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Cranberry Weather Summaries Archive

Format: 2024

2015

May

May was a warm and very dry month with well above average sunshine. The temperatures for May averaged 59.5 degrees, 3.7 degrees above the 30-year average. The maximum temperature was 79.7 degrees on the 17th and a minimum temperature of 39.2 degrees was recorded on the 2nd. Daytime high temperatures averaged 69.0 degrees, 4.1 degrees above the norm. Evening temperatures averaged 50.2 degrees, 3.2 degrees above the norm.

Sunshine totaled 65% of the possible sunshine hours, 13 percentage points above the norm. There were 7 days with 90% or better sunshine (only one more than last year) but only 1 day with no sunshine at all (there were 12 in 2014!). There were 3 days with fog in East Wareham.

Precipitation totaled 0.95 inch, 2.75 inches below the average rainfall for May in East Wareham. May 2014 was also drier than the 30-year norm but not as dry as May 2015. There were only 3 days with measurable precipitation. The largest 24-hour rainfall, accounting for more than half the monthly total, was 0.53 inches on the 19th. Our total year-to-date rainfall is 16.18 inches, 5.46 inches below the average in East Wareham.

Official Spring Season

The official spring (March-May) had slightly below average temperatures - 45.8 degrees, 0.4 degrees below average. Snowfall for the period totaled 20.3 inches (all in March), 12.8 inches above average. Despite the above average snowfall, precipitation was 8.62 inches below normal due to extremely dry conditions in April and May. Total precipitation was 8.62 inches, 5.06 inches below average. Sunshine for the spring was above normal each month, coming in with 55% of possible hours for the three month period, a very rare occurrence. Sunshine during March and April was slightly above the norm, with May well above average.

April

April was cool, dry and sunny this year. The temperature averaged 46.4 degrees, 0.6 degrees above normal. The maximum temperature was 67.1 degrees on the 18th and a minimum temperature of 22.0 degrees was recorded on the 2nd. Daytime high temperatures averaged 54.6 degrees, 0.3 degrees below the norm. Evening low temperatures averaged 37.2 degrees, 0.4 degrees above the norm.

Sunshine totaled 51% of the possible sunshine hours, 2 points above the norm. We had 6 days with 90% or better sunshine and 13 days virtually no sunshine. We experienced heavy fog only on 1 day during the month of April.

Precipitation totaled 1.79 inches, which is 2.82 inches below normal. We had measurable precipitation on 11 days; 6 of those days had 0.10 inches or greater rainfall. The largest 24-hour rainfall was 0.35 inches on the 3rd. Year-to-date rainfall for 2015 stands at 15.23 inches; this is 2.66 inches below last year's total at this time and 2.58 inches below the normal average for this time of year. We did have 1 thunderstorm on the 21st.

We had 0.00 inches snowfall in April. This is 1.4 inches below average for the month and brings the 2014 – 2015 season at a total of 86.00 inches of snow. This is 27.10 inches more then the 2013-2014 season. In the 30 years from 1979 to 2010, we averaged 31.66 inches of snowfall during the winter season. Snowfall recorded during 2014-2015 in East Wareham was 86.00 inches, 54.34 inches above the average.

March

Overall, the month of March had extremely low temperatures, with above-average rainfall, snowfall and sunshine. The temperatures averaged 31.5 degrees, 5.5 degrees per day below the average and about 2.1 degrees colder than March 2014. Maximum temperature was 59.9 degrees on the 11th and a minimum temperature of -5.0 degrees was recorded on the 1st. This -5.0 minimum temperature ties the earlier record low set in March 1948. Daytime high temperatures averaged 41.3 degrees, 4.4 degrees below the norm. Evening temperatures averaged 21.8 degrees, 6.6 degrees below the norm and 1.6 degrees below 2014. Winds can be a big factor in March, yet this year we only had 1 day with damaging winds and 2 days with fog.

Sunshine totaled 50% of the possible sunshine hours, 2 points above the norm. Sunshine data are from the Blue Hill Observatory. Year-to-date sunshine for 2015 is a little below the normal at this time of year.

Precipitation totaled 5.91 inches. This is 0.56 inches above normal. We had measurable precipitation of 0.10 inches or greater on 12 days. The largest 24-hour rainfall was 1.57 inches on the 27th. The monthly rainfall was spread out evenly over all four weeks of the month. We have received a total of 13.44 inches of precipitation year-to-date, totaling 0.34 inches above the average for East Wareham. We had 7 days with measurable snowfall during the month, totaling 20.3 inches, which is 11.6 inches above average. March 2015 will be recorded as the 4th snowiest March in our records here in East Wareham since 1953. The 2014–2015 winter season snowfall recorded in East Wareham is now at 86.0 inches, 49.9 inches above the seasonal average and 2nd highest snowfall total for a season in the 62 years of record keeping on snowfall here in East Wareham. I would also like to note that this winter season we had snow cover starting back on January 27 and lasting until March 28, for a total of 61 consecutive days, with the deepest snow cover being between 25 and 30 inches during the first week of March.

February

February was extremely cold and cloudy, with above normal precipitation. The temperatures averaged 19.6 degrees, 11.3 degrees below normal. This was the second coldest February in the 89 years of record keeping in East Wareham, surpassed only by February 1934 with an average temperature of 17.0 degrees. The maximum temperature was 39.0 degrees on the 22nd and a minimum temperature of -13.0 degrees was recorded on the 21st. Daytime high temperatures averaged 30.3 degrees, 9.2 degrees below the norm. Evening temperatures averaged 8.8 degrees, 13.5 degrees below the norm. The monthly average was 8.7 degrees colder than February 2014. All night time low temperatures were below 32 degrees; 1 night was 31 degrees, 4 nights in the 20's, 9 nights in the teens, 8 night in the single digits and 6 nights with minus zero temperatures.

Sunshine totaled 43% of the possible sunshine hours; 7 points below the norm and 11 points lower than February 2014. 8 days had 90% or better sunshine while 8 days had no sunshine data recorded at all. The sunshine hours are recorded at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, MA.

Precipitation totaled 3.43 inches, 0.24 inches below the norm. We had measurable precipitation on 13 days of which 9 were 0.10 inches or greater. The largest 24-hour rainfall was 0.85 inches on the 22nd. There were 13 days with measurable snowfall totaling 40.3 inches, 31.6 inches above normal. This is a sets a new record for the highest monthly snowfall total for February, surpassing the past record of 31.0 inches in 1994. This is also the third years in a row with more than 22 inches of snowfall in February. The greatest snowfall for one storm came on the 14th and 15th with 15.0 inches during near blizzard conditions and strong winds. Year-to-date snowfall recorded in East Wareham is now 64.60 inches, 18.60 inches more than this time in 2014; the 2014-2015 season to date is 65.70 inches, 38.10 inches above the seasonal average. Snowfall records go back to 1952 in East Wareham. Also we can note that we have had 33 consecutive days with 10 plus inches of snow cover.

Official Winter Season

The official winter in East Wareham (Dec. 2014 - Feb. 2015) was cold, wet and snowy, with below average sunshine, much like the 2013-2014 winter season. The season temperatures averaged 28.7 degrees, 2.6 degrees below normal and 1.2 degrees cooler than 2014. The low mark was -13.0 degrees on Feb. 21st and the high mark was 67.0 degrees on Dec. 1st. The coldest daily high was 19.0 degrees on Jan. 6th and Feb. 20th. The total sunshine hours were 41%, 6 points below normal. Both December and February had well below average sunshine while January's sunshine was a little above the average. Precipitation totaled 13.50 inches, 1.22 inches above average. Snowfall totaled 64.60 inches, 37.0 inches above normal. December 2014 turned out to be much like December 2013, being the warmest month, with the highest rainfall, lowest snowfall and with very low sunshine. January had highest sunshine hours, February had the coldest temperatures, least rainfall and the highest snowfall for the winter season.

January

January started with heavy rain followed by very cold temperatures. Then we had a 20-day stretch of seasonable weather to be followed with a strong blizzard and very cold temperatures again. We had below-average temperatures and rainfall with above-average sunshine and almost double the average snowfall. The average temperature was 27.3 degrees, 1.7 degrees below normal and 0.4 degrees below January 2014. The maximum temperature was 54.5 degrees on January 4th. A minimum temperature of 0.5 degrees was recorded on the 8th. Daytime high temperatures averaged 35.3 degrees, 2.4 degrees below the norm. Evening temperatures averaged 19.0 degrees, 1.3 degrees below the norm. Daytime high temperatures were above 50 degrees or greater on 3 days. Evening temperatures were 32 degrees or below for all but 1 night. There were 4 nights with temperatures in the single digits.

Precipitation totaled 4.10 inches. This is 0.08 inches below normal. We had measurable precipitation on 13 days; 5 of those days had less than 0.10 inches. The largest 24-hour rainfall was 0.94 inches on the 4th. We had measurable snowfall of 0.10 inches or greater on 9 days, totaling 24.30 inches for the month, 12.30 inches above average. This is the 6th largest snowfall recorded here in East Wareham for January in the 62 years of snowfall recordings. The largest snowfall came during the 36-hour blizzard, on the 26th and 27th of January, with 21.0 inches of snow, high winds up to 75 mph and considerable drifting. So far this season we have recorded a total of 25.40 inches of snow. There was also 1 day with heavy fog this month.

Sunshine totaled 46% of the possible sunshine hours, 2 points above the normal. There were 9 days with no sunshine and 8 days with 90% or better sunshine. Total sunshine hours for January 2015 was 2 points lower than the sunshine hours recorded in January 2014.

2014

2014 Year in Review

The year 2014 had well-above average precipitation (rainfall and snowfall) with above average temperatures and sunshine. The first six months of the year were cool and dry, while the last six months of the year were warm and very wet. Temperatures averaged 50.1 degrees, 0.3 degrees above the 30-year average in East Wareham. The average monthly temperature was above normal 7 out of 12 months. The maximum temperature of 87 degrees for the year was recorded on June 18th. The minimum temperature of -1.3 degrees was recorded on January 4th. We started the year with 23.2 inches of snow in January and the total snowfall for the year was 56.60 inches, 2.3 inches above the yearly average.

December

December was very warm, cloudy and wet. The temperature averaged 39.3 degrees, 5.1 degrees per day above normal. Maximum temperature was 67.0 degrees on the 1st; a minimum temperature of 15.0 degrees was recorded on the 30th & 31st. Daytime high temperatures averaged 46.0 degrees, 2.9 degrees above the norm. Evening temperatures averaged 32.6 degrees, 7.2 degrees above the norm. This was our 4th warmest December in the 88 years of our record keeping. Three of the four warmest Decembers have occurred in the past 13 years.

Precipitation totaled 5.97 inches, 1.54 inches above normal and 1.48 inches more than December 2013. We had 17 rain events spread out evenly during the month. Measurable rain of 0.10 inches or more was recorded on 8 days. The largest 24-hour rainfall was 2.15 inches on the 9th. Total rainfall for 2014 was 56.98 inches, 6.66 inches above average for East Wareham and 8.64 inches more than the total rainfall for 2013. There were zero days with measurable snow this month. Normal snowfall for the month of December in East Wareham is 6.9 inches.

Sunshine for the month was very low, totaling 35% of possible, 11 points below the norm. There were only four days with 90% or greater sunshine hours and 12 days with no sunshine at all.

November

November was cool and extremely wet with average sunshine for the month. The temperature averaged 42.1 degrees, 1.5 degrees below normal. Maximum temperature was 63.0 degrees on the 4th and 5th; a minimum temperature of 19.0 degrees was recorded on the 22nd.. Daytime high temperatures averaged 50.7 degrees, 1.9 degrees below the norm. Evening temperatures averaged 33.4 degrees, 1.2 degrees below the norm. November 2014 averaged 0.3 degrees warmer than November 2013.

Precipitation totaled 7.15 inches, 2.45 inches above normal and 2.89 inches more than 2013. Measurable precipitation of 0.10 inches or more was recorded on 8 days. There were three major rain events this month, each recording over 1.80 inches of rain: 1.83 inches on the 2nd, 1.88 inches on the 17th and 1.82 inches on the 26th. Year-to-date rainfall for 2014 is 51.01 inches, 5.12 inches above the year-to-date average for East Wareham at this time of year. This is 7.16 inches higher then November 2013 year-to-date average for East Wareham. There were 1.1 inches of recorded snowfall for the month of November in East Wareham. The average snowfall for November in East Wareham is 1.0 inch. We only had 1 day with damaging winds.

Sunshine totaled 46% of the possible, 1 point above average and 12 points lower than November 2013. There were 11 days with 90% or more sunshine, and 14 days with near zero.

Official Fall Season

The official fall season Sept – Nov. 2014 was warm, very wet, with above average sunshine. All but one month (October) had above average sunshine hours. Temperatures averaged 54.1 degrees, 1.2 degrees above normal and 1.6 degrees warmer then 2013. A maximum temperature of 85.1 degrees was recorded on the 3rd, 4th and 6th of September and a minimum temperature of 19.0 degrees was recorded on the 22nd of November. Rainfall totaled 16.61 inches, 3.21 inches above normal and 8.77 inches more than the rainfall in the 2013 fall season. Average snowfall for the fall season for East Wareham is 1.0 inch; we have received 1.1 inches of snow this season. Sunshine was 52% of the possible and 8 points lower then 2013. Overall, this season was 1.2 degrees warmer, 3.21 inches wetter, and with more sunshine than the average fall season.

October

October was very warm and extremely wet, with well below average sunshine. The temperature averaged 56.4 degrees, 3.9 degrees per day above normal. This is 2.7 degrees warmer per day than October 2013. Maximum temperature was 77.9 degrees on the 15th; a minimum temperature of 35.0 degrees was recorded on the 20th. Daytime high temperatures averaged 64.1 degrees, 2.2 degrees above the norm. Evening low temperatures averaged 48.6 degrees, 5.7 degrees above the norm. Daytime average high temperatures were within a couple of tenths from each other for the past 3 years. The evening average low temperatures however, were 5.5 degrees warmer than in 2013.

Sunshine totaled 44% of the possible sunshine hours, 11 points below the norm and 13 points below 2013. We had 5 days that were mostly clear (90% of possible) and surprisingly 9 days with no sunshine. There were no days with fog in East Wareham this month. Year-to-date sunshine is running above the norm.

Precipitation totaled 7.94 inches, 3.73 inches above the 30-year average. This is the 5th wettest October in the records since 1926, and just the opposite of October 2013. Measurable rain was recorded on 14 days, 9 days of which measured rainfall was 0.10 inches or greater. Year-to-date rainfall for 2014 is 43.87 inches; 2.68 inches above average for East Wareham and 4.30 inches more than 2013 for this time of year. The largest 24-hour rainfall was 3.26 inches on the 23rd and 24th. We have had 6 months with above average rainfall and 4 months with below average rainfall this year. There were two thunderstorms this month and no reported snowfall. 

September

September was warm with above average sunshine and extremely dry. The temperature averaged 63.9 degrees, 1.0 degree per day above normal. Maximum temperature was 85.1 degrees on the 3rd, 4th and 6th; a minimum temperature of 38.3 degrees was recorded on the 20th. Daytime high temperatures averaged 73.5 degrees, which is 1.5 degrees above the norm. Evening temperatures averaged 54.3 degrees, 0.5 degrees above the norm.

Sunshine totaled 67% of the possible sunshine hours, 11 points above the norm. We also had 3 days with morning fog in East Wareham.

Precipitation totaled 1.52 inches, 2.97 inches below normal and 1.09 inches below last year's September rainfall. September 2014 was the 5th driest September in the past 30 years here in East Wareham. We had measurable rain of 0.10 inches or greater on just 5 days, and 2 days with spotty showers and drizzle with less than 0.10 inches recorded. The largest 24-hour rainfall was 0.72 inches recorded on the 26th, this being almost ½ the total rainfall for the month. There were also no thunderstorms this month. Year-to-date rainfall for 2014 is 35.92 inches, 1.06 inches below average for East Wareham and 2.70 inches below 2013 total rainfall at the same time last year. Even with the large amount of rainfall in July, this extremely dry September has put us back in a deficient for 2014 year-to-date rainfall. We went 30 days from August 13th until September 13th with only 0.53 inches of rain. Only receiving 0.33 inches of rain over the next 12 days, totaling just over ¾ of an inch of rain in 42 days.

Year to date, 2014 has had below normal temperatures and rainfall, with above average sunshine and snowfall.

August

August had well below average temperatures and rainfall, with well above average sunshine. The temperature averaged 68.7 degrees, 1.2 degrees per day below normal and 0.9 degrees cooler than 2013 and 4.4 degrees cooler than 2012. This is the lowest monthly average temperature in August since 1987 (27 years). Maximum temperature was only 82.4 degrees on the 25th and 26st, a minimum temperature of 50.9 degrees was recorded on the 19th and 30th. Daytime high temperatures averaged 77.5 degrees, 1.3 degrees below the norm. Evening temperatures averaged 59.7 degrees, 2.0 degrees below the norm. There were 16 nights with temperatures in the 50's and 15 nights with a low in the 60's. 

Sunshine totaled 70% of the possible sunshine hours, which is 12 points above the norm. We had 18 clear days, 8 partly cloudy days, and 5 cloudy days. We had 4 days with heavy morning fog in East Wareham.

Precipitation totaled 2.64 inches, 1.30 inches below normal. We had measurable precipitation on 10 days, and of those 10 days, 5 days had measurable rainfall of 0.10 inches or more. All 5 days of 0.10 or greater rainfall, totaling 2.56 inches, came in the first 2 weeks of the month. We also had hail reported in East Wareham on the 6th. During the last 18 days of the month, we only received 0.08 inches of rain. The largest 24-hour rainfall was 1.09 inches on the 2nd. Year-to-date, 2014 has received 34.40 inches of rain, 1.91 inches above the yearly average for East Wareham and 1.61 inches less than last year at this time. There was only 1 thunderstorm noted during the month of August in East Wareham.

Official Summer Season

The official summer (June, July and August) was cool, wet and sunny. The average temperature was 68.7 degrees, 0.3 degrees below the 30-year average. Total rainfall for the season was 13.71 inches, 2.75 inches above the normal precipitation for this time of year; note that almost half of this rainfall came during Hurricane Arthur, on July 4th and 5th. Sunshine hours totaled 897.47 hours; this is 154.47 hours above the average. All three summer months had well above average sunshine. The summer season was not as warm as 2013 yet there was much more sunshine. We had a maximum temperature of 87.0 degrees recorded on June 18th and a minimum temperature of 46.0 degrees recorded on June 1st. The last 90-degree day was in July of 2013. Rainfall totaled 13.71 inches, 1.02 inches less than the 2013 summer season. We had no official heat wave this season; in fact there were 0 days this summer in the 90's.

2014 Crop Forecast

New England Agricultural Statistics Service released the United States forecast for the 2014 Cranberry crop. Overall production is predicted to be down 4% in 2014. Although Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington are all predicted to have larger crops this year compared to 2013, Wisconsin is expected to be down by 63,000 barrels, due to berry size and weather conditions, lowering the overall United States percentage.

July

July's weather had just slightly above average temperatures with well above average rainfall and sunshine. The temperature averaged 71.6 degrees, 0.2 degrees above average and 4.3 degrees cooler than July 2013. This was the coolest July in the past 5 years. Maximum temperature was 84.0 degrees, recorded on the 3rd & 6th, and a minimum temperature of 56.0 degrees was recorded on the 5th. Daytime high temperatures averaged 79.4 degrees, 0.6 degrees below the norm. Evening temperatures averaged 64.7 degrees, 1.8 degrees above the norm.

Sunshine totaled 63% of the possible sunshine hours, 12 points above average and 17 points above the average in July 2013. We had only 6 days with 90% or greater of possible sunshine, while on only 3 days we had less than 10% sunshine. Fog was reported on 3 days this month.

We recorded 8.92 inches of rainfall, which is 5.61 inches above the average for July. This is the highest recorded rainfall for the month of July here in East Wareham. Passing the record held in 2009 of 8.23 inches and 1988's record of 7.20 inches. To start the month, Hurricane Arthur gave us 5.89 inches of rain over a 24-hour period on July 4th and 5th. While the last half of the month was very dry, with only two days recording a total of 0.49 inches of rain. Rainfall was recorded on 7 days, and 6 of these days had measurable precipitation over 0.10 inches. Year-to-date rainfall for 2014 is 31.76 inches, 3.21 inches above the average for East Wareham and 2.38 inches above 2013 rainfall at this time. There were 2 thunderstorms recorded this month

June

June was warm and dry with average sunshine. The temperature averaged 65.9 degrees, 0.6 degrees above average and 1.5 degrees below 2013. Maximum temperature was 86.9 degrees on the 18th; a minimum temperature of 46.0 degrees was recorded on the 1st. Daytime high temperatures averaged 75.8 degrees, 1.8 degrees above the norm. Evening temperatures averaged 56.1 degrees, 0.6 degrees above the norm.

Sunshine totaled was 67% of the possible sunshine hours. This is well above average for June sunshine and 12% greater than June 2013.

Precipitation totaled 2.15 inches, which is 1.56 inches below normal. June 2014 rainfall was 7.62 inches less then that of June 2013. We had measurable precipitation on 9 days, with 5 of those days having measurable precipitation greater than 0.10 inches. The largest 24-hour rainfall was 0.75 inches on the 14th. We only received 0.08 inches of rain in the last half of the month. Year-to-date rainfall for 2014 now stands at 22.845 inches, 2.40 inches below average and 8.21 inches below the total rainfall at this time in 2013. There was only 1 thunderstorm and 3 days with fog.

The first half of 2014 has been cool and dry. Temperatures have averaged out to be 0.6 degrees below normal for the year. Rainfall has averaged 2.40 inches below normal. Despite the low rainfall, we did receive 51.50 inches of snow, 23.30 inches above the average for the first six months of 2014. Sunshine has also been well above average. Four out of six months had above average sunshine hours.

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