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August third coolest, wettest on record

August 2017 was the third coldest on record for the Benson area with a mean temperature of 65.3 degrees, 4.5 degrees below average mean of 69.7 degrees.
For just the 13th time in the past 65 years there wasn’t a 90-degree temperature in August. August averages 3.3 days of 90 degrees or more and has seen the high reach 100 to 104 degrees nine times.
This year the August high was 88 degrees back on Aug. 1. Highs during the month should average 80.4 degrees, but only registered 76.3 degrees. Lows averaged 54.2 degrees, 4.9 degrees below average of 59.1 degrees.
The coldest August was recorded in 2004 when the mean temperature was 64.7 degrees and with August 2007 the second coldest with a mean temperature of 64.8 degrees.
During August, Benson set a record low high temperature when it only reached 66 degrees Aug. 3. The previous record for the date was 67 degrees set in 1998.
The record low for Aug. 12 was tied when it dropped to 46 degrees. It also fell to 46 in 1961, 2004, and 2013.
When the temperature fell to 46 degrees Aug. 22 it broke the previous low temperature record of Aug. 22 of 48 degrees that had been set five times since records started being kept in 1952 - 1965, 1973, 1987, 1997 and 2005.
Six times in August the low slipped into the 40s though we don’t start averaging lows in the 40s until Sept. 15....
 
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