The Pennsylvania Observer
The Pennsylvania Observer
July 16, 2004
Recap of Pennsylvania's weather from June 15 through July 15, 2004.
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The Pennsylvania Observer
Summertime weather was in full swing from Mid-June to Mid-July. An antonym to 2003 at the same
time, Pennsylvania saw frequent sun and warmth as opposed to steady rainstorms parading across the
ridges of the Appalachians. However, the state has seen its share of interesting weather so far. On June
15, widespread severe weather affected the state from the NY border all the way to the MD border.
Strong, gusty winds partnered with stunning lightning were to blame for widespread damage. For the
rest of the month, however, soupy, muggy conditions were the norm across much of the
Commonwealth until the 'perfect' weather on the weekend of June 26 and 27.
The month of July got off to a troublesome start as an intense hailstorm pounded Lebanon County with
stones one inch in diameter. Then, three days later, the 4th fest in State College was completely
drenched with relentless sheets of rain during the fireworks extravaganza. Toward the middle of the
month, a troublesome pattern set the stage for inexorable rainstorms that inundated and drenched
eastern counties in Pennsylvania. Hatfield, Montgomery County measured 10.00" of rain in the 24 hour
period. Finally, another round of tempests caught many Pennsylvanians off guard on the 14th. Tornado
warnings issued for Lebanon and York Counties yielded reports of damage including destroyed homes
and swollen creeks and streams.
Here are the weather extremes (observations taken at 8 AM EDT) for the period 6/15 - 7/15 from the
NWS Cooperative & ASOS Networks of which our office receives routine observations…
Location
Value
Date (8 AM
Highest Temperature
Philadelphia
(ASOS)
93° F
July 6, 2004
Lowest Temperature
Mercer (COOP)
31 °F June 20, 2004
Mercer
Greatest 24 Hour
Liquid Precipitation
Philadelphia
[PNE] (ASOS)
4.64 " July 13, 2004
Philadelphia
June 15 - July
Greatest Cumulative
Pottstown (ASOS) 8.95 "
15, 2004
Liquid Precip.
Montgomery
Parameter
EDT)
Glazewski/Ayers
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County
Philadelphia
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The Pennsylvania Observer
There is a treasure trove of information on the Pennsylvania State Climate Office web page and each edition of this newsletter
will highlight one of these gems so that you can gain even more for your visit to the web site.
This newsletter concludes the exploration of the Daily Visual Summary page from the previous two newsletters:
An Introduction
The Daily Visual Summary page provides a description of the weather in a format that is user-friendly and easy to comprehend
for the novice, yet rich enough in detail to satisfy the serious meteorological user. It is suitable for both casual browsing and
thorough analysis. The Daily Visual Summary can also serve as a gateway to other portions of the climate office site, as it links
together many of the aspects that describe a particular day's weather that can be found on our site.
The Daily Visual Summary Almanac
For this page pointer, we'll show you how to further your exploration of the Daily Visual Summary Page by giving you a tour of
the final portion of the page, the Almanac panel.
Once you have navigated to http://pasc.met.psu.edu/dvs/ and selected a location and date {see previous newsletters}, you
arrive at the main Daily Visual Summary page. On the left is a calendar panel which allows one to easily select another date or
station. On the bottom right is the Hourly Summary Tables panel {see previous newsletters}. On the top is the almanac panel,
which is shown below.
(Note: The complete almanac panel is currently only available for ASOS stations; only the temperature min/max are displayed
above the hourly summary tables for the non-ASOS network stations.)
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The almanac panel begins by showing the station and date you have selected, the station id and lists he full name/station
location. It then proceeds with the following three categories of data: daily summary data, climatological data and station
metadata.
For the daily summary data, the maximum and minimum temperature and total precipitation for the day of choice are presented
(summaries are based off of midnight EST [5 GMT]). Derived from these measurements are average temperature, heating
degree days and cooling degree days. If you aren't sure what they mean, click on them to view the corresponding glossary
entries.
Climatological data includes normals, daily departures from normals and record values. Astronomical data such as sunrise and
sunset is also included.
Station metadata is information that describes the specific site. Included in the almanac pane are elevation, county and lat / lon.
To find out more about the station, click on the station id at the top of the almanac panel. It is a hyperlink to the corresponding
location in the station metadata page. This page provides a much more comprehensive look at the specific station.
To access this product:
1. Go to our home page: http://pasc.met.psu.edu/PA_Climatologist/index.php
2. Go to the drop box marked: Choose Data Type
3. Select the "Daily Visual Summary" option in the drop box
or
1. Go to our home page: http://pasc.met.psu.edu/PA_Climatologist/index.php
2. Click on the big map of Pennsylvania (the Mesonet Data link).
3. Click on Archived Data.
4. Click on Daily Visual Summary Page.
or
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http://pasc.met.psu.edu/PA_Climatologist/nl/archive/20040716/sec2.php
Bookmark this link: http://pasc.met.psu.edu/dvs/
The Daily Visual Summary page is under continued development, so stay on the lookout for new features.
We hope you will peruse this part of the web page and if you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]
Greybush
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The Pennsylvania Observer
Climate Highlight
FEATURED CLIMATE HIGHLIGHT
2004-2005 WINTER SNOWFALL PREDICTION
Curious as to which activities one should be preparing for this upcoming winter? Take a
look at the Pennsylvania State Climate Office's first 2004-2005 winter snowfall outlook on
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http://pasc.met.psu.edu/PA_Climatologist/nl/archive/20040716/sec3.php
our Featured Climate Highlight page.
Murdock/Ayers
visit the Climate Highlight Center...
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The Pennsylvania Observer
The Pennsylvania Observer
FOR
July 15 - August 6, 2004
Days 1 - 3: July 15-17
Probability of Event
90 %
R
a
n
k
i
n
g
70 %
50 %
30 %
10 %
1
Tmax stays below 80°F
1
Rainfall >0.01"
1
Tmax < 75°F
1
Rainfall > 0.50"
1
Rainfall > 1.00"
2
>50% cloud cover
2
>60% cloud cover
2
>70% cloud cover
2
<30% cloud cover
2
<20% cloud cover
3
Wind Gust >15 knots
3
Steady Winds >10 knots
3
Wind Gusts>25 knots
3
Steady Winds >15 knots
3
Calm winds
4
Lowest Min < 65°F
4
Lowest Min > 40°F
4
Lowest Min < 55°F
4
Lowest Min < 50°F
4
Lowest Min > 65°F
5
>1 hour of rain
5
> 2 hours of rain
5
2-4 hours of rain
5
> 5 hours of rain
5
No rain
Days 4 - 7: July 18-21
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The Pennsylvania Observer
Probability of Event
90 %
R
a
n
k
i
n
g
70 %
50 %
30 %
10 %
1
Tmax < 90°F
1
Tmax > 70°F
1
Tmax > 75°F
1
Tmax > 80°F
1
Tmax > 85°F
2
Rainfall >0.25"
2
Rainfall 0.30" - 0.75"
2
Rainfall > 0.75"
2
Rainfall < 0.25"
2
Rainfall >3.00"
3
Avg Cloud > 40%
3
Avg Cloud > 50%
3
Avg Cloud > 60%
3
Avg Cloud < 50%
3
Avg Cloud >80 %
4
Lowest Min > 40°F
4
Lowest Min > 45°F
4
Lowest Min > 50°F
4
Lowest Min >60°F
4
Lowest Min > 65°F
Days 8 - 15: July 22-28
Probability of Event
90%
R 1
a
n 2
k
i 3
n
g
70%
50%
30%
10%
1 day above 80°F
1
3 days above 75°F
1
4 days above 70°F
1
1 day below 70°F
1
2 days below 70°F
Rainfall > 0.10"
2
Rainfall 0.10 - 0.50"
2
Rainfall <0.10"
2
Rainfal > 1.00"
2
Rainfall >2.00"
Thunder on at least 1 day
3
Thunder on 2 days
3
No Thunder
3
Thunder on 3 days
3
Thunder on 4 days
Days 16 - 30: July 29 - August 6
Probability of Event
90%
R 1
a
n 2
k
i
n
g
70%
50%
30%
10%
Avg Temps < -1°F
1
Avg Temps < -2°F
1
Avg Temps < -3°F
1
Avg Temps >- 1°F
1
Avg Temps >+1°F
Rainfall < 1.00"
2
Rainfall 1.00 - 1.50"
2
Rainfall < 1.00"
2
Rainfall <0.50"
2
Rainfall < 0.25"
A detailed look at the two month temperature outlook can be found at the July/August 2004 Experimental Forecast Page.
Knight
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The Pennsylvania Observer
return to the Pennsylvania Observer center..
visit the Pennsylvania State Climatologist home page...
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