On our coast, grass (not lawns) goes dormant (dead) in the summer, and begins to germinate with the first late summer or fall rains.
"maybe....................it's just an early fall..............following a very cool and comfortable summer."
A very good theory. let's check the data.
Washington had its fourth warmest July
Several cities in the Northwest had a record or near-record warm July. The average temperature in Seattle, Washington was 71.2°F, 5.5°F above normal, marking the warmest July on record for the city. July was the second consecutive month with record warmth in Seattle. Portland, Oregon had its second warmest July on record with a monthly temperature 4.7°F above normal.
Below-average precipitation was observed across parts of the Northwest, with worsening drought conditions in the region. By the beginning of August, all of Oregon and Washington was in drought, with 48 percent of Oregon in severe drought and 32 percent of Washington. Below-average precipitation was also observed across parts of the Great Lakes and Southeast Louisiana had its ninth driest July on record.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/201507
Record and near-record warmth stretched from the Rockies to the West Coast and along the Southeast Coast, where 16 states were much warmer than average. California, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington were each record warm for June.
Below-average precipitation was observed in the Northwest, where drought conditions worsened due to both record warmth and lack of precipitation. Oregon had its ninth driest June, while Washington had its third driest. A dismal snowpack from the preceding winter also contributed to the worsening drought conditions across the Northwest, with minimal melt-water runoff occurring during the spring and early summer
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/201506 |
