August 2015 Climate Summary - Now Available

Overview - Smoky skies

It was another relatively quiet month for the contiguous U.S. The majority of the country had average temperatures within 2.0 degrees F (1.1 degrees C) of normal and precipitation extremes were not widespread. There were some exceptions, however. On the warm side, areas of the West Coast along with portions of the Desert Southwest and New England had temperature departures that were generally 2.0-4.0 degrees F (1.1-2.2 degrees C) above normal. Meanwhile, on the cool side, much of the central U.S. had departures of 2.0-4.0 degrees F (1.1-2.2 degrees C) below normal.

Precipitation varied across the country, but unlike the last few months, heavy precipitation was not widespread. Wetter areas included coastal portions of the Pacific Northwest, pockets of the West, an area stretching from southeastern Montana through eastern Iowa, and another swath stretching from southeastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma through portions of Georgia and Florida. Where rain fell in heavy bursts, some locations did experience flash flooding. Meanwhile, the eastern sides of Washington and Oregon, along with much of Idaho, Montana, California, Texas, and Louisiana were quite dry with many locations receiving less than 25 percent of normal precipitation. As a result, drought conditions intensified or developed in many of these areas.

Smoke from wildfires has been a common occurrence this summer and August was no exception. The Pacific Northwest was the epicenter for wildfires this month where over a million acres have burned this season and winds brought smoke from these fires all the way to the High Plains and Midwest regions. The smoke had a wide range of impacts, including some benign and some harmful. For instance, smoke suppressed daytime temperatures this month, but also created beautiful sunsets. On the other hand, smoke also resulted in air quality issues, which caused respiratory problems for sensitive groups. Although smoke can reduce incoming solar radiation, which is important for crop development, there is no evidence that the smoke has negatively impacted crops.

Much more information is available in the PDF version of the summary including temperature and precipitation highlights, streamflow and drought updates, and a look at the upcoming season. Click here to read more!