CONTACT:  Patricia Viets               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
          Stephanie Kenitzer           9/18/97

This summer was the 24th driest in the past 103 years, with a national average precipitation value of 7.68 inches for the contiguous United States. The normal rainfall amount for the summer is 8.24 inches. The summer statistics were released today by the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Temperature-wise, it was the 37th coolest, tipping the thermometer at 71.5 degrees Fahrenheit, compared with an average summer temperature of 71.7 degrees. The values are for the months of June, July and August, also known as the climatological summer. All values are based on preliminary data, compiled by NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville, N.C., and Climate Prediction Center (CPC) in Camp Springs, Md. The final values could change somewhat as data are checked and archived at NCDC.

"Regionally and state-by-state, we saw some extremes in both precipitation and temperatures," said William Brown, a NOAA climatologist.

For example, Summer 1997 was the 9th driest such season on record for the Northeast region. It was also the 11th driest summer on record for the Central region, 13th driest for the Southeast region, and the 27th driest such season on record for the Southwest region. In contrast, Summer 1997 was the 11th wettest summer since 1895 for the West region and the 18th wettest summer on record for the Northwest region.

What contributed to these extremes? "The wet conditions across the west and northwest were mainly due to unseasonable June rains in northern California, Oregon and Washington, plus rare August showers from the remnants of Pacific Tropical Storm Ignacio from central California northward into the Pacific Northwest," said David Miskus, a NOAA scientist.

"A persistent upper air pattern of low pressure over the East and high pressure over the West kept it cooler and drier than normal across the eastern half of the United States," added Miskus. "Cool Canadian air frequently intruded into the central, southern and eastern U.S. This pattern also hindered moisture from the Gulf and Atlantic from flowing northward into the Ohio Valley, Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and Southeast. In addition, a tranquil Atlantic hurricane season, with the exception of Hurricane Danny, meant fewer and weaker tropical systems and rainfall for the South."

On a statewide basis, it was the fourth driest summer on record for Maryland and Virginia; fifth driest for New Jersey; seventh driest for Arizona, New York and North Carolina; ninth driest for Georgia and Kentucky; and the tenth driest summer on record for West Virginia. Dryness dates back to the start of 1997 in the mid-Atlantic region, with five states (Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New Jersey) recording one of their six driest January-August periods in 103 years.

It was the 9th coolest summer on record for the Southeast region, the 20th coolest summer since 1895 for the Central region, and the 25th coolest summer for the South region. Summer 1997 was the 25th warmest such season for the Northwest region and the 32nd warmest such season for the West-North Central region.

This summer was the sixth coolest summer on record for Georgia and the ninth coolest summer since 1895 for both Mississippi and South Carolina. No states ranked within the top-ten warm category.

NOAA's National Climatic Data Center is the world's largest active archive of weather data. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center monitors, analyzes and predicts climate events ranging from weeks to seasons.

NCDC can be found on the World Wide Web at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov NCEP can be found at:

http://nic.fb4.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/CLIM_HIGH