August included many days with summertime heat, and paired with humidity, that meant several days with dangerous heat, too.
Multiple spots broke record highs during the month but it went a step further in Russell, Kansas, when an all-time record high for the month of August was notched at 112 degrees Fahrenheit on Aug. 9. This was just a couple of degrees shy of the all-time hottest temperature for Russell (114 degrees) that occurred in 1980.
Abilene, Texas, also set a record for consecutive days with highs of 100 degrees or warmer as the streak began Aug. 2 and was still ongoing as the calendar flipped to September.
Not only was it hot during the day, but little cooling at night only added to stress on livestock during the month.
With limited moisture in parts of the central United States, too, stress was evident during the month on rangeland, pastures and summer crops, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In the global perspective, El Niño conditions were ongoing. Conditions were forecast to strengthen and a very strong El Niño is expected this fall and winter.
For September, above normal temperatures are forecast to continue for the entire central U.S..
At the same time, below normal precipitation is forecast for the central and eastern parts of Kansas and Oklahoma.
For the central U.S., above normal temperatures are forecast to remain through November.
The outlook for precipitation shows precipitation above seasonal norms through November for western Texas, the panhandle of Oklahoma, western Kansas and western and central Nebraska.
Central and eastern portions of Texas and Oklahoma along with southeast and south-central Kansas are forecast to see drought conditions develop or worsen in the next few months. The opposite is expected for southwest Kansas, western Nebraska, the Oklahoma panhandle and northwest Texas with improvement in drought conditions in those areas.
I’m always keeping an eye to the sky (and the weather patterns), so watch for next month’s update.
Editor’s note: Regina Bird grew up on a farm near Belleville, Kansas. The views from the farm helped spur her interest in weather. Following high school, she went on to get a bachelor’s degree in meteorology from the University of Kansas. She worked as a television meteorologist for nine years in Nebraska. Follow her on X (formerly known as Twitter): @ReginaBirdWX.
