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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Climate of 2002 - Annual Review
National Climatic Data Center |
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Climate of 2002 - Annual Review
National Climatic Data Center |
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National Temperature
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larger image 2002 ranked as the 14th warmest year on record for the U.S. with a preliminary temperature of 53.9°F (12.2°C) which is 1.1°F (0.6°C) above the long-term average. After beginning the year with much above average warmth, especially in the Northeast, 2002 ended with cooler than normal to near average temperatures across much of the nation.
The 2001-2002 winter season (Dec-Feb) was 9th warmest on record for the U.S., with much of the warmth occurring in the Northeast, which had its warmest winter on record. Spring (March-May) was near normal nationally with a warmer than average April compensating for a cooler March and May. However, the summer season (June-August) was one of the warmest in 108 years of national records. Summer 2002 was tied (with 1988) for 3rd warmest behind only 1936 and 1934. The 2002 fall season was near average, though September was the 7th warmest such month on record, followed by a cool October and near average November.
The last three 5-year periods (1998-2002, 1997-2001, 1996-2000), have been the warmest 5-year periods in the last 108 years of national records, and the last 6 (1997-2002), 7 (1996-2002), 8 (1995-2002), 9 (1994-2002) and 10-year (1993-2002) periods have been the warmest on record for the U.S., illustrating the near-persistent warmth of the last decade.
More details of individual monthly and seasonal reports for 2002 can be found in
NCDC's monthly and seasonal reports
larger image The adjacent figure shows the percent of the contiguous U.S. that was very warm and the percent that was very cold during each of the past 12 months. A tenth or more of the country averaged very warm for 8 months of the year, with 2 months, April, and July, each exceeding 30 percent. More than 10 percent of the country was very cold in March and May and more than a third of the country was very cold in October. Very warm and very cold conditions are defined as the warmest and coldest ten percent of recorded temperatures, respectively.
2002 was 4th warmest on record for Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey. Nine other states were much warmer than normal during 2002. No state in the contiguous US averaged below normal for the year. Click on the image to the right for an animated map.
Click here for animated divisional ranks map
larger image Annual temperatures averaged across the state of Alaska reached record levels for 2002, with every season in Alaska averaging above normal. Fall 2002 was the warmest September-November on record for the state. Nine states in the Northeast and Midwest had their warmest winter on record, and the Southwest region had its warmest summer on record. Three states (Colorado, Maryland and Delaware) also broke summer warmth records.
Data collected by NOAA's TIROS-N polar-orbiting satellites and adjusted for time-dependent biases by NASA and the Global Hydrology and Climate Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, indicate that temperatures in the lower half of the atmosphere (lowest 8 km of the atmosphere) were above the 20-year (1979-1998) average for 2002 for the 5th consecutive year and ranked as the 8th warmest such period since 1979.
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larger image The adjacent figure shows the percent of the contiguous U.S. that was very wet and the percent that was very dry during each of the past 12 months. During 2002, more than a tenth of the country was very dry in 8 of the 11 months, and in February and May, more than 20 percent of the country was very dry. Only in September and October did the percentage area of very wet conditions exceed ten percent, though in October more than 20% of the country was very wet. This was due in part to several landfalling tropical systems during these 2 months. Drought improvement generally occurred in the eastern U.S. during 2002, while in much of the western half of the country and the central and southern Great Lakes drought worsened. More details on U.S. drought for 2002 can be found on the annual drought summary page.
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Precipitation in the United States in 2002 was characterized by extreme dryness in the west, generally above average wetness in the Mississippi Valley Region and dryness giving way to near average conditions for the east. Colorado had its driest year on record during 2002 and Wyoming, Nevada and Nebraska their third driest year. Six states were much drier than normal in 2002 and the Southwest region as a whole was the 4th driest on record. More details on U.S. drought for 2002 can be found on the annual drought summary page.
Louisiana had its wettest fall on record (see graph below left), in part due to 2 landfalling tropical systems which impacted the state in September and October. It was the 3rd driest July and August combined for the Northeast (see graph below right). Considerable improvement in drought conditions for the east coast occurred in the fall so that annual totals for much of the east coast were near normal as can be seen in the map to the right.
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larger image There were 21 very strong to violent tornadoes (wind speeds in excess of 158 mph, category F3-F5) during the 2002 tornado season (March-August). This is well below the long-term (1950-2001) mean of 38 and is the third consecutive season of much below normal activity. Little trend in very strong to violent tornadoes has been observed since 1950. Though the season was below average, there were several notable storm outbreaks in 2002 such as the F4 which touched down in Maryland on April 28th, the Corpus Christi (Texas) tornado in October and the November outbreak in the Tennessee and Ohio valley region. The annual summary of significant events describes these outbreaks and other severe weather for the nation over the year. NCDC's monthly pages contain additional details for each month.
There were 12 named tropical storms in 2002, 4 of which became hurricanes with 2 reaching major hurricane strength (category 3-5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale). On average, 10 named storms form with 6 growing to hurricane strength and two developing into major hurricanes. While there were more tropical storms than average, there were fewer strong storms in 2002. The development of an El Nino in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific led to the suppression of strong storms in 2002, and overall activity is considered somewhat lower than average for the season. However, 7 storms made landfall in the U.S. which is the most since 1998. More details regarding the Atlantic Hurricane Season, and notable storms therein, can be found on the 2002 Hurricane page 
Larger image Hurricane Lili in the Central Gulf of Mexico on the 2nd of October
click here for North America animated snow
cover loop for winter 2001/2002,
WARNING - large download.Overall, the North American snow season for 2001/02 was below average. However, due to above average warmth over the Great Lakes during the winter, the lakes remained largely unfrozen and provided ample moisture to fuel lake effect snowfall. Marquette, on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, received record seasonal snowfall amounts, and in Buffalo, NY, the monthly snowfall record was broken, when more than 80 inches of snow fell between the 24th and 28th of December. Elsewhere, the snowpack was mostly light and the lack of spring meltwater from the snow added to the water shortages in much of the western U.S. Click on the image to the left for an animated winter snow cover loop.
More details of individual months and seasons in 2002 can be found on NCDC's monthly pages
NOAA's National Climatic Data Center is the world's largest active archive of weather data. The preliminary temperature and precipitation rankings are available from the center by calling: 828-271-4800.
NOAA works closely with the academic and science communities on climate-related research projects to increase the understanding of El Niño and improve forecasting techniques. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center monitors, analyzes and predicts climate events ranging from weeks to seasons for the nation. NOAA also operates the network of data buoys and satellites that provide vital information about the ocean waters, and initiates research projects to improve future climate forecasts.
For further information, contact:
Jay Lawrimore
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4328
email: Jay.Lawrimore@noaa.gov
NCDC / Climate Monitoring / Climate of 2002 / Annual / Search / Help
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Last Updated Wednesday, 20-Aug-2008 12:22:34 EDT by Anne.Waple@noaa.gov
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