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"Preliminary analysis
indicated that this August was the 10th hottest and the 40th driest in the
past 108 years."
Tom Priddy,
UK Agricultural Meteorologist
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by Aimee D. Heald
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 4, 2002) - Many Kentuckians may have noticed August was
hot. But University of Kentucky Agricultural Meteorologist Tom Priddy said it
was more than just hot - it was hot enough to stand out in the record books.
"August 2002 will go into the record books as both a hot and dry month for
the Commonwealth," he said. "It was the third straight month with
above normal temperatures and below normal rainfall. Preliminary analysis
indicated that this August was the 10th hottest and the 40th driest in the past
108 years."
Beyond that, Priddy said the 2002 summer was the 11th hottest and 18th driest
June, July and August in the past 108 years with less than 10 inches of
rainfall received across the state. The driest summer was in 1930 when the
Commonwealth received only a little over five inches of rainfall during the
entire season.
Below normal rainfall amounts sent most of the state into mild and moderate
hydrological drought and serious agricultural drought by the end of August.
"By August's end, only the Central Kentucky climate zone was fairing
slightly better with above normal rainfall for the month, but still unfavorably
dry and the East was abnormally dry," he said. "The West and
Bluegrass areas were in the worst shape and needed nearly six inches above
normal rainfall to return to hydrologic normal."
Priddy said one way to see just how hot the summer was is to look at the number
of days where the high temperature equaled or exceeded 90 degrees. For the
summer, Paducah had 54 days, Louisville 51 days, Lexington 36 days, Covington
29 days and Jackson 12 days.
The Louisville statistic alone was 20 days more than normal above 90
degrees," he said. "
Priddy also noted that although El Nino has resurfaced in the Pacific, it
played no part in the hot and dry conditions of the 2002 summer in Kentucky.
"We were in a condition of La Nada during the summer," he said.
"And that means there was no La Nina or El Nino affecting our weather
patterns."
Looking forward to the end of September, Priddy said all models indicate a
similar pattern with above normal temperatures and below normal rainfall. There
is some return to near normal temperatures in the extended outlook through
November, but still below normal precipitation.
Writer: Aimee D. Heald 859-257-4736, ext. 267Source: Brenda
Childers 859-257-3000
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