NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY
AUGUST 2020

2-8: Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach, NC, around 11:10 pm EDT on August 3, with maximum sustained winds near 85 mph. Heavy rain fell along and near the path of Isaias, which accelerated toward the north-northeast on August 4, passing
east of Washington, D.C., but west of New York City. East of the center of circulation, wind damage and power outages were widespread across the Atlantic coastal plain as far north as New England.
Relatively tranquil weather prevailed in other areas of the country. For example, cool, dry weather covered the Corn Belt for several days, although Midwestern shower activity increased late in the week. Meanwhile, periodic showers and thunderstorms
continued to pepper the Plains. During the week, temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal in several locations across the Intermountain West and from southeastern Arizona into western Texas. Persistent warmth also prevailed along the northern
Atlantic Coast. In contrast, cool air overspread areas between the Rockies and Appalachians, holding temperatures more than 5°F below normal from the southeastern Plains into portions of the Great Lakes region. Extreme heat gradually subsided across the
West, although Salt Lake City, UT, opened the month with consecutive daily-record highs of 105°F on August 1-2. Other record-setting highs for August 2 included 108°F in Bishop, CA, and 103°F in Grand Junction, CO. In Phoenix, AZ, August 8 marked the
33rd day this year with a high temperature of 110°F or greater, tying the 2011 annual record. (The record in Phoenix was broken with a high of 112°F on August 9.) Heat, accompanied by high humidity, also affected the Deep South, where daily-record
highs on August 4 soared to 98°F in New Orleans, LA, and 97°F in Apalachicola, FL. In Burlington, VT, however, a record-setting streak of 41 consecutive days (June 26 – August 5) with a low temperature of 60°F or greater ended in the wake of Isaias.
The previous record of 36 days had been set from July 14 – August 19, 1898. Meanwhile, very cool air settled across the Midwest. On August 5, daily-record lows dipped to 49°F in Ottumwa, IA, and 51°F in Springfield, IL. Later, cooler weather in the
West resulted in dailyrecord lows for August 7 in Ramona, CA (45°F), and Spokane, WA (49°F). At week’s end, however, heat developed across the High Plains, where Dalhart, TX, posted a daily-record high (102°F) on August 8.

9-15: Mostly dry weather prevailed in the Northeast and from the Pacific Coast to the Plains. Heat- and drought related impacts rereported.

near- or above-normal temperatures covered much of the nation, with coolerthan-normal conditions largely limited to the Northwest. As the week progressed, markedly cooler air overspread the Midwest, while persistent heat across the southern High Plains
and the Southwest later expanded to other areas in the western half of the county. Weekly temperatures averaged more than 5°F above normal in much of California and from southern Arizona to the central and southern High Plains. Readings also averaged at
least 5°F above normal in portions of the Great Lakes region and much of the Northeast. Early in the week, heat was concentrated across the High Plains, where record-setting highs for August 9 included 100°F in Sidney, NE, and 98°F in Denver, CO.
Borger, TX, opened the week on August 9-10 with consecutive daily-record highs (103 and 104°F, respectively). Elsewhere in Texas, El Paso posted six consecutive daily-record highs from August 10-15, with readings ranging from 105 to 107°F. Meanwhile,
high temperatures in Roswell, NM, reached or exceeded the 100-degree mark on 10 consecutive days from August 6-15, with highs peaking at 107°F on August 12-14. In the Northeast, Caribou, ME, reported its 51st reading this year (on August 14) with a high
temperature of 80°F or greater, tying an annual record set in 1999. Similarly, Phoenix, AZ, smashed records for the greatest number of 110- and 115-degree readings in a year (39 and 8 days, respectively, though August 15). Previous records in Phoenix
had been 33 days of 110-degree heat in 2011 and 7 days with highs of 115°F or greater in 1974. With a high of 117°F on August 14, Phoenix also tied a monthly record previously achieved on August 26, 2011, and August 14, 2015. In fact, numerous monthly
records were set or tied across California and the Southwest late in the week. For example, downtown Oakland, CA, noted a high of 100°F on the 14th—the first triple-digit reading on record during August in that location. Oakland’s previous monthly
record had been 99°F on August 6, 1983, and August 24, 2010. On August 15, monthly records highs included 123°F in Needles, CA; 111°F in Kingman, AZ; and 109°F in Roseburg, OR. Previous records had been 122°F (on August 26, 1924) in Needles; 111°F (
on August 19, 1915, and August 13, 1933) in Kingman; and 108°F (on August 2 and 3, 2017) in Roseburg. The reading in Roseburg also tied an all-time-record high temperature, previously attained with a high of 109°F on July 20, 1946.

16-22: Historic heat and mostly dry conditions in the West contributed to wildfire activity and poor air quality, especially after a rash of lightning-sparked fires erupted in parts of California from August 16-19. By week’s end, more than two dozen
active wildfires in California had charred more than one million acres of vegetation. The two largest wildfires—the LNU and SCU Lightning Complexes—became the second- and third-largest fires in California history, with some 348,000 and 344,000 acres
burned, respectively. Dozens of wildfires burned in other areas of the West, highlighted by Colorado’s second-largest fire in modern history. The Pine Gulch Fire, which burned nearly 127,000 acres north of Grand Junction, CO, by August 23, stood behind
only the 137,760-acre Hayman Fire of 2002, in terms of acreage. Meanwhile, scorching heat (temperatures as much as 5 to 10°F above normal) across the West maintained significant stress on rangeland, pastures, and immature summer crops, especially in
drought-affected areas. On August 18, nearly two-thirds (65.6 percent) of the 11-state Western region was experiencing drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Late-summer heat extended eastward across the northern Plains, but below-normal
temperatures covered the mid-South, lower Midwest, and southeastern Plains. In fact, temperatures averaged as much as 5°F below normal across the Ozark Plateau and environs. Spotty showers across the Plains and Midwest favored fieldwork and crop
development but maintained stress on immature summer crops in drought affected areas, including parts of Iowa. Elsewhere, producers in the western Gulf Coast region harvested rice in advance of tropical activity, while locally heavy showers soaked the
Southeast. On August 16 in Death Valley, CA, a reading of 130°F established a modern maximum temperature record for anywhere in the world. On the same date, August temperature records were tied or broken in several Western locations, including
Sacramento, CA (112°F), and Winslow, AZ (104°F). The previous record in Sacramento had been 110°F on August 10, 1996, and August 28, 2017, whereas Winslow had attained 104°F on August 21, 1928. Elsewhere in Arizona on the 16th, monthly records
included 114°F at Tuzigoot National Monument; 106°F in Page and Seligman; and 93°F in Flagstaff. With a high of 113°F on August 16, Stockton, CA, smashed a monthly record of 112°F set on August 28, 2017. Farther east, Alamosa, CO, eclipsed a monthly
record on August 19 with a high of 92°F (previously, 91°F on August 17, 2002). Western heat eased slightly as the week progressed but remained extreme. August records were set for the greatest number of 90-degree readings in Flagstaff, AZ (6 days;
previously, 3 days in 2002), and 100-degree readings in Cedar City, UT (5 days; previously, 1 day in 1978 and 1981). With 8 days of triple-digit heat during the first 22 days of the month, Salt Lake City, UT, also set an August record (previously, 7 days
in 1994). Each day from August 15-23, Tonopah, NV, tallied a daily-record high (100, 101, 103, 101, 98, 97, 98, 96, and 97°F). Death Valley endured highs of 120°F or greater each day from August 14-24. Phoenix, AZ, further extended its records for the
greater number of 110- and 115-degree readings in a year—46 and 13 days, respectively—greatly exceeding the previous standards of 33 days in 2011 and 7 days in 1974. At week’s end, heat expanded across the Rockies and High Plains, where record-
setting highs in Colorado for August 22 included 103°F in Pueblo and 95°F in Colorado Springs. In some areas of the country, thunderstorms produced gusty winds but little rain.

23-29: Spotty showers from the Pacific Coast to the High Plains provided little, if any, relief from widespread drought conditions that have contributed to reduced soil moisture, stress on rangeland and pastures, and a rash of wildfires. Late summer heat
dominated not only the West, but also most other parts of the country. In fact, the only major region experiencing below-normal temperatures was northern New England. Weekly temperatures averaged as much as 10°F above normal in parts of the Corn Belt,
aggravating the effects of soil moisture shortages or corn and soybeans in drought-affected areas. Iowa, still recovering from the August 10 derecho, remained the center of the Midwestern drought. Extreme heat (up to 10°F above normal) also gripped
parts of Wyoming, southern California, the Great Basin, and the Four Corners States.

Early-week heat surged northward across the Great Plains and adjacent Rockies, resulting in daily-record highs for August 23 in East Rapid City, SD (102°F), and Casper, WY (98°F). The following day, record-setting highs for August 24 soared to 100°F
in Burlington, CO, and 98°F in Sidney, NE. Another daily-record high (101°F) was set in Sidney on August 25; other triple-digit, daily-record highs in Nebraska on that date included 105°F in Valentine, 103°F in Alliance, and 102°F in Scottsbluff.
Heat also overspread the upper Midwest, where La Crosse, WI, tied a daily-record high of 97°F on August 26. Meanwhile in Florida, August records for highest minimum temperature were tied or broken on August 25 in locations such as Daytona Beach (82°F),
Melbourne (83°F), Vero Beach (83°F), West Palm Beach (84°F), and Miami (84°F). Farther west, Phoenix, AZ, collected a daily-record high of 115°F on August 24. That marked the 13th day this year with a high of 115°F or greater; the previous annual
record of 7 days had been set in 1974. On August 28, Phoenix reported its 50th occurrence of the year with a high temperature of 110°F or greater. The previous annual record of 33 days had been set in 2011. Late in the week, blazing heat returned across
the southcentral U.S. In Texas, Abilene closed the week on August 28-29 with consecutive daily-record highs (107 and 105°F, respectively). Other recordsetting highs for August 28 included 109°F in Borger, TX, and 105°F in Roswell, NM.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)