534 NZUS01 KLZK 031038 WRKPNS PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 430 AM CDT THU MAY 3 2001 THE END OF APRIL MARKED THREE YEARS SINCE THE START OF THE RECENT PERIOD OF VERY WARM AND DRY WEATHER FOR LITTLE ROCK. THE PATTERN BEGAN IN MAY 1998 AND HAS GENERALLY CONTINUED THROUGH THE PERIOD... WITH A FEW BREAKS. IN THE PAST THREE YEARS...31 OUT OF THE 36 MONTHS HAVE BEEN WARMER THAN NORMAL AND 24 OUT OF THE 36 MONTHS HAVE AVERAGED AT LEAST THREE DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL. TWELVE OF THE 36 MONTHS HAVE RANKED AMONG THE TEN WARMEST OF THAT MONTH ON RECORD...AND THREE MONTHS HAVE RANKED AS THE WARMEST ON RECORD FOR THAT MONTH. RAINFALL HAS BEEN WELL BELOW NORMAL FOR MOST OF THE PERIOD. TOTAL RAINFALL FOR MAY 1998 THROUGH APRIL 2001 IS 120.86 INCHES WHICH IS 26.89 INCHES BELOW NORMAL OR 81.8 PERCENT OF NORMAL. RAINFALL HAS BEEN BELOW NORMAL IN 27 OUT OF THE PAST 36 MONTHS. THERE HAVE BEEN 6 MONTHS WITH LESS THAN ONE INCH OF RAINFALL DURING THE PAST THREE YEARS. SIX MONTHS OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS HAVE RANKED AMONG THE TEN DRIEST OF THAT MONTH ON RECORD...BUT NO MONTHS MANAGED TO BE THE DRIEST ON RECORD FOR THAT MONTH. THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW EXCEPTIONS TO THE PATTERN. DECEMBER 2000 WAS THE SECOND COLDEST DECEMBER ON RECORD AND AVERAGED 9.5 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. NOVEMBER 2000 HAD 11.16 INCHES OF RAIN...SIX INCHES ABOVE NORMAL AND WAS THE SECOND TO WETTEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD. FEBRUARY 2001 HAD 8.27 INCHES OF RAIN AND WAS THE 7TH WETTEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE THREE YEAR PERIOD FROM MAY 1998 THROUGH APRIL 2001 HAS BEEN 64.7 DEGREES. THIS IS 3.4 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL ANNUAL TEMPERATURE CURRENTLY IN USE...BASED ON 1961 THROUGH 1990 AVERAGES AND 2.6 DEGREES ABOVE THE OVERALL ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE SINCE 1880. ONLY THREE CALENDAR YEARS OUT OF 121 HAVE BEEN WARMER THAN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. BREAKING THE LAST THREE YEARS DOWN BY YEAR...GOING FROM MAY THROUGH APRIL... FROM MAY 1998 THROUGH APRIL 1999...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 65.8 DEGREES. THIS IS 0.3 DEGREES WARMER THAN THE WARMEST CALENDAR YEAR (JANUARY THROUGH DECEMBER) ON RECORD...WHICH IS 1998...AND 0.8 DEGREES WARMER THAN THE SECOND WARMEST CALENDAR YEAR ON RECORD... WHICH IS 1999. RAINFALL FOR THIS PERIOD WAS 43.24 INCHES...WHICH IS 6.01 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. FROM MAY 1999 THROUGH APRIL 2000...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 65.1 DEGREES WHICH WOULD RANK AS THE SECOND TO WARMEST CALENDAR YEAR ON RECORD. RAINFALL WAS ONLY 29.24 INCHES...WHICH IS 20.01 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS WOULD RANK AS THE SECOND TO DRIEST CALENDAR YEAR ON RECORD AND IS 0.98 INCHES ABOVE THE DRIEST CALENDAR YEAR ON RECORD WHICH IS 1963. FROM MAY 2000 THROUGH APRIL 2001...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 63.1 DEGREES. THIS DESPITE THE WARMEST AUGUST AND APRIL ON RECORD DURING THIS PERIOD. IN ADDITION...AUGUST WAS THE HOTTEST MONTH EVER RECORDED IN LITTLE ROCK WEATHER HISTORY. HOWEVER...THE EXCEPTIONAL COLD OF DECEMBER AND A MUCH COLDER THAN NORMAL NOVEMBER PULLED DOWN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE. THIS AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WOULD STILL RANK AMONG THE 25 WARMEST CALENDAR YEARS EVER. RAINFALL FOR THE PAST 12 MONTHS IS 48.38 INCHES...WHICH IS ONLY 0.87 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS DESPITE THREE MONTHS WITH LESS THAN ONE INCH OF RAINFALL AND ANOTHER MONTH THAT RANKED AMONG THE TEN DRIEST OF ITS KIND. THIS WAS BALANCED OUT BY THREE MONTHS THAT WERE MUCH WETTER THAN NORMAL...TWO OF WHICH WERE AMONG THE TEN WETTEST ON RECORD FOR THAT MONTH. 29  534 NZUS01 KLZK 031038 WRKPNS PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 430 AM CDT THU MAY 3 2001 THE END OF APRIL MARKED THREE YEARS SINCE THE START OF THE RECENT PERIOD OF VERY WARM AND DRY WEATHER FOR LITTLE ROCK. THE PATTERN BEGAN IN MAY 1998 AND HAS GENERALLY CONTINUED THROUGH THE PERIOD... WITH A FEW BREAKS. IN THE PAST THREE YEARS...31 OUT OF THE 36 MONTHS HAVE BEEN WARMER THAN NORMAL AND 24 OUT OF THE 36 MONTHS HAVE AVERAGED AT LEAST THREE DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL. TWELVE OF THE 36 MONTHS HAVE RANKED AMONG THE TEN WARMEST OF THAT MONTH ON RECORD...AND THREE MONTHS HAVE RANKED AS THE WARMEST ON RECORD FOR THAT MONTH. RAINFALL HAS BEEN WELL BELOW NORMAL FOR MOST OF THE PERIOD. TOTAL RAINFALL FOR MAY 1998 THROUGH APRIL 2001 IS 120.86 INCHES WHICH IS 26.89 INCHES BELOW NORMAL OR 81.8 PERCENT OF NORMAL. RAINFALL HAS BEEN BELOW NORMAL IN 27 OUT OF THE PAST 36 MONTHS. THERE HAVE BEEN 6 MONTHS WITH LESS THAN ONE INCH OF RAINFALL DURING THE PAST THREE YEARS. SIX MONTHS OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS HAVE RANKED AMONG THE TEN DRIEST OF THAT MONTH ON RECORD...BUT NO MONTHS MANAGED TO BE THE DRIEST ON RECORD FOR THAT MONTH. THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW EXCEPTIONS TO THE PATTERN. DECEMBER 2000 WAS THE SECOND COLDEST DECEMBER ON RECORD AND AVERAGED 9.5 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. NOVEMBER 2000 HAD 11.16 INCHES OF RAIN...SIX INCHES ABOVE NORMAL AND WAS THE SECOND TO WETTEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD. FEBRUARY 2001 HAD 8.27 INCHES OF RAIN AND WAS THE 7TH WETTEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE THREE YEAR PERIOD FROM MAY 1998 THROUGH APRIL 2001 HAS BEEN 64.7 DEGREES. THIS IS 3.4 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL ANNUAL TEMPERATURE CURRENTLY IN USE...BASED ON 1961 THROUGH 1990 AVERAGES AND 2.6 DEGREES ABOVE THE OVERALL ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE SINCE 1880. ONLY THREE CALENDAR YEARS OUT OF 121 HAVE BEEN WARMER THAN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. BREAKING THE LAST THREE YEARS DOWN BY YEAR...GOING FROM MAY THROUGH APRIL... FROM MAY 1998 THROUGH APRIL 1999...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 65.8 DEGREES. THIS IS 0.3 DEGREES WARMER THAN THE WARMEST CALENDAR YEAR (JANUARY THROUGH DECEMBER) ON RECORD...WHICH IS 1998...AND 0.8 DEGREES WARMER THAN THE SECOND WARMEST CALENDAR YEAR ON RECORD... WHICH IS 1999. RAINFALL FOR THIS PERIOD WAS 43.24 INCHES...WHICH IS 6.01 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. FROM MAY 1999 THROUGH APRIL 2000...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 65.1 DEGREES WHICH WOULD RANK AS THE SECOND TO WARMEST CALENDAR YEAR ON RECORD. RAINFALL WAS ONLY 29.24 INCHES...WHICH IS 20.01 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS WOULD RANK AS THE SECOND TO DRIEST CALENDAR YEAR ON RECORD AND IS 0.98 INCHES ABOVE THE DRIEST CALENDAR YEAR ON RECORD WHICH IS 1963. FROM MAY 2000 THROUGH APRIL 2001...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 63.1 DEGREES. THIS DESPITE THE WARMEST AUGUST AND APRIL ON RECORD DURING THIS PERIOD. IN ADDITION...AUGUST WAS THE HOTTEST MONTH EVER RECORDED IN LITTLE ROCK WEATHER HISTORY. HOWEVER...THE EXCEPTIONAL COLD OF DECEMBER AND A MUCH COLDER THAN NORMAL NOVEMBER PULLED DOWN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE. THIS AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WOULD STILL RANK AMONG THE 25 WARMEST CALENDAR YEARS EVER. RAINFALL FOR THE PAST 12 MONTHS IS 48.38 INCHES...WHICH IS ONLY 0.87 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS DESPITE THREE MONTHS WITH LESS THAN ONE INCH OF RAINFALL AND ANOTHER MONTH THAT RANKED AMONG THE TEN DRIEST OF ITS KIND. THIS WAS BALANCED OUT BY THREE MONTHS THAT WERE MUCH WETTER THAN NORMAL...TWO OF WHICH WERE AMONG THE TEN WETTEST ON RECORD FOR THAT MONTH. 29