Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Record Heat in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma; Earliest 100° at Wichita
Update: Century-Old Records Also Broken By Wide Margin in Nebraska, Iowa

See Record Heat for the latest updates.

May 11, 2 PM Update: The preliminary report from the National Climatic Data Center shows 186 high temperature records set on May 10, vs. 8 new lows (click image to enlarge):


May 10, Midnight Update: Some more records from Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Texas, and Louisiana:
THE FINAL HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 96 DEGREES AT 532 PM CDT IN SIOUX CITY   
BROKE THE RECORD OF 90 DEGREES...SET IN 1987.

THE FINAL HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 95 DEGREES AT 408 PM CDT IN SPENCER
BROKE THE RECORD OF 93 DEGREES...SET IN 1987.

THE FINAL HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 96 DEGREES AT 455 PM CDT IN STORM LAKE
BROKE THE RECORD OF 87...LAST SET 1987...BUT ALSO OCCURRING IN 1963
AND 1911.

THE HIGH TEMPERATURE UP TO 342 PM CDT IN SIOUX CENTER WAS 94
DEGREES. THIS BROKE THE RECORD OF 92...SET IN 1987.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 92 DEGREES WAS SET AT BURLINGTON TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 88 SET IN 1956.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 91 DEGREES WAS SET AT NORFOLK, NEBRASKA
AT 6:03 PM CDT TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 89 SET IN 1915.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 95 DEGREES WAS SET AT LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
AT 5:15 PM CDT TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 93 SET IN 1962.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 97 DEGREES WAS SET AT OMAHA EPPLEY,
NEBRASKA AT 5:52 PM CDT TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 93 SET
IN 1962.

THE HIGH TEMPERATURE UP TO 3 PM CDT IN VERMILLION SOUTH DAKOTA WAS
94 DEGREES. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 92 DEGREES...SET IN
1987.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 92 DEGREES WAS SET AT TOPEKA KS TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 90 SET IN 1911.

...DAILY RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS TIED FOR THE DATE OF MAY
10TH...

LOCATION OLD RECORD NEW RECORD YEARS OF DATA
-----------------------------------------------------------------
LUFKIN TX 93 IN 2008 93 IN 2011 RECORDS SINCE 1906

...DAILY RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS BROKEN OR TIED FOR THE DATE
OF MAY 9TH...

LOCATION OLD RECORD NEW RECORD YEARS OF DATA
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SHREVEPORT LA 93 IN 1887 93 IN 2011 RECORDS SINCE 1874
LUFKIN TX 93 IN 2008 95 IN 2011 RECORDS SINCE 1906
TYLER TX 95 IN 1941 95 IN 2011 RECORDS SINCE 1896

May 10, 9 PM Update: The NWS reports the following preliminary records in Iowa:
Location        Today's High (F)  Previous Record (F)  Normal High (F)
Des Moines: 95 degrees 90 degrees in 1911 70 degrees
Waterloo: 93 degrees 91 degrees in 1987 70 degrees
Ottumwa: 92 degrees 89 degrees in 1934 70 degrees
Mason City: 94 degrees 89 degrees in 1987 68 degrees
Lamoni: 91 degrees 86 degrees in 1911 70 degrees
May 10, 6 PM Update: The NWS is currently (5 pm local) reporting 95° at Des Moines, so the record has been exceeded by at least 1 more degree. Also, Lamoni has reached at least 91° and Waterloo 93°.

The Iowa weather map as of 5 pm CDT shows 90° or higher temperatures throughout nearly all of the state.


May 10, 5 PM Update: New records at 4 pm CDT (previous records in parentheses):
Waterloo IA   92° (see below) 
Mason City IA 93° (89°, 1987)
Burlington IA 91° (88°, 1956)
Moline IL 93° (89°, 1911)
Chicago IL 90° (89°, 1896)
St. Joseph MO 93° (91°, 2005, 1962)
Topeka KS 92° (90°, 1911)
Imperial NE 93° (92°, 1928)
According to The Weather Channel, this is the first 90°+ temperature of the year at Chicago, vs. an average date of June 6.

May 10, 4 PM Update:
The focus of extreme heat has shifted this afternoon to Iowa, where records have already fallen:
  • The 3 pm CDT temperature of 94° at Des Moines exceeds the forecast and breaks the old record for the date of 90° in 1911 by 4°.
  • The 91° at Waterloo also exceeds the forecast and the old record of 90° in 1911.
  • The 91° at Ottumwa exceeds the old record of 89° in 1934.
  • The 90° at Lamoni exceeds the old record of 86° in 1911.
Here is the map (click to enlarge) of U.S. high temperatures for May 9, 2011, from Unisys.

The NWS reports that records were also set yesterday (May 9) in Nebraska:
On Monday afternoon, May 9th, 2011, automated ASOS equipment at Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island recorded a new maximum temperature record of 98 degrees. This broke the old May 9th record of 95 degrees set back in 1934.

Temperature records at Grand Island date back to 1896.

On Monday afternoon, May 9th, 2011, the official NWS Cooperative Observer at Kearney Regional Airport reported a high temperature of 97 degrees. This breaks the previous record of 93 degrees, set EXACTLY 100 years ago today in 1911.

Temperature records at Kearney date back to 1902.

On Monday afternoon, May 9th, 2011, automated ASOS equipment at Hastings Municipal Airport in Hastings tied a new maximum temperature record of 95 degrees. This [tied] the old May 9th record of 95 degrees set back in 1934.

Temperature records at Hastings date back to 1907.

99 degrees at Norfolk broke the old record of 94 degrees set in 1928. 96 degrees at Omaha tied the record of 96 degrees set in 1895. Lincoln at 96 degrees came up just short of their 97 degree record set in 1895.

Original post: (Corrected date in first sentence to May 9.)

Late spring heat soared to summer levels across Kansas on May 9. The high of 100° at Wichita not only smashed the 116-year-old record for the date by 5°, but it was the earliest 100° ever recorded there. The top 5 earliest:
1.  May 9th  2011
2. May 10th 1967
3. May 23rd 1996
4. May 25th 1962
5. May 29th 1913
The National Weather Service also reports daily records at Russell and Salina:
AT RUSSELL THE MERCURY ROSE TO 100 DEGREES. THIS BROKE THEIR OLD
RECORD OF 97 SET IN 1956. SALINA...THEIR HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 101
DEGREES WHICH WAS 5 DEGREES ABOVE THEIR OLD RECORD OF 96 SET IN
1963.
Other record heat:
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 99 DEGREES WAS SET AT GARDEN CITY
REGIONAL ARPT KS YESTERDAY. THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 99 SET IN
1963.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 89 DEGREES WAS SET AT SPRINGFIELD MO
TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 87 SET IN 1963.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 89 DEGREES WAS SET AT JOPLIN MO TODAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 88 SET IN 1956.

SO FAR TODAY AT WILL ROGERS WORLD AIRPORT... THE HIGH TEMPERATURE
HAS BEEN 94 DEGREES. THIS BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH
TEMPERATURE OF 93 DEGREES SET IN 1895.

THE LOW TEMPERATURE THIS MORNING OF 71 DEGREES WILL ALSO LIKELY
BREAK THE WARM MINIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORD FOR THIS DATE. THE
PREVIOUS RECORD OF 70 DEGREES WAS SET BACK IN 1963.

TEMPERATURE RECORDS FOR OKLAHOMA CITY DATE BACK TO 1890.

Seasonal Outlook

Latest seasonal forecast: Click here.


Latest 3-month temperature outlook from Climate Prediction Center/NWS/NOAA.