Autumn 2009 Climate Statistics

Bismarck

Temperatures for the 2009 fall season (defined as the months of September-October-November) at the Bismarck airport averaged 47.5 degrees which was 3.9 degrees above the 1971 to 2000 climatological average.  This ranks the 2009 fall season as being tied with the fall seasons of 1962 and 1904 as being the 8th warmest on record. This occurred in spite of the fact that October was the 5th coldest on record.  However the near record cold during October was overwhelmed by the near record warmth of September and November.  These two months were the 2nd and the 5th warmest on record, respectively.  One of the most interesting statistics during the fall season occurred during November.  There were a total of 20 days during the month in which the mercury topped 50 degrees.  This has happened only one other time on record at Bismarck (e.g., November 2001). Overall, the warmest daily temperature during the season was 89 degrees, which occurred on 4 separate days during September.  On the other end of the spectrum, the coldest daily temperature was 14 degrees, which occurred on the 20th and 26th of November. 

Precipitation during the fall season was above average at Bismarck. A total of 3.49” of precipitation was recorded during the season, with a majority of this occurred during October.  This amount is slightly above the typical fall season precipitation (see figure below).  Although most of the precipitation fell in the form of rain, there was some snow observed during October.  A total of 0.7” was reported at the weather office.  This is well below the typical amount of snowfall observed during the season (e.g., 4.1”-7.5”).

 

...THE BISMARCK ND CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SEASON, FROM
9/1/2009 TO 11/30/2009...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1875 TO 2009

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             105   09/08/1959
                        09/07/1931
 LOW              -30   11/29/1985
HIGHEST            89   09/18        MM      MM       94  09/18
                        09/06
                        09/10
LOWEST             14   11/26        MM      MM        2  11/09
                        11/20
AVG. MAXIMUM     59.2              56.0     3.2     57.2
AVG. MINIMUM     35.8              31.2     4.6     33.3
MEAN             47.5              43.6     3.9     45.3
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               1.7    -1.7        2
DAYS MAX <= 32      1              10.5    -9.5        8
DAYS MIN <= 32     41              46.0    -5.0       42
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               2.5    -2.5        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)

TOTALS           3.49              2.88    0.61     6.44
DAYS >= .01        22              20.2     1.8       24
DAYS >= .10         9               7.7     1.3       13
DAYS >= .50         2               1.9     0.1        4
DAYS >= 1.00        0               0.6    -0.6        1
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    1.13   9/10
                        9/11

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
TOTALS            0.7              11.8

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL    1662
COOLING TOTAL      83
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    37/320    DATE  09/27
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    48/320    DATE  09/27

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   81
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR           53
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             14
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         24

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     67

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              2     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                2     RAIN                       5
LIGHT RAIN               32     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       0
LIGHT SNOW                9     SLEET                      0
FOG                      34     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      3
HAZE                     10

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

 

 

 

 

 

Williston

Temperatures for the 2009 fall season (defined as the months of September-October-November) at the Williston airport averaged 45.9 degrees which was 4.1 degrees above the 1971 to 2000 climatological average.  This ranks the 2009 fall season as being tied with the fall seasons of 1931 as being the 16th warmest on record. This occurred in spite of the fact that October was the 6th coldest on record.  However the near record cold during October was overwhelmed by the record warmth of September and near record warmth of November.  One of the most interesting statistics during the fall season occurred during September.  There were a total of 18 days during the month in which the mercury topped 80 degrees.  This marked the highest number of occurrences on record during September.  On average, there are only 7 days of 80+ degree heat during September. Additionally, 5 of the 18 days of 80+ degree heat were at or above 90 degrees.  Overall, the warmest daily temperature during the season was 94 degrees on the 6th of September.  On the other end of the spectrum, the coldest daily temperature was 10 degrees, which occurred on the 29th of November. 

Precipitation during the fall season was below average at Williston with only 1.56” of precipitation recorded during the season. A majority of the precipitation occurred during October.  This amount is below the typical fall season precipitation (see figure below).  Although most of the precipitation fell in the form of rain, there was some snow observed during October.  A total of 1.5” was reported at the weather office.  This is well below the typical amount of snowfall observed during the season (e.g., 3.2”-6.5”).

 

 

...THE WILLISTON ND CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SEASON, FROM
9/1/2009 TO 11/30/2009...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1894 TO 2009

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             104   09/01/1983
 LOW              -27   11/24/1996
HIGHEST            94   09/06        MM      MM       87  09/18
LOWEST             10   11/29        MM      MM       10  11/28
AVG. MAXIMUM     58.6              54.4     4.2     56.3
AVG. MINIMUM     33.3              29.1     4.2     31.2
MEAN             45.9              41.8     4.1     43.8
DAYS MAX >= 90      5               2.0     3.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32      2              11.8    -9.8        6
DAYS MIN <= 32     45              47.8    -2.8       50
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               3.6    -3.6        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
TOTALS           1.56              2.87   -1.31     5.10
DAILY AVG.       0.02              0.03   -0.01     0.05
DAYS >= .01        22              19.7     2.3       22
DAYS >= .10         6               7.2    -1.2       11
DAYS >= .50         0               1.4    -1.4        3
DAYS >= 1.00        0               0.3    -0.3        1
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    0.66   10/20
                        10/21

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
TOTALS            1.5               8.7

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL    1799
COOLING TOTAL      78
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    39/310    DATE  10/01
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    51/300    DATE  09/27

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   66
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR           54
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             12
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         24

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     66

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              2     MIXED PRECIP               1
HEAVY RAIN                0     RAIN                       4
LIGHT RAIN               25     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       1
LIGHT SNOW                8     SLEET                      0
FOG                      19     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      1
HAZE                      3

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

 

 

Dickinson

Temperatures for the 2009 fall season (defined as the months of September-October-November) at the Dickinson airport averaged 45.3 degrees which was 1.1 degrees above the 1971 to 2000 climatological average. This ranked the season as being tied with the fall season of 1897 for the 16th warmest on record.  This occurred in spite of the fact that October was the 4th coldest on record.  However the near record cold during October was overwhelmed by the near record warmth of September and November. These two months were the 2nd and the 9th warmest on record, respectively.  One of the most interesting statistics during the fall season occurred during October.  There were a total of 12 days during the month in which the mercury topped 55 degrees.  This was well above the average of 5 days typical during the month, but was not a record.  Overall, the warmest daily temperature during the season was 92 degrees on the 5th of September.  On the other end of the spectrum, the coldest daily temperature was 12 degrees, which occurred on the 29th of November. 

Precipitation during the fall season totaled 2.86 inches at the airport. A majority of this occurred during September and October, with only 2 hundredths falling during November.  The 2.86 inches of precipitation this fall was slightly below the average of 3.07 inches.  However, from the figure below it is apparent that it was not abnormally dry in Dickinson, as it falls within the typical range.

 

 

...THE DICKINSON ND CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SEASON, FROM
9/1/2009 TO 11/30/2009...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1903 TO 2009

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             104   09/05/1978
                        09/16/1948
 LOW              -22   11/19/1921
HIGHEST            92   09/05        MM      MM       91  09/18
LOWEST             12   11/29        MM      MM        4  11/09
AVG. MAXIMUM     57.6              56.2     1.4     56.7
AVG. MINIMUM     33.1              32.2     0.9     31.7
MEAN             45.3              44.2     1.1     44.2
DAYS MAX >= 90      2                MM      MM        1
DAYS MAX <= 32      4                MM      MM        8
DAYS MIN <= 32     52                MM      MM       47
DAYS MIN <= 0       0                MM      MM        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
TOTALS           2.86              3.07   -0.21     3.14
DAYS >= .01        22                MM      MM       20
DAYS >= .10         6                MM      MM        6
DAYS >= .50         2                MM      MM        1
DAYS >= 1.00        0                MM      MM        0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    1.05   9/7
                        9/8


SNOWFALL (INCHES)
TOTALS            MM               7.8

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL    1849
COOLING TOTAL      71
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    46/310    DATE  09/27
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    59/290    DATE  09/27

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR           56
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             11
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         23

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     66

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              4     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                1     RAIN                       5
LIGHT RAIN               26     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          1     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       0
LIGHT SNOW               13     SLEET                      0
FOG                      34     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      4
HAZE                      6

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

 

 

 

 

Minot

Temperatures for the 2009 fall season (defined as the months of September-October-November) at the Minot airport averaged 47.4 degrees which was 4.3 degrees above the 1971 to 2000 climatological average. This ranks the 2009 fall season as being the 3rd warmest on record. This occurred in spite of the fact that October was the 13th coldest on record.  However the near record cold during October was overwhelmed by the record warmth of September and November.  These two months had average monthly temperatures of 64.8 and 38.5 degrees, respectively.  Overall, the warmest daily temperature during the season was 92 degrees, which occurred on the 5th and the 6th of September.  On the other end of the spectrum, the coldest daily temperature was 15 degrees, which occurred on the 29th of November. 

Precipitation during the fall season was above average at Minot airport. A total of 6.30” of precipitation was recorded during the season, making this the 9th wettest fall season on record.  The most interesting part of this fact is that all of this rainfall occurred in September and October.  During November only a trace was reported.

 

...THE MINOT ND CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SEASON, FROM
9/1/2009 TO 11/30/2009...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1905 TO 2009

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             106   09/04/1978
 LOW              -27   11/30/1905
HIGHEST            92   09/06        MM      MM       84  09/21
                        09/05                             09/18
LOWEST             15   11/29        MM      MM       -1  11/09
AVG. MAXIMUM     57.8              53.2     4.6     54.4
AVG. MINIMUM     37.0              33.0     4.0     33.2
MEAN             47.4              43.1     4.3     43.8
DAYS MAX >= 90      2                MM      MM        0
DAYS MAX <= 32      0                MM      MM       10
DAYS MIN <= 32     39                MM      MM       39
DAYS MIN <= 0       0                MM      MM        1

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
TOTALS           6.30              3.59    2.71     4.44
DAILY AVG.          T              1.20   -1.20     0.05
DAYS >= .01        20                MM      MM       22
DAYS >= .10         8                MM      MM       11
DAYS >= .50         3                MM      MM        3
DAYS >= 1.00        2                MM      MM        0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    2.64   9/8

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
TOTALS            MM              11.3

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL    1684
COOLING TOTAL      97
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    40/280    DATE  09/27
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    51/290    DATE  09/27

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR           51
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             15
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         23

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     66

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              3     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                2     RAIN                       4
LIGHT RAIN               19     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       0
LIGHT SNOW                9     SLEET                      0
FOG                      31     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      3
HAZE                      6

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

 

 

 

 

Jamestown

Temperatures for the 2009 fall season (defined as the months of September-October-November) at the Jamestown airport averaged 45.9 degrees which was 2.4 degrees above the 1971 to 2000 climatological average.  This ranks the 2009 fall season as being tied with 4 other years for the 24th warmest on record. This occurred in spite of the fact that October was the 6th coldest on record.  However the near record cold during October was overwhelmed by the near record warmth of September and November.  These two months were the 8th and the 7th warmest on record, respectively.  Overall, the warmest daily temperature during the season was 85 degrees, which occurred on 18th of September.  On the other end of the spectrum, the coldest daily temperature was 15 degrees, which occurred on the 26th of November. 

Precipitation during the fall season was above average at Jamestown airport. A total of 5.91” of precipitation was recorded during the season, making this the 16th wettest fall season on record.  The most interesting part of this fact is that nearly all of this rainfall occurred in September and October.  During November only 15 hundredths of an inch was reported.

 

...THE JAMESTOWN ND CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SEASON, FROM
9/1/2009 TO 11/30/2009...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1891 TO 2009

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             107   09/06/1931
 LOW              -27   11/30/1905
HIGHEST            85   09/18        MM      MM       86  09/19
LOWEST             15   11/26        MM      MM       -2  11/21
AVG. MAXIMUM     56.2              54.8     1.4     54.5
AVG. MINIMUM     35.6              32.3     3.3     33.5
MEAN             45.9              43.5     2.4     44.0
DAYS MAX >= 90      0                MM      MM        0
DAYS MAX <= 32      1                MM      MM       13
DAYS MIN <= 32     42                MM      MM       40
DAYS MIN <= 0       0                MM      MM        2

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
TOTALS           5.91              3.22    2.69     7.05
DAILY AVG.       0.06              1.07   -1.01     0.08
DAYS >= .01        24                MM      MM       25
DAYS >= .10        11                MM      MM       15
DAYS >= .50         4                MM      MM        5
DAYS >= 1.00        1                MM      MM        1
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    1.02   9/8
                        9/9                                                                                      
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
TOTALS             MM               7.5

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL    1762
COOLING TOTAL      37
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    43/320    DATE  09/27
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    53/320    DATE  09/27

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR           47
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             18
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         24

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     74

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              3     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                2     RAIN                       6
LIGHT RAIN               24     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       1
LIGHT SNOW                8     SLEET                      0
FOG                      43     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE     11
HAZE                      4

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

 



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