The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association in Cleveland (NOAA) has faced a busy summer with weather alerts, watches and warnings. And it’s not expected to slow down anytime soon.
Mansfield native and Madison High School graduate Martin Thompson, a Hydro-Meteorological Technician for NOAA in Cleveland, says it’s definitely been an unusual summer
“Just to give you a picture of comparison, last year from June 1 to July 31, the Mansfield area had 4.44 inches of rainfall. This year, for that same time period, Mansfield recorded 13.17 inches of rainfall. That’s a dramatic difference,” explains Thompson.
Thompson said last year’s rainfall for July alone was 1.92 and this year it ended with 6.18 inches. The “normal range” of rainfall for July is 4.38 inches. “So last year was way below the normal range and this year is quite a bit above,” says Thompson.
Summer 2012 was also much warmer than this summer has been. “Mansfield has only seen a handful of days above 90 this year, which is below normal. In 2012, the entire summer was mostly above normal temperatures.”
When asked if the weather this summer might return to a more normal pattern, Thompson says it’s not likely. “The issue with summer weather is that it’s slow to change. Winter sees rapid changes but not the summer months. The systems that come through in June, July and August are slow-moving and slow to change. We don’t see this pattern changing.”
What exactly is the pattern?
Thompson explains that summer is usually affected by high pressure anchored off our southeast coast in the Atlantic. This provides a warm, southerly breeze that is maintained for several days to weeks. This year, however, Ohio overall has been hit with cold fronts dropping south. “It’s not normal for our area of Ohio to get hit with these cold fronts, but these low pressures have been dominating the weather here.” Because these systems are slow-moving, the chance for any great change isn’t forecasted.
As far as statistics, Thompson shares that July of this year started at 75 degrees and was trying to build up temperatures when the low pressure storms swept down on us on the July 10 and 11. “It was more showery until the 14th and then temps started to rise again into the upper 80s and lower 90s. But then after five days it cooled back down again.” The morning of July 28 dropped down to 51 degrees and only rose to 69 as the high for the day.
Looking ahead to fall, Thompson says the weather should return to a typical fall pattern with weather predicted to be within the normal Fall ranges. September should be in the upper 50s to low 70s with October a little lower and November lower still. “We aren’t expecting any great climate changes at this point,” explains Thompson in regards to the season ahead.
What is Mansfield’s record high temperature? In 1988, the highest recorded temperature for July was 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The lowest recorded July temperature happened in 1963 with a rather chilly 36 degrees Fahrenheit.
Unfortunately for those who love the hot summer months, July is typically the hottest month of the summer and it is now over. Maybe August will surprise us with a few more warm days if the high pressure from the south can reclaim its position over Ohio.
For more information on local weather, radar, and other climate facts, visit: http://www.ehr.noaa.gov/cle
