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PHYSICAL FEATURES. Connecticut is located at the
southwestern corner of New England, with Long Island Sound to the
south, New York to the west, Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode
Island to the east. The total
area of Connecticut is about 5,009 square miles, extending for 90
miles in an east-west direction and 75 miles from north to south.
The topography of Connecticut is predominantly hilly. The highest
terrain is found in the northwest portion of the State, with elevations
of 1,000 to 2,000 feet. The
southwestern quarter and most of the eastern half have elevations
of 300 to 1,000 feet. The State of Connecticut is bisected by the
Connecticut River which rises in Canada.
GENERAL CLIMATE. The pertinent characteristics of Connecticut’s climate are: (1)
equable distribution of precipitation among the four seasons, (2)
large ranges of temperature both daily and annually, (3) great differences
in the same season or month of different years, and (4) considerable
diversity of the weather over short periods of time.
Connecticut lies in the “prevailing westerly,” the belt of
generally eastward air movement which encircles the globe in middle
latitudes. A large number of storm centers and air-mass
fronts pass near or over Connecticut during a year. Three types of air affect this State: (1) cold, dry air pouring
down from sub arctic North America, (2) warm, moist air streaming
up on a long overland journey from the Gulf of Mexico and subtropical
waters of the Atlantic, and (3) cool, damp air moving in from the
North Atlantic. Because the flow of air is usually from continental
areas, Connecticut is more influenced by the first two types than
it is by the third. The third
type of air is often associated with severe winter storms popularly
known as “northeasters”.
TEMPERATURE. There is a difference of about 6 °F.
in mean annual temperature from north to south of the State. The greater contrast of temperature occurs
during the winter season. The
number of days with minimum temperatures of zero or below average
about 10 per year at the higher elevations, about five in the lower
uplands and central valley, and two or less along the shore of Long
Island Sound. Summer temperatures are comparatively uniform over the State.
Over most of the State the average July minimum temperature
is within a degree or two of 60 °F.
PRECIPITATION. Precipitation tends to become
evenly distributed throughout the year in all parts of Connecticut. Variations in precipitation from month to month
are sometimes extreme. Prolonged
droughts and widespread floods are infrequent.
OTHER CLIMATIC ELEMENTS. During the
colder months the prevailing wind is northwest to north over Connecticut,
while from April through September southwest or south winds predominate. Thunderstorms occur on an average of 20 to
30 days per year, with the greatest frequency during the summer months
and in the afternoon or evening hours.
Aside from infrequent tornadoes and hurricanes, coastal storms
or “northeasters” are the most serious weather hazard in Connecticut. They generate very strong winds and heavy rain and produce the greatest
snowstorms in the winter. The
percentage of possible sunshine averages 55 to 60 percent. An average of about 140 cloudy days occur per
year. Heavy or dense fog is
observed on an average of about 25 days per year in both coastal and
inland sections. In the former
section, heavy fog is most common during the late winter and spring
seasons, while inland the late summer and fall is the period of maximum
occurrence. The humidity tends to be lowest in the spring
and highest in the late summer and early fall.
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