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

May of 2014 began locally with a near-record early season warm spell with afternoon highs in the 80s both in town and across much of the rest of the Inland Empire.

This almost summerlike weather prompted several Press subscribers to ask me to list our hottest summers in Coeur d'Alene since 1895. They also wanted to know if this summer, following a series of cooler than normal years, would finally produce a triple-digit reading at my station on Player Drive.

Our warmest summer season in the past 119 years since 1895, the inception of local daily weather record-keeping in Coeur d'Alene, was 47 years ago in 1967. I remember it well.

All-time record heat and parching drought that summer baked virtually the entire Far West for weeks on end. There were dozens of wildfires in nine states.

The average daily maximum reading that blistering summer was an incredible 9 degrees above normal at 90.8 degrees between June 21 and Sept. 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 two or three 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 2014. The 118-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 35 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? Despite the early season unusually warm May, I don't believe that this fast-approaching summer of 2014 will be in the 'top 10' seasons of extreme heat since 1895. But, I do believe that we will observe at least one or two afternoons with highs at or above 100 degrees and a minimum of 25 other days with hot 'Sholeh readings' at or above 90 degrees in Coeur d'Alene. Again, only time will tell. It could even be hotter than I'm now expecting if our new warmer 'El Nino' develops quickly in the tepid waters of the Pacific Ocean.

NORTH IDAHO WEATHER REVIEW AND LONG-RANGE OUTLOOKS

Our delightful weather pattern of 'sun and showers' continues across the Inland Northwest. This past week has been great, not too warm and not too cool overnight, no killer frosts.

We don't see much in the way of major weather changes locally in the next 30 days or so through mid June, but temperatures could soar into the lower 90s sometime during mid to late June as high pressure builds back into our part of the country.

The summer of 2014, thanks to a stationary ridge of high pressure camped over the Pacific Northwest, should be both warmer and drier than normal, about 'perfect' for most outdoor activities, if one wears a hat and lots of sunscreen for protection from the hot sun.

The current long-range outlook for this year's edition of the North Idaho Fair and Rodeo in late August still calls for mostly sunny and warm conditions, but not extremely hot.

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