www.nws.noaa.gov/er/mhx

NOUS42 KMHX 131723
PNSMHX

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
1223 PM EST TUE JAN 13 2003

...CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER AND 2003... 



LOCATION    NORMAL DECEMBER PRECIPITATION    DECEMBER 2003   ANNUAL 2003
                    (INCHES)                     (INCHES)     (INCHES)
                                                       
AURORA                3.35                         8.44        71.10
BELHAVEN              3.18                         9.58        67.74
MOREHEAD CITY         4.54                         7.36        91.52
CEDAR ISLAND          4.54                         2.69        76.20
WARSAW                3.23                         4.83        65.15
KINSTON               3.56                         4.80        64.69
TRENTON               3.64                         5.67        71.65
HOFMANN FOREST        3.65                         6.99        79.51
COLUMBIA              3.15                         7.63        80.29
PLYMOUTH              3.20                         7.74        72.10
MANTEO                3.67                         5.10        65.04
NEWPORT               N/A                          8.47        91.84

THE MONTH OF DECEMBER PUT MOREHEAD CITY AND NEWPORT OVER THE TOP
FOR A RECORD RAINFALL YEAR. MOREHEAD CITY'S PREVIOUS ANNUAL RECORD
RAINFALL WAS 72.49 SET IN 1989 AND NEWPORT'S WAS 74.82 SET IN 2000.  



LOCATION        ANNUAL 2003      ABOVE NORMAL      ANNUAL AVERAGE
                 (INCHES)           (INCHES)          (INCHES) 
CAPE HATTERAS     83.33              25.58             57.75 
AURORA            71.10              21.07             50.03 
BELHAVEN          67.74              17.90             49.84 
PLYMOUTH          72.10              20.09             52.01 
KINSTON           64.69              13.57             51.12 
TRENTON           71.65              18.63             53.02
NEW BERN          71.72              18.58             53.14 
NEWPORT           91.84              N/A               N/A
                       
            
                     DECEMBER TEMPERATURE     ANNUAL 2003

CAPE HATTERAS

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE-- 68 ON THE 23RD          90 SET ON 7/8
LOWEST TEMPERATURE--  29 ON THE 9TH           18 SET ON 1/24

NEW BERN

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE-- 73 ON THE 10TH          95 SET ON 7/9
LOWEST TEMPERATURE--  24 ON THE 21ST          22 SET ON 1/25

BEAUFORT

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE-- 69 ON THE 23RD          90 SET ON 6/24
LOWEST TEMPERATURE--  29 ON THE 21ST           9 SET ON 1/25


          PRECIPITATION FOR 2003        TEMPERATURES FOR 2003

CAPE HATTERAS

MAXIMUM MONTHLY    11.70 (MAY)          MAXIMUM 90 SET ON 7/8
MINIMUM MONTHLY     2.49 (JANUARY)      MINIMUM 18 SET ON 1/24

NEW BERN

MAXIMUM MONTHLY    10.10 (MAY)          MAXIMUM 95 SET ON 7/9 & 8/27 
MINIMUM MONTHLY     1.97 (JANUARY)      MINIMUM 11 SET ON 1/25

BEAUFORT 

MAXIMUM MONTHLY     12.68 (MAY)         MAXIMUM 90 SET ON 6/24
MINIMUM MONTHLY      1.90 (JANUARY)     MINIMUM  9 SET ON 1/25

NEWPORT

MAXIMUM MONTHLY     16.49 (MAY)         MAXIMUM 94 SET ON 6/25 & 7/8 
MINIMUM MONTHLY      2.99 (JANUARY)     MINIMUM  8 SET ON 1/25
                 

...2003 HURRICANES...

HURRICANE ISABEL MADE LANDFALL DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON OF SEPTEMBER
18TH BETWEEN CEDAR ISLAND AND OCRACOKE. 

PEAK WIND GUSTS REPORTED DURING HURRICANE ISABEL                              

OCRACOKE                   105 MPH 1145 AM.
HARKERS ISLAND              98 MPH 1030 AM.
CAPE HATTERAS FISHING PIER  96 MPH 1146 AM.
PLYMOUTH                    95 MPH  205 PM.
TRENTON                     80 MPH  312 PM.

RAINFALL RANGED FROM A HIGH OF 6.23 INCHES AT PERRYTOWN TO A LOW OF 2.02
INCHES AT NEW RIVER MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEAR JACKSONVILLE.

STORM SURGE CAUSED WATER LEVELS TO RISE 6 TO 10 FEET ABOVE NORMAL. 
CLUBFOOT CREEK A TRIBUTARY OF THE NEUSE RIVER ROSE TO 9.5 FEET WHICH
WAS 1.5 FEET HIGHER THAN WHAT OCCURRED DURING HURRICANE DENNIS IN 1999.

SIGNIFICANT FLOODING WAS REPORTED IN THE HARLOWE AREA IN CRAVEN COUNTY,
AND IN THE TOWN OF ORIENTAL IN EASTERN PAMLICO COUNTY. WATER LEVELS
ROSE 6 TO 7 FEET ON THE PAMLICO WITH FLOODING IN THE CITY OF WASHINGTON.
STORM TIDES OF 6 TO 8 FEET OCCURRED ALONG THE OUTER BANKS WITH MAJOR
OCEAN OVERWASH. FLOODING ON OCRACOKE WAS SIGNIFICANT WITH WAIST HIGH
WATER IN MANY AREAS AT THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM.

TORNADOES OFTEN OCCUR DURING LANDFALLING HURRICANES BUT THERE WERE NO
TORNADOES REPORTED WITH HURRICANE ISABEL.

...2003 SNOWFALL...

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SNOWSTORM OCCURRED ON JANUARY 23RD WITH THE OUTER
BANKS RECEIVING THE MOST SNOW IN OVER A DECADE. THE SNOWFALL TOTAL FOR 
FRISCO WAS 12 INCHES AND MANTEO 9 INCHES. DURING THIS SNOWSTORM, THE
COASTAL PLAIN HAD THE LEAST AMOUNTS WITH 2 INCHES COMMON. 

                     
...LOOKING AHEAD TO FEBRUARY...

AT CAPE HATTERAS THE FEBRUARY AVERAGE HIGH IS 55 DEGREES AND THE 
AVERAGE LOW IS 39 DEGREES. THE RECORD HIGH FOR THE MONTH IS 76 
DEGREES, SET ON THE 22ND IN 1971, AND THE RECORD LOW IS 14 DEGREES,
SET ON THE 18TH IN 1958.

THE AVERAGE MONTHLY PRECIPITATION IS 3.94 INCHES. THE RECORD MAXIMUM
PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY IS 8.45 INCHES, SET IN 1983,
AND THE RECORD LOW PRECIPITATION IS 1.06 INCHES, SET IN 1991. THE 
MAXIMUM DAILY PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY IS 2.87 INCHES,
SET ON THE 3RD IN 1970.  

FOR GREENVILLE THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY HAS AN AVERAGE HIGH OF 55 DEGREES
AND AN AVERAGE LOW OF 34 DEGREES. THE RECORD HIGH FOR THE MONTH IS 84 
DEGREES, SET ON THE 27TH IN 1997, AND THE RECORD LOW FOR THE MONTH
IS 4 DEGREES, SET ON THE 5TH IN 1996.

THE AVERAGE MONTHLY PRECIPITATION IS 3.45 INCHES.  THE RECORD 
MAXIMUM PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY IS 7.54 INCHES, 
SET IN 1998, AND THE RECORD LOW PRECIPITATION IS 0.77 INCHES, SET
IN 1991. THE MAXIMUM DAILY PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 
IS 3.29 INCHES, SET ON THE 4TH IN 1998.  

...LATE WINTER/EARLY SPRING OUTLOOK...

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER FORECASTS NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES 
AND PRECIPITATION FOR FEBRUARY THROUGH APRIL.***

$$
WS