NOUS41 KCTP 011454 PNSCTP PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 10 AM EST WED JAN 1 2003 ...YEAR IN REVIEW FOR WILLIAMSPORT...2002 THE YEAR ENDED UP BEING WARM AND A LITTLE WETTER THAN NORMAL IN WILLIAMSPORT. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 51.9. THIS WAS 2.1 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS MARKS THE 5TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THERE WERE NO TEMPERATURES OBSERVED BELOW ZERO IN 2002. IN FACT IT TOOK UNTIL DECEMBER 4TH FOR A LOW IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO OCCUR WHEN A MINIMUM OF 8 OCCURRED. THE LOW FOR THE YEAR WAS 3 WHICH HAPPENED ON DECEMBER 9TH. ON THE WARM SIDE...THE HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 97 ON JULY 17. 2002 WAS WETTER THAN NORMAL...WHICH CONTRASTS TO THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS WHICH DOMINATED MUCH OF THE STATE THROUGH MOST OF THE YEAR. 42.98 INCHES OF MELTED PRECIPITATION WAS MEASURED IN WILLIAMSPORT...WHICH WAS 1.39 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THE YEAR STARTED OFF VERY WARM. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MAY...ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES WERE OBSERVED RIGHT INTO THE BEGINNING OF FALL. THE SUMMER WILL BE REMEMBERED AS LONG AND HOT. THE MONTHS OF JUNE THROUGH AUGUST...THE TRADITIONAL SUMMER...AVERAGED 72.9 DEGREES OR 2.5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THUS FAR THE WINTER IS STARTING OFF ON THE COLD SIDE...WHICH IS A BIG CHANGE FROM RECENT WINTERS. DECEMBER AVERAGED 28.3 DEGREES WHICH WAS 2.4 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE YEAR ALSO STARTED OFF DRY WITH THE FIRST 8 MONTHS SEEING RAINFALL DEFICITS OF MORE THAN 3 INCHES. ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION DURING THE FALL MONTHS HELPED ALLEVIATE THE LONG LASTING DROUGHT. SNOWFALL FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR WAS 44.4 INCHES WHICH WAS 1 INCH BELOW NORMAL. THE SNOWFALL DEFICIT COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE BUT FOR A SNOWY END TO THE YEAR. THE NEW COLD SEASON STARTED OFF EARLY WITH 1.7 INCHES OF SNOW IN OCTOBER. DECEMBER SAW 17.6 INCHES OF THE WHITE STUFF. THUS FAR WE ARE RUNNING MORE THAN 12 INCHES OF SNOW ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE WINTER OF 2002-2003. THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF THE YEAR IN STATISTICS: MONTH AVG TEMP +/- NORM PRECIP +/- NORM SNOW +/- NORMAL JAN 33.7 +8.2 1.66" -1.19 15.5" +3.0" FEB 35.6 +7.1 1.26" -1.35" 0.0" -9.3" MAR 39.5 +1.5 4.60" +1.39" 1.7" -5.7" APR 51.7 +2.7 2.58" -0.91" 0.0" -1.2" MAY 57.1 -2.4 6.38" +2.59" JUN 69.8 +2.0 4.27" -0.18" JUL 74.6 +2.2 2.47" -1.61" AUG 74.3 +3.4 1.20" -2.18" SEP 66.8 +3.7 4.64" +0.66" OCT 50.8 -0.5 7.27" +4.08" 1.7" +1.6" NOV 40.0 -0.8 3.29" -0.33" 2.5" -0.5" DEC 28.3 -2.4 3.36" +0.42" 17.6" +11.1 SUMMARY... AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE: 51.9.... 2.1 ABOVE NORMAL NORMAL: 49.8 TOTAL ANNUAL PRECIPITATION: 42.98"... 1.39 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL NORMAL: 41.59" TOTAL ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 44.4"... 1.0 INCH BELOW NORMAL HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE YEAR. A WARM DRY WINTER OF 2001-2002. THE TRADITIONAL WINTER IS COMPRISED OF THE MONTHS OF DECEMBER THROUGH FEBRUARY. THE WINTER MONTHS OF 2001-2002 AVERAGED 35.3 DEGREES. THIS WAS 7.1 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND WENT INTO THE RECORD BOOKS AS THE SECOND WARMEST ON RECORD. THE WINTER OF 2001-2002 WAS ALSO WELL BELOW NORMAL IN THE RAIN AND SNOW DEPARTMENTS. IN THE 3 MONTH PERIOD JUST 4.5 INCHES OF MELTED PRECIPITATION FELL. THIS WAS 3.9 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. SNOWFALL IN THAT TIME WAS 17.7 INCHES WHICH WAS 12.8 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. AT LEAST 24 RECORDS WERE TIED OR BROKEN IN 2002. HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE REACHED EARLY WITH 90 PLUS READINGS BEING OBSERVED IN MID APRIL. FEBRUARY WAS ALSO WARM...THE 3RD WARMEST ON RECORD. ITS BEEN A FEW WINTERS SINCE WE COULD TALK ABOUT ABOVE NORMAL SNOW...BUT THE NEW COLD SEASON HAS CHANGED THAT SO FAR. 8 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE 5TH OF DECEMBER BROKE THE RECORD FOR THAT DAY. THE 7 INCHES THAT FELL ON CHRISTMAS DAY ALSO SET A RECORD. IT HAD BEEN 17 YEARS SINCE THE LAST TIME MORE THAN AN INCH OF SNOW OCCURRED ON CHRISTMAS DAY. HAPPY NEW YEAR! LA CORTE/SKEEN