Goose Lake Weather Blog

The warm winter trend continued in January with an average temperature of 30.8 degrees. We had 6 days with temperatures in the 50s.  The max temperature for the month occurred on the final day of January when the temperature topped out at 59.  Snowfall was 13.0 inches and total precipitation (rain or melted snow water equivalent) was 1.65 inches.

Detailed Stats:

Averages\Extremes for the month of January 2012

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Average temperature     = 30.8°F
 Average humidity        = 81%
 Average dewpoint        = 25.4°F
 Average barometer       = 30.007 in.
 Average windspeed       = 5.5 mph
 Average gustspeed       = 8.3 mph
 Average direction       = 259° ( W )
 Rainfall for month      = 1.65 in.
 Maximum rain per minute = 0.02 in on day 23 at time 04:03
 Maximum temperature     = 59.3°F on day 31 at time 13:39
 Minimum temperature     = 4.9°F on day 19 at time 23:49
 Maximum humidity        = 100% on day 29 at time 22:51
 Minimum humidity        = 46% on day 27 at time 14:17
 Maximum dewpoint        = 50.7°F on day 31 at time 19:04
 Minimum dewpoint        = -3.1°F on day 19 at time 16:58
 Maximum pressure        = 30.49 in. on day 03 at time 09:53
 Minimum pressure        = 29.35 in. on day 23 at time 01:11
 Maximum windspeed       = 25 mph from 293°(WNW) on day 01 at time 17:21
 Maximum gust speed      = 41 mph from 293°(WNW) on day 01 at time 13:59
 Maximum heat index      = 59.3°F on day 31 at time 13:39
 Avg daily max temp :40.3°F
 Avg daily min temp :21.0°F
 Total windrun = 4070.5miles

Here are some stats from 2011:

Averages/extremes to date for the year 2011
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Average temperature     52.1°F
 Average humidity        79%
 Average dewpoint        45.0°F
 Average barometer       29.977 in.
 Average windspeed       3.6 mph
 Average gustspeed       6.1 mph
 Average direction       264° ( W )
 Rainfall for year       = 47.22 in
 Maximum rain per minute 0.150 in on day 20 at time 12:38 month 8
 Maximum temperature     99.2°F on day 19 at time 16:19 month 7
 Minimum temperature     -13.9°F on day 10 at time 07:03 month 2
 Maximum humidity        = 100% on day 22 at time 08:50 month 12
 Minimum humidity        = 23% on day 31 at time 15:28 month 3
 Maximum dewpoint        = 83.1°F on day 28 at time 14:57 month 7
 Minimum dewpoint        = -18.0°F on day 10 at time 7:03 month 2
 Maximum pressure        = 30.605  in. on day 02 at time 16:25 month 2
 Minimum pressure        = 29.195  in. on day 01 at time 03:17 month 4
 Maximum windspeed       32.2 mph from 090°( E ) on day 01 at time 20:25 month 2
 Maximum gust speed      46.0 mph from 090°( E ) on day 01 at time 20:06 month 2
 Maximum heat index      122.0°F on day 21 at time 16:31 month 7
 Total Growing T-Sum= 8038.4°F
 Growing degrees days :1057.3 GDD
  Total windrun = 31582.6miles

Temperature data by month:

TEMPERATURE (°F), HEAT BASE 65.0, COOL BASE 65.0
                          DEP.  HEAT  COOL
        MEAN  MEAN        FROM  DEG   DEG                        MAX  MAX  MIN  MIN
 YR MO  MAX   MIN   MEAN  NORM  DAYS  DAYS  HI  DATE  LOW  DATE  >=90 <=32 <=32 <=0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 11  1  29.6  15.0  22.6   0.0  1315     0  43.3   1  -2.1   21    0   20   31    1
 11  2  35.4  20.4  28.7   0.0  1013     0  58.2  17 -13.9   10    0   10   23    3
 11  3  49.2  30.5  39.7   0.0   785     1  71.9  17  21.6    1    0    0   22    0
 11  4  60.6  41.5  50.7   0.0   451    21  84.1  10  24.2    1    0    0    2    0
 11  5  72.2  50.9  61.6   0.0   217   111  92.8  10  34.6    4    2    0    0    0
 11  6  82.1  61.7  71.9   0.0    29   236  96.4   7  53.6   10    5    0    0    0
 11  7  90.5  68.3  79.2   0.0     5   446  99.2  19  58.0    9   20    0    0    0
 11  8  85.3  62.3  73.2   0.0    26   280  94.6   2  54.8   15    5    0    0    0
 11  9  72.5  52.2  61.8   0.0   179    84  97.5   1  39.0   15    3    0    0    0
 11 10  67.0  42.0  53.7   0.0   398    47  85.7   7  29.3   29    0    0    4    0
 11 11  53.8  36.7  45.0   0.0   603     2  72.6  13  24.3   17    0    0    7    0
 11 12  43.3  28.6  36.0   0.0   899     0  57.5  15  11.5   10    0    1   21    0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        61.9  42.6  52.1   0.0  5918  1228  99.2 JUL -13.9  FEB   35   31  110    4

Happy Anniversary to all Illinois CoCoRaHS observers! Illinois joined CoCoRaHS in December 2006 and the number of observers has continued to grow. CoCoRaHS observers walk out each morning to check their rain gauges and measure any snowfall. This information is used by a host of agencies and entities including the National Weather Service, state climatologists, media, and many more.

Thank you CoCoRaHS observers for your continued dedication and and commitment to the program.

Learn more about CoCoRaHS

A cold front interacting with a very warm humid air mass resulted in explosive growth of thunderstorms during the evening hours of Aug 2, 2011. The day had been very hot and humid with the temperature topping out at 95° and the dew point hovering around 80°. A band of severe storms moved out of Wisconsin and affected the far northeast counties in Illinois…north of Chicago. At the time I thought the show was over. Later however storms developed rapidly over portions of the Rock river valley and began moving southeast and eventually made it to Grundy county.  Here is a list of storm reports for Grundy county as of 1PM 8/23/11 courtesy NOAA/NWS Chicago:

1001 PM     TSTM WND DMG     COAL CITY               41.29N 88.28W
08/02/2011                   GRUNDY             IL   PUBLIC

            TREE DOWN ON HOUSE.

1001 PM     TSTM WND DMG     COAL CITY               41.29N 88.28W
08/02/2011                   GRUNDY             IL   PUBLIC

            TREE BLOCKING KANKAKEE ST. TRANSFORMER DOWN.

1001 PM     TSTM WND GST     2 W COAL CITY           41.29N 88.32W
08/02/2011  M64.00 MPH       GRUNDY             IL   MESONET

1008 PM     TSTM WND GST     SSE MINOOKA             41.45N 88.26W
08/02/2011  M57.00 MPH       GRUNDY             IL   MESONET

My Boltek lightning detector definitely got a workout. At the time it detected a peak lightning rate of 2094 strikes per minute. Most were in cloud but there were many close cloud to ground strokes as well. The following images show the lightning display and radar image around that time.  Note: this detector is not nearly as accurate as those used in professional detection networks (costing much, much more).

Aug 2, 2011 Radar Image (severe thunderstorm warnings denoted by red polygons)

August 2, 2011 Lightning Display

If you think it was warmer than usual for July, you are correct. We recorded 21 days with high temperatures of 90° or greater. Last year we had 10.  The average temperature for the month was 79.2° and although not making it to the century mark, we did reach 99° on July 19th. Another factor that made it unbearable at times was the high humidity. Dew point is a measure of the amount of moisture in the air and generally begins to feel somewhat uncomfortable when the dew point reaches 70° although each individual has his/her own comfort level.  The heat and humidity are oppressive when dew points reach or exceed the upper 70′s. We had many days with dew points hovering around 80°. That, combined with temperatures in the low to mid 90s resulted in heat indices of 115 to 120° at times.

In addition to the heat, July will be remembered for a lack of rainfall. Total rainfall for the month was 2.00 inches. While not the driest recorded here, it was well below normal. The total monthly precipitation value does not always tell the whole story however, especially with regards to summer storms. I like to look at the days with 0.50 inch of rain or greater to get a better feel for how wet or dry a summer may have been. For this July we recorded only 1 day during the month when rainfall exceeded 1/2 inch. Most gardeners know that a typical garden needs around 1 inch per week during the summer. But in reality, that rarely occurs. Summer thunderstorms can produce rainfall rates that exceed 1 inch per hour so if you do get rain, it generally comes all at once.  Chicago actually recorded the wettest July on record with a whopping 11.15 inches of rain! This was due to torrential rain that fell on July 23rd and deposited a calendar day total of 6.86 inches.

Here are some stats for the Goose Lake Weather station:

 Averages\Extremes for the month of July 2011

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Average temperature     = 79.2°F
 Average humidity        = 76%
 Average dewpoint        = 70.3°F
 Average barometer       = 29.913 in.
 Average wind speed      = 1.4 mph
 Average gust speed      = 2.9 mph
 Average direction       = 165° (SSE)
 Rainfall for month      = 2.00 inches.
 Maximum rain per minute = 0.04 in on day 24 at time 08:15
 Maximum temperature     = 99.2°F on day 19 at time 16:19
 Minimum temperature     = 58.0°F on day 09 at time 05:46
 Maximum humidity        = 100% on day 31 at time 07:50
 Minimum humidity        = 34% on day 08 at time 15:00
 Maximum dewpoint        = 83.1°F on day 28 at time 14:57
 Minimum dewpoint        = 53.1°F on day 07 at time 20:21
 Maximum pressure        = 30.09 in. on day 31 at time 08:41
 Minimum pressure        = 29.73 in. on day 20 at time 19:46
 Maximum windspeed       = 18 mph from 293°(WNW) on day 11 at time 08:12
 Maximum gust speed      = 28 mph from 293°(WNW) on day 11 at time 08:12
 Maximum heat index      = 122.0°F on day 21 at time 16:31
 Avg daily max temp :90.5°F
 Avg daily min temp :68.3°F
 Total windrun = 1004.6miles

Here is an interesting graphic depicting the July 2011 departure from normal precipitation. The red circle is our location.

June was another wet month with a total of 6.08 inches of rain.

Averages\Extremes for the month of June 2011

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Average temperature     = 71.9°F
 Average humidity        = 77%
 Average dewpoint        = 63.6°F
 Average barometer       = 29.875 in.
 Average windspeed       = 2.3 mph
 Average gustspeed       = 4.8 mph
 Average direction       = 215° ( SW)
 Rainfall for month      = 6.08 in.
 Maximum rain per minute = 0.140 in on day 20 at time 06:12
 Maximum temperature     = 96.3°F on day 07 at time 14:28
 Minimum temperature     = 53.6°F on day 14 at time 04:55
 Maximum humidity        = 100% on day 29 at time 06:59
 Minimum humidity        = 33% on day 07 at time 18:51
 Maximum dewpoint        = 79.6°F on day 04 at time 16:09
 Minimum dewpoint        = 45.6°F on day 13 at time 0:23
 Maximum pressure        = 30.24 in. on day 01 at time 11:36
 Minimum pressure        = 29.52 in. on day 21 at time 17:46
 Maximum windspeed       = 14 mph from 225°( SW) on day 22 at time 09:56
 Maximum gust speed      = 30 mph from 180°( S ) on day 21 at time 20:02
 Maximum heat index      = 109.3°F on day 04 at time 15:05
 Avg daily max temp :82.1°F
 Avg daily min temp :61.7°F
 Total windrun = 1642.9miles

Although the majority of the month saw below normal precip, the remaining 7 to 10 days quickly made up for the deficit. Total rain was 7.32 inches.

Some other climate stats:

 Average temperature     = 61.6°F
 Average humidity        = 75%
 Average dewpoint        = 52.9°F
 Average barometer       = 29.879 in.
 Average windspeed       = 3.3 mph
 Average gustspeed       = 6.2 mph
 Average direction       = 93° ( E )
 Rainfall for month      = 7.32 in.
 Maximum rain per minute = 0.070 in on day 25 at time 07:00
 Maximum temperature     = 92.8°F on day 10 at time 16:06
 Minimum temperature     = 34.6°F on day 04 at time 02:15
 Maximum humidity        = 100% on day 30 at time 03:57
 Minimum humidity        = 30% on day 04 at time 18:30
 Maximum dewpoint        = 75.9°F on day 30 at time 13:00
 Minimum dewpoint        = 27.4°F on day 04 at time 18:19
 Maximum pressure        = 30.42 in. on day 04 at time 09:20
 Minimum pressure        = 29.47 in. on day 25 at time 19:24
 Maximum windspeed       = 18 mph from 270°( W ) on day 11 at time 18:42
 Maximum gust speed      = 26 mph from 248°(WSW) on day 31 at time 10:28
 Maximum heat index      = 101.8°F on day 10 at time 16:32
 Avg daily max temp :72.2°F
 Avg daily min temp :51.0°F
 Total windrun = 2432.3miles

If you think it was a wet month, you are correct. Total rainfall for April was 5.38 inches. Although well above the average of around 3.44 inches, it was not record setting. However we did record measurable rainfall on 19 of the 30 days during the month.

Other Climate stats for April:

Average temperature     = 50.7°F
 Average humidity        = 76%
 Average dewpoint        = 42.7°F
 Average barometer       = 29.815 in.
 Average windspeed       = 6.4 mph
 Average gustspeed       = 10.0 mph
 Average direction       = 78° (ENE)
 Rainfall for month      = 5.38 in.
 Maximum rain per minute = 0.040 in on day 19 at time 11:50
 Maximum temperature     = 84.1°F on day 10 at time 14:46
 Minimum temperature     = 24.3°F on day 01 at time 02:43
 Maximum humidity        = 100% on day 26 at time 01:12
 Minimum humidity        = 25% on day 12 at time 17:47
 Maximum dewpoint        = 68.6°F on day 10 at time 15:15
 Minimum dewpoint        = 19.4°F on day 01 at time 2:27
 Maximum pressure        = 30.42 in. on day 21 at time 08:46
 Minimum pressure        = 29.20 in. on day 03 at time 23:01
 Maximum windspeed       = 25.3 mph from 113°(ESE) on day 15 at time 12:03
 Maximum gust speed      = 34.5 mph from 113°(ESE) on day 15 at time 12:02
 Maximum heat index      = 87.4°F on day 10 at time 14:46
 Avg daily max temp :60.6°F
 Avg daily min temp :41.5°F
 Total windrun = 4597.6miles

Every March, the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network or CoCoRaHS, conducts a campaign to recruit more observers for its nationwide volunteer weather observing

CoCoRaHS rain gauge

network.  If you have an interest in observing precipitation from your own backyard, I encourage you to check out CoCoRaHS. The data is used by many organizations and your observation is used to create realtime maps of rain, hail, and snow on the CoCoRaHS web page.

What is CoCoRaHS?

CoCo.. what? CoCoRaHS is an acronym for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.  CoCoRaHS is a unique, non-profit, community-based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow).   By using low-cost measurement tools, stressing training and education, and utilizing an interactive Web-site, our aim is to provide the highest quality data for natural resource, education and research applications. We are now in all fifty states.

What does it cost to join?

There is no charge to join but you will need to purchase an official CoCoRaHS rain gauge at a cost of around $30 (including shipping). Links to purchase a rain gauge are available from the CoCoRaHS web site. It is very important that all observers use this gauge for accuracy and consistency.

What about training?

All observers are required to go through training in order to learn things like the best place to install your rain gauge, correct measurement procedures, and using the web page. Attending a training session is the best way to get training but if that is not possible, training is available online.

OK, How do I sign up?!

Simple, go to the CoCoRaHS web site (http://www.cocorahs.org/) and click on the Join CoCoRaHS link.

For Illinois information and upcoming training, be sure and check out:

http://www.cocorahs.org/state.aspx?state=il

Daytime high temperatures will continue a steady climb as we head into the latter part of the upcoming week.  The start of meteorological spring is only a little over 2 weeks away. There is still a considerable amount of snow on the ground so let’s hope for a rain free period during the melt.

Snow Depth courtesy NOAA/NOHRSC