The summers of 1939, 1961 and 1967 were the hottest ever in Coeur d'Alene

Several subscribers have asked me recently to list the exceptionally hot summer seasons since 1895 in Coeur d'Alene and the rest of the Inland Empire.

The warmest summer season in the last 117 years since the beginning of regular local weather record-keeping in 1895 occurred 44 years ago in 1967. I remember it well. All-time record heat that summer baked the entire western U.S. for weeks on end. Wells went dry. There were many fires.

The average daily maximum reading that blistering summer was an incredible 9 degrees above normal at 90.8 degrees between June 21 and September 23, 1967, in Coeur d'Alene.

There were 16 afternoons in 1967 with scorching temperatures at or above 100 degrees in town. There were 45 days with 'Sholeh' readings of 90 degrees or higher. By comparison, Randy and I are forecasting just 2 or 3 afternoons this upcoming summer season near or above 100 degrees in the Coeur d'Alene region. We should see about 25 to 30 days in the 90s in 2011. The 117-year normal is one afternoon near the century mark and 21 days in the 90s between June 21 and Sept. 23.

The second hottest summer season on record took place in 1961. That sweltering three-month span saw 15 afternoons in Coeur d'Alene at or above 100 degrees. There were a total of 43 days at or above the 90-degree 'Sholeh' mark, pretty warm indeed.

The most intense summer heatwave on record since 1895 occurred from Aug. 2-5 in 1961. On Aug. 4, 1961, the mercury peaked in town at an all-time record egg-frying 109 degrees. It was 112 degrees in the Spokane Valley.

In third place in the all-time hottest summer ever standings in Coeur d'Alene is 1939, three years before this climatologist's birth in 1942, likewise a very hot summer.

There were a dozen afternoons during that pre-World War II summer with triple-digit temperatures. An additional 25 afternoons that season reached 90 degrees or above in town.

Our hottest July day on record in Coeur d'Alene was a toasty 108 degrees on July 28, 1939, just a degree cooler than the all-time high of 109 degrees on Aug. 4, 1961, as mentioned previously.

One farm northwest of Coeur d'Alene reported an unofficial maximum reading of 114 degrees that same oven-like afternoon. It was 120 degrees on July 28, 1939 at Walla Walla, Wash.!

Believe it or not, in the past two decades of supposed 'global warming,' we haven't seen a single summer season hot enough to be listed in the 'top 10' in the all-time heat parade. Most summers, in fact, have been cooler than normal. For example, the summer of 1991, following the volcanic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines, didn't even see one day above 89 degrees during the entire season.

Our hottest summer since 1990 occurred in 2006, which ended up in 16th place in the heat standings since 1895. That torrid summer had 38 'Sholeh Days,' well above the 23-day norm. There were four straight days of 100-degree plus heat from July 21-24, 2006, peaking at 104 degrees on July 23.

Will this summer finally crack the 'top 10' for extreme heat? I doubt it, but anything is possible in our current cycle of Wide Weather 'Extremes,' especially if the chilly 'La Nina' sea-surface temperature event finally dies off in the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

NORTH IDAHO WEATHER REVIEW AND LONG-RANGE OUTLOOKS

Last Wednesday, May 11, we finally saw our first afternoon in Coeur d'Alene since Oct. 6, 2010, with a high temperature above 70 degrees, when the mercury soared to a delightful 77 degrees.

This was the warmest reading locally since we observed 83 degrees on Oct. 2, 2010, more than seven months ago.

The next six weeks should see a relatively normal late spring pattern of 'sun and showers,' just what our newly-planted gardens will need. But, remember to cover those sensitive plants on the chilly nights. We could see more frosts and freezes into early June or later in the colder areas away from the warming bodies of water.

If 'La Nina' dies out as expected, the late June through mid September period in North Idaho and the rest of the Inland Empire should turn warmer and drier than usual under a large, stationary ridge of high pressure.

We may see as many as 25 to 30 'Sholeh Days' above 90 degrees this summer with at least 2 or 3 afternoons near or above the century mark.

Total precipitation for the 90-day span between June 21 and Sept. 20 should average only about 60 percent of normal. This could mean BIG TROUBLE as far as forest and brush fires are concerned. The wet winter and spring seasons have produced a lot of fuels in the nearby forests. Stay tuned for further updates.

Cliff Harris is a climatologist who writes a weekly column for The Press. His opinions are his own. E-mail sfharris@roadrunner.com