August is the driest of the three principle months of summer. June is the wettest with July sandwiched in between. In eastern North Dakota the average rain in August is approximately two point five inches. That is about one point five inches less than June. With lesser amounts of rainfall, august has a tendency to… Read more August Leans Dry
Month: July 2018
Pattern Change
We have experienced over two months of mostly above average temperatures. In fact, the first half of summer from June 1 through July 15 finished as one of the top 10 warmest in most of the region. As we all know, long stretches of above or below normal temperature pattern always come to an end… Read more Pattern Change
Not a 90 Climate
Long stretches of 90 degree weather in the northern plains is somewhat unusual. Taking Fargo as an example, since 1881, there have been only 20 instances where the high temperature has been at or above 90 degrees for six consecutive days or longer. The most brutal heat wave recorded in this area was back in… Read more Not a 90 Climate
Windless Season
There is no doubt that we live in an area that is prone to a persistent wind. Our flat terrain, in combination with our geographic location in the middle latitudes where air mass exchanges are routine, the wind plays a strong role in our climate. The time frame with the lowest average wind speed is… Read more Windless Season
Better Summer
The spring wheat crop in North Dakota is projected by the USDA to be 50% higher than last year. Some of that is from extra planting acres in comparison to 2017 and some is because weather conditions have been much more favorable this year. Average yield is forecasted to be up 7 bushels an acre… Read more Better Summer
High Dew Points
This past weekend, especially in eastern North Dakota most people would describe the weather as humid. In fact, several people described it as oppressive. It was described as one of those terrible days with temperatures around 90 with 90 percent humidity, except, it wasn’t. When the temperature was around 90 degrees this weekend, the relative… Read more High Dew Points
2017 vs 2018
This past winter and spring there was much talk about how dry this summer was going to be and drought 17 would continue this year. For me, I reminded everyone that historically, we never really had to years as dry as 2017 in a row and odds favored a more normal summer for precipitation, in… Read more 2017 vs 2018