Ranking the Summer of 2012

September 17, 2012

Hot and dry. Just how hot and how dry was the meteorological summer (June-August) of 2012? Where does it rank? Take a look below to find out.

Average Temperature – Summer 2012

In Omaha, the average temperature of 78.9 degrees made it the 3rd warmest summer on record while 5.97″ of rain made it the 10th driest as well. This summer isn’t the only season that has been warm though, Omaha is currently having their warmest year to date and had the warmest March-August on record! Over the summer they set 6 daily maximum temperature records and 4 daily high minimum record (warmest low).

Kansas City had the 16th warmest summer on record with an average temperature of 79.8 degrees, which isn’t quite as warm that most would have anticipated. Ironically, the average high temperature of 92.6 degrees, ranks 5th warmest on record. Meanwhile, the average low temperature of 66.9 degrees ranks 75th warmest! You can see that the cool nights helped this summer to not reach the top 10 in terms of warmest average temperature. The 4.98 inches of precipitation this summer ranks it as the 6th driest on record. There were 3 daily maximum temperatures, 2 daily record minimum temperatures tied or broken.

For Columbia the average temperature this summer was 80.3 degrees which is 6th warmest on record, the average high temperature this summer was 93.6 degrees! This summer recorded 5.74 inches of precipitation in Columbia, which ranked as the 9th driest on record. Over the months of June, July and August Columbia had quite the heat wave, recording 27 consecutive days of 90 degrees or warmer (tied 2nd longest streak) and had 10 days of 100 degrees or warmer (6th longest streak). There were 6 daily maximum temperature records set, 1 record high minimum and 1 record daily rainfall.

Precipitation – Summer 2012

St. Louis (Lambert International Airport) had its 4th warmest summer on record with an average temperature of 82 degrees. The average high temperature for the summer was 93.1 degrees, while the average low was 70.8 degrees. The 6.69 inches of precipitation this summer ranks as the 21st driest on record, with 1.48 inches coming on the final day of meteorological summer (August 31). Some of the notable records this summer included the most days with a high of 105 degrees or higher, 3rd most days with a temperature of a 100 degrees or higher and the most occurrences of a low temperature being 85 degrees or warmer. St. Louis had 11 record daily maximum temperatures, 7 record high minimum temperatures and 1 daily maximum rainfall.

Springfield had an average temperature of 79.1 degrees, putting this summer in a tie for 9th warmest on record. Springfield received 5.50 inches of rain this summer, 4.01 inches came in August alone after the driest July on record (0.32 inches). Over the course of the summer Springfield set 7 daily high temperature records and tied 6 more while also setting a record high temperature for the month of June at 101 degrees.

Coolest Air Since June Coming!

August 11, 2012

A couple weeks ago we were begging for highs below 100; would it be crazy to hope for the 70s? The last time the Missouri River Valley saw high temperatures below 80 was in early June. After the hottest July on the planet, a few days in August might not get out of the 70s.

Models are coming into agreement that a fairly strong trough of low pressure will dive southward this Thursday into Friday opening the door to cool Canadian air. Highs could potentially drop 10-15 degrees below normal in some locations. While it’s still early to pinpoint exactly how cool we will get, triple digits are history for now.

When will the heat return? The first signs of any heat returning are during the following week, but models are unclear on how hot it will get, and how long the heat could last. For now, bring on the 70s!

Is the Reprieve Here to Stay?

August 6, 2012

Expected Pattern 8-5

While rejoicing about this morning (lows 56 to 68), many are asking, will the persistent heat return? Thankfully, the answer is not yet. Earlier indications were that the scorching heat would return for the 10th through the 15th, but some welcome changes have occurred. Models now agree that the hot dome of high pressure stays west of the area, at least through the middle of next week. This means multiple cold fronts for the Missouri River Valley. Highs will climb above 90 ahead of the fronts, and drop below 90 behind the fronts, with no persistent 100+ stretches in sight. We look forward to occasional rain chances; not drought busting rains, but certainly welcome nonetheless. The jury is still out on the second half of the month. With the drought continuing, another heat wave could certainly be in store, but for now, watch for more pleasant days ahead!

July 2012: Record Breaking!

Most people across the region came to the conclusion that July was hot and dry, however just how hot and how dry? We have gathered data for several cities across the area, finding the Top 10 hottest and Top 10 driest Julys on record. Each city had a July average temperature that ranked in the Top 10, with St. Louis having the hottest July on record. While it was also dry across the region, the precipitation numbers vary a lot more than temperature as isolated thunderstorms provided hit and miss rainfall. For example, Omaha managed to have their driest July on record with only 0.01″ of precipitation, which also ranks as their sixth driest month ever! Meanwhile, Columbia managed to see a few of those hit and miss thunderstorms, which led to 1.56″ of precipitation, making it their 26th driest July. Check out how your city ranks with the graphs below:

Omaha, NE

St. Joseph, MO

Kansas City, MO

Columbia, MO

St. Louis, MO

Springfield, MO

No Real Break in Sight

July 31, 2012

Occasional showers bring cloudy relief to a lucky few this week, but where the sun’s shining, temperatures continue climbing. This pattern is slightly nicer than the pattern we’ve seen so far this summer, with the ridge displaced slightly west. This keeps the hottest and driest weather just west of the Missouri River Valley. As disturbances form over the Desert Southwest, they can climb up and over the ridge, spilling occasional rain chances into our area (ISO 1-1.5). Unfortunately the lack of coverage and intensity of any rainfall continues to disappoint most thirsty lawns.

More widespread heat relief and rain chances arrive this weekend as another weak cold front moves through the region. The best potential to be closer to 90 than 100 should be the first day or two after the front passes. Then as the front retreats between the 6^th-8^th of August, there will likely be a gradual warm-up from west to east, with isolated rain chances continuing. After the 8^th, the dome centers over us again causing the rain chances to decrease and heat to increase, with the next potential heat wave looming on the horizon sometime around the 10^th-15^th of August. So, other than a few lucky locations, there are no signs of significant relief to the ongoing drought or sweltering summer heat.