For a second year in a row the Southwest monsoon failed to produce much needed rainfall. Back-to-back storms from February 5 to 8 brought an extreme mix of weather conditions to the Northeast. Approximately 64 percent of the 168 long-term stations across the region observed annual precipitation totals that were at least 12 inches above average. The fewest number of reports occurred in South Carolina (510; 13 percent of total), while the greatest number was recorded in Georgia (873; 23 percent of total). Oklahoma experienced two months that were top-10 wettest on record (fifth-wettest March on record, sixth-wettest January on record). Plains snowpack was variable throughout the season. January (9th) and November (7th) were months that ranked among the top-10 warmest for the region while October ranked as the 13th coolest in history. Hints of this transition began in the fall of 2019, when drought conditions developed across southern Kansas and western and southern Colorado. In addition, about 36,000 homes and businesses in Virginia were without power following the height of the storm. By the end of 2020, 79% of the West was in drought and 22% of the region in exceptional drought (D4). Upper Missouri Basin snowpack peaked in mid-April at just above normal above Fort Peck Reservoir and between Fort Peck and Garrison Reservoirs, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Yield losses in Iowa were due to a combination of drought and damages from the derecho. These conditions improved slightly during the spring, but quickly gave way to further expansion and deterioration, particularly during the summer and fall. All nine Midwest states were above their 1981-2010 normal by 0.9 to 1.8 degrees F (0.5 to 1.0 C). These dry conditions were coupled with extreme heat, which helped fuel some of the largest wildfires in Colorados history. Nearly 40 percent of the cotton crop in Alabama contained seed coat fragments, which is a sprouting or deterioration of the seed that occurs under extended wet conditions, reducing the quality of the cotton fiber. With 1.1 inches (28 mm) of snow on the 25th, Asheville, NC (18692020) observed its fifth highest snowfall on Christmas Day since records began 151 years ago. On June 26th, Tampa, FL tied its warmest daily maximum temperature for any month on record, at 99 degrees F (37.2 degrees C). Other sites saw only a trace, but for Islip, New York, it made May a snowier month than February. There were road closures, some evacuations, and reports of water in houses. Warm extremes in both maximum and minimum temperature across much of the U.S. in addition to wet conditions across the Southeast and dry conditions in the West contributed to this elevated USCEI value. The 2020 fire season was very active and ramped up in mid-summer and extended well into autumn. Climate data on this page is PRELIMINARY (unofficial). Every state experienced a warmer than normal winter, with every state experiencing a top-20 warmest winter on record while Tennessee experienced its sixth-warmest winter on record. This years drought could reduce next years growth of red oak and white pine trees in New Hampshire. The tornadoes downed trees, destroyed outbuildings, and damaged roofs and siding of some buildings. Find out how to read the year to date and temperature/precip plots. Washington, D.C. (18842020), Blacksburg, VA (18932020), and Mt. Many of the same locations that saw above normal and record high temperatures also experienced below normal precipitation and in some cases record dryness. Due to reduced yields, farmers bought hay to feed livestock, but there were hay shortages and increased prices, with a Vermont farmer spending as much as $20,000 on feed. In many fields in southern Alabama, Hurricane Sally blew down the cotton crop when bolls had yet to open. The spatial extent of drought increased slightly from 18% at the beginning of the year to 19% at the end of the year. Harford, Connecticut, received only 4.42 inches (112.27 mm) of precipitation during summer, making it the sites driest summer on record. Baker City, in northeast Oregon, saw its warmest year on record going back to 1944 with an annual average temperature 48.3 F (9.1 C), 3.9 F (2.2 C) above normal. The U.S. Drought Monitor released on October 29 showed 47 percent of the Northeast in an extreme, severe, or moderate drought and 24 percent as abnormally dry. The coldest temperature observed during winter 2019-20 in Washington, D.C., was 22 degrees F (-6 degrees C) and at Dulles Airport was 15 degrees F (-9 degrees C), which were the warmest minimum temperatures for winter on record. However, the drought was rapidly eliminated by beneficial rainfall from Tropical Storm Isaias at the end of July. The year started off on the warm side, with winter temperatures generally above normal, except for western areas of Colorado and Wyoming. It was the first time in Baltimore, Marylands 128 years of recordkeeping that that site saw no snow during February. During August, conditions worsened in New England, with severe and moderate drought expanding and almost every part of that region experiencing some level of dryness. A total of 299 tornadoes (8 unrated, 123 EF-0s, 125 EF-1s, 31 EF-2s, 11 EF-3s, 1 EF-4) were confirmed across the Southeast during the year, which is the sixth highest annual tornado count for the region since modern records began in 1950. Additional data received and processed after the release of this summary may result in small differences for annual values and ranks. In June, dam releases were reduced in New Hampshire due to dropping lake levels, resulting in small hydropower plants no longer being able to generate power. The last time New York and New England experienced drought conditions was in the summer/fall of 2018. California and Nevada started the year with no drought present. Spring freeze damage was reported in a mid-April freeze despite not being particularly late in the season. A rare flash flood emergency was issued by the Philadelphia/Mt. During summer and fall, groundwater levels were also well below normal in many drought areas. Similarly, several other sites including Hartford, Kennedy Airport, and LaGuardia Airport (New York) did not reach 70 degrees F (21 degrees C) in April, tying as the least number of 70 degrees F (21 degrees C) days on record for April. The monthly average temperature in the United States between 2020 and 2023 shows distinct seasonal variation. Some cattle farmers also thinned their herds earlier than usual. On February 6th, a slow-moving low pressure system produced over 5 inches (127 mm) of rainfall across portions of western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. Almost the entire Northeast saw below-normal snowfall during spring and the snow season (October through May). Global temperatures in 2021 were 0.85 degrees Celsius (1.5 degrees Fahrenheit) above the average for NASA's baseline period, according to scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). Temperatures rebounded in the summer, with most states in the High Plains ranking in the top 15 warmest summers on record. The storm contributed to hundreds of vehicle crashes, including a pileup involving more than 65 vehicles on Interstate 80 in central Pennsylvania. The 2020 annual precipitation totals indicate that precipitation for the year was above normal for much of the Southern Region, with Tennessee experiencing its sixth-wettest year on record while the region as a whole received an average annual precipitation total of 328.59 inches (8346.19 mm), making it the eleventh-wettest year on record. The statewide temperature rankings for 2020 were as follows: Arkansas (thirty-eighth warmest), Louisiana (ninth warmest), Mississippi (tenth warmest), Oklahoma (twenty-eighth warmest), Tennessee (thirteenth warmest), and Texas (seventh warmest). Excessive rainfall, paired with high humidity, in Georgia slowed the drying down of corn, with many farmers battling whiteflies and boll rot in cotton. Temperatures across the Lower 48 in December 2020 (left), January 2021 (right), and February 2021, compared to the 1981-2010 average. During the fall, some Florida citrus growers reported extremely heavy fruit drop within their groves, which was partially attributed to premature blooming during the winter 20192020 season as well as a persistence of heavy rainfall throughout the year. In some Maine locations, a fungal disease turned stressed grass black and dry conditions caused a fungus that kills the pupa of the browntail moth caterpillar to grow too late this year, allowing the caterpillar, which defoliates trees and causes health issues, to spread farther into central Maine. Winter was warmer and wetter than normal for most of the Southern Region, with the region experiencing its tenth-warmest winter on record. Hurricanes Hanna and Delta were primarily rain events, with reports of 15 inches (381 mm) in southern Texas from Hanna and 17 inches (431.80 mm) in southwestern Louisiana from Delta. This is ~0.15 C (~0.28 F) cooler than in 2020. The total cost of U.S. billion-dollar disasters over the last five years (2016-2020) exceeds $600 billion. Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in 2021 in Denver. Mitchell (139.94 inches, 3,554 mm). Roanoke also observed its longest streak of 3 consecutive days with at least 2 inches (51 mm) of precipitation. The rate of warming since 1981 is more than twice as fast: 0.32 F (0.18 C) per decade. Numerous trees and branches were felled due to a combination of strong winds, drought stress, and being fully leafed. Much of New England saw an unusually high number of fires or atypical fire behavior, with fires burning deeper and taking longer to extinguish. Temperatures were well above average across much of the Southeast during the year, particularly in Florida and along coastal portions of the region. This July was the all-time hottest month on record for Scranton and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Buffalo, Syracuse, and LaGuardia Airport, New York; Burlington, Vermont; Baltimore, Maryland; Portland, Maine; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Elkins, West Virginia; and Dulles Airport, Virginia. By the middle of May, the coverage in drought was significantly reduced across Florida, but areas of severe drought remained in southwestern Florida and coastal Alabama. Based on the 2-digit Hydrologic Unit Code watersheds, the California region had the lowest SWE at 76% of normal. The greatest totals of over 12 inches (30 cm) were reported in northwestern Pennsylvania, with a location in Erie County picking up 22.5 inches (57.2 cm). The warmth kicked off in January with Boston, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; and Bridgeport, Connecticut, having their warmest January day on record with highs near or above 70 degrees F (21 degrees C). The nationally averaged maximum temperature (daytime highs) was above average for 2020 at 66.3F, 2.3F above average, ranking as sixth warmest in the 126-year record. On the 11th, Sarasota-Bradenton, FL (19112020) observed its wettest November day on record, with 6.41 inches (163 mm) of rainfall. Due to its. Portions of New England were designated as natural disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, making some farmers eligible for federal assistance. These fires burned thousands of acres of forest and rangeland, caused evacuations, closed roads, and impacted air quality. Earth's global average surface temperature in 2020 statistically tied with 2016 as the hottest year on record, continuing a long-term warming trend due to human activities. In some areas, the 2019 fall harvest extended well into 2020, and wet soils and flooding in the spring caused additional impacts to agriculture and infrastructure. For instance, in February 2023, the average temperature across the North American. Ohio ranked as the 7th warmest in its history and Michigan ranked 10th. Over time, the "normal" annual U.S. temperature has grown warmer, and the "normal . With a daily maximum temperature of 24 degrees F (-4.4 degrees C), Asheville, NC (18762020) recorded its coldest Christmas Day since 1983, while Huntsville, AL (19072020) observed its coldest Christmas Day since 1985, with a daily maximum temperature of 32 degrees F (0 degrees C). While agricultural and livestock production was satisfactory across much of the Southeast during the year, exceptional wetness and numerous landfalling tropical cyclones did produce some significant impacts. Red indicates places that were warmer than average, and blue indicates places that were colder than average. Six hurricanes made U.S. landfall, tying 1886 and 1985 for the most U.S. hurricane landfalls in a single season. All six states experienced warmer than normal temperatures, with Louisiana experiencing its sixth-warmest spring on record. , Apr 17, 2023. For instance, a roof was blown off a store in Cape May, New Jersey, and a cow barn was tossed into a power pole in Rockland, Massachusetts. Forage crop yields were reduced by up to 75 percent in Maine and New Hampshire.

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