Summer is flying by
Have you noticed that the sun is setting earlier and rising a few minutes later each morning? We have now lost some 75 minutes of daylight and our average temperatures have slipped a few degrees downward.
In fact most of the 90 degree-plus weather may be over.
So far this summer we have experienced only 14 days of 90-degree temperatures as the big heat dome we experienced earlier has moved on and the current one out west looks like it may stay in that region.
I would not advise a trip to Phoenix or Las Vegas as day after day they are well into the 110s or higher with nights hovering around 90 degrees. I have been to Phoenix when the early morning temperature was 90 and it may be a dry heat but it is brutal to be outside.
Last summer the Uniontown area experienced 28 90-degree days and in 2024 we had 22 of those hot days. The average number of 90 degree days in our area is now 14 and this makes our summer right on the average.
Weather records had to be modified in recent decades as the number of these days has increased due to our warming planet. The old average was just 10 days.
Our visit from the heat dome in early July was also accompanied by very poor air quality due to the haze and the smoke from wildfires that got trapped under the dome. With that one exception the air this summer has been on the good side with plenty of nice sunny days after our rainy spells.
So far this summer rainfall has been above average and crops and plants are happy. Last year you may recall we were experiencing a summer drought that brought havoc on crops and many lawns turned brown due to the heat and lack of rainfall.
Average rainfall for August is 3.95 inches and already we are close to that amount. Frequent rains have also brought localized flooding to many parts of Southwestern Pennsylvania when these storms have moved slowly or stalled, allowing the precipitation to just empty the cloud right over the area while places just a few miles away received little or no rain from these storms.
Our region has enjoyed a decent summer with adequate rains and just a short visit from the heat dome.
Across the west and south the heat has been relentless and in recent decades it has taken its toll on agriculture and humans. Texas now sees 62 more 90-degree days than in the decades before 1970, bringing its annual average number of 90-plus days to 170. Phoenix now sees 111 days each year with its temperatures reaching 100 degrees or higher.
Back here in Uniontown our average August temperature for the remainder of the month is a high of 82 and a morning low of 60. Records for August are a high of 102 set back on Aug. 4, 1930, and a low of 34 on Aug. 29, 1982.
Plenty of nice days left to get out and enjoy the beauty of our area and September is always such a gem with its sunny, pleasant afternoons and refreshing cool mornings.