SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It’s been an interesting summer season across KELOLAND as rain pattern started early out west, while heat and drought has made headlines across the east.

Many of you in the Sioux Falls area might argue this has been a hot summer. And you’re right, at times it certainly has been.

But when you average the months of June, July and August, the average temperature will go down in the books just slightly above average in eastern South Dakota. The Black Hills region has stayed below normal the past 90 days.

A quick look at the 90 day precipitation map clearly relates to the temperature map. We finished June, July, and August with 100 to 200% of normal moisture in much of western South Dakota. The rains have been more spotty in eastern KELOLAND, with some belts of above normal rain, but a generally drier trend the farther east you go into Minnesota and Iowa.

This trend started early in the season. Look at the 30 day rain map from the end of June. You can see how wet the pattern started in the Black Hills. Sioux Falls, meanwhile, started the summer nearly 3 inches of rain below normal in June.

Traditionally, it’s hard to catch up after starting a big deficit in June. A few clusters of thunderstorms brought relief in July, but it was far from widespread rain.

Now the question becomes, what happens in September and the impact of this hot weather? We’ll take a closer look at that forecast tomorrow.