Friday, June 29, 2012

Triple-Digit Heat Reaches Mid Atlantic/Southeast: Baltimore Broiled, Washington Wilted, South Carolina Scorched, Raleigh Roasted, Charlotte Cooked

July 2 Update: Back from a 46-hour power outage thanks to Baghdad Power and Light, here's the high temperature map for June 29, also from Unisys:




Image (click to enlarge): The U.S. surface temperature map from Unisys at 4 pm, June 29,2012, shows 100° temperatures stretching almost continuously from California eastward to the Carolinas.

5:30 PM Update: Washington Dulles breaks the all-time June temperature record by another degree, with a preliminary high of 102°.

Washington National comes in with a June record of 104°, as noted below.

Charlotte ties the all-time record high temperature:
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 104 DEGREES WAS SET AT CHARLOTTE NC   
TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 102 SET IN 1945. THIS ALSO TIES
THE ALL TIME RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES WHICH WAS SET ON AUG 9TH AND
10TH IN 2007, AND SEPTEMBER 6TH IN 1954.
Greenville, South Carolina ties the all-time June record:
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 105 DEGREES WAS SET AT   
GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 101
SET IN 1931. THIS ALSO TIES THE ALL TIME RECORD HIGH FOR THE MONTH
OF JUNE WHICH LAST OCCURRED ON THE 20TH OF JUNE IN 1887.
5 PM Update: The period of record at Washington Dulles is relatively short (50 years), but the current 101° breaks the all-time June high temperature record of 100° on June 27, 1964.

The 105° in the current hour at St. Louis would have been enough to tie the all-time June high, but it was already 108° yesterday.

The NWS tweets that Nashville has broken its all-time high temperature record:
"Nashville International has now reached 109 degrees breaking the old all time high set eight minutes ago."

4:30 PM Update: Here's probably the most extreme temperature report today, from the Nashville area roundup (note the asterisk, however):
CITY           SKY/WX    TMP DP  RH WIND       PRES   REMARKS           
BYRDSTOWN* N/A 122 63 15 CALM 28.97S HX 125
* THESE REPORTS ARE NOT UNDER NWS QUALITY CONTROL
4 PM Update: The National Weather Service reports a new all-time June high temperature record for Washington:
A NEW RECORD MONTHLY HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 104 DEGREES HAS BEEN SET AT   
WASHINGTON NATIONAL DC TODAY...JUNE 29TH. THIS SURPASSES THE OLD
RECORD OF 102 DEGREES THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY SET IN 1874 AND 2011.
Bowling Green, Kentucky also reports an all-time June record; Louisville ties the all-time record set yesterday:
SO FAR TODAY THE HIGH TEMPERATURE AT BOWLING GREEN HAS REACHED 109   
DEGREES. THIS BREAKS THE RECORD HOTTEST JUNE DAILY
TEMPERATURE...WHICH WAS 108 DEGREES AND ALSO OCCURRED ON THIS DATE
BACK IN 1936.

THE ALL TIME RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR JUNE WAS TIED TODAY AT
LOUISVILLE KY. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE SO FAR IS 103 DEGREES...WHICH
TIES THE PREVIOUS ALL TIME RECORD FOR JUNE OF 103 SET YESTERDAY.
THIS HIGH TEMPERATURES ALSO BREAKS THE RECORD HIGH FOR THIS
DATE...WHICH WAS 102 DEGREES LAST SET BACK IN 1952.
Raleigh has now broken the June record and tied the all-time record:
THE TEMPERATURE AT RALEIGH-DURHAM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ROSE TO 105   
DEGREES AT 331 PM TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE
OF 101 DEGREES ON THIS DATE... LAST SET IN 1945. THIS ALSO BREAKS
THE ALL-TIME JUNE HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD... LAST SET ON JUN 27 OF
1954. THIS ALSO TIES THE ALL-TIME RECORD HIGH OF 105... LAST SET ON
AUGUST 21 OF 2007.
Columbia, South Carolina breaks its all-time record high temperature:
THE TEMPERATURE THIS AFTERNOON AROUND 3:10 PM REACHED 108 DEGREES AT   
COLUMBIA METRO AIRPORT...BREAKING THREE HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS:

1. THE PREVIOUS HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD FOR JUNE 29TH WAS 103
DEGREES SET IN 1936.

2. THE PREVIOUS DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH
OF JUNE (DAYS 1ST THROUGH 30TH) WAS 107 DEGREES SET ON JUNE 27TH IN
1954.

3. THE PREVIOUS ALL-TIME DAILY RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE (ON ANY DAY
AND MONTH) IN THE COLUMBIA METRO AREA WAS ALSO 107 DEGREES. THIS WAS
FIRST SET BACK ON JULY 23RD IN 1952...AND SUBSEQUENTLY REACHED ON
FIVE OTHER DATES---THE MOST RECENT OF WHICH WAS AUGUST 10TH IN 2007.
The 107° at 4 pm at Nashville is enough to break the all-time June record of 106° on June 30, 1952 and ties the all-time record high on July 27 and 28, 1952. This is only the 6th time the temperature has exceeded 105° in records dating back to 1873.

Original Post:
Temperatures soared early this afternoon into triple digits across a wide area of the Mid Atlantic and Southeast. By 2 pm, readings were near or at all-time June heat records at several locations. After soaring an amazing 11° to 96° in the hour from 9 to 10 am, Washington, DC hit 102° at 2 pm, tying the all-time June record most recently tied . . . just last year. By the following hour, the temperature reached 103°, a new monthly record.

The official Baltimore observation at BWI Airport was 101°, but at the Maryland Science Center downtown, the 105° at 2 pm would have been enough to tie the all-time June record set on this date in 1934.

At Columbia, South Carolina the 108°F (42.2°C) at 3 pm is unofficially a new all-time June record, exceeding the 107°F on the 27th in 1954.

The 104° at Raleigh at 3 pm unofficially ties the all-time June record, also set on the 27th in 1954, based on National Climatic Data Center records from 1887 through 1944 at downtown Raleigh and since 1944 at RDU Airport.

At Charlotte, North Carolina the 3 pm reading of 103° unofficially ties the all-time June record, set . . . also on the 27th in 1954.

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