News updates are sent daily. You can unsubscribe at any time.
August was third wettest on record for Valley
Digg|
Save|
License|
Print|
E-mail|
Lightning flashes in the Gilbert sky Friday night.
Darryl Webb, Tribune
For all the havoc wreaked by the thunderstorms of August, they didn’t set any records.
Still, the 3.55 inches of rainfall is the third-greatest for the month in the Valley’s meteorological history. The average is 0.94 inches.
The record for August was set in 1951, when the monsoon dumped 5.33 inches into the official rain gauge of Phoenix. Still in second place is 1943, with 4.92 inches.
The National Weather Service has been taking measurements here since 1895.
This last month, measurable rain fell on 12 of 31 days, with three daily records broken: the 7th (0.68 inches), the 25th (0.9) and 28th (0.94). It was during that last day when lightning lit up the sky for hours and fierce winds toppled trees and ripped off roofs.
A typical monsoon drops 2.77 inches of rain upon the Valley. This summer, the total is more than double the climatological norm: 5.7 inches, making this the 10th-wettest monsoon recorded – and the monsoon doesn’t end until Sept. 30.
Perhaps due to the cloud cover, August’s heat was unremarkable. The average temperature of 93 degrees was one-tenth of a degree cooler than usual.
Please add your comments, but follow these guidelines to keep this a safe, credible place for discussing the news: