The average temperature for 1997 was 45.6 degrees. This was 0.3 degrees cooler than normal and exactly the same as the average for 1996.
The year had six months with significantly colder than normal temperatures (April, May, July, August, October and November) and just two months that were significantly warmer than normal (February and December).
The coldest temperature of the year was -11 degrees on January 19th.
The hottest temperature was 93 degrees on July 15th. This was the first of only two days to reach the 90 degree threshold during the year.
New daily maximum temperature records set in 1997 were:
Date New Record Old Record
Feb 22 63 62 in 1930
Feb 27 67 62 in 1880
Dec 16 54 51 in 1982
The 67 degree temperature on February 27th was the warmest temperature ever measured in the month of February. The old record was 66 degrees on February 20, 1930 and February 21, 1953.
New daily minimum temperature records set in 1997 were:
Date New Record Old Record
Aug 7 42 43 in 1964
Sep 5 37 38 in 1994
Precipitation
Precipitation for the year totalled 30.16 inches, which was 5.24 inches below or 85% of normal.
This was 17.6 inches less than the 1996 annual total, but an inch more than the 1995 accumulation.
The annual deficit was at 7.43 inches through the end of October, before the final two months had a 2.19 inch surplus.
Four months were significantly drier than normal in 1997--January (48% of normal), April (48%), August (63%), and October (39%). The year's final two months were the only significantly wetter than normal months recorded during the year--November received 149% of normal and December reported 126% of that month's long-term average.