SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It’s been cool through much of eastern KELOLAND with more days being below average than above average. Though it doesn’t happen often, these cool-downs in August have happened before.
Here’s a look at our recent cool stretch in eastern KELOLAND.
Sioux Falls has had 9 days with temperatures at 79 degrees and cooler so far this month.
Aberdeen has recorded 10 days with temperatures in the 70s. That’s after the first three days of the month with highs in the 90s.
Watertown has had 11 of the first 14 at 79 and cooler, including two days in the 60s.
In Sioux Falls, the month averages 9 days with highs in the 70s and cooler, which we’ve already hit. But I’m more interested in the number of consecutive days of being below 80-degrees in August. Sioux Falls is currently in a 7 day stretch, and it could get as high as nine by the weekend.
The longest stretch was 16 consecutive days, which occurred during the second half of the month back in 1940.
In over 130 years of record keeping, the city has had a cool stretch of at least 7 consecutive days being below 80 in August, 26 times. Which averages out to once every five years.
Keep in mind, the climate average high falls to 80 degrees by the end of the month, so getting these hits of cooler air should be expected. It’s just the length of the cooler air that can be worrisome as we head into the tail-end of the growing season.
