000 NOUS41 KCTP 021128 PNSCTP PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 620 AM EST FRI JAN 2 2004...CORRECTION ...2003 YEAR IN REVIEW FOR HARRISBURG... 2003 WILL GO DOWN IN THE BOOKS AS A COOL AND WET YEAR IN THE CAPITAL CITY. IN FACT IT WAS THE SECOND WETTEST YEAR IN ON RECORD. ALTOGETHER 54.68 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION WAS MEASURED AT THE MIDDLETOWN AIRPORT. THIS WAS EXCEEDED ONLY BY THE 59.27 INCHES OF RAIN MEASURED IN 1972, THE YEAR THE REGION WAS DEVASTATED BY THE VISIT OF FORMER HURRICANE AGNES. THE YEAR STARTED OFF COLD AND SNOWY AND ENDED ON THE SAME NOTE. THE PERIOD OF JANUARY THROUGH MARCH AVERAGED MORE THAN 4 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL WHILE TOTALING NEARLY AN INCH AND A HALF OF RAIN ABOVE NORMAL. SNOWFALL FOR THE FIRST THREE MONTHS WAS NEARLY A FOOT ABOVE NORMAL AS WELL. ALL TOLD THE TEMPERATURE WAS COLDER THAN NORMAL FOR THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF THE YEAR, A STREAK THAT EXTENDED BACK TO THE PREVIOUS FALL. THE PATTERN FINALLY BROKE WITH TEMPERATURE RETURNING TO NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL BY AUGUST, A PATTERN THAT PERSISTED INTO THE AUTUMN MONTHS. OF PARTICULAR NOTE IN 2003 WAS NOT ONLY THE AMOUNT OF RAIN THAT FELL BUT THE NUMBER OF DAYS ON WHICH IT FELL. MAY...WHICH MANY FEEL MARKS THE REAL BEGINNING OF THE WARM SEASON...WAS PARTICULARLY DREARY WITH RAIN OCCURRING A RECORD 21 DAYS OF THE MONTH. THAT ONLY ACTED AS A HARBINGER OF THE UPCOMING COOL WET SUMMER. THE PERIOD OF JUNE THROUGH AUGUST IS CONSIDERED THE TRADITIONAL SUMMER. FOR THAT PERIOD, HARRISBURG AVERAGED A LITTLE BELOW NORMAL IN THE TEMPERATURE DEPARTMENT, BUT MANAGED TO TOTAL MORE THAN 8 INCHES OF RAIN ABOVE NORMAL. IN FACT IT ENDED UP AS THE THIRD RAINIEST SUMMER ON RECORD. ALSO OF NOTE WERE THE NUMBER OF RAINY DAYS AND LOST WEEKENDS DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS. MANY BUSINESSES THAT RELY ON FAIR WEATHER REPORTED EARNINGS LOSSES DUE TO THE NUMBER OF DAYS PRECIPITATION OCCURRED THIS PAST SUMMER. WITH RAIN FALLING ON FULLY 50 PERCENT OF THE DAYS BETWEEN THE BEGINNING OF JUNE AND THE END OF AUGUST...AND WITH NEARLY 70 PERCENT OF THE WEEKENDS EXPERIENCING AT LEAST ONE DAY WITH MEASURABLE RAIN...IT COULD EASILY BE SAID THAT THE SUMMER WAS A VIRTUAL WASHOUT. THE LONGEST PERIOD OF DRY WEATHER ALL SUMMER WAS JUST 7 DAYS...SEEN DURING THE LAST WEEK OF JUNE. PERHAPS ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, THE NUMBER OF DAYS REQUIRING AIR CONDITIONING WAS KEPT AT BAY BY THE CLOUDS AND RAIN. NORMALLY IN THE SUMMER MONTHS WE CAN EXPECT MORE THAN 2 WEEKS WITH DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURES OF 90 OR ABOVE. THIS PAST SUMMER WE SAW 90 DEGREES ON JUST 6 DAYS...WITH NO OFFICIAL HEATWAVES BEING RECORDED AT THE MIDDLETOWN AIRPORT. SNOWFALL FOR THE YEAR WAS ALSO ABOVE NORMAL, TOTALING MORE THAN 50 INCHES, OR ABOUT A FOOT AND HALF ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR. FEBRUARY SAW SNOWFALL OF MORE THAN 19 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL...AND THE YEAR ENDED WITH DECEMBER RINGING UP MORE THAN 7 INCHES OF SNOW ABOVE NORMAL. A MONTHLY SUMMARY IS PRESENTED IN THE TABLE BELOW. MONTH TEMP/DEPART PRECIP/DEPART SNOWFALL/DEPART JAN 25.7/-4.6 2.29/-0.89" 7.3/-4.1" FEB 26.7/-6.1 4.25/+1.37" 29.8/+19.7" MAR 39.8/-1.9 4.40/+0.82" 1.8/-4.2" APR 50.6/-1.5 2.54/-0.77" 2.0/+0.3" MAY 58.9/-3.1 5.40/+0.80" JUN 68.2/-2.5 7.31/+3.32" JUL 75.1/-0.8 5.09/+1.88" AUG 75.4/+1.4 6.19/+2.95" SEP 66.2/ 0.0 6.11/+2.46" OCT 52.3/-2.2 4.73/+1.67" NOV 47.7/+3.4 2.97/-0.56" DEC 34.2/-0.6 3.40/+0.18" 11.6/+7.1" ===================================================== HARRISBURG ANNUAL SUMMARY AVG TEMP 51.7 1.5 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL TOTAL RAINFALL 54.68 13.23 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL TOTAL SNOWFALL 52.5 18.8 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL $$ LA CORTE