Nationwide Hot Streak Extends Over First Eight Months of the Year

By now, I'm sure you're well aware of our current streak of 18 straight warmer-than-normal months across southwestern Connecticut. The last month to feature cooler-than-normal weather was February of 2011. In case you're wondering, this month's average temperature of 70.3 degrees is 1.9 degrees above normal. There is a distinct possibility our warm streak may be extended to 19 months. However, the warm weather pattern isn't just confined to the Northeast.

The first eight months of 2012 were the hottest ever recorded in the continental United States, and the Summer period of June, July and August was the third hottest ever, the National Climatic Data Center reported Monday. Although the August average of 74.4 degrees Fahrenheit made it only the 16th hottest August on record, the fact that July 2012 was the hottest July ever and above average temperatures earlier in the year kept 2012 atop the record books.

The nation as a whole is averaging four degrees Fahrenheit above average for the year. That's a full degree higher than the same period in 2006, the second hottest January-August on record. Record keeping began in 1895. Locally, each of the first eight months of this year has been much warmer than normal, with the temperature departure much more pronounced during the first three months of 2012. The average temperatures for January, February, and March, were 5.6, 6.3, and 7.8 degrees above normal, respectively.

The air temperatures aside, authorities also say ocean temperatures off the northeast coast of the United States for the first six months of the year hit a record high. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the previous record was set in 1951. Scientists say it's unclear if the temperature rise will continue for the long term. Naturally, there's a correlation between the warming of the atmosphere and the warmer water temperatures, so this doesn't come as too much of a surprise, although it is cause for concern.

Summer officially exits the Northern Hemisphere early this weekend. The Autumnal Equinox occurs this Saturday morning, September 22, at 10:49 a.m. That's when the Sun's rays are directly above the Equator, causing "equal day and equal night" over the face of the Earth. Our weather picture should be fine the rest of the week before a front arrives Saturday night and early Sunday, triggering a few scattered showers. Dry and cool weather is expected early next week, just in time for the start of Fall.

Paul