WYOMING – Yesterday was a scorcher by Jackson Hole terms. Looming thunderstorms throughout the valley never really delivered moisture-wise (just .23 inches of rain was recorded) and didn’t cool temps much.
Jackson has been flirting with record highs through last weekend and will see the mercury boiling again all this week into the weekend. The record-setting heatwave that has gripped the Southwest US is feeding Jackson Hole more furnace than monsoon moisture.
In Jackson, the thermometer pushed 88 yesterday, tying a record set for July 9 in 2002, according to WeatherUnderground’s intellicast. This data, however, is gathered through the use of Personal Weather Stations (PWS) and is not considered official. The National Weather Service is considered the official source of historical weather conditions. It’s database reaches back to 1905, though reliability greatly improved beginning in the 1950s.
Warm temperatures are to be expected in July. It is traditionally the hottest month in Wyoming. Jackson does not usually see excessively high temperatures, though. While the rest of the state considers 90s to be a fairly normal occurrence during July, for instance, Jackson hasn’t broken the ‘90’ barrier since 2007.
The early 2000s were particularly warm for Jackson Hole. Many records fell during the summers of 2001, 2002, and 2003. For a town that enjoys typically moderate summer temperatures, 90s are considered baking around here. Given that, care to guess the all-time high for the town of Jackson and when it was set?
Computing…
Computing…
Jackson hit a blistering 101°F on July 17, 1934. It’s hard to imagine. We haven’t come close to a triple-digit reading since.
So as you swelter through this week, remember: it’s supposed to be hot in mid-July. And we’ve been hotter.
