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Northeast Regional Climate Center |
August was much warmer than normal all across the Northeast. The 12 state region was 2.7 degrees above normal, the 12th warmest August on record. West Virginia had the lowest temperature departure, but still was 2.0 degrees warmer than average. New Hampshire recorded an average of 69.3 degrees, which at 3.6 degrees above normal made it the third warmest August on record for that state. This month was among the top ten warmest on record in six other states. These include Massachusetts, Maryland, Delaware, and Rhode Island which were all at least 3.0 degrees warmer than normal. New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Delaware were within one degree of the all-time record.
The Northeast also experienced a drier than normal August this time around. All 12 states received less than the average amount of precipitation. The overall departure was -1.58 inches making this August the 4th driest on record for the Northeast. New Jersey and Connecticut recorded the most rain, both measured over 3 inches and were between 80 and 90 percent of normal. The rest were even drier, especially Vermont and New Hampshire which both received less than 50% of the normal August rain - 39% and 46% repectively. New Hampshire wasn't far behind with 2.05 inches of rain or 51% of normal. But Maine was the big story this month, setting an all time low for August rainfall. The state averaged only 1.08 inches, a full 2.53 inches below normal (or 29% of the norm). This new value shattered the old record of 1.30 inches. This is the third August in a row Maine has been more than an inch drier than normal. Overall for the Northeast this was the 5th dry August in a row, and the driest August since 1995.
Monthly Summary of State Temperature and Precipitation Averages.