National Climatic Data Center

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2008 Climate Highlights for the United States
Compiled by Karin Gleason and Chris
Fenimore Climate Monitoring Branch
National Climatic Data Center
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• Overview
• Temperatures
• Precipitation
• Tornadoes
• Tropical Cyclones
• Midwest Flooding
• Drought

2008 Climate Highlights for the United States
National Climatic Data Center
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Temperatures

• The 2008 YTD (Jan-Oct) preliminary national
  average temperature was 55.93F (43rd warmest on
  record near the LTM).
• Most recent cooler YTD period occurred in 1996.
• For YTD period (Jan-Oct), only 2 states with much
  above average temperatures (New Jersey
  Delaware).
• No large-scale heat outbreaks occurred on
  either a monthly or seasonal time scale during
  2008.

2008 Climate Highlights for the United States
National Climatic Data Center
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• Temperatures contd
• For YTD period (Jan-Oct), Southeast Region
  average temperature was 65.3F, which is equal to
  the long-term mean.
• On an annual basis, 2007 ranked 13th warmest
  across the Southeast Region with an average
  temperature of 64.1F.

2008 Climate Highlights for the United States
National Climatic Data Center
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• Precipitation
• For YTD period (Jan-Oct), persistent wetness
  from the Great Plains to the Northeast.
• Wettest YTD period for Missouri and New
  Hampshire. Second wettest for Illinois and
  Massachusetts.

• The 2008 YTD (Jan-Oct) preliminary average
  national precipitation was 26.06 inches (26th
  wettest on record).
• California had its driest Spring and
  March-August periods on record.

2008 Climate Highlights for the United States
National Climatic Data Center
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Precipitation contd

• Driest March-October period for West Region (CA
  NV). Both 2007 and 2008 have been extremely
  dry.
• Nevada had driest March-September period on
  record.

2008 Climate Highlights for the United States
National Climatic Data Center
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Tornadoes

• 2nd largest January tornado outbreak on record
  with 54 confirmed tornado reports on the 7th
  8th.

• February 5 The Super Tuesday Outbreak
  - 87 tornadoes occurred while
  24 states held primary elections.
  
  - 57 deaths, the highest number of
  fatalities from a single outbreak since May 31,
  1985 (76 deaths).

2008 Climate Highlights for the United States
National Climatic Data Center
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Tornadoes contd

• May was a very active month as 460 tornadoes were
  confirmed, making it the third most active May on
  record.
• June had two additional outbreaks causing 289
  confirmed tornadoes.

• The high number of tornado-related fatalities
  during the first half of 2008 makes this one of
  the top ten deadliest January-October periods
  since reliable records began in 1953.

2008 Climate Highlights for the United States
National Climatic Data Center
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Tropical Cyclones General Overview U.S.
Landfalling Tropical Cyclones

• Above average Atlantic TC Season 16 named
  storms (avg. 11.0), 8 hurricanes (avg. 6.2), 5
  major hurricanes (avg. 2.7).
• Below average Pacific TC Season 17 named
  storms (avg. 15.3), 7 hurricanes (avg. 8.8), 2
  major hurricanes (avg. 4.2).

U.S. Landfalling Atlantic Tropical Cyclones of
2008
2008 Climate Highlights for the United States
National Climatic Data Center
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Tropical Cyclones contd North Atlantic Basin

• Above normal activity 4 storms formed before
  the start of August.
• 2nd most destructive season on record with up
  to 54 billion in damage (2008 USD) (128 billion
  reported in 2005).
• 2008 is the only year on record in which a
  major hurricane existed in every month from July
  through November in the North Atlantic (Bertha,
  Gustav, Ike, Omar, and Paloma).
• Earliest known date for 3 storms to be active
  on the same day Hurricane Bertha, and Tropical
  Storms Cristobal and Dolly (July 20).
• Tropical Storm Fay was the first tropical
  system on record to make landfall in one state
  four times.

2008 Climate Highlights for the United States
National Climatic Data Center
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Tropical Cyclones contdAtlantic Major
Storms (Preliminary Statistics)
2008 Climate Highlights for the United States
National Climatic Data Center
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Midwest Flooding

• Successive rain events across the Midwest
  caused significant flooding across portions of
  IA, IL, MO, IN and WI.
• Record amounts of rainfall fell in the Upper
  Mississippi Basin in June setting 15 new all-time
  daily precipitation records.
• 170 stations reported precipitation totals for
  June which ranked within their top five records.
• 83 of Iowa's 99 counties were declared disaster
  areas by the state Governor.
• Storms and flooding across six states killed 24
  people, injured 148 and caused more than 1.5
  billion in estimated damage in Iowa alone.

2008 Climate Highlights for the United States
National Climatic Data Center
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Midwest Flooding contd
2008 Climate Highlights for the United States
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• Drought
• Severe to extreme drought across contiguous
  U.S. at the end of Dec 07 was 18 (down to 14
  by end of Oct 08) (PDSI).
• 35 of contiguous U.S. was classified in
  moderate to exceptional drought (D1-D4, USDM) in
  January (down to 21 by November).

2008 Climate Highlights for the United States
National Climatic Data Center
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• Drought contd
• Drought remained entrenched across parts of the
  Southeast throughout the year, although the
  spatial extent was lessened by the end of the
  year.
• California had its driest spring and March -
  August on record. The drought conditions fueled
  wildfires which made the 2008 fire season
  possibly the worst in California history.

• Severe drought present across portions of Texas
  in mid-2008 was mitigated by Hurricane Dolly, TS
  Edouard and Hurricane Ike.

2008 Climate Highlights for the United States
National Climatic Data Center
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• Drought contd
• Palmer Drought Index statistics for the
  contiguous U.S.
• Peaked at 31 moderate-extreme drought in Jun-Jul
  2008
• Peaked at 29 moderate-extreme wet spell in Dec
  2008

2008 Climate Highlights for the United States
National Climatic Data Center