Widespread Showers in the Eastern US; Severe Thunderstorms in the Plains; Heatwave in the Desert Southwest

Widespread showers and thunderstorms across much of the central and eastern U.S. will produce areas of excessive rainfall, especially in the southern Mid-Atlantic states. Scattered severe thunderstorms are expected from Montana into portions of the central/southern Plains this weekend. A heatwave will build in the Desert Southwest, in parts of Arizona, southeastern California, and southern Nevada. Read More >

This August was characterized by hot and generally dry weather. Severe weather was sparse, though there was one widespread outbreak of storms on the 20th. There were many reports that day of trees and power lines blown down, and the official observing equipment at the Bowling Green airport measured a 60 mph wind.

The tap turned off around the Fourth of July and the dryness and heat increased as we headed into August. By mid-month moderate drought had set in over a small area of north central Kentucky including the Louisville metro. However, it was short-lived when an all-day soaking rain swept through the region on the 26th, dropping about an inch of precipitation. Additional rains fell on the following day and the drought was erased.

Louisville and Bowling Green hit at least 90° on 19 days of the month, with 18 such days at Lexington. The heat across southern Indiana and central Kentucky peaked from the 18th to the 20th when Louisville saw 98° on two of those days and Lexington soared to 99° on the 19th.

	Average Temperature	Departure from Normal	Precipitation	Departure from Normal
Bowling Green	79.0°	+1.5°	5.96"	+2.63"
Frankfort	76.4°	+1.2°	2.48"	-0.88"
Lexington	77.8°	+2.5°	2.16"	-1.09"
Louisville Bowman	78.0°	+0.5°	2.82"	-0.49"
Louisville International	79.8°	+1.4°	2.68"	-0.65"