Yesterday brought some remarkably warm temperatures to the Salt Lake City area, with little overnight respite.
The minimum and maximum temperatures at the Salt Lake City Airport (KSLC) were 82 and 104, respectively, yielding an average temperature of 93 degrees.
The minimum of 82 and average temperature of 93 tied all-time records for KSLC. The 104 ties the record for the date, but falls short of the all-time record of 107.
The day was also exceptional at the Bountiful Bench site, which I like to use since the record there is continuous since the mid 1970s and the site characteristics seem to be relatively stable. There, the average temperature for the day, 89.5, was an all-time high.
And the minimum, 81, tied the all-time high (set on 3 other days).
Setting all-times for minimum and average but not quite reaching all-time for maximum likely reflects the warmth of the airmass combined with partial mid-level cloud cover. Minimum temperatures are more sensitive to partial cloud cover than maximum temperatures. Minimums stay very elevated, but maximums are cut just a bit.
It was quite warm last night too. The minimum through 6 AM at KSLC was 82, although it may have dipped a degree or two below that shortly after that (minimum and maximum temperatures can occur between observation times and are only reported every six hours).
July is most definitely a four-letter word.
The record minimum temperature at Bountiful Bench is remarkable for a site with an elevation over 5000 feet. I can’t find another reporting location in the United States over 5000 feet with a higher record minimum temperature. The all-time record minimum at Denver is 76°. The all-time record minimum in Prescott, Arizona and Cedar City is 79°.
ReplyDeleteThose sites are all in pretty flat terrain or in the middle of whatever valley they're located in. Bountiful Bench is on a mountainside adjacent to a valley that's almost 1000 feet lower. I'd have to think that might play a role - less effective cooling perhaps since radiationally cooled air would tend to flow downhill towards lower parts of the valley. That mechanism doesn't seem to really be possible at a place like KDEN or KCDC.
DeleteExactly. The Benches are west-facing so gets max solar heating in the late afternoon and evening, and doesn't get any pooling of cool air like at the Denver airport(s) official locations. Prescott and Cedar City official measurement sites are also closer to valley bottoms. July usually has calm nights that allow pooling of cooler air in low spots.
DeleteThat said, 82 is a crazy hot minimum for over 5000 ft in the intermountain West north of Arizona and NM.
DeleteNOT a fan of no longer being able to read your latest tweets unless I sign in to X. Any plans on switching?
ReplyDeleteI have an account on Threads, but the lack of efficient desktop access and ability to filter what I see only to followers is a major limitation for me. I may transfer over at some point if they can increase the functionality. It's too much of a waste of my time if I get their AI selected content and can't access things quickly from a desktop computer. I actually need big pictures for weather applications.
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ReplyDeleteI did a quick look back at the Bountiful bench site on Google Earth, not much change over the years but a dark fence did go in very close to the station around 2014 that is a potential heat source. The fence might not be a big deal but worth looking into to see how close it is. I drive between Lehi and Syracuse a few days a week between April and October and might be able to stop by at some point.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many things that can affect maximum and minimum temperatures. Even the irrigation frequency for the yard could play a role.
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