Petersburg National Battlefield And Richmond National Battlefield Park: Weather of 2008

Knight, Paul; Wisniewski, Tiffany; Bahrmann, Chad; Miller, Sonya

The purpose of this report is to provide a concise climate summary for 2008 at Petersburg NB and Richmond NBP, as part of the Mid-Atlantic Network's Weather and Climate Monitoring Program. Specifically it contains summaries for weather, temperature, and precipitation and descriptions of observing stations, stream flow, and draught status. Mild weather dominated the start of year as three straight days in early January recorded daytime maximum temperatures above 70°F (21.1°C), which is more than 25°F (14°C) above normal. When combined with a warm February and March, it was the 14th warmest start to the year since records began in 1895. A cool down in May was followed by the 2nd warmest June on record, before a more normal temperature pattern was established for the rest of the year. Overall, 2008 finished as the 10th warmest year on record. January was unusually dry, in fact, the 4th driest on record before the wettest April on record followed shortly after. Much like the temperatures, the second half of the year exhibited much closer to average precipitation amounts. The wettest period of the year was in the middle of May during which four consecutive days with precipitation occurred, totaling 1.4 in (35 mm). The Palmer Drought Severity Index for 2008 was above normal for only two months of the year, April and May. In contrast, one of the longest dry spells of the year began on October 3 and continued until October 16. The highest temperature recorded during the year was 101.0°F (38.3°C) on June 10, while the lowest was 12.0°F (-11.1°C) recorded on January 21. The year ended as one of the top ten warmest years on record since records began in 1895. There were 51–54 days greater than 90°F (32°C), which is above the 30-year mean of 40.7 days (Table 1). There was only one day in which the daytime maximum was below 32°F (0°C), significantly below the normal of 7.2 days. There were 13 days on which precipitation totals were greater than or equal to one inch (25 mm), just above the normal of 12 days; however, only 0.8 in (2 cm) of snowfall were reported as a result of a very mild winter. In early March, severe thunderstorms resulted in over an inch (25 mm) of rain in 24-hours, as well as downed trees, power lines, and damage to city buildings. The passage of Tropical Storm Hanna in early September also resulted in more than an inch (25 mm) of rain in a 24-hour period. This tropical storm also had an effect on the streamflow of the James River, resulting in peak streamflow in early September. Other than this event, below-normal discharge became more frequent in June and dominated summer river levels. A minimum in solar activity, which often correlates to slowly dropping mean annual temperatures, continued into 2008 matching the least active period in solar activity since 1913. Despite being in a solar minimum, the trend of increasing solar radiation continued in the longterm.

Petersburg National Battlefield And Richmond National Battlefield Park: Weather of 2008

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