August can often be a busy time of year weather wise with heat waves, severe storms and of course, tropical activity. However, August 2014 ended on the quiet end of the spectrum with seasonable to cool days and highly variable precipitation. While most remember the extreme rainfall event from August 12th and 13th when parts of the Mid - Atlantic and Long Island were drenched in unprecedented totals, the month also featured strings of back to back dry days. Looking at temperature trends, August was near to slightly cooler than normal but those in the Mid Atlantic ranked August 2014 among the top ten coolest on record. Let’s review this last full month of summer.
The month began on a cool and wet note from the 1st to the 3rd as a low pressure system rode up a stalled boundary. Temperatures struggled to get out of the 70s from Baltimore to Boston on the 2nd and 3rd with Boston only topping 70 degrees on the 3rd. The front also produced consecutive days of rainfall where areas in southern New Jersey and Maryland received 0.75 – 2.75 inches of rain. Temperatures then warmed up with one of the few 90 degree days of the month occurring on August 5th. After that, an upper level disturbance swung through New England on the 6th and 7th bringing rounds of severe storms. First, storms hit the Hudson Valley on the 6th dropping hail one to two inches in diameter and producing damaging winds near Poughkeepsie, NY. Then, storms in eastern Massachusetts and northern Connecticut on the 7th that produced hail the size of quarters.
Luckily, high pressure took control of the Northeast August 8th – 11th giving plenty of sunshine and seasonable temperatures in the 80s. This stretch of dry weather did not last long, however, as a moisture rich system impacted the Northeast on the 12th and 13th. Rainfall totals were highly variable across the region as areas in northern New Jersey and the Hudson Valley ranged from 0.25 – 0.75 inches while areas a mere 50 miles south and east in the Mid - Atlantic and Long Island reached incredible levels of 8 – 13 inches! To learn more about this rare rainfall event, check out our article.
As we entered into the second half of August and the final weeks of summer, Mother Nature gave the Northeast another streak of rainless and pleasant weather. From the 14th – 20th, much of the area stayed dry outside of a few showers on the 17th and 19th. Temperatures remained near to slightly cooler than normal with highs on the 15th only in the 70s, even as far south as Baltimore, and overnight lows felt fall-like dropping into the 50s to near 60. Temperatures gradually warmed over the following days south of New York City but those from Hartford to Boston stayed 3 – 6 degrees below normal.
A frontal boundary on the 21st broke the dry pattern as strong evening storms and heavy rain hit eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Folks across northern New Jersey and even some spots along the shore measured 1 – 3 inches of rain. The precipitation was much needed as these areas received just 0.50 – 0.75 inches of rain up to this point in the month. Following this cold front, temperatures dipped back into the 70s for the 22nd – 23rd as easterly winds ushered in cool air and cloudy skies.
Mother Nature then brought a stretch of beautiful weather to the Northeast to celebrate the unofficial last week of summer. High pressure shifted out of Canada bringing abundant sunshine and temperatures in the 80s to near 90 on consecutive days from August 24th – 30th. Unfortunately, precipitation deficits reached 2 – 3 inches over the month north and west of I - 95 due to the extended dry periods. The final day of August featured hot and humid conditions which fueled evening storms and heavy rain as a boundary crossed the area. Generally, 0.30 – 0.60 inches of rain fell from Baltimore to Boston but folks near Philadelphia were soaked under 2 – 4 inches of rain and those along the Jersey Shore saw 1 – 2 inches. Severe storms also impacted areas in northeast New Jersey, the D.C metro area and central Massachusetts where a confirmed EF-0 tornado touched down in Worcester, MA. See the video below courtesy of Wx1box - National Weather Service Taunton Amateur Radio Skywarn Group - Facebook
All in all, August 2014 will be remembered for its highly variable precipitation and near to cooler than normal temperatures. Although 90 degrees was hit or surpassed on only 1 – 3 days and there were 8 – 15 days when highs reached the 70’s, most finished just 1 – 2 degrees below normal. The only areas to report noteworthy cool conditions in August were Atlantic City, NJ and Baltimore, MD, where the month ranked 4th and 5th coolest, respectively.
In the precipitation department, monthly totals were highly variable. While 60% – 80% of the days in August were dry, isolated flash flooding events brought a deluge to a few locations placing August 2014 among the wettest on record in select spots in the Mid-Atlantic and Long Island; however, those that missed out on such events (especially in northern NJ and the Hudson Valley) finished bone dry. See our chart below to learn which stations ranked among the top ten wettest verses driest.
