Contact: Blaine P. Friedlander, Jr.
Office: (607) 255-3290
E-Mail: bpf2@cornell.edu
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Thirty-one high-temperature records for major cities in the Northeast were broken or tied in the first six days of July. The region is on track for the hottest July since 1955.
"We're off to a good start, that's for sure," says Keith Eggleston, senior climatologist at the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University. "Right now, it is too early to make a judgment call whether this July is going to be the hottest or not." He cautions that with two-thirds of the month remaining, lower temperatures could moderate the month's sizzling start.
Early this month Boston, Pittsburgh and Washington saw temperatures average 6.7 degrees higher than normal (based on a 30-year average) for the first week of July. Newark, N.J., saw an average 7.8 degrees higher than normal for the same period, and Philadelphia saw a whopping 8.3 degrees higher average temperature.
To appreciate just how warm it was this early in July, climatologists point to the 12- state region's last big July sizzle, in 1955, when the average temperature for the month was 74 degrees Fahrenheit, which was 4.4 degrees warmer than the normal temperature of 69.6 degrees for the period.
Some more scorching highlights from this July:
-- Islip, N.Y., set an all-time high-temperature recordJuly 5 when the mercury reached 102 degrees, one degree higher than the 1991 record.
-- Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., set a record two days in a row. On July 5, the 102 degrees beat the old record of 101 degrees set 80 years before, and on July 6 the 103-degree mark handily broke the 22-year-old 100-degree record.
-- The sizzling early start for July follows on the heels of the 16th warmest June in the Northeast. For the region, June averaged 2.2 degrees above the 30-year normal, well below June's record set in 1943 when the temperature was 69.3 degrees, or 4.5 degrees warmer than normal.
This news release is available at http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/July99/NRCC.JulyHeatWave.bpf.html, with a link to other Cornell news releases and photographs. For information on receiving Cornell news releases via e-mail, go to http://www.news.cornell.edu/subscribe.html or send a query to cunews@cornell.edu.
Maximum temperature records set during early July 1999.
City Date New Previous Dulles Airport, Va. 4th 97¡ 96¡ in 1990 Beckley, W.Va. 4th 89¡ 87¡ in 1994 Bridgeport, Conn. 5th 100¡ 95¡ in 1955 Hartford, Conn. 5th 99¡ 98¡ in 1955 Reagan National Airport, Va. 5th 102¡ 101¡ in 1919 Portland, Maine 5th 94¡ 92¡ in 1955 Baltimore 5th 102¡ 100¡ in 1990 Newark, N.J. 5th 103¡ 101¡ in 1955 Binghamton, N.Y. (tie) 5th 91¡ 91¡ in 1955 Central Park, N.Y. 5th 101¡ 98¡ in 1955 *Islip, N.Y. 5th 102¡ 101¡ in 1991 Allentown, Pa. (tie) 5th 98¡ 98¡ in 1955 Harrisburg, Pa. 5th 102¡ 101¡ in 1919 Philadelphia (tie) 5th 100¡ 100¡ in 1919 Providence, R.I. (tie) 5th 98¡ 98¡ in 1919 Dulles Airport, Va. (tie) 5th 99¡ 99¡ in 1990 Beckley, W.Va. 5th 90¡ 89¡ in 1993 Bridgeport, Conn. 6th 96¡ 93¡ in 1994 Hartford, Conn. 6th 99¡ 98¡ in 1911 Reagan National Airport, Va. 6th 103¡ 100¡ in 1977 Baltimore 6th 99¡ 98¡ in 1988 Atlantic City, N.J. 6th 99¡ 93¡ in 1994 Newark, N.J. 6th 102¡ 99¡ in 1986 Central Park, N.Y. 6th 101¡ 98¡ in 1986 Allentown, Pa. 6th 100¡ 97¡ in 1988 Harrisburg, Pa. 6th 102¡ 99¡ in 1988 Philadelphia (tie) 6th 98¡ 98¡ in 1994 Providence, R.I .(tie) 6th 97¡ 97¡ in 1911 Beckley, W.Va. (tie) 6th 89¡ 89¡ in 1994 Charleston, W.Va. 6th 96¡ 95¡ in 1994 Huntington, W.Va. 6th 98¡ 97¡ in 1949 * All time record high for Islip. Previous record high for Islip was 101 degrees on July 21, 1991. Some other all-time record highs (not broken this year) and year of occurrence: Central Park 106¡ in 1936 JFK Airport 104¡ in 1966 Laguardia Airport 107¡ in 1966 Newark, N.J. 105¡ in 1953 and 1993 Bridgeport, Conn. 103¡ in 1957A more extensive list of northeast cities and their high temperatures -- including those that did not break records -- during the first week of July may be found here. -30-