Many people enjoy a good long summer. And a good long one we have had. Generally this part of the country sees 75 days of summer starting around the first of July and ending in early September. But this year our warm and dry weather began all the way back in May! It was well above average in terms of temperatures and well below in terms of rain. Nirvana for some and for others it's "Hey Autumn come on over, Summer has worn out its welcome".August was a bit warmer than average but not as warm as July. Temps ran just a couple of degrees on the upside both overnight and by day. Average daily high for the month was 82.22 and the average low came in at 57.73 degrees, 2.2 and 1.3 degrees above normal, respectively.
The heat monster maxed out at 96.4 degrees on the first day of the month, following a short triple digit episode at the end of July. This was one of three days last month that breached the 90 degree barrier. That is about normal for August. The coldest temperature recorded was a nippy for summer, 49.2 on the 22nd one of two evenings to drop into the 40s. The coolest afternoon high came on the 30th under blustery and wet conditions and was the only day that failed to reach 70 degrees with measly 67.2 measured. The balmiest night was a comfortable 65.1 on the 12th.
The drier than average trend has continued with August posting 0.81 inches compared to my typical 1.27 inches. July and August are often very dry so it is of no consequence like it was in May and June to have these conditions. The wettest day came on the 29th when 0.31 inches fell.
Overall the month of august was actually pretty typical if not just a tad on the warm side. One can only hope that the fall will bring with it some much needed rain and may the winter bring a healthy snow pack to our abnormally barren peaks.
Get out and soak up the last of summer my friends, soak it up!
