SPOKANE, Wash. - The period from June 1 through Aug. 31 was the hottest and driest summer on record in Spokane.
Reports said the hot and dry conditions caused extreme drought and big wildfires that still are burning across the region.
The average daily temperature this summer was 72.7 degrees, which is derived from adding up all the daytime highs and nighttime lows. The previous record, 71.3 degrees, was set in 1922.
Normal for the three-month period is 67 degrees.
Spokane saw just 0.44 of an inch of rain during the three months at Spokane International Airport.
The previous record low was 0.48 of an inch in 1949. The average for June through August is 2.48 inches.
Summer officially started on June 21st – but the past 3 months have been the hottest ever on record for Spokane.
June 1st-Aug. 31st is what meteorologists and the NWS refer to as the time period of "meteorological summer." Here is a breakdown of the temperatures in that time.
JUNE – Avg. Daily Temp (high & low) 2015: 71.4 °
Normal Daily Temp: 62.1°
JULY – Avg. Daily Temp (high & low) 2015: 74.2°
Normal Daily Temp: 69.9°
AUGUST – Avg. Daily Temp (high & low) 2015: 72.45°
Normal Daily Temp: 69.45°
In total, our average daily temp for the past 3 months was: 72.68°, the NORMAL daily temp is: 67.15°!
As for rain, we've only had 0.44" of rain during this June 1st – August 31st time period. Normally we'd see 2.48" during these months.
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NEAR FREEZING TEMPS AHEAD:
Some changes though are ahead, with some spots dropping to NEAR FREEZING temps. tonight and tomorrow morning. Spokane will drop down to between 38-40° overnight, some locations in sheltered NE valleys could get down to 34-36°! Certainly frost would be a possibility.
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Also some wind changes for Friday:
- Winds are shifting direction tomorrow. That nice SW flow really pushed out a lot of smoke and improved air quality.
- Tomorrow they'll be coming from the N.
- We will likely see additional smoke as a result and reduced air quality.
