The intense summer sizzle which characterized the end of June and all of July faded during August with a decided tilt toward cooler, less, humid, and very dry weather through the month as the jet stream pattern shifted from a prevailing ridge aloft across the east to more of a zonal to low pressure trough aloft pattern. The jet stream shift was gradual, though, as August did feature some heat, with the stretch from the 7th through the 17th typically hot and humid for the time of the year. The season's longest heat wave, four days, occurred during this period, from the 10th through the 13th with highs each of those days at or above 90. Although compared to three previous heat waves during the summer, one in late June, and the other two in July, this August heat wave was of lower intensity due to it being accompanied by lower humidity air.
A strong cold frontal passage on the 17th, accompanied by strong gusty gradient winds from 30-40 mph, shifted the pattern to cooler and comfortable through the remainder of the month with a few days and nights in there feeling quite like fall.
The monthly mean temperature at Albany in August 2025 was 69.6 degrees which is 1.8 degrees lower than the 1991-2020 thirty year average for the month.
Fourteen of this August's days at Albany came in warmer than average, sixteen cooler than average, and one right at average.
The daily mean temperature departure bar graph for August at Albany shows the daily departure swings, how far above or below normal any given day was at Albany. The magnitude of the departures from average on the cool days were for the most part greater than the magnitudes of the departures from average were on the warm days. In other words, many of August's cooler days were more below average than the warmer days were above average. That, in combination with cooler than average days slightly out numbering warmer than average days is why the month overall came in cool compared to our current climate. (A daily temperature departure is calculated by adding the day's maximum and minimum temperatures and then dividing by 2.)
August 2025 mean temperatures at the other four local climate sites came in cooler to much cooler than average as well with Poughkeepsie, Pittsfield, MA, and Bennington, VT all over two degrees cooler than average which is significant.
Human induced climate change, largely through greenhouse gas emissions, chiefly carbon dioxide, has increased the odds of August, as well as the rest of the months in the year, of being warmer than the long term averages. August, through 2025, is on average now 3.6 degrees warmer in the Capital Region than it was in 1970.
The chart below shows the year to year variability of the weather with the trend line showing the steady upward tick in temperature over time with cooler Augusts becoming less cool over time and warmer Augusts getting warmer.
The weather pattern this August favored cooler conditions with the month at Albany 1.8 degrees below the current 1991-2020 thirty year average. So, this August was cool compared with our current climate, but compared to the longer term climate since 1970 it was not particularly cool. In fact this August was the least cool of the cool August's in the record showing the contribution that background climate warming is having on temperature over time.
A prevailing west to northwest jet stream flow early in August allowed thick plumes of both elevated and near surface wildfire smoke to be blown into the Northeast, originating from numerous large forest fires burning across south-central Canada. With the jet weakening overhead after the arrival of the smoke very early in the month and the air subsequently stagnating, the smoke became trapped and lingered for an extended period from 2nd through the 11th. Particularly thick near surface smoke was observed across the region on the 4th, 5th, and 6th with code orange air quality (unhealthy air for sensitive groups) for portions or all of the local area at times from the 2nd through the 7th.
Satellite view of the Canadian wildfire smoke plume over the Northeast at 10am on August 4, 2025. Poor air quality was observed at the surface at this time.
For a look at why wildfire smoke days have been on the increase lately as well as where the smoke is coming from, what's in it, and the health effects, check out this article: "A Look at Wildfire Smoke and our Growing Number of Hazy Days."
With the jet stream flow flipping and coming in from the northwest much of the month, dry Canadian air was more prevalent than more typically humid air for the time of the year. The abundance of drier air over humid air subsequently reduced but did not eliminate downpour and thunderstorm activity, accounting for lower rainfall totals throughout the region. Rainfall, as is typical in the summer, did vary quite a bit from place to place with the Catskills, mid Hudson valley tending to get more rain than the northern half of the area.
The most widespread and beneficial rain event occurred on the 20th when a surface low and mid level disturbance tracked across the region, putting eastern New York and western New England on the cool side of the system which enhanced overrunning lift and resulted in a widespread 1/2" to 1.00" rainfall with parts of the Catskills, mid Hudson valley and Berkshires coming in with 2.00"+. The majority of the rain that fell at Albany in August fell on the 20th with 0.78" observed. Temperatures through the majority of this rain event ranged through the 50s making it noteworthy for unusual chill for the time of the year.
August 2025 was the driest since 1947 (78 years) when only 0.73" of rainfall was observed, with August 2025 standing in start contrast to August 2024 which to date is the 5th all time wettest on record.
For the first time since the end of March abnormally dry conditions appeared on the Northeast Drought monitor product, with a small area of moderate drought in northern Berkshire County locally, indicating the impact of the drier than average conditions which began developing in July and then intensified through August.