Issued by NWS Grand Rapids, MI
000 CXUS53 KGRR 191714 CCA CLMGRR CXUS53 KGRR 011401 CLMGRR CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS, MI 959 AM EDT MON SEP 1 2008...RETRANS ................................... ...THE GRAND RAPIDS MI CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2008... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1892 TO 2008 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL ................................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 102 08/06/1918 LOW 39 08/30/1976 HIGHEST 90 08/23 MM MM 96 08/01 LOWEST 49 08/26 MM MM 50 08/18 AVG. MAXIMUM 82.3 79.7 2.6 82.9 AVG. MINIMUM 59.0 59.0 0.0 63.7 MEAN 70.6 69.4 1.2 73.3 DAYS MAX >= 90 1 MM MM 8 DAYS MAX <= 32 0 MM MM 0 DAYS MIN <= 32 0 MM MM 0 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 MM MM 0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) TOTALS 1.05 3.78 -2.73 6.10 DAILY AVG. 0.03 0.12 -0.09 0.20 DAYS >= .01 5 MM MM 12 DAYS >= .10 3 MM MM 9 DAYS >= .50 0 MM MM 4 DAYS >= 1.00 0 MM MM 1 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 0.46 08/06 TO 08/07 SNOWFALL (INCHES) TOTALS 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 SINCE 7/1 0.0 SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 MM MM 0 DAYS >= 1.0 0 0.0 0.0 0 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 0 MM 0 MM 24 HR TOTAL 0.0 08/31 TO 08/31 DEGREE_DAYS HEATING TOTAL 3 24 -21 11 SINCE 7/1 4 34 -30 13 COOLING TOTAL 186 165 21 279 SINCE 1/1 569 552 17 791 ................................................................. WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 6.9 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 28/290 DATE 08/06 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 40/300 DATE 08/06 SKY COVER POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) 70 NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 15 NUMBER OF DAYS PC 16 NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 0 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 65 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 4 MIXED PRECIP 0 HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 3 LIGHT RAIN 6 FREEZING RAIN 0 LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0 HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0 LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0 FOG 11 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 2 HAZE 7 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. $$ AUGUST WAS THE DRIEST MONTH OF THE 2008 TO DATE. IT WAS ALSO THE MONTH WITH THE LEAST NUMBER OF DAYS OF MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION DAYS IN 2008. AT GRAND RAPIDS THERE WERE ONLY 5 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION. THE LAST TIME GRAND RAPIDS HAD LESS DAYS IN A CALENDAR MONTH WITH MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION WAS IN SEPTEMBER OF 2004 WHEN THERE WAS ONLY 4 DAYS. AT LANSING THERE WERE 7 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION. THE LAST TIME THE LANSING AREA HAD LESS DAYS OF MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION IN A CALENDAR MONTH WAS JUNE OF 2006 WHEN THERE WAS 6 DAYS. RAINFALL ACROSS THE AREA WAS FROM 2 TO 3 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. MOST AREA IN THE GRAND RAPIDS COUNTY WARNING AREA (CWA) HAD LESS THAN ONE AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH. THERE WAS ALSO A LACK OF SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN DURING THE MONTH. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER EVENT CAME ON THE 7TH WHEN A SERIES OF WATERSPOUTS DEVELOPED OVER LAKE MICHIGAN. THE WATERSPOUTS OCCURRED OFFSHORE FROM GRAND HAVEN DOWN TO SOUTH HAVEN DURING THE LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS AS A FRONT DROPPED THROUGH THE AREA. THE FRONT...COMBINED WITH COOL TEMPERATURES MOVING OVER THE 70 PLUS DEGREE WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN PRODUCED THE WATERSPOUTS. OTHER THAN THE WATERSPOUTS...ONLY AN ISOLATED SEVERE EVENT OCCURRED WHEN SOME ISOLATED WIND DAMAGE OCCURRED IN HARRISON AND ST. JOHNS ON THE 23RD WITH A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS. BESIDES BEING A DRY MONTH AUGUST 2008 WAS THE COOLEST AUGUST SINCE 2004. MOST OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AVERAGED NEAR NORMAL EVEN SO. THE COOLEST PART OF THE MONTH WAS FROM THE 8TH THROUGH THE 16TH. DURING THAT TIME NEARLY EVERY DAY WAS COOLER THAN NORMAL ACROSS THE AREA. THE COLDEST LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 32 DEGREES... WHICH WAS REPORTED AT BALDWIN ON THE MORNING OF THE 26TH. THE 23RD WAS THE WARMEST DAY FOR THE MONTH IN MOST AREAS. GRAND RAPIDS AND LANSING BOTH BRIEFLY WARMED TO 90 DEGREES. BATTLE CREEK HAD THE WARMEST REPORTED HIGH IN THE AREA FOR AUGUST WITH A HIGH OF 91 DEGREES ON THE 23RD. SEVERAL LOCATIONS REACHED 90 DEGREES ON THE 31ST...THOSE WOULD INCLUDE HOLLAND AND WELLSTON.