VT August Recap

For my second post in a series that'll recap August and summer 2020 weather, I'll take a look at this past August in Vermont. Yesterday, I examined weather for Connecticut during August 2020.

Isaias

Tropical Storm Isaias passed through Vermont on August 5th, dumping rain on the state but causing less extensive damage than the storm did in Connecticut.

Precipitation from Isaias (NWS Burlington)

The above map shows that the heaviest rainfall totals were felt directly along the path of Isaias, while parts of eastern Vermont like the Northeast Kingdom, which were slightly east of Isaias' path, averted the worst of the rain. Aside from a 70 mph wind gust that blew on Mount Mansfield, Isaias' strongest winds in Vermont were around 50 mph in the Champlain Valley.

Temperatures

Temperatures averaged 2.2 °F above normal in August 2020 at Burlington International Airport (BTV), where a first-order weather station is located. The average temperature for the month was 71.0 °F, and normal for August is 68.8 °F. While BTV has seen an unusually large number of days where the high temperature reached 90 °F this summer, the temperature topped 90 °F on only two days in August, the 10th and the 11th. On the 11th, the temperature hit 92 °F.

(NOAA Regional Climate Centers/xmACIS)

We had our coolest day of the month on the 27th, when the temperature dipped to 48 °F. There was only one day in August when the overnight low temperature failed to drop below 70 °F - August 11th.

Precipitation

New England has been very dry this summer, but Vermont saw some much needed precipitation this past month. BTV received 6.61 inches of rain, and average for August is 3.91 in. A large part of the month's rain came from Isaias, when 2.50 in. of rain fell at BTV.

(NOAA Regional Climate Centers/xmACIS)

The above accumulation graph shows that we saw significant precipitation on a few days due to convective storms and Isaias, and that we were well above normal (the brown line) for the entire month. Interestingly, August 2020 was the 5th warmest August on record at BTV, and records for the airport date back to 1940.

Wrap up

Overall, it was a warm, but wet month here in Vermont. While severe drought conditions persist in parts of Connecticut, much of Vermont is only abnormally dry or in a moderate drought. September in Vermont is spectacular, as temperatures tend to be comfortable and the leaves start to show their fall colors. It'll be exciting to see what this September's weather has in store.