NOUS41 KCTP 011451 PNSCTP PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 10 AM EST WED JAN 1 2003 ...YEAR IN REVIEW FOR HARRISBURG...2002 THE YEAR ENDED UP BEING WARM AND A LITTLE DRIER THAN NORMAL IN THE CAPITAL CITY. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 54.5 DEGREES. THIS WAS 1.2 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS MARKS THE 6TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THERE WERE NO READINGS BELOW ZERO IN 2002. IN FACT IT TOOK UNTIL DECEMBER 7TH FOR A LOW IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO OCCUR. THE LOW OF 9 DEGREES MARKED THE MINIMUM FOR THE YEAR. ON THE WARM SIDE, THE TEMPERATURE HIT 100 ON THE SECOND OF AUGUST. THIS TIED A RECORD FOR THE DATE. 2002 WAS DRY WITH JUST 40.80 INCHES OF MELTED PRECIPITATION BEING MEASURED IN HARRISBURG. THIS WAS .65 INCHES BELOW 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 76 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 31.0 DEGREES WHICH WAS 3.8 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE YEAR ALSO STARTED OFF DRY WITH THE FIRST 8 MONTHS SEEING RAINFALL DEFICITS OF NEARLY 6 INCHES. ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION FROM SEPTEMBER THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR HELPED EASE THE LONG LASTING DROUGHT. SNOWFALL FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR WAS JUST 27.4 INCHES...OR 9.5 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THUS FAR THE NEW COLD SEASON IS STARTING OFF ON THE SNOWY SIDE. 15.8 INCHES OF SNOW FELL IN DECEMBER WHICH WAS 11.3 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS THE FIRST MONTH OF ABOVE NORMAL SNOWFALL IN HARRISBURG SINCE JANUARY OF 2000. THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF THE YEAR IN STATISTICS: MONTH AVG TEMP +/- NORM PRECIP +/- NORM SNOW +/- NORMAL JAN 35.7 +5.4 2.45" -0.73 8.8" -2.6" FEB 37.4 +4.6 0.39" -2.49" 0.3" -9.8" MAR 42.2 +0.5 5.05" +1.47" 1.5" -4.5" APR 54.7 +2.6 3.84" +0.53" 0.0" -1.7" MAY 59.9 -2.1 4.31" -0.29" JUN 72.1 +1.4 2.38" -1.61" JUL 78.2 +2.3 1.27" -1.94" AUG 77.8 +3.8 2.69" -0.55" SEP 68.9 +2.7 3.68" +0.03" OCT 52.9 -1.6 6.37" +3.31" 0.0" -0.2" NOV 42.7 -1.6 3.77" +0.24" 1.0" -2.0" DEC 31.0 -3.8 4.60" +1.38" 15.8" +11.3 SUMMARY... AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE: 54.5.... 1.2 ABOVE NORMAL NORMAL: 53.3 TOTAL ANNUAL PRECIPITATION: 40.80"... .65 INCHES BELOW NORMAL NORMAL: 41.45" TOTAL ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 27.4"... 9.5 INCHES 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 37.6 DEGREES. THIS WAS 5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND WENT INTO THE RECORD BOOKS AS THE FOURTH WARMEST EVER. THE WINTER OF 2001-2002 WAS ALSO WELL BELOW NORMAL IN THE RAIN AND SNOW DEPARTMENTS. IN THE 3 MONTH PERIOD JUST 4.71 INCHES OF MELTED PRECIPITATION FELL. THIS WAS 4.57 INCHES BELOW NORMAL AND RANKED AS THE THIRD DRIEST WINTER ON RECORD. SNOWFALL IN THAT TIME WAS 9.1 INCHES WHICH WAS 18.4 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. AT LEAST 25 RECORDS WERE TIED OR BROKEN IN 2002. FEBRUARY WAS THE DRIEST ON RECORD WITH ONLY .39 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE REACHED EARLY WITH 90 PLUS READINGS BEING OBSERVED IN MID APRIL. 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 FELL ON CHRISTMAS...SETTING A RECORD FOR THE DAY. 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