Summer 2010 in Review

While the summer of 2010 will go in the books as one of the warmest seasons on record for much of the U.S., the three-month period also brought unusual chill, drought and rainfall to some areas.

On a national basis, summer 2010 was the fourth warmest on record, with 10 states in the East having record warmth. Only Florida and Texas experienced below-normal temperatures during the summer.

Northeast

The Northeast had its fourth warmest summer on record.

Northeast cities such as New York, Philadelphia and Trenton, N.J., broke temperature records this summer. New York had 36 90-degree days this year, the most since 1993. New York also had its hottest July on record.

Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland all had record summers for warmth.

Southeast

The Southeast region had its third-warmest August on record, introducing a building drought in the area that greatly contrasted with the excessive rainfall earlier in the season.

A developing La Nina pattern also contributed to the dry pattern. This could be a sign of things to come in the Southeast, as the La Nina will last into the next year, possibly creating long-term drought effects.

Atlanta had 150 percent of their normal rainfall in June. In September, this dropped to 1 percent.

Midwest/Plains

The Upper Midwest received some heavy precipitation this summer. Wisconsin had its wettest summer on record, recording nearly 7 inches above its average.

Elsewhere in the Midwest and Plains, other states had a top ten-ranking summer for rainfall, including Minnesota, Nebraska, Michigan, Illinois and Iowa.

Iowa in particular endured some significant rainfall this season, as the storm pattern kept directing storms in its path. Des Moines recorded twice their normal summer rainfall.

Northwest

Areas of the Pacific Northwest received significant precipitation during the summer months. Seattle recorded 176 percent of their normal rainfall from June 1. Likewise, Portland, Ore., recorded 193 percent.

The Northwest also had an overall cool summer, with several short periods of intense heat. Seattle had three straight days of 90-plus degree heat from June 7-9 and again from Aug. 14-16.

Southwest

Wildfire activity was low during this summer and the year 2010 as a whole. According to the NCDC, the amount of land burned in the month of August was the lowest in 11 years.

AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist West Coast Expert Ken Clark, above-average rainfall in the area was enough to keep fire potential down. In addition, the annual Southwest monsoon was prevented from coming westward. Since lightning is a major natural wildfire starter, the lack of lightning also kept fires to a minimum.

Hurricane Alex also brought significant flooding to Texas and the Rio Grande Valley in late June. From June 29 to July 2, Brownsville, Texas, received nearly 7 inches of rain from Alex led to substantial flooding in the Rio Grande area.

Portions of Southern California, including Los Angeles and San Diego, were in the throes of an extended "June Gloom" period this summer. According to Clark, abnormally cool ocean temperatures were a contributing factor.

"The cool ocean water and ocean air kept the coast cooler and gloomier than normal," he said.

AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski contributed to the content of this story.

By Gina Cherundolo, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer