Northwest Sees Most Weather Extremes of Summer 2015

Chris Dolce
Published: September 1,2015 



 

The Northwest was the epicenter for the vast majority of the record-breaking weather in the 2015 meteorological summer, June-August.
(MORE: Best Weather Images August 2015)
Several cities from Washington state and Oregon to Idaho and western Montana either saw record heat or record-low precipitation. This led to the widespread wildfire activity in the region. On the opposite side of the spectrum, several cities in the Midwest saw one of their wettest summers on record.
Here is a list of the cities that saw a record dry, hot or wet summer in 2015. We've also included a few locations that fell just short of breaking their record.

Each square represents a location that saw a record hot, dry, or wet summer. Notice the majority of the records are centered on the Northwest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Record Hottest Summer

One thing to notice in this list is that Seattle and Portland crushed their existing record by more than two degrees.

• Eugene, Oregon: Average temperature 69.5 degrees (old record 68.5 degrees in 1967)
• Lewiston, Idaho: Average temperature 76.9 degrees (old record 76.3 degrees in 1940)
• Phoenix, Arizona (tie): Average temperature 95.1 degrees (ties 95.1 degrees in 2014)
• Portland, Oregon: Average temperature 72.2 degrees (old record 69.8 degrees in 2009)
• Medford, Oregon: Average temperature 76.4 degrees (old record 74.9 degrees in 2014)
• Salem, Oregon: Average temperature 71.3 degrees (old record 69.4 degrees in 2014)
• Seattle, Washington: Average temperature 80.2 degrees (old record 77.7 degrees in 1961)
• Spokane, Washington: Average temperature 72.7 degrees (old record 71.7 degrees in 1922)
• Wenatchee, Washington: Average temperature 76.9 degrees (old record 75.6 degrees in 1958)

Other Notables: Anchorage, Alaska (3rd hottest); Boise, Idaho (2nd hottest); Tucson, Arizona (2nd hottest); Columbia, South Carolina (3rd hottest); New Orleans (5th hottest); Baton Rouge, Louisiana (4th hottest)

Temperatures compared to average in the Lower 48 during the meteorological summer (June-August). Darker orange shadings represent locations that had temperatures the farthest above average. Darker blue shadings correspond to locations that saw temperatures the farthest below average.

Record Driest Summer

• Kalispell, Montana: 1.09 inches of rain (old record 1.40 inches in 1929)
• Pendleton, Oregon: 0.07 inches of rain (old record 0.10 inches in 2003)
• Spokane, Washington: 0.44 inches of rain (old record 0.48 inches in 1949)

Record Wettest Summer

• Fort Wayne, Indiana: 21.52 inches of rain (old record 18.70 inches in 1986)
• Rapid City, South Dakota (airport): 14.54 inches of rain (old record 11.90 inches in 1968)

Other Notables: St. Louis (2nd wettest), Indianapolis (2nd wettest), San Diego (2nd wettest), Tampa (5th wettest)

PHOTOS: Western Wildfires in August 2015