NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

JULY 2025

June 29-July 5: Horrific flooding struck Texas Hill Country on the night of July 3-4, with historically rapid river rises leading to more than 100 fatalities. Hardest hit was Kerr County, TX, where the Guadelupe River at Hunt rose at least 27.52 feet above flood stage just after 6 am CDT on Independence Day, eclipsing the July 1932 high-water mark.

The West remained dry, with little or no rain falling in the Great Basin and Pacific Coast States. California’s largest wildfire of the year to date, the Madre Fire in San Luis Obispo County, was ignited on July 2 and within 5 days had scorched more than 80,000 acres of vegetation. Meanwhile, heat became focused across the northern half of the U.S., while cloudiness and rainfall helped to suppress temperatures in the south-central U.S. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5°F in many locations from the interior Northwest into the Great Lakes States. Above-normal temperatures also dominated the Mississippi Delta and parts of the Desert Southwest. In contrast, temperatures averaged as much as 5°F below normal in southern sections of the Rockies and Plains, extending southward into the Rio Grande Valley. In Phoenix, AZ, temperatures topped the 110-degree mark each day from June 29 – July 1, peaking with a daily-record high of 116°F on the last day of June. Late-month heat extended as far north as the Northwest, where Eugene, OR (96°F), posted a daily record-tying high for June 30. A few days later, triple-digit readings across the northern High Plains and environs included a daily record high (103°F on July 3) in Rapid City, SD. On July 4, as flooding ravaged parts of south-central Texas, San Antonio (high of 81°F) experienced its lowest Independence Day maximum temperature on record. Farther north, however, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, tied its Fourth of July record-high minimum temperature record, with a low of 81°F. The cloudy, rainy weather in south-central Texas lingered through the end of the week, with Austin, TX (high of 79°F), failing to reach the 80-degree mark on July 5 for the first time on record.

6-12: Mostly dry weather prevailed along and west of a line from western New Mexico to western North Dakota. The dry weather, accompanied by mostly above-normal temperatures, favored fieldwork but led to heavy irrigation demands, a broadly elevated wildfire threat, and increasing stress on rangeland, pastures, and rain-fed summer crops. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal in parts of the Southwest and Northwest, as well as an area stretching from the Ohio Valley into the Northeast. In contrast, readings averaged as much as 5°F below normal in portions of the south-central U.S., including central Texas. Much of the West experienced an early week warming trend, with the temperature at Lake Yellowstone, MT, rising from 31°F on July 6 to 81°F on July 8 and 9. Elsewhere on the 8th, Boise, ID, notched a daily record high of 104°F. By July 9, soaring Southwestern temperatures resulted in daily-record highs in locations such as Thermal, CA (120°F); Phoenix, AZ (118°F); and Pueblo, CO (103°F). The temperature in Death Valley, CA, reached 120°F or higher on at least 6 consecutive days, starting July 9. Meanwhile, hot weather and high humidity levels gripped the Southeast, where Punta Gorda, FL, posted a daily-record high of 97°F on July 9. The Southeastern heat continued through the end of the week, when Fort Myers, FL, logged a daily-record high of 97°F on July 12. In contrast, cooler air across the nation’s mid-section led to a daily-record low (43°F on July 12) in Chadron, NE, down from a high of 106°F (not a record for the date) on July 9. During the northern Plains’ brief heat wave, triple-digit temperatures occurred as far north as eastern Montana, where Miles City registered 103°F on July 9.

Numerous wildfires remained active across the Alaskan interior, despite some areas receiving significant precipitation. By mid July, a dozen wildfires apiece had charred at least 25,000 acres of vegetation, with the Bear Creek Fire northwest of Healy having destroyed more than five dozen structures.

13-19: Hot, dry weather in much of the West led to heavy irrigation demands, increased wildfire activity, and stress on some rangeland, pastures, and rain-fed summer crops. However, monsoon-related showers provided limited relief in a few areas, mainly across the Four Corners States. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal in parts of Oregon, Washington, and northern sections of California and Nevada. Similar positive departures were noted in areas from the central Appalachians to northern New England. Conversely, temperatures averaged more than 5°F below normal in much of the north-central U.S., including the Dakotas. Cool weather (as much as 5°F below normal) also prevailed in central Texas. Early-week heat was focused across the West, where record setting highs for July 13 soared to 104°F in Reno, NV, and 101°F in Ellensburg, WA. Reno topped the 100-degree mark each day from July 12-14. By July 14, heat persisted in the West and briefly spread to the Plains. In Nevada, daily-record highs for the 14th included 106°F in Winnemucca and 101°F in Tonopah. Meanwhile in South Dakota, Pierre posted a daily record-tying high (104°F) for July 14. For much of the remainder of the country, conditions were very warm but not exceedingly hot. Still, daily-record highs in Florida included 97°F (on July 14) in Winter Haven and 96°F (on July 18) in Fort Myers. In contrast, a surge of unusually cool air trailed a cold front into the north-central U.S. By July 17, daily record lows in North Dakota dipped to 40°F in Bismarck and Dickinson. Elsewhere, record-setting lows for the 17th fell to 42°F in International Falls, MN; 44°F in Mobridge, SD; and 47°F in Valentine, NE.

20-26: Portions of the middle Atlantic States also experienced mostly dry weather, but occasional showers stretched from the central Gulf Coast region to the southern Atlantic States. Farther west, the North American monsoon circulation contributed to showery weather across central and southern sections of the Rockies and adjacent High Plains. However, most areas west of the Rockies received little or no precipitation, despite relatively cool conditions. Weekly temperatures averaged more than 5°F below normal in much of California, with cooler than-normal conditions extending into parts of the Southwest and across the Rockies onto the northern High Plains. In contrast, temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal in an area centered across the middle Mississippi Valley and the mid-South. Despite the spell of hot, humid Midwestern weather, temperatures stayed below 95°F in key U.S. corn and soybean production areas. Although heat and humidity dominated the central and eastern U.S., the Northeast had a brief reprieve. On July 22, daily-record lows were established in New York locations such as Saranac Lake (34°F) and Watertown (46°F). However, the Northeastern cool spell was short-lived, as Watertown registered a daily-record high of 91°F on July 24. Northeastern heat generally peaked on July 25, when daily record highs soared to 100°F in Newark, NJ; 99°F at New York’s La Guardia Airport; 98°F in Philadelphia, PA. At week’s end, extreme heat shifted into the Southeast, where daily-record highs for July 26 soared to 101°F in Charlotte, NC, and Florence, SC. Elsewhere in South Carolina, Greenville-Spartanburg (100°F on July 26 and 27) achieved a triple-digit reading for the first time since July 15, 2024. Meanwhile, unusually cool air settled across California, where daily-record lows included 39°F (on July 25) in Campo and 52°F (on July 23) in Sandberg. In Nevada, Ely logged a daily-record low of 38°F on July 25.

July 27-Aug. 2: The eastern half of nation’s northern tier also experienced drier weather, accompanied by degraded air quality due to northerly winds introducing smoky conditions from Canadian wildfires. Elsewhere, drier-than-normal weather prevailed in most areas west of the Rockies.

Cool air gradually eroded in the West, although weekly temperatures averaged as much as 5°F below normal in California and Nevada. However, with heat returning across portions of the Northwest and Southwest, readings averaged at least 5°F above normal in parts of southern Arizona, northern Idaho, and eastern Washington. Farther east, near- or slightly below-normal temperatures dominated the Plains and upper Midwest, while lingering Southeastern heat boosted temperatures as much as 5°F above normal. Early-week heat was particularly intense across the Southeast, where Tampa, FL (100°F on July 27), achieved a triple-digit reading for the first time in more than 135 years of keeping weather records. Tampa had reached 99°F only two times before, on June 5, 1985, and June 26, 2020, and had attained 98°F twice in July (on consecutive dates in 1942). Triple-digit, daily-record highs for July 27 included 100°F in Florida locations such as Leesburg and Jacksonville. Another high of 100°F occurred in Leesburg on July 28. Previously, Leesburg’s highest July reading had been 99°F on July 20, 2000. July 28 featured another wave of Southeastern daily-record highs, including 102°F in Macon, GA, and 100°F in Gainesville, FL. Triple-digit heat more broadly affected the South on July 29, when daily-record highs included 102°F in Columbus, GA; 101°F in Jacksonville, FL; and 100°F in Vicksburg, MS. Texarkana, AR, closed the month with four consecutive triple-digit readings, including a daily-record high of 106°F on July 30. Heat also briefly spread into the Northeast, where record-setting highs for July 29 reached 101°F in Newark, NJ, and 99°F in Boston, MA. Consecutive daily-record highs occurred on July 29-30 in Northeastern locations such as New York’s La Guardia Airport (100 and 99°F), and Atlantic City, NJ (98 and 97°F). Late in the week, however, much cooler air surged across the Midwest and Northeast. On the first day of August, Midwestern daily-record lows dipped to 44°F in Gaylord, MI, and 55°F in Moline, IL. August 2 featured daily-record lows in Northeastern locations such as Houlton, ME (40°F), and Watertown, NY (43°F). Elsewhere, building heat was apparent late in the week across the southwestern and south central U.S. Phoenix, AZ, reported a reading of 110°F or greater each day during the week, paced by a daily-record high of 114°F on August 2. In Texas, record-setting highs for August 2 soared to 105°F in McAllen, 103°F in Harlingen, and 102°F in Corpus Christi.< 

 

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com