By Russell Russ

With an average yearly mean temperature of 46.9 degrees, 1.9 degrees above normal, 2022 came in as Norfolk’s 11th warmest of the last 91 years. Ten of 12 months were warmer than normal. Three months (May, July and November) ranked in the top 10 for warmth. Four other months were high ranking. August was the warmest August and fifth warmest month overall in 91 years. There were 10 days during 2022 that set new record daily high temperatures. There were no days that set daily low records. There were 10 days with a low temperature of zero or below, eight of which were in January. In contrast, 2021, Norfolk’s eighth warmest year on record, had only one sub-zero day. The coldest day of 2022 was on Jan. 22 with a low temperature of minus 9 degrees. The warmest day was Aug. 4 with a high of 91 degrees. Norfolk hit 90 degrees or above three times during the year, about average. Its warmest year was 2012 with 48.5 degrees and the coolest was 1940 with 41.9 degrees.

The total precipitation in 2022 of 48.78 inches was 3.75 inches below normal, not particularly dry. What was dry was the May through August summer period, which had a deficit of 7.60 inches over that four-month span. Norfolk saw nice summer weather, but the price paid was lack of rainfall and a growing drought. The peak deficit was after August when Norfolk was 6.82 inches below normal. The moisture picked up during the last quarter of the year, reducing 2022’s deficit to minor levels. There were no months with extreme dry or wet totals. Out of the higher ranking months, four ranked high for wettest and two ranked high for driest. August was the fifth driest August on record. By comparison, 2021, with a total of 60 inches, was Norfolk’s 16th wettest year on record. Norfolk’s wettest year was in 2011 with 77.28 inches, and the driest was in 1965 with 33.89 inches.

Snowfall for the year was once again quite a bit below normal. With a total of 52.1 inches, 37 inches below normal, it was Norfolk’s sixth least snowy year in the last 91 years. All eight of 2022’s “snow season months” were below normal for snowfall. Actually, snow lovers have not been happy over the last four years, all of which were fairly high ranking for least snowfall. Norfolk’s snowiest year was in 1956 with 175.1 inches and the least snowy was in 1998 with just 33 inches. The October 2021 to May 2022 winter season snowfall total was just 43.4 inches, ranking it third in that category. The 2022-23 winter season is not doing that well, either. Through December, Norfolk is already 10 inches below normal.

Over the next month, look for a complete summary of Norfolk’s 2022 weather and updated monthly and yearly weather records on the Great Mountain Forest website. Included in the weather section are monthly weather summaries dating back to 2006.

Weather observations and record keeping are performed by Russell Russ for the National Weather Service and Great Mountain Forest at Norfolk’s National Weather Service Cooperative Weather Observer Station, Norfolk 2SW.