Northern Utah has so far been sheltered from the southwest heat wave, but that will be changing this week.
All-time records set over the weekend include 120F in Las Vegas (old record 117F) and 124F in Palm Springs (old record 123). Bishop, Barstow-Daggett, and Desert Rock tied their all-time highs.
The Salt Lake City International Airport has been "blissfully cool" so far this July with temperatures maxing out in the 80s from July 1-4 and then in the low-to-mid 90s from July 5-7. Minimum temperatures have been in the 50s and 60s.
Temperatures, however, will be climbing during the first part of the work week and are forecast to reach the triple digits from Wednesday through Sunday.
Those forecast highs are close to, but not above records (104 for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; 105 for Friday; 107 for Saturday; 104 for Sunday), but they are close enough that one can't rule out a record being tied or falling.
For kicks and giggles, let's look at the forecasts for Saturday, although Friday also looks blisteringly hot. Saturday's record high just happens to be 107, the highest on record for the SaltLake city Airport (note that 107 has been reached five times). The GFS forecast 700-mb (about 10,000 ft) temperatures for the airport at 3 PM and 6 PM on Saturday are 20.2C and 20.5C, respectively. The highest observed by weather balloon in northern Utah is 20.2C, so this is "rarified air." The middle 50% of forecasts from the National Blend of Models for Saturday fall between 104 and 106 degrees. The lowest 10% are 102F or lower. However, the upper 10% are 108 or higher, so it is not out of the realm of possibility that we crack a record.
Take it easy and check on vulnerable friends and neighbors during this period.
The previous all-time high in Las Vegas was 117, which had happened five times. If there have been no recent changes to the measurement site, then this new record high of 120F is quite remarkable.
ReplyDeleteFurnace Creek reached 129° yesterday. This is not an all-time record high, but temperatures of 128 or above have become quite common in recent decades, where they were previously rare. I think that 128° was first reached at the current Furnace Creek site in 1972, and this temperature was not seen again until 1994. Since 1994, there have been at least five highs of 128, four highs of 129, and two highs of 130. I am not aware of any changes to the measurement site, and I think that the Furnace Creek site is generally considered unimpeachable.
The purported 134° high at the old Greenland Ranch site is almost universally considered to be inaccurate, and there have been numerous papers written on this. I know that it is very difficult to get an old temperature record expunged, but I feel that this “record” really needs to be removed from the books. It is commonly used by climate change deniers as an example of how it has been much hotter in the past, so the climate is not really warming. The Death Valley all-time high temperature record is very important, and the accurate records from Furnace Creek clearly show a trend towards higher and higher maximum temperatures in recent decades.
If we actually see a 700mb temp of 20.3+ then I predict KSLC will hit 108 for a new all time high record, especially considering the ground cover directly around KSLC has changed from a natural grassy/weedy area to a dark dirt/gravel area.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the ground cover changes (and buildings) around KLAS over the last 20+ years I don't see anything as dramatic as KSLC but it has changed a little. The 120 record appears to be remarkable indeed.
I do question the 117 Utah record at St George considering that was the long time record for Las Vegas which is lower in elevation. I assume the official St George observation is now at the new airport out away from the city? Does anyone know where the 117 temperature recorded was taken from? The old airport near the city or some other downtown location?