Rome had been torn by civil war for more than a hundred years when Octavian, Julius Caesar's nephew, adopted son, and heir, at last emerged as undisputed head of government. In 27BC the Senate made him princeps, bestowed on him numerous offices of state, and conferred on him the title of augustus, "the revered one". Although he was most careful never to admit it, he was de facto Emperor of Rome.
The Romans loved Augustus. He ruled their empire wisely, and in the twilight of his 40-year reign his subjects showed their gratitude by naming a month in his honour. Its old name had been Sextilis, the sixth month of the calendar; in 8AD it became August, and so it has remained to this day.
August is a warm and sometimes very humid month. It often happens that in its early weeks there may be little wind, and this, when combined with the sultry heat, makes conditions very suitable for thunderstorms. That is why August, somewhat surprisingly, turns out to be one of the wettest months of the year in many parts of Ireland. A measurable amount of rain falls on only 10 or 12 of the 31 days, but the rain when it does come often turns out to be heavy and thundery, with large amounts of it falling in a relatively short period.
The temperature on an average August afternoon typically reaches about 20 Celsius inland, and about 17 C or 18C degrees near the coast. The highest temperature ever recorded in this month was close to 32 C, while at the other extreme the lowest temperature on record occurred around dawn in the very early hours of the morning of August 30th, 1964, in Rathdrum, Co Wicklow, where, believe it or not, the mercury fell to 2.7.
Five or six hours of sunshine a day is the norm for this month; a similar amount to the average for July, but about an hour less than the typical daily ration in June. And there are other signs that the year may be closing in; towards the end of the month it is common for cooler air to move in over the country from the west or north-west, frequently bringing with it a succession of active depressions, a foretaste of the autumn gales to come.
Byron spoke of winter in these parts as "ending in July to recommence in August". July this year might be said to have lived up quite well to this description, but for August we can only wait and see.
