In 27 BC, Julius Caesar's nephew, Octavian, emerged as undisputed head of government in Rome, and the Senate conferred on him the title of Augustus - "the revered one". He became, de facto, Emperor of Rome. He ruled his empire wisely, and in the twilight of his long reign the Romans showed their gratitude. In AD 8 they renamed Sextilis, the sixth month of their calendar, in honour of Augustus, and it assumed the name we know it by today - the month of August.
Early August is typically warm and humid, with little movement of the air - a combination which lends itself to the development of thunderstorms. Later in the month it is common for cooler air to move in over the country from the west or north-west, and a succession of active depressions often results in very wet and stormy weather for a time.
Surprisingly, perhaps, August can be a very wet month, and at a few places in Ireland it turns out statistically to be the wettest month of the entire year. The main reason for this is that rain, when it does come in August, often turns out to be very heavy and thundery, with large amounts falling in a relatively short period.
The temperature on an average August afternoon typically reaches about 20C inland, and about 17 or 18 degrees near the coast. The highest temperature ever recorded was around 32C, while at the other extreme, it is very rare for the air temperature to fall below zero. But it is not unknown; the thermometer dropped to - 2.7C at Rathdrum in Co Wicklow in late August 1964. Five or six hours of sunshine a day is the norm, very similar to our expectations in July, and the popularity of August as a swimming month is well justified; sea temperatures reach their highest values, ranging from nearly 16C along the southwest coast to 13 or 14 degrees off the coast of Antrim.
Alexander Buchan had a lot to say about this current month. Buchan, if you remember, was a Scottish meteorologist of the last century who spent a great deal of his life examining the climatological data of his native Scotland. He concluded that there are certain periods during the year which are habitually warmer or colder than the calendar might suggest they ought to be. August contains two "Buchan Spells": a Buchan cold spell from 6th to 11th, and a Buchan warm spell from 12th to 15th. We will have to wait for a week or two to find out if he is right for this year.