August 2023 Observations and Discussion

[Tom]

Today is officially the first day you can wear a hoodie outside bc it’s a wee bit nippy with the wind and in the shade.   Autumn is stopping by for a brief visit.

[chescowxman]

After the overnight showers we should see some great weather through the weekend. We will start below normal temperatures through Saturday....we then start a big warmup that could actually bring the first 90+ day to my station here in East Nantmeal in over 2 years! The last 90+ day was way back on June 30, 2021. In fact we could see a few days in a row over 90 degrees...especially in the lower elevations of the county.

Records for today: High 100 (1953) / Low 39 (1986) / Rain 3.40" (1946)

[Iceresistance]

Slight chance for storms for me on Labor Day Week.

 

 

At this point, I will take even a single drop of rain!

[tStacsh]

Couldn't ask for a better end to summer with this upcoming Labor Day weekend.  I will be heading up north to the lake house on Lake Michigan.   Temps in the 80's, sun and fun at the beach and golf all weekend.   

I expect some schools without AC will be closed next week, at least tuesday.  

[Andie]

Upper 90’s till Sunday then a week of heat as the 100’s return.  Summer isn’t done.  
Lows 78-low 80’s.  

[Tom]

Lake effect clouds blowing in off the lake reminds me of a late SEP or early OCT day.  Not much sunshine with a stiff NNE wind is putting me in fall mode.

https://whirlwind.aos.wisc.edu/~wxp/goes16/vis_color/goes16_mw_3h.html

[Andie]

Blue Super Moon tonight. 

Look Up! 

[jaster220]

On 8/25/2023 at 9:04 AM, tStacsh said:

Just north of my area by a few miles.  But for sure a tornado.  We had straight line winds of 70 mph at least.  Major damage around my area.  Trees down everywhere.   I got my kids in the basement before the sirens even blew after i saw the signature on velocity radar.  Two cells merge and a tornado for sure spun up.  Don't think it was on the ground long, but it ripped apart a few houses and neighborhoods just north of my area. 

Closest call to a tornado in my lifetime.  Much scarier when you have a house and kids.   

My brother in law was on a golf course right where the tornado signature was.  He got trapped there as a tree fell on the road and there is only one way in or out.  

I get what you said. Back in '02 we had an F3 OTG heading right at our place with 2 year olds. Fortunately, the thing split about 1/2 mile before it got to us and we endured straight line winds and little damage. I heard the TV reporter who was caught in it and the adrenaline rush influence was obvious. It was the closest call (too close thank you) I have had personally. 

[jaster220]

On 8/28/2023 at 9:56 AM, chescowxman said:

Cloudy and still a bit humid today with rain chances increasing from south to north late tonight through Tuesday night. Models are bit all over the place on amounts but a general 0.25" to 0.75" look likely. The weather looks great from Wednesday PM through next weekend. Chilly temps toward the end of the week but warming by the end of the weekend.

Records for today: High 98 (1973) Low 38 (1982) - of note this was the earliest sub-40 degree reading in Chester County since records began in 1888. Record Rain 3.23" (2011)

Yeah, I posted autumn of 1981 before, but '82 was the lead-in to my first Super Nino and the holiday season "flip" that was so dramatic (and disgusting since it was my first year owning a snowmobile) I went into a mild depression lol. Especially with the previous winter having been a top-5 season. 

[jaster220]

On 8/25/2023 at 6:55 AM, Iceresistance said:

There was another one in Webberville, MI (Location confirmed), and it was MUCH stronger compared to the one near Grand Rapids, MI

Well, ofc on my day off I had to go "see" if you could really tell there had been a TOR along I-96. Not only was it obvious, but it was obvious the x-way had been so littered with tree debris that it had to have been impassable at certain areas. The worst was just SE of Williamston. Webberville is east of there so between both small towns actually. It was also a long/large area of damage that we typically don't get too much up here any more. I tried to get some decent shots as traffic westbound was cruising at 80+. Eastbound was almost closed as they were still working to recover a vehicle way down in the median. Police news report said it was unclear whether the fatality was a car that just drove into the twister or had pulled over along the shoulder? (it must've been tossed or rolled really hard). I saw a video of a UPS semi driver caught in it and he said "I thought I was going to die". From the evidence I saw days later, it must have been bloody hell to have been caught out there, especially rain-wrapped & after dark! Saw corn just flattened lower than a crop circle for the first time in my life too. Anyways, sorry so tardy posting these, but it's a bit of work getting them from phone to laptop folder for attaching. Prolly a better way but I am not that gadget savvy tbh. Image 1: flattened billboard Image 2: trees sheared off in one of many such places. Image 3: (zoom in far left of photo near my window frame you will see 4 guys working to recover some kind of vehicle)

[westMJim]

9 hours ago, jaster220 said:

the x-way had been so littered with tree debris that it had to have been impassable at certain areas.

I think that I 96 was closed for a while after the storm.

[westMJim]

At this time, it looks like most Michigan locations will see a cooler than average August. One exception looks like it may be Muskegon. Today and tomorrow will be cool before warming up for the weekend. Then it looks like there will be a chance of several very warm days but it looks like there will be some wind with the warm reading so it should not be too bad.

The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 72/53. There was no rain fall and the sun was out 90% of the possible time. Southwest Michigan had the warmest readings in the state yesterday as temperatures in SW Michigan were mostly in the 70’s in other parts of the state they were only in the 60’s The overnight low here in MBY so far is the current reading of 48. The week ahead looks to be warm and dry with highs warming the upper 80’s for the most part and lows mostly in the 60’s. We took a road trip up to Bay City yesterday and in spots there is some nice color on the trees.

[Tom]

It is officially one of the coolest mornings of the season ever since I got here back in late JUN.  I left the windows open downstairs on purpose all night and its so refreshing.  It's a cool, crip 52F and a gorgeous glowing Full Moon.  I stepped outside earlier this morning and the amount of light shining down from the Moon is pretty wild.  Not a good day to go fishing!

[Madtown]

Multiple nights in the past week in the 30's. Leaves changing and ferns turning brown. Falls is here. Nice warm up this weekend. That Blue super moon had the big fish moving last night. Only manged the one in the net at 36". Had a 40" class come off boatside and missed 3 others in 3hr window last evening

[Tom]

54 minutes ago, Madtown said:

Multiple nights in the past week in the 30's. Leaves changing and ferns turning brown. Falls is here. Nice warm up this weekend. That Blue super moon had the big fish moving last night. Only manged the one in the net at 36". Had a 40" class come off boatside and missed 3 others in 3hr window last evening

Someone once told me fishing with the Moon light just before sunrise isn't really good bc the big fish easily feast all night long.  Prob better to go just before sunset?

[Madtown]

Fish moon rise, moon set and moon underfoot

 

Full moon and new moon phases offer best chance at trophy fish in my opinion.

[Minny_Weather]

Dew point is in the 50s in Houston. That's insane for this time of year, usually you can't force them out of the 70s. 

[Tom]

Finally, the PHX valley is outlooked to get some pretty good widespread Monsoon storms tonight thru FRI pm...

 

[Andie]

98 today and tomorrow then back to 100 but it feel tolerable compared to the highs a week ago.  
Ready for Fall and rain!⛈

[Timmy Supercell]

2 hours ago, Tom said:

Finally, the PHX valley is outlooked to get some pretty good widespread Monsoon storms tonight thru FRI pm...

 

I follow a facebook group based in Phoenix and sounds like its been a tough go at any t'storms this year for them.

[Andie]

I have family in Tucson.  Better check on them.  

[Timmy Supercell]

2 back-to-back lows in the 50's here! 

I think this August went out on a cooler note than it did last year. Even though this summer was a tad warmer. The heat returns very soon but I did enjoy these false Fall days. It felt like the end of September.

[Tom]

23 minutes ago, Timmy Supercell said:

I follow a facebook group based in Phoenix and sounds like its been a tough go at any t'storms this year for them.

They’ve had it good the past couple summers…nature has to balance herself out.  I’m sure they’ll make it up this autumn and winter again!

[OttumwaSnomow]

47 here this am. Felt great!  Actually  could of used another  blanket!  Unfortunately  16 straight  days of basically  zero rain. After the  rain deficits since mid April and the 100s last week this is becoming  a dire situation  in my area. But I have had 20 inches of precip in 2023.. I hear Cedar Rapids  has only had  14"?  Possibly  2nd driest  year  in history..  I used to blame  Iowa drought on the extreme  dry on west coast.  Throw that out the window. Iowa is the new south dakota.  Crazy deficits  for over a decade  now. With a few wet periods.  Of course I will NEVER FORGET THE NATIONAL  GEOGRAPHIC  IDIOT  who said in a report that climate change is causing  Iowa to float  after the mo and miss river floods and  that  could lead to world starvation!!! THAT GUY COULDN'T  HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG!    Most of Iowa in constant  drought since I saw that.  With modern crop genetics  crops still decent. 

[Andie]

98 tomorrow and Saturday, then back into triple digits.  
Break’s over!  
Im deep root watering to prepare for Act  2 of this play.

[chescowxman]

So we finished August with our 3rd below normal month in the last 4 months. The maximum temperature we recorded here in East Nantmeal during the month of August was only 83.1 degrees on the 15th. This is the lowest maximum temp for the month of August ever recorded in Chester County. The old low max record was the 84 degree max from August 1927!

Here in Chester County we finished the summer months of June through August as the 13th coldest summer (70.3) since records began 130 years ago. If we look at the 4 warm months of May thru August we finished as the 8th coldest (67.3) 4-month spring/summer stretch since 1894. See the table below for both rankings. Rain wise the June-August period was the 27th wettest summer with 17.13" of rain.

I will be sure to post the stats for the other long running NWS COOP Chester County sites across the county later today.

As cool as it has been this summer...we are about to finally get a taste of summer now that we are starting the first month of autumn. We should see widespread 90+ temps from Monday through Wednesday before we cool down to closer to normal levels by next weekend.

[Clinton]

August statistics for KC. It was much drier and warmer for mby as I had nearly a week straight with temps at or over 100 degrees and recorded only 3.1 inches of rain.