July 2016 was a Hot One

Did you think July was hot?? It sure was! The second half of the month we observed higher than normal temperatures every day.

Hot Cool Down

It's been a hot week in the western states. Tonight we're getting some relief in some parts. I'm sitting just outside my front door feeling the cool breeze from the downdraft of a thunderstorm.

It looks like there is widespread rain in Utah county, but not many drops are actually.

Wow! Just saw the flash of light from this strike, and heard the thunder...

As I was saying, not many rain drops are reaching the ground. The radar illusion is caused because the rain drops are evaporating before they hit the ground. When the temperature reaches the wetbulb temperature we can expect rain, but a low wet-bulb temperature means the air is dry enough for water to evaporate. Yep, still a large gap between the actual temperature and the wetbulb temperature...

 Evaporating water causes air to cool and sink rapidly. When the sinking air hits the ground it spreads laterally. That is why it has been fairly gusty here in Provo the last 15 minutes. See the recent spike to 15 mph winds...

Tomorrow I'll share and discuss some pictures of rain I experienced in Idaho's Sawtooth Mountain Range this weekend.

Back to the 90s

Yesterday was the first day this year we hit 90 degrees. In Spanish Fork we hit a high of 92. Here's a screenshot from my current conditions page from yesterday afternoon...

It was a hot one. We could easily make it to 90 degrees again today if the clouds don't get too thick. Here's the last 24 hour temperature in Spanish Fork. We're currently at 87 in Spanish Fork at 1:50 PM.

Today at work I'm working on processing HRRR data, so here's a screenshot of temperatures (in Celsius) in the western US for June 1st. I've roughly outlined where Utah is at...

Sunny California

When I think of California I think of palm trees, In-N-Out Burger, and perfect weather. There is a reason for the perfect weather in California. A high pressure off the west coast usually dominates during the summer. High pressures are areas of sinking air. Sinking air inhibits cloud growth and also warms surface temperatures. However, a breeze from the ocean during the day, called a sea breeze, brings cool ocean air inland. Marine air is cool because water doesn't heat up as quickly as land. Water has a high specific heat and the water is churning. A perfect mix of cloudless days and a cool breeze keeps temperatures near the coast in the 70's.

Last weekend I swam in the Pacific Ocean for the first time. I've touched the Pacific several times before, but it's always been too cold to swim. Finally, I had my chance. Huntington Beach screams California: surfboards, volleyball, sand, and sun. My favorite part was swimming into the waves and letting the waves knock me over.

The weather seems too good to be true here. I need to remember that California is a big state. Below is an image from Mesowest showing the high temperatures on June 27, 2013. Temperatures were cool along the coast where there is a large marine influence, but step over the mountains and you're in the hot desert. Remember, California is also home to Death Valley, perhaps the hottest place in the United States! Most western states will experience 100 degree temperatures this weekend. I'll go to the beach again and enjoy 80 degrees.