2008 Weather Review

Written By: Scott Hetsko

2008 was a hot, cold, snowy and windy year...in other words typical Rochester weather! Here are the highlights month by month.

JANUARY:  MORE OF A MARCH TYPE MONTH WITH TWO MAJOR AND DAMAGING WINDSTORMS BUT NO HEAVY SNOWFALLS.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 30.4 WAS OVER SIX DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL
...MAKING IT THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE VERY MILD JANUARY.

FEBRUARY: MAJOR EVENTS DURING THE MONTH INCLUDED VERY MESSY STORMS ON THE 1ST
AND AGAIN ON 5-6TH WITH A VARIETY OF MIXED PRECIPITATION. AN ARCTIC
BLAST ON 10-11TH WITH SEVERE WIND CHILLS...ANOTHER MESSY STORM ON
13TH

MARCH: THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 31.5 WAS 2.4 DEGREES
BELOW NORMAL. ONLY TWO DAYS REACHED 50. NORMALLY WE HAVE EIGHT SUCH
DAYS IN MARCH.

APRIL: APRIL WAS A SPECTACULAR SPRING MONTH IN WESTERN NEW YORK. IT WAS THE
THIRD WARMEST APRIL IN HISTORY. THE 52.3 DEGREE MONTHLY AVERAGE WAS
SEVEN DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL...AND JUST 0.3 DEGREE SHY OF THE ALL TIME
APRIL RECORD OF 52.6 SET WAY BACK IN 1878.

MAY: IN A FAIRLY DRASTIC TURNAROUND FROM THE VERY WARM APRIL...MAY
BROUGHT WITH IT A MAJOR PATTERN CHANGE AND FEATURED CONSISTENTLY
COOL WEATHER ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK. IT WAS PLEASANT SPRING MONTH
NONETHELESS..WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE AND WAS ACTUALLY QUITE DRY.

JUNE: AS FOR INDIVIDUAL EVENTS...THE MAIN STORY WAS THE RARE HAILSTORM
WHICH RAKED THE METRO ROCHESTER REGION ON THE 16TH. SEVERAL STORMS
HAD HAIL AS LARGE AS ONE INCH IN DIAMETER.

JULY: THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 72.0 WAS 1.3 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF
70.7. THE DAILY RANGE WAS NARROW BUT 20 DAYS WERE WARMER THAN NORMAL
AND ONLY 9 COOLER. NO RECORDS WERE SET. THREE DAYS DID REACH THE
90S...BRINGING THE SUMMER TOTAL TO 6. 19 OF THE LAST 20 DAYS REACHED
AT LEAST 80

AUGUST: THERE WERE SEVERAL MORE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
PRODUCING LARGE HAIL IN THE ROCHESTER METRO AREA DURING THE
MONTH...CAPPING OFF A SUMMER WITH THE MOST HAIL IN RECENT MEMORY.

SEPTEMBER: WESTERN NEW YORKERS ENJOYED A RELATIVELY BENIGN AND PLEASANT
SEPTEMBER. THERE WERE A COUPLE OF EXCEPTIONS...BUT SUNSHINE AND MILD
TEMPERATURES WERE THE RULE. OVERALL...THE MONTH AVERAGED A BIT WARM
AND ON THE DRY SIDE WITH NEAR NORMAL SUNSHINE.

OCTOBER: OCTOBER BROUGHT WITH IT SOME FINE FALL WEATHER ACROSS WESTERN AND
CENTRAL NEW YORK. MOST OF THE MONTH WAS MILD AND BRIGHT...BUT THERE
WAS A BRIEF WINTER PREVIEW DURING THE FINAL WEEK.

NOVEMBER: THE MONTH BEGAN WITH A WEEK OF EXTRAORDINARY "INDIAN SUMMER"
WEATHER...THE FINEST IN MANY YEARS. THE ENTIRE WEEK OF 3-7TH
FEATURED ABUNDANT SUNSHINE AND TEMPERATURES NEAR 70.

DECEMBER: SNOWFALL WAS THE BIG STORY. THE 46.2 INCHES JUST EDGED OUT THE
PREVIOUS DECEMBER RECORD OF 46.1 INCHES WHICH FELL IN 1981. THERE
WERE THREE MAJOR (OVER 6") SNOWFALLS...ALL RECORDS...ON THE
19TH...21ST...AND 31ST. THE FINAL STORM WAS PARTIALLY LAKE EFFECT.