Looking Back at Meteorological Fall 2012

Meteorologists break the year up to in four equal segments for spring, summer, fall and winter.  This makes it easier when looking at seasons.

(Click to see larger version.)

Meteorological Seasons:

• Spring – March 1 – May 31
• Summer – June 1 – August 31
• Fall – September 1 – November 30
• Winter – December 1 – February 28/29

METEOROLOGICAL FALL 2012

Most of 2012 has gone in to the books above normal, however Meteorological Fall bucked the trend.  In the Midwest, fall went in to the books below normal.

 

Below is a breakdown of the monthly temperatures for Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Indianapolis and St. Louis.
  

CITY	SEPTEMBER	OCTOBER	NOVEMBER
Cape Girardeau	-0.6°	-1.9°	-1.9°
Carbondale	-0.6°	-2.3°	-2.4°
Indianapolis	-1.7°	-2.3°	-2.2°
St. Louis	-1.0°	-1.9°	-0.8°

Interestingly, for all four cities listed above, the last time any of the cities had three consecutive months below normal was December 2009, January 2010 and February 2010.

Below is a breakdown of the number of days each month below normal.

 

METEOROLOGICAL FALL 2012
CITY	SEPTEMBER	OCTOBER	NOVEMBER	TOTAL
Cape Girardeau	14	18	18	50 (55% of days)
Indianapolis	17	20	18	55 (60% of days)
St. Louis	15	19	18	52 (57% of days)

As you can see, the majority of days during the three months were below normal.

A "Little" Relief

Finally, it looks like we will get a little relief from the heat and the humidity.

A cold front is passing through the KFVS viewing area this evening. At 9pm, the front was halfway through the area. The front should be through by morning. You will notice the front has passed as winds will shift around to the northwest/north.

The front is going to allow for some drier air to filter in from the north on the surface winds. This will help drop dew points in to the upper 50's and 60's.


The dew point is a key number to look at. It is a measure of the moisture in the air. With dew points under 60 degrees it feels rather comfortable. If the dew point goes over 60 degrees it starts to feel uncomfortable.

Over the last two weeks we have had dew points in the upper 60's and even lower 70's. That is air typically we have in place by late July and early August.

Be sure to enjoy the drier air. Winds will begin to shift back around to the south by Monday and that will bring moisture back to the area. This means the humidity will go back up, as well the temperatures.

Another interesting note about the cold front... I'm forecasting a high temperature around 84 degrees for Cape Girardeau. If we hit 84, this will likely be the first time in 16 days that we have been at or below normal. I for one wouldn't mind some below normal temperatures.