December was cold and snowy
December was the first month of 2010 with an average temperature below normal. The average temperature of 30.0° was 1.3° below normal and 0.6° lower than last December. The high for the month was 56° on the 2nd, and the low was 7° on the 10th.

Nine days remained below freezing. The first ice skating of the season was noted on small ponds on the 18th. As is usual, it was closely followed by light snow which ruined the good ice. Generally, there were groups of 6 or 8 days that averaged below normal, separated by a few above normal days.

Thirteen days saw some snow, but only five had measurable snow. The month’s main event was the 14.2 inch snow storm on the afternoon of the 26th into the morning of the 27th. This was the largest snow storm since 17.5 inches in December 2008. Total precipitation for the month was 5.23 inches, with 3.08 inches measured on the morning of the 13th.

The year 2010 tied 1998 as the warmest year of record, with an average of 52.4°. The high for the year of 100° on July 6th, was the first time it reached the century mark since. 2002. The low for the year was zero on January 10th. Total precipitation for 2010 was 56.87 inches, which is 10.02 inches above normal.

-- John Anderson 

November was right on the button
The average temperature and total precipitation for November could not have been any closer to the normal as was this past month.

The average temperature of 42.1° was only 0.1° above normal for the entire month, making it the eleventh consecutive month with above normal temperatures. Sixteen days were above normal, while fourteen were on the cool side. The high for the month was 63° on the 17th and 23rd; while the low was 22° on the 3rd and 28th. Fourteen other days dropped to the freezing mark. Only one other day reached 60°.

Total precipitation for the month amounted to 4.48 inches, which is exactly normal. The greatest day was a 1.39 inch total measured on the morning of the 5th. An additional 1.19 inches was measured on the morning of the 17th. Measurable precipitation was noted on only ten other days. The first snowfall of the season was noted on the morning of the 8th, with 0.3 inches. All of these observations make November 2010 as close to normal as any month.

-- John Anderson

October was mild and wet
With an average temperature of 52.9°, which was 1.3° above normal, October was the tenth consecutive month this year that was above normal. Only thirteen days were above normal, but because three of them were nearly 20° on the plus side, the entire month as a whole was a plus.

The overnight lows of 61, 64, and 59 on the 26th, 27th, and 28th were new record high minimums for those dates. No other daily temperature records were set. The high for the month was 80° on the 1st, while the low was 31° on the 23rd. This tied 2005 for the highest monthly minimum for any October.

Total precipitation for the month was 4.84 inches, which is 122% of normal. 2.69 inches fell on the first seven days with an additional 1.90 inches measured on the morning of the 15th. The second half of the month was quite dry. Total precipitation for the year of 47.16 inches is above normal by 9.15 inches. Although no snow was noted in October, the month of November is likely to see some snow.

-- John Anderson

September weather was nice
September was a warm uneventful month that was on the dry side.

After some rain towards the end of August, September went the other way. The total precipitation of 2.32 inches was only 61% of normal.

With an average temperature of 66.8°, September was the warmest of record, surpassing the previous warm September average of 66.6° in 1999. With eleven days below normal, a record high month would seem unlikely. However, most of those were only a couple of degrees on the cool side while ten other days were more than ten degrees on the warm side. This was the ninth consecutive month with an above normal average temperature.

The high temperature for the month was 94° on both of the first two days, while the low was 40°, on the 21st. The high of 94° on the 1st was a new record for the date. The only other daily record established was a high minimum of 69°, on the 25th.

The total precipitation for the year of 42.32 inches is 8.29 inches above normal, mostly due to the record March rains. With fall upon us, the first frost is not too far away.

-- John Anderson

August a wet month, finally
After four consecutive dry months, August finally saw some rain during the last week.

Total precipitation for the month was 4.86 inches, which is 0.92 inches above normal. Nearly four inches of rain fell between the 22nd and 25th. Despite the four dry months, the total for the year of 40.00 inches is nearly ten inches on the wet side.

After the second warmest June and the second warmest July, August had to settle for a tie for 8th warmest of record. However, the three months combined were the warmest of record for any three summer months, with an average of 73.0°. The temperature reached 90° in August on seven days. The three summer months saw the temperature reach 90° on 22 days. With one each in April and May, the total for the year is now 24 days.

The August average was 72.3°, which is 2.3° on the warm side. The high was 95° on the 31st, and the low was 50° on the 28th. Two daily temperature records were set with a high minimum of 74° on the 5th and a low maximum of 63° on the 24th.

Every month this year has seen above normal average temperatures. With the move into September, temperatures begin the slide to cooler weather. Occasionally a frost is noted towards the end of the month, but it usually holds off until the first week in October.

-- John Anderson

July set five daily temperature records
After last year’s cool July weather, this year went in the other direction.

The high temperature of 100° on the 6th was the first time it reached the century mark since August 14, 2002. The average temperature for the month of 76.3° was just under the all time warm July of 76.5°, in 1994. Two cool days at the beginning and end of the month were more than enough to drop the month’s average below the record.

On the other side of the coin, the vacation week of the fourth was the hottest period, which saw the daytime high’s average more than 93° for the week. The maximum temperature reached 90° or more on the six days from the 4th through the 9th. The temperature reached 90° on six other days, bringing the month’s total to 12 days, which is the most in July since 1952.

Five daily temperature records were set, with the 100° on the 6th leading the group. Others were new high minimum temperatures of  73° on the 3rd, 72° on the 9th, 73° on the 13th, and 74° on the 29th.

The total precipitation of 1.67 inches was only 49% of normal, and the fourth consecutive dry month. No precipitation was observed on the first nine days. 0.84 inches fell on the weekend of the 24th and 25th, with 2.5 inches falling just to the southwest of Walpole. More than one tenth of an inch of rain was noted on only four days.

There has never been an August as warm as the past July, so it is likely to be a little cooler during the up coming month, and hopefully wetter.

-- John Anderson

June another warm, dry month
June was the sixth consecutive warm month this year, and the third consecutive dry month since the record rains of March.

The average temperature of 70.3° was 4.0° above normal and tied for the second warmest June behind 70.5° in 1999. The average temperature for the first six months of the year was 47.9°, which is the warmest ever since local records began in October 1948.

Only three days reached 90°, with the highest being 94° on the 28th. Fourteen of the first fifteen days had precipitation, and a total of twenty days in the entire month had rain. This much cloudiness doesn’t usually bring record warmth. However, the twelve day period between the 18th and 29th saw the average daily maximum reach 88.0°, which is 7.0° above average and very warm for June. The low for the month was 45°, on the 9th. The total precipitation for the month was 2.86 inches, or 87% of normal.

The total for the last three months of 7.71 inches is only 70% of normal. Summer rainfall needs to be about twice normal to keep lawns naturally green, so the dry weather will require more watering than usual. Total precipitation for the year is now 33.47 inches, which is 10.55 inches on the wet side, and all due to the record March rains.

The weather event of the month was the thunder storm with damaging winds and hail in mid afternoon on the 20th. This mostly affected areas east of Main Street. July is normally the warmest month, so continued dry conditions will start to become a problem if it continues.

-- John Anderson

Second warmest May
The average temperature for May of 62.9° was 5.6° above normal, and was the second warmest of record for any May after 63.3° in 1991.

The high temperature of 96° on the 26th, was the highest ever recorded for any May, while the average of the three spring months of 52.7° was the warmest spring of record, surpassing 51.5° in 1991. Temperatures were very warm for the first six days, and exceeded 80° on the first five days. Five days below normal, from the 9th through the 13th, and two days later in the month were the only days on the negative side.

The low temperature of 34° on the 10th and 11th, got the growing started early this year after the last freeze on April 28. The only other daily temperature record set was the high minimum of 68° on the 3rd.

The precipitation total for May was 2.68 inches, bringing the years total to 30.61 inches, which is more than eleven inches above normal. The most for any day was 1.48 inches measured on the morning of the 19th.

Warmest April in local records
After record rains in March, April followed with record warmth. The average temperature for April of 52.5° was the warmest for any April in over sixty years of local records. The combined March and April average of  47.6° was also the warmest of record.

The high for the month of 91° on the 7th was the highest for so early in the year. The low for the month was only 30° on the 28th, just the reverse of a normal April. Other daily high temperature records were set on the 3rd and 4th with 77° and 78° respectively. Thirteen days reached at least 70°, including seven consecutive days of the first eight.

After the previous wet month, no measurable precipitation was noted until the 10th when 1.10 inches was measured. The total for the month of 2.17 inches was only 53% of normal. Measurable precipitation was noted on only nine days, with wet snow flakes falling on the morning of the 28th. The first wet snow of the fall was on October 15th, making for a long snow season, although the total of 49.4 inches was about normal.

-- John Anderson

March will be remembered
March will long be remembered for its rains and flooding.

After missing the snows that hit the mid Atlantic states in February, the flooding rains did not miss. It took until mid month when it started with a storm with 7.61 inches of rain. A week later an additional 2.47 inches kept the water levels up so the final 5.89 inch event at month’s end really created major problems.

The heavy rains at mid day on the 30th caused flash flooding and caught every one by surprise when water levels jumped quickly. The month’s total of 16.75 inches of precipitation was the second greatest monthly total of local records going back to 1902. The local record of 20.48 inches and 22.01 inches was measured at two different sites in town in August 1955.

Daily precipitation records for March were set on the 14th, 15th, 23rd, and 30th , when 3.78”, 2.55”, 1.59”, and 3.58” were measured respectively. Total precipitation for the year is now 25.76 inches, which is 216% of normal. Under normal conditions, this total would not be reached until late July. Despite the wet weather only 2.0 inches of snow was noted inb March.

The average temperature of 42.9° was 6.1 degrees above normal, and the warmest for March since 43.3° in 2000. The high temperature for the month was 73° on the 20th . Although this was not a record for the date, the maximum of 71° on the 19th was a new record. With the mild weather, the ice went out of Cobb’s Pond on the 11th , which was four days earlier than last year, while the peepers were first heard on the 18th , which was three days later than last year.

-- John Anderson

February mild and wet with less snow
February ended on the mild and wet side. None of the first eight days had average temperatures above normal, while only two of the last twenty were barely below normal.

The average for the month of 31.1° was 2.0° above normal. The high temperature for the month of 50° on the 20th was the lowest high for February since 47° 1993. On the other end, the low for the month of 11° was the highest low for February since 13° in 1997. All but three days reached the 32 degree mark.

Total precipitation for the month was 4.99 inches, which is 1.44 inches on the wet side. 4.03 inches fell in three days from the 24th through the 26th. The snowfall total of 9.5 inches was a few inches below normal, while the 4.0 inches measured on the morning of the 17th was the most for any day.

The average temperature for the three winter months just ended was 29.6°, which is 0.5° above normal. Precipitation for the three months totaled 14.12 inches, which is 2.28 inches on the wet side; while the total snow fall of 46.0 inches is ten inches above normal.

-- John Anderson

January 2010 weather as near normal as can be
The January temperatures were divided into two equal segments, plus a few days left over. The first fourteen days had an average of 23.7°, which was 3.7° below normal; while the next fourteen days were 6.7° above normal, with an average of 33.4°. The last three days were cold again.

The average for the month of 27.4° was 0.5° above normal. The high for the month was 57° in the windy rain storm of the 25th. This was a new record for the date, surpassing the previous high of 54° in 1972. The low for the month was 0° on the 10th. Only four other days dropped below 10°, while eleven days did not go above freezing.

Total precipitation for the month was 4.02 inches, which was only .08 inches on the wet side. The total snow fall for the month of 15.8 inches was only slightly above normal. Most of it came on the first four days, when small amounts totaled 10.9 inches.

With the coldest part of the year behind us, slow moderation begins, although heavy snow storms can certainly occur.

-- John Anderson

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