OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — August 2023 in terms of weather was...strange. We basically had two different months during the 31-day span of the 8th month of a year. The month began wet and cool, with over 2" of rain falling in Omaha on the first day. Then, we ended it hot and dry. So, how do our end-of-month numbers look? As well, what can we look forward to in September? Keep reading to find out!
After a fairly wet July, we kept that pattern up for the first half of August with the 2nd day of the month being very rainy for some people. In places like Pottawattamie County, amounts of 7" were seen! This period of wet weather lasted through the first week of the month. As a consequence, the rain/clouds kept our temperatures near to below average for the first part of the month.
Then the switch flipped, and the dome of high pressure which sat to our south began to push north. This brought a stretch of summertime heat for the middle part of the month. For nearly a week, temperatures across the KMTV 3 News Now viewing area were sitting near or into the triple digits. Omaha went over 100 degrees 2 days in a row, while Lincoln did it 5 days in a row. As a consquence of this heat dome, rain chances were virtually squashed except that one night south of Omaha.
Overall, averages for the month were not that far off given the extremes Omaha saw. In terms of temperature, we landed at 1 degree warmer on average (taking into account both highs and lows) for August. As for rainfall, we were dry by the end of the month and that added up (or lack of). We landed just shy of 1" short of our August average.
Now onto September, as explained in yesterdays blog, its the month where we see the transition from summer into fall. We begin the month with averages in the 80s and lows in the 60s, but end the month with highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s.
This month, the Climate Prediction Center is forecasting a warmer than average month with equal to drier than average chances for rain. We are already seeing this with a stretch of 90 degree weather to begin the month and little rain chance. The pattern will change to more of a fall-like pattern, but summer will not let go easy.
