Hottest July on Record

It was a close call, but this was the hottest July on record in southwestern Connecticut. The average temperature of 78.5 degrees topped the previous record of 78.4 degrees in 1994 by the slimmest of margins. It was also the hottest month on record at Sikorsky Memorial Airport since record-keeping began in 1948. The month will be remembered for two brutal heat waves, the second of which was a first-ever seven-day heat wave from July 14 through July 20.

How hot was it last month? Just two of the first 20 days in July were cooler-than-normal, and eight days featured an average temperature of at least 10 degrees above normal. The first heat wave happened July 5 through July 8 with high temperatures of 92, 92, 93, and 90 degrees, respectively. The hottest temperature last month was 95 degrees on July 16, which happened during the brutal seven-day heat wave. In addition, the temperature never dropped below 62 degrees (July 25 & 26) last month.

July was the most uncomfortable month on record, too. Why? The dew point climbed to 70 degrees or warmer for 31 straight days from June 24 through July 24. That streak is unprecedented in these parts, and it dwarfs the previous record of 21 straight days in 1988. When the dew point reaches 65 degrees or higher, it becomes uncomfortable. The air is tropical and oppressive once the dew point reaches 70 degrees. That happened every day for over four weeks!

July was also quite dry with just over an inch-and-a-half (1.59") of rain. That's nearly two inches below the normal of 3.46" based on 40 years of climatology. Just ten days featured measured rainfall with the highest single-day total of 0.67" on July 23. The longest stretch of dry weather happened July 14 through July 20, and there was a six-day dry streak from July 3 through July 8. The wettest stretch from July 21 through July 26 featured five days of measured rain and one day with a trace of rain.

Now that the record heat is behind us, our focus turns to the weekend, which should be fairly nice. Today will be mostly sunny, warm, and slightly less humid with a high temperature in the low-to-mid 80s. There is a chance of a late-day or evening spot shower, but it shouldn't upset any outdoor plans. Tomorrow will be partly sunny with a shower or two from mid-morning through midday, but the remainder of the weekend looks fine. Have a good weekend.

Paul