Record-setting month closes a record setting year

By Russell Russ

Here are the weather highlights from December 2008 as recorded at Norfolk’s National Weather Service Cooperative Weather Observer Station, Norfolk 2 SW, by the Great Mountain Forest Corporation. Norfolk 2 SW has completed its seventy seventh year of recording weather observations. The month’s high temperature of 56 degrees was observed on December 10. The low temperature of 5 degrees was observed on December 22. The average temperature this month was 27.6 degrees, 3 degrees above normal. The total precipitation recorded for the month was 8.45 inches, 3.87 inches above normal. It was the fifth wettest December since we began observations in 1932. It was very nearly the third wettest December. The snowfall total was 20.0 inches. This was 2.5 inches above normal. The snowstorm on December 19 was the largest, dumping 8 inches at the station. We picked up a total of 15.5 inches of snow between December 19 and December 21. Even though the temperature hit 48 degrees on December 25 it was another white Christmas in Norfolk. As described in January’s issue there was a damaging ice storm on December 11 and 12. Many homes in the area lost power from downed lines due to broken branches and toppled trees. Some homes were out for as much as five days. After freezing and thawing a few times beginning on December 7 most local ponds and lakes, including Tobey Pond and Wangum Lake, froze over for good on December 18. This was about two weeks later than last year. It would have been similar to last year had it not been for a few days in the mid-50 degree range during the middle part of the month. In review of Norfolk’s weather for the 2008 calendar year it was a little warmer than average and much wetter than average. The yearly mean temperature was 46.0 degrees, 1.6 degrees above average. Interestingly, this is exactly what last year’s yearly mean temperature was. The average yearly mean temperature for the last ten years is 46.2 degrees. The year of 2008 was the fourth wettest year since 1932 when we began observations. The yearly total precipitation amount was 68.21 inches, 15.72 inches above average and 20.04 inches more than we measured last year. Snowfall for the year totaled 77.0 inches. This was 19.1 inches below average, but by no means a record for least amount of yearly snowfall. My closing comment from last year’s yearly review seems to still be appropriate so I will use it again for this year. A common statement being made these days by many weather experts is that we can expect to see big swings in both temperature and precipitation. For now, it appears that they seem to know what they are talking about.