Ithaca Climate Summary for August 2003

Temperature

• With an average temperature of 69.3 degrees, the month averaged 2.0 degrees warmer than normal.
• This was the first month since September 2002 with a positive departure of more than 1 degree.
• This August was 0.9 degrees cooler than August 2002.
• The warmest temperature of the month was 86 degrees on the 21st.
• This was the lowest August maximum since 1990.
• The coldest temperature of the month was 41 degrees, recorded on the 31st.

Precipitation

• The August precipitation total was 3.84 inches, which represented 116% of normal.
• This was the wettest August since 1996.
• The July-August precipitation total of 10.65 inches was more than double the 4.18 inches received during the same two months last summer.
• This was the wettest July-August since 1992 and the 8th wettest in 125 years.
• There were only two days during the last nineteen days of the month with measurable precipitation, including 12 consecutive dry days from the 18th through the 29th.
• In contrast, each of the first seven days of the month had measurable rain.
• The year-to-date precipitation accumulation of 27.86 inches was 3.81 inches more than normal.