A July To Remember

July 2010 went down in the Central Park record books as the second warmest July on record as well as the second warmest month on record. According to official statistics maintained by the National Weather Service's Upton New York Office, the average temperature for the month was 81.3 degrees. This was an astounding 4.8 degrees above the normal monthly temperature of 76.5 degrees. The warmest July on record and the warmest month occurred eleven years ago in 1999 when we averaged 81.4 degrees. The records at Central Park date back to 1869.

If it is any consolation, we were not the only ones suffering through the brutal heat and humidity this past month. Most of the United States had prolonged periods of oppressive heat and humidity. The high pressure ridge that caused the heat pretty much covered most of country, including the Northeast. This ridge continues to block any significant cooler air from invading the country from Canada. Thankfully, over the last week of July, we have experienced a break from the worst of the heat as the ridge has shifted further to the south and west of our region, allowing for some cooler air to drop down from eastern Canada. People have been asking me what will August bring?

In looking at the long range trends, I still see some more bouts of heat and humidity through a good part of the country, including our area. However, I do not think we will see the severity of heat we experienced in July. As we progress through August, the days will continue to get shorter and the nights longer. We will experience some breaks from time to time. Also, there are indications that the Tropics are about to get active as we approach what is traditionally the most active part of the hurricane season from mid August through late September. Any weakness in the ridge along the East Coast can make us vulnerable to a direct strike from a hurricane or tropical storm. This will be something I will be watching closely during the remainder of this hurricane season. This is how I see it, but as I always say, we'll see what Mother Nature has in store for us.

Meteorologist Iggy Camporeale