000
NOUS42 KTAE 031643
PNSTAE
FLZ017-302100-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
1245 PM EDT WED SEP 3 2008

...WETTEST AUGUST ON RECORD FOR TALLAHASSEE...

RAINFALL AT THE TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL AIRPORT FOR AUGUST MEASURED 
16.52 INCHES...9.49 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD 
OF 15.73 INCHES SET IN 1977. THE GREATEST AMOUNT IN A 24-HOUR PERIOD 
WAS 8.09 INCHES FROM THE 22ND THROUGH 23RD AND WAS ASSOCIATED WITH 
TROPICAL STORM FAY. HIGHER RAINFALL TOTALS WERE RECORDED JUST EAST 
OF TALLAHASSEE WITH UNOFFICIAL AMOUNTS OVER 20 INCHES JUST FOR THAT 
EVENT ALONE. THERE WERE 3 CONSECUTIVE DAILY RAINFALL RECORDS SET AT 
THE AIRPORT FROM THE 21ST THROUGH 23RD. THE FOLLOWING SHOWS THE NEW 
AND OLD RECORDS FOR THOSE DAYS:

    DATE     NEW RECORD     OLD RECORD  
     21        3.03         2.00  1906
     22        6.30         3.75  1908
     23        2.11         1.59  2005

THIS RECORD BREAKING AUGUST HELPED TO ERASE OUR ANNUAL RAINFALL 
DEFICIT. BEFORE WE RECEIVED THE RAINS FROM FAY...WE WERE OVER 9 
INCHES BELOW NORMAL FOR THE YEAR. BY THE END OF AUGUST WE HAD A 
SURPLUS OF 0.78 INCHES WITH A YEARLY TOTAL OF 47.77 INCHES. THIS 
AMOUNT IS OVER 16 INCHES MORE THAN WHAT WE HAD AT THE END OF AUGUST 
IN 2007. 

THERE WERE 13 DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORMS AT THE AIRPORT WHICH WAS 3 
BELOW NORMAL. THE PEAK WIND GUST WAS 44 MPH FROM THE SOUTHEAST ON 
THE 23RD. 

THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE FOR AUGUST AT TALLAHASSEE WAS 81.3 
DEGREES...0.8 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE DURING 
THE MONTH WAS 98 DEGREES ON THE 6TH. THE LOWEST WAS 62 DEGREES ON 
THE 10TH WHICH ESTABLISHED A NEW RECORD LOW FOR THE DATE. THE 
PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 64 DEGREES IN 2002. THE LOW TEMPERATURE ON THE 
31ST WAS 80 DEGREES WHICH BROKE THE PREVIOUS HIGHEST LOW TEMP OF 77 
DEGREES FOR THAT DATE AND TIED THE ALL-TIME HIGHEST LOW TEMPERATURE 
FOR ANY DATE AT TALLAHASSEE. THERE WERE 19 DAYS IN THE MONTH WITH A 
MAX TEMPERATURE OF 90 DEGREES OR HIGHER WHICH WAS 2 BELOW NORMAL.

THE OUTLOOK FOR SEPTEMBER FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER CALLS 
FOR EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...NORMAL OR BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES 
AND AN ENHANCED CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION. THE AVERAGE 
MONTHLY TEMPERATURE FOR SEPTEMBER IS 78.9 DEGREES AND NORMAL 
RAINFALL IS 5.01 INCHES.   

ACCORDING TO THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER THERE IS A 32% CHANCE 
THAT THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE 3-MONTH PERIOD FROM SEPTEMBER 
THROUGH NOVEMBER WILL BE ABOVE NORMAL (> 69.4 DEGREES)...A 35% 
CHANCE NEAR NORMAL (67.6 - 69.4) AND A 33% CHANCE BELOW NORMAL 
(< 67.6). THERE ARE NO 3-MONTH PRECIPITATION OUTLOOKS FOR SPECIFIC 
POINT LOCATIONS AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...THE GENERALIZED OUTLOOK FOR 
THE TALLAHASSEE AREA CALLS FOR AN ENHANCED CHANCE OF EXPERIENCING 
ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL. THE NORMAL 3-MONTH RAINFALL FOR TALLAHASSEE 
IS 12.12 INCHES.

THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE CAN BE ACCESSED TO RECEIVE 3-MONTH AVERAGE 
TEMPERATURE FORECASTS FOR SEVERAL OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE LOCAL 
TRI-STATE REGION:

HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/CLIMATE/CALENDAR_OUTLOOK.PHP?WFO=TAE

$$

BARRY