CXUS53 KFNT 031835
CLMFNT

CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMARY FOR FLINT - AUGUST 2003
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
230 PM EDT WED SEP 3 2003

...A TALE OF TWO AUGUST CLIMATES IN SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN...
   DRY NORTH...WET SOUTH...
...HOTTEST DAY OF THE SUMMER INFLAMES SEVERE WEATHER... 

OVERALL...WARMER TEMPERATURES VISITED THE REGION LATE THIS SUMMER WITH 
AUGUST BEING THE WARMEST MONTH OF THE SUMMER AT BOTH FLINT AND SAGINAW.
THE RATHER ACTIVE STORM TRACK WHICH REMAINED IN PLACE THROUGHOUT THE 
SUMMER ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES REGION...ESPECIALLY TARGETING EXTREME 
SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN. THE UPPER WIND PATTERN CONTINUED TO BE...FOR 
THE MOST PART...PROGRESSIVE (MEANING ALL WEATHER SYSTEMS MOVED ALONG 
AT A RATHER STEADY PACE). 

THE MOST NOTABLE WEATHER FEATURE OF AUGUST WAS THE CONSIDERABLY DRIER
WEATHER ACROSS THE SAGINAW VALLEY AND THUMB REGION WHEN COMPARED TO 
FLINT AND DETROIT. THE RAINFALL TOTAL OF JUST ONE INCH /1.00/ AT 
SAGINAW PALES IN COMPARISON TO THE 3.79 INCHES THAT FELL IN FLINT 
AND THE 4.37 AT DETROIT. THIS ONE INCH TOTAL MADE AUGUST 2003 THE 8TH
DRIEST ON RECORD AT SAGINAW...WHILE AT THE SAME TIME THE 3.79 AT FLINT 
RANKED AS THE 17TH WETTEST! THIS IS A FINE EXAMPLE OF HOW IT CAN BE 
"FEAST OR FAMINE" WITH SUMMER CONVECTIVE RAINS IN A RELATIVELY SHORT 
DISTANCE. (MORE IN THE SUMMER REVIEW DUE OUT IN EARLY SEPTEMBER). 

AUGUST OF 2003 ALSO PROVED TO BE RATHER ACTIVE IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER
OF DAYS CONTAINING THUNDERSTORMS AT FLINT. THERE WERE EIGHT DAYS DURING 
THE MONTH WHEN THUNDERSTORMS WERE REPORTED...NORMALLY ABOUT SIX ARE 
SEEN. INTERESTINGLY...SAGINAW TOO SAW A FAIR AMOUNT OF STORM DAYS /5/
DURING THE MONTH BUT STILL MISSED ALL DRENCHING RAINS (THE MOST REPORTED 
FOR A SINGLE DAY WAS JUST .29 ON THE 1ST).

THE WETTEST WEEK WAS SEEN AT BOTH CITIES FROM THE 1ST - 8TH. FLINT 
TOTALED UP JUST SHY OF TWO INCHES /1.99/ THROUGH THE 8TH...WHILE 
SAGINAW TIPPED THE RAIN BUCKET AT JUST UNDER THREE QUARTERS /.73/ OF 
AN INCH. THE RAINFALL THAT WEEK WAS THE RESULT OF THE ONLY RELATIVELY 
SLOW MOVING PATTERN OF THE MONTH...AN UPPER LOW THAT JUST MEANDERED 
THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES. THE MONTH OPENED WITH THE FIRST IN THE PARADE 
OF COLD FRONTS PUSHING ACROSS THE REGION. THIS FRONT WAS THE STRONGEST 
OF THE BUNCH AND CREATED SEVERAL STORMS...SOME SEVERE...WITH LOCALLY 
DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND SCATTERED TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS. MUCH 
OF THE SEVERE STORM ACTIVITY OCCURRED IN GENESEE...LAPEER...SHIAWASSEE...
AND HURON COUNTIES. SOME HAIL REPORTS AS LARGE AS GOLF BALLS WERE
RECEIVED AT SWARTZ CREEK AND BAD AXE...WHILE ONE INCH HAIL WAS
OBSERVED IN MONTROSE.

SEVERE STORMS RETURNED WITH A VENGEANCE LATER IN THE MONTH ON THE 21ST. 
A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS LITERALLY BLOSSOMED WITHIN A HOUR 
OVER SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN AS A STRONG COLD FRONT PLOWED INTO AN 
EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AIR MASS DURING THE EVENING. EARLIER THAT DAY... 
TEMPERATURES SURGED WELL INTO THE 90S AND OVERALL...IT TURNED OUT TO 
BE THE WARMEST DAY THIS SUMMER (FLINT AND SAGINAW BOTH HIT 96 DEGREES).
HIGH RELATIVE HUMIDITIES ACCOMPANYING THE HEAT PUSHED HEAT INDICES UP 
TO AROUND 100 TO 110 DEGREES (LOCALLY EVEN HIGHER)! THIS HEAT AND 
HUMIDITY CERTAINLY HELPED FUEL THE ATMOSPHERE FOR THE ROUGH WEATHER 
THAT LIE AHEAD. NUMEROUS REPORTS OF HIGH WINDS AND LARGE HAIL 
ACCOMPANIED THIS OUTBREAK. MORE STRONG STORMS RACED THROUGH THE AREA 
DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF THE 26TH...HOWEVER THE SEVERE WEATHER 
REMAINED SOUTH OF THE SAGINAW AND FLINT REGIONS. SOME HEAVY RAIN /.58/ 
DID FALL AT BISHOP AIRPORT. 

THE WARMEST OF THE AUGUST'S WEATHER OCCURRED MID-LATE MONTH WITH HIGH 
TEMPERATURES PUSHING WELL INTO THE 80S ALMOST DAILY. THIS BROUGHT THE 
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH UP TO NEARLY TWO DEGREES AND A HALF
DEGREES /2.4/ ABOVE NORMAL.
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...TEMPERATURES...                  ...PRECIPITATION...
AVERAGE MAXIMUM........... 82.5     MONTHLY TOTAL ............ 3.79
AVERAGE MINIMUM .......... 59.3     DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.....+ .36      
AVERAGE MONTHLY........... 70.9     GREATEST IN 24HRS/DATES...  .78  
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.....+ 2.4                          ON THE 3RD                      
HIGHEST......... 96 ON THE 21ST     2003 TOTAL................16.50          
LOWEST.......... 48 ON THE 18TH     DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.....-4.18                                                                 
 
...HEATING DEGREE DAYS...           ...NUMBER OF DAYS WITH... 
MONTHLY TOTAL..............  5      0.01 OR MORE PRECIPITATION.. 12         
MONTHLY DEPARTURE..........-23      0.10 OR MORE PRECIPITATION..  9 
2003-2004 SEASON TOTAL.....  6      0.50 OR MORE PRECIPITATION..  3 
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL......-35      1.00 OR MORE PRECIPITATION..  0   
 
...COOLING DEGREE DAYS...           ...SNOWFALL...
MONTHLY TOTAL.......... 193         MONTHLY TOTAL............. 0.0
MONTHLY DEPARTURE...... +42         MONTHLY DEPARTURE......... 0.0
2003 SEASON............ 461         2003-2004 SEASON TOTAL.... 0.0      
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.. -37         DEPARTURE FROM AVERAGE.... 0.0
                                    (1971-2000 AVERAGE).......44.0 

PEAK GUST - SOUTHWEST 45 MPH/21ST                        
                                                              
_____________________________________________________________________

AUGUST 2003 CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMARY FOR: 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE...WHITE LAKE MI.

...TEMPERATURE DATA...            ...PRECIPITATION DATA...
AVERAGE MAXIMUM.... 81.3          MONTHLY TOTAL .......... 3.08                       
AVERAGE MINIMUM.... 57.8          GREATEST IN 24HRS.......  .80                 
MONTHLY AVERAGE.... 69.5                            ON THE 15TH                                                                                   
                                  2003 TOTAL..............21.90     

...HEATING DEGREE DAYS...         ...SNOWFALL DATA...
MONTHLY TOTAL............ 9       MONTHLY TOTAL............  0.0                
2003-2004 SEASON TOTAL... 9       2003-2004 SEASON TOTAL...  0.0         

...COOLING DEGREE DAYS...
MONTHLY TOTAL............158  
2003 SEASON..............351 


DEEDLER