Records

Temperature...

Highs:

• 52 on December 5th, tied with previous years
• 47 on December 23rd

Lows:

• -18 on February 13th
• -24 on February 14th
• 14 on April 14th
• 8 on April 15th
• 16 on April 16th
• 11 on October 27th

Highest Lows:

• 70 on June 8th
• 73 on July 25th, tied with previous years
• 54 on November 7th, tied with previous years

Lowest Highs:

• 2 on February 13th
• 30 on April 13th, tied with previous years
• 26 on April 14th
• 46 on May 10th
• 49 on September 8th
• 47 on September 9th
• 56 on September 10th
• 34 on October 22nd, tied with previous years
• 31 on October 24th
• 30 on October 27th

Monthly:

• 7th coldest October on record at 42.1 degrees

Seasonal:

• None

Yearly:

• None

Precipitation...

One-day pcpn:

• 0.74” on February 9th
• 2.01” on August 31st

One-day snowfall:

• 4.2” on January 17th
• 9.6” on February 9th
• 4.2” on February 17th, tied with previous years
• 7.5” on April 12th
• Trace on May 10th
• 2.1” on October 20th
• 2.1” on October 25th
• 4.0” on November 24th

Monthly pcpn:

• 5th driest December with 0.20”

Monthly snowfall:

• 6th snowiest October with 4.2”

Seasonal precipitation:

• None

Yearly precipitation:

• None

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  2020 in Rochester got off to a mild start with above normal temperatures on 11 of the first 14 days. Highs would reach 40 degrees on the 9th, well ahead of the average first 40 degree day which usually comes at the end of January. Temperatures would fall back to more normal values for the middle of the month before returning to milder conditions for the end.  Low temperatures dropped below zero 8 times (average is 12) but held at 20 degrees or warmer 12 times (average is 6). On the whole, January would finish a bit over 3 degrees above normal. Snowfall for the month was right on its normal, but was fairly light when it came. While measurable snows fell on 13 days (average is 8), but 9 of those recorded less than 1 inch.
  February started off mild, with above normal temperatures for the first 3 days. Temperatures fell off after that, with 18 out of the remaining 26 days averaging below normal.  The coldest temperature of the 2019-20 winter season came on the morning of the 14th at a chilly -24 degrees. Still, there were only 4 other days with below zero readings, less than the 8 days a month normal. February would average over 3 ½ degrees below normal. Snowfall for the month was several inches above it’s normal, but the bulk of it came from two storms. The 9.6” on the 9th and 4.2” on the 17th   accounted for nearly 95% of the month’s total. Measurable snow fell on only two other days.
  March was mild by its standards, rounding out around 3 ½ degrees above normal. Temperatures were only below normal on 5 days and fairly uniform throughout the month. Precipitation was a bit over ½ inches above normal with measurable precipitation falling on 14 days (average is 9). Minor amounts were recorded on most of those days with 8 recording less than 1/10” and only one with greater than 1/2”. Snowfall was sparce for a March with only 2.0” inches falling (normal is close to 9”). There were 6 days with accumulating snows, but none recorded over 1/10”. It was the least amount of snow in March since 2012 and tied for the 11th least snowy on record.
  April was a relatively cool month, mostly thanks to a cold mid-month period. From the 9th through the 21st temperatures averaged only 34.5 degrees with highs not even reaching freezing on the 13th through 15th   (colder than the normal low for that period, let alone the high). Temperatures did fluctuate quite a bit, as spring months tend to do. Highs ranged from a low of 26 on the 14th to a high of 74 on the 27th. Overall, the month was 4 degrees below its normal. It was a dry April by its standards with only 1.82” falling (nearly 1 ½ inches below normal). Aside from a week dry spell at mid-month, precipitation was fairly spread out, with 5 of the 11 days of measurable precipitation recording 1/10” or greater. The last measurable snowfall for the 2019-20 winter season fell on the 14th with 0.2”, right around the average. However, just two days prior a late winter storms dumped 7.5” on Rochester. Not only did this set a daily record for the 12th , it was also the 4th snowiest April day on record for Rochester.
  Aside from a few mild days to start the month, the first 2 weeks of May were cool. Average temperatures were below normal from the 4th through the 13th, with lows in the 30s on 9 of those (only 27 on the 9th). The last freezing temperature of the 2019-2020 winter season fell on the morning of the 12th (31), about a week past what happens in an average season.  Temperatures would warm a bit after that, hovering around the seasonable normals. Precipitation was above normal, but nearly 50% of the 5” monthly total fell on the 17th (2.20”). There were 13 days with measurable rainfall, with 5 of those recording ¼” or more.
  June was a warm month in Rochester, more so for its start. Temperatures were above the seasonable normals through the 9th, topping 90 for highs on 2 of those days. It was the 4th warmest start in a June (through the 9th) in Rochester on record. After that, seasonable readings were the norm, with actually a couple rather cool days when highs stayed in the 60s (10th and the 22nd ). Rainfall for June was right on its normal and fairly spread out through the month. There were 15 days with measurable rainfall with 1/10” or greater on 8 of those.
  Summer warmth continued in July, but day to day temperatures mostly hovered within a few degrees of the seasonable normals. Rainfall for the month was over ½” below its normal and measurable rain only fell on 7 days. However, when it did rain, it was a soaker. On 5 of those days around ½” or greater fell, with an inch plus falling on the 9th and 11th.
  August rounded out the summer months with near normal temperatures and precipitation. Aside from a few days of cool conditions at the start of the month, and short a warm up (3 days in the 90s) during the latter half of the month, temperatures hovered right around normal. Measurable rain fell on 9 days (near the average) and was fairly spread out. One day of note was the 31st when just over 2 inches fell in Rochester, exiting the month on a soggy note.
  September brought an end to the warm summer weather, finishing almost 2 degrees below normal with a lot of variety throughout the month. Highs made it to 80 or greater on 4 days, but failed to warm out of the 50s on 5days (staying in the 40s for two of those!). Precipitation was also below normal for September, although this too showed quite a bit of diversity. It was a rainy for the early part of the month as measurable rains fell on 6 out of 8 days from the 5th through the 12th (1.44”). It would dry out from there until the 24th (only one day with a trace) when thunderstorms dropped 1.32”.
  October would bring the chill of autumn to the area averaging over 6 degrees below normal with an average temperature of 42.1 degrees marking it as the 7th coldest on record for Rochester. The cold really settled in for the last half of the month as highs failed to warm out of the 30s on 11 days (most in an October), with 4 of those never making freezing (tied for the most). In fact, from the 16th to month’s end temperatures only averaged 32.5 degrees – the coldest second half to an October in Rochester. Adding insult to injury, on 3 days lows dropped into the teens while the chilly 11 degrees on the 27th was tied for the 4th coldest October morning on record for Rochester. That said, October did let summer in for a brief appearance, recording the last 80 degree day of the year on the 9th (80). Precipitation was almost an inch below normal, thanks in part to a dry start to the month (only a trace fell through the 11th). The first snowflakes of the new snowfall season would fly on the 19th, quickly followed by the first measurable snow on the 20th when 2.1” fell (the first measurable snowfall usually waits until the first week of November).  Another 2.1” would fall on the 25th, bringing the monthly total to 4.2” and making it the 6th snowiest on record.
  November got off to a very mild start with highs well into the 70s for the 3rd through 8th. Reality set in after that as temperatures fell back in line with seasonable normals. However, that warm start helped November finish 4 degrees above normal and made it the 10th warmest November on record for Rochester.  Precipitation was about ½” above normal but only measured on 5 days. So, while it was dry most days, when precipitation did fall, it came in bunches. A few more days with measurable snowfall for Rochester in November too, with the bulk coming with a 4 inch burst on the 24th.
  December wrapped up 2020 on a mild and dry note. Temperatures were above normal on all but 7 days for the month, while highs topped 50 on 2 days. Meanwhile, low temperatures fell below zero only twice, well under the average of 7 such days. December got off to a very dry start with only 2 days of measurable precipitation through the 22nd (and only amounting to 0.02”),  In fact, it was the 3rd  driest start to a December in Rochester on record. The month would round out with only 2 additional days with measurable precipitation, with a monthly grand total of only 0.20” – marking it as the 5th driest December on record. Snowfall for the month was just under 4”, about a third of what normally falls
  2020 was right on it’s normal for temperatures in Rochester (+0.2) while precipitation finished a bit below normal for a change (only the second time since 2012). Monthly temperatures were generally within a few degrees of their norms, but did manage to squeak 4 of the months into the top 20 warmest (respectively). October was the odd month out for 2020 with chilly temperatures that resulted in some very early, accumulating snow – along with finished as the 8th coldest October on record.

   

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  Highest temperature for 2020	93 on June 2nd
  Lowest temperature for 2020	-24 on February 14th
  Highest one-day precipitation	2.20” on May 17th
  Highest one-day snowfall	9.6” on February 9th
  Number of days with highs at or above 90 degrees	6
  Number of days with highs at or below 32 degrees	72
  Number of days with zero or below temperatures	16 (tied for 8th least)
  Peak wind gust	56 mph from W on April 20th
  Number of days with measurable precipitation	111
  Percentage of days with measurable precipitation	30%
  Number of days with above normal temperatures	196
  Percentage of days with above normal temperatures	54%