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Just a trickle of precipitation in August

Sunshine and warm weather prevails most of the month
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When the sky clouded over in August, there were some spectacular sights. (Photo by Kathi Diewert)

July has usually been the month in recent years for the Chemainus Valley to experience near-zero rainfall. Now it’s August.

Precipitation for August recorded by Chris Carss, a volunteer weather observer/recorder for Environment and Climate Change Canada at his Chemainus home, amounted to a mere 1.5 millimetres. The normal is a whopping 36.2 mm by comparison.

It was the same story on Thetis Island where Keith Rush recorded a record low of 1.9 mm at his Foster Point Road, eking out the 2.0 mm from 2011.

There was 7.6 mm of precipitation last August on Thetis and the average for the month is 16 mm. The year-to-date total on Thetis is still well ahead of last year at this point, with 631.6 mm compared to 442.5 mm by the end of August 2021.

“August originally expected to have near normal temperatures after a heat wave in late July, but ended up with volatile temperatures that fluctuated between normal and above normal yielding final mean temperatures for the month that were two to three degrees above normal,” pointed out Carss.

Mostly or partly sunny skies occurred on every day of the month, he added, including three mixed weather days with a bit of rain and sunshine.

“August was exceptionally dry with drought conditions that are increasingly becoming the new norm for summer weather on the west coast,” Carss summed up.

Statistics for the month compiled by Carss were as follows:

Temperature

Mean maximum 26.5 C, normal 23.7 C.

Mean minimum 16, normal 14.2 C.

Extreme maximum 32 C on Aug. 18.

Extreme minimum 13.5 C on Aug. 5.

Sunshine

Days mostly or partly sunny and dry 28, normal 19.

Days with mixed weather (sunshine and precipitation) 3.

Total days mostly or partly sunny (including mixed weather days) 31.

Precipitation

Total days with rainfall (including mixed weather days) 3, normal 8.

Total accumulated rainfall 1.5 mm, normal 36.2 mm.

“The warm dry conditions of August are continuing into September with above normal temperatures that are expected to prevail most of the month until cooler wetter conditions arrive near the end of the month,” Carss indicated.


@chemainusnews
don.bodger@chemainusvalleycourier.ca

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