ABAK34 PAMC 020451
PNSMCG
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MCGRATH AK
851 PM AKDT MON SEP 1 2008
...MCGRATH WEATHER SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 2008...
AUGUST 2008 WAS KNOWN FOR ITS CONTINUED DRYNESS AFTER A DRY JULY.  A
TOTAL OF 1.56 INCHES OF RAIN FELL AT MCGRATH...WHICH WAS 1.19 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL.  JUST LIKE IN JULY...THIS WAS BECAUSE OF A LACK OF
SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL EVENTS. RAINFALL OF MORE THAN 0.01 INCHES FELL
DURING 13 DAYS IN AUGUST...WHILE 0.10 INCHES OR MORE OF RAIN FELL
DURING 5 DAYS...BOTH OF WHICH WERE 3 DAYS BELOW NORMAL.  THIS PAST
MONTH WAS THE DRIEST AUGUST IN MCGRATH SINCE 2004...AND WAS THE 6TH
DRIEST AUGUST ON RECORD.  
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 53.9 DEGREES IN AUGUST WAS SLIGHTLY 
COOL...AT 0.7 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.  AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURES HOWEVER
WERE MUCH  MORE BELOW NORMAL.  THE AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 42.5
DEGREES...WHICH WAS 3.2 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.  THIS WAS CAUSED BY A
NUMBER OF NIGHTS WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS...ALLOWING
TEMPERATURES TO DROP COLD ENOUGH IN MANY AREAS TO CREATE FROST IN THE
UPPER PORTIONS OF THE KUSKOKWIM VALLEY.  A NEW RECORD LOW OF 34
DEGREES WAS SET ON THE 3RD OF THE MONTH...AND THE RECORD LOW
TEMPERATURE WAS TIED ON THE 8TH WITH A TEMPERATURE OF 36 DEGREES.  AT
THE SAME TIME...THE MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES ALLOWED THE AVERAGE HIGH
TEMPERATURE TO REACH 65.4 DEGREES...1.8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.  
DURING THE ENTIRE SUMMER...A TOTAL OF 5.85 INCHES RAIN FELL IN
MCGRATH...WHICH WAS 0.67 INCHES BELOW NORMAL FOR THE MONTHS OF
JUNE...JULY AND AUGUST.  THIS NUMBER HOWEVER IS A LITTLE SKEWED...AS
JUNE WAS UNUSUALLY WET WITH A RAINFALL OF 1.51...ABOVE NORMAL.  THE
MONTHS OF JULY AND AUGUST WERE A TOTAL OF 2.20 INCHES DRYER THAN
NORMAL.  THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE THIS SUMMER WAS 55.6 DEGREES...WHICH
IS 1.5 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.  
$$
DEK SEP 08