No surprise here — the month of July was drier than normal at the Salt Lake International Airport. What do you expect in the sixth year of a drought?
However, even though it was the first time since 1993 that no temperatures of 100 degrees or greater were reached during the month of July, both the month's average day and nighttime temperatures were higher than normal.
July's highest daily temperature was 98 degrees, coming on both the 12th and 31st. The airport's average 24-hour temperature was 79 degrees, or two degrees above average. Its nighttime temperature average was 2.3 degrees above the normal and even the daytime-only average was 1.6 degrees higher than the average.
The airport received 0.34 of an inch of moisture during July, only 47 percent of normal. In contrast, the Salt Lake east side's Hogle Zoo area was drenched by 1.54 inches of moisture, or 220 percent of normal.
"The Salt Lake Airport got missed on several occasions," Mark Eubank, KSL's chief meteorologist, said. "Summer rains are spotty."
The airport received 0.01 inch more moisture this July than during the same month last year and it was more than the 0.14 inch total of July 2002, making it the wettest July in three years. However, it was less than the 1.13 inch that fell in 2001. Average moisture in July at the airport is 0.72 of an inch.
Eubank said summer rainfall doesn't really affect drought status, but the lack of any 100-degree temperatures this summer might.
The latest date Salt Lake City has ever had its first 100-degree temperature of the season is Aug. 6. Eubank is only predicting low 90s for the next week, so hitting the century mark at all this year looks extremely doubtful. Looking at the other seven summers in the past 75 years when no century temperatures were reached in Salt Lake City, each time the following fall and winter seasons were drier than normal.
Salt Lake City hit 95 degrees Wednesday, as did Provo. St. George was 100 degrees. The forecast is for a 20 percent chance of rain today and 30 percent on Friday, before it begins to dry out again. Overnight lows will be in the upper 60s.
— Other weather highlights for July in Utah were:
Cedar City was soaked, with 180 to 359 percent of normal rainfall coming to various weather stations around town. That made it the wettest July there in 31 years.
Just 50 miles down I-15 in St. George, only a trace of moisture was received last month vs. the normal of 0.55 inch.
July 13 set an overnight temperature record for July in Salt Lake City, with a minimum 77-degree reading. That broke the previous record of 72, set in 2003.
Wind gusts were common during July. A 77-mph wind hit Young Ward in Cache Valley on July 9, tearing a roof off a barn and downing power lines from Mendon to Nibley to Hyrum.
Heavy thunderstorms on July 19 caused millions of dollars of damage in the Bicknell and Torrey areas of Wayne County. Many basements, sheds, equipment and vehicles were damaged or destroyed.
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com