WESTERN NEW YORK WEATHER 2009 YEAR END REVIEW

(Image from NWS Buffalo of hook echo from the Hilton, NY Tornado)

Written by: Brian Neudorff

Here we are closing out another year and 2009 had some interesting weather events across Western New York. I am going to list a few starting with January and working towards the end of the year, and if I missed one, please add it to the list and give your thoughts.

January Cold and Lack of Winter February & March:
I think I know now why many of our commenters really miss winter and want a really big snow. January was very cold but never really produced an big storms then as we went into February and March winter just seemed to end. Both were below on snow and above on temperatures

Taste of Summer to End April:
At the time it didn't seem that big of a deal, it felt wonderful. Maybe you remember it from April 24th through April 27th three of those four days the high temperatures climbed into the 80s with the warmest on the 27th at 85. At the time, didn't think it was that big of a deal, but who would have imagined that those three 80+ degree days and three more in May would equal the total 80 degree days in June and July.

Lack of Summer, cool & wet June & July:
You knew this was coming, it was one wet and very cool summer in Western NY.

...COOLEST JULY IN 125 YEARS (66.2)...2ND COOLEST EVER (TO 65.4 IN 1884).
...COOLEST JUNE-JULY COMBO EVER (64.9). NEXT WAS 65.1 IN 1992.
...COOLEST YEARLY MAX TEMP EVER THROUGH JULY...86 ON 6/25.
...FEWEST 80+ DAYS THROUGH JULY..12. NORM 35. (PREV MIN 15 IN 1926)
...FEWEST 86+ DAYS THROUGH JULY..1. NORM 15. (PRV MIN 2 IN 1958,2004)
...FEWEST COOLING DEGREE DAYS THROUGH JULY...144. NORM 356.

For the 2 month period June and July were 4.29" inches above the normal rainfall.

It wasn't until August, and for only 13 days that we experienced "true" summer weather. Between Aug 10 through the 22nd and 12 of those 13 days were in the 80s and one (Aug. 17) hit 90.

5 Tornadoes in Western New York:
Getting tornadoes in Western New York and to have 5 during fairly cool summer is pretty rare. The first 2 occurred on July 25th through Darien and the Village of Corfu then later in the evening Hilton. The Darien/Corfu tornado was classified as an EF-1 with est. max winds of 100 mph. Damaging 25 to 30 homes. The Hilton tornado was classified as an EF-0 with est. max winds of 75 mph.
The third tornado took place the next day on July 26th in Cattaraugus county near Onoville. It was an EF-1 with est. max winds of 90-95 mph and had one injury reported.
Forth occured on Sunday August 9th as a series of severe weather events unfolded across western New York State. A combination of severe thunderstorms with damaging straight line winds and a confirmed tornado pelted the region during the afternoon hours. The tornado touched down near New Hudson-Cuba, it was an EF-1 and had ext. max winds of 100 mph.
The fifth and last one was the tornado that touched down in Canandaigua and did extensive damage to boats around the Canandaigua Yacht Club. It was an EF-1 est. max winds of 90 mph.

Gowanda Flash Flood:
The evening of Sunday, August 9, 2009 some of the highest short-term rainfall totals ever recorded in western New York occurred. Those rainfall totals resulted in the worst flash flooding the area has seen in decades. Roughly 6 inches of rain in a 3 hour period not including rain that are received earlier in the day. In addition to preliminary estimates of tens of millions of dollars of property damage, the flooding also resulted in the direct loss of one life and indirect loss of another that night.

"NO" vember Snow:
There was no measurable snowfall in the month of November, first time that has happened in November since 1952. We also went 237 days without snowfall the 4th longest streak in Rochester's recorded history! (April 7th until Dec. 1)

Those were some of the highlights I could think of, maybe you have one or two that I didn't think of. Please share. I hope everyone has a wonderful New Years and here is to a great 2010.