August outlook & a spectacular meteor shower arriving soon

I'm a little late to the August outlook but wanted to put something up to help you understand how the month will probably unfold. As you've already noticed from the forecast, we are cooling it down already and the hottest part of summer looks to be in our rear-view mirror. There's still plenty of time to have some 100s yet, and I think we will before the summer is officially over. Let's give a quick overview of what is "normal":

At the end of the month, our sunset will be exactly 8pm and the days keep growing shorter. Something else happens at the end of the month - a blue moon! That's right, the 2nd full moon in a calendar month is typically referred to as a "blue" moon, even though it has nothing to do with the color. 

Now - mid August:

The upper-level high pressure has weakened and is in the process of retreating back to the Southwest where it will likely hang out through mid-month. Of course, we've been hearing about the record heat in the southern US and there's plenty more to come. 

Mid-August:

I don't foresee the big-time heat returning in the middle of the month. The upper high will likely hang out in the Southwest, keeping the most extreme heat focused west and south of Kansas. I'm not saying we will be "cool" by any means, but I don't think we will have the extreme heat (highs 100-105 day-after-day)

Late August:

This may end up being the hottest part of the month. Expect temperatures to return to "above" average, which could easily mean a run at upper 90s to near 100. I don't think we would have record highs late in the month but expect it to get hotter late in August. 

Perseid Meteor Shower - should be excellent this year!

It's an annual thing and might be one of the best meteor showers all year. Given the fact that the moon will be nearing "new" phase, there won't be the extra light to wash out some of the faint meteors. It will peak in the predawn hours of Sunday, August 13th. Start looking just after dark Saturday night, and if you focus your attention to the northeast, you might (under the best of conditions) see approximately 40-60 per hour. We are often asked "where should I look"? In the case of a meteor shower, really the secret is to get away from city lights and just look straight up. 

Have a terrific day.