Heat, other extreme records continue to fall

Last week, I wrote about the extreme heat that has been reported across the globe. As we move further into July, the heat continues to intensify as millions of people have been under dangerous heat warnings. In addition to the heat in the southern portions of the country, there have also been reports of flooding in the Northeast and severe weather in Chicago.

All-time record heat is possible across the southwestern portions of the country as the heat dome intensifies. As of the weekend, Death Valley, which holds the record for the world’s hottest temperature at 134 degrees back in 1913, was closing in on 130 degrees. Temperatures this week in Death Valley are expected to be near to above 120 degrees.

More than 115 million people were under heat warnings across the southern U.S. late last week. Phoenix may also surpass its 18-day record of highs at or above 110 degrees this week as the heat in this part of the country is not expected to let up. For an entire year, Phoenix normally experiences 21 days with highs at or above 110 degrees, so there’s a good chance that record will be broken this summer.

Extreme heat has also been gripping parts of Europe as temperatures have been soaring above the 100-degree mark. According to the European Space Agency, the islands of Sicily and Sardinia in Italy have been dealing with unrelenting 100-degree heat, which is expected to continue this week. The hottest day in Europe happened in 2021 with a sizzling 119.8 degrees and there’s a chance that this record could also fall this summer as well.

Spain and Greece have also experienced extreme heat. Highs have been near 100 degrees on Spain’s resort island in the Mediterranean Sea. It’s been so hot in Greece that tourist attractions in Athens had to be shut down last week. The Italian Meteorological Society named this ferocious heatwave the “Cerberus” heatwave, named after the three-headed monster from Greek mythology.

With extreme heat in the southern U.S., we’ve also seen extreme weather to the north. Last Wednesday, multiple tornadoes were spotted across Chicago’s metro area and also near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Over two dozen homes sustained significant damage from the twisters.

In the Northeast, it’s been the case of heavy flooding that has hit New York and Vermont very hard. Very intense rainstorms that began July 9 resulted in water levels for some rivers climbing to around 20 feet above normal in those areas. The flooding in Vermont is the state’s worst since 1927 as officials say that over two months' worth of rain fell in parts of this state within 48 hours. Major cities in the Northeast like Boston, Philadelphia and New York City may also have renewed risk of flooding this week due to the potential of more heavy rainfall.

And, it’s not just the northeastern U.S. that has been inundated with rain. There have also been reports of heavy flooding in northern India and on the island of Kyushu in Japan. However, some of the deadliest floods have been in South Korea. Periods of torrential rains have been falling since July 9, which has resulted in the deaths of nearly three dozen people.

According to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, there have been 12 billion-dollar climate disasters in the United States from Jan. 1 through July 11, 2023. Last year, there were 18 weather and climate disasters that cost over a billion dollars, and it was the third costliest year in history with a total of at least $165 billion in damages. The year with the most billion-dollar events was back in 2020 with a total of 22.

In terms of our local weather, the weekend was hot across the Inland Northwest with widespread 90-degree temperatures. In Coeur d’Alene, there have been eight days with high temperatures at or above 90 degrees this year. The cooler weather is expected to be short-lived as more hot weather is expected late this week with another round of 90-degree temperatures in Coeur d’Alene and surrounding areas.

Our summer season, like many over the last 20 years, is looking dry once again. Since the first day of the astronomical summer, which began June 21, only 0.41 inches have fallen at Cliff’s station in northwestern Coeur d’Alene.

July of 2023 is likely to end up well below the normal of 0.92 inches as we’ve only picked up 0.19 inches for the month. The long-range computer models are continuing to show the strong ridge of high pressure dominating the western U.S. through at least the end of the month. Unless we see an afternoon shower or thunderstorm, the rest of July could be rainless here in the Inland Northwest.

Despite the very dry pattern, we could see moisture briefly pick up later in August. But, during El Niño years, the fall seasons are often drier than normal. Stay tuned.

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Contact Randy Mann at randy@longrangeweather.com.