August was unusually wet and warm

Despite above-normal temperatures and 12 days with the mercury at 80 or above, last month's showers may be remembered as the best thing that happened to Seattle lawns in years.

A full 3 inches of rain fell, including one torrential, record-setting day when an inch fell within 12 hours, as measured at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The weather station usually gets 1.02 inch on average in all of August. "It was good, actually, because we needed the rain," said Art Gaebel, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office at Sand Point. "We caught up quite a bit. And my water bill fell because I didn't need to use as much water."

Can't complain about the cold, either. The average temperature also was above normal, with an average high of 76 degrees compared to a normal high of 74.7 degrees. The average low was 58.1 degrees compared to a normal average of 54.8 degrees.

When a full inch of rain fell on Aug. 24, it flooded basements, and the Aurora Bridge closed briefly after cars hydroplaned out of control. But there was an earlier record-setting rain, on Aug. 6, when 0.57 inch fell and storm drains flooded across city streets.

It was all good news for gardeners, of course, who didn't turn on the sprinklers and hoses nearly as much as usual.

As proof, Seattle Public Utilities reported yesterday that water consumption during the rainy week of Aug. 22 to 29 was 159 million gallons per day.

Sounds like a lot. But during the same week last August, the city went through 202 million gallons a day.

"I just cut my lawn last night, and I had to empty the bag four times," said J. Paul Blake, a Seattle Public Utilities spokesman.

Coming into August, Seattle was 5 inches below normal for rainfall since January 1. At the end of the month, Seattle was a mere 2.64 inches below the norm for the calendar year.

For the so-called "water year," which measures from rainy season to rainy season, or October to October, the city is about 2½ inches in the black, Gaebel said.

Don't despair, rain haters. Labor Day weekend should be more Augustlike. For Saturday through Monday, the forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with highs in the mid-70s and lows in the mid-50s.

And in a city that expects pleasant autumns, this year shouldn't disappoint.

September, October and November are expected to be a little warmer than normal, with normal precipitation, Gaebel said.

On the downside, the Farmers' Almanac, that soothsayer of weather since 1818, predicts a winter of extremes this year in the U.S., with a cold start here in the Northwest.

Of course, the scientists at the National Weather Service say you can't really predict the weather that far in advance.

But you can bet some days this winter will be as wet as Aug. 24.

Ian Ith: 206-464-2109 or iith@seattletimes.com