Charlotte Weather

[mediamongrel]

As of a couple hours ago, the Charlotte Douglas Airport has hit 90 degrees or above for the 19th consecutive day. This puts the current streak in fourth place knocking out 7/4/77-7/22/77 (19 days) as the old fourth place streak. This only leaves three 90 degree day streaks ahead of the current one. They are; 8/31/25-9/21/25 (22 days), 7/4/86-8/3/86 (31 days), and 6/28/93-7/30/93 (33 days). The weather forecast tomorrow may make it pretty close as the high is expected to be right around 90 degrees, however, after that, it looks like all next week should be in the 90's as well. We will see if the current streak holds. Also, the atmosphere looks like it may get a little more active and unstable this week, giving a higher probability of much needed rain. So far, the airport has only recorded 0.01" this month. The record for least rainfall in August is 0.61" in 1972, and there is a good chance we will break that as well.

[grodney]

Good info on the 90+ streaks -- where did you get it? Or is it original research?

The forecast looks like we should easily make it to the 3rd longest.

[dxartist]

So far, the airport has only recorded 0.01" this month. The record for least rainfall in August is 0.61" in 1972, and there is a good chance we will break that as well.

that's not good news. we definitely need rain. I've cut back on water usuage and hope everyone else has done as well (wishful thinking).

[mediamongrel]

that's not good news. we definitely need rain. I've cut back on water usuage and hope everyone else has done as well (wishful thinking).

Today breaks the third longest 90 degree day streak from 1925. We are now at 22 straight 90 degree days. Only two records left (31 and 33 days)

[origin.clt]

It got pretty interesting last night when those storms rolled through. The wind kicked up so much dirt and mud from the patchwork of construction sites, that I could barely see the skyline from SouthEnd...

4 minutes of rain was preceded by pea size hail. It did a pretty good job of knocking the temperature down from 100 degrees.

[DigitalSky]

wow. I love that "muted skyline"

[moving uptown]

i doubt we will break the record but man - more than 20 days in a row!!!! wowwow

[Raintree21]

I know it was just a drop in the bucket and not enough to come anywhere close to ending the drought but at least most of Mecklenburg got a good soaking rain tonight.

[Spartan]

Its hot, but thats just living in this part of the world. Its the lack of significant rain that concerns me. I didn't get any rain tongiht, but according to News 14 [north] Carolina I got soaked! Oh well...

[Raintree21]

Again, it's probably not nearly enough to end drought conditions but the bottom dropped out tonight. It's headed your way though Spartan.

[Batou]

Up where I am we had a pretty strong storm pass through here earlier, could see a bit of hail out my window.

[mediamongrel]

THE STREAK DOESN'T END!

As of 6pm today the high temperature at the Charlotte Douglas Airport was 90 degrees, which continues the streak of days with a temperature of 90 degrees or above at 28 days. The four week (28 day) record, is a new third place in the longest 90-day streaks ever since records have been kept (1879). If we can hit 90 until Thursday, we can break the 2nd place record of 31 days. We also still have a shot to break the least precipitation ever during the month of August. The old record is 0.61, so unless the airport picks up another quarter inch of rain or so in the next four days, we will set the all time record for least rain in August in any given year. I will keep track of that one in the next few days.

Edited August 28, 2007 by mediamongrel

[mediamongrel]

OTHER RECORDS SET TO BE BROKEN!

There is another interesting record which might be broken by August 31, 2007. This record is the average temperature for August. The record for highest average August temperature is 81.9 set back in 1900. Currently, the average temperature to date in Charlotte in 84.1 Unless temperatures take a massive dive and lessen the average by 2.2 degrees, then we will also set a record for highest ever average temperature in August.

[mediamongrel]

After Tuesday, the average temperature for Aug. '07 is still running 84.0

No precip at the airport either.

29 days 90 or above.

[mediamongrel]

Rain for month as of midnight = 0.41"

31 days 90 or above breaks the old second place record.

[mediamongrel]

RECORD #1 BROKEN;

HIGHEST AVERAGE AUGUST TEMPERATURE = 83.7 (2007)

OLD RECORD = 81.9 (1900)

RECORD #2 BROKEN;

2ND LONGEST STREAK WITH TEMPERATURE 90 DEGREES OR HIGHER = 32 (2007)

*NOTE THE FIRST PLACE RECORD IS 33 DAYS BUT WILL PROBABLY NOT BE TIED TOMORROW.

RECORD #3 BROKEN (TENTATIVE)

LEAST RAINFALL FOR AUGUST = 0.41" (2007)

OLD RECORD = 0.61" (1972)

*NOTE THIS RECORD IS VALID UNLESS THE AIRPORT RECEIVES 0.21" OF RAIN OR MORE THIS EVENING

CERTAINLY, THIS AUGUST WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS WE BREAK THREE ALL TIME RECORDS, AS WELL AS SETTING NUMEROUS TEMPERATURE RECORDS THIS MONTH INCLUDING 104 DEGREES, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST EVER.

[grodney]

Remember New Year's Eve last year? When it actually got warmer as the night went on? Every time we stepped out onto the deck, it seemed better than the last time. By midnight, we were all sitting out there like it was a Fall mid-day.

Low of 52 at 11:00am, up to 66 by 11pm.

http://www.wunderground.com/history/airpor...eq_statename=NA

I'll take that again this year.

[grodney]

Don't know if there are other weather geeks out there, but something fairly bizarre happened yesterday morning.

I checked the airport temp (on wunderground.com) before leaving for work and it said 40. Yet my in-car thermometer said about 56 down in Ballantyne. As I drove to the uptown, it gradually fell to right around 40.

Checking some "personal weather stations" down near me, there was a very odd bubble of warmth. Check this one from 5am to 8am (the little graph shows it best):

http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation...3&year=2008

Or this one, a little further west, shows it even better from 4:30am to 6:30am:

http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation...3&year=2008

This isn't totally unheard-of, but the strange thing is, there was no similar bump at the airport:

http://www.wunderground.com/history/airpor...eq_statename=NA

You'll notice on the first two that the bump happens when the pressure bottoms out. The same bottoming is seen at the airport, but no temp bump.

Peculiar.

[monsoon]

Actually it was snowing here at the lake for a short while last night. It was far too warm however for it to stick.

[Raintree21]

Don't know if there are other weather geeks out there, but something fairly bizarre happened yesterday morning.

I checked the airport temp (on wunderground.com) before leaving for work and it said 40. Yet my in-car thermometer said about 56 down in Ballantyne. As I drove to the uptown, it gradually fell to right around 40.

Checking some "personal weather stations" down near me, there was a very odd bubble of warmth. Check this one from 5am to 8am (the little graph shows it best):

http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation...3&year=2008

Or this one, a little further west, shows it even better from 4:30am to 6:30am:

http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation...3&year=2008

This isn't totally unheard-of, but the strange thing is, there was no similar bump at the airport:

http://www.wunderground.com/history/airpor...eq_statename=NA

You'll notice on the first two that the bump happens when the pressure bottoms out. The same bottoming is seen at the airport, but no temp bump.

Peculiar.

I don't know about all of the meteorological speak but methinks your in car thermometer wasn't reading right. It was 32 in Matthews at 9:10 this morning and a 24 degree swing between here and Ballantyne doesn't seem possible. I could understand a 5, even 10 degree (that's really pushing it) drop from one side of town to another, but 20+ degrees?

Edited February 14, 2008 by Raintree21

[grodney]

Yesterday, not today.

(And yes, yesterday (the 13th), it was really 56ish in Ballantyne and 40ish uptown and at the airport. Not only did my in-car confirm it, but so do the weather stations linked to above.)

[83alphaunder]

I don't know about all of the meteorological speak but methinks your in car thermometer wasn't reading right. It was 32 in Matthews at 9:10 this morning and a 24 degree swing between here and Ballantyne doesn't seem possible. I could understand a 5, even 10 degree (that's really pushing it) drop from one side of town to another, but 20+ degrees?

Its very possible. I saw a 15 degree drop between the intersection of N. Tryon and Eastway, and the intersection of Eastway and shamrock, thats less than 5 miles. This was also reported in the paper. In fact yesterday it was reported to be 39 in downtown charlotte, and 59 in downtown monroe.

[grodney]

Here's the article:

http://www.charlotte.com/115/story/491292.html

It doesn't mention the areas that were cold, then warm for 2-3 hours, then cold again. But I'm sure it all has to do with the front shifting back and forth.

[Raintree21]

Interesting. I stand corrected. Kinda like "The Day After Tomorrow" right? Not so much, but still wacky weather.

[PlazaMidwoodGuy]

Don't know if there are other weather geeks out there, but something fairly bizarre happened yesterday morning.

I checked the airport temp (on wunderground.com) before leaving for work and it said 40. Yet my in-car thermometer said about 56 down in Ballantyne. As I drove to the uptown, it gradually fell to right around 40.

Yeah, that was really quirky yesterday morning. I spoke to my sister who lives in Union County who said that she was listening to a Charlotte radio station as she got ready for work around 6:30 AM and they said it was 39 so she dressed accordingly. Then once she got in her car the temperature gauge on her dashboard said 58 and she was like, "huh??"

As dramatic as cold fronts are when they blast through and drop the temperature, warm fronts typically move very slowly and can often shift back and forth over an area throughout the course of a day and cause huge temperature variances over a very small geographical area.

Regarding the snow, what a bummer that Charlotte got missed by that little surprise storm. Greensboro picked up a quick 2 inches!