So it's time to tie a weather bow around 2012 & get ready for another year of the usual ups & downs that make the weather so interesting &, of course, challenging to forecast(!). Below I've compiled a monthly list of mostly local highlights with a few big national weather stories sprinkled in. The first number after each month is the rainfall deviation from avg....the 2nd number is the temp. deviation vs. avg. The first 4 months were all far above avg. on temps. & far below avg. for rain. Things began to turn late in May as "Beryl" hit the area bringing a much needed widespread soaking. Suddenly we could turn off the "rain faucet" for most of the rest of the summer. Rainfall, however, fell below avg. again for the last 4 months of the year so that the yearly total only ended up 1.02" above the avg. of 52.39"! -- an indication of just how dry 2012 started & ended.
May You & Yours have a Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New Year!........ JANUARY...-3.21”/+2.1
4th - tied the record low @ JIA: 22 (1887)
** 4th driest Jan. on record
FEBRUARY...-2.05”/+3.4
12th - record low of 24 @ JIA (26/1981)
13th: 21 @ JIA - coldest of the winter
29th: Tornado outbreak from Kansas to Tennessee kills 12
MARCH...-1.78”/+6.1
2nd: Tornado outbreak Mississippi to Ohio/Indiana kills 39
3rd: Record high @ JIA: 88 (86/2001)
14th: Golfball sized hail in Middleburg (photo below)
23rd: 16-yr. old killed by rip currents at Fernandina Beach
APRIL...-1.78”/+2.3
5th: Lightning ignites large wildfire in NW Baker Co.
8th/9th: Smoke invades Jacksonville (see photo below from Oakleaf)
17th: Okefenokee Swamp fire officially declared out - ignited April 28, 2011!
21st: Trees down in downtown Jax from high winds in t’storm
MAY...+7.57”/+1.1
6th: Record high @ JIA of 96 (95/1950)
17th: Numerous hail reports including St. Marys, Jax W’side, Middleburg, St. Augustine & Hollister (see photo below from St. Marys)
25th: Subtropical storm “Beryl” forms 400 miles NE of Jax
28th: “Beryl” landfall at Jax Beach @ 12:10am (photos #2-3 below)....first May -- or any month outside of the "official" hurricane season -- landfall of a tropical storm on the First Coast. Click here for a slideshow of "Beryl" photos.
29th: 2.83” daily record r’fall at JIA (2.65”/1972)
31st: Numerous hail & high wind reports including microburst on Westside of Jax.
** 1st time 2 tropical storms have formed in the Atlantic Basin in May since 1887.
JUNE...+10.13”/-2.0
7th: Heavy flooding in Duval, St. Johns & Clay Co. (see photo below) -- 2 teens escape flooded car near CBS47/FOX30 t.v. station -- click here for the story ... click here for a "Buresh Blog" post regarding the deluge.
9th: Downtown flooding
11th: 19.75” of rain on the S’side since May 27th!
12th: Roof peeled off a building in St. Augustine during a severe t’storm...waterspout @ Jax Beach
18th: 59 @ JIA - record low (60/1961)
23rd: Tropical storm “Debby” forms in the Central Gulf
25th: 7.36” of rain @ JIA - daily record (2.92”/2008) + June record for a single day rainfall.
26th: 5.20” of rain @ JIA - daily reocrd (3.37”/1996) -- “Flood Emergency” issued for Duval Co. (see photos #2-6 below)
26th: Tropical storm “Debby” makes landfall near the Big Bend near 5pm. Click here for a slideshow of "Debby" photos.
25th-26th: Record 2-day rainfall @ JIA of 12.56” (12.11” Sept. 9-10, 1908)
28th: Record low at JIA of 63 (66/1974)
JULY...-3.20”/+0.4
18th: Brunswick/Jekyll Island waterspout (see photo below)
AUGUST...-0.42”/-1.2
4th: Tropical storm “Florence” forms in E. Atlantic - 3rd fastest to the 6th T.S. on record (1936 & 2005)
5th: Jax Beach morning flooding from localized deluge
20th: Jacksonville & Clay Co. flooding (see photo below)
29th: Hurricane “Isaac” - Cat. 1 - makes landfall on the Southern Louisiana coast near 3:15am EDT
SEPTEMBER...-1.60”/+0.1
OCTOBER...-0.92”/+0.3
1st: Dad & son struck by lightning at Vilano Beach but survived
4th: Last “Nadine” advisory after 21.25 days - 2nd longest in Atlantic Basin
5th: Vilano Beach waterspout (see photo below)
22nd: “Sandy” develops in the Caribbean
24th: Hurricane “Sandy” hits Jamaica
25th: Hurricane “Sandy” hits SE coast of Cuba
29th: Superstorm “Sandy” hits mid Atlantic near Atlantic City at 8pm EDT. Click here for a photo slideshow related to "Sandy".
NOVEMBER...-1.84”/-4.2
25th: 30 degrees @ JIA is the first freeze since Feb. 13th!
** 6th coldest Nov. on record, 13th driest @ JIA
DECEMBER...-0.49”/+2.8
10th: EF-1 tornado in Volusia Co., Fl.
20th: EF-1 tornado hits Mobile, Al.
25th: EF-2 tornado hits Mobile, Al. late Christmas afternoon
