The total number of thunderstorms is from large to small or none

Many places in Berks County got a welcome drink from Monday’s thunderstorms, but some places remained high and dry.

Officially, Redding Regional Airport recorded 0.51 inches of rain, more than double the monthly total of 0.81 inches.

This month is still in contention for a spot in the top 10 driest Augusts on official sites in Berks’ 153-year-old database as long as it doesn’t exceed 1.15 inches.

Meanwhile, north-central and northeast Berks benefited the most from the storms with half an inch to one inch of rain and a little more in some places, according to the MesoWest team.

Bernville recorded 1.16 inches and Hamburg 1.44 inches among measurements available through the CoCoRaHS network.

Central Berks saw less rainfall, while the southern third of the county saw some scattered rain and many areas were dry.

Some places in the region saw heavy soaking, such as Lehigh Valley International Airport, which recorded 2.56 inches of rain on Monday.

Historic August?

It’s almost the end of the month and it’s looking like the hottest August in Berks. The average temperature at the airport through Monday is 78.5 degrees, and the forecast favors ending the month near that mark.

The daily average value is calculated by adding the maximum and minimum and dividing by 2.

In 1955 and 2021, the full August temperature reached 77.8 degrees, although last year scored high to the nearest second.

AccuWeather’s long-range forecast for the rest of the month for the airport area shows highs around 90 daily Wednesday through August 31.

The temperature database starts from 1898.

Meanwhile, the number of days with temperatures of 80 degrees or higher could tie Tuesday’s record at 61 and soon set a new mark, according to the forecast.

The last time the mercury column did not rise to 80 degrees at the airport was on June 23. Usually in the summer there are cloudy and stormy days and the temperature stays below 80 degrees, but not this summer.

No year has been recorded for the mercury to reach at least 80 on all 62 dates in July-August, but this year could be the first.