Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Spokane, WA
Issued by NWS Spokane, WA
000 CXUS56 KOTX 020058 CLMGEG CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 557 PM PDT FRI SEP 01 2023 ................................... ...THE SPOKANE WA AIRPORT CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2023... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1881 TO 2023 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL ................................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 108 08/04/1961 08/04/1928 LOW 35 08/29/1965 08/31/1964 HIGHEST 102 08/15 MM MM 100 08/18 08/31 LOWEST 51 08/24 MM MM 48 08/28 AVG. MAXIMUM 84.6 83.8 0.8 90.1 AVG. MINIMUM 60.1 56.7 3.4 62.0 MEAN 72.3 70.3 2.0 76.0 DAYS MAX >= 90 12 8.3 3.7 19 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 2.12 1923 MINIMUM T 2022 TOTALS 0.98 0.47 0.51 T DAILY AVG. 0.03 0.02 0.01 T DAYS >= .01 6 3.2 2.8 0 DAYS >= .10 3 1.3 1.7 0 DAYS >= .50 0 0.2 -0.2 0 DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.0 0.0 0 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 0.47 08/29 TO 08/30 T SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 0.0 MM TOTALS 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 SINCE 7/1 0.0 0.0 0.0 MM SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 0 DAYS >= 1.0 0 0.0 0.0 0 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 0 0 MM 24 HR TOTAL MM MM DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 19 28 -9 3 SINCE 7/1 19 52 -33 MM COOLING TOTAL 255 190 65 353 SINCE 1/1 746 469 277 MM ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 7.6 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 32/230 DATE 08/18 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 38/230 DATE 08/18 SKY COVER POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50 NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 12 NUMBER OF DAYS PC 12 NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 7 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 46 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 1 MIXED PRECIP 0 HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 3 LIGHT RAIN 7 FREEZING RAIN 0 LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0 HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0 LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0 FOG 8 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 1 HAZE 11 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. $$ AUGUST 2023 BROUGHT WARMER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES TO NORTHEAST WASHINGTON AND THE NORTH IDAHO PANHANDLE. PRECIPITATION WAS ABOVE NORMAL AS WELL DUE TO A COUPLE WET SYSTEMS DURING THE MONTH. FOR SPOKANE THE 0.98 INCHES THAT FELL AT THE AIRPORT MADE IT THE WETTEST AUGUST SINCE 2004. THIS DID NOT MEAN A LACK OF FIRE WEATHER EVENTS HOWEVER WITH AUGUST 18TH BEING A DAY SPOKANE RESIDENTS WILL REMEMBER FOR QUITE SOME TIME. FROM THE 5TH THROUGH THE 9TH A PERIOD OF WET THUNDERSTORMS IMPACTED THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS WITH SCATTERED WET THUNDERSTORMS. THE 7TH WAS PARTICULARLY ACTIVE FROM CHEWELAH TO PRIEST LAKE AS THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED ABUNDANT LIGHTNING. UNFORTUNATELY MOST OF THE SPOKANE AREA ONLY RECEIVED LIGHT AMOUNTS OF RAIN FROM THIS ACTIVE PERIOD. THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURES OF THE SUMMER ARRIVED FROM THE 14TH THROUGH THE 17TH WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES EACH DAY RANGING FROM THE UPPER 90S TO NEAR 105. THEN ON THE 18TH VERY DRY CONDITIONS AND GUSTY WINDS FANNED FLAMES OF DISASTER IN THE SPOKANE AREA. A STRONG DRY COLD FRONT LED TO RAPID FIRE SPREAD OF TWO FIRES. GUSTY WEST WINDS GUSTED UP TO 37 MPH COMBINED WITH SEVERAL HOURS OF RELATIVE HUMIDITY AS LOW AS 6 PERCENT. IN ADDITION, A WIND SHIFT OUT OF THE NORTHWEST BEHIND THE COLD FRONT MADE MATTERS EVEN WORSE. THE GRAY FIRE BURNED THROUGH THE MEDICAL AND SILVER LAKE AREAS JUST SOUTHWEST OF SPOKANE. THE OREGON FIRE BURNED THROUGH MUCH OF ELK. THE FIRES BURNED HUNDREDS OF STRUCTURES INCLUDING HOMES, AND ALSO RESULTED IN TWO FATALITIES. THEN FROM THE 19TH THROUGH THE 21ST SMOKE MOVED DOWN FROM CANADA ALONG WITH ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM LOCAL FIRES. AIR QUALITY REACHED VERY UNHEALTHY TO HAZARDOUS LEVELS OVER THE REGION. ACCORDING TO DATA FROM SPOKANE CLEAN AIR, IT WAS THE SECOND WORSE SMOKE EVENT SINCE 2000, BUT NOT QUITE REACHING THE SMOKE LEVELS NOR THE DURATION THAT OCCURRED IN SEPTEMBER 2020. THEN THE SMOKE AND FIRE SITUATION IMPROVED DRAMATICALLY WITH MUCH NEEDED RAIN OVER THE REGION ON THE 22ND AND THEN INCREASED WEST WINDS ON THE 23RD TO CLEAR OUT THE SMOKE. WIDESPREAD RAIN AMOUNTS OF 0.25-0.50" FELL WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE SANDPOINT AREA HAD A COUPLE REPORTS OF 1.04 INCHES OF RAIN WITH 0.81 AT PRIEST LAKE. BUT AN EVEN WETTER STORM TRACKED THROUGH ON THE 29TH AND 30TH PRODUCING THUNDERSTORMS INITIALLY FOLLOWED BY STEADY RAIN. WIDESPREAD RAIN OF 0.50-1.25 INCHES FELL WITH A FEW AREAS GETTING EVEN MORE. DEER PARK CAME IN WITH 1.49 INCHES, AND KELLOGG 1.58 INCHES. A COUPLE TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE TIED OR BROKE DURING THE MONTH AT THE SPOKANE AIRPORT. THIS INCLUDES A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 102 SET ON THE 15TH...AND A HIGH OF 101 THAT TIED THE RECORD ON THE 16TH.