Below Average temperatures to stick around through most of August

Flipping open a calendar reminds us that yes it is still summer in the Northern Hemisphere, but here in Mid-Missouri, it feels more like fall.

Mother Nature has certainly dealt the eastern two-thirds of the nation a treat, following a stifling hot July where temperatures soared into the triple digits in many places.

In just a matter of weeks, the temperatures have gone from 10 degrees above average to 10 degrees below average, and the trend is likely to persist.

This comes following several months of well-above average temperatures. As summer started in the Northern Hemisphere, summer for the most part in Mid-Missouri has been right around normal. Now as we head into August, we are seeing a large dip in our temperatures. We’ve traded the 90s for highs and replaced them with highs in the 70s and lower 80s.

Since January 17, the temperature trend has been trending downward, with the exception of February, which was one of the warmest on record.

– January: +5.8 degrees above average

– February: +11.5 degrees above average

– March: +4.1 degrees above average

– April: +4.7 degrees above average

– May: +0.8 degrees above average

– June: +1.1 degrees above average

– July: +1.9 degrees above average

– August: -4.8 degrees below average (so far)

The last time Mid-Missouri saw below-average temperatures was in December, following a brutal cold snap and freezing rain. As we transitioned to a new year, temperatures quickly rebounded as warmth encompassed the lower 48. That certainly hasn’t been the case here this month and there’s a big reason why.

During the summer months, the jet stream is usually locked in place across Canada, keeping the cooler air well to our north. As of late, the jet stream has taken a southward dip which has filtered cooler and drier air into the Midwest. This has opened the door for a series of cold fronts to track through the region, which will keep the fall like weather in place across the Midwest.

The Climate Prediction Center has the below-average temperatures persisting through the middle of August, which would keep temperatures in the upper 70s and lower 80s. Average high for this time of the year is right around 90 degrees and with this cooler pattern sticking around, we may not see those warm temperatures again this month.

Enjoy the fall weather because as we turn the page to a new month, the pattern looks to largely reverse and bring warmer than normal temperatures back to the Midwest.

Stay with ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather as we continue to head through the close of summer and follow us on Twitter @ABC17Stormtrack for all the latest weather updates.