Maps and Graphics:

August Most Recent 3 Months Most Recent 6 Months
Most Recent 12 Months Annual Summary for 2004 US Percent Area Very Wet/Dry/Warm/Cold

It should be emphasized that all of the temperature and precipitation ranks and values are based on preliminary data. The ranks will change when the final data are processed, but will not be replaced on these pages. Graphics based on final data are available on the Climate at a Glance page.


Please note that for August, precipitation is underestimated for the central Gulf coast due to limited observations related to Hurricane Katrina damage and outages. For more information on Hurricane Katrina's impact, please see our Hurricane Katrina report.

For graphics covering periods other than those mentioned above or for tables of national, regional, and statewide data from 1895-present, for August, last 3 months or other periods, please go to the Climate At A Glance page

National Overview:

August:
  • August temperatures were above average for the nation with much warmer-than-average conditions across most of the East Coast. For information on temperature records during the month, please go to NCDC's Extremes page.
  • Precipitation was above average for the nation with conditions especially wetter than average across parts of the Mississippi Valley and Central Plains. For more information on drought during August, please visit the U.S. Drought page.
For additional details, see the Monthly Highlights section. For details and graphics on weather events across the U.S. and the globe go to NCDC's Global Hazards page.

Monthly and Seasonal Highlights:

National:

For tables of national, regional, and statewide data from 1895-present, for August, last 3 months or other periods, please go to the Climate At A Glance page.
  • August 2005 ranked as the 21st warmest August in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature was 73.8°F (23.22°C), which was 1.0°F (0.6°C) above the long-term mean.
  • August 2005 had above average precipitation, nationally, ranking 13th wettest.
  • Summer temperature was much above average and ranked as the 10th warmest such period in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature for June-August was 73.3°F (22.9°C) which was 1.2°F (0.7°C) above the long-term mean.
  • June-August had above average precipitation, ranking 17th wettest in the last 111 years.
  • The September 2004-August 2005 temperature was much above average and ranked as the 8th warmest such period in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature was 54.1°F (12.3°C) which was 1.3°F (0.7°C) above the long-term mean.
  • Precipitation was much above average for September-August, ranking 8th wettest for the last 12 months based on a record of 110 such periods.

Regional and Statewide:
  • August 2005 temperatures ranked much above average for 17 states including New Jersey and Rhode Island, which had a record warm August. No state was significantly cooler than average for August 2005.
  • Alaska temperatures were above average for both August and summmer with a rank of 10th and 3rd respectively
  • August was much wetter than average for 6 states, while states in the Pacific Northwest and parts of the East Coast were drier than average.
  • The 3 month period, June-August, was warmer than average for much of the nation, with only 5 states near average and no state below its long term mean. New Jersey had a record warm summer in 2005.
  • June-August 2005 was much wetter than average for 4 states. The precipitation was generally mixed across the nation.
  • September-August 2005 was warmer than average for much of the nation. No state was significantly cooler than average over the last 12 months.
  • The last 12 months were wetter than average for much of the nation, with only parts of the Great Lakes and Pacific Northwest remaining drier than average.

    See NCDC's Monthly Extremes web-page for weather and climate records for the month of August.

It should be emphasized that all of the temperature and precipitation ranks and values are based on preliminary data. The ranks will change when the final data are processed, but will not be replaced on these pages. Graphics based on final data are available on the Climate at a Glance page.

Citing This Report

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Monthly National Climate Report for August 2005, published online September 2005, retrieved on January 18, 2025 from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/national/200508.