Several precipitation records belonging to Atlantic City, N.J., were flooded out of the history books in August, while many parts of the Northeast region remained dry, according to the climatologists at the Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC) at Cornell University.

The Atlantic City rain event of August 20-21 deluged the area with 13.52 inches. Atlantic City's daily precipitation total of 11.2 inches on Aug. 20 more than surpassed their all-time daily rainfall record of 6.46 inches set on July 10, 1949.

Both the August monthly total and the all-time monthly total rainfall records also fell. The previous record for August (11.98 inches set in 1967) and the all-time monthly rainfall total (13.09 inches set in July 1959) tumbled with the August 1997 total of 16.12 inches, according to Keith Eggleston, climatologist at the center.

Connecticut weather stations recorded an average of 6.71 inches of rain during the month for their 10th wettest August on record.

The area-weighted averages for the states of Rhode Island and Vermont also exceeded 5 inches of rain. Meanwhile, parts of western and central New York and most of Maryland and Delaware reported precipitation deficits once again this month. Delaware reported the region's greatest departure at 65 percent of normal precipitation.

Overall, the Northeast region fared much better, reporting 108 percent of the long-term August average. For the summer months (June-July-August), Delaware reported only 69 percent of the normal precipitation for its 13th driest summer on record and Maryland reported 77 percent of normal for its 10th driest summer in the last 103 years.

This release is are available at http://www.news.cornell.edu/science/Sept97/NRCC.August97.bpf.html, with a link to other Cornell news releases and photographs. To receive Cornell news releases regularly via e-mail, send a message to cunews@cornell.edu.

Monthly average temperatures in the Northeast were once again cooler than normal during August. Five of the last six months in the Northeast now have had below-normal temperatures. The month of August averaged 1.4 degrees cooler than normal. This was 1.7 degrees cooler than August 1996 and the 23rd coolest August in the last 103 years. The greatest departures were found in the southwestern portion of the region, where West Virginia reported a statewide average monthly departure of 2.1 degrees for their 10th coolest August on record. The only place in the region to report warmer than normal temperatures was the southern portion of Maine.

Daily Maximum Temperature Records

City                          Date     New     Previous
National Airport, Va.         16th     102       95   in 1995
Philadelphia                  16th      98       95   in 1938
Atlantic City Airport, N.J.   16th      96       94   in 1984
Baltimore                     16th     101       96   in 1951
Atlantic City Marina, N.J.    17th      97       92   in 1911
National Airport, Va.         17th     105      102   in 1988
Baltimore (tie)               18th     100      100   in 1988
Harrisburg, Pa. tie)          18th      97       97   in 1965

Daily Minimum Temperature Records

City                          Date     New     Previous
Caribou, Maine                4th     40       41   in 1960
Beckley, W.Va.                6th     48       51   in 1972
Pittsburgh                    7th     47       51   in 1994
Beckley, W.Va.                7th     47       51   in 1989
Wilmington, Del. (tie)        7th     55       55   in 1964
Morgantown, W.Va.             7th     47       48   in 1957
Elkins, W.Va.                 8th     44       45   in 1989
Allentown, Pa. (tie)          8th     49       49   in 1989
Morgantown, W.Va. (tie)       8th     48       48   in 1975
Baltimore                     8th     53       54   in 1989
Beckley, W.Va. (tie)         23rd     49       49   in 1973
Beckley, W.Va.               24th     44       45   in 1971
Huntington, W.Va. (tie)      24th     50       50   in 1946