August 2001 Climate Summary

 

August 2001 featured a return to extreme summer temperatures after a relatively cool June and July.  Most of the state of Pennsylvania remained rather dry, with the issue of drought watches for most of the central parts of the state by the end of the month.

 

Blistering heat overtook the entire region for much of the first 14 days of August.  Bright sunny days and a strong southwesterly flow allowed record highs to be set for three consecutive days across the state.  High levels of humidity made the days even more uncomfortable.  Even night-time lows failed to reach below 70 degrees and on August 8^th, low temperatures did not even dip below 80 degrees in Philadelphia.  Philadelphia reached 100 degrees or higher for three consecutive days and other areas of the state reached almost 100 degrees.

 

Relief was ushered in by means of a very strong cold front on the 11^th.  This helped to drop highs back into the bearable upper 80’s.  The front then stalled in southern PA bringing much needed rain showers to the area for the next 3 days.  However, the showers did not help alleviate the drought situation.

 

Seasonable temperatures were the story for the third week of the month.  High pressure moved into the region once the front moved off the coast.  Highs were in the middle 80’s across the state with low temperatures in the 60’s.  The weather remained dry for much of the week. Many regions of Pennsylvania were still well below normal for monthly precipitation.

 

On Sunday, August 19^th, a strong cold front passed through the state bringing strong thunderstorms, hail, and very heavy rains to many parts of the state.  Flooding was a major concern in a few areas especially in State College which saw 2.18 inches of rain in a very short period of time.

 

Another cold front passed through the state on Tuesday August 28^th.  This passed without any measurable precipitation.  The last day of August saw another cold front pass which dropped temperatures to autumn like highs for the Labor Day Weekend.

 

August ended with temperatures way above normal and precipitation varying widely across the state.  Areas that were hit by the severe thunderstorms on the 19^th did end with above normal amounts of precipitation.  Yearly precipitation totals for almost all areas of Pennsylvania are still many inches below normal.

 

-Erin Roberts

 

 

August 2001 Extremes for Pennsylvania