Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Portland, ME

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000 CXUS51 KGYX 030215 CLMPWM PWMCLMPWM 000 TTAA00 GYX 011103 CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME 703 AM EDT FRI SEP 01 2023 ................................... ...THE PORTLAND ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2023... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1941 TO 2023 (FOR TEMPERATURES) CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2023 (FOR PRECIPITATION) CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1882 TO 2023 (FOR SNOWFALL) WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL ................................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 103 08/02/1975 LOW 33 08/31/1965 HIGHEST 84 08/21 90 -6 96 08/07 LOWEST 50 08/02 47 3 55 08/15 AVG. MAXIMUM 75.5 78.7 -3.2 81.6 AVG. MINIMUM 59.2 59.7 -0.5 62.6 MEAN 67.3 69.2 -1.9 72.1 DAYS MAX >= 90 0 1.3 -1.3 4 DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS MIN <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 15.22 1991 MINIMUM 0.27 1947 TOTALS 5.80 3.57 2.23 5.63 DAILY AVG. 0.19 0.12 0.07 0.18 DAYS >= .01 15 9.4 5.6 7 DAYS >= .10 9 5.2 3.8 6 DAYS >= .50 6 1.9 4.1 3 DAYS >= 1.00 2 0.9 1.1 3 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 1.11 08/18 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 0.0 TOTALS 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 SINCE 7/1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 DAYS >= TRACE 0 0.0 0.0 DAYS >= 1.0 0 0.0 0.0 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 0 24 HR TOTAL 0 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 17 16 1 1 SINCE 7/1 19 21 -2 1 COOLING TOTAL 95 146 -51 229 SINCE 1/1 342 401 -59 514 ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 6.3 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 25/290 DATE 08/11 25/350 08/31 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 36/180 DATE 08/25 SKY COVER AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.55 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 77 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 5 HEAVY RAIN 7 RAIN 9 LIGHT RAIN 18 FREEZING RAIN 0 LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0 LIGHT SNOW 0 FOG 17 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 1 HAZE 1 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && SIMILAR TO JUNE AND JULY A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE CONTINUED TO DOMINATE THE NORTHEAST US THROUGH MUCH OF AUGUST. THIS TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE CONTINUED THE THEME FOR HEAVY PRECIPITATION EVENTS IN MAINE. DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH THE NAO REMAINED NEGATIVE WHILE THE PNA REMAINED POSITIVE WITH THESE TELECONNECTIONS FAVORING A TROUGH JUST WEST OF NEW ENGLAND. THE NAO DID TREND TOWARDS NEUTRAL AT TIMES, WHICH ALLOWED THE TROUGH AXIS TO SHIFT NEAR OVERHEAD OF THE PORTLAND AREA AND SOMETIMES EAST OF NEW ENGLAND. THIS EASTWARD SHIFT OF THE TROUGH AXIS ALLOWED FOR COOL AND DRY HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEMS TO BUILD INTO THE AREA BRINGING PERIODS OF DRY WEATHER WITH TEMPERATURES TRENDING BELOW NORMAL. TOWARDS THE END OF THE MONTH, TROPICAL ACTIVITY INCREASED IN THE ATLANTIC BASIN WITH TROPICAL STORMS TRACKING OFFSHORE OF THE EAST COAST. A SERIES OF FRONTAL SYSTEMS THAT CROSSED FROM THE WEST HELPED TO PUSH THESE SYSTEM OFFSHORE WHILE AREA BEACHES DID SEE INCREASED SWELLS. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 67.3 DEGREES, WHICH WAS 1.9 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE COOLEST AUGUST ON RECORD WAS IN 1964 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 61.1 DEGREES. THE WARMEST WAS 72.2 DEGREES IN 2018. A TOTAL OF 5.80 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL, WHICH WAS 2.23 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FELL FROM THUNDERSTORMS ON THE 18TH WHEN 1.11 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. THE WETTEST AUGUST ON RECORD WAS IN 1991 WHEN 15.22 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL. THE DRIEST WAS 0.27 INCHES IN 1947. NO RECORDS WERE SET OR TIED IN THE MONTH OF AUGUST AT PORTLAND. $$ DS