LPWB Skycam Livestream, Looking NW-N-NE

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Note: LPWB operates on Eastern Standard Time (EST) year round.

Today (Friday): 0.00"  

Yesterday: 0.05"

Month to Date: 0.92" (Whole month normal 4.25")

November: 2.73"

Year to Date: 46.23" (Whole year normal 52.79")

* As measured with manual double-cylinder gauge

Today (Friday): 0.0"  

Yesterday: 0.4"

Month to Date: 0.4" (Whole month normal 4.2")

November: 0.1"  

Season to Date: 0.5" (Whole season normal 28.3")

Depth Snow/Ice: 0" 

Download full-year lists

Record Type      07 Dec     08 Dec     09 Dec

Norm Temps       46//30       45/30       45/30 

Hi Max Temp    75/1998   58/2004   57/1991

Hi Min Temp     51/1998   46/1998   42/1991

Lo Max Temp   31/2003   28/2008   29/2002+

Lo Min Temp    10/2002   15/1989    9/1989

Most Pcpn    0.64/2004  0.62/2001  0.81/2005

Most Snow     0.4/2023   2.2/1989   7.5/2005

+ Most recent of more than one  

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News items contain only factual statements.  Blogs may contain opinion or speculation.

The first snowflakes of this young 2023-24 snow season came as a break-away lake-effect snow shower, induced by the first blustery cold incursion of the season, swept NW to SE across Berks County during dawn and sunrise of Tuesday 28 November and delivered trace to a quarter inch of snow (average 0.1 inch) which resulted in a thin coating throughout the Greater Reading Area, including a strong 0.1 inch at LPWB.  Pavements became only wet, and there were no documented traffic mishaps despite the morning rush timing.  The coating melted mostly within two hours after the snow ended.  This snow shower blazed a rather narrow path downwind from Lake Erie and included Berks County and even beyond toward Philadelphia.  Most areas of Pennsylvania, including the more vulnerable Poconos region received only flurries or none.

Rainfall at LPWB during July 2023 finished at 11.25" and moved ahead of 10.32" from July 1988 for second rainiest, but still distant  to 15.54" from July 2004.  This hefty total was keyed by 4.38" on Sunday 9 July, which the Cornwall Terrace (1.3 mile WSW of LPWB)  weather hobbyist excellently documented on his Chipperdog.com website. Five other days with almost or over 1" of rain contributed significantly also.  LPWB and vicinity was in moderate to severe drought when July began.  Nevertheless, drought was greatly eased but not quite eliminated as a result of these copious rains.  The official Reading PA (RDG) total of 10.07" (5.35" on 9 July) placed fifth rainiest July since 1869.

May 2023 ended with only 0.25" of rain at LPWB, which humiliated the previous driest, May 2005 at 1.15", during 41 years of record.  Further, this 0.25" of precipitation became second driest calendar month only to 0.22" during August 1995.  Even more, 0.20" of the paltry month total came during the first three days as light leftover rains from the departing complex storm system that delivered 2.39" the last day of April.  Officially for the Reading area, the 0.09" measured at RDG marked a new driest May in at least 154 years which was 0.66" from 1880 and second least calendar month total only to 0.04" during October 1924.  An amazing similarity is the 2.48" of rain that fell on 30 September 1924.

NWS investigated a damage path and determined an EF-1 tornado touched down Saturday afternoon 22 April 2023 and caused light to moderate damage vicinity Borough of Womelsdorf, 11 miles W of LPWB.  See NWS graphic for more details.

After a brief cold snap to begin the month, February 2023 at LPWB moderated to a final average temperature of 40.5 degrees, nearly matched January's 40.8, supplanted February 1998 (40.3) for second warmest to only 41.7 of February 2017, and was keyed by a highest of 70 on 23rd plus six days that reached the 60s.  Substantial precipitation was absent and totaled only 1.44", fourth least of 41.  Correspondingly, total snow/sleet of only 0.3" was fourth least and came as bookend coatings very early and very late in the month .  Officially for Reading PA (RDG), the final average was a similar 40.2, third warmest to 1954 and 2017.  And total precipitation of only 1.17 tied eighth least during 155 years.

January 2023 became new warmest January with a final average of 40.8 degrees during the last 40 years at LPWB.  The previous warmest was 2006 at 39.6.  While unusual warmth was absent, it was the persistence of mildness to moderate warmth and the lack of seasonable cold that comprised the lofty average.  Only one day was cooler than normal, by 1 degree.  The month's highest of 62 and one other day at or above 60 is typical for an average January.  But it was the month's lowest of 25, on three different days  which was really unusual.  The  previous warmest lowest of 19 occurred during January of 1990, 2006, and 2021.  Further, only 13 days had freezing lows which undercut 1998 which contained 17.  Of those, there was no freezing high.  The coolest high of 34 was the only daily high below 40.  Officially for Reading PA (RDG), the final average was a very similar 40.7, fourth to only 40.8 in 1933, 41.2 in 1950, and 43.0 in 1932 during last 126 years.  January 1932 contained only five freezing lows and a highest of 71.

A major pre-Christmas storm, which manifested as a warm front, cold front couplet from Thursday morning 22 December till noon of Friday 23 December, brought LPWB and vicinity a coating of sleet/snow which became rain as temperatures moderated from freezing to 56 by predawn of Friday.  Rain continued further till forenoon when it changed to snow briefly before ending at noontime with a slight coating as an arctic front caught the back edge of precipitation.  A crash in temperature had begun and continued till the temperature reached 6 above by midnight on high winds, which sublimed away that little snow, and then to 5 above by Saturday dawn.  Temperature struggled to a high of 16 during Christmas Eve.  This marked the coldest weather in nearly 47 months.  Christmas Day was not so extreme with low/high of 14/29.  Officially for Reading PA (RDG), the plunge from 57 to 5 (52 degrees) Thursday was one short of the calendar day greatest range record of 53 on 28 March 1921 (83 to 30).  The low predawn Friday of 4 above completed a 24-hour plunge of 53 degrees, which was second to 60 degrees from 28-29 March 1921 (83 to 23). Further, the RDG high of 15 bettered the coldest high record for 24 December of 16 from 1906.  No more than a stray flurry accompanied the arctic blast, therefore no white Christmas.  This very wide daily temperature range followed by twelve days a very narrow range of 2 degrees, 36/38 (same at RDG) on 11 December.  Numerous days with 2-degree ranges occurred during 125 years of continuous temperature records at Reading.

Early November at LPWB brought high temperatures in the 70s the first seven days, which included record warm highs of 78 on Saturday the 5th and 76 on the 7th.  The 78 was the warmest of the streak.  Few early low temperatures were seasonable, but the lows became balmy including record warm lows of 58 on the 5th and 67 on the 6th.  That 67 became a new warmest daily low for November, which was previously 64 on 11/06/2015 and 11/11/2020.   Official Reading PA (RDG) temperatures were similar and included 79 on the 5th which tied the 1975 record and also a low of 67 on the 6th, which surpassed the previous warmest November low of 65 from three occurrences on 11/01/1956, 11/04/1961 and 11/05/1961 during 125 years of record.  Nevertheless, the warmth with mostly fair weather provided ideal conditions for most outside activities of which many took advantage.  A similar warm stretch two years ago, Nov. 4-11, 2020, actually slightly out-performed this year's counterpart.  This early November was in stark contrast with the chill and gloom a month earlier.  Read previous article for those details.

Rainfall during the first five days of this October 2022 amounted to 3.39" at LPWB and brought significant drought relief by reducing long-term deficiencies by more than 2.5".  Running yearly (2022) and last-365-day precipitation totals of 34.72" and 40.70" respectively as of 30 September were 5.53" and 12.09" below normal.  The rains came in episodes and no more than 1.70" within 24 hours which allowed thirsty grounds to soak up all the water as grounds remained well short of saturation.  Any flooding was isolated and very minor.  A few more copious rain events during the next few months would still be needed to completely eliminate long-term shortfalls.  Measured rainfalls during these five days within 5 miles of LPWB ranged from slightly less than 3 to slightly over 4 inches.  This rainy spell, which some attributed to the remnants of Hurricane Ian, were rather results of a mid-latitude nor'easter which was stalled near the Mid-Atlantic coast for five days but devoured the remnant low of Ian during Sunday 2 October, thus having an indirect effect of Ian.  

While a high temperature of 77 on 6 September would not be considered unusual, it was the first day since 23 June which failed to warm to at least 80 degrees.  The days in between which did amounted to 74.  Similarly, the high of 67 on 23 September was first day since 8 May which failed to warm to at least 70, allowing 137 consecutive days which did.  Both of these streaks are easily longest of their kinds during 40 years of record at LPWB.  Reading PA (RDG) officially marked the same streaks and were new records during 125 years for their kinds, surpassing 61 days from late summer 2016 and 133 days from 1970 respectively.