Seattle heat wave

[Glenn E.]

I think we've hit our peak for the day. Last night's low of 74 (not displayed in this screenshot for some reason) is the same as the normal high for today. I.e. we're 39 degrees above average. So while 113 isn't all that exceptional for, say, the Douro Superior, when you think of it in terms of degrees above average it's crazy hot.

We've also now doubled the number of 100+ degree days in Seattle's history. Prior to this weekend it had only happened 3 times, 2 of which were in the last 20 years, with the most recent being the previous record of 103 in 2009.

Screenshot_20210628-165821_WeatherBug - small.jpg (46.87 KiB) Viewed 5104 times

[Andy Velebil]

Chilled Port, it does a warm body good

[Glenn E.]

Moving to a more appropriate thread...

..whatever happened to global warming? According to the forecasts made 25 years ago, I should be growing bananas in my garden now..

Prior to this past weekend, Seattle had reached 100F only 3 times in recorded history (which dates back into the 1800s), never on consecutive days, and 2 of those were in the 21st century.

This past weekend we hit 100F 3 more times, including breaking the all-time record for Seattle twice. I've seen various "official" temperatures so I'm not sure what will actually go into the record books, but I believe it was 101 on Saturday, 104 on Sunday (new record), and 111 on Monday (new new record). The previous all-time high was 103 in 2009.

Also prior to this weekend, the overnight low had only once in recorded history not dropped below 70F. That was in 2009 on the morning before the 103F record was set. This past weekend we added 3 more record overnight lows.

Note that the average daytime high for this time of year is in the low 70s and the average overnight low is in the high 40s. In Sammamish, specifically, we hit 113 on Monday and the normal daytime high is 74F. So we were 39 degrees above average in the major metropolitan area with the lowest rate of air conditioning in the country. The overnight low was - coincidentally - 74F while the normal overnight low is 48F.

Similar records were smashed all over the Pacific NW, including Quillayute along the WA coast that broke its daytime high record by 11 degrees, which is a record amount by which a daytime high record has ever been broken for the entire country. Amusingly, it did so while the onshore flow was bringing in marine air just to its south, so while Quillayute was setting its daytime high by a record amount, Queets ~40 miles to the south was experiencing a balmy 69F.

[Eric Ifune]

A few years ago, it was 130 for an entire week in Las Vegas. Nighttime lows were in the mid-upper 90's.
A warmer planet is also a wetter planet. Watching nationwide weather over the past couple of years, I'm thinking the west coast will be drier, but the east coast and especially the gulf coast will be a lot wetter. Tropical rainforest in the South East?

[Eric Menchen]

There is a reason scientists quit using the term "global warming" and switched to "climate change." Yes, there might be an overall increase in average temperature by one or more degrees, but from place to place and time to time things could be very different, with more extreme events, more variation, more snow here, less rain there ... Even some of the colder winter snaps have been linked to climate change, with warmer air in one place pushing more cold air further south in another.

[Andy Velebil]

A few years ago, it was 130 for an entire week in Las Vegas. Nighttime lows were in the mid-upper 90's.
A warmer planet is also a wetter planet. Watching nationwide weather over the past couple of years, I'm thinking the west coast will be drier, but the east coast and especially the gulf coast will be a lot wetter. Tropical rainforest in the South East?

I’ve been in Palm Springs when it hit 118. Literally no one was outside past about 10 am until the sun went down. Even the resort pool was empty it was just too hot. I couldn’t imagine 130. That’s just crazy hot.

[Eric Menchen]

I’ve been in Palm Springs when it hit 118. Literally no one was outside past about 10 am until the sun went down. Even the resort pool was empty it was just too hot. I couldn’t imagine 130. That’s just crazy hot.

But its a dry heat

[Andy Velebil]

I’ve been in Palm Springs when it hit 118. Literally no one was outside past about 10 am until the sun went down. Even the resort pool was empty it was just too hot. I couldn’t imagine 130. That’s just crazy hot.

But its a dry heat

Yeah, ok lol

[Eric Ifune]

At 130 it pretty doesn't make much difference. I did acclimate however. Amazing what you can get used to.