BIG COUNTRY (KTAB/KRBC) – As the month of August winds down, it’s time to see how the month turned out, and see what’s in store for the near future. One thing for sure is that this August was a scorcher of a month.

At the time of this article’s publishing, the Key City recorded 24 days of high temperatures, at least 100°. There is a chance that total could increase Thursday to end the month with highs expected near 99°. That would be around 80% for the month of triple digit days.

The average temperature for the month was 91.2°, which is the hottest August in the past decade. The daily average high temperature so far is 104.7°, which will drop a bit after Wednesday and Thursday.

Here’s a look at the Abilene August 2023 climate data:

Down in the Heartland, they have dealt with triple digits just about every day. Brownwood recorded only two below triple-digit days, and one of those days was just Wednesday. The other day was back on August 16, with a high of 97°.

August was also a very dry month for the Big Country. Not even a half an inch of rainfall accumulated in Abilene, with a total of 0.46 inches.

Out west, near the Snyder area, practically no rainfall was received- only 0.14 inch for the month. On average, Snyder would receive about two inches for the month of August.

The southern counties of the area, specifically from Runnels County into the Heartland, received the most rain thanks to the most recent cold front that passed through.

To see your area’s climate data, visit the National Weather Service, select your area, choose daily data for a month, then select which month and year you want.

Looking forward to the start of September, Labor Day weekend is shaping up to be a hot one. Temperatures are expected to creep back into the triple digits in some areas by Thursday.

Conditions will remain dry through the weekend and for the first half of next week. Elevated fire weather conditions will also return due to the triple digits and low humidity values. Winds will be fairly light, increasing a bit by the weekend.

Stay hydrated if you do have plans to be outside during the holiday. There will be plenty of sunshine to drain away your energy.