July one of hottest and driest on record
Water was welcome on the 90-plus degree day during the Heritage Days parade last week. July saw multiple days in the 90s and virtually no rain.
July was the hottest and driest the Flathead has seen in decades.
The National Weather Service’s Kalispell station has precipitation data dating back to 1899, and this July is tied for the fourth driest ever recorded, National Weather Service hydrologist Ray Nickless said Monday.
In the month, Kalispell only received 0.07 inches of precipitation, compared to the July average of 1.42 inches.
July hasn’t been this dry since 1967, Nickless said. Other record months in the Flathead include July of 1960, the driest ever with 0.03 inches of precipitation; July of 1959 with 0.04 inches; July of 1973 with 0.05 inches; and July of 2003, which had 0.09 inches of rain in a hot month of a notable fire year.
West Glacier normally receives 1.66 inches of rainfall in July and had a mere trace, or unmeasurable amount, of rainfall this month. Records at this weather station go back to 1948, and this July has tied with July of 1960 for the driest ever. In July 2003, West Glacier only received 0.04 inches of precipitation, Nickless noted.
In terms of temperature, Kalispell tied or broke heat records in early July, Nickless said. July 8 reached 95 degrees, breaking the 1964 record of 94 degrees. July 9 was 96 degrees, two degrees warmer than in 1964. And July 10 tied the 1985 record of 96 degrees.
According to Nickless, July in Kalispell had 16 days over 90 degrees, including two five-day streaks and two three-day streaks of days over 90. If not for a day that only reached 87 degrees, there would have been eight days over 90 from July 23 until the end of the month, Nickless said.
The coolest day in July was a “chilly” 80 degrees on July 17, he noted. That night, temperatures dipped to 38 degrees.
Columbia Falls and surrounding areas are under Stage Two fire restrictions, with no rain in the forecast and the fire danger rated as extreme.