DeSoto Weather 2016 Year Review
DeSotoWeather.net 2016 Weather Year Review
All in all, 2016 will go down in our weather history books as one without any real notable events. Our average temperature for the year was 63.7 degrees. The highest temperature for the year of 98.2 occurred on July 22. The coldest day of 2016 was 14.5 on December 19th.
We end the year with above normal rainfall totals even though we experienced quite a long dry spell from the middle of August until the end of November. I recorded 63.53″ of rainfall which was 8.88″ above normal. March contributed most to our rainfall totals this year with a total of 17.35″, with 5.27″ falling on March 10. Between March 9 and the 14th, 12.56″ of rain fell. Over this 6 day period, we received 19.8% of our yearly total. September was the driest month of 2016 with only 0.64″ of rainfall.
If March totals were reduced to normal (5.53″), we would have ended the year 2.93″ below normal. I recorded at least 0.01″ of rain on 105 days, with 20 of those days totals exceeding 1 inch. Snow fell on at least 3 days in January totaling only 0.7″.
January was our coldest month of 2016 with a mean temperature of 39.8. July was the warmest with a mean temperature of 81.9. My software indicates that 2016 was 0.7 degrees above normal.
We did not go below freezing from Feb. 26th until Nov. 20. We had 79 days when the temperature exceeded 90 degrees and 43 days when our low was 32 or less. Two days in 2016 recorded high temperatures below 32 degrees.
Severe weather took a break for our area in 2016 but we certainly do not need to become complacent. You should always have a plan for severe weather and as respected meteorologists in the area say, be prepared, not scared. Have a reliable source for severe weather notification. Apps are available on your smart phones that will alert you to severe weather no matter where you are and of course, the old standard weather radio will alert you if you are at home. Remember, I am usually available to give you “Just the Weather, Without the Drama.”
Thanks for following and encouraging me this year and I look forward to providing this service for as long as you will listen. My forecasts are now seen via video over social media in the Mid-South and Nashville areas. You can also find me on obtvlive.com and DesotoCountynewsroom.com on the world wide web.
Sam Rikard is the former Mayor of Olive Branch and received a Certificate of Broadcast Meteorology from Mississippi State University in 2009.
