Have a happy and SAFE New Year's Eve!
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
425 PM EST WED DEC 30 2009
..2009 SOUTH FLORIDA WEATHER SUMMARY...
...WARMER THAN NORMAL...
WARMER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES WERE OBSERVED ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA
IN 2009. AFTER A COOL JANUARY AND FEBRUARY, MONTHLY AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES STAYED AT OR ABOVE NORMAL VALUES THROUGH THE REMAINDER
OF THE YEAR.
HERE ARE 2009 TEMPERATURE AVERAGES (DEGREES F) FOR SELECTED SITES
THROUGH DECEMBER 29 (7 AM DECEMBER 30 FOR MIAMI BEACH AND MOORE HAVEN):
LOCATION 2009 AVG TEMP DEPARTURE RANK
MIAMI INT'L 77.89 +1.2 3RD WARMEST
*FORT LAUDERDALE INT'L 77.49 +1.6 3RD WARMEST
PALM BEACH INT'L 75.89 +0.6 16TH WARMEST
NAPLES REGIONAL 75.38 +1.3 11TH WARMEST
MIAMI BEACH 76.36 +0.5 12TH WARMEST
MOORE HAVEN 73.97 +0.9 12TH WARMEST
* THE OFFICIAL FORT LAUDERDALE CLIMATE SITE WAS MOVED IN 2002 FROM
THE DIXIE WATER PLANT TO THE FORT LAUDERDALE/HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT. THE NEW SITE HAS SHOWN TO BE MUCH WARMER THAN THE OLD SITE.
THIS IS PROBABLY BECAUSE THE AIRPORT IS CLOSER TO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN
AND THE FACT THAT THERE IS MORE CONCRETE AND ASPHALT AT THE AIRPORT
SITE COMPARED TO THE DIXIE WATER PLANT SITE. *
A NOTABLE ASPECT REGARDING THE WARM TEMPERATURES IN 2009 WAS THE HIGH
NUMBER OF 90-PLUS DEGREE DAYS. MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REGISTERED
A TOTAL OF 121 DAYS OF TEMPERATURES REACHING THE 90-DEGREE MARK, THE
MOST RECORDED AT THAT SITE SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1937. AT OTHER
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA SITES, THE NUMBER OF 90-PLUS DEGREE DAYS RANGED
FROM 83 AT FORT LAUDERDALE INTERNATIONAL TO 91 AT PALM BEACH
INTERNATIONAL TO AS HIGH AS 137 DAYS WELL INLAND AT WEST KENDALL
TAMIAMI AIRPORT. ON THE OTHER HAND, COASTAL LOCATIONS SUCH AS MIAMI
BEACH ONLY RECORDED 19 DAYS OF 90-PLUS DEGREE TEMPERATURES, NO DOUBT
INFLUENCED BY THE SLIGHTLY COOLER SUMMER SEA BREEZES. A SIMILAR
EFFECT OCCURRED ON THE SOUTHWEST GULF COAST, WHERE NAPLES REGIONAL
AIRPORT CLOSER TO THE COAST REGISTERED 108 DAYS OF 90-PLUS DEGREE
TEMPERATURES COMPARED TO 164 DAYS AT THE NAPLES COOPERATIVE SITE IN
GOLDEN GATE ABOUT 6 MILES INLAND. OVER INLAND LOCATIONS AND IN THE
LAKE OKEECHOBEE AREA, THE NUMBER OF 90-PLUS DEGREE DAYS INCLUDED 127
DAYS IN MOORE HAVEN (5TH HIGHEST ON RECORD), 133 DAYS IN LABELLE,
138 DAYS IN IMMOKALEE AND 169 DAYS IN DEVILS GARDEN IN CENTRAL
HENDRY COUNTY.
PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS VARIED WIDELY ACROSS THE REGION, WITH MOST OF
THE METRO AREAS ALONG THE SOUTHEAST AND LOWER SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
COASTS REGISTERING BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL AND MOST INTERIOR LOCATIONS
RECORDING ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL. A VERY DRY WINTER AND SPRING LED TO
A VERY WET EARLY SUMMER, AND THEN FOLLOWED BY NEAR NORMAL TO BELOW
NORMAL RAINFALL RIGHT UP TO THE LAST HALF OF DECEMBER WHEN VERY HEAVY
RAINFALL AFFECTED MUCH OF THE AREA (SEE BELOW FOR FURTHER DETAILS).
HERE ARE 2009 RAINFALL TOTALS AND DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL FROM AROUND
THE AREA (IN INCHES) THROUGH 7 AM DECEMBER 30:
LOCATION 2009 PRECIP DEPARTURE RANK
MIAMI INT'L 52.90 -6.32 38TH DRIEST
PALM BEACH INT'L 59.06 -2.13 52ND DRIEST
FORT LAUDERDALE INT'L 45.80* -18.23
NAPLES REGIONAL 33.91* -17.89 3RD DRIEST
HOLLYWOOD WATER PLANT 68.71 +7.26
MIAMI BEACH 62.12 +15.52 9TH WETTEST
THE REDLAND (SOUTH DADE) 61.37 -0.19
MOORE HAVEN 50.53 +4.09 34TH WETTEST
NWS MIAMI (FIU SWEETWATER) 57.56
CLEWISTON 56.12 +10.72
HOMESTEAD 53.93 -4.90
MARCO ISLAND 51.84
ORTONA 51.02
BRIGHTON RESERVATION 50.01
* NAPLES COOPERATIVE SITE AT GOLDEN GATE AQUATIC COMPLEX MEASURED
56.78 INCHES AND FORT LAUDERDALE COOPERATIVE SITE AT DIXIE WATER PLANT
MEASURED 64.16 INCHES. *
PERHAPS MOST NOTEWORTHY IN 2009 IS WHAT DIDN'T HAPPEN WEATHER-WISE.
NO TROPICAL CYCLONES AFFECTED SOUTH FLORIDA IN 2009, MIRRORING THE
TREND OF BELOW NORMAL ACTIVITY IN THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC.
NEVERTHELESS, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EVENTS IN
SOUTH FLORIDA DURING 2009 WHICH ARE INCLUDED IN THE SEASONAL
BREAKDOWN BELOW.
JANUARY-APRIL:
THE DRIEST WINTER ON RECORD (DECEMBER-FEBRUARY) WAS SET AT MIAMI AND
FORT LAUDERDALE, WHERE RAINFALL AMOUNTS DURING THE THREE-MONTH
PERIOD WERE 0.74 AND 0.39 INCHES, RESPECTIVELY. WEST PALM BEACH,
NAPLES AND MIAMI BEACH RECORDED THEIR SECOND DRIEST WINTER ON
RECORD. WEST PALM BEACH SET INDIVIDUAL MONTHLY DRIEST RECORDS IN
JANUARY AND FEBRUARY WHEN A COMBINED TOTAL OF ONLY .25 INCHES FELL.
MARCH AND APRIL CONTINUED THE VERY DRY TREND, HOWEVER NO RECORDS
WERE SET AS THE AREA RECEIVED SLIGHTLY HIGHER RAINFALL AMOUNTS
COMPARED TO THE BONE-DRY WINTER MONTHS. THE SIX-MONTH PERIOD FROM
NOVEMBER 2008 THROUGH APRIL 2009 RANKED AS THE SECOND DRIEST PERIOD
ON RECORD OVER MOST OF SOUTH FLORIDA. AS A RESULT, SEVERE TO EXTREME
DROUGHT CONDITIONS PREVAILED OVER SOUTH FLORIDA FROM LATE FEBRUARY
THROUGH APRIL. THE VERY DRY GROUND CONTRIBUTED TO A NUMBER OF
WILDFIRES ACROSS THE AREA, MOST NOTABLY A VERY LARGE WILDFIRE IN THE
BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE IN COLLIER COUNTY WHICH BURNED OVER
30,000 ACRES FROM LATE APRIL THROUGH EARLY MAY.
TEMPERATURES WERE COOLER THAN NORMAL DURING JANUARY AND FEBRUARY,
BOUNCING BACK TO NEAR NORMAL IN MARCH AND ABOVE NORMAL IN APRIL. TWO
SIGNIFICANT FREEZES AFFECTED SOUTH FLORIDA: ONE ON JANUARY 21ST AND
22ND AND THE OTHER ON FEBRUARY 5TH. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES IN 6
YEARS WERE EXPERIENCED IN MANY AREAS OF SOUTH FLORIDA FROM BOTH COLD
OUTBREAKS. FREEZING TEMPERATURES OCCURRED AS FAR SOUTH AS THE
AGRICULTURAL AREAS OF SOUTHEAST FLORIDA ON JANUARY 22ND AND ALL THE
WAY INTO METRO AREAS OF PALM BEACH AND BROWARD COUNTIES AS WELL AS
COASTAL SECTIONS OF COLLIER COUNTY ON FEBRUARY 5TH. LOWEST
TEMPERATURES RECORDED DURING BOTH EVENTS WERE 22 DEGREES IN PALMDALE
(GLADES COUNTY), WITH READINGS IN THE MID AND UPPER 20S OVER LARGE
PORTIONS OF THE INTERIOR SOUTHERN FLORIDA PENINSULA. HEAVY FROST ON
JANUARY 22ND LED TO SEVERE CROP DAMAGE IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA AND
AROUND LAKE OKEECHOBEE. DAMAGE ESTIMATES TO CROPS WAS IN THE $60
MILLION RANGE. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OF THE YEAR FOR THE
PRIMARY WEATHER STATIONS WERE:
NAPLES: 33 (JAN 22)
WEST PALM BEACH: 33 (FEB 5)
FORT LAUDERDALE: 37 (FEB 5)
MIAMI: 38 (FEB 5)
MAY-SEPTEMBER:
THE SPRING'S SEVERE TO EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSISTED INTO THE
FIRST HALF OF MAY. FORTUNATELY, THE RAINY SEASON BEGAN EARLY, ON MAY
11, AND WAS NOTED FOR VERY WET CONDITIONS OVER ALL BUT THE WESTERN
SECTIONS OF COLLIER COUNTY. THESE CONDITIONS LASTED THROUGH THE END
OF MAY AND MOST OF JUNE. THE VERY WET START TO THE RAINY SEASON PUT
AN END TO THE DROUGHT BY THE LAST WEEK OF MAY. THIS REVERSAL FROM
VERY DRY TO VERY WET CONDITIONS OVER THE COURSE OF A COUPLE OF WEEKS
IS BEST ILLUSTRATED BY WEST PALM BEACH GOING FROM THEIR SECOND
DRIEST DRY SEASON ON RECORD TO THEIR SECOND WETTEST MAY ON RECORD.
IN FACT, WEST PALM BEACH'S ENTIRE MAY RAINFALL OF 15.69 INCHES FELL
BETWEEN MAY 18TH AND MAY 31ST! OTHER LOCATIONS RECEIVED RAINFALL
AMOUNTS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES IN MAY, EXCEPT NAPLES WHICH REMAINED BELOW
NORMAL AT 3.92 INCHES. THE PRIMARY CAUSE FOR THE REVERSAL FROM DRY
TO WET WAS A PERSISTENT MID TO UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE TROUGH WHICH
SET UP OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO AND PROVIDED MOISTURE AND ATMOSPHERIC
INSTABILITY TO THE REGION.
THIS MOSTLY WET PATTERN PREVAILED THROUGH JUNE AND INTO MUCH OF
JULY. AS A RESULT, ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL CONTINUED THROUGH THE FIRST
HALF OF THE RAINY SEASON, PRIMARILY OVER INTERIOR AND EASTERN
SECTIONS OF SOUTH FLORIDA. ON THE AFTERNOON OF JUNE 5TH, A SUPERCELL
THUNDERSTORM REMAINED NEARLY STATIONARY OVER DOWNTOWN MIAMI AND
MIAMI BEACH. THE STORM DROPPED A TOTAL OF 9.3 INCHES OF RAIN IN
MIAMI BEACH IN LESS THAN 3 HOURS ALONG WITH GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL.
THE RESULT WAS SEVERE FLOODING IN PORTIONS OF MIAMI BEACH. AREAS ALONG
THE IMMEDIATE GULF COAST, PARTICULARLY THE CITY OF NAPLES, WERE THE
EXCEPTION TO THE RULE AS THEY REMAINED DRIER THAN NORMAL DUE TO
WESTERLY WINDS KEEPING MOST OF THE THUNDERSTORMS INLAND.
DURING AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, THE PATTERN SHIFTED TO HIGH PRESSURE
OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC AND THE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES WHICH
BROUGHT MOSTLY EASTERLY WINDS TO SOUTH FLORIDA. THE SHIFT IN WIND
DIRECTION STEERED MOST OF THE DAILY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
TOWARDS THE WEST, RESULTING IN MUCH NEEDED ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL
VALUES FOR WESTERN SECTIONS OF MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA.
TEMPERATURES WERE ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE MAY- SEPTEMBER PERIOD. A
HISTORIC HEAT WAVE OCCURRED ON JUNE 21ST AND 22ND. TEMPERATURES
SOARED INTO THE UPPER 90S TO 100 DEGREES OVER INTERIOR AND EASTERN
SECTIONS OF SOUTH FLORIDA. AN ALL-TIME RECORDED HIGH OF 100 DEGREES
WAS TIED AT FORT LAUDERDALE ON JUNE 22ND. MIAMI TIED THEIR MONTHLY
RECORD WITH A HIGH OF 98 DEGREES ON THE SAME DAY. THE VERY HOT
TEMPERATURES OF JUNE 22 WERE FOLLOWED BY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WHICH
POUNDED SOUTH FLORIDA DURING MUCH OF THE DAY ON JUNE 23RD. THE
THUNDERSTORMS OF JUNE 23RD RESULTED IN 4 INJURIES AND THOUSANDS OF
DOLLARS IN DAMAGE FROM LIGHTNING AND STRONG WINDS.
THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURES OF THE YEAR FOR THE PRIMARY WEATHER
STATIONS WERE:
FORT LAUDERDALE: 100 (JUNE 22)
MIAMI: 98 (JUNE 22)
WEST PALM BEACH: 96 (JUNE 21 AND JUNE 22)
NAPLES: 95 (JULY 11 AND AUGUST 17)
OCTOBER-DECEMBER:
STRONG HIGH PRESSURE OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA CAUSED UNSEASONABLY HOT
AND DRY WEATHER OVER ALL OF SOUTH FLORIDA DURING MOST OF OCTOBER.
MIAMI ESTABLISHED ITS HOTTEST OCTOBER ON RECORD WITH AN AVERAGE
MONTHLY TEMPERATURE OF 82.4 DEGREES. THE TEMPERATURE IN MIAMI
REACHED OR EXCEEDED 90 DEGREES ON 13 CONSECUTIVE DAYS FROM OCTOBER 5
TO OCTOBER 17, SETTING A RECORD FOR MOST NUMBER OF CONSECUTIVE
90-PLUS DEGREE DAYS IN OCTOBER. LABELLE AND MOORE HAVEN TIED THEIR
RECORD OF CONSECUTIVE 90-PLUS DEGREE DAYS WITH 15 AND 12 DAYS,
RESPECTIVELY. THE HEAT REACHED ITS PEAK ON OCTOBER 6 AND 7 WHEN
TEMPERATURES SOARED INTO THE MID TO UPPER 90S. CLEWISTON AND OCHOPEE
HIT 98 DEGREES, WHICH FOR CLEWISTON IS A RECORD FOR THE MONTH OF
OCTOBER. AN UNSEASONABLY STRONG COLD FRONT SWEPT THROUGH SOUTH
FLORIDA ON OCTOBER 17TH, PUTTING AN ABRUPT BUT TEMPORARY END TO THE
HEAT. LOWS DROPPED INTO THE 40S AND 50S; AND HIGHS ON OCTOBER 18TH
WERE AS MUCH AS 20 DEGREES LOWER THAN THE PREVIOUS DAY'S HIGHS.
RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE READINGS WERE SET AT ALL FOUR PRIMARY SOUTH
FLORIDA SITES.
THIS FRONT ALSO BROUGHT AN END TO THE SOUTH FLORIDA RAINY SEASON.
FORT LAUDERDALE SET A RECORD FOR THEIR DRIEST OCTOBER ON RECORD WITH
A TOTAL OF ONLY 0.73 INCHES OF RAIN. OVERALL, THE 2009 RAINY SEASON
WAS NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF PORTIONS OF THE
SOUTHWEST GULF COAST AND SOUTHEAST METRO AREAS WHICH WERE RELATIVELY
DRY.
THE WARM TEMPERATURES CONTINUED IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER WITH FEW
INTERRUPTIONS. TEMPERATURES SOARED INTO THE UPPER 80S TO NEAR 90 ON
DECEMBER 3RD AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT AND AGAIN ON DECEMBER 9TH AND
10TH. WEST PALM BEACH (90 DEGREES ON DEC 9) AND MIAMI (89 DEGREES ON
DEC 10) TIED THEIR ALL-TIME RECORDED DECEMBER HIGHS.
RAINFALL DURING THE LAST 2 MONTHS OF THE YEAR WAS NEAR TO BELOW
NORMAL ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA UNTIL MID-DECEMBER WHEN A SERIES OF WEAK
FRONTAL SYSTEMS BROUGHT COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF RAIN TO MUCH OF THE AREA.
ON THE NIGHT OF DECEMBER 17TH AND EARLY MORNING OF DECEMBER 18TH, A
RETREATING WARM FRONT HELPED TO PRODUCE EXTREME RAINFALL AMOUNTS
OVER PARTS OF BROWARD AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTIES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF
10-15 INCHES WERE EITHER MEASURED OR ESTIMATED OVER SOUTHEAST
BROWARD AND NORTHEAST MIAMI-DADE COUNTIES, CAUSING SEVERE FLOODING
TO SCORES OF HOMES AND BUSINESSES.
2009 SEVERE WEATHER STATISTICS:
A TOTAL OF 8 PEOPLE DIED AS A RESULT OF WEATHER RELATED HAZARDS IN
MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA IN 2009. RIP CURRENTS ONCE AGAIN LED THE LIST
WITH 5 DEATHS DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE "FAIR WEATHER KILLER".
LIGHTNING STRIKES CLAIMED 2 LIVES; AND ONE DEATH WAS ATTRIBUTED TO
COLD EXPOSURE IN POMPANO BEACH ON FEBRUARY 5TH. A TOTAL OF 14
WEATHER RELATED INJURIES WERE NOTED: 8 FROM RIP CURRENTS, 5 FROM
LIGHTNING AND ONE FROM THUNDERSTORM WINDS. ONLY FOUR TORNADOES WERE
CONFIRMED OVER MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA, THE LOWEST YEARLY TOTAL SINCE
2006. MONETARY DAMAGE AMOUNTS AS A RESULT OF WEATHER HAZARDS IS
ESTIMATED AT $62 MILLION, MOST OF IT COMING FROM CROP DAMAGE DURING
THE FREEZES OF JANUARY AND FEBRUARY.
2010 OUTLOOK:
WITH EL NIO EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH THE SPRING, THE
CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER'S OUTLOOK THROUGH APRIL CALLS FOR AN
ENHANCED LIKELIHOOD OF BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AS WELL AS ABOVE
NORMAL PRECIPITATION. NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION IS
POSSIBLE DURING MAY, FOLLOWED BY THE POSSIBILITY OF ABOVE NORMAL
TEMPERATURES AND ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR PARTS OF THE SUMMER
AND EARLY FALL (PLEASE NOTE THAT THE OUTLOOKS AT LONGER RANGES ARE
PRONE TO LARGE ERRORS).
FOR THE LATEST WEATHER FORECASTS AND ALERTS, PLEASE VISIT THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA WEB SITE AT
WEATHER.GOV/SOUTHFLORIDA.
HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
MOLLEDA
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