Cranberry Weather Summaries Archive

Format: 2024

2011

March

March was much like a tamed lion this year, during which time we experienced above average temperature and sunshine with below average precipitation and snowfall.  After a string of 3 cold months, March came in very sunny and mild.  The temperatures averaged 38.4 degrees, 1.2 degrees per day above the average.  This was still 3.9 degrees below last year’s record high of 42.2 degrees.   Maximum temperature was 68.0 degrees on the 18th and a minimum temperature of 15.0 degrees was recorded on the 3rd and 4th.  Daytime high temperatures averaged 46.9 degrees, 1.7 degrees above the norm.  Evening temperatures averaged 29.8 degrees, 0.6 degrees above the norm.  Winds were a big factor in March.  We had 3 days with damaging winds and gusts of 25 mph or greater on 10 days. 

Sunshine totaled 51% of the possible sunshine hours, 3 points above the norm, and 5 points above last year.   Sunshine data are from the Blue Hill Observatory.  Year-to-date sunshine for 2011 is 42% of the possible, very near the normal at this time of year. 

Precipitation totaled 2.25 inches. This is 2.31 inches below normal and is the 10th lowest rainfall recorded for the month of March in East Wareham.  In the 85 years of record keeping in East Wareham, there have been only 5 years in which March has had less than 2 inches of rain.  We had measurable precipitation of 0.10 inches or greater on 5 days.  The largest 24-hour rainfall was 0.57 inches on the 1st & 17th.  We have received a total of 10.01 inches of rainfall year-to-date, totaling 2.81 inches below average for East Wareham.  We had just 1 day with measurable snowfall during the month, totaling 0.5 inches, 4.2 inches below average.  Snowfall for the month of March will also come in as the 10th lowest in the records in East Wareham.  The 2010–2011 winter season snowfall recorded in East Wareham is now at 40.95 inches, 9.55 inches above the seasonal average. 

February

February was above average for temperature and rainfall and below average for snowfall and sunshine.  The temperatures averaged 30.4 degrees, 0.4 degrees above normal.  The maximum temperature was 54.0 degrees on the 18th and a minimum temperature of 5.0 degrees was recorded on the 4th.  Daytime high temperatures averaged 40.8 degrees, 2.6 degrees above the norm. Evening temperatures averaged 20.1 degrees, 1.6 degrees below the norm.  Daytime averages were only 1 degree warmer than February 2010 but the evening averages were 5.9 degrees colder.  There were 2 nights with single digit temperatures recorded in February, and all but 3 nights had temperatures below 32 degrees. 

Sunshine totaled 46% of the possible sunshine hours, 4 points below the norm.  Five days had almost full sunshine while 9 days had no sunshine data recorded at all.  The sunshine hours are recorded at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, MA.

Precipitation totaled 4.13 inches, very similar to 2010.  This was 0.41 inches above the norm.  We had measurable precipitation of 0.10 inches or greater on 8 days, 5 of which came within the first 8 days of the month and the other 3 days were in the last 4 days of the month. The largest 24-hour rainfall was 1.70 inches on the 25th.  There were 5 days with measurable snowfall totaling 7.00 inches, 2.4 inches below normal.  The greatest snowfall for one storm came on the 1st with 3.00 inches.  Year-to-date snowfall recorded in East Wareham is now 28.00 inches, 12.05 inches more than this time in 2010; the 2010-2011 season to date is 40.45 inches, 9.05 inches above the seasonal average.

The official winter in East Wareham (Dec. 2010 - Feb. 2011) was cool with below average precipitation, and above average snowfall and sunshine. The season temperatures averaged 29.9 degrees, 0.9 degrees below normal.  The low mark was 1.0 degree on Jan. 24th and the high mark was 57 degrees on Dec. 1st.  The coldest daily high was 18.0 degrees on Jan. 24th.  Sunshine was 47%, just a little above normal.  Precipitation totaled 11.27 inches, 1.48 inches below average.  Snowfall totaled 40.20 inches, 15.80 inches above normal.  This winter season was not among the highest snowfalls for a season but should be noted that we had snow cover for 65 continuous days.  Most of the snowfall came in January this year.  December actually turned out to be the warmest month, with the least amount of rainfall and sunshine.  January was the coldest, snowiest and sunniest of the season.  February had the most rainfall and the least amount of snow.

January

January had below average in temperature and rainfall with above average snowfall and sunshine.  The average temperature was 27.1 degrees, 1.6 degrees below normal. The maximum temperature was 49.0 degrees on January 1st.   A minimum temperature of 1.0 degrees was recorded on the 24th.  Daytime high temperatures averaged 35.6 degrees, 1.4 below the norm. Evening temperatures averaged 20.3 degrees, 1.7 degrees below the norm.  Daytime high temperatures were below 32 degrees on 6 days.  Evening temperatures were 32 degrees or below for all but 3 nights.  There were only 3 nights with temperature in the single digits. 

Precipitation totaled 3.63 inches, the same as January 2010.  This is 0.91 inches below normal.  We had measurable precipitation on 12 days; 5 of those days had less than 0.05 inches.  The largest 24-hour rainfall was 1.09 inches on the 27th.  We had measurable snowfall of 0.10 inches or greater on 7 days, totaling 21.00 inches for the month, 10.8 inches above average.  January 2011 had the 8th highest snowfall recorded in East Wareham since 1952.  The largest 24-hour snowfall was 8.0 inches on the 27th of January.  We had snow cover on the ground all 31 days of January, giving us a running total of 43 days to date.  There were 2 major rain/snow storms, both of which had very strong and damaging winds.  However, the windiest day was the 12th with 23 mph winds and peak gusts of more than 45 mph.  

Sunshine totaled 49% of the possible sunshine hours, 3 points above the normal, but the same as last January.

2010

2010 Year in Review

The year 2010 was warm with near average rainfall, above average sunshine and snowfall.  Temperatures averaged 52.5 degrees, 2.6 degrees above the 30-year average in East Wareham.  The average monthly temperature was above normal on 11 out of 12 months of the year.  The maximum temperature for the year was recorded on July 6th at 95 degrees.  The minimum temperature of 8.0 degrees was recorded in January 10th.  January and February were warm with below average snowfall.  March was very wet and April had very little rain.

The official winter of 2009 - 2010 was above average in temperature, sunshine and rainfall.  Snowfall for the winter of 2009 - 2010 in East Wareham was 43.55 inches; just 3 inches less than the winter of 2008-2009.  The official spring 2010 had averages above normal in temperatures, rainfall and sunshine hours.  The official summer of 2010 was above average in temperature and extremely sunny, with average rainfall.   The official fall season for 2010 was mild, wet with low sunshine. 
   
By the year’s end, precipitation totaled 53.22 inches, 4.45 inches below normal.  March was the wettest month with 13.52 inches of rainfall.  The driest month was April with 1.52 inches of rain.  December gave the most snowfall in 2010, with 12.20 inches in just 3 storms. Sunshine hours for the year were above average.  There were 5 months with low sunshine hours and 7 months with above sunshine hours.  July was the sunniest month, while October had the lowest sunshine.

Overall, we started the 2010 year very warm with above-average rain, snowfall and sunshine.  After the rain that fell in March, the weather was characterized by being warm and sunny with about average rainfall.  The year ended warm and sunny with well above -average snowfall.

December

December was warm and dry, with above average snowfall.  The temperature averaged 32.4 degrees, 1.5 degrees per day below normal.  Maximum temperature was 57.0 degrees on the 1st; a minimum temperature of 13.0 degrees was recorded on the 10th.  Daytime high temperatures averaged 40.0 degrees, 2.1 degrees below the norm.  Evening temperatures averaged 24.8 degrees, 0.7 degrees below the norm. 

Precipitation totaled 3.51 inches, 0.98 inches below normal.  We had 8 rain events spread out evenly during the month.  Measurable rain of 0.10 or more was recorded on 5 days.  The largest 24-hour rainfall was 1.34 inches on the 27th.  Year-to-date rainfall for 2010 was 53.22 inches, 6.12 inches above average for East Wareham.  We also had 5 days with measurable snow, totaling 12.20 inches for the month, and 7.40 inches above normal.  The largest snowfall was on December 27th with 5.0 inches.  Over the past 30 years of snowfall records, only 10 years have had snowfall over 12 inches in December and 6 of those years have been in the last 8 years. 

Sunshine for the month totaled 47% of possible, 1 point above normal.

November

November was a cool and damp month.  The temperature averaged 43.0 degrees, 0.2 degrees below normal. Maximum temperature was 63.0 degrees on the 5th; a minimum temperature of 22.1 degrees was recorded on the 29th.  Daytime high temperatures averaged 50.8 degrees, 0.6 degrees below the norm.  Evening temperatures averaged 35.3 degrees, 0.3 degrees below the norm.  November 2010 averaged 5.0 degrees cooler than November 2009.

Precipitation totaled 4.61 inches, 0.09 inches above normal and 2 inches more than 2009.  Measurable rain of 0.10 inches or more was recorded on 5 days.  The largest rainfall was over a 3-day period with 3.21 inches on the 8th, 9th and 10th.  Year-to-date rainfall for 2010 is 49.71 inches, 5.61 inches above the year-to-date average for East Wareham.  This is 8.36 inches below November 2009 year-to-date average for East Wareham.  We had 0.25 inches of snowfall for the month of November in East Wareham. The average snowfall for November in East Wareham is 1.2 inches.

Sunshine totaled 42% of the possible, 5 points below average and 4 points higher than November 2009.  There were 7 days with full sunshine and 12 days with near zero.

The official fall season Sept – Nov. 2010 was wet with slightly above average temperatures and below average sunshine.  Temperatures averaged 53.8 degrees, 1.0 degree above normal.  A maximum temperature of 91 degrees was recorded on the 1st of September and a minimum temperature of 22.0 degrees was recorded on the 29th of November.  Rainfall totaled 14.69 inches, 2.21 inches above normal.  Average snowfall for the fall season for East Wareham is 1.2 inches; we have received 0.25 inches of measurable snow this season.  Sunshine was just 5 points below normal. Overall this season was 0.5 degrees warmer, 5.0 inches drier and with the same sunshine as the fall season of 2009.

October

October was mild, extremely wet with well below average sunshine. The temperature averaged 53.7 degrees, 1.4 degree per day above normal.  Maximum temperature was 82.0 degrees on the 1st; a minimum temperature of 37.0 degrees was recorded on the 10th, 20th, 23rd and 31st.  Daytime high temperatures averaged 62.5 degrees, 1.2 degrees above the norm.  Evening low temperatures averaged 45.2 degrees, 2.0 degrees above the norm. 

Sunshine totaled 50% of the possible sunshine hours, 5 points below the norm.  We had 12 mostly clear days and 5 days with fog in East Wareham.  Year-to-date sunshine is running well above the norm. 

Precipitation totaled 6.81 inches, 2.91 inches above the 30-year average. The largest 24-hour rainfall was 1.69 inches on the 1st and 15th.   This month’s rainfall was 1.85 inches less than rainfall in October 2009.  Measurable rain was recorded on 10 days.  During the first half of the month we received 5.56 inches of rain and the remaining 1.25 inches of rain came in the last half.  Year-to-date rainfall for 2010 is 45.10 inches, 5.50 inches above average for East Wareham and 10.32 inches less than 2009.  In the last week of the month we had 5 days of fog and 1 thunderstorm.  There was no reported snowfall in Southeast New England this month.

September

September was extremely warm and dry with average sunshine.  The temperature averaged 65.4 degrees, 2.4 degrees per day above normal.  Maximum temperature was 91.4 degrees on the 1st; a minimum temperature of 43.7 degrees was recorded on the 16th.  Daytime high temperatures averaged 73.6 degrees, which is 2.2 degrees above the norm.  Evening temperatures averaged 57.1 degrees, 2.6 degrees above the norm.  This was the 9th warmest Septembers in the 84 years of record keeping in East Wareham.  The first week of September was very hot and humid, finishing a heat wave that began at the end of August.  Hurricane Earle passed east of Cape Cod on the 4th, bringing rain and breaking the hot and humid weather pattern.  The last week of September was also very humid with windy conditions.  Strong winds were a big part of the weather during the last half of September.

Sunshine totaled 54% of the possible sunshine hours, 2 points above the norm.  We had 13 days with 90% or better sunshine and 6 days with 20% of less sunshine.   We had just 1 day with morning fog in East Wareham.

Precipitation totaled 3.26 inches, 0.80 inches below normal.  We had measurable rain of 0.10 inches or greater on just 3 days, and 6 days with spotty showers and drizzle with less than 0.10 inches recorded.  The largest rainfall was 2.00 inches recorded on the 4th.  There were two thunderstorms this month, both occurring during the early morning hours.  Year-to-date rainfall for 2010 is 38.29 inches, 2.49 inches above average for East Wareham and 8.47 inches below 2009 total rainfall at the same time last year.

August

August had average temperatures and slightly above average rainfall, with lots of sunshine.  The temperature averaged 70.6 degrees, 0.1 degree per day below normal.  Maximum temperature was 92.3 degrees on the 31st  and a minimum temperature of 51.8 degrees was recorded on the 28th.  Daytime high temperatures averaged 79.9 degrees, 1.5 degrees above the norm.  Evening temperatures averaged 61.8 degrees, 1.1 degrees below the norm.  The last three days of August were very hot and humid, with Hurricane Earl approaching.  There were only 2 days with 90 degrees or higher this month.

Sunshine totaled 60% of the possible sunshine hours, 2 points above the norm.  We had 11 mostly clear days, 7 partly cloudy days, and 13 cloudy days.  We had just 1 day with heavy morning fog in East Wareham.

Precipitation totaled 4.59 inches, 0.52 inches above normal.  We had measurable precipitation on 8 days, and of those 8 days, 7 had measurable rainfall of 0.10 inches or more.  The largest 36-hour rainfall was 2.55 inches, with a three-day total of 3.16 inches on the 23rd, 24th and 25th.   Year-to-date rainfall for 2010 has received 35.00 inches of rain, 3.33 inches above the yearly average for East Wareham and 3.23 inches lower than last year at this time.  We had 1 early morning thunderstorm on the 17th and high winds for 2 days during the rain event on the 23rd and 24th.

Official Summer Season

The official summer (June, July and August) was very warm, dry and sunny.  The average temperature was 71.4 degrees, 2.0 degrees above the 30-year average and total rainfall with 0.82 inches below normal precipitation.  Sunshine average was 60% of possible hours, 3 points above the average and 12 points above the sunshine for 2009.  We had a maximum temperature of 95.0 degrees recorded on July 6th and a minimum temperature of 46.0 degrees recorded on June 9th.  Rainfall totaled 10.05 inches, 7.93 inches less than the 2009 summer season.  This year’s summer rainfall was similar to the 2008 summer season and within a quarter of an inch of the average rainfall for the summer season in East Wareham.  The 2010 summer season will be remembered for the 2 official heat waves, one in July, which lasted 4 days and one at the end of August, which lasted 3 days.  We had a total of 8 days this summer with 90 degrees or higher temperatures.

2010 Crop Forecast

New England Agricultural Statistics Service released the United States forecast for the 2010 cranberry crop on August 17th in East Wareham, MA.  This year’s forecast is for 7.35 million barrels, up 6 percent from 2009.  Massachusetts’ cranberry crop is forecasted to reach 1.95 million barrels (up 7 percent from 2009).  New Jersey’s forecast is for 530,000 barrels (down 5 percent from 2009), Oregon: 385,000 barrels (down 10 percent from 2009), Washington: 135,000 barrels (down 16 percent from 2009), and Wisconsin: 4.35 million barrels (up 10 percent from 2009).  

July

July’s weather was very hot and sunny with average rainfall.  The temperature averaged 75.6 degrees, 3.1 degrees above average and 6.6 degrees warmer than July 2009.  This monthly average temperature is tied for 2nd hottest July on record with July 1952, surpassed only by 75.9 degrees set in 1994.  Maximum temperature was 95.0 degrees, recorded on the 6th, and a minimum temperature of 55.0 degrees was recorded on the 1st and 2nd.  Daytime high temperatures averaged 85.0 degrees, 5.4 degrees above the norm.  Evening temperatures averaged 66.0 degrees, 1.9 degrees above the norm.  There were 6 days with above 90 degrees recorded this month and an official heat wave occured on July 4th – 7th. 

Sunshine totaled 68% of the possible sunshine hours, 11 points above average.  2009 was 6 points below the average.  We did have 9 days with 90% or greater of possible sunshine, while on 2 days we had less than 10% sunshine.

We recorded 3.23 inches of rainfall, which is the average for July.  Rainfall was recorded on 8 days, and 6 of these days had measurable precipitation over 0.10 inches.  The largest 24-hour rainfall of 1.71 inches occurred on the 24th and 25th.  Year-to-date rainfall for 2010 is 30.41 inches, 2.71 inches above average year-to-date rainfall for East Wareham and 5.48 inches below 2009 rainfall at this time.  Thunderstorms were recorded on 2 days.

June

June was well above average temperatures with low sunshine and rainfall.  We had opposite conditions in June 2009.  The temperature averaged 68.0 degrees, 2.7 degrees above average and 7.0 degrees above 2009.  Maximum temperature was 89.0 degrees on the 29th; a minimum temperature of 46.0 degrees was recorded on the 9th.  Daytime high temperatures averaged 77.0 degrees, 3.4 degrees above the norm.  Evening temperatures averaged 57.5 degrees, 2.5 degrees above the norm.  June 2010 was the ninth warmest on record for East Wareham, unlike June 2009 which was the third coldest.    

Sunshine totaled was 52% of the possible sunshine hours.  This comes in 3 points less than the average sunshine. 

Precipitation totaled 2.23 inches, which is 1.37 inches below normal.  This makes 3 months in a row with below normal rainfall.  The total rainfall for April – June is 5.78 inches below the 30 year average for the same 3 month period.  We had measurable precipitation on 11 days, with 6 of those days having measurable precipitation greater than 0.10 inches.  The largest 24-hour rainfall was 0.50 inches on the 12th.  Year-to-date rainfall for 2010 is 27.21 inches, 2.71 inches above average for East Wareham, due to the very high rainfall in March. 

There were 2 thunderstorms and 4 days with heavy fog, but no Nor’easters (unlike June of last year).

May

May was very nice and dry with well above average temperatures and sunshine.  The temperatures for May averaged 60.0 degrees, 3.7 degrees per day above normal.  This was the second warmest May in 84 years of records, surpassed only by 1991 when a recorded average temperature of 60.4 degrees was recorded.  The maximum temperature was 84.0 degrees on the 26th and a minimum temperature of 34.0 degrees was recorded on the 11th.  Daytime high temperatures averaged 70.0 degrees, 5.2 degrees above the norm.  Evening temperatures averaged 50.0 degrees, 2.3 degrees above the norm. 

Sunshine totaled 66% of the possible sunshine hours, 10 points above the norm and 19% above May 2009. There were 10 days with 90% or better sunshine and only 3 days with no sunshine at all.  There were 5 days with fog in East Wareham. 

Precipitation totaled 2.16 inches, 1.54 inches below the average rainfall for May in East Wareham.  There were a total of 9 days with measurable precipitation.  The largest 24-hour rainfall was 1.51 inches on the 18th-19th.  Our total year-to-date rainfall is 24.98 inches, 4.08 inches above the average in East Wareham, and 2.57 inches above the amount measured at this point last year.  We had 3 days with thunderstorms and 1 day with damaging winds.

The official spring (March-May) had well above average temperatures, rainfall and sunshine.  Temperatures averaged 50.7 degrees, 4.2 degrees above average; rainfall totaled 17.20 inches, 4.52 inches above average (due to the extremely heavy rain in March) and snowfall totaled 4.0 inches, 1.80 inches below average.  Sunshine for the spring average was well above normal, coming in with 56% of possible, 6 points over the normal.  While sunshine during March was slightly below average, April and May were well above average.

April

April was very warm, dry and sunny this year.  The temperature averaged 50.0 degrees, 4.1 degrees above normal.  This is the second warmest April recorded in the 84 years of data collection here in East Wareham, surpassed only by 1945 with an average of 50.8 degrees.  The maximum temperature was 76.0 degrees on the 30th (9 degrees lower than the 85 degree recorded in 2009) and a minimum temperature of 34.0 degrees was recorded on the 28st.  Daytime high temperatures averaged 60.0 degrees, 5.8 degrees above the norm.  Evening low temperatures averaged 40.0 degrees, 2.5 degrees above the norm.  The first half of the month day time temperatures averaged 62 degrees, 5 degrees warmer than the second half of the month.

Sunshine totaled 59% of the possible sunshine hours, 10 points above the norm and 4 points above April 2009.  We had 6 days with virtually no sun, and only 6 days had over 90% sunshine.

Precipitation totaled 1.52 inches, which is 2.87 inches below normal.  This is 4.72 inches less than April 2009 in East Wareham.  We had measurable precipitation on 9 days.  The largest 24-hour rainfall was 0.43 inches on the 10th.  The highest rainfall in one storm was 0.56 inches over a two-day period.  Year-to-date rainfall for 2010 stands at 22.82 inches; this is 5.62 inches above normal and 6.60 inches above the 2009 year-to-date rainfall at this point.  We did experience heavy fog on 4 days during April.

In the past 10 years, we averaged 34.07 inches of snowfall during the winter season. Snowfall recorded during the winter season of 2009-2010 in East Wareham was 43.55 inches, 11.20 inches above the average.  This is 1.98 inches less than the winter season of 2008-2009.

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