August 2020 in Colorado was headlined by brutal heat, expanding drought, new massive wildfires, thick smoke, and poor air quality. Here’s a quick and colorful recap of our weather during August and how it relates to climatology.
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Top Weather Highlights of August 2020:
THE NEVER-ENDING STORY: Of course we are talking about the persistent and brutal heat that has been a mainstay much of the summer. August was no exception with Denver setting a new monthly record for 90 degree days at a count of 26 days. Denver even hit 100°F on August 18th, setting a new daily record high.
🔥100° for the first time in 2020 in Denver and a new record high for August 18th. Boulder already hit 100° exactly one month ago #Cowx #HeatWave #Boulderwx pic.twitter.com/3Ixv0GTbFm
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) August 19, 2020
As of September 3rd, Denver is getting very close to eclipsing the all-time record for number of 90-degree days in a calendar year. That record was set back in 2012.
We posted an exhaustive update on the heat in Boulder around the middle of the month. While 2020 has been near-record breaking in many ways for hot weather in Boulder, the number of 90-degree days is not one of them, at least not yet. By the end of August, 22 out of 31 days in Boulder were at least 90°F. The total count in 2020 is 46 days which ranks 12th all-time since the late 1800’s.
NEW FIRES, THICK SMOKE & POOR AIR QUALITY: Colorado’s of good fortune ran out during the month of August with large wildfires sparking across the state, including what has now become the largest wildfire in state history, the Pine Gulch Fire. A lot of the smoke in the Front Range originated from huge fires burning in other western states as well, most notably California. There was a stretch of weeks with Air Quality Alerts in affect for the Metro area.
Smoke seen from a landing plane at DIA | Source: @13thoroughbreds on Twitter
There's a lot of smoke floating around the stalled ridge of high pressure in the western United States. Also neat to see all the smoke being pulled in to the remnants of once Category 4 #HurricaneGenevieve near the Baja… #COwx #Smoke #HRRRSmoke #CAwx pic.twitter.com/B1ppi0RJLQ
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) August 22, 2020
DROUGHT EXPANDS TO TOTALITY: The heat has overshadowed just how incredibly dry it has been during the month of August and really all summer long. Let’s just say it barely rained in Colorado in August, or in fact much of the West with very few exceptions. This should be no surprise. We warned you that monsoon season would be arriving late and dying out early. This was one of the worst monsoon seasons for the entire Southwest in a long time, not just Colorado.
Drought coverage has expanded from 99% to 100% of the state during the month of August, with noted intensification just about everywhere. After Boulder Country obliterated previous snowfall records this winter, it’s hard to believe how far we have fallen in such a short time.
WATCH OUT ON THE GULF COAST: In the face of a developing La Niña in the tropical Pacific Ocean, NOAA increased their forecast for the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season, with both more storms and more stronger storms expected. About three weeks later, Laura happened….
The bad news: The National Hurricane may be upgrading #Laura to Category 5 before landfall tonight 😲
The good news: This will probably be the last hurricane to ever be named Laura… pic.twitter.com/x9zGkgTKgM
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) August 26, 2020
August 2020 Recap Graphics:
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