DC’s cool August weather

 

A fine conclusion to August at the Avenel Park, Potomac, Maryland

August 2023 will finish as DC’s first cooler than average August since 2017.  There were only seven days of 90-degree heat for the second lowest total of the last decade.  By comparison, the nation’s capital had 15 days in the 90s last year. 

Washington, D.C. has averaged between 11 and 12 August days in the 90s over the last 30 years.  However, this month will finish with only 11 warmer than average days.  What’s contributed to making this month cooler than average is the northwesterly wind flow from the Great Lakes Region.  August is traditionally DC’s second hottest month of the year behind only July.  Despite being a cooler than average month, August will still finish as DC’s second warmest month of 2023.

August will also finish wetter than average with 3.71”.  Washingtonians average 3.25” of August rainfall, according to NOAA.  There has been a wide fluctuation in August rainfall over the last five years in the nation’s capital from as little as 1.99” in 2019 to as much as 9.07” in 2021.

August is the third and final month of meteorological summer in North America.  July was warmer and wetter than average while June finished cooler and drier than average.  However, DC’s summer weather isn’t a reliable indicator of what kind of weather will ensue during the autumn.