July Was Cooler Than Normal for Much of the Country
July ended up being cooler than normal for the northern and eastern parts of the US, in some cases setting records or near records for the cold weather.
In Atlanta, the average temperature of 78.1 was 1.9 degrees cooler than normal, and cooler than it was in June, when the average temperature was 79.8 degrees, or three degrees above normal. July’s colder than normal temperatures were helped out by low humidity and much colder than normal lows from the 18th through the 21st, with two record low temperatures set during that time.
Atlanta was not the only location to have a colder than normal July. In New York City, the average temperature of 72.7 was 3.8 degrees below normal, continuing a trend that began earlier in the spring. With a high temperature of 84 degrees in June and 86 in July, this was the second time New York weather failed to reach 90 degrees in June or July. The other time was in 1996.
Other cities with colder than normal temperatures in July include Chicago, whose average temperature of 71.0 degrees was 4.5 degrees colder than normal; Cincinnati, with a 70.9, 5.9 degrees colder than normal and Kansas City, Missouri, with an average of 75.4, 3.1 degrees colder than normal.
The heat did show up in much of Texas. In Houston, the average temperature of 86.7 was 3.1 degrees warmer then normal, and in Austin, the average of 89 was 4.8 degrees warmer than normal.
Rainfall in Georgia seemed to be concentrated in the western part of the state. Atlanta ended up with 5.02 inches of July rain, just slightly less than normal. However in Lawrenceville, I only received 3.48 inches, most of it on the last few days of the month. In Athens, only 1.33 inches of precipitation fell, which was 30% of normal July rainfall.
The other thing that was missing in July was any sign of tropical weather activity. No storms were observed in either June or July in the Atlantic basin, and the team over at Colorado State University has lowered its predictions for the season to ten named storms from the eleven forecast back in early June, and four hurricanes, down from five predicted earlier.
The comparatively light hurricane forecast is due to the development of El Nino conditions in the Pacific ocean. The warmer than normal ocean temperatures tend to produce greater than normal upper level winds, which prevent storm from forming as easily.
The busiest period for tropical storms and hurricanes is typically from mid-August to late September, so we still have to face the heart of the season. And, remember than even though there are fewer than normal storms, the few storms than do occur can still be major–remember Andrew in 1992. It was the first named storm of the season, and devastated Miami and southern Florida.
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August 6th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
as usual, well-written and insightful. thanks.