As a follow up to last Friday’s story about New York University’s energy reduction this past summer, The Washington Post, UPI, and CBS’s Dallas affiliate provide the following facts about the heat waves from this summer.
- Nationally, 1,966 daily high maximum temperature records have been broken or tied so far this month (through July 23). Sixty-six of those records were all-time maximum temperature records. According to UPI, The National Weather Service said 2,676 daily record high temperatures were broken or tied in July across the United States, topping the total from last year’s hot July by more than 1,200.
- More impressive, however, are the figures for highest minimum temperature records. Because of the extremely high humidity levels during this heat wave, a whopping 4,376 record highest minimum temperature records were broken or tied through July 23. Of those minimum temperature records, 158 were all-time records
- At Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, a record high minimum temperature of 80 F was set on July 18 and 20. Also, a heat index value of 119 degrees was calculated from a temperature of 95 F and dew point of 82 F at the airport on July 19. That dew point reading was the highest dew point temperature reported on an hourly observation at that location since such records began in 1945, the National Weather Service reported. On a related note, I arrived at the airport in between these two days.
- Dallas, Texas recently suffered through its second longest streak of consecutive of days where the temperature reached at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The streak reached 40 days, mercifully ending two weeks ago. For real time statistics on Dallas’s heat streak, see NOAA’s website.
- The heat peaked in the East on July 22 and 23, when numerous daily and all-time temperature records fell. The following 10 facts are related to this peak:
- Newark, NJ set a new all-time record high of 108 F on July 22, breaking the old record of 105 degrees, set on August 9, 2001.
- New York’s Central Park reached 104 F on July 22, which was the city’s second-hottest temperature on record.
- Atlantic City, NJ set a new daily record high of 105 degrees on July 22, making it the city’s second-hottest day on record. (This reading was tied the next day.)
- Washington Dulles International Airport broke it’s all-time record July 22, reaching 105 degrees.
- Baltimore Washington International Airport set it’s second highest temperature all-time July 22, reaching 106 degrees.
- Washington Reagan National Airport tied its all-time record high minimum temperature of 84 on July 23 and 24.
- Hartford, CT set a new all-time record high of 103 F on July 22.
- Bridgeport, CT tied its all-time record high of 103 F on July 22.
- The high of 103 F in Boston on July 22 was the city’s hottest day in exactly 85 years
- Raleigh-Durham North Carolina hit at least 100 for five consecutive days (July 20-24), breaking the old record of four.