NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

AUGUST 2022

 

July 31-Aug. 6: Many other areas of the West—such as the Four Corners States, Great Basin, and Intermountain West—received locally heavy showers in conjunction with the Southwestern monsoon circulation. However, a few areas—including Death Valley, CA—experienced locally severe flash flooding.

 

In late July and early August, heavy showers lingered in floodravaged eastern Kentucky, as well as neighboring areas in the central Appalachians and Tennessee and Ohio Valleys. July 31 featured daily-record rainfall amounts in Lynchburg, VA (4.44 inches), and Huntington, WV (2.23 inches). It was also the wettest July day on record in Lynchburg, surpassing 4.03 inches on July 24, 1916. Meanwhile, monsoon-related shower activity expanded in the West. In California, Mount Shasta City noted consecutive dailyrecord rainfall totals (0.72 and 0.43 inch, respectively) on August 2 and 3. Reno, NV, received 1.22 inches on August 3—a record for the date. Farther east, localized downpours developed in the Midwest. St. Louis, MO, received 4.32 inches of rain on August 3, just 8 days after experiencing its wettest day on record (8.64 inches on July 26). St. Louis had not received more than 4 inches of rain on an August day since 1946, when 4.31 inches fell on August 15. During the second half of the week, showers remained active in many of the same regions, including the central Appalachians and parts of the Midwest. On August 5, for example, daily-record amounts included 2.60 inches in Bluefield, WV, and 1.64 inches in Watertown, SD. Record-setting totals for August 6 reached 1.97 inches in Mason City, IA, and 1.54 inches in Chattanooga, TN. In California, record-setting totals for August 5 reached 1.46 inches in Death Valley and 0.71 inch in Bishop. The only wetter day in Death Valley’s history was 1.47 inches on April 15, 1988. Previously, the wettest August day in Death Valley had occurred in 1936, when 1.10 inches fell on August 5. Meanwhile in Nevada, August 5-6 featured consecutive daily-record rainfall totals in Eureka (0.63 and 0.47 inch) and Tonopah (0.67 and 0.18 inch). In Boston, MA, however, July rainfall totaled just 0.62 inch (19 percent of normal), along with an August 1-6 sum of less than one-tenth of an inch. In Texas, Laredo last received measurable precipitation on May 25 and has racked up a rainfall deficit of more than 5 inches during its dry spell.

 

7-13: Monsoon-related showers provided limited drought relief but sparked localized flash flooding in the Great Basin, Southwest, and Intermountain West, while several wildfires burned amid hot conditions. 

 

cool, rainy weather in the Great Lakes region held August 13 maximum temperatures below the 65-degree mark for the first time on record in locations such as Ashland, WI (high of 63°F), and Grand Rapids, MI (62°F, along with a daily-record rainfall total of 1.85 inches). Elsewhere, a record-setting streak of triple-digit heat in San Angelo, TX, ended with a high of 99°F on August 10. From July 4 – August 9, San Angelo had experienced 37 consecutive days with a high of 100°F or greater (previously, 28 days in a row from July 2-29, 2011). Similarly, Laredo, TX, noted a high of 97°F on August 12—the first maximum temperature below the 100-degree mark in that location since June 29. Another streak in Laredo, days without measurable rain, ended at 77 days (May 26 – August 10). Laredo received rainfall totaling 0.61 inch on August 11-12, followed by a 3.74-inch deluge on August 14-15. The heavy rain in southern Texas, which largely began on August 13, was attributable to a disturbance that did not have time to become a fullfledged tropical cyclone before making landfall. Still, some areas in coastal Texas received more than an inch of rain on the 13th, with August 13-15 totals climbing to 6.20 inches in Corpus Christi and 3.70 inches in Bayview. Unrelated to the disturbance but elsewhere in Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth received its first measurable rain (0.41 inch on August 10) since June 3. Farther north, upper Midwestern downpours were observed in several areas as the week began. With a 5.44-inch total, August 7 was the wettest calendar day on record in Sioux Falls, SD, surpassing 4.59 inches on August 1, 1975. Sioux Falls also observed a 24-hour rainfall record, with 5.67 inches falling during the 24-hour period ending at 9 am CDT on August 7 (previously, 5.07 inches on September 19-20, 2018). Midwestern daily-record totalsfor August 7 included 3.40 inches in Appleton, WI, and 2.08 inches in Mason City, IA. Rockford, IL, received 6.15 inches on August 7-8, aided by a daily-record sum of 3.23 inches on the 8th. Later, the focus for heavy rain briefly shifted across the mid-South, where record-setting amounts for August 9 totaled 3.94 inches in Texarkana, AR, and 3.53 inches in Monroe, LA. Across the interior Southeast and central Appalachians, daily-record totals for August 10 included 2.63 inches in Clarksburg, WV; 2.46 inches in Chattanooga, TN; and 1.81 inches in Louisville, KY. Pensacola, FL, netted 4.59 inches on August 11, a record for the date. During the second half of the week, monsoon-related showers spread northward from the Southwest. By August 11, daily-record totals were noted as far north as Casper, WY (0.68 inch), and Stanley, ID (0.58 inch). Las Vegas, NV, also received 0.58 on August 11, with higher totals in nearby areas contributing to extensive flash flooding in the city. Later in Arizona, record-setting rainfall totals for August 13 reached 1.56 inches in Nogales and 0.39 inch in Yuma. For Yuma, it was the wettest day in well over a year, since 1.12 inches fell on January 20, 2021.

 

14-20: Tropical showers spread from southern and western Texas into the Southwest, easing drought but sparking local flooding. Rainfall totals of 4 to 6 inches or more were common as a low-pressure system—which ran out of open water before becoming a tropical cyclone— moved ashore across southern Texas early in the week. Later, locally intense downpours struck portions of the Four Corners States. Meanwhile, mid- to late-week showers across the central and southern Plains signaled the end of a hot, dry spell. 

 

A low-pressure system moved inland across southern Texas, drifting generally westward until being absorbed by the Southwestern monsoon circulation. Along the Texas coast, August 13-15 rainfall reached 6.20 inches in Corpus Christi and 3.70 inches in Port Isabel. Farther inland across southern Texas, August 14-15 rainfall topped the 4-inch mark in locations such as Laredo (7.37 inches), Cotulla (4.45 inches), and Alice (4.01 inches). For Laredo, the 6.82-inch total on the 15th represented the wettest August day on record in that location (previously, 6.29 inches on August 7, 1974) and the wettest calendar day at any time of year since May 13, 1928, when 7.20 inches fell. In western Texas, Terrell County Airport—near Dryden—received 6.27 inches on August 15-16. Meanwhile, periodic downpours dotted the Southwest. In Utah, 24-hour rainfall totals included 1.20 inches (on August 13-14) in Kanab and 0.84 inch (on August 14-15) at Bryce Canyon Airport. Late in the week, primarily on August 20, severe flash flooding struck Moab, UT, where rainfall totals of an inch or more were common. In other areas, spotty showers resulted in a few daily-record rainfall totals exceeding 2 inches; examples included: 3.54 inches (on August 15) in Charleston, WV; 2.86 inches (on August 19) in North Myrtle Beach, SC; 2.26 inches (on August 19) in Sisseton, SD; 2.19 inches (on August 20) in Tuscaloosa, AL; and 2.17 inches (on August 16) in Vichy-Rolla, MO. In Maine, daily-record totals for August 17 reached 1.97 inches in Bangor and 1.29 inches in Houlton. In western Texas, daily-record amounts included 2.00 inches (on August 20) in Midland and 1.41 inches (on August 18) in Lubbock. A later Texas deluge, which developed on August 21 and affected Dallas-Fort Worth, will be covered in next week’s summary.

 

21-27: Heavy rain fell early in the week in northeastern Texas before shifting to the central Gulf Coast States. Rainfall totals of 4 to 10 inches were common, with 10- to 15-inch amounts observed in the hardest-hit areas. In Texas, flash flooding engulfed the Dallas-Fort Worth area on August 21-22, followed by extensive lowland flooding in the lower Mississippi Valley and environs.

 

Rain-soaked areas from northeastern Texas to Alabama. Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), TX, received 3.53 and 5.66 inches, respectively, on August 21 and 22. DFW’s 2-day total, 9.19 inches, fell in slightly under 24 hours. The only wetter 24-hour period in DFW’s history occurred on September 4-5, 1932, when 9.57 inches fell. Ironically, DFW had recently experienced 67 days, from June 4 – August 9, without measurable rain—the second-longest such streak on record in that location, behind only 85 days from July 1 – September 23, 2000. Meanwhile, daily-record totals for August 21 included 1.87 inches in Greenwood, MS; 1.71 inches in Blacksburg, VA; and 1.57 inches in Lawton, OK. Rainfall edged southward the following day, when record-setting rainfall totals for August 22 reached 4.41 inches in Shreveport, LA, and 3.74 inches in Longview, TX. Generally beneficial showers swept across the Northeast on August 22; dailyrecord amounts topped the 2-inch mark in Allentown, PA (2.56 inches), and Portland, ME (2.19 inches). Heavy rain lingered for several days in the central Gulf Coast States, extending into southern Arkansas. On August 23, daily-record amounts exceeded 3 inches in Monroe, LA (3.79 inches); Jackson, MS (3.53 inches); and El Dorado, AR (3.20 inches). Daily-record totals surpassed the 5-inch mark in Lafayette, LA (5.49 inches on August 25) and Jackson, MS (5.05 inches on August 24). On August 23-24, consecutive dailyrecord totals were established in Mississippi locations such as Jackson (3.53 and 5.05 inches) and Vicksburg (3.04 and 2.90 inches). Jackson received 10.43 inches of rain from August 22-25. Subsequently, the Pearl River in Jackson crested 7.37 feet above flood stage on August 29—the second-highest level in the last 35 years, behind only 8.67 feet on February 17, 2020. The rain-swollen Pearl River contributed to a loss of potable water in Jackson, Mississippi’s capital and most populous city. During the mid- to late-week period, showers became more numerous across the North, where daily-record totals included 0.83 inch (on August 24) at Lake Yellowstone, WY; 1.47 inches (on August 25) in Rapid City, SD; 1.99 inches (on August 27) in Eau Claire, WI; and 2.83 inches (on August 26) in Pierre, SD. On August 26, Portland, ME, received 1.52 inches—its second daily-record sum in 5 days. Elsewhere, spotty Southwestern showers lingered for much of the week. In Utah, Kodachrome Basin State Park received rainfall totaling 0.56 inch in a 24-hour period on August 20-21. Later, Death Valley, CA, netted a daily-record sum (0.17 inch) for August 25.

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com