THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Saturday, August 24, 1996             TAG: 9608260294
SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B7   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER 
                                            LENGTH:   31 lines

HIGH STILL HASN'T HIT 90 DEGREES IN AUGUST

It may have felt hot, and Friday was the hottest day yet in August, but the mercury still did not make it to 90.

And it doesn't look like it will today, either.

With just a week to go before the month ends, Hampton Roads has yet to see a day hit 90 or above - unusual for a month that often brings heat waves and is no stranger to days that hit 100.

And an approaching cold front increases the likelihood that the month might end without a day in the 90s.

The last time the region got out of the 80s was on July 31, when the high temperature at the National Weather Service office at Norfolk International Airport hit 90.

Still, with high humidity in the region Friday, people felt the heat, even if it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

The high temperature was posted at 4:55 p.m. when the mercury reached 87 at the airport. Thursday's high was 85.

That was actually slightly higher than normal.

The average high at this time of year is 84.

Today should be a lot like Friday, with a 30 percent chance of a shower or thunderstorm as the cold front - which extended from Lake Ontario across Ohio and Indiana on Friday - moves into the mid-Atlantic region.

The high should be in the mid to upper 80s.

KEYWORDS: WEATHER by CNB