WunderBlog Archive » Weather Extremes
Category 6 has moved! See the latest from Dr. Jeff Masters and Bob Henson here.August 2013 Global Weather Extremes Summary
August 2013 Global Weather Extremes Summary
August featured a continuation of the extreme heat wave in East Asia that began in July, and unusually warm temperatures in most land areas of the southern hemisphere including Antarctica. A heat wave broke all-time national records in Austria and Slovenia and Japan. Deadly floods swamped Manila in the Philippines, Bamako, Mali, southern China, and eastern Afghanistan as well. It was the warmest August on record at the South Pole.
Below are some of the month’s highlights.
NORTH AMERICA
Extremes for both dryness and wetness balanced one another out across the U.S. resulting in an overall average month precipitation-wise for the country. For instance, precipitation in Missouri for the month ranged from just a trace at Kirksville and Edina in the northern part of the state to 20.25” (514 mm) in Richland in the southern portion.
Precipitation ranged from zero to over 20” in Missouri during the month of August. Map from NOAA/AHPS.
It was the driest August on record for portions of eastern Iowa and western Illinois while not too far away in south-central Kansas it was the wettest August on record. It was unusually cool for most of the eastern half of the nation (except New England) and very warm in the interior Northwest with Idaho reporting its 2nd warmest August on record. For the first time since 1973, no site in South Carolina reached the 100°F mark.
Maps ranking each state for its temperature (top) and precipitation(bottom) for the month of August (out of 119 years of record). Maps from NESDIS/NOAA.
There was little in the way of severe weather in the U.S. during August, no hurricanes and few tornadoes. The most ’exciting’ extreme weather was associated with a very active monsoonal flow of moisture into the Southwest. Needles, California (one of the driest places in North America) picked up 2.84” (72 mm) of precipitation, 600% of normal and its 4th wettest August on record. The precipitation, however, did not spread far enough north to thwart the development of California’s 4th largest wildfire on record (the Rim Fire) that burned over 250,000 acres Between August 17-31st. In Alaska, the first half of the month remained very warm in the interior with Fairbanks reaching the 80°F (26.7°C) for 36 days this summer, smashing the previous record for such of 30 in 2004. A big cool down occurred later in the month with Bettles falling to a daily record low of 15°F (-9.4°C) on August 31st.
An all-time August record low was set at Eureka, Canada on August 24th when the temperature fell to -12.9°C (8.8°F) on August 24th (the Canadian record low for August is -15.0°C (5.0°F) set at Alert in August 1952).
The coldest temperature measured in the northern hemisphere during August was -36.1°C (-33.0°F) at Summit, Greenland on August 28th.
SOUTH AMERICA and CENTRAL AMERICA
The remnants of Tropical Storm Fernand unleashed torrential rainfall in Mexico’s Veracruz State causing landslides that killed 13 in three different municipalities on August 26th. Tropical Strom Juliette struck the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula on August 29th causing at least one fatality near Todos Santos.
It has been a wild month of weather extremes in southern South America featuring heat waves, cold waves, snow, and torrential rains. For more about this my blog on the subject on August 30th. Temperatures peaked at 40.1°C (104.2°F) at Caxias, Brazil on August 15th, an extremely anomalous reading for mid-winter even or Brazil. The hottest temperature measured in the southern hemisphere during the month was 41.0°C (105.8°F) at Villamontes, Bolivia on August 31st.
EUROPE
An intense heat wave brought all-time national heat records to Austria and Slovenia on August 8th. Austria’s top hot spot was 40.5°C (104.9°F) at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg and Slovenia’s 40.8°C (105.4°F) at Cerklje ob Krki. Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, passed its all-time heat record five times during the month, the highest reading being 40.2°C (104.4°) on August 8th (records go back 163 years to 1850!) Previous to this summer, the record had been 38.0°C (100.4°F) in June of 1935.
The U.K. saw a generally average month for both precipitation and temperature with the exception of a very hot first day of the month. The temperature reached 34.1°C (93.4°F) at Heathrow on August 1st, the warmest temperature measured anywhere in the country since July 2006. The coldest temperature measured in the U.K. during the month was 0.2°C (32.4°F) at Kinbrace, Sutherland on August 5th. The greatest 24-hour precipitation was 61.0 mm (2.40”) at Porthmadog, Gwynedd on August 4-5.
AFRICA
Flooding rains swamped Bamako, the capital of Mali during the last week of August. At least 55 deaths were attributed to the storms.
Heavy rains resulted in devastating flooding in Bamako, Mali on August 28th killing at least 55 people. Photo by Habobou Kouyate/Getty Images.
A new record low temperature for South Africa that I blogged about on August 25th has turned out to be a false reading. In fact, it was a very warm winter month in South Africa with temperatures reaching an amazing 40.6°C (105.1°F) at Warmbaths Towoomba on August 13th and 35.9°C (96.6°F) at East London, on the southern coastline, on August 27th, a reading warmer than what might be expected in January (their warmest month of the year).
ASIA
The big weather story for Asia (and perhaps the world) during the past month, was the unrelenting heat in Eastern China, Japan, and other surrounding areas. Japan saw its all-time national record beaten when the temperature peaked at 41.0°C (105.8°F) at Shimanto on August 12th (see this blog post for details not only about the Japanese record but for the Chinese records as well). The heat wave in Japan lasted until August 23rd during which every day at least one site in the country broke its temperature record. Taipei, Taiwan also set its all-time heat record with a reading of 39.3°C (102.7°F) on August 9th besting the former record of 38.8°C (101.8°F) set on August 9th, 2003.
Typhoon Trami brought relief from the heat to Taiwan and southern China but caused extensive flooding in China when it roared ashore on August 21st with 85 mph winds. The rains exacerbated floods that had been taking place in the region since the middle of August and the death toll climbed to over 250.
Typhoon Trami approaches Taiwan and China on August 21st. The storm brought over 380 mm (15”) of rain to portions of Taiwan. MODIS satellite image courtesy of NASA.
Deadly floods also struck Afghanistan during the first days of the month leaving at least 58 dead in and around the capital city of Kabul. Pakistan was also affected by the heavy rains where an additional 11 storm-related fatalities were reported.
Manila, Philippines reported some of its worst floods on record with half the giant city apparently submerged following near record rainfall on August 19-20. Press reports claimed “a months worth of rain fell in 24 hours” at one point although I cannot find any actual statistics of the rainfall amounts. The storms killed at least 22 and forced 600,000 from their homes. The government calculated that the damage from the flooding amounted to $2.2 billion.
The hottest temperature measured on earth during the month was a 50.7°C (123.3°F) at Mitribah, Kuwait on August 17th and 18th.
AUSTRALIA
It was the 2nd warmest August on record for Australia with precipitation much below average. The maximum temperature of 39.7°C (103.5°F) at Timber Creek, Northern Territory on August 20th was just 0.3°C (0.5°F) short of the national August record (which was 40.0°C/104.0°F set at Kalumburu Mission, Western Australia on August 27, 1970). August 31st was the warmest single winter day ever measured in the country and for the 12-month period ending in August it has been the warmest such period yet observed nation-wide. A special climate report was issued with details about the unusual warmth this past year.
Temperature decile departures (top) and precipitation departures (below) for Australia during August. It was the 2nd warmest August on record so far as the average maxima were concerned. Maps courtesy of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
The coldest temperature measured during August was -8.7°C (16.3°F) at Glen Innes Airport, New South Wales on August 16th. The greatest calendar day precipitation amount was 80.2 mm (3.16”) at Bickley, Western Australia on August 8th.
NEW ZEALAND
It was the warmest August on record for New Zealand. The nation-wide mean was 1.9°C (3.4°F) above normal (with the official national records dating back to 1909). The warmest temperature measured during the month was 22.1°C (71.8°F) at Kaitaia, North Island on August 13th and the coldest -8.0°C (17.6°F) at Lake Tekapo, South Island on August 28th. The maximum daily rainfall was 155 mm (6.10”) at North Egmont, North Island on August 8th.
ANTARCTICA
The coldest temperature in the southern hemisphere and the world during August was –79.9°C (-111.8°F) recorded at Dome A station on August 1st. It was the warmest August on record for the Amundsen-Scott South Pole station with an average of -53.3°C (-63.9°F), some 6.3°C (11.3°F) above average and, very unusually, the temperature has failed to reach -80°C (-112°) at Vostok so far this year.
KUDOS Thanks to Maximiliano Herrera for global temperature extremes data and Jeremy Budd and NIWA for New Zealand data.
Christopher C. Burt
Weather Historian
August featured a continuation of the extreme heat wave in East Asia that began in July, and unusually warm temperatures in most land areas of the southern hemisphere including Antarctica. A heat wave broke all-time national records in Austria and Slovenia and Japan. Deadly floods swamped Manila in the Philippines, Bamako, Mali, southern China, and eastern Afghanistan as well. It was the warmest August on record at the South Pole.
Below are some of the month’s highlights.
NORTH AMERICA
Extremes for both dryness and wetness balanced one another out across the U.S. resulting in an overall average month precipitation-wise for the country. For instance, precipitation in Missouri for the month ranged from just a trace at Kirksville and Edina in the northern part of the state to 20.25” (514 mm) in Richland in the southern portion.
Precipitation ranged from zero to over 20” in Missouri during the month of August. Map from NOAA/AHPS.
It was the driest August on record for portions of eastern Iowa and western Illinois while not too far away in south-central Kansas it was the wettest August on record. It was unusually cool for most of the eastern half of the nation (except New England) and very warm in the interior Northwest with Idaho reporting its 2nd warmest August on record. For the first time since 1973, no site in South Carolina reached the 100°F mark.
Maps ranking each state for its temperature (top) and precipitation(bottom) for the month of August (out of 119 years of record). Maps from NESDIS/NOAA.
There was little in the way of severe weather in the U.S. during August, no hurricanes and few tornadoes. The most ’exciting’ extreme weather was associated with a very active monsoonal flow of moisture into the Southwest. Needles, California (one of the driest places in North America) picked up 2.84” (72 mm) of precipitation, 600% of normal and its 4th wettest August on record. The precipitation, however, did not spread far enough north to thwart the development of California’s 4th largest wildfire on record (the Rim Fire) that burned over 250,000 acres Between August 17-31st. In Alaska, the first half of the month remained very warm in the interior with Fairbanks reaching the 80°F (26.7°C) for 36 days this summer, smashing the previous record for such of 30 in 2004. A big cool down occurred later in the month with Bettles falling to a daily record low of 15°F (-9.4°C) on August 31st.
An all-time August record low was set at Eureka, Canada on August 24th when the temperature fell to -12.9°C (8.8°F) on August 24th (the Canadian record low for August is -15.0°C (5.0°F) set at Alert in August 1952).
The coldest temperature measured in the northern hemisphere during August was -36.1°C (-33.0°F) at Summit, Greenland on August 28th.
SOUTH AMERICA and CENTRAL AMERICA
The remnants of Tropical Storm Fernand unleashed torrential rainfall in Mexico’s Veracruz State causing landslides that killed 13 in three different municipalities on August 26th. Tropical Strom Juliette struck the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula on August 29th causing at least one fatality near Todos Santos.
It has been a wild month of weather extremes in southern South America featuring heat waves, cold waves, snow, and torrential rains. For more about this my blog on the subject on August 30th. Temperatures peaked at 40.1°C (104.2°F) at Caxias, Brazil on August 15th, an extremely anomalous reading for mid-winter even or Brazil. The hottest temperature measured in the southern hemisphere during the month was 41.0°C (105.8°F) at Villamontes, Bolivia on August 31st.
EUROPE
An intense heat wave brought all-time national heat records to Austria and Slovenia on August 8th. Austria’s top hot spot was 40.5°C (104.9°F) at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg and Slovenia’s 40.8°C (105.4°F) at Cerklje ob Krki. Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, passed its all-time heat record five times during the month, the highest reading being 40.2°C (104.4°) on August 8th (records go back 163 years to 1850!) Previous to this summer, the record had been 38.0°C (100.4°F) in June of 1935.
The U.K. saw a generally average month for both precipitation and temperature with the exception of a very hot first day of the month. The temperature reached 34.1°C (93.4°F) at Heathrow on August 1st, the warmest temperature measured anywhere in the country since July 2006. The coldest temperature measured in the U.K. during the month was 0.2°C (32.4°F) at Kinbrace, Sutherland on August 5th. The greatest 24-hour precipitation was 61.0 mm (2.40”) at Porthmadog, Gwynedd on August 4-5.
AFRICA
Flooding rains swamped Bamako, the capital of Mali during the last week of August. At least 55 deaths were attributed to the storms.
Heavy rains resulted in devastating flooding in Bamako, Mali on August 28th killing at least 55 people. Photo by Habobou Kouyate/Getty Images.
A new record low temperature for South Africa that I blogged about on August 25th has turned out to be a false reading. In fact, it was a very warm winter month in South Africa with temperatures reaching an amazing 40.6°C (105.1°F) at Warmbaths Towoomba on August 13th and 35.9°C (96.6°F) at East London, on the southern coastline, on August 27th, a reading warmer than what might be expected in January (their warmest month of the year).
ASIA
The big weather story for Asia (and perhaps the world) during the past month, was the unrelenting heat in Eastern China, Japan, and other surrounding areas. Japan saw its all-time national record beaten when the temperature peaked at 41.0°C (105.8°F) at Shimanto on August 12th (see this blog post for details not only about the Japanese record but for the Chinese records as well). The heat wave in Japan lasted until August 23rd during which every day at least one site in the country broke its temperature record. Taipei, Taiwan also set its all-time heat record with a reading of 39.3°C (102.7°F) on August 9th besting the former record of 38.8°C (101.8°F) set on August 9th, 2003.
Typhoon Trami brought relief from the heat to Taiwan and southern China but caused extensive flooding in China when it roared ashore on August 21st with 85 mph winds. The rains exacerbated floods that had been taking place in the region since the middle of August and the death toll climbed to over 250.
Typhoon Trami approaches Taiwan and China on August 21st. The storm brought over 380 mm (15”) of rain to portions of Taiwan. MODIS satellite image courtesy of NASA.
Deadly floods also struck Afghanistan during the first days of the month leaving at least 58 dead in and around the capital city of Kabul. Pakistan was also affected by the heavy rains where an additional 11 storm-related fatalities were reported.
Manila, Philippines reported some of its worst floods on record with half the giant city apparently submerged following near record rainfall on August 19-20. Press reports claimed “a months worth of rain fell in 24 hours” at one point although I cannot find any actual statistics of the rainfall amounts. The storms killed at least 22 and forced 600,000 from their homes. The government calculated that the damage from the flooding amounted to $2.2 billion.
The hottest temperature measured on earth during the month was a 50.7°C (123.3°F) at Mitribah, Kuwait on August 17th and 18th.
AUSTRALIA
It was the 2nd warmest August on record for Australia with precipitation much below average. The maximum temperature of 39.7°C (103.5°F) at Timber Creek, Northern Territory on August 20th was just 0.3°C (0.5°F) short of the national August record (which was 40.0°C/104.0°F set at Kalumburu Mission, Western Australia on August 27, 1970). August 31st was the warmest single winter day ever measured in the country and for the 12-month period ending in August it has been the warmest such period yet observed nation-wide. A special climate report was issued with details about the unusual warmth this past year.
Temperature decile departures (top) and precipitation departures (below) for Australia during August. It was the 2nd warmest August on record so far as the average maxima were concerned. Maps courtesy of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
The coldest temperature measured during August was -8.7°C (16.3°F) at Glen Innes Airport, New South Wales on August 16th. The greatest calendar day precipitation amount was 80.2 mm (3.16”) at Bickley, Western Australia on August 8th.
NEW ZEALAND
It was the warmest August on record for New Zealand. The nation-wide mean was 1.9°C (3.4°F) above normal (with the official national records dating back to 1909). The warmest temperature measured during the month was 22.1°C (71.8°F) at Kaitaia, North Island on August 13th and the coldest -8.0°C (17.6°F) at Lake Tekapo, South Island on August 28th. The maximum daily rainfall was 155 mm (6.10”) at North Egmont, North Island on August 8th.
ANTARCTICA
The coldest temperature in the southern hemisphere and the world during August was –79.9°C (-111.8°F) recorded at Dome A station on August 1st. It was the warmest August on record for the Amundsen-Scott South Pole station with an average of -53.3°C (-63.9°F), some 6.3°C (11.3°F) above average and, very unusually, the temperature has failed to reach -80°C (-112°) at Vostok so far this year.
KUDOS Thanks to Maximiliano Herrera for global temperature extremes data and Jeremy Budd and NIWA for New Zealand data.
Christopher C. Burt
Weather Historian
The views of the author are his/her own and do not necessarily represent the position of The Weather Company or its parent, IBM.