COLDEST JULY ON RECORD?
Unless you live in a deep hole, you have noticed that this July in Erie has been anything but July-like. Typically we would be basking in the “dog days” of Summer by now, but not this year. I almost feel like putting up a “have you seen my dog” sign in hopes that it would bring back something that resembled a day that needed to be “dogged”.
In fact, it has been so cool this July that we could be on pace to end this month as the coldest July since they started taking records over 100 years ago! Lets go over the data…
An average July, after taking into consideration both the high and low tempreatures, would average 72.1 degrees Fahrenheit. So far this year we have averaged 65.6 degrees, which is almost a full degree cooler than the coldest July on record (1976).
Now, we have a full week left in the month, and the models are indicating some warmer weather on the way. So, we may not sit in the top spot much longer. However. it may be safe to already say that we will make it into the top 10 when it comes to the coldest.
For reference, here is the top 10 list of the years in which Erie’s July was the coldest from the National Weather Service in Cleveland.
1. 1976 (66.4)
2. 1971 (66.9)
3. 1975 (67.5)
4. 1979 (67.6)
5. 2000 (67.8)
6. 1972 (68.4)
7. 1956 (68.6)
8. 1920 (68.6)
9. 1954 (68.7)
10. 1957 & 1967 (68.8)
–Meteorologist Ray Petelin