What is your craziest WEATHER stat or fun fact?

[Scott5114]

You'd think a guy from Oklahoma would have learned about the Dust Bowl at some point.

You'd think, but Oklahoma education glosses over it by implying that the farmers involved were just bad at farming and chose crops that were ill-suited for conditions, and also bad at being Oklahomans by choosing to leave the state.

OKC gets temperatures in the low 110s with about the same frequency as Wichita—but 120° is quite another thing entirely. You really need a big, stable air mass for something like that, and Plains weather is usually unstable enough that you don't get one very frequently. That being said, a heat dome is exactly that: a big stable air mass. So if 120° were going to happen, a summer heat dome would be how it would happen.

The reason why it's surprising to see higher temperatures in the Plains than the Mojave, though, is that the Mojave is basically the Big, Stable Air Mass HQ of the continent. (Basically, it's like we have a heat dome 350ish days of the year.) Likewise, because of topography here, elevation matters a lot, with the hottest air getting contained at the lowest elevations. And indeed the world record temperature of 134° was recorded at the bottom of the Mojave's deepest valley, a couple of valleys over from Las Vegas. Still, though, that record is considered suspect because of the era's less precise equipment, as well as less standardization of thermometers and their placement back then. Given that, I see no reason to implicitly trust the records two time zones over just because the human effects of that are well-known. (I'm guessing people would have had just as bad of a time in Death Valley if anyone were dumb enough to attempt industrial-scale farming there.)

Now I'm curious what the summer of 1936 was like in Las Vegas. A heat dome that strong in the central US probably caused a pretty strong monsoon season here.

[JayhawkCO]

You'd think a guy from Oklahoma would have learned about the Dust Bowl at some point.

You'd think, but Oklahoma education glosses over it by implying that the farmers involved were just bad at farming and chose crops that were ill-suited for conditions, and also bad at being Oklahomans by choosing to leave the state.

OKC gets temperatures in the low 110s with about the same frequency as Wichita—but 120° is quite another thing entirely. You really need a big, stable air mass for something like that, and Plains weather is usually unstable enough that you don't get one very frequently. That being said, a heat dome is exactly that: a big stable air mass. So if 120° were going to happen, a summer heat dome would be how it would happen.

The reason why it's surprising to see higher temperatures in the Plains than the Mojave, though, is that the Mojave is basically the Big, Stable Air Mass HQ of the continent. (Basically, it's like we have a heat dome 350ish days of the year.) Likewise, because of topography here, elevation matters a lot, with the hottest air getting contained at the lowest elevations. And indeed the world record temperature of 134° was recorded at the bottom of the Mojave's deepest valley, a couple of valleys over from Las Vegas. Still, though, that record is considered suspect because of the era's less precise equipment, as well as less standardization of thermometers and their placement back then. Given that, I see no reason to implicitly trust the records two time zones over just because the human effects of that are well-known. (I'm guessing people would have had just as bad of a time in Death Valley if anyone were dumb enough to attempt industrial-scale farming there.)

Now I'm curious what the summer of 1936 was like in Las Vegas. A heat dome that strong in the central US probably caused a pretty strong monsoon season here.

Looks like they got 1.35" of rain in July 1936, so about 3.5x normal.  It had measurable rain 8 days of the month, with two days being more than the normal monthly amount for Vegas.

[kphoger]

Now I'm curious what the summer of 1936 was like in Las Vegas. A heat dome that strong in the central US probably caused a pretty strong monsoon season here.

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/past-weather/Las%20Vegas%2C%20Nevada

[Scott5114]

Wow, yeah, that is a lot of precipitation for Las Vegas. And look at all the sub-100 temperatures! I don't think there was a single day with a high under 100 in July 2024.

Thanks to both of you for digging that up. For some reason I have a uniquely hard time finding historic climate data; it's never where I think to look.

[JayhawkCO]

Not to be a turd, but:



Just followed the first link.

[kphoger]

And look at all the sub-100 temperatures! I don't think there was a single day with a high under 100 in July 2024.

July days under 100°F in Las Vegas
2024 — 0
2023 — 0
2022 — 3
2021 — 3
2020 — 0
2019 — 1
2018 — 2
2017 — 2
2016 — 2
2015 — 6

[CoreySamson]

This week was the first time in my life that I have seen more than three inches of snow on the ground.

Also, here in Tulsa, this February has seen both an 84 degree high and a 2 degree low, basically within a span of two weeks.

And just like that, it's 74 degrees outside with snow on the ground...


I love Oklahoma weather.

[Road Hog]

That high of 104 and low of 59 in Vegas is always what I was told the desert was like. No wonder Vegas is the nightowl capital.

[Road Hog]

My first summer in Texas was an experience. I walked out of a Cici's Pizza on Labor Day 2000 and it was 112º.

(Don't be quick to judge. I was still young and poor, and Cici's was still a $3.99 AYCE at the time. )

[NWI_Irish96]

33 hours ago - tornado

now - snow

[jgb191]

Here are the highest recorded temperature readings in Texas for each month.

 98  JANUARY -- Falcon Heights (1/11/2000 & 1/2/2022), Laredo (1/18/1914), Roma (1/4/1997), and Zapata 1/5/1997)
104  FEBRUARY -- Roma (2/26/1902)
108  MARCH -- Falcon Heights (3/27/2020) and Roma/Escobares (3/14/1902)
113  APRIL -- Falcon Heights (4/9/1963 & 4/27/2014), Roma (4/10/1963 & 4/28/1937)
115  MAY -- Laredo (5/7/1927), Presidio (4/26/1999), and Rio Grande Village (RGV)(4/29/2011, 4/30-31/2018, & 4/28/2024)
120  JUNE -- Monahans (6/28/1994) and RGV (6/24/2023)
119  JULY -- Tilden (7/2/1910) and Hebbronville (7/9/2009)
120  AUGUST -- Seymour (8/12/1936) and Vernon (8/3/1943)
116  SEPTEMBER -- Columbus (9/4/2000), San Antonio (9/5/2000) and RGV (9/6/2023)
111  OCTOBER -- Pleasanton (10/7/1986)
103  NOVEMBER -- McAllen (11/4/1988)
 97  DECEMBER -- Falcon Heights (12/14/2019), McCook (12/6/1977), and Roma (12/14/2019)

[kphoger]

Here are the highest recorded temperature readings in Texas for each month.

Where's the crazy part?

[wxfree]

My first summer in Texas was an experience. I walked out of a Cici's Pizza on Labor Day 2000 and it was 112º.

(Don't be quick to judge. I was still young and poor, and Cici's was still a $3.99 AYCE at the time. )

I remember that day.  The first three days in September had highs (at DFW) of 109, 109, and 109.  I thought that surely that streak had to end, and the next day it did, with a high of 111.  I still have the Star-Telegram from September 5 reporting on the heat.  We also had a string of 80 degree lows.  That was uncommon back then.  Looking at the records, it's interesting to see how many record warm lows in summer are in years starting with a 2, given that we've had 25 summers starting with a 2 and 101 starting with a 1.  We also had very warm summer nights in 1998.  I think it set a summer season record at the time.  The urban heat island is a real thing.

[english si]

It's more likely for there to be a white Easter in the UK than a white Christmas (defined as a single snowflake observed somewhere in the UK, which really boosts the odds).

[kphoger]

It's more likely for there to be a white Easter in the UK than a white Christmas (defined as a single snowflake observed somewhere in the UK, which really boosts the odds).

Also true for Australia, but less surprisingly so.

[NWI_Irish96]

33 hours ago - tornado

now - snow

This happened again last night into this morning. Snow falling less than 12 hours after a tornado.

[Scott5114]

That was uncommon back then.  Looking at the records, it's interesting to see how many record warm lows in summer are in years starting with a 2, given that we've had 25 summers starting with a 2 and 101 starting with a 1.

This is true in many locations. In fact, you could probably even call this warming global.