August 2023 Observations and Discussion

[Andie]

Note: 

Perseid meteor shower peaks this weekend.  

[westMJim]

The official H/L yesterday was 80/65 there was officially 0.16” of rain fall (there was just 0.02” here in MBY) officially there was 66% of possible sunshine the highest wind gust was 27 MPH out of the west. For today the average H/L is 81/62 the record high of 97 was set in 1918 the record low of 44 was set in 1941. Last year not only was the record rain fall amount of 1.85” fell but it was also the coldest maximum with a high of only 62 and a low of 56.

Today looks very nice, tomorrow could be very cool and wet. The rest of the week looks to be cooler than average with maybe a chance of showers on Thursday. Highs for most of the week will be in the mid to upper 70’s and lows mostly in the 50’s.

[westMJim]

11 hours ago, Andie said:

Perseid meteor shower peaks this weekend.  

With clear skies last night the show here in Michigan was just great.

[Clinton]

Showers and thunderstorms moving in this morning, the heaviest with this round looks to be along the I-29 and I-35 corridors in NW MO.  A second round of severe storms looks to develop later this evening and the HRRR shows a good hit for mby.  If the HRRR is right the enhanced risk area will be pushed further north, the 3km NAM keeps the action to my south tonight.  FWIW the HRRR seems to be doing a better job with this mornings round.  Really need to score a good rain today because the pattern is about to dry out for at least the next 2 week.

 

[Clinton]

54 minutes ago, westMJim said:

With clear skies last night the show here in Michigan was just great.

Bad timing for me, I had cloud cover all night.  It may clear out late tonight if I can stay up long enough lol

[chescowxman]

Should see some warmer than normal temps today before near normal temps for the rest of the upcoming week. Rain chances increase again by tomorrow night but then dry through the rest of the week.

Records for Today: High 99 (1918) / Low 43 (1930) / Rain 4.17" (2018)

[chescowxman]

If the summer months of June-July-August ended today this summer would be the 12th coldest summer across 130 summers since records began in Western Chester County in 1894. Of note 5 of the top 20 chilly summers have all occurred since the year 2000. By contrast as you can see only 2 of the hottest top 20 summers on records have occurred since 2000.

[Andie]

"Wow," she said as she nearly passed out from the Texas heat wave.

I totally get it but articles like this can't help but initiate a laugh from exhausted forum members in the south-central US.

What is it they say?  All weather is local?

 

[hawkstwelve]

Topped out at only 73 today, good for a -10 departure. Currently a refreshing 63 degrees under partly cloudy skies. Outside soaking it up before we start warming back up into the 90s again.

[Clinton]

Severe thunderstorm watch issued but it looks like the real action will be to my south.  I will have a line of storms move through shortly that will hopefully add to the .20 I got this morning.  Perfect temperatures forecasted tomorrow with highs in the mid 70s and much lower humidity. 

[Iceresistance]

@Black Hole @OKwx2k4

Y'all dodged a bullet last night, 90 to 95 mph winds just to your north and northeast

[Clinton]

I added another .40in last night bringing my weekend total to 1.85 inches.  3 absolutely beautiful days ahead before the heat builds back in for awhile.

KC had quite the wet day yesterday.

The 2.91" of rain that fell at Kansas City today broke the daily record of 2.71" set in 2005. The 2.91" that fell today was also the 12th wettest for any August day on record dating back to 1888.

The 3.26" or rain that fell today at St Joseph was a daily record, besting the old record of 2.87" set in 1982. The 3.26" that fell today was also good enough for the 7th wettest for any August day on record in St Joseph dating back to 1897.

[Black Hole]

1 hour ago, Iceresistance said:

@Black Hole @OKwx2k4

Y'all dodged a bullet last night, 90 to 95 mph winds just to your north and northeast

It got pretty windy and briefly rained hard, but no question we definitely got lucky. Looks like some decent damage in the Owasso area and points east. I had some gusts to around 45 mph at my place. 

[westMJim]

The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 78/61. There was a trace of rain fall, 59% of possible sunshine. The day had 0 HDD’s for August GR is at 2. There were 5 CDD’s and for the month GR is at 80. For today the average H/L is 81/62 the record high of 96 was set in 1944 and the record low of 41 was set in 1964. The record rain fall was in 1987 when a whopping 3.61” fell. Last year it was a cool 72/56 with 0.06” of rain fall.

Today looks to have rain there is a lessor chance of heavy rain for today. After today there looks to be a couple days of dry weather before another chance of rain on Wednesday. Temperatures will be below average until Saturday then it looks to be warm over the weekend.

[Hawkeye]

We were able to get a quarter inch of rain early this morning as the frontal rain popped just in time.  There is a good chance this was our last rain for the next ten days.

[Andie]

Highs the next 3 days of 96, 97, and 98.  Humidity today 37%!
I'm stunned but I won’t argue.  

[Hoosier]

Big warmup on the way for those of us east of the Mississippi (west will see it too, of course), especially next week.  Obviously punt the ridiculous GFS 2m temp output though as it has been running too hot, even close-in on the hot days this summer.  Will be curious if we can get the elusive 500 mb height of 600 dm in the Midwest, which would be a rare occurrence for the region.  500 mb heights like that do not guarantee a super/historic torch though, especially in this part of the country, as it's just an indication of the overall temperature structure from the 500 mb level and below.  Evapotranspiration is likely to put a cap on just how hot it can get.

[OKwx2k4]

8 hours ago, Iceresistance said:

@Black Hole @OKwx2k4

Y'all dodged a bullet last night, 90 to 95 mph winds just to your north and northeast

Yeah. There's been some wild weather. Great rainfall, too though. 

[Andie]

Nice break from the pressure cooker.

97* Currently. Humidity 35-37%

Wind light out of the NE. 
Feels normal out there.  The past month has been closer to Death Valley.  
Tomorrow 95*!!
Wednesday 98*
Then back on our heads.   Enjoying it while it’s here!

Edit:  

Low around 76 in the morning.  You can bet I’m going to be out there VERY early.  Haven’t felt the 70’s in ages.

[Iceresistance]

3 hours ago, Andie said:

Nice break from the pressure cooker.

97* Currently. Humidity 35-37%

Wind light out of the NE. 
Feels normal out there.  The past month has been closer to Death Valley.  
Tomorrow 95*!!
Wednesday 98*
Then back on our heads.   Enjoying it while it’s here!

Edit:  

Low around 76 in the morning.  You can bet I’m going to be out there VERY early.  Haven’t felt the 70’s in ages.

I'm expecting 50s tonight

[Andie]

20 minutes ago, Iceresistance said:

I'm expecting 50s tonight

[Clinton]

Currently 73 with a dew point of 59. As nice as it can get in August!

[Hawkeye]

We finally got average rain over the first half of August, but the rest of August looks very dry.

[OKwx2k4]

3 hours ago, Iceresistance said:

I'm expecting 50s tonight

Same here. I can't believe it. It's going to be refreshing here in the morning.

August is a month of extremes for us. We rarely notice that huge range we can get in just a two week span like we have this year. 

[OKwx2k4]

7 hours ago, Andie said:

Nice break from the pressure cooker.

97* Currently. Humidity 35-37%

Wind light out of the NE. 
Feels normal out there.  The past month has been closer to Death Valley.  
Tomorrow 95*!!
Wednesday 98*
Then back on our heads.   Enjoying it while it’s here!

Edit:  

Low around 76 in the morning.  You can bet I’m going to be out there VERY early.  Haven’t felt the 70’s in ages.

I'm glad to see the cool front is going go at least cut the heat down for a couple of days there at least. I didn't make that call because it was hard to judge where the front would stall. 

I saw comment about hurricanes as well and I agree that this pattern usually ends with a hurricane, but we still have some retrogression of this ridge to go. The tropics are really out of whack now.

[OKwx2k4]

Anybody else having trouble getting reactions to work on the site?

I don't mind, as it encourages communication, but I enjoy liking everyone's stuff even when I have nothing to say.

[Andie]

Yes. 2nd day.  
 

We’re going to have 94/95* tomorrow!

I’m so excited. Can’t wait to get outside early!!

[OttumwaSnomow]

Today I began as a official  coop observer  in the Ottumwa  Iowa area. The OTM  site is about 7 miles north of the downtown  part of Ottumwa  city. My location  is  just off the ene edge of the city. But its a breezy  spot  mixed with trees and fields and  some homes. Basically  no extreme  radiational cooled valley location  nor a urban heat island like Ottumwa  city  near the Desmoines  river. I look forward  to providing  accurate  data.  Since i was 10 yrs old this has been a  goal  of mine. A neighbor  in Unionville, Md  set the world record  1 minute  rainfall!  That family  were very dedicated  as coop observers. Im having  trouble  uploading the pics?

[hawkstwelve]

Oh geez, GFS going balls-to-the-wall with a 110 heat index on Saturday and a 111 on Tuesday. GEM with a slightly less insane 96/99 HI respectively. Meanwhile, the UKMET tells the GFS "hold my beer" and slams Norfolk, NE with an almost 140 HI.

Any way you slice it - it's looking toasty for at least the next week, probably longer. Hopefully will wind up being the last gasp of true summer heat as we head into September.

[OKwx2k4]

Going to be a tough stretch across my region to close the month out here in the south. Especially in Andie's area.

In contrast, wild to see our northern states see one of their coolest summers in history. 

If the Niño continues its decline as we go throughout the rest of the month, we may see a change shortly after month's close. 

Hoping the tropics truly do wake up soon. All the moisture is returning off our southern and eastern coasts. Hoping this relates/propagates into moisture return when the heatwave breaks. 

 

[westMJim]

The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 76/62. There was 9% of possible sunshine, the highest wind gust was 31 MPH out of the NE. later in the day the rain moved in and there was 1.22” of rain (here in MBY I recorded 1.38” of total rain fall so far) At Holland a new rain fall record was set with 2.69” of rain the old record was just 0.75” set in 1909. For today the average H/L is 81/62 the record high of 97 was set in 1944 and the record low of 42 was set in 1964. The record rain fall on 1.35” was set in 1986. Last year the H/L was 80/59.

The week ahead will start off on the cool side with a chance of showers today and again Thursday. Highs will be in the 70’s thu Friday before warming up into the 80’s over the weekend. Lows will be in the 50’s before warming up into the 60’s There still has only been one day when the temperature has not dropped below 70 this summer season.

[Tom]

8 hours ago, OKwx2k4 said:

Anybody else having trouble getting reactions to work on the site?

I don't mind, as it encourages communication, but I enjoy liking everyone's stuff even when I have nothing to say.

Ya, @iFred was going to look into it the other day...hopefully we can get it fixed soon.  I agree, it does push you to reply!  

As you mentioned, this month is certainly showing some extremes.  I think the "heat wave" some of the local mets are pumping here locally are getting excited, but I am suspect of it lasting as long as say those of you farther west and south.  As has been the case this summer, the blocking has aided in troughs coming through the GL's and Eastern Sub.  

For instance, the GFS vs Euro are remarkably different for later this weekend...just look at these maps....

0z GFS...the DP's are outrageous per the 0z Euro...

 

 

In other "positive" news, the desert SW will be blessed with beneficial Monsoonal PAC moisture.  I kinda would like to be there for this event as it is a prime time set up to deliver a ton of moisture for the So Cal/NV/AZ region.  Lot's of our fruits and veggies are grown in this region of Cali and AZ so this is wonderful to see.

 

 

[Tom]

Yesterday's deluges of rain brought a record rainfall yet again for MDW airport.  Last report I saw was 2.22" during the afternoon wx segment on TV.  This system looked like many of those autumn/winter storms we track across the N Sub....

[Iceresistance]

9 hours ago, OKwx2k4 said:

Anybody else having trouble getting reactions to work on the site?

I don't mind, as it encourages communication, but I enjoy liking everyone's stuff even when I have nothing to say.

I am having problems with that as well

[Andie]

Low of 74 last night. High today 95.  
Low tonight 70 ! 
Then a warm up to 96*

These cooler nights are SO welcomed.
 

* Yes, emoticons not working for at least 2 days. 

[OKwx2k4]

56 minutes ago, Tom said:

Ya, @iFred was going to look into it the other day...hopefully we can get it fixed soon.  I agree, it does push you to reply!  

As you mentioned, this month is certainly showing some extremes.  I think the "heat wave" some of the local mets are pumping here locally are getting excited, but I am suspect of it lasting as long as say those of you farther west and south.  As has been the case this summer, the blocking has aided in troughs coming through the GL's and Eastern Sub.  

For instance, the GFS vs Euro are remarkably different for later this weekend...just look at these maps....

0z GFS...the DP's are outrageous per the 0z Euro...

 

 

In other "positive" news, the desert SW will be blessed with beneficial Monsoonal PAC moisture.  I kinda would like to be there for this event as it is a prime time set up to deliver a ton of moisture for the So Cal/NV/AZ region.  Lot's of our fruits and veggies are grown in this region of Cali and AZ so this is wonderful to see.

 

 

Well, the western part of Canada waa shattering all-time heat records 6 or so weeks ago, while Colorado was still seeing snow modeled in July, so I have faith in major reversals on the way still.

Getting water out over So Cal and the desert SW is a blessing to me here in Oklahoma as well, as it seeds moisture into storms. Monsoon is usually a June event, as is the opener to Gulf hurricane season along TX/LA and here we are still waiting on a major hurricane.

If it all flips at the same time, we're all going to have a lot of weather to yalk about. 

Anyway....

Western Canada. From shattering all-time records to this.....

Think cool thoughts, my friends.

[hawkstwelve]

Euro seems to be trending towards the GFS with HI now showing over 100 on Saturday for a large portion of the Northern Plains. It's actually up close to the 110 the GFS was showing for Sunday. Yuck.

[chescowxman]

We picked up 0.22" of rain here in East Nantmeal from our overnight rains. We could see some more showers later today before clearing up tonight. The rest of the week look to be seasonably warm with temps within a couple degrees of normal before falling below normal toward the weekend with a warming trend likely again for next week.

Records for today: High 95 (1938) Low 49 (1924) / Rain 1.38" (1905)

[OKwx2k4]

42 minutes ago, hawkstwelve said:

Euro seems to be trending towards the GFS with HI now showing over 100 on Saturday for a large portion of the Northern Plains. It's actually up close to the 110 the GFS was showing for Sunday. Yuck.

That's plain nasty heat. Yuck, indeed.

[Tom]

I'm stuck under a lake effect cloud band while just to my NW is full sunshine.  This would have been a perfect set up to get pummeled by LES!  Yup, I do indeed got a bit of SNOW on my mind today.