Nevada’s cool summer heats up with record highs in July

Scott Sonner

Saturday, Aug. 1, 1998 | 3:35 a.m.

RENO, Nev. - The unusually cool temperatures that opened the summer soared above the century mark at the end of last month, making it one of western Nevada's hottest July's on record, the state climatologist said Saturday.

"The summer got a late start after a cool June but then made up for lost time with near record temperatures in July," climatologist John James said.

Typically, the hottest readings were recorded in the south last month - 116 degrees at Las Vegas. But the heat was out of character for much of northern Nevada in July.

The average temperature at Reno last month was 75.8 degrees, 4.2 degrees higher than normal - the fourth warmest July in Reno since records began in 1888, James said.

The highest reading there was 104 degrees, which had been surpassed on only three occasions in the 110 years of record-keeping, he said.

Those were 106 on July 20, 1931, and 105 in August 1983 and July 1931.

Ely also reached 101 degrees, its highest reading in 60 years of record-keeping there, James said.

The 116 degrees at Las Vegas was just one degree below the all-time high recorded at the airport in 1942, James said.

That was only 2 degrees below the all-time high of 118 recorded at the then-official downtown location in July 1931, he said.

"That infamously hot month of July 1931 also produced 117 degrees on the 20th and 24th, before the 118-degree record on the 26th in Las Vegas," he said.

The heat blanketed much of the Southwest in July.

The mercury bubbled to 129 degrees at Death Valley National Park in California, the highest North American temperature recorded at an official site since July 1960, James said.

Nevada's all-time record was 125 degrees at Laughlin in June 1994.

July precipitation was a mixed bag in Nevada with some locations getting more than 1 inch in just a few hours while nearby sites remained dry.

A series of thunderstorms hit the Las Vegas Valley, toppling trees and power poles with wind gusts to 60 mph. Downpours of heavy rain also caused localized flooding.

James said it is difficult to tell what this month will bring.

"We can reach 100 degrees in August or dip down to freezing," he said.