NEWS RELEASE Weather Research Center ________________________________________________________________________ 3227 Audley Houston, Texas 77098 Phone: (713) 529-3076 Fax: (713) 528-3538 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday 29 July 1998 FOR INFORMATION CONTACT Mike Arellano (713) 529-3076 email: wrc@wxresearch.com web page: http://www.wxresearch.com 1998 HEAT DOES NOT COMPARE WITH HEAT OF THE PAST; NO CONNECTION TO GLOBAL WARMING HOUSTON - With the searing heat here in the Bayou City this summer, many have asked: what exactly constitutes a heat wave? Heat waves are designated as prolonged periods of abnormally hot weather. Heat waves have profound impacts on human beings, especially on the occurrence of respiratory and circulatory ailments as well as increased mortality rates. Both June and July maximum temperatures have been five to six degrees above normal. The average maximum temperature was 95.1 in June (1998) and the average maximum temperature [7/1-23] so far is 98.1 in July (1998). Since June 1, there have been 13 days with temperatures 100 degrees or higher. By comparison, for the same time period in 1980, there were 25 days with temperatures 100 degrees or higher. In August 1980, there were five days with 100 degrees and higher - and one of these days hit 107 degrees. So in the summer of 1980, there were 30 days of 100 degrees or higher temperature. Incidentally, heat waves are not caused by Global Warming. Most meteorologists do not accept current global warming theories. They believe there is not adequate temperature data to support the "proof" of global warming. The following examples of past hot July months in Houston demonstrate this. The average temperature of the day is the average of the maximum temperature and minimum temperature for the day. The average temperature indicates how hot the entire 24 hour period is - and not just how hot it is in the afternoon. Houstonians of the late 1800's had to bear the heat without air conditioning. In 1884, the average temperature was 86.6 degrees, in 1888 it was 87.6 degrees and 86.5 degrees in 1892. The normal average temperature for Houston is 83.3 degrees. So far our average for July is 85.2 degrees. In 1980 the average was 87.5 degrees. So the fact remains: if you live in Houston, you will have to deal with heat waves. They are a part of our history. Following is a breakdown of some of this year's hot temperatures: June 1998: 2 days with 100 degrees or greater: June 14 - 102 degrees June 21 - 100 July 1998: 11 days with 100 degrees or greater: July 06 - 100 July 09 - 100 July 10 - 101 July 11 - 102 July 12 - 103 July 14 - 102 July 16 - 100 July 17 - 101 July 26 - 100 July 27 - 100 July 28 - 100 The summer with most 100 degree or higher days was 1980 with 30 days, followed by 1962 with 14 days and 1993 with 13 days. Other hot Houston summers include the following (the use of the word "hot" in this case is the number of days in which the temperature was 96 degrees or higher): there have been 14 other years since 1948 which had over 29 days of maximum temperatures 96 degrees are higher. The record was set in 1980 which had 78 days followed by 1993 with 49 days. So far this year we have had 41 days. Year June July August September Total 1948 3 14 18 2 37 1954 2 15 14 2 33 1962 0 11 19 1 31 1963 5 8 11 6 30 1969 9 20 9 0 38 1978 1 18 13 0 32 1980 19 25 24 10 78 1982 5 24 14 3 46 1986 2 20 10 0 32 1988 5 15 16 4 40 1990 14 4 23 4 45 1993 1 16 26 6 49 1994 6 19 4 2 31 195 7 14 11 11 43 Heat waves are nothing new and have plagued the United States for centuries. On July 9, 1860, the temperature reached 115 degrees in Lawrence, Kansas. Today we deal with heat waves with air conditioning. Imagine how our ancestors must have felt when the temperatures soared into the 100's! Other memorable heat waves of the past: 1891 July 25, peak of a horrible heat wave in Los Angeles, California, temperatures hit 109 degrees 1901 Warmest July month since 1867 at Lawrence, Kansas. Temperatures reached 100 degrees 21 of 31 days in July. Peak reading was 108 degrees on July 24. Temperature also reached 112 degrees in Phillipsburg, Kansas. 1911 New England severe heat wave - 105 degrees in Vermont. 1913 July 10 Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, California, reported 134 degrees. 1930 July 20, Washington D.C. reached 106 degrees. 1934 July Heat wave across the Great Plains. 1936 Temperature hit 121 degrees in North Dakota - July 6 1936 July, New York Central Park Observatory hit 106 degrees 1936 July 10, temperature hit 112 degrees in West Virginia; 111 degrees in Pennsylvania. 1936 July 14, hottest afternoon in Iowa; 113 stations had an average maximum of 108.7 degrees 1936 Kansas City, Missouri hit 100 degrees or higher for 53 days 1937 Yuma, Arizona, recorded 101 - 100 degree days. 1941 Heat wave in the state of Washington. 1950 September 1, 123 degrees at Yuma. 1955 July and August in the Northeast; highs were on average four degrees above normal. 1955 September 1, temperature hit 110 degrees in Los Angeles. 1955 14 days with 110 degrees or higher in Yuma. 1959 June, July, August and September, an average of 7.5 degrees above normal in Los Angeles. 1959 July 10 118 degrees at Yuma; Cow Creek, California reached 125 degrees. 1960 Second hottest month of July in Yuma (1959 first). 1965 July 30 Portland, Oregon hit 107 degrees. 1966 July St. Louis, Missouri, heat wave grips city. 1980 In Dallas, Texas, 42 days hit 100 degrees or higher from June 23 to August 3. -30-