Temperature Streaks

Did you know that we are currently in the midst of our longest streak of below normal temperatures all year? Yes, unfortunately for us cold weather lovers, 2008 has been yet another disappointing year!

There may still be hope.  We have now experienced 9 consecutive days below normal, dating back to November 16. Prior to that period, the longest streak of sub-normal temperatures was 6, and that happened on 3 different occasions.

Just for fun, I arbitrarily defined a "streak" as 5 or more consecutive days of either above or below normal temperatures. Using this definition, we have experienced 14 warm streaks and 8 cold streaks this year. But if you dig a little deeper, the score is not even that close. Those 8 cold streaks account for 47 days out of the entire year, while the warm streaks account for a whopping 119 days!

Here is a list of those streaks:

Warm Streaks

• Jan 6-14 (9 days)
• Feb 1-10 (10 days)
• Mar 1-8 (8 Days)
• Mar 11-16 (6 Days)
• Apr 22-28 (7 Days)
• May 6-10 (5 Days)
• May 31-June 17 (18 Days)
• June 25-30 (6 Days)
• July 19-23 (5 Days)
• July 27-Aug 8 (13 Days)
• Aug 23-Sep 1 (10 Days)
• Sep 26-30 (5 Days)
• Oct 9-17 (9 Days)
• Nov 1-8 (8 Days)

Cold Streaks

• Jan 24-28 (5 Days)
• April 13-17 (5 Days)
• May 21-26 (6 Days)
• July 14-18 (5 Days)
• August 9-14 (6 Days)
• Sep 16-21 (6 Days)
• Oct 27-31 (5 Days)
• Nov 16-24 (9 Days)

Month by month, here is how it breaks down:

So, at least we have a chance to chalk up 2 consecutive months with more days below normal than above for the first time this year. Is this a sign of things to come for the Winter of '08-'09? Time will tell, but you know what I'm hoping for!  What are you hoping for?