Source: NOAA Regional Climate Centers
I've beaten this storyline like a rented mule, but here goes again. This July was quite hot in Salt Lake City by 20th century standards, but about middle-of-the road by early 21st century standards. In fact, it ranks 13th out of the 20 Julys since 2001.
If you want to see real heat, look at Phoenix. The average temperature at the airport there in July was an incredible 98.9˚F, the hottest month on record at that location.
Source: NOAA Regional Climate CentersCloud and precipitation observations indicate that the monsoon was largely a "nonsoon" for Utah, Arizona, and points west. Outgoing long-wave radiation, commonly used for infrared satellite imagery, was anomalously high across much of the western United States in July, as indicated by the anomaly (departure from average) map below. This is consistent with a lack of deep convection (thunderstorms) and high cloud cover.
Source: NOAA/ESRL/PSL
The percent of average precipitation was at or below average across much of Arizona and Utah as well. Although there are a few areas in southern Utah and northern Arizona above average (e.g., the area around Capitol Reef National Park), these were the result of localized, intense storms. For most of the region, precipitation was scant.
This pattern of limited monsoon moisture and precipitation in western and northern Arizona and Utah looks to persist for the next several days. Monsoonal thunderstorms during the period look most likely in southeast Arizona and New Mexico. About the only positive for northern Utah is a lowering of temperatures with highs in the low 90s on Tuesday. 100s look likely for Salt Lake City today and tomorrow (Sunday). Ugh.
Thanks for the great post. That 98.9 degree daily mean stat for Phoenix is just amazing. Horrible.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to heat, I am with you. I Hate it. If I don't need a jacket, it is too hot. Anyhow, the avg. temp chart for Phoenix is striking. My question is; since the Phoenix airport is basically in the middle of the city, how much of an effect do you think there is of a "heat sink" issue? Since the 1960's there has be a dramatic buildup of Phoenix surrounding the airport. More concrete = more heat. However, since it is desert, perhaps it not so much of an issue. I am always leery of airport measurements for that reason.
ReplyDeleteThat chart for Phoenix is truly scary.
ReplyDeletePhoenix does put this Utah heat wave in perspective. How can I generate a graph like the ones you have at the top of this post? I've been playing around with the different options on xmACIS and can't seem to find one that gives me a graph like that. I can get a table with that same data, but it just doesn't have the same visual impact.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, yesterday evening's 700mb temperature was 19.8C, which appears to be a record high for the entire month of August.
Under "single station" click on "seasonal time series". Set it to the season, month, or period (using other) of interest and set the variable to avg temp. Select station based on NWS County Warning area. If you aren't getting a graph, look in the "Options selection" and make sure Graph is checked.
DeleteAwesome, thanks! There are just so many options on there that it's hard to find the right one.
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