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Long hot summer continued into early September

August featured more rainfall than July, but still well below normal for the month in Chemainus
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Smoky skies prevailed for long stretches of time during August. (Photo by Don Bodger)

August weather in the Chemainus Valley resembled July with one exception.

“Most of the hot weather and smoke came during the first half of the month as a continuation of conditions that carried over from the second half of July,” noted Chris Carss, who runs a weather station on a volunteer basis for Environment Canada at his Chemainus home. “Temperatures averaged a little more than a degree above normal, but that might have been closer to two degrees warmer if the hot weather had continued to the end of the month.

“There was more rainfall than July, although the accumulated total for the month was still only about a third of the normal August amount. A trend to more normal temperatures during the last 10 days of August continued into the first few days of this month.”

Summer then came to an abrupt end last Friday, Sept. 7, with rain continuing throughout the weekend and into the work/school week.

“The good news is that we can look forward to a return to at least some intermittent summer weather during the second half of September and possibly even early October,” Carss added. “With this year’s summer weather having started in record early time at the beginning of May, we may be in line to experience our first ever five-month meteorological summer as long as we make it to 20 Celsius or higher for at least half of the remaining days of September.”

August stats included: a mean maximum temperature of 25.0 C (normal 23.7 C); mean minimum of 15.2 C (normal 14.2 C); extreme maximum 32.5 C with peak humidex of 36.0 C on Aug. 8; extreme minimum 12.0 C on Aug. 27; days of mostly or partly sunny weather 24, 16 of which had smoky skies (normal 19 days with sunshine); days mostly cloudy 7, with 5 having rainfall (normal precipitation days 8); and total rainfall 12.5 mm (normal 36.2 mm).



Don Bodger

About the Author: Don Bodger

I've been a part of the newspaper industry since 1980 when I began on a part-time basis covering sports for the Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle.
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