The first 46 days of Summer this year have been record-breaking. For starters, July was the hottest month on record at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford with a daily average temperature of 78.5 degrees. That eclipsed the previous record of 78.4 degrees set in July of 1994. In addition, there were two heat waves last month, including the first-ever seven-day heat wave on record, which included the highest temperature of the month, 95 degrees, on July 16.
There have been 12 days with a high temperature of 90 degrees or more since the Summer Solstice compared to 11 last year and just six at the midpoint of Summer in 2011. Similarly, there were two heat waves during the first half of last Summer. The first heat wave last year happened from June 29 through July 1 with high temperatures of 91, 92, and 92 degrees, respectively. The second heat wave happened July 16 through 18 when the mercury hit 91, 93, and 95 degrees on successive days.
The first half of each of the last two Summers featured 14 days (30%) with measured rain. This year, 16 of the first 46 days of Summer (34%) have had measured rain, including four of the last ten days in June, 10 days in July, and two of the first five days of August. There were four rainy days from June 21-30, 2011, while the last 10 days of June 2012 featured five days with measured rain. The last two July's each featured eight rainy days. August 1-5, 2011, had two days with measured rain, and last August 1 through 5 had just one rainy day.
Our weather will become unsettled by the end of the week. Tonight will become partly cloudy and slightly more humid with lows in the 60s along the shoreline and upper 50s inland. Tomorrow will become mostly cloudy and more humid with a high in the mid-to-upper 70s. Thursday features a few early showers followed by late-afternoon showers and thunderstorms with a high near 80. Stronger storms are likely later Friday and Friday night before showers taper early Saturday.
Paul
