DENVER (KDVR) — The climate outlooks for August show a high chance of the monsoon pattern staying in place across the Southwest U.S.
The North American Monsoon is an upper-level wind pattern where south winds, typically in July and August, bring tropical moisture and higher storm chances to the southwest desert states.
The Climate Prediction Center’s August precipitation outlook shows a high chance of wetter than average weather for the four-corner states, including Colorado.
The darker green color shows that the highest chance for wetter than average weather is in southwest Colorado, parts of Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.
Along with wetter weather, this same area has a chance for cooler than average temperatures through August. This correlates with the precipitation map, because typically, more cloud cover and rainfall lead to cooler temperatures than sunny and dry weather.
In contrast, the August outlook shows warmer and drier weather is likely for most of the midwest U.S.