Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Southern Discomfort. Records Could Be Smashed!

2:31 PM Wednesday Update... Little Rock hits 114 degrees making this the hottest day EVER.  Records date back to 1877

Local pools have bath water.  88 degrees Tuesday.
8:15 AM Wednesday update... Little Rock and North Little Rock are on the verge of breaking a HUGE record today.  The low last night in Little Rock was 85 and 86 degrees in North Little Rock.  IF those temperatures stand, they are the warmest lows EVER recorded at these stations. We will have to wait until 1 AM tonight to see if those temperatures hold up.  The record warm low for each location is 83 degrees.  If an isolated storm or outflow from a storm drops the temperatures below that threshold before 1 AM, the record will not stand.  It will be VERY interesting to follow that today.  Records for Little Rock go back to 1877 and the late 1970s for North Little Rock.  Thanks to the great meteorologists at the National Weather Service office in North Little Rock for the information.

People sometimes ask me what's my favorite season? Without any hesitation, I tell them it's winter.  I completely dread summer.  From now on, when asked why, I'll just point out August 2nd and 3rd, 2011.  These two days will more than likely be the hottest of this summer.  The major ridge of high pressure we have been talking about since last week means business.  It's absolutely incredible to see its effects on places like Fort Smith.  While we all complain about the heat here in central Arkansas, the residents of Fort Smith have it so much worse.
  • Every single day in July, except for July 4th, was 100 degrees or hotter.
  • As of Tuesday, Fort Smith has had 29 consecutive 100 degree days.
  • They have had 37 days this summer of 100 degree + temperatures
  • On August 2nd, they tied their all time hottest temperature at 113.


While it's not the extreme heat in Fort Smith, Little Rock is on a path to record breaking heat.  If the summer of 2011 ended today...
  • It's tied for #1 with 2010 for the highest average seasonal temperature
  • It comes in 3rd for hottest average high temperature
  • By average low temperature, it's the 2nd warmest on record
On Wednesday, it's very possible for Little Rock to hit somewhere around 106-108 degrees.  The record for the day is 107 set last year.  We're also watching Fort Smith.  It's completely within the realm of possibility to hit 114 degrees.  If that happens, it will be the hottest temperature EVER for that city.

In case you're wondering, the hottest temperature ever recorded in the state was 120 degrees in Ozark on August 10th, 1936.  I don't think we'll get close to that amazing record.

8 comments:

bjr said...

Where are the people that think global climate change is a joke? We set new records every year...that's the definition of climate change!

Fur/Feathered Momma In AR said...

I Am so Ready For Winter. This Heat Makes Me Sick. You Can't Breath in it. You Can't Do anything outside. When are we going to get bearable Temps again?

Gina said...

Hey, Todd - how warm is our tap water in LR? Our "cold" water coming from the tap is pretty darn warm!!

Tony said...

Im with you, Todd. I hate when summertime comes around. People always ask why I love winter so much when it's so cold, I tell them that I can ALWAYS easily put on more clothes or drink something warm and warm up, you can't do that in the heat. My wife and I were talking about moving to Canada to beat the heat, lol.

Anonymous said...

Wondering if perhaps the thermometer in Ft. Smith needs replaced?

Justin Lloyd said...

Global climate change isn't a joke but it's nothing new like Al Gore would want you to believe. Weather patterns are nothing new. We had record breaking cold this past winter.

Anonymous said...

bjr, you are so right! On the coldest day of the year, the mouth-breathing, knuckle dragging, twelve-toed cretins come out of the woodwork to scoff and exclaim "Global warming? Hyuck, Hyuck..." but on the hottest day of year? They are nowhere to be found. Strange, isn't it? Of course, "Global Warming" is probably one of the most unfortunate misnomers in recorded history. Actually, "Climate Change" is a much better term. But everything is political now. Depending on political affiliation you must embrace one extreme or the other. Heaven forbid that you have a moderate view. Did we cause this or is this just a natural course of events? Can we do anything to prevent or slow down this "climate change" or is it inevitable? Unfortunately, we will never get objective answers to these questions because of the politics involved. Experts can be paid on both sides either with money or a promised 15 minutes of fame to spout "facts" that support their view.

Whew, that felt good! Sorry Todd, this extreme heat brought out my inner rant. I hate this heat. When will it end?

Susan in Heber.......

Bozo the McClon said...

It's not only the highs that demonstrate climate change. It's record lows, record out breaks of 'naders, insane drought to floods, and crazy snowfall. Plus islands are disappearing much like our ice caps. It's the new normal. Get used to it

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