...1999 HARRISBURG WEATHER SUMMARY...

THE YEAR 1999 WILL END UP BEING THE THIRD WARMEST ON RECORD FOR HARRISBURG. 
THE ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 55.5 WAS 2.8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. 
THE ONLY WARMER YEARS WERE 1998 WHICH HAD AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 
56.5 AND 1991 WHICH AVERAGED 55.6.

THE YEAR WAS CHARACTERIZED BY BELOW NORMAL SNOWFALL...THE WARMEST JULY ON 
RECORD AND THE THIRD WARMEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD. A DROUGHT, WHICH
WAS THE WORST SINCE THE EARLY 1960'S, DOMINATED MUCH OF THE SUMMER
AND EARLY FALL. THE DROUGHT WAS FINALLY BROKEN BY TWO TROPICAL
SYSTEMS WHICH REVERSED THE DRY CONDITIONS AND CAUSED FLOODING IN 
SEPTEMBER.

THE FIRST 2 MONTHS OF 1999 WERE WARM AND WET...BUT WITH BELOW NORMAL SNOWFALL. 
FEBRUARY WAS VERY WARM...AVERAGING MORE THAN 5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.

THE WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUED INTO AUGUST WHEN PRECIPITATION DEFICITS 
WERE ERASED AND SLIGHTLY WETTER THAN NORMAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED.
THE PRECIPITATION DEFICIT FROM SPRING THROUGH SUMMER MONTHS EXCEEDED 
SIX INCHES PROMPTING WATER RESTRICTIONS AND DROUGHT WARNINGS
STATEWIDE.

THE DROUGHT FINALLY ENDED IN SEPTEMBER COURTESY OF THE REMNANTS OF TROPICAL 
STORM DENNIS DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF THE MONTH, AND THE PASSING
ALONG THE COAST OF HURRICANE FLOYD DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH.
BOTH STORMS CAUSED FLOODING OVER THE EASTERN PART OF THE STATE...
SOME OF WHICH APPROACHED VALUES NOT SEEN SINCE AGNES VISITED THE
REGION IN 1972.

SEPTEMBER'S RAINFALL ENDED UP AT 9.11", SOME 5.60" ABOVE NORMAL.
ODDLY ENOUGH, THIS WAS NOT THE WETTEST SEPTEMBER EVER. THAT HONOR
WENT SEPTEMBER OF 1975 WHEN MORE THAN 14 INCHES OF RAIN FELL.

THE YEAR ENDED AS IT BEGAN...WARM. NOVEMBER WAS 5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL 
MAKING IT THE THIRD WARMEST EVER. NO WHITE CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR AS 
DECEMBER ENDED MORE THAN 3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND WITH JUST .1" OF 
SNOW.

HERE ARE THE PRELIMINARY CLIMATOLOGY STATISTICS FOR 1999

AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE:55.5  (+2.8 DEGREES)
NORMAL:52.7

TOTAL ANNUAL PRECIPITATION:38.32"
NORMAL:40.50"

TOTAL ANNUAL SNOWFALL
CALENDAR YEAR:19.4"
NORMAL:34.3"

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE:102 ON JULY 5 AND 6
LOWEST TEMPERATURE:7 ON JANUARY 6

NUMBER OF DAYS WITH MAX
TEMPERATURE 90 OR HIGHER:42

NUMBER OF DAYS WITH MAX
TEMPERATURE 32 OR LOWER:15

LAST FREEZING TEMPERATURE
OF SPRING:31 ON MARCH 27

FIRST FREEZING TEMPERATURE
OF FALL:29 ON NOVEMBER 5

.END/ LA CORTE