August 2020 Summary

A hot August that was both wet but also dry

Although it wasn’t as hot as July, August did continue the pattern of hot summer temperatures.  The heat was consistent with the longest stretch of colder than average temperatures being only 3 days.  Overall it was 1.5 degrees above average, contributing to that were 6 days above 30°C, a lot more than the 2 we usually see.

Why did the headline say it was both wet and dry?  In the first three days of the month we saw 72.2 mm of precipitation (more than the average total for 5 months of the year) but then only 11.2 mm the rest of the month.  So both wet and dry.  The total precipitation for the month of 83.4 mm was just a smidge lower than the average of 83.9 mm.

The total precipitation we have seen so far in 2020 of 666.5 mm is still above the average of 596.0 mm for this time of year.

Summary for August 2020:
Maximum Temperature 31.6°C
Minimum Temperature 7.9°C
Average Daily High Temperature 26.6°C (Long term average 24.8°C)
Average Daily Low Temperature 14.2°C (Long term average 12.9°C)
Total Precipitation 83.4 mm (Long term average 83.9 mm)

(Long term averages based on 1981-2010 data for the Waterloo-Wellington Airport)