EASTON MASSACHUSETTS NORTHEAST BRISTOL COUNTY CLIMATOLOGICAL REPORT ********************************** -1996- THE YEAR IN REVIEW- A Narrative by Josh Nichols ********************************** 1996 was a highlight in my 4 years of detailed weather observing. Never in my life had I seen such a year of extremes. From the record setting winter months of January through April, to the lack of extreme heat for this summer, to the incredible rain storms that brought record amounts of water in each storm, this was definitely a year that made you appreciate New England weather. This was a classic example of the tremendous variation we can see in this part of the country. I felt quite privileged to be able to witness the innumerable events that colored this year in weather...From the Blizzard of 1996 which brought a record 18.2" of snow ( not to mention a record snowy January of 42.4") to the May 22 macroburst in Brockton which brought the highest wind gust of the year of 63 MPH, there is no question that extremes dominated this year. January kicked off the grand show exemplifying the theme of "extremes." Heavy snows gave us three consecutive weeks of total snow cover peaking out at 28 inches after the Blizzard of 1996...This was followed by three BIG January thaws each featuring high winds of over 50 MPH and soaking rains. It was the snowiest January and the snowiest month ever on the 12 year record. February brought more snow but was highlighted by a cold snap the likes which had not been seen in roughly 20 years. Easton's lowest temperature of the year was achieved on the 5th when the mercury dipped to 15 degrees BELOW zero. More extremes for the year were cast this month..They included a rare winter time thundershower and an unusual 7 day stretch when the mercury never dipped below the freezing mark. March brought more fun with another 17.8" of snow with plenty of cold weather and plenty of storminess although balanced off with a full quota of sunshine. Even though 17.8" of snow fell, all of that fell in the first ten days of the month...The remainder of the month saw no snow and an 11 day dry spell by month's end with the mercury actually reaching 67 degrees by 3/26. The highest pressure of 1996 occurred on 3/10 when the barometer peaked at 30.86." April's cast of characters threw another twist in the incredible year of extremes. Winter refused to let its grip loose on the year as two snowstorms hit with quite a vengeance...9.0" of heavy wet snow fell on the 10th bringing power outages to town that in some spots lasted three days. It was the latest we had ever seen such heavy snow in the area in decades of modern weather records. Temperatures responded nicely though for the 100th running of the Boston Marathon with perfectly clear and sunny conditions for the historic running on the 15th. After a chilly start the 2nd half of the month was quite warm. May gave us our climax in weather. A late freeze on May 14th was followed one week later by the hottest temperature for the entire year. Yet the chill won out as the month was the third cold month in a row. Yes, ironic as it was for the upcoming summer months, the mercury refused to rise over the 94 degree reading set May 21, 1996. But our attention was not directed on the heat but rather the terror in the sky as a line of severe thunderstorms rushed through the area. A powerful storm with incredible straight line winds brought the wind gust to 63 MPH once again for the year damaging limbs and wires throughout town cutting power for three hours...This is nothing compared to the destruction caused by the macroburst when it intensified over Brockton sending wind speeds at nearby Whitman to an amazing 104 MPH. June saw the dry extreme and while the month was scantly above normal not many people noticed as the days were cloudy and daily highs never got above 87 degrees. The month was quiet yet dismal to some due to the lack of bright sunshine...thus beach goers and summer businesses weren't thrilled. July continued the extremes...this time evident in the persistent Western Ridge-Eastern Trough weather pattern that wouldn't budge despite it being the middle of summer. The susceptibility of tropical storms was clear in this pattern and that was soon realized when Bertha paid a visit to the region with heavy rains and strong winds. Yet another storm not more than a week later brought the barometer unusually low for this time of year as a storm deepening rapidly east of the Maine coast to a central low of 28.94". The resultant northwesterly winds behind this storm made it feel more like October than late July. Thus the "extremes" of this month were realized in the weather pattern and the lack of "extreme heat." August was an extreme for Easton with two hail events occurring just 4 days apart from each other...a rather unusual occurrence. We were dry once again this month although not as dry as places like Boston which recorded just 1.54" of rainfall. However, on the extreme theme again, we were extremely foggy (8 days noted) and humid thanks to the easterly and southerly flow.. thus keeping the "extreme heat" away! September will be remembered for its three "tropical visitors".... A close pass with Edouard, the remnants of Hortense, and the heavy rains of Pacific Hurricane "Fausto." It was yet another wet month...carrying on the extremely wet theme of the year. October was even wetter than September....Historical quantities of rain poured down on the area...Easton picked up a total of 5.95" in just one event occurring from the 20th-21st. Fortunately, despite the tremendous amounts of rainfall, there were many days spread out between the short visits with intense rain allowing sunshine to prevail....So yet another extreme to discuss for the year...Extremely wet with 9.60" of rain making it the wettest month of the year and the second wettest month of any month on the 12 year record. November was sharply colder than normal on average but brought plenty of sunshine ..Despite a mild start, temperatures quickly chilled into the 30s by mid month for daytime maxima as a massive dome of High pressure, rivaling that of March sent the barometer up to 30.82." A preview of winter brought some snow the day before Thanksgiving setting us up for one of the coldest Thanksgivings on record. December-the finale to 1996-The month was no different carrying out the "extreme theme"quite well....Four storms brought over one inch of rain for the month and twenty days saw measurable precipitation....The month was extremely cloudy and extremely warm as well...something we had not seen during a winter month for sometime. So there you have it......1996...The year of extremes. ****** Josh Nichols Easton, MA weather observer Email: nicholsj@joker.lsc.vsc.edu or 75613.1534@compuserve.com The Easton,MA Weather Home Page: WWW: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/6738 Lyndon State College Freshman '96-'97 Meteorology Major "The realities of tomorrow begin with the dreams of today"-OAHS Class of '96 Motto