John McGinley, Peak to Peak. August 2019: The first half of the month looked like a typical August with daily monsoon showers and mild temperatures. All this changed as we moved into the latter half of the month. A broad ridge of high pressure established itself over the western US  and increased westerly flow aloft. This for most part swept the monsoonal moisture out of the state, resulting  in many days with warm, dry, downslope flow. The fire danger increased markedly egged on by irresponsible campers who left campfires unattended, disregarding the “no-fire” ban. The only precipitation in the last half of the month was an isolated hail and rainstorm that dropped over a half an inch of liquid. Temperatures for the month were 5 degrees above normal, mostly due to the extremely warm overnight lows. Many days had westerly winds 20-30 mph.

Precipitation: Total was 1.69 inches, about a half an inch below normal. An inch of rain fell in the first 12 days of the month. The next 19 days were dry except for a cold-front generated thunderstorm on the 21st that dropped 0.57 inches of rain along with ½ inch hail.  By the end of the month the humidity was frequently near 10% every afternoon.

Temperature: Average high was 78.5F with an average low of 51.4F. These combined to make the month 5 degrees above normal. Average lows above 50 are rare in a typical August. The westerly winds kept things stirred up overnight so temperatures couldn’t cool down effectively. Warmest day was 88F on the 20th, coldest high was 68F on the 27th. Coldest low was 39F on the 27th.We had an amazing low of 58F on the 25th.

Winds:  Despite the many days with winds 20-30mph, we only had one day that went over 40mph (the threshold for a “windy day”).

Other Features: Too many fire-threat days.

Outlook for Sep:  Normally we will see highs of 69F and lows of 38F. We have two windy days. Precipitation is 1.76 inches. Our climate models show that September will start very warm and dry. We should see an increase in moisture during week one. Week two will see continued warm and dry conditions. About mid month a series of cold fronts will bring cooler temperatures and chances of showers. Normal temperatures and precipitation will return for the end of the month.

(Originally published in the September 5, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)