By Chuck Otte
Geary County Extension Agent ( Ret. )
For the twelfth consecutive month, area temperatures were above normal. For the second month in a row, rainfall was slightly below average. Both, plus the heat blast at the end of August, is concerning as the area vegetation starts drying out and turning brown.
The average daily high for August was 88.8, eight tenths of a degree above normal. The average overnight low was 70.2, 3.9 degrees above normal. This gave us a monthly mean temperature of 79.5, 2.3 degrees above the long-term average. The highest temperature for the month was the afternoon high of 101 on the 30th. The lowest temperature for the month was the morning low of 64 on the 23rd. Of interest may be that the last time we had a low temperature below 60 was when we had 58 degrees on the morning of June 19th. We typically expect that we will have a morning low below 60 sometime in August or very early September. There were two temperature records set during the month and one tied. The overnight low of 78 on the 9th tied the record high low temperature for that date first set in 2006. The overnight low of 80 on the 10th broke the old record high low of 78 set in 2016, and the low of 80 on the 13th also broke the record high low for that date which was 76, set in 1957. Fortunately, while it was warm, it wasn’t record warm. The hottest August on record was in 2000 when we had a monthly mean temperature of 85 degrees. The coldest August on record was in 1981 with a chilly monthly mean temperature of 71.5.
Average August rainfall is 4.55 inches. Milford Lake received 4.31 inches during the month all of that essentially falling in the first three weeks of the month. Thanks to above average rainfall April through June we are still above average for the ear to date. Average year to date rainfall is 25.65 inches and through the end of August we have received 29.35 inches. The driest August on record was in 1971 when no rainfall was recorded. The wettest August was in 2013 when 10.33 inches was tallied.
September brings us the start of meteorological fall (September 1st) as well as astronomical fall (September 22nd). With the rapidly decreasing amount of daylight we expect temperatures to start to decrease as well. Average high temperatures start the month at 85 and by the end of the month are down to 75. Overnight lows on September 1st are expected to be 64 and by the 30th dropping to 51. The earliest frost recorded in the area was September 17, 1981. In fact, only three times since 1951 has the first frost occurred in September. In additional to 1981 it also occurred in 1983 (Sept 22nd) and 1984 (Sep 30th). We don’t normally expect our first frost until late October. September also marks our annual transition into the drier time of the year. Average rainfall for September is 2.85 inches.