...CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 2007 FOLLOWED BY RECAP OF 2007...
...A WILD START TO THE 2007-2008 WINTER SEASON...
DECEMBER 2007 WAS AN ACTIVE AND WILD MONTH FOR WEATHER WITH SEVERAL
STRONG SYSTEMS THAT BROUGHT A PLETHORA OF WINTER WEATHER...AND EVEN
SPRING TYPE WEATHER...TO NORTHERN INDIANA...NORTHWEST OHIO...AND
SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING...ICE STORMS WITH
BETWEEN ONE QUARTER AND ONE HALF INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATIONS ...SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS WITH WIND GUSTS GREATER THAN 80 MPH...AND STRONG
WINTER STORMS THAT DUMPED OVER A FOOT OF SNOW ON MANY LOCATIONS
OCCURRED DURING DECEMBER. THIS ACTIVE AND WET WEATHER PATTERN WAS
FUELED BY THE ONGOING LA NINA...WHICH TENDS TO BRING ABOVE NORMAL
PRECIPITATION TO THIS AREA.
THE FIRST THIRTEEN DAYS OF DECEMBER EXPERIENCED AT LEAST A TRACE OF
PRECIPITATION...WITH ELEVEN OF THE FIRST THIRTEEN DAYS HAVING
MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION. HEAVY RAIN FELL ON THE FIRST TWO SUNDAYS
OF THE MONTH AND HEAVY SNOW FELL ON THE THIRD SUNDAY. MANY AREAS
RECEIVED BETWEEN ONE HALF AND THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH OF RAIN ON
SUNDAY DECEMBER 2ND. ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 9TH...MANY LOCATIONS
RECEIVED BETWEEN ONE HALF AND ONE INCH OF RAIN...BUT TEMPERATURES
WERE GENERALLY BELOW FREEZING WHICH ALLOWED THIS TO FALL AS
FREEZING RAIN. ICE ACCUMULATIONS BETWEEN ONE QUARTER AND ONE HALF
INCH WERE REPORTED ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA AND NORTHWEST OHIO.
DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF SUNDAY DECEMBER 16TH...HEAVY SNOW
FELL OVER MUCH OF THE REGION...WITH OVER A FOOT OF SNOW RECORDED AT
MANY LOCATIONS ALONG WITH SNOW DRIFTS OF 2 TO 5 FEET.
THE SNOW DID NOT STICK AROUND LONG AS TEMPERATURES GRADUALLY WARMED
AND THE SNOWPACK MELTED. TEMPERATURES WARMED INTO THE UPPER 40S AND
LOWER 50S BY THE 22ND AND 23RD OF THE MONTH. THIS WARMER AIR WAS
ALSO ACCOMPANIED BY MODERATE RAINFALL BETWEEN ONE QUARTER AND THREE
QUARTERS OF AN INCH. THIS RAIN COUPLED WITH THE SATURATED GROUND
FROM THE MELTING SNOW LED TO FLOODING ON NUMEROUS RIVERS AND SMALL
STREAMS ACROSS THE REGION.
IN ADDITION TO THE FLOODING...THE POWERFUL COLD FRONT THAT BROUGHT
THE RAIN SWEPT THROUGH THE AREA DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF
THE 23RD AND BROUGHT WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 50 AND 85 MPH WITH A LINE
OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. A WIND GUST OF 83 MPH WAS RECORDED IN
STEUBEN COUNTY BY AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR. TREES AND POWER LINES
WERE REPORTED DOWN ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION.
THE LAST WEEK OF DECEMBER 2007 WAS NO DIFFERENT THAN THE REST OF
THE MONTH. THE WEEK EXPERIENCED TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS WITH HIGH
TEMPERATURES VARYING FROM THE LOWER 30S TO THE MIDDLE 40S. LIGHT
SNOW FELL ON A FEW OF THESE DAYS BUT BY THE EVENING HOURS OF NEW
YEARS EVE...YET ANOTHER POWERFUL WINTER STORM WAS BEGINNING TO
AFFECT THE REGION WITH HEAVY SNOW DEVELOPING DURING THE EVENING
ACROSS NORTHWEST INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. THIS SNOW
CONTINUED INTO THE NEW YEAR WITH WHAT WOULD BE 10 TO 18 INCHES OF
SNOW BY THE END OF JANUARY 1ST 2008 OVER NORTHERN INDIANA AND
SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN.
...NOVEMBER 2007...
NOVEMBER 2007 WAS A RATHER QUIET AND UNEVENTFUL MONTH THAT ENDED
WITH NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND VARIABLE PRECIPITATION ACROSS
NORTHERN INDIANA...SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AND NORTHWEST OHIO. THE
NORTHWEST GENERALLY EXPERIENCED BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE
MONTH WHILE SOUTHEAST AREAS WERE ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS A REVERSAL
FROM OCTOBER WHEN THE SOUTHEAST WAS GENERALLY DRY AND THE NORTHWEST
WET. THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT SNOW OF THE SEASON OCCURRED ON THE 22ND
AND 23RD. MOST OF THIS WAS FROM LAKE EFFECT. AREAS NEAR LAKE
MICHIGAN RECEIVED FROM 2 TO JUST OVER 8 INCHES OF SNOW. THE HIGHEST
AMOUNTS WERE REPORTED IN BERRIEN COUNTY MICHIGAN WHERE 8.2 INCHES
FELL IN BENTON HARBOR.
AT SOUTH BEND...THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE WAS 40.1 WHICH IS
ONLY 0.2 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THERE WAS 2.19 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION...1.09 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. OVER HALF OF THIS
PRECIPITATION FELL ON THE 21ST AND 22ND. THERE WERE 2.6 INCHES OF
SNOW FOR THE MONTH...5.1 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 7.7 INCHES. 2.3
INCHES OF THIS SNOW FELL ON THE 22ND AND 23RD. NOVEMBER 2007 IS THE
13TH LEAST SNOWIEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD.
AT FORT WAYNE...THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE WAS 40.8 WHICH IS
NORMAL. THERE WAS 4.21 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION...1.33 INCHES ABOVE
NORMAL. OVER HALF OF THIS PRECIPITATION FELL ON THE 21ST AND 22ND.
THIS MAKES NOVEMBER 2007 THE 9TH WETTEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD.
THERE WAS ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW FOR THE MONTH...3.0 INCHES BELOW
NORMAL. THIS TIES 2006 AS THE 2ND LEAST SNOWIEST NOVEMBER ON
RECORD.
...OCTOBER 2007...
OCTOBER 2007 WAS THE WARMEST OCTOBER AT SOUTH BEND AND FORT WAYNE
INDIANA SINCE 1971. AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURES ACROSS MOST OF
NORTHERN INDIANA...SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN...AND NORTHWEST OHIO
AVERAGED BETWEEN 5 AND 7.5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS HELPED BY
A VERY WARM START TO THE MONTH...WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER
80S AND LOW TEMPERATURES IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S FOR SEVERAL DAYS.
PRECIPITATION WAS HIGHLY VARIABLE ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE MONTH.
THE NORTHWEST HALF OF THE AREA...ROUGHLY NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM
MONTICELLO INDIANA TO HILLSDALE MICHIGAN...EXPERIENCED ABOVE NORMAL
PRECIPITATION. AREAS TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THIS LINE GENERALLY
HAD BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION.
THE MONTH OF OCTOBER ALSO HAD ITS SHARE OF SEVERE WEATHER. DURING
THE EVENING OF OCTOBER 18TH...SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED AND
MOVED ACROSS THE REGION. AN EF3 TORNADO MOVED FROM NORTHEAST
MARSHALL COUNTY THROUGH NORTHWEST KOSCIUSKO COUNTY AND INTO
SOUTHERN ELKHART COUNTY. THE EAST SIDE OF NAPPANEE TOOK A DIRECT
HIT FROM THIS TORNADO WITH HUNDREDS OF HOMES AND BUSINESSES
DAMAGED.
IT WAS THE 4TH WARMEST OCTOBER ON RECORD AT FORT WAYNE...AND THE
WARMEST OCTOBER SINCE 1971. THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE WAS
59.7...7.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE TIED
ON THE 5TH...7TH AND 8TH WHEN HIGHS REACHED 87...89...AND 89
RESPECTIVELY. THERE WERE 5 CONSECUTIVE DAYS FROM OCTOBER 4TH THROUGH
OCTOBER 8TH WHERE HIGHS WERE IN THE 80S.
PRECIPITATION AT FORT WAYNE FOR OCTOBER WAS 1.91 INCHES...0.72
INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS DID NOT FALL INTO ANY TOP 20 YEARS FOR
LEAST OR MOST PRECIPITATION. THE GREATEST DAILY PRECIPITATION
OCCURRED ON OCTOBER 18TH WHEN 0.42 INCHES FELL. THERE WAS NO
SNOWFALL RECORDED FOR THE MONTH.
IT WAS THE 5TH WARMEST OCTOBER ON RECORD AT SOUTH BEND...AND THE
WARMEST OCTOBER SINCE 1971. THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE WAS 59
DEGREES...6.9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE
BROKE ON THE 7TH AND 8TH WHEN HIGHS REACHED 88 ON BOTH DAYS.
THERE WERE 5 CONSECUTIVE DAYS FROM OCTOBER 4TH THROUGH OCTOBER 8TH
WHERE HIGHS WERE IN THE 80S.
PRECIPITATION AT SOUTH BEND FOR OCTOBER WAS 4.02 INCHES...0.75
INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS THE 18TH WETTEST OCTOBER ON RECORD.
THE GREATEST DAILY PRECIPITATION OCCURRED ON OCTOBER 18TH WHEN 1.18
INCHES FELL. THERE WAS NO SNOWFALL RECORDED FOR THE MONTH.
...SEPTEMBER 2007...
SEPTEMBER WILL GENERALLY BE REMEMBERED AS A WARM AND DRY
MONTH...THOUGH SOME LOCAL AREAS RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL RAINFALL FROM
SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS EARLY IN THE MONTH. TEMPERATURES ALSO
VARIED CONSIDERABLY FROM NORTHWEST INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN TO NORTHWEST OHIO. A LARGE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED
ACROSS THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES HELPED DEFLECT WEATHER SYSTEMS TO
OUR NORTH AND PROVIDED A SOUTHWEST FLOW THAT HELPED KEEP
TEMPERATURES ABOVE NORMAL. OCCASIONALLY THROUGH THE MONTH THIS RIDGE
OF HIGH PRESSURE WAS SUPPRESSED SOUTH AND COLD FRONTS WERE ABLE TO
PUSH ACROSS THE AREA.
TEMPERATURES FOR THE MONTH AVERAGED ABOVE NORMAL AT MOST LOCATIONS.
DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL WERE GREATER ACROSS NORTHWEST INDIANA AND
EXTREME SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. FURTHER SOUTHEAST INTO NORTHWEST
OHIO...DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL WERE NOT AS HIGH AND WERE CLOSER TO
NORMAL. SEPTEMBER 2007 WAS THE 6TH WARMEST ON RECORD AT SOUTH BEND
AND TIED FOR THE 16TH WARMEST SEPTEMBER AT FORT WAYNE.
MOST LOCATIONS DID EXPERIENCE TWO DAYS IN THE 90S...THOSE OCCURRING
ON THE 5TH AND 24TH. NEW HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE SET ON THE
24TH AT BOTH SOUTH BEND AND FORT WAYNE. FORT WAYNE REACHED 92
DEGREES WHICH BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 88 DEGREES SET IN 1941.
THE HIGH TEMPERATURE AT SOUTH BEND WAS 92 DEGREES WHICH BROKE THE
PREVIOUS RECORD OF 87 DEGREES SET IN 1941. SEVERAL OTHER DAYS IN THE
MONTH HAD HIGHS IN THE UPPER 80S.
PRECIPITATION WAS GENERALLY BELOW NORMAL ACROSS THE REGION.
HOWEVER...ON THE 8TH AND 9TH OF SEPTEMBER...SLOW MOVING
THUNDERSTORMS DID PROMPT FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS AND REPORTS OF 2 TO 4
INCHES OF LOCAL RAINFALL AND FLOODING WERE RECEIVED. THIS HEAVY
RAINFALL OCCURRED ON THE 8TH...MAINLY ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA
AND NORTHWEST OHIO NEAR A LINE FROM CASS COUNTY INDIANA TO PUTNAM
COUNTY OHIO. SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS ON THE 9TH ACROSS SOUTHWEST
LOWER MICHIGAN ALSO PRODUCED LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING.
THE REST OF THE REGION GENERALLY EXPERIENCED MUCH LESS RAINFALL FOR
THE MONTH WITH DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL RANGING FROM 1.5 TO 2.5 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL. SEPTEMBER 2007 WAS THE 13TH DRIEST ON RECORD AT SOUTH
BEND...BUT IT WAS NOT IN THE TOP 20 DRIEST SEPTEMBERS AT FORT WAYNE.
SEPTEMBER IS USUALLY THE LAST MONTH WITH 90 DEGREE TEMPERATURES. FOR
THE YEAR OF 2007...SOUTH BEND HAS RECORDED 18 DAYS WITH 90 DEGREES
OR HIGHER...4 DAYS ABOVE THE 30 YEAR NORMAL OF 14. FORT WAYNE HAS
RECORDED 29 DAYS OF 90 DEGREES OR HIGHER...14 DAYS ABOVE THE 30 YEAR
NORMAL.
...A SUMMER OF TWO EXTREMES...DROUGHT FOLLOWED BY FLOOD...
...WETTEST AUGUST EVER IN SOUTH BEND AND MANY OTHER LOCATIONS...
THE SUMMER MONTHS OF JUNE...JULY AND AUGUST 2007 WILL GO DOWN AS A
PERIOD OF VERY DRY CONDITIONS AND RAINFALL DEFICITS THAT QUICKLY
TRANSITIONED TO PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...FLOODING AND RAINFALL
SURPLUSES ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHERN INDIANA...SOUTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN...AND NORTHWEST OHIO. MUCH OF NORTHWEST OHIO...NORTHEAST
INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN BEGAN AUGUST IN MODERATE (D1)
AND SEVERE (D2) DROUGHT. BY THE END OF AUGUST...THE ENTIRE REGION OF
NORTHERN INDIANA...NORTHWEST OHIO...AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN
WERE COMPLETELY OUT OF DROUGHT AND DRY CONDITIONS. LOCATIONS THAT
BEGAN THE MONTH WITH YEARLY PRECIPITATION TOTALS FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL...FINISHED THE MONTH WITH YEARLY SURPLUSES NEAR OR
ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLE TURN AROUND FUELED BY AN ACTIVE
STATIONARY BOUNDARY AND REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM ERIN WHICH
INTERACTED WITH THIS BOUNDARY.
AT SOUTH BEND...THE SUMMER OF 2007 WAS THE 4TH WETTEST ON RECORD
WITH 16.08 INCHES OF RAIN. THIS WAS 4.18 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS
IS EVEN MORE REMARKABLE WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT JUNE ONLY HAD 1.80
INCHES...2.39 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. FOR THE JANUARY THROUGH AUGUST
PERIOD...SOUTH BEND NOW STANDS WITH 29.58 INCHES...3.42 INCHES ABOVE
NORMAL.
AT FORT WAYNE...THE SUMMER OF 2007 DID NOT BREAK THE TOP TEN IN
TERMS OF PRECIPITATION RECORDS. FORT WAYNE DID RECEIVE 14.55 INCHES
OF RAIN FOR THE SUMMER...3.33 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. A DRY JUNE AND
JULY OFFSET THE 2ND WETTEST AUGUST EVER. FOR THE JANUARY THROUGH
AUGUST PERIOD...FORT WAYNE NOW STANDS WITH 27.21 INCHES...1.85 INCHES
ABOVE NORMAL.
...AUGUST 2007...
THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST WAS A TRANSITION FROM VERY DRY TO VERY WET
CONDITIONS. WHILE NORTHWEST AREAS WERE FINALLY SEEING MUCH NEEDED
RAINFALL...EASTERN AREAS WERE STILL EXPERIENCING SEVERE DROUGHT
CONDITIONS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH. THIS FINALLY BEGAN TO
CHANGE IN THE SECOND AND THIRD WEEKS AS A QUASI-STATIONARY FRONT
MEANDERED ACROSS THE AREA. AS THIS OCCURRED...REMNANTS FROM TROPICAL
STORM ERIN ALSO DRIFTED NORTH INTO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY AND
BROUGHT COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE WITH IT. THE INTERACTION OF THIS
TROPICAL SYSTEM WITH THE STATIONARY FRONT CREATED NUMEROUS ROUNDS OF
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL DURING THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST.
HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING STRETCHED FROM EASTERN IOWA...SOUTHERN
MINNESOTA...SOUTHERN WISCONSIN AND NORTHERN ILLINOIS EAST THROUGH
NORTHERN INDIANA...SOUTHERN MICHIGAN AND NORTHWEST OHIO. THIS HEAVY
RAIN CONTINUED INTO THE FOURTH WEEK OF AUGUST BEFORE THE PESKY
STATIONARY FRONT FINALLY MOVED OUT OF THE AREA.
BY THE TIME AUGUST WAS OVER...MANY AREAS HAD RECEIVED RECORD OR NEAR
RECORD RAINFALL FOR THE MONTH. SOUTH BEND BROKE THE RECORD FOR THE
WETTEST AUGUST WITH 8.88 INCHES...4.90 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL! THIS WAS
ALSO THE 7TH WETTEST MONTH EVER AT SOUTH BEND. BENTON HARBOR
MICHIGAN RECEIVED MORE RAINFALL WITH 12.20 INCHES...8.73 INCHES
ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS ALSO A RECORD FOR AUGUST. FORT WAYNE RECORDED
9.69 INCHES...6.09 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS THE SECOND WETTEST
AUGUST ON RECORD AT FORT WAYNE AND THE 5TH WETTEST MONTH EVER.
GOSHEN INDIANA RECEIVED A RECORD 10.06 INCHES OF RAIN...6.09 INCHES
ABOVE NORMAL.
THE HEAVY AND PERSISTENT RAINFALL LED TO FLOODING ACROSS MANY AREAS.
THE MOST SEVERE FLOODING TOOK PLACE IN NORTHWEST OHIO WHERE 10 TO 15
INCHES OF RAIN FELL DURING AUGUST. DEFIANCE REPORTED 11.10 INCHES OF
RAIN...7.89 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL AND LIMA REPORTED 9.91 INCHES...6.53
INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. BETWEEN 5 AND 8 INCHES OF RAIN FELL BETWEEN
AUGUST 20TH AND AUGUST 23RD IN NORTHWEST OHIO. THIS LED TO RAPID
RISES IN LOCAL STREAMS AND RIVERS...WITH THE MOST SEVERE FLOODING
OCCURRING ALONG THE BLANCHARD RIVER. AT OTTAWA OHIO...THE BLANCHARD
RIVER REACHED ITS SECOND HIGHEST CREST EVER...TOPPING OUT AT 31.70
FEET ON AUGUST 23RD. THE ENTIRE TOWN OF OTTAWA EXPERIENCED
DEVASTATING FLOODING. MINOR TO MODERATE RIVER FLOODING ALSO OCCURRED
ALONG THE AUGLAIZE...MAUMEE AND TIFFIN RIVERS IN NORTHWEST OHIO.
AUGUST ALSO SAW ITS SHARE OF SEVERE WEATHER. DURING THE LATE EVENING
OF AUGUST 15TH AND EARLY MORNING HOURS OF AUGUST 16TH...A LINE OF
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED AND MOVED SOUTHEAST ACROSS INDIANA
AND INTO NORTHWEST OHIO. THIS LINE PRODUCED WIDESPREAD WIND DAMAGE
AND LARGE HAIL. IN ADDITION...TWO TORNADOES WERE CONFIRMED NEAR THE
ARGOS AREA IN PLYMOUTH COUNTY INDIANA. THESE TWO TORNADOES WERE BOTH
RATED EF1 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. ADDITIONAL SEVERE WEATHER
OCCURRED THROUGH THE MONTH. ANOTHER WIDESPREAD WIND DAMAGE EVENT
OCCURRED ON AUGUST 23RD ACROSS NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHERN LOWER
MICHIGAN. AN 81 MPH WIND GUST WAS RECORDED IN MICHIGAN CITY INDIANA
DURING THIS EVENT. THE FOLLOWING DAY...AUGUST 24TH...SAW
THUNDERSTORMS FIRE AGAIN ACROSS NORTHERN INDIANA AND MOVE INTO
NORTHWEST OHIO. THIS LINE OF STORMS PRODUCED A DOWNBURST WIND WITH
SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE NEAR THE BARBEE LAKES AREA IN KOSCIUSKO COUNTY.
THE LINE CONTINUED INTO OHIO PRODUCING WIND DAMAGE ALONG THE WAY.
...JULY 2007...
DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUED INTO JULY AS SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS
DEVELOPED OVER PARTS OF NORTHERN INDIANA...SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN
AND NORTHWEST OHIO. NORTHWEST INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN
BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE MORE RAINFALL DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE
MONTH...WHICH PUSHED MONTHLY RAINFALL TOTALS ABOVE NORMAL. SOUTH
BEND RECEIVED 5.40 INCHES OF RAIN...1.67 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL...AND
BENTON HARBOR RECEIVED 3.76 INCHES...0.52 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL.
HOWEVER...TO THE EAST OF THESE AREAS...PRECIPITATION TOTALS DROPPED
OFF SIGNIFICANTLY AS DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUED WITH ONLY ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY RAINFALL. FORT WAYNE RAINFALL FOR JULY WAS
ONLY 1.82 INCHES...1.76 INCHES BELOW NORMAL...DEFIANCE OHIO RECEIVED
2.80 INCHES...1.09 INCHES BELOW NORMAL...AND LIMA OHIO RECEIVED 1.47
INCHES...2.79 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.
TEMPERATURES DURING JULY WERE ACTUALLY NEAR OR BELOW NORMAL IN MOST
LOCATIONS DESPITE SEVERAL DAYS OF HIGHS IN THE 90S. SOUTH
BEND...FORT WAYNE AND GOSHEN INDIANA ALL HAD 5 DAYS OF 90 DEGREES OR
HIGHER...LIMA AND DEFIANCE OHIO BOTH HAD 4 DAYS AND BENTON HARBOR
MICHIGAN EXPERIENCED 3 DAYS OF 90 DEGREES OR HIGHER.
...JUNE 2007...
JUNE WAS WARM AND VERY DRY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY
HEAVY RAIN BROUGHT SOME RELIEF TO AREAS LATE IN THE MONTH...BUT MANY
LOCATIONS EXPERIENCED ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS. RAINFALL DEFICITS
GENERALLY RANGED FROM 1.0 TO 3.0 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. SOUTH BEND
EXPERIENCED A RAINFALL DEFICIT OF 2.39 INCHES...WHICH MADE IT THE
11TH DRIEST JUNE ON RECORD. FORT WAYNE EXPERIENCED A RAINFALL
DEFICIT OF 1.00 INCH. ONE OF THE DRIEST AREAS WAS NORTHWEST OHIO.
LIMA OHIO RECORDED A JUNE RAINFALL DEFICIT OF 2.03 INCHES. VAN WERT
COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER RICK MCCOY REPORTED LESS THAN 2 INCHES OF
RAIN IN VAN WERT SINCE MID APRIL. HE ALSO REPORTED LARGE ACREAGE OF
BEANS HAD STARTED TO SPROUT DURING JUNE BUT DIED DUE TO THE LACK OF
RAIN. CORN WAS REPORTED TO BE BETWEEN 1 AND 2 FEET TALL WITH SEVERE
CURLING. PARTS OF NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN WERE
ALSO EXPERIENCING SEVERE CURLING DUE TO THE LACK OF RAINFALL.
IT WAS A RATHER WARM JUNE WITH SEVERAL DAYS EXPERIENCING HIGH
TEMPERATURES OF 90 DEGREES OR WARMER. SOUTH BEND RECORDED 7 DAYS OF
90 OR WARMER...FORT WAYNE...GOSHEN AND LIMA 8 DAYS...AND DEFIANCE 6
DAYS. IT WAS THE 12TH WARMEST JUNE ON RECORD AT SOUTH BEND AND THE
16TH WARMEST JUNE AT FORT WAYNE.
...CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR SPRING 2007...
THE SPRING OF 2007 WAS WARMER THAN NORMAL WITH PRECIPITATION THAT
WAS BELOW NORMAL. IT WAS THE 8TH WARMEST SPRING ON RECORD AT FORT
WAYNE WITH AN AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE OF 52 DEGREES. IT WAS THE
6TH WARMEST SPRING AT SOUTH BEND WITH AN AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE
OF 51.3 DEGREES. PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL DID NOT MAKE ANY TOP 10
LISTS. PRECIPITATION FOR THE SPRING AT FORT WAYNE WAS 7.96
INCHES...2.19 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. AT SOUTH BEND...THERE WAS 8.62
INCHES OF PRECIPITATION...1.39 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THE 2006-2007
SEASONAL SNOWFALL TOTAL FOR SOUTH BEND WAS 64.5 INCHES AND 29.1
INCHES AT FORT WAYNE.
SEVERE WEATHER DURING THE SPRING WAS GENERALLY ISOLATED.
HOWEVER...THERE WERE 4 CONFIRMED TORNADOES...TWO IN LAPORTE COUNTY
INDIANA AND 1 IN BERRIEN COUNTY MICHIGAN ON APRIL 26TH...AND 1 IN
SAINT JOSEPH COUNTY INDIANA ON MAY 15TH.
BELOW IS A MONTH BY MONTH SUMMARY OF THE 2007 SPRING SEASON.
ADDITIONAL CLIMATE INFORMATION FOR MANY SITES ACROSS NORTHERN
INDIANA...SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN...AND NORTHWEST OHIO ARE
AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/IWX. JUST CLICK ON THE
LOCAL LINK UNDER CLIMATE IN THE LEFT HAND MENU.
...MAY 2007...
MAY 2007 WAS WARMER AND DRIER THAN NORMAL ACROSS NORTHERN
INDIANA...NORTHWEST OHIO...AND SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. AVERAGE
MONTHLY TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES WERE GENERALLY BETWEEN 3 AND 5
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL WHILE PRECIPITATION DEPARTURES WERE GENERALLY
FROM 1 TO 3.5 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. IT WAS THE 7TH WARMEST AND 5TH
DRIEST MAY ON RECORD AT FORT WAYNE...AND THE 7TH WARMEST AND 12TH
DRIEST MAY AT SOUTH BEND.
THERE WERE ONLY A FEW DAYS OF SEVERE WEATHER IN MAY...WITH THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT EVENT OCCURING ON MAY 15. WIDESPREAD WIND DAMAGE WAS
OBSERVED ACROSS THE AREA AND ONE TORNADO WAS CONFIRMED IN NEW
CARLISLE IN LAPORTE COUNTY INDIANA.
PRECIPITATION WAS HARD TO FIND DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH IN
MOST LOCATIONS. SOUTH BEND RECEIVED ITS FIRST MEASURABLE RAINFALL ON
MAY 15TH WHEN 0.55 INCHES FELL. AREAS SOUTH AND EAST OF SOUTH BEND
HAD A LITTLE MORE RAINFALL DURING THIS PERIOD AS STORM SYSTEMS
SKIRTED SOUTH OF THE AREA...KEEPING THE RAIN ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL
INDIANA AND NORTHWEST OHIO. RAIN WAS A LITTLE MORE PREVALENT IN THE
SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH...BUT STILL REMAINED SCATTERED.
DUE TO THE LACK OF RAIN AND LACK OF MOISTURE IN THE
AIR...TEMPERATURES WERE ABLE TO WARM DRAMATICALLY DURING MUCH OF THE
MONTH. SEVERAL AREAS EXPERIENCED THE FIRST 90 DEGREE TEMPERATURES OF
THE SEASON ON MAY 15TH...INCLUDING FORT WAYNE WHICH SET A NEW RECORD
HIGH WITH 91 DEGREES.
THIS WARM WEATHER QUICKLY ENDED AS A POWERFUL COLD FRONT SWEPT
THROUGH THE AREA ON THE 15TH. THIS FRONT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
WIDESPREAD WIND DAMAGE AND TORNADO THAT HIT NEW CARLISLE IN LAPORTE
COUNTY. TEMPERATURES FOLLOWING THIS FRONT WERE BELOW NORMAL WITH
HIGHS ON SEVERAL DAYS ONLY IN THE LOWER 60S. AREAS NEAR LAKE
MICHIGAN FELT THE EFFECTS OF THE MUCH COOLER LAKE WATERS. NORTHWEST
WINDS BROUGHT THE COOLER AIR INLAND AND AREAS OF FAR NORTHWEST
INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN EXPERIENCED A FEW DAYS WITH
HIGHS ONLY IN THE 50S.
THE COOLER WEATHER WAS SHORT LIVED AS HIGH PRESSURE ESTABLISHED
ITSELF OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTRY AND SOUTHWEST WINDS AND
ABUNDANT SUNSHINE ALLOWED TEMPERATURES TO QUICKLY SOAR BACK ABOVE
NORMAL. BY MAY 23RD AND 24TH HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE ONCE AGAIN BACK
INTO THE LOWER 90S AT MANY LOCATIONS. SOUTH BEND AND FORT WAYNE BOTH
SET NEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES ON THESE DAYS WITH HIGHS OF 91 BOTH
DAYS AT FORT WAYNE AND HIGHS OF 90 BOTH DAYS AT SOUTH BEND.
TEMPERATURES REMAINED NEAR OR ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE END OF THE
MONTH AT MOST LOCATIONS. MAY ENDED ON A VERY WARM NOTE WITH HIGH
TEMPERATURES BACK INTO THE UPPER 80S AND LOWER 90S ON THE LAST TWO
DAYS.
FORT WAYNE INDIANA EXPERIENCED 5 DAYS IN THE 90S DURING THE MONTH.
THIS TIES FOR THIRD ALL TIME FOR THE MONTH OF MAY...WITH THE YEARS
1902...1988...AND 1998. THE MOST NUMBER OF 90 DEGREE DAYS IN MAY
OCCURRED IN 1911 WITH 9. SECOND ON THE LIST IS 1977 WITH 6.
DURING THE ENTIRE YEAR OF 2006...FORT WAYNE ONLY EXPERIENCED 10 DAYS
IN THE 90S.
...APRIL 2007...
APRIL 2007 WILL GENERALLY BE REMEMBERED AS A COOL AND WET MONTH.
HOWEVER...THANKS TO A VERY WARM BEGINNING TO THE MONTH AND A VERY
WARM END TO THE MONTH...THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE ENDED UP
CLOSE TO NORMAL. PRECIPITATION...HOWEVER...WAS ABOVE NORMAL WITH
MANY AREAS AN INCH OR MORE ABOVE NORMAL. THIS PRECIPITATION ALSO
FELL IN THE FORM OF SNOW...WITH SOME AREAS RECEIVING OVER 6 INCHES
FOR THE MONTH.
THE FIRST THREE DAYS OF APRIL WERE 10 TO 15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL
WITH HIGHS IN THE 60S AND 70S. A STRONG COLD FRONT PUSHED THROUGH
LATE ON THE 3RD ALLOWING MUCH COLDER AIR TO FILTER INTO THE REGION.
THIS MARKED THE BEGINNING OF WHAT WOULD BE A VERY COLD AND SNOWY TWO
WEEKS ACROSS ALL OF NORTHERN INDIANA...NORTHWEST OHIO AND SOUTHERN
LOWER MICHIGAN...AS WELL AS MUCH OF THE COUNTRY.
BETWEEN APRIL 4TH AND APRIL 18TH...TEMPERATURES WERE GENERALLY BELOW
NORMAL AND ON SOME DAYS...MUCH BELOW NORMAL. APRIL 7TH WAS THE
COLDEST DAY OF THE MONTH. HIGHS WERE ONLY IN THE UPPER 20S AND LOWER
30S AND LOWS WERE IN THE LOWER 20S. AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ON THIS DAY
WERE ABOUT 20 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.
THIS STRETCH OF COLD ALSO PRODUCED QUITE A BIT OF SNOWFALL. SOUTH
BEND RECEIVED 6.1 INCHES OF SNOW FOR THE MONTH...MAKING IT THE 6TH
SNOWIEST APRIL ON RECORD. 14 INCHES IN 1982 RANKS AS THE SNOWIEST
APRIL IN SOUTH BEND. FORT WAYNE RECEIVED 3.4 INCHES OF SNOW FOR THE
MONTH...MAKING IT THE 9TH SNOWIEST APRIL ON RECORD. 11.7 INCHES IN
1961 RANKS AS THE SNOWIEST APRIL IN FORT WAYNE.
ONCE THIS COLD SPELL ENDED...TEMPERATURES FOR THE REST OF THE MONTH
WERE GENERALLY ABOVE NORMAL...WITH A STRETCH OF 5 STRAIGHT DAYS FROM
THE 20TH THROUGH THE 24TH WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE 70S OR 80S.
THE WARMEST DAY OF THE MONTH OCCURRED ON APRIL 22ND WITH MANY AREAS
ACROSS NORTHERN INDIANA...SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN...AND NORTHWEST
OHIO HAVING HIGHS IN THE LOWER 80S.
A FEW RECORDS WERE BROKEN DURING THE MONTH. A RECORD COLD MAXIMUM
TEMPERATURE WAS SET AT SOUTH BEND ON APRIL 7TH. THE HIGH WAS ONLY 28
WHICH BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 32 SET IN 1982. IN
ADDITION...THIS HIGH OF 28 WAS ALSO THE COLDEST HIGH TEMPERATURE SO
LATE IN THE SPRING SEASON. THE PREVIOUS RECORD FOR A HIGH OF 28 OR
LOWER AT SOUTH BEND WAS ON APRIL 3RD 1954. SOUTH BEND SET A RECORD
DAILY SNOWFALL RECORD ON APRIL 11TH. 3.6 INCHES FELL ON THIS DAY
BREAKING THE OLD RECORD OF 0.5 INCHES SET IN 1957. THERE WAS ALSO A
PRECIPITATION RECORD SET AT SOUTH BEND ON APRIL 25TH. 2.48 INCHES OF
RAIN FELL ON THIS DATE...BREAKING THE OLD RECORD OF 1.65 SET IN
1976.
FORT WAYNE ONLY HAD ONE DAILY RECORD FOR THE MONTH AND IT WAS A
DAILY SNOWFALL RECORD. 1.6 INCHES OF SNOW FELL ON APRIL
14TH...BREAKING THE OLD RECORD OF 0.7 INCHES SET IN 1980.
SEVERE WEATHER OCCURRED ON A FEW DAYS ALONG WITH THE FIRST TORNADOES
OF THE YEAR. ONLY TWO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS WERE ISSUED FOR
THE MONTH...BOTH OF THOSE ON APRIL 11TH. FOUR TORNADO WARNINGS WERE
ISSUED ON APRIL 26TH. THERE WERE TWO CONFIRMED TORNADOES IN LAPORTE
COUNTY IN INDIANA ON THIS DATE AND ONE IN BERRIEN COUNTY.
...MARCH 2007...
MARCH 2007 CAME IN LIKE A LION BUT LEFT LIKE A LAMB ACROSS NORTHERN
INDIANA...NORTHWEST OHIO...AND SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. MARCH BEGAN
WITH MILD TEMPERATURES BUT THUNDERSTORMS...GUSTY WINDS...AND HALF
INCH TO ONE INCH DIAMETER HAIL ACROSS NORTHERN INDIANA AND LOWER
MICHIGAN. LOCALIZED FLOODING WAS ALSO OBSERVED OVER PARTS OF THE
AREA...ESPECIALLY NORTHWEST OHIO.
THIS WARM RAIN QUICKLY TRANSITIONED TO COLD TEMPERATURES AND
SNOWFALL DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF THE MONTH. SOUTH BEND INDIANA
RECEIVED 6 INCHES OF SNOWFALL BETWEEN THE 2ND AND 4TH WHILE FORT
WAYNE RECEIVED ABOUT A HALF INCH. TEMPERATURES FLUCTUATED DURING THE
FIRST PART OF THE MONTH WITH ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL THROUGH THE 7TH.
BY MARCH 9TH...TEMPERATURES WERE WELL INTO THE 50S. ABOVE NORMAL
TEMPERATURES THEN CONTINUED THROUGH THE 14TH...WITH HIGHS REACHING
THE LOWER 70S FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2007 ON MARCH 13TH.
ANOTHER TRANSITION TO BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES OCCURED DURING THE
MIDDLE OF THE MONTH. SOME LIGHT SNOW ALSO OCCURRED AROUND THE
15TH...WITH 1 TO 2 INCHES ACROSS NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHERN LOWER
MICHIGAN. THE UP AND DOWN TEMPERATURE PATTERN CONTINUED THROUGH THE
21ST OF MARCH. ON THE MORNING OF THE 21ST...TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE
UPPER 20S AND LOWER 30S AT SUNRISE WITH FREEZING RAIN ACROSS MUCH OF
NORTHERN INDIANA...NORTHWEST OHIO AND SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. ICING
ACTUALLY OCCURRED ON SOME ROADS AND ELEVATED OBJECTS...AND PARTS OF
INTERSTATE 69 NORTH OF FORT WAYNE HAD NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS. BY LATE
AFTERNOON HOWEVER...TEMPERATURES SOARED INTO THE UPPER 60S AND LOWER
70S. TEMPERATURES THEN REMAINED ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE REMAINDER OF
THE MONTH.
SEVERAL TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE BROKEN IN MARCH. RECORD HIGH
TEMPERATURES WERE TIED OR BROKEN IN SOUTH BEND AND FORT WAYNE ON
MARCH 13TH...25TH AND 26TH. RECORD WARM MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE
ALSO SET AT BOTH SOUTH BEND AND FORT WAYNE ON MARCH 26TH. THE LOW OF
65 DEGREES ON THE 26TH AT SOUTH BEND TIED THEIR ALL TIME RECORD WARM
MINIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR MARCH...WHICH PREVIOUSLY OCCURRED ON MARCH
30TH 1998.
WHILE PRECIPITATION ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA WAS NOT ABNORMALLY HIGH
AND DID NOT BREAK ANY RECORDS...MANY LOCATIONS EXPERIENCED
PRECIPITATION
ON OVER HALF OF THE DAYS IN MARCH. PRECIPITATION WAS HEAVIEST FROM
NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA TO NORTHWEST OHIO WHERE MANY RIVERS
EXPERIENCED MINOR TO MODERATE FLOODING. LIMA OHIO RECEIVED 7.41
INCHES OF PRECIPITATION IN MARCH...4.73 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL.
...FEBRUARY 2007...
FEBRUARY WAS A COLD MONTH WITH ABOVE NORMAL SNOWFALL...INCLUDING TWO
VERY DIFFERENT BLIZZARDS. ON FEBRUARY 3RD...STRONG LOW PRESSURE
BROUGHT LIGHT SNOW AMOUNTS TO THE AREA BUT ALSO WHIPPED UP WINDS IN
EXCESS OF 45 MPH. THIS LIGHT SNOW AND STRONG WINDS LED TO BLIZZARD
CONDITIONS WITH NEAR ZERO VISIBILITIES AND WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. ON
FEBRUARY 13TH...ANOTHER BLIZZARD AFFECTED THE AREA BUT THIS TIME
WITH VERY HEAVY SNOW. THE ENTIRE REGION EXPERIENCED HEAVY SNOW WITH
AMOUNTS RANGING FROM 6 TO 18 INCHES. IN ADDITION...GUSTY WINDS OF
30 TO 40 MPH CREATED SNOW DRIFTS OF 4 TO 6 FEET AND CLOSED MANY
ROADS.
AN ICE STORM AFFECTED THE REGION IN LATE FEBRUARY WITH ICE
ACCUMULATIONS UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN SOME AREAS ON THE 24TH AND
25TH. POWER OUTAGES AND DOWNED TREES WERE REPORTED BUT TEMPERATURES
QUICKLY WARMED AND MELTED THE ICE.
TEMPERATURES WERE GENERALLY 8 TO 12 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL IN FEBRUARY
WHILE SNOWFALL WAS 2 TO 5 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL.
...JANUARY 2007...
JANUARY 2007 WAS A MONTH DIVIDED AS THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH WAS
VERY WARM WITH ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION AND BELOW NORMAL
SNOWFALL. THE SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH SAW A DRAMATIC TURN WITH
TEMPERATURES DROPPING BELOW NORMAL AND AN INCREASE IN SNOWFALL. AT
SOUTH BEND...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH ON JANUARY 15TH
WAS 12.4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS ON A PACE TO BE A RECORD
WARM JANUARY. HOWEVER...IT TURNED VERY COLD IN THE SECOND PART OF
THE MONTH WHICH BROUGHT THE MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE DOWN TO 29
DEGREES...5.6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. JANUARY 2007 WAS THE 12TH
WETTEST JANUARY ON RECORD WITH 3.50 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION...1.23
INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. 25.3 INCHES OF SNOW FELL IN JANUARY...2.1
INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. MOST OF THIS FELL IN THE LATTER PART OF THE
MONTH.
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