Record Texas Heat Continues Into July June Monthly Average Records Set

Image (click to enlarge): U.S. daily maximum temperatures for July 8

See Record Heat for the latest updates.

July 12 Update: More July 9 reports:

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 104 DEGREES WAS SET AT MCALLEN TODAY.   
THIS EXCEEDS THE OLD RECORD OF 103 SET IN 2005.  

THIS AFTERNOONS HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 106 IN ABILENE IS A NEW RECORD   
HIGH FOR THIS DATE. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 103 SET IN 1978.  
  
THIS MORNINGS LOW TEMPERATURE OF 80 DEGREES IN ABILENE IS A RECORD  
HIGH MINIMUM FOR THIS DATE. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 79 DEGREES SET  
IN 1980.  
  
THIS AFTERNOONS HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 105 IN SAN ANGELO TIES THE   
RECORD HIGH FOR THIS DATE SET IN 1917.  
  
THIS MORNING LOW TEMPERATURE OF 79 DEGREES IN SAN ANGELO IS A RECORD  
HIGH MINIMUM FOR THIS DATE. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 78 DEGREES SET   
IN 1962.  

July 9 Update: Record reports for July 9:

THE OFFICIAL HIGH TEMPERATURE TODAY AT WICHITA FALLS HAS BEEN 109   
DEGREES. THIS TIES THE RECORD HIGH FOR TODAY OF 109 DEGREES...WHICH   
WAS FIRST SET ON THIS DATE IN 1980.  
  
TEMPERATURE RECORDS FOR WICHITA FALLS DATE BACK TO 1897.  

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 104 DEGREES WAS SET AT AUSTIN BERGSTROM TODAY.   
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 102 SET IN 1956.  

Also for the month of June:

CORPUS CHRISTI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT  
TIED OR BROKE 10 RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES IN JUNE AND HAS ALREADY  
TIED OR BROKEN 4 RECORD HIGHS IN JULY. VICTORIA TIED OR BROKE 5 RECORD  
HIGHS IN JUNE AND HAS TIED OR BROKEN 4 MORE IN JULY.

CORPUS CHRISTI (PERIOD OF RECORD 1887-2009)...  
  
HOTTEST AVERAGE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR JUNE  
  
1. 95.5  2009  
2. 95.3  1953  
3. 93.6  1997  

VICTORIA (PERIOD OF RECORD 1902-2009)...  
  
HOTTEST AVERAGE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR JUNE  
  
1. 96.6  2009  
2. 96.2  2008  
3. 95.0  1990  

Original post:
Record daily temperatures were reported for the Texas panhandle on July 8. The Amarillo record had been tied 3 times since 1910, but it was blasted away by 2°:

VERY HOT TEMPERATURES WERE OBSERVED ACROSS THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA  
PANHANDLES ON WEDNESDAY JULY 8. BELOW ARE SOME HIGH TEMPERATURES FROM  
AROUND THE REGION ALONG WITH THE RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR THE  
DATE WHEN AVAILABLE.  
  
LOCATION            HIGH  RECORD  YEAR(S)  
  
AMARILLO TX          102   100    2001, 1951, 1940, 1910  
BORGER TX            104   102    2001  

The Austin/San Antonio National Weather Service office yesterday put out a recap of the extreme heat wave continuing in Texas:

THE PERIOD FROM MID JUNE TO EARLY JULY OF 2009 CONTINUES TO SHOW  
AFTERNOON HIGHS AVERAGING NEAR 5 TO 10 DEGREES WARMER THAN USUAL.  
SO FAR IN EARLY JULY OF 2009...THE AVERAGE DAYTIME HIGHS HAVE  
BEEN AROUND 100 TO 102.   

JUNE 2009 WAS THE 2ND WARMEST JUNE AT AUSTIN MABRY...THE 8TH WARMEST   
AT AUSTIN BERGSTROM...THE 5TH WARMEST JUNE AT DEL RIO...AND A TIE   
FOR THE 3RD WARMEST JUNE AT SAN ANTONIO WITH JUNE 1998.  

OTHER RECORDS THAT ARE RARE EVENTS WAS THE 10 CONSECUTIVE 100  
DEGREE DAYS FROM JUNE 20TH TO JUNE 29TH AT AUSTIN MABRY AND  
AUSTIN BERGSTROM.  PRIOR TO THIS YEAR...THIS BROKE THE OLD RECORD OF   
6 IN A ROW IN JUNE 1953 AT AUSTIN BERGSTROM...AND THE RECORD OF   
8 IN A ROW AT AUSTIN MABRY...IN JUNE 1925.  SAN ANTONIO HAD 6 100   
DEGREE DAYS IN A ROW FROM JUNE 24 TO 29...2009...JUST SHORT OF THE   
RECORD 8 DAYS IN A ROW IN JUNE 1990.  FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE...  
SAN ANTONIO HAD 12 OVERALL 100 DEGREE DAYS IN JUNE...A RECORD FOR   
THE MONTH OF JUNE.  THE OLD RECORD WAS 11 DAYS IN JUNE 1990.  
  
THE ALL TIME GREATEST NUMBER OF 100 DEGREE DAYS IN A ROW  
AT AUSTIN...DEL RIO...AND SAN ANTONIO ARE LISTED BELOW.  
  
DEL RIO............50 FROM JUNE 17 TO AUGUST 5...1980  
AUSTIN BERGSTROM...23 FROM JULY 27 TO AUGUST 18...1951  
AUSTIN MABRY.......21 FROM JULY 12 TO AUGUST 1...2001  
SAN ANTONIO........21 FROM JULY 24 TO AUGUST 13...1962  

More Florida Heat Records in July

Image (click to enlarge): U.S. maximum temperatures for July 7 from Unisys

The string of daily high temperature records set or tied in Florida during June is being extended in July. In the 30 days since June 7, Miami has had only 2 below average in temperature. Here are some National Weather Service record reports for July 7:

A RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 82 DEGREES WAS SET AT NAPLES   
YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 77 SET IN 1949.  

THE HIGH TEMPERATURE TODAY AT FORT LAUDERDALE REACHED 97 DEGREES AT   
3:51 PM EDT. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THIS   
DATE...WHICH PREVIOUSLY WAS 96 DEGREES SET BACK IN 1924.   

THE HIGH TEMPERATURE TODAY AT MIAMI REACHED 95 DEGREES. THIS TIES   
THE OLD RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THIS DATE...SET BACK IN 1992.  

For July 6:

THE TEMPERATURE CLIMBED TO 95 DEGREES AT MIAMI INTERNATIONAL   
AIRPORT TODAY. THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 95 SET IN 1992.  

In addition to the numerous daily records, 18 all-time June high temperature records were tied or broken in Florida last month. In the first 7 days of July, 15 daily high temperature records, including the ones listed above, have been tied or broken in the state.

DC: Decisively Cool in First Week of July

July 8 Update: Added month-to-date chart. Today's cool high of 81° and low of 66° keeps the monthly average so far essentially unchanged at 73.4°.

Images (click to enlarge): July 2009 month-to-date average temperature vs. monthly normal and records; top 10 coolest, long-term normal, and warmest July average temperatures in Washington, DC; CapitalClimate charts from National Weather Service data

Original post:
With a daily high matching the long-term normal of 88°, Washington DC is closing out a very cool first week of July. The monthly average so far of 73.5°, if continued through the month, would put this July firmly in the top 10 coolest. The current average is just 0.1° ahead of the third place holder, 1888. The coolest July of this century has been the one in 2000; at an average of 74.7°, it's tied with 1909 for tenth place, ahead of all but 2 other years in the 20th Century, 1904 and 1918, both at 74.4°.

The long-term normal for July is 80°, and the warmest ever recorded was 83.1° in 1993.

Climate Change Clock Counts CO2

Last night's PBS News Hour had a report on the climate clock recently installed in Manhattan, a block away from Madison Square Garden and Macy's. The counter displays total worldwide emissions of carbon dioxide, which are increasing at the rate of 800 metric tons a second. The current number on the display is over 3.64 trillion. A desktop widget of the counter is available for download.

Mid Atlantic June Precipitation Update

Images (click to enlarge): Washington, DC 2008 vs. 2009 monthly precipitation and June 2009 7-day moving average daily precipitation by CapitalClimate from National Weather Service data; June precipitation percentage of average from NWS

Midnight Update: An additional 0.02" this evening brings the monthly total to 5.86".

Original post:
With only a minimal chance of a passing shower through the rest of today, this June will go into the record books with precipitation slightly under 200% of average in Washington, DC. Far from setting any records, however, the official Washington National observation of 5.84" is not enough to put this month in the top 20 wettest Junes. Monthly precipitation for June has reached double digits 3 times in history; this is exceeded only by the 5 Septembers which have seen more than 10". The most recent occurrence was only 3 years ago, when the June monthly record of 14.41" was set.

In a carryover from May's heavy precipitation, the first 10 days of June were the wettest on average, as shown by the chart of the 7-day moving average above (normal daily amounts are shown by the red line). By the middle of the month, only 0.08" of rain fell in the week ending on the 17th. Average daily amounts picked up somewhat from there, but the month ended with only about half the normal daily amount.

Although widespread areas in northern Virginia through central Maryland and the vicinity of Baltimore have had over 150% of their June rainfall, parts of western Virginia and especially the state of West Virginia have seen substantial shortfalls of precipitation for the month.

Shriveled Rose of Texas: More June Heat Records

See Record Heat for the latest updates.

More record heat was observed in Texas on Monday, June 29:

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 105 DEGREES WAS SET AT AUSTIN  
BERGSTROM TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 102 SET IN 1956. 

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 104 DEGREES WAS SET AT SAN ANTONIO  
TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 102 SET IN 1980. 

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 106 DEGREES WAS SET AT AUSTIN CAMP MABRY TODAY.  
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 102 SET IN 1956. 

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 100 DEGREES WAS SET AT BEAUMONT PORT ARTHUR TODAY.  
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 96 SET IN 1969. 

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 102 DEGREES WAS TIED AT VICTORIA  
REGIONAL AIRPORT TODAY. THE RECORD WAS SET IN 1937.
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 101 DEGREES WAS SET AT VICTORIA YESTERDAY.
THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 101 SET IN 1953.   

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 99 DEGREES WAS SET AT CORPUS CHRISTI  
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 97 SET IN  
1989. 

Louisiana:
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 100 DEGREES WAS SET AT NEW IBERIA TODAY.  
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 97 SET IN 2005. 

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 101 DEGREES WAS SET AT LAFAYETTE TODAY.  
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 100 SET IN 1930.  

Some perspective on the heat wave through June 28 from the National Weather Service:

WITH ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT THIS JUNE...JUNE 2009 IS SO FAR THE 
2ND WARMEST JUNE AT AUSTIN MABRY...THE 8TH WARMEST AT AUSTIN  
BERGSTROM...A TIE WITH 1980 FOR THE 5TH WARMEST JUNE AT DEL RIO... 
AND THE 4TH WARMEST JUNE AT SAN ANTONIO.  THE LIST BELOW SHOWS THE  
WARMEST JUNES OF RECORD.  THE DATA FOR 2009 IS FOR JUNE 1ST TO  
28TH...SO WITH STILL 2 DAYS LEFT THE FINAL FIGURES FOR JUNE 2009 
COULD CHANGE. 

AUSTIN MABRY 1854 TO 2009 

1.  87.4  2008 
2.  86.6  JUNE 1 TO 28...2009 
3.  86.4  1998 
4.  86.3  1925 
5.  85.9  1881 AND 1990 

FOR JUNE 2009 FROM JUNE 20TH TO JUNE 28TH...
AUSTIN MABRY AND AUSTIN BERGSTROM HAD 9 100 DEGREE DAYS  
IN A ROW.  THIS BROKE THE OLD RECORD OF 6 IN A ROW DURING JUNE AT 
AUSTIN BERGSTROM IN JUNE 1953...AND THE RECORD OF 8 IN A ROW AT  
AUSTIN MABRY...IN JUNE 1925.  SAN ANTONIO HAS HAD 5 100 DEGREE DAYS  
IN A ROW FROM JUNE 12 TO 16 AND AGAIN FROM JUNE 24 TO 28 IN 2009.   
THE JUNE RECORD AT SAN ANTONIO FOR 100 DEGREE DAYS IN A ROW WAS 11  
IN JUNE 1990. 

THE ALL TIME GREATEST NUMBER OF 100 DEGREE DAYS IN A ROW 
AT AUSTIN...DEL RIO...AND SAN ANTONIO IS LISTED BELOW. 

DEL RIO............50 FROM JUNE 17 TO AUGUST 5...1980 
AUSTIN BERGSTROM...23 FROM JULY 27 TO AUGUST 18...1951 
AUSTIN MABRY.......21 FROM JULY 12 TO AUGUST 1...2001 
SAN ANTONIO........21 FROM JULY 24 TO AUGUST 13...1962 

HOUSTON IS SUFFERING THROUGH IT'S 2ND WARMEST 
JUNE. JUNE 2009 IS NOW WARMER THAN THE JUNE OF 1980 AND ONLY 
TRAILS THE BRUTAL JUNE OF 1998 BY 0.1 DEGREES. AT HOBBY 
AIRPORT...THIS IS ALSO THE 4TH WARMEST JUNE. GALVESTON IS 
ENDURING IT'S 5TH WARMEST JUNE AND COLLEGE STATION IS ENDURING 
IT'S 4TH WARMEST JUNE. 

COLLEGE STATION HAS REACHED OR EXCEEDED 100 DEGREES TEN TIMES 
DURING JUNE 2009...INCLUDING THE LAST NINE CONSECUTIVE DAYS. THE 
PREVIOUS RECORD FOR MOST CONSECUTIVE 100 DEGREE DAYS IN JUNE WAS 
EIGHT AND THIS OCCURRED BETWEEN JUNE 13 1996 AND JUNE 20 1996. 
COLLEGE STATION ENDURED 26 CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH 100 DEGREE HEAT 
BETWEEN JULY 29 1917 AND AUGUST 23 1917. THAT IS THE LONGEST 
CONSECUTIVE 100 DEGREE STREAK IN CITY HISTORY. THE MOST 100 DEGREE 
DAYS DURING JUNE FOR COLLEGE STATION WAS 13 DAYS AND THIS OCCURRED 
IN 1925. THERE WERE 11 100 DEGREE DAYS BACK JUNE OF 1998 AND 1948.  

Texas Toast: Record Heat Continues

After setting an all-time June heat record on Wednesday, Houston tied that record of 104° on Friday; a record high minimum was also set Saturday, with a record also likely today:

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 104 DEGREES WAS SET AT HOUSTON   
INTERCONTINENTAL YESTERDAY [Friday]. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 102   
DEGREES SET IN 1980. THIS ALSO TIES THE RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR   
THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JUNE...WHICH WAS SET ON JUNE 24TH 2009.  

THE OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE AT HOUSTON INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT ON   
THE 27TH WAS 82 DEGREES. THIS IS A NEW RECORD HIGH MINIMUM   
TEMPERATURE FOR THE DAY. THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH MIN WAS IN 1999.   
THE LOW TEMPERATURE THIS MORNING WAS 81 DEGREES AND THIS WILL ALSO   
BE A RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE IF THE TEMPERATURE DOES NOT   
FALL BELOW 80 DEGREES (PREVIOUS RECORD 1999).   

Other records set or tied on Sunday, June 28:

THE AFTERNOON TEMPERATURE HAS REACHED 102 DEGREES AT EASTERWOOD   
FIELD AIRPORT...WHICH BREAKS THE OLD RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 100   
DEGREES SET IN 1925.  

THE AFTERNOON HIGH REACHED 101 DEGREES AT HOUSTON INTERCONTINENTAL   
AIRPORT. THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 101 SET IN 1980.  

HOBBY AIRPORT IN SOUTH HOUSTON MADE IT TO 100 DEGREES TODAY...WHICH   
BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 99 DEGREES SET IN 1980.  
  
THERE IS A NEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 102 DEGREES SET AT COLLEGE   
STATION TODAY...WHICH BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 100 DEGREES SET IN   
1925.