Summer of 2014 - What Summer?

As meteorological summer – running from June 1 through August 31 – concludes, residents of the Mid-Atlantic will remember the 2014 summer for featuring little heat combined with an abundance of precipitation.  Overall, Washington, D.C., saw the fewest days of 90 degree heat since 2009 and no triple digit heat for a second consecutive summer.

Although June was slightly warmer and drier than average, there were only four days that featured temperatures at or above 90 degrees.  July was both cooler and wetter than average – a far cry from the summers of 2010 and 2012 that endured three of the hottest July’s on record in the Nation’s Capital.  This July featured only 9 days of high temperatures in the 90s.  By comparison, July 2011 experienced 25 days of temperatures 90 degrees or hotter and was the hottest July on record. 

August has continued the trend of being both cooler and wetter than average.  On only three occasions did the mercury climb to at least 90 degrees at National Airport – the official weather reporting site for the Nation’s Capital.  Compare that to August 2002, when there were 19 days in the 90s.  In nearby Virginia, Dulles Airport had only one 90 degree during the entire month of August, while seeing temperatures in the 50s on 10 different occasions – virtually unheard of in the Mid-Atlantic Region.  Also, several days featured heavy rain this summer with Baltimore (as measured at BWI Airport) setting a daily rainfall record of 6.30” on August 12.

Helping making the summer cooler and wetter than average was a persistent dip in the jet stream – a river of air in the atmosphere that guides storm track.  Our region was also fortunate not to feel the direct impact of any tropical systems.  There is no strong correlation between a cool and wet summer and a cold and snowy or warm and dry winter.  Other indicators such as the presence of El Nino or La Nina are what scientists look for in issuing their winter outlooks.