2006: Hottest July on Record?

The sweet pea season is generally short. This year, with its unusual hot weather is no exception. But I still have a few beauties and their heavenly aroma going strong.

So, was this the hottest July on record? Not in Salem, Oregon. The internet has a couple of sources for data. Here's the weather in Salem since 1928. Unfortunately, I don't have a way to scan through the years and average out the months. That would be very revealing. If you search through the data for various July's since 1928 you discover there are that there years with temperatures over 100. Add the temperatures together and divide by 31. The average July temperature in 1928 was 79.6 degrees. In 2006, the average July temperature was 84.1. But in 2003, the average temperature in Salem was 86.2. I think 1994 may have been the hottest. The average temperature was 86.8!

There is another factor to consider, however: days 100 degrees or over. A year can have a high average temperature, but few or no days 100 and over. So years with 100 plus days may seem hotter than those with an lower average. This year had only three 100 plus days. Again 1994 takes honors with four such days.

In the cool of this August 12th evening, it's hard to remember the July heat wave. I take global warming seriously, however. So I believe there's more to come. And what about the big dead spot in the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon Coast? It isn't just global warming. It's also climate change.