 3.96 inches of precipitation for October was a + 0.53 inch departure when compared to the Ashland, VA average.
The maximum precipitation recorded in a day was 0.93 inches on the 27th. No thunder was heard during October
and measurable precipitation occurred on fourteen days.
The Glen Allen – Springfield Park mean temperature was + 0.9 F higher than October of 2008.
The maximum temperature for October was 84 F on the 9th and the lowest minimum was 35 F recorded on the 19th.
There was a very light frost but it did not kill sensitive plants. October had some very low maximum temperature
readings during the month.
The 15th Glen Allen - Springfield Park’s maximum temperature was 52 F the coolest day since April 15, 2009 when it was 50 F.
The Richmond International Airport maximum was 54 F which is the new 112 year record low maximum
temperature for October 15th.
The old record was 56 F set in 1939 and 1937.
The 16th Glen Allen’s maximum temperature was 47 F. It was the coolest day here since March 15, 2009 when it was 46 F.
The Richmond International Airport maximum was 49 F which is the new 112 year record low maximum temperature for October 16th
The old record low maximum for the 16th was 54 F set in 1940.
The 17th Glen Allen’s maximum temperature was 48 F. The Richmond International Airport maximum was 48 F
which is the new 112 year record low maximum temperature for October 17th
The old record low maximum for the 17th was 51 F set in 1976.
I can't recall a period where three 112 year record low maximum records were broken consecutively.
This was the result of five consecutive days of rain and a cool NE flow around a high pressure to the north.
October was also cloudier than average but the cool days were countered by cloudy and warmer nights.
The highest barometer recorded for the month was only 30.35 inches on the 12th and the lowest reading
for October was 29.63 inches on the 7th & 24th.
The highest wind was 33 mph from the SW on the 9th ahead of a cold front.
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NOVEMBER
NOVEMBER 2009 SUMMARY
November was warmer and much wetter than average as the monthly mean temperature was 51.8 F, a +3.9 F
departure, and was extremely above average in precipitation (when compared to Ashland, Virginia records).
November’s mean temperature was almost exactly 5 degrees F warmer than last year’s mean temperature.
The low temperature for the month wasn’t even freezing although we had 3 mornings with minimums of 33 F
with light patchy frost but our actual first hard freeze came this morning December 1st.
The maximum temperature for November was 76 F on the 8th and the lowest minimum was 33 F recorded on
the 7th, 27th, & 28th.
Last year our minimum dew point for November was 8 F on the 21st and this year the minimum dew point for
the month was only 23 F on the 27th.
The 10.74 inches of precipitation for November was a + 7.56 inch departure when compared to the Ashland, VA
average.
The maximum precipitation recorded in a day at Glen Allen – Springfield Park was 3.01 inches on the 12th and
thunder was heard on two days during November and measurable precipitation occurred on twelve days.
The main event of the month occurred from the 11th to the 13th. Some of the energy and moisture of Ida
helped form a potent northeaster.
This storm has also been referred to as a historic northeaster.
The storm was far worse along the coast and Norfolk International Airport recorded 74 mph winds.
Richmond International Airport had 45 mph winds and 35 mph winds were recorded here along with 59 hours
of continuous rain much of which was driven by a north wind.
I was surprised to find wet cinder blocks along the north wall of my garage on the morning of the 13th.
The rain had penetrated the brick wall enough to wet the inside cinder blocks.
We had a four day rainfall total of 5.66 inches measured with the 8 inch standard Weather Service rain gauge
and the 4 inch clear plastic gauge read 5.45 inches.
The difference was largely contributed to the fact that the rain was driven by the wind.
Richmond International Airport had 3.51 inches on the 12th which was not only a new record for the station
for the date but also the most precipitation for any one November day.
The old record was 3.33 inches in November 3, 1947.
Glen Allen – Springfield Park station had 3.01 inches on the 12th which was a new record for a calendar day.
The month’s total here was 10.74 inches a new monthly rainfall record at this station and the Richmond
International Airport had 9.60 inches the most rain ever recorded for the month of November.
The old record was 7.64 inches in November 1959. It was also the most rain for any month since August 2004
when Gaston dumped heavy rain on the Richmond area giving a total of 16.30 inches.
November was cloudier than average and the average relative humidity was 78% which was 9% more than last November.
FALL SEASON RECORDS-- SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER---
Fall Mean Ashland Dep. Precip. Ashland Dep.
Temp. Average F Inches Average Inches
Sep. 69.22 68.65 0.57 2.50 3.87 -1.37
Oct 58.65 57.29 1.36 3.96 3.43 0.53
Nov 51.82 47.88 3.94 10.74 3.18 7.56
SUM 179.69 173.82 5.87 17.20 10.48 6.72
AVE. 59.90 57.94 1.96 5.73 3.49 2.24
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DECEMBER
December was colder than average as the monthly mean temperature was 37.6 F, a -1.4 F departure, and was also much wetter
than average (when compared to Ashland, Virginia records).
Also there were 23 days the minimum temperature dropped below freezing and one day that the maximum didn’t climb above freezing.
The 8.44 inches of rain for December was a +5.14 inch departure when compared to the Ashland, VA average.
The maximum rainfall recorded in a day was 1.48 inches on the 2nd. The total snowfall was 12.9 inches for the month recorded
on the 18th and 19th which was a huge +10.9 inch departure compared to Ashland, Virginia records.
The snow storm of the 18th and 19th was the biggest news of the month.
The Richmond International Airport had 6.4 inches on the 18th and 19th.
This was the whitest Christmas (the most snow in the period of the 18th to the 25th) since 1966 when 8.8 inches fell on the 23rd and 24th
but the record is 1908 when 17.2 inches of snow occurred on the 22nd and 23rd.
This month’s storm set many December records to the west and north of Richmond.
Daily snowfall records for Dec 19 were smashed at Reagan National Airport, Baltimore Washington International , and Dulles Airport.
These daily snowfall reports on Dec 18th also broke records for the most snowfall for any calendar day during the month of Dec.
New record Old record
Reagan National Airport 15.0 11.5 (1932)
Baltimore Washington International 20.5 11.5 (1932)
Dulles Airport 16.0 10.6 (1982)
Reagan National Airport
The 15.0 inches of snow measured on Dec. 18th was the third highest daily snowfall on any calendar day at Washington DC
since snowfall records began in 1884.
The storm total snowfall of 16.4 inches on Dec 18-19
2009 marks the 6th highest two-day snowfall record for Washington
DC putting it just below the President’s Day storm in 2003 and ahead of the Jan 1996 storm.
The storm total of 16.6 inches of snow recorded at Reagan National Airport already makes December the snowiest on record
for Washington DC; the previous record was 16.2 in 1962.
Baltimore Washington International
The 20.5 inches of snow measured on the 18th will go down as the fifth highest daily snowfall on any calendar day at Baltimore
since snowfall records began in 1893.
The storm total snowfall of 21.0 inches on Dec 18-19
2009 marks the 6th highest two-day snowfall record for Baltimore.
The storm total of 22.2 inches of snow recorded at Baltimore Washington International already makes December the snowiest on record
for Baltimore as the previous record was 20.4 inches in 1966.
The maximum temperature for December was only 67 F on the 3rd and the lowest minimum was 16 F recorded here on the 21st.
The maximum wind gust of 29 mph occurred on the 2nd at 1702 hours.
The lowest barometric pressure was 29.33 inches the lowest since April 3, 2009 when the pressure was 29.24 inches.
The highest barometer recorded for the month was 30.63 inches on the 12th.
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