August 12, 1998
Eastern Washington outranks Texas for above-normal July heat
There’s no denying July was unbearably, deadly hot in Texas. But when it came to higher-than-normal mercury readings, Eastern Washington ranked well ahead of most of the Southwest.
While parts of Texas typically had temperatures a little more than 5 degrees above normal in July, many areas of Eastern Washington were closer to 6 degrees above normal. The only readings further above average were in Oklahoma, said Philip Mote, a University of Washington research scientist with the Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean.
Mote examined National Weather Service and Climate Data Center temperature records for weather stations and climate divisions across the nation to make his determination. Each state typically contains six to 10 climate divisions. Divisions in Washington ranked third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth in terms of higher-than-normal temperature in July. Divisions in Oklahoma ranked first, second and sixth, while one Texas division was No. 9 and one in Arkansas was No. 10. Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana divisions occupied all but one position from 11 to 20 – one in Idaho ranked 17th.
The greatest increase from normal, 6.18 degrees in an Oklahoma climate division, barely edged Division 6 in Washington, which covers the eastern slopes of the Cascades and was 6.08 degrees above normal. Looking at records for individual Eastern Washington climate stations, Mote found that Spokane was 5.7 degrees above normal in July, Yakima was 5.4 degrees higher and the Hanford Nuclear Reservation was 6 degrees hotter than usual. Hanford hit a high reading of 112 degrees on July 28.
“If I had my choice of living in Dallas and living in Pasco, I’d take Pasco,” Mote said. “Even though the temperature difference was greater in Pasco, the actual temperature was a lot more tolerable.”
Incidentally, the climate division that includes most of the Puget Sound region was just 1.9 degrees warmer than normal in July.
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For more information, contact Mote at (206) 616-5346, by e-mail at philip@atmos.washington.edu or page him at (206) 994-6945.
