TimB

I often find myself wondering “how common or rare is it to be this warm or cold or wet or dry or snowy or snowless” and that place usually has the tools I need to answer that question.

https://xmacis.rcc-acis.org This is the site I play around with to get that kind of data. Fairly straightforward to use once you get the hang of it.

Record is 26 days in Oct-Nov 1874, followed by 25 days in Aug-Sept 1995. There are about 70 dry spells of 14+ days on record, most of them occurring in the fall. Now if we’re talking spring dry spells, that 14 day dry spell in May 2021 was actually the longest spring dry spell in almost 80 years.

All 92+ in May were recorded 1942 or prior. There are a number of such temps at prior observing sites, including a monthly record of 95 that was reached as early as 5/2/1887.

If 92 is reached on Thursday, it’ll be the earliest at PIT.

That’s the other thing. Actual extreme heat in western vs. central PA looks different. 97 and above isn’t uncommon at MDT, and in fact recently seems to occur in as many summers as it doesn’t. PIT has only reached 97 in one summer (2012) since 1995.

That was two whole years with no 90s or even 89s. Probably impossible now, though I would have also thought it impossible then.

2003 and 2004 were both lacking in the heat department in PA. The latter especially. A tied for record-fewest 3 90 degree days in 2004 at MDT, and PIT never got above 87 (a record). 2003 only performed slightly better in the heat department. 6 90 degree days at MDT, and PIT’s max was 88 (tied for 2nd with a couple years in the 1970s).

Wildfire smoke. Always seems to affect temps more than expected.

Not complaining, but wasn’t today supposed to be gross? It’s perfect.

Just kidding. Those 6 hours of rain/snow obs yesterday were recorded as 0, not T.

Looks like PIT had some obs this morning that included snow, so with the graupel showers yesterday that’s two T’s to start the month. PIT has never observed frozen precip 3 days in the same May (though my backyard did in 2020, and it was actual snow all 3 times). Could it happen tomorrow?