Third Hottest August On Record In Burlington, Vermont

A pleasant warm evening a couple weeks ago
in Colchester, Vermont. August turned out
to be nearby Burlington's third hottest on record.  

It was generally a pretty warm August in much of the Northeast, and Vermont was in on the toasty summer action.

August ended yesterday in Burlington, Vermont as the third hottest on record.

There was no extreme heat during the month, but the temperatures were consistent. There really weren't any chilly spells like you usually get in August.

The coolest night in Burlington only got down to 53 degrees this past August. That's is perhaps a tie for the warmest "low" temperature on record at the National Weather Service in South Burlington.

Meteorologist Andy Nash found two warmer August lows, in 1900 and in 1892. But in those days, temperature readings were taken at the University of Vermont, which is closer to Lake Champlain than the current measuring site at the Burlington International Airport.

Warm lake water could have easily upped the temperatures a bit at UVM way back when.

The August low of 53 in 2015 is tied with 2011 with a similar low. Four other Augusts had lows of 53, but those were in the days when temperatures were recorded at UVM

In August, 2015. there was some heat, of course, including four consecutive days of 90 temperatures from August 18 through 21.

It was dry, too. Burlington only got about half its normal rainfall. Usually about four inches falls in August. This time, it was a pinch under 2 inches.

September is getting off to a warm start, too. Yesterday, Sept. 1, reached 85 degrees in Burlington. Daytime temperatures in the 80s are expected daily today through at least Tuesday. There might even be a 90 or two thrown in. That's about ten degrees warmer than normal for this time of year in Vermont.

However, the Green Mountain State is not headed toward its warmest year on record, like the world as a whole is. We had a brutally cold winter, including the third coldest February on record.

Through August 31, the mean temperature for 2015 in Burlington is running at about 1.7 degrees below normal.