August was a generous monsoon month in Cortez

In the midst of monsoon season, August proved generous, gifting over double its normal precipitation for the month.

“You’ve heard of classic cars and classic sodas. After an uncertain start this summer, the second week of August has brought us Monsoon Classic,” James Andrus of Cortez, a weather observer for the National Weather Service, wrote in an email.

In just two weeks’ time, the area received 1.64 inches of rain, which surpassed the 1.34-inch average for the entire month.

By the end of August, Cortez received 2.73 inches of rain.

Andrus called it a successful month in the monsoon season, which is made up of July, August and September.

“Sometimes it can be well above normal, or sometimes a monsoon fails us, and we wind up well below normal,” he said.

This August, it was well above normal: 204% above, to be exact.

“That’s a really good month,” said Andrus. “We don’t have many 200% months.”

That puts our year-to-date precipitation at 9.21 inches – that’s 123% of the normal 7.49 inches Cortez typically accumulates by now.

As far as temperatures go, Cortez had four record-breaking hot days last month.

Aug. 26 saw the coolest daily high temperature of 77 degrees; Aug. 6 had the warmest daily low of 65 degrees. The coldest daily low was 49 degrees on Aug. 30.

Looking ahead, temperatures will likely be above September averages. The 30-day forecast says Cortez is leaning below normal amounts. Such patterns persist in the 90-day forecast.

Previous patterns vary considerably, so it’s hard to know exactly what to expect for September – drought or plentiful rain.

“I don’t know if this is an omen for September, I’m parked on East Third Street now, and I see a flock of crows circling one spot. … I’m wondering if that’s an omen for our future,” Andrus laughed. “Maybe they know something we don’t.”