Record July heat in the Northwest and the world

It’s another hot and dry summer season across the Inland Northwest. July was one of the hottest months in history in Coeur d’Alene and surrounding regions. Despite starting off last month with highs in the upper 70s, the average high temperature was 90.1 degrees, which was about 7 degrees above normal levels. This wasn’t the hottest July ever recorded in Coeur d’Alene. In terms of high temperatures, the warmest was in July 2021 with an average high of 92.35 degrees.

As of the weekend, there have been 22 days with highs at or above the 90-degree mark at Cliff’s station in Coeur d’Alene. There have also been five days when the mercury topped the 100-degree mark. The hottest day of the summer occurred July 21 with a high of 105 degrees. The average low temperature for last month in Coeur d’Alene was 58.5 degrees.

It was a hotter July at the Spokane International Airport with an average high temperature of 92.6 degrees. For most of July, the airport’s temperatures were above average and there were 14 days with readings at least 10 degrees above normal with a scorching 107 degrees July 21. According to the National Weather Service, this was the hottest month in Spokane’s history dating back to 1881.

In terms of moisture, July was very dry across the region. Only 0.04 inches was measured in Coeur d’Alene last month, compared to a normal of 0.92 inches. The Spokane International Airport only received a puny 0.01 inches. Their July normal is 0.42 inches. Some of the outlying stations in North Idaho last month did receive additional moisture thanks to scattered showers and thunderstorm activity.

This month did start out very hot and dry across the region as a 102-degree reading was reported in Coeur d’Alene on Aug. 2. It looks like we’ve seen the hottest weather of the season as the long-range computer models are pointing to temperatures being mostly in the 80s to near 90 degrees over the next several weeks. However, conditions are still looking to be much drier than normal, which could last through at least the end of the month and into September. Our average precipitation for August in Coeur d’Alene is 1.23 inches and we’ve only picked up 0.14 inches as of the weekend. Unless there is a thunderstorm or two that drops a lot of rain in a short period of time, August of 2024 will be another very dry month across the Inland Northwest.

In addition to the Inland Northwest, record summer heat has been reported across much of the U.S. as well as Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In Japan, for example, high temperatures were near 100 degrees with very high humidity, creating very dangerous temperatures. I was recently in this part of the world, and I have to say, it was the hottest weather I’ve ever experienced.

Record warmth and dryness in the Far West have led to outbreaks of numerous wildfires. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there are approximately 80 large wildfires burning across the western states, including 23 in Oregon, nine in Washington and 13 in Idaho.

In the Southern Hemisphere, July is the middle of the winter season. Temperatures in the middle of Antarctica were near about -5 degrees Fahrenheit last month. Although this is very cold, amazingly, it was nearly 50 degrees warmer than average. Many stations across Antarctica reported their warmest July since the early 2000s.

The latest forecasts for the upcoming fall season are pointing to warmer and drier than normal weather east of the Rockies and across California and the Desert Southwest. However, the exception to this pattern is expected in our region as conditions are to likely turn to the cooler and wetter side later in September or October. The chances for winter snowfall are also higher this upcoming season thanks to the potentially developing La Niña.

One of the reasons for the warmer conditions across the U.S. and other parts of the world is the higher-than-average sea-surface temperatures in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Despite the cooling of ocean waters along the equatorial regions, which is likely to lead to a new La Niña late this year, global weather patterns are likely to continue to see the effects of the warmer waters for the next several months.

In fact, the tropical storm and hurricane season is expected to increase dramatically by late August and into September. Currently, there have been five named storms, which have included two hurricanes. The average number of named storms in the Atlantic and Caribbean waters is 14, but many are predicting at least 20 systems before the season officially ends Nov. 30. On July 1, Hurricane Beryl was the earliest Category 5 hurricane in history. It was also the second Category 5 on record during July in the Atlantic Ocean.

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Contact Randy Mann at randy@longrangeweather.com.