come from the north, with temperatures influenced by Arctic conditions, or 

 from the south, where tropical influences prevail. Table 3 shows the monthly 

 extreme temperatures since 1978. Five months of 1981, including the spring 

 (April through June) , showed the highest temperatures recorded since March 

 1978; likewise, four months, including September, October, and December, 

 showed the lowest temperature recorded. The average date for the first occur- 

 rence of a freezing temperature was 30 November (21 November for the past 

 3 years) , while the average date of the last occurrence was 13 March. 



Table 3 



Monthly Extreme Air Temperatures Measured 



at FRF Since 1978 



Month 



Extreme 



■■ High, °C 



Extreme 



: Low, °C 



Jan 



20 





-12 



(1981) 



Feb 



20 



(1981) 



-11 





Mar 



24 





-7 





Apr 



30 



(1981) 



3 





May 



35 



(1981) 



8 





Jun 



35 



(1981) 



11 





Jul 



43 





13 





Aug 



37 





15 





Sep 



34 





11 



(1981) 



Oct 



29 



(1981) 



4 



(1981) 



Nov 



24 





-3 





Dec 



24 





-12 



(1981) 



Precipitation 



65. Unusually high precipitation during July, August, and December 

 (Table 4) balanced an otherwise dry year, resulting in a near-normal annual 

 total; monthly minima for the 1978-1981 period occurred six times during 1981 

 (Table 4). On 20 August, 115 mm of precipitation was recorded in a 24-hr 

 period as the result of Tropical Storm Dennis (Figure 3) . 



Wind 



66. Since local winds frequently control nearshore currents and wave 

 conditions, an understanding of the wind and wave climates at any coastal 



28 



