Hello Autumn

September is in the books and with the new month we are fully embedded into the Autumn season. Trees are starting to show some color and overnight lows are dipping into the upper 40s. Although Indian summer isn't really a thing here, we can and do get a few warm spells in early fall including today in which the high is expected to get north of 85º. 

Last month was very dry for September and the temps were well above my 20 year average for the month. September refused to let go of summer and in that fit managed to break several daily high records and so overnight warm records as well. October may fight for a few days but ultimately should succumb to the forces of nature.

A total of seven daily records fell all warm records, four overnight low records were set for daily warmest low temp and 3 daily highs were set. All four overnight record warm lows were in a row from the 10th through the 13th at 66.3, 62.4, 61.8, and 63.7 degrees. The daily record highs came on the 19th with 82.9º, the 25th and 26th with 87.5º and 88.3º respectively. The warmest temps came on the 6th with a register of 91.5º well short of the 96.4º record. That was also the only 90º plus temp for the month. Only one overnight low dipped into the 40s with the coolest mark on the 23rd at 48.2º. Every single day last month managed to get above 60º and the chilliest afternoon was a nice 68.4º on the 16th. September was kind enough to deliver 14 sunny days and just four days of precipitation.

Precipitation was sparse with the 29th being the only day above 1/4 inch in the bucket, and barely at that with a mark of 0.27 inch. Total precipitation came in at a measly 0.49 inch just 1/5th of average for September. 

Let's hope October brings enough rain to offset September's belligerence. I need two more FEET of rain by the end of the year to make it to normal levels.

Another Month of Sizzle

August is in the books and it was toasty. No seriously, really toasty. Even though the month did not produce any triple digit temps it did produce some record heat with 11 daily records scattered among both highs and lows. It also produced a month average daily High, Low, and mean temps well above average.

August had 8 days with temperatures above 90º and 25 days with lows above 60º. There were 22 sunny days and just 2 cloudy days. August also failed to produce any measurable rainfall. I did have one day with noticeable drizzle, but it evaporated before hitting the ground or on immediate impact and did not trigger the rain gauge. It was enough to get my arms damp, but that's about it.

The coldest over night low was 57.1º on the morning of the 28th and the coolest afternoon high was a mark of 74.3º on the 27th. Ok so those "cold" temps are not very cold at all, what about the heat? Well the warmest temp recorded last month was a toasty 97.8º on the 30th and that was a daily high record. Some areas around the Metro area did top 100º on the 30th and on the 7th but triple digits stayed away from my station. There were a total of 3 days above 95º among those 8 above 90º.  Only 6 days in August failed to reach 80º and 19 days topped out above 85º. Keep in mind that the average August high temperature in my 21 years of recording is just 81.09º and 70s are common highs in August. Not this year! The warmest overnight low was a toasty 72.9º on the 18th. 

The month's average low was 62.42º and the average daily high was 85.51º. Overnight lows were really the story for August 2022. There was just a single day all month long that was cooler than average for the overnight low. In fact the average overnight low was a full FIVE DEGREES above my 21 year "normal." Daily highs were 4.5º above my average. August had a mean temperature a bit warmer than July. Overall the summer has been Kathy toasty despite having a modest number of "heat waves." 

Not much to talk about on the precipitation, there was none. Typically August does get something usually an inch or so, but it is not at all uncommon to have a completely dry August or July for that matter. 

September started off with a heavy marine layer that likely settled in on the evening of the 31st at the coast and spent the whole night and part of the morning pushing inland along the Columbia River. After a 110 miles it finally arrived in the metro area around 7 or 8 this morning. That's the first time in quite awhile I have seen any marine action this far inland. Perhaps the onshore flow will cool us down a little this month.

These next few weeks will mark the end of summer and as the month progresses it is quite likely we will notice a bit of chilliness in the evenings replacing our typical summer warm evenings. Autumn is lurking in the near distance, and I welcome her.