Above normal warmth continues, plus a transition from tranquil to unsettled...
MARCH, SO FAR…
As expected, high temperatures today were over 10° above average. For the 1st time this month, 60 was hit/exceeded for the Hartford Area. For comparison, last year in March... 60 or higher was achieved on 9 days; in 2021, on 12 days (3 of which the temp was 70 or higher).
Today also marks 21 days, or 3 weeks into the 3rd month of the year. For the Hartford Area, to date, the average temperature is running 2.4° above normal. For precipitation, we have a surplus of 0.94″ (that’s rain and the liquid equivalent of anything frozen). Specifically for snow, with 7.9″ measured at Bradley Airport, we’re 0.2″ above normal. However, looking at the entirety of the season to date, the deficit is still over 2 feet!
TONIGHT…
This evening, temperatures dropped through the 50s into the 40s after sunset. Unlike last night, with this milder air mass and an increase in cloud cover… instead of bottoming out in the 20s, low temperatures will be in the low to mid-30s.
THE REST OF THE WEEK…
While our Wednesday will remain mild, our sky won’t be as bright as the past couple of days. Under scattered clouds, temperatures tomorrow peak near/above 60 inland and in the mid-50s along the shoreline (similar to today). Thursday will still be mild; however, you’ll need the umbrella. That being said, we’re not forecasting a washout… but showers will be possible, especially through the afternoon and evening hours. Rain chances are in association with a frontal boundary that will be in our vicinity. As it sinks southward, we can expect a cooler end to the week. For Friday we expect a partly to mostly cloudy sky, but with highs between 50 and 55 (a few degrees above average).
THE WEEKEND…
For the last weekend of the month, a storm system arrives Saturday. Precipitation starts during the morning and based on how it tracks, the onset could feature a wintry mix before a transition to a chilly rain. It will be a raw day with highs only in the 40s, especially with the wind picking up. Then Sunday is much better: dry, brighter, also milder with highs in the 50s. However, it will be breezy.
NEXT WEEK…
As of now, the final week of March appears to start on a dry note. Under a mix of sun and clouds, temperatures Monday reach the 50s. Tuesday looks cloudier with rising chances for rain.
Chief Meteorologist Mark Dixon
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SNOW SITUATION…
When it comes to snow, so far this season has been “LACKLUSTER.” For the Hartford Area (as measured at Bradley Airport), 24.2″ has fallen… a deficit of 24.7″! For Bridgeport, the total is now 4.9″... that’s 26.5″ below normal.
WINTER STORM BRENDA...
The 2nd named storm of the 2022-23 season, a nor’easter, brought a lot of moisture to CT. Geography and elevation played a BIG role in precipitation type and amount. Where primarily rain fell, over 3″ was received over a large swath of New Haven, Middlesex and New London Counties. For snow, jackpot amounts were received over the higher terrain of northern Litchfield County (Norfolk, 19.7″) and northwestern Hartford County (Granby, 18.0″). A matter of miles and minor change in elevation led to sharp gradients... from a lot of snow to very little. Also to note, with temperatures in the 30-35° range, the snow was very heavy and wet (a ratio of 6:1, pretty incredible). As this storm moved away, a northwesterly wind gusted between 35 and 45 mph.
HISTORY AND CRITERIA FOR NAMING WINTER STORMS…
We are officially releasing our list of Winter Storm names for the ‘22-’23 season. To coincide with the 65th anniversary of the station, our theme for this winter is to use the top baby names of 1957 – the year WFSB first went on the air. Here are the first 5: Anthony, Brenda, Charles, Debra, and Edward.
WFSB/Channel 3 for over 50 years has been naming winter storms, a tradition we’re proud to carry on today. You may remember Blizzard Larry (the Blizzard of ‘78), the big ice storm of December 1973 named Felix, Storm Alfred in late October of 2011 and Blizzard Charlotte in 2013. Alfred’s heavy, wet snow caused a record power outage in Connecticut and Blizzard Charlotte dumped up to 40″ of snow in parts of the state. It all began in 1971 with Channel 3 and the Travelers Weather Service.
Why did we decide to name storms so long ago? Because people easily remember names, especially the ones that have been attached to Connecticut’s biggest storms! Occasionally, we get criticized for naming winter storms, but by far most of our viewers love the tradition and find it fun! Certain criteria must be met for a storm to be named. We must be forecasting at least 6″ of snow for most of the state and/or at least ½” of ice accretion that would occur during an ice storm.
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WINTER STORM ANTHONY...
It took us until the end of February and meteorological winter to get our first notable snow event, that took on the name “Anthony.” As we were forecasting, snow totals for most of CT ranged from 4 to 6″ with locally higher amounts.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16TH RECORDS…
For the 16th of February, the record high temperature for the Hartford Area of 72, set in 1954 stands as the temp peaked at 61. For Bridgeport, though, the record of 57 set in 2018 was well surpassed. In fact, their high of 68 set not only a record for the day… but for the entire month! Since 1948 (the period of record for Bridgeport), not one other February day has been warmer --- Incredible!
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH RECORDS...
On February 10th, we shattered record highs at both the Bridgeport & the Hartford area. The temperature at Bradley (which is used for the Hartford Area) topped out at 62, beating the old record of 55 from 1909. That’s a 114-year-old record that just fell! Bridgeport has made it to 62 as well, beating the old record of 54 from 2001.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4 RECORDS...
New record low temperatures were set for the 4th of February across CT. In Bridgeport the temp bottomed out at -4, well surpassing the prior record of 5° from 1996. For the Hartford Area, the low was -9°, breaking the prior record from 1965 by 1°.
JANUARY ‘23 SUMMARY…
The first month of the year has gone down as the 3rd mildest, with an average temperature of 36.6° (9.5° above average). Additionally, while quite wet – a tie for 10th wettest – with 5.81″ of precipitation (rain and the liquid equivalent of anything frozen), there wasn’t much snow (it was the 12th least snowy with only 2.3″ measured at Bradley Airport). Records for the Hartford Area go back to 1905.
ANOTHER BROKEN RECORD IN 2022...
The Hartford Area shattered its old record of 59° on December 30th, which was set in 1984. The new record is now 64°, which is 27° above average.
NOVEMBER’S RECORD WARMTH…
The Hartford Area record high (as measured at Bradley Airport) for Saturday (11.05) was broken by 2 degrees as the temp hit 78, prior record was 76 from 1994. For Sunday (11.06), the record of 76 from 2015 was tied. For Bridgeport, the record high for Saturday was 72 (from 1961), it was surpassed by 1 degree. For Sunday the record was 71 (from 2015), it was also broken by 1 degree.
Monday, the 7th of November, the temp for Hartford fell short by 1 degree of the record (the high of 79 from 2020 will stand). Meanwhile, the Bridgeport record was smashed by 10 degrees with a high of 79 (prior record of 69 was from 2020). The high of 79 also makes November 7th, 2022 the warmest November day on record for Bridgeport (records go back to 1948).
The Hartford Area also officially had 8 days at or above 70° in November, breaking the old record of 7 days in both 2020 and 1975.
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NOVEMBER SUMMARY…
The 11th month of the year was warmer and wetter, compared to normal. The average temperature for the 30-day period was 46.5 degrees (4.2 degrees above normal). This is tied for the 6th warmest November (also 2009 and 2015) on record since 1905. At Bradley Airport, where the official records are kept, 4.39″ of rain was measured (0.88″ above normal).
METEOROLOGICAL AUTUMN…
For meteorological autumn (September, October, November), the average temperature comes in at 55.2 degrees, 1.9 degrees above normal --- tying the 3-month period for the 9th warmest on record (also 1971 and 1975). The warmest day in meteorological autumn was on September 4th, when the high temperature reached 86°. The coldest was on November 21, when the low temperature was 21°. Normally, the season sees at least one 90 degree day, which did not happen this year.
METEOROLOGICAL SUMMER…
August went down in the books as the warmest on record with an average temperature of 76.8 degrees (records date back to 1905). For meteorological summer (June, July, August), the average temperature comes in at 74.2 degrees --- making the 3-month period the 3rd warmest on record.
2022 HEAT WAVES, RECORDS…
This year we experienced 2 heat waves. The 1st lasted 6 days, from July 19th to the 24th. The peak temp was 97 on the 20th. Our 2nd heat wave lasted 8 days, from August 2nd to the 9th with a peak temp of 96 on August 4th and 7th.
From June 28th through August 12th, every day featured a high temperature at or above 80 in the Hartford Area. This year’s stretch of 46 days in a row broke the prior record of 44 days from 2018.