By Bill Kappel
August was generally uneventful around the Palmer Divide, especially compared to the last few months where we had extremely active weather. Temperatures were slightly warmer than normal, and precipitation was slightly lower than normal.
The first half of the month saw the typical quiet morning, afternoon clouds, and scattered thunderstorms and rain shower pattern. This is the normal pattern, but something we hadn’t seen consistently so far this summer, because the typical North American Monsoon system has not been fully formed this year. This has been the result of various weather patterns across the United States that have been slow to change.
The pattern began to reflect more normal conditions later in July and into August. Of course, there was a major disruption early in the month with the remnants of Tropical Storm Hilary bringing record rainfall to many areas of Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada. Then right on its heels was Tropical Storm Harold, which moved into south Texas, up the Rio Grande basin and into the Four Corners. This added lots of moisture to the region and produced significant rainfall in western Colorado and the mountains. This was welcome in those areas, as they have been extremely dry all summer and desperately needed the rainfall.
During the first two weeks of the month, most of us received 1-2 inches of rainfall, but no single day had any severe weather, just brief rain showers. Drier conditions took hold for the second half of the month and along with that, warmer conditions. Highs were consistently in the 80s from the 15th through the 24th. Temperatures peaked in the upper 80s on the 18th and 19th.
The first cold front of the season dropped temperatures by 20 degrees on the 25th and, when combined with low clouds and rain showers, definitely brought a feel of fall to the area. Temperatures stayed cool the next day before jumping back to the low 80s on the 27th. The end of the month saw a seesaw in temperatures with a few scattered showers mixed in as high temperatures varied between the low 70s and the mid-80s.
A look ahead
September is a transition month for the region, with the last tastes of summer mixed in with our first morning freezes. Leaves begin to change by the end of the month as well and in some years a little snow can happen. The overall weather pattern is generally one of tranquility, with our chances for thunderstorms dwindling and blizzard conditions not quite ready for prime time. We are often greeted with sunny, pleasant afternoons, with highs from the mid-70s early in the month to the mid-60s later in the month. Our first sub-freezing low temperatures usually occur during the third week of the month, so prepare those tender plants.
August 2023 Weather Statistics
Average High 79.0° (-1.5); 100-year return frequency value max 83.9° min 72.9°
Average Low 51.7° (+1.3); 100-year return frequency value max 55.2° min 46.8°
Monthly Precipitation 1.30” (-1.60”, 56% below normal); 100-year return frequency value max 6.07” min 0.94”
Monthly Snowfall 0.0”
Highest Temperature 88° on the 16th, 18th, 19th
Lowest Temperature 46° on the 7th
Season to Date Snow: 0.0” (the snow season is from July 1 to June 30)
Season to Date Precip.: 21.51” (+3.45”, 20% above normal) (Jan 1 to Dec 31)
Heating Degree Days 47 (-15)
Cooling Degree Days 56 (+12)
Bill Kappel is a meteorologist and Tri-Lakes resident. He can be reached at billkappel@ocn.me.
Other Weather Wrap articles
- November Weather Wrap (12/5/2024)
- October Weather Wrap (11/2/2024)
- September Weather Wrap (10/5/2024)
- August Weather Wrap (9/7/2024)
- July Weather Wrap (8/3/2024)
- June Weather Wrap (7/6/2024)
- May Weather Wrap (6/1/2024)
- April Weather Wrap (5/4/2024)
- March Weather Wrap (4/6/2024)
- February Weather Wrap (3/2/2024)
- January Weather Wrap (2/3/2024)