July Weather for California
Hot and dry conditions persist for Northern California, as reported by my AcuRite Atlas® home weather station. With zero rainfall and more heat, drought conditions remain a concern for wildfire danger for most of the West Coast. The first July heat wave came July 8 to 10 with two days reaching above 101.6 °F (38.6 °C). The second heat wave on July 17 through July 19 didn’t break 100 °F (37.7 °C), but the last heat event on July 27 reached the month’s high temperature of 101.7 (38.7 °C). While there were no official reports from the Bay Area National Weather Service locations with these heat waves, a cool period in the middle of the month tied the record temperature for the lowest high temperature reported in San Francisco on July 12 when it only reached a high temperature of 57 °F (13.9 °C). The legendary Mark Twain quote hits it again! “The coldest winter I’ve ever endured was the summer in San Francisco.” (Whether or not he ever truly said this is a question for another time…) The very next day on July 13 was actually the coolest July day reported by my weather station in My AcuRite®, with a high temperature of 73.4 °F (23 °C).
West Coast Fire Danger and Smoke
With the high heat and dry vegetation, we turn again to the National Drought Monitor to understand the West Coast Fire Danger but also keep a close look at the West Coast air quality. Based on reports of smoke from the Pacific Northwest through parts of Northern California and into Nevada, we can use the CAL FIRE website to see the current wildfires, but we can also look at AirNow’s Fire and Smoke map to grasp the smoke transport at a larger scale. The darker areas represent the areas of smoke, the colored dots are official AirNow air quality observation locations, and the flames identify locations of active wildfires. Clearly from this map, we can see the main area of concern for smoky skies and poor air quality is the inland areas of the Pacific Northwest.
As for drought conditions, we can again compare the national drought conditions from the end of July 2020 to the end of July 2021. Last year, there were no areas under Exceptional Drought at this time, and this year, 8.84% of the nation is under this highest level of Exceptional Drought.
Share and Discuss
Is anyone reporting from regions that are currently affected by smoke or fires? How has it been affecting your local air quality? I know I’m keeping a close eye on my AcuRite Air® Indoor Air Quality Monitor as fire risk and smoke continues to threaten our region. What are your tips and tricks for keeping the smoke out of your home? Share and discuss below!