NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

JULY 2022

 

3-9: A band of significant precipitation was narrow, leaving some areas without much rain. For example, generally dry weather prevailed from the upper Great Lakes region into the Northeast. In addition, hot, dry weather dominated the southern half of the Plains, the mid-South, and the western Gulf Coast region. Weekly temperatures averaged more than 5°F above normal across much of the central and southern Plains and mid-South. Temperatures remained above 70°F all week in much of the South, maintaining overnight stress on livestock, poultry, and summer crops. In contrast, readings averaged as much as 5°F below normal in northern sections of New York and New England, as well as portions of California and the western Great Basin.

 

For much of the week, showers associated with the monsoon circulation continued to pepper the central and southern Rockies. Showers also dotted the Northwest. Dry weather covered the remainder of the western U.S., with temperatures rising late in the week.

 

Independence Day weekend featured heavy showers in several areas, including the northern Plains and portions of the Great Lakes region and the Southeast. In South Dakota, record-setting rainfall totals for July 3 included 2.11 inches in Aberdeen and 1.84 inches in Huron. Helena, MT, also collected a daily-record sum (1.09 inches) for July 3. Meanwhile in Florida, Leesburg netted a July 3 total of 2.91 inches, a record for the date. Monday, July 4 became the wettest Independence Day on record in Northern locations such as Holland, MI (1.70 inches), and Bismarck, ND (1.56 inches). Additional heavy rain fell in the Great Lakes States on July 5, when dailyrecord totals included 2.83 inches in Fort Wayne, IN, and 2.12 inches in Kalamazoo, MI. Fort Wayne’s total tied a station record for any day in July (previously, 2.83 inches on July 18, 1996). Meanwhile in Montana, Grass Range (2.20 inches on the 5th) experienced its wettest July day on record, surpassing 2.00 inches on July 6, 1994. Locally heavy Southeastern showers continued for the remainder of the week. New Bern, NC, reported a daily-record sum (1.49 inches) on July 5, followed by an additional 4.57 inches on July 8-9. In Georgia, Augusta was drenched with 5.08 inches of rain—a record for any July day (previously, 4.64 inches on July 7, 2020)— on the 7th. Parts of the Midwest remained wet into Friday, July 8, with selected daily-record totals reaching 3.70 inches (on the 6th) in Columbus, OH; 3.71 inches (on the 8th) in Springfield, IL; and 4.61 inches (on the 7th) in St. Joseph, MO. St. Joseph’s total set a record for any July day, previously set with 3.98 inches on July 30, 2020. Late in the week, parts of the Southeast continued to receive heavy rain, as daily-record totals were established in locations such as Lumberton, NC (3.36 inches on July 8), and Anniston, AL (3.04 inches on July 9).

 

Heat returned across the central and southern Plains and the South. By July 5, daily-record highs on the Plains soared to 110°F in Hill City, KS, and 103°F in Burlington, CO. A day later in Kansas, Medicine Lodge tallied a daily-record high of 106°F. Meanwhile, in the Southeast, record-setting highs for the 5th reached 101°F in Tupelo, MS, and 100°F in Huntsville, AL. Raleigh-Durham, NC, posted consecutive daily-record highs of 102°F on July 6-7. In Florida, daily-record highs included 96°F (on July 6) in Tampa; 97°F (on July 7) in Orlando; and 97°F (on July 9) in Daytona Beach. Meanwhile in Texas, Abilene registered consecutive daily-record highs (103 and 105°F, respectively) on July 5-6. During the mid- to late-week period, heat built northward into the mid-South and parts of the Midwest. Memphis, TN, posted consecutive daily-record highs (101 and 103°F, respectively) on July 7-8. With a high of 101°F on July 8, North Little Rock, AR, saw the end of its longest streak without 100-degree heat in the last 45 years. North Little Rock’s streak without a 100-degree reading had lasted almost 7 years, from August 9, 2015, to July 7, 2022. Late in the week, extreme heat began to shift westward, with Wichita Falls, TX, and Lawton, OK, experiencing daily-record highs of 110°F on July 8. By Saturday, July 9, blistering heat covered the western Gulf Coast region and the central and southern Plains. Triple-digit, daily-record highs for July 9 affected dozens of locations, including Texarkana, AR (108°F); Tyler, TX (107°F); Chadron, NE (107°F); Austin – Camp Mabry, TX (106°F); Shreveport, LA (105°F); and Denver, CO (100°F). Austin – Camp Mabry went on to tie a monthly record for that location on July 10, reaching 110°F. Warmth covered much of Alaska in early July, with near-normal temperatures limited to the southwestern part of the state. With a high of 84°F on July 4, Juneau tied a record for its warmest Independence Day on record. Later, Bethel posted a daily record-tying high (82°F) for July 9.

 

10-16: The combination of heat and dryness across much of the western and central U.S. resulted in adverse  impacts on some rangeland, pastures, and rain-fed summer crops, especially in drought-affected areas from California to the central and southern Plains. In fact, hot, mostly dry weather (temperatures averaging at least 5°F above normal in many locations) dominated areas from the Pacific Coast to the Plains, although locally significant showers peppered the Four Corners States. Temperatures topped 100°F in a vast area of the country, including most non-coastal and lower-elevation sites from California to the central and southern Plains. Scattered temperatures near 110°F were reported on the Plains as far north as southwestern Nebraska. Meanwhile, temperatures locally averaged more than 3°F below normal in the lower Great Lakes region and the middle and southern Atlantic States. Elsewhere, significant showers (locally 4 inches or more) dotted the Gulf Coast region and the southern Atlantic States, while drier-thannormal conditions prevailed in the Northeast. The week began with a touch of cool weather in the Northeast, where daily-record lows for July 10 in New York dipped to 34°F in Saranac Lake and 46°F in Glens Falls. Meanwhile, early-week heat spiked across the Plains, with high temperatures on July 10 soaring to 111°F in Hill City, KS, and McCook, NE. That marked McCook’s highest reading since June 26, 2012, when the temperature peaked at 115°F. Meanwhile in Texas, monthly records were set or tied on July 10 in locations such as College Station (111°F); Austin – Camp Mabry (110°F); and Houston (105°F). College Station’s previous record of 110°F had been set on July 11, 1917, while Houston tied a record that had not been achieved since July 26, 1954. On July 11, San Antonio, TX, tied a monthly record (107°F) that had been set just 2 years ago, on July 13, 2020. Laredo, TX, posted triple-digit high temperatures on each of the first 16 days of July (and counting), including a dailyrecord reading of 110°F on July 11. In addition, Laredo last received measurable rain on May 25. Elsewhere in Texas, San Angelo and Del Rio also collected daily-record highs of 110°F on July 11. College Station topped the 105-degree mark each day from July 9-13, falling just short of its longest such streak on record (7 consecutive days from August 30 – September 5, 2000). During the second half of the week, heat again surged northward, after briefly retreating. In Nebraska, record-setting highs for July 14 included 106°F in North Platte and 104°F in Chadron. On July 15-16, Borger, TX, closed the week with consecutive daily-record highs (105°F both days). By July 16, tripledigit, daily-record highs spread to other areas, with temperatures rising to 103°F in St. Louis, MO, and 100°F in Missoula, MT. Extreme heat also prevailed across the central Plains, where highs for July 16 in Kansas surged to 109°F in Dodge City and 106°F in Garden City. That represented Dodge City’s highest temperature since June 27, 2012, when it was 111°F. It was also Dodge City’s hottest July day on record, tying July 27, 2011, and several earlier dates.

 

17-23: Hot, mostly dry weather dominated the nation’s mid-section, increasing stress on rangeland, pastures, and a variety of summer crops, including cotton and sorghum. Consistent with other periods of extreme heat earlier this growing season, some of the most serious agricultural impacts were focused across the central and southern Plains, extending toward the Mississippi Delta. In fact, hotter-than-normal weather dominated the country, with record-setting temperatures briefly returning across the Southwest and migrating into the Northeast. Near- normal weekly temperatures were limited to just a few regions, including parts of the Northwest and Southeast.

 

Weekly temperatures averaged more than 5°F above normal in many locations from the Four Corners region to the central and southern Plains and the midSouth. A second area of anomalous heat (temperatures also more than 5°F above normal) stretched from portions of the Great Lakes region to the northern Atlantic Coast. Record-shattering heat gripped the nation’s mid-section, with the most extreme conditions focused across the central and southern Plains. The Plains’ heat peaked early in the week and again toward week’s end. At times, temperatures soared in the Southwest, while late-week heat spread into parts of the East. However, much of the northern and eastern Corn Belt avoided stressful heat for reproductive to filling summer crops, as temperatures generally remained below 95°F. Salt Lake City, UT, tied an all-time station record with a high of 107°F on July 17. Meanwhile, Wichita Falls, TX, reported highs of 110°F or greater each day from July 17-20, including a reading of 115°F on the 19th. Wichita Falls’ 115- degree temperature marked the highest reading in that location since June 28, 1980, when it was 117°F. With a reading of 114°F on July 19, Lawton, OK, tied for its second-highest temperature on record, behind only 115°F on August 11, 1936. Farther north, Chadron, NE (111°F on July 18), reported its highest temperature since August 1926. In many of the hottest areas, there was little night-time relief. For example, records for all-time highest minimum temperature were tied in locations such as Dallas-Fort Worth, TX (86°F on July 18), and Texarkana, AR (83°F on July 18, 19, and 20). Between June 12 and July 23, Galveston, TX, reported 17 days with a minimum temperature of 85°F or greater, breaking its annual record of 13 such days in 2019 and 2020. From 1874 to 1993, Galveston experienced a single day (June 24, 1881), with a low temperature of 85°F or above. Daily-record high temperatures were observed far beyond the persistently hot areas. In Montana, for example, record-setting highs for July 17 included 108°F in Glasgow and 106°F in Miles City. In Colorado, Pueblo posted daily-record highs of 105 and 108°F, respectively, on July 18 and 23. Pueblo’s only higher reading, 109°F, occurred on July 13, 2003. Amid competition from long-ago heat waves, including 1936, daily-record highs for July 19 were not broken in locations such as Childress, TX (113°F), and Tulsa, OK (108°F). Still, Columbia, MO, reported four consecutive triple-digit readings (100, 104, 105, and 100°F) from July 21- 24, including the highest temperature in that location since July 31, 2012. Texarkana, AR, notched highs of 95°F or greater each day from July 4-23 (and continuing), with the temperature peaking at 105°F or higher on July 8-9 and 17-20. In addition, Texarkana received no measurable rain in July until 0.12 inch fell on the 21st. Meanwhile in Arizona, consecutive dailyrecord highs were set on July 21-22 in locations such as Page (107 and 106°F, respectively) and Winslow (104°F both days). At week’s end, heat reached the Northeast, where record-setting highs for July 23 rose to 97°F in Albany, NY, and Providence, RI.

 

24-30: A few cold-frontal showers affected the North, while afternoon thundershowers stretched from the central Gulf Coast region to Florida. Most other parts of the country experienced dry weather. In the Pacific Coast States and the Northwest, building heat accompanied dry weather, leading to an increase in wildfire activity.  

 

Northwestern weekly temperatures broadly averaged at least 5 to 10°F above normal. The south-central U.S. also noted hot, mostly dry weather, with temperatures locally averaging more than 5°F above normal, although rain began to encroach late in the week from the north. Elsewhere, readings averaged as much as 5°F below normal in the Southwest, especially in parts of Arizona, as well as scattered locations across the northern and central Plains and western Corn Belt. With extreme heat primarily focused across the South and West, temperatures remained below 90°F throughout the week in much of the Corn Belt. The lack of heat favored reproductive to filling summer crops, although pockets of Midwestern drought remained a concern. Farther south, however, high temperatures of 100°F or greater baked the southern half of the Plains, extending into the mid-South. Coverage of triple-digit heat, which extended as far north as southern Kansas and central Missouri, decreased late in the week. Meanwhile in the Far West, temperatures topped 100°F at nearly all lower-elevation sites away from the Pacific Coast. However, as the week began, heat briefly lingered in the Northeast. July 24 was the fifth consecutive day of 100-degree heat in Newark, NJ, a record-setting streak for that location. Newark’s high on July 24 soared to 102°F. Boston, MA (100°F), also reported a tripledigit reading on July 24. Meanwhile in Missouri, record-setting highs for July 24 soared to 105°F in Joplin and 103°F in West Plains. Elsewhere on the 24th in Missouri, Columbia reported its last of 4 consecutive days with 100-degree heat; Columbia’s high of 105°F on July 23 had represented the hottest weather in that location since the summer of 2012, when there were 9 days with highs of 105°F or greater. Soon, Western intensification heat led to a multitude of daily-record highs. From July 25-31, Ellensburg, WA, collected seven consecutive daily-record highs (101, 103, 105, 109, 107, 105, and 106°F). In addition, Ellensburg’s 109-degree reading on the 28th was a July record, eclipsing 107°F on July 8, 2012. Similarly, Montague, CA, set six daily records in a row from July 25-30, with highs of 106, 107, 110, 111, 111, and 110°F. With a high of 105°F on July 28, Mount Shasta City, CA, tied an all-time-record high temperature previously set on August 7, 1981. That record was broken on July 29, when Mount Shasta City hit 106°F. Monthly records were tied or broken on July 29 in locations such as Dallesport, WA (112°F); Hermiston, OR (112°F); and Redmond, OR (109°F). Hermiston last attained a July reading of 112°F on July 27, 1939. Late in the week, heat lingered across the Deep South and spread across the northern High Plains. In Florida, Tampa closed July with a trio of daily-record highs, reaching 97°F each day. In San Angelo, TX, July 31 was the 28th consecutive day with a high temperature of 100°F or greater, tying the station record set from July 2-29, 2011. Finally, July ended with consecutive daily-record highs in Montana locations such as Missoula (102 and 104°F) and Helena (101°F both days).

 

 

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com