SUBJECT: Summer rains continue in August
	 St. Cloud August 1997 and summer 1997 weather summaries

	 The drought-easing summer rainfall continued in St. Cloud in 
August 1997. Exactly 5.80 inches of rain fell, almost 2 inches above
normal. There were two days of more than 2 inches of rain (2nd, 19th).
The summer overall accounted for more than 3.75 inches of rain above
normal. This brought the annual rainfall to above 20 inches, putting
St. Cloud above normal for the year.
	The high amount of cloud cover associated with the rain kept
the average high temperature 3.5 degrees below normal, accounting for
August's temperatures being cooler than normal. One record cold high
was set on the 14th with a high of only 60 and another was set on the
17th with a high of only 62.
	Overall, the rainy summer made for cooler than normal readings
as well.
	Long range forecast speculation is usually meteorological suicide,
but the strong El Nino-Southern Oscillation event in the South Pacific
Ocean, which has left the Atlantic hurricane and tropical storm-free
in August for the first time since 1961, would indicate a relatively
mild winter for Minnesota....if the El Nino doesn't fizzle out before
then.

AUGUST STATISTICS                 AUG 1997              NORMAL
TEMPERATURE ( F)
Average high temp                  75.9                 79.4
Average low temp                   54.6                 54.8
Average temp                       65.3                 67.1
Warmest high for the month        89 on the 1st and 2nd
Coolest high for the month        60 on the 14th (record cool high; 
						  see below)
Warmest low for the month         67 on the 8th
Coolest low for the month         44 on the 11th, 18th
Records: record cold high: 60 on the 14th (old record: 64 in 1979)
	 record cold high: 62 on the 17th (old record: 66 in 1968,1977)

PRECIPITATION (IN)
Total for month                   5.80                   3.96
Maximum daily amount              2.29 on the 19th

SUMMER STATISTICS               SUMMER 1997             NORMAL
Avg high temperature ( F)         78.5                   79.8
Avg low temperature ( F)          56.3                   54.9
Average temperature ( F)          67.4                   68.2
Total Precipitation (in)         15.29                  11.44

DAILY TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION SUMMARY FOR ST. CLOUD -- AUGUST 1997
 (data provided in cooperation with the Minnesota State Climatologist's 
   Office, the University of Minnesota Soil Sciences Department, and
   the National Weather Service Office in Chanhassen, MN)

				      August, 1997
			   Preliminary Local Climatological Data
				      St. Cloud, MN
				 National Weather Service

   |-Temperature-|--------Degree Days---------|-Precipitation-|
     (degrees F)      (base 65 degrees F)         (inches)     
		      Heating        Cooling
   Max Min Avg Dep HDD  Seas  Dep CDD Seas  Dep   Tot  Tot Norm
	      from            for           for        for  for
	      Norm           Seas          Seas        Mon  Mon
Date |   |   |   |   |     |    |   |    |    |     |    |    |
 1  89  61  75   4   0    50   27  10  295    2     0    0 0.11
 2  89  57  73   2   0    50   27   8  303    4  2.21 2.21 0.22
 3  83  59  71   1   0    50   27   6  309    5     0 2.21 0.33
 4  78  57  68  -1   0    50   26   3  312    3     0 2.21 0.45
 5  76  52  64  -5   1    51   26   0  312   -2  0.27 2.48 0.57
 6  78  59  69   0   0    51   25   4  316   -3     0 2.48 0.69
 7  80  54  67  -2   0    51   24   2  318   -6     0 2.48 0.81
 8  81  67  74   5   0    51   23   9  327   -2     0 2.48 0.93
 9  75  58  67  -2   0    51   22   2  329   -5  0.05 2.53 1.06
10  68  50  59 -10   6    57   27   0  329  -10     0 2.53 1.19
11  72  44  58 -11   7    64   33   0  329  -15     T 2.53 1.32
12  71  50  61  -7   4    68   36   0  329  -19  0.04 2.57 1.45  
13  70  45  58 -10   7    75   42   0  329  -23     0 2.57 1.58
14  60  48  54 -14  11    86   52   0  329  -27  0.29 2.86 1.71
15  82  54  68   0   0    86   51   3  332  -28  0.12 2.98 1.84
16  77  54  66  -1   0    86   49   1  333  -31  0.00 2.98 1.97
17  62  51  57 -10   8    94   55   0  333  -35     0 2.98 2.10
18  68  44  56 -11   9   103   62   0  333  -39  0.07 3.05 2.23
19  61  56  59  -7   6   109   66   0  333  -42  2.29 5.34 2.37
20  70  53  62  -4   3   112   67   0  333  -45     0 5.34 2.51
21  76  51  64  -2   1   113   66   0  333  -48     0 5.34 2.65
22  74  49  62  -4   3   116   67   0  333  -51     0 5.34 2.79
23  81  59  70   4   0   116   65   5  338  -49  0.07 5.41 2.92
24  76  60  68   3   0   116   62   3  341  -49     0 5.41 3.05
25  76  57  67   2   0   116   59   2  343  -50     0 5.41 3.18
26  85  60  73   8   0   116   56   8  351  -45     0 5.41 3.31
27  83  57  70   6   0   116   53   5  356  -42     0 5.41 3.44
28  78  53  66   2   0   116   50   1  357  -43  0.12 5.53 3.57
29  71  60  66   2   0   116   47   1  358  -44  0.27 5.80 3.70
30  80  60  70   7   0   116   43   5  363  -41     T 5.80 3.83
31  83  53  68   5   0   116   39   3  366  -40     0 5.80 3.96
.
=============================================================================
Bob Weisman, Professor/Meteorologist	SUPERVISOR: Shirley (age 5)
Earth Sciences Department		PHONE: (320) 255-3247 
MS 48					FAX:   (320) 255-4262
Saint Cloud State University		EMAIL: scsweisman@stcloudstate.edu
720 4th Avenue South			       (new address)
Saint Cloud, Minnesota 56301-4498

Shirley: "Why do you have to go to work, Dad?"
Dad: "So I can make money to buy us groceries and buy you clothes and
      toys."
Shirley (pushing Dad out the door): "OK, Dad. You go to work and buy me toys!"
=============================================================================

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URL: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/stc9708.htm
Last modified: September 4, 1997