PROSSER, Wash. – A hot, dry start to July in Washington gave way to more normal temperatures mid-month and even a few surprisingly cool days at the end. Overall, temperatures were well above normal.
Areas east of the Cascade Mountains generally saw no new records, but Mount Vernon, Wash., experienced the warmest month on record.
On July 3, the high was 109 degrees at Orondo, near Wenatchee, Wash., while the low at Wahluke Slope near Hanford was 83 degrees. On July 9, Whitcomb Island, near Boardman, Ore., concluded a streak of 14 consecutive days above 100 degrees.
In an interesting twist, 0.83 inches of rain fell at Anatone, Wash., on July 11.
A storm system cooled things significantly starting on July 26.
“January 2 was the last time Prosser recorded a day that was as far below normal as July 26,” said AgWeatherNet meteorologist Nic Loyd. “Of course, that fact is more indicative of the incredible warmth of 2015 than of the relative chill of July 26.”
A Web-based, publicly available system, AgWeatherNet (http://weather.wsu.edu/awn.php) provides access to near real-time weather data and value-added products from WSU’s statewide weather network, along with decision aids for agricultural producers and other users. It is based at the WSU Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser.
The high at Pullman was 66 degrees on July 27, the coolest high since June 3. The low was 39 degrees at Ritzville, the coolest since June 13.
Following the high of 66 on July 27, Pullman reached 95 degrees on July 30 – warming nearly 30 degrees in just three days.
Meanwhile, “the last rainfall at Prosser was May 26, which means that the duration of our dry spell is at 10 weeks and counting,” said AgWeatherNet director Gerrit Hoogenboom.
Contacts:
Nic Loyd, WSU AgWeatherNet meteorologist, 509-786-9357, nicholas.loyd@wsu.edu
Gerritt Hoogenboom, WSU AgWeatherNet director, 509-786-9371, gerrit.hoogenboom@wsu.edu