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Hot and Humid August and Summer

August temp map

Coastal parts of the Northeast experienced the warmest temperature departures from normal during August.

With the seemingly constant supply of warmth and humidity enveloping much of the region this past month, it’s no surprise that the entire Northeast experienced warmer-than-normal temperatures on average. This August ranked among the 20 warmest on record for all but three of the 35 major climate sites in the region. Caribou, ME, Burlington, VT, Boston, MA, Providence, RI, and Atlantic City, NJ, each experienced their warmest August on record.

August temp chart

Temperature departures ranged from 5.7˚F above normal in Burlington, VT to 0.8˚F above normal in Huntington, WV.

Meteorological summer, which encompasses the months from June through August, was also noticeably warmer than usual for the Northeast. All major climate sites in the region recorded warmer-than-normal temperatures during this past season. Seventeen climate sites in the Northeast experienced among their ten warmest summers ever recorded, and Caribou, ME, ranked this as their warmest summer on record. The heat wave during the first week of July, in addition to the warm temperatures throughout much of August, helped contribute to this summer being warmer than usual.

Summer temp map

Temperature departures have been above normal in most of the region throughout the summer.

Summer temp chart

All but seven of the major climate sites in the Northeast ranked this summer amongst their twenty warmest on record.

Precipitation was highly variable in the region during August. Areas towards the Mid-Atlantic, as well as parts of New England, saw a much higher percent of normal precipitation. Concord, NH received over three times their normal amount of rain during the month of August after recording 10.67 inches, or 336% of normal precipitation. Binghamton, NY, Scranton, PA, and Allentown, PA noted this August as their second wettest on record. For other locations scattered throughout the Northeast, it was a different story. August was drier than normal for seven of the major climate sites in the region. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor released on August 30, abnormally dry conditions were impacting 13% of the region, which shows an improvement from the beginning of August when 18% of the Northeast was abnormally dry.

August precip map

Parts of northern New England were drier than normal while the central part of the region experienced wetter than normal conditions this past month.

August precip chart

Fourteen of the major climate sites in the Northeast ranked this August amongst their twenty wettest on record.

Meteorological summer mirrored the month of August in terms of precipitation. The Mid-Atlantic region saw the highest percent of normal precipitation as many parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey experienced days of heavy rain throughout the summer. Flooding was reported in cities towards the southern part of the region over the past three months, primarily in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Dulles Airport, VA and Williamsport, PA each experienced their wettest summers on record.

Summer precip map

The southern part of the region received the highest percent of normal precipitation during these past three months.

Summer precip chart

Dulles Airport, VA and Williamsport, PA each experienced their wettest summers on record.

According to the temperature outlook published by the Climate Prediction Center (CPC), increased chances of above-normal temperatures are shown for the month of September for the entire Northeast. The CPC outlook for precipitation shows the highest probability of above-normal precipitation for areas south of New York.

CPC temp outlook map

The Northeast, along with much of the country, is shown to have increased chances of above-normal temperatures this month.

CPC precip outlook map

Equal chances for above-, below-, or near-normal precipitation are shown for much of the Northeast.