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By the Numbers: August and Summer 2017

August

A photo of a scenic overlook under cloudy skies at Chimney Rock State Park earlier this month

Sep 4, 2025

A Fall-Like Feeling Arrived With Mixed Rainfall in August

Cooler weather made for an unseasonable August, while we started wet and finished the month on a dry note. In this post, we also wrap up the summer and look at the big weather stories awaiting this fall. An Early Chill Interrupts Summer In a sudden shift after a hot end to July, August brought…
A photo of hazy skies over Whiteside Mountain on August 27

Sep 4, 2024

Debby’s Deluge, Late-August Heat Ends a Summer of Extremes

August was wet for most of North Carolina thanks to Debby’s rainfall, while temperatures peaked in the final week of the month. That ended a roller coaster summer with extremes of all sorts. Doused by Debby, but Dry in the West Our August precipitation was dominated by Tropical Storm Debby’s contribution, which single-handedly made for…
A photo of a tree down along the shores of Lake Norman after the August 7 tornado event

Sep 6, 2023

August Saw Extreme Heat and Damaging Storms

Hot weather carried over into August, and also featured many dry days until Idalia’s arrival. When we did have rain, it often came from severe and damaging thunderstorms throughout the month. Heat Holds Steady After summer started in earnest in July, it hit high gear in August with persistent heat throughout the month. The National…
A photo of mist in the Mountains on an early August morning

Sep 7, 2022

Drought Disappears in August, Despite the Tropical Lull

Bookended by heat, August wrapped up a warm summer statewide, while scattered showers brought our ongoing drought to an end. We also turn to the tropics and review a rare storm-free August. A Warm Summer Wraps Up A hot start and end to August were balanced by cooler mid-month weather, but it was still a…
The August 2021 temperature summary infographic, highlighting the monthly average temperature, departure from normal, and comparison to historical and recent years

Sep 3, 2021

A Slow-Starting Summer Heated Up in August

Steamy summer weather settled in during August, while Fred’s heavy rain made for a wet month. That wrapped up a summer notable for its tropical rainfall and drought disappearance. Hot Weather Blankets the State The warmest weather of the year so far waited until August to arrive. The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) reports…

Sep 3, 2020

Tropical Air and Tropical Storms Make for a Warm, Wet August

August in North Carolina began and ended with rain from tropical systems, and there was plenty of rain in between as well. Temperatures remained warmer as we closed out a warm, wet summer that was noteworthy for a few reasons. Widespread Wet Weather North Carolina took a soaking throughout August, accumulating a statewide average precipitation of 7.84 inches, according to…

Sep 3, 2019

The Dog Days are Done, But Dorian Approaches

August ended with near-normal temperatures and precipitation across the state, on average, but all eyes are on Hurricane Dorian as it threatens the coast this week. From Summer Heat to Fall-Like Temperatures The hot weather that plagued our July backed off as the calendar turned to August, giving us more moderate weather over the past…

Sep 6, 2018

Despite a Wet August, Drought Returns in NC

August included mixed precipitation in North Carolina, with dry weather in some of our southern counties and wet conditions in many other areas. In this climate summary, we also look at last month’s temperatures across the state. How Dry It Is The return of drought conditions wasn’t entirely unexpected. Parts of the southern Piedmont that…

Sep 6, 2017

By the Numbers: August and Summer 2017

In lieu of our typical climate summary post, we’re taking a condensed look at some stats from the past month and season. August Temperatures 75.16°F: August’s average statewide temperature, which was just under a degree below the long-term 1981-2010 average. It ranked as our 50th-coolest August out of the past 123 years. 20 days: The…