Last month was wetter and slightly warmer than normal in our area, according to a roundup of statistics from the Southeast Fire Centre’s weather office.
The total rainfall for August was 42.8 millimetres, which was 41 per cent greater than average. Seventy per cent of that precipitation fell over two days in the middle of the month.
“A small system which slowly pushed northeastward from the coast of northern California produced significant showers and thundershowers (30.2 millimetres) on the 14th and 15,” forecaster Ron Lakeman wrote.
The first 13 days of the month, however, were very similar to July as an upper ridge of high pressure dominated for dry and hot conditions. The thermometer topped 30 degrees on 12 of those 13 days, with the hottest temperature of 37.3 degrees recorded on the late afternoon of the 1st. The lowest temperature was 8.6 degrees on the 25th.
The only record, however, was a warmest average temperature of 27.3 degrees on the 2nd. The all-time high for the month of 40 degrees was established on August 17 and 18, 1967 while the record low is 2.5 set on August 25, 1992.
Lakeman said the second half of last month was cool and unsettled due to “a broad trough of low pressure and a series of weak disturbances dominating.”
While rainfall was generally minimal, the high temperatures only surpassed 30 on three of the last 18 days.
The average temperature for the month was 1.3 degrees warmer than usual.
