PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
 539 AM MDT WED JUN 27 2012
 
 ...MILES CITY REACHES ALL-TIME RECORD HIGH...AND OTHER FACTS FROM
 OUR LATEST HOT SPELL...
 
 THE MILES CITY AIRPORT REACHED A WHOPPING 111 DEGREES ON TUESDAY
 JUNE 26TH...ESTABLISHING A NEW ALL-TIME RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE
 FOR THE SITE. THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 110 DEGREES WAS DONE FIVE
 TIMES...MOST RECENTLY IN JULY OF 2007. RECORDS AT MILES CITY GO
 BACK TO 1937.
 
 THE BAKER AIRPORT RECORDED A HIGH OF 108 DEGREES ON JUNE 26TH.
 ALTHOUGH THE SITE HAS A SHORT HISTORICAL RECORD DATING BACK TO
 1998...THIS TIED THE ALL-TIME RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE
 15-YEAR PERIOD. THE RECORD OF 108 DEGREES PREVIOUSLY OCCURRED IN
 JULY OF 2007.
 
 WITH HIGHS OF 101 AND 100 DEGREES ON THE 25TH AND 26TH...BILLINGS
 REACHED THE CENTURY MARK TWO CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN JUNE FOR THE
 FIRST TIME SINCE 1988. JUNE OF 1988 WAS AN EXTREMELY HOT AND DRY
 MONTH WITH SEVERAL HUNDRED DEGREE DAYS ACROSS THE REGION. TRIPLE
 DIGIT HEAT IN JUNE IS NOT COMMON AT BILLINGS. THE LAST TIME 100
 DEGREES WAS REACHED IN JUNE WAS 2002. RECORDS FOR BILLINGS GO BACK
 TO 1934.
 
 SHERIDAN WYOMING REACHED 100 DEGREES OR MORE FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE
 DAYS...WITH HIGHS OF 100 ON THE 24TH AND 25TH...AND 102 ON THE
 26TH. THE LAST TIME SHERIDAN REACHED 100 DEGREES AT LEAST THREE
 TIMES IN JUNE WAS IN 1988. AT LEAST THREE CONSECUTIVE 100 DEGREES
 DAYS HAS BEEN DONE ONLY ONE OTHER TIME IN JUNE AT SHERIDAN. TRIPLE
 DIGIT HEAT WAS OBSERVED FOUR CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN JUNE OF 1919. THE
 PERIOD OF RECORD FOR SHERIDAN WYOMING BEGINS IN 1907.
 
 MOST OF SOUTHEAST MONTANA ECLIPSED THE 100 DEGREE MARK ON TUESDAY
 JUNE 26TH. HERE IS A SUMMARY OF HIGH TEMPERATURES OBSERVED ACROSS
 THE REGION ON THIS DATE:
 
 MILES CITY...111
 BAKER........108
 BROADUS......106
 RIDGWAY......105
 EKALAKA......103
 HARDIN.......102
 SHERIDAN.....102
 HYSHAM.......101
 BILLINGS.....100
 ROUNDUP......100
 
 THE HIGH OF 111 DEGREES AT MILES CITY FELL A FEW DEGREES SHY OF
 THE ALL-TIME STATE RECORD. THE RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR MONTANA
 IS 117 DEGREES...WHICH OCCURRED AT MEDICINE LAKE ON JULY 5TH 1937
 AND GLENDIVE ON JULY 20TH 1893.
 
 THERE ARE SEVERAL FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE REMARKABLE HEAT
 THAT WAS OBSERVED IN SOUTHEAST MONTANA ON JUNE 26TH. FIRST...VERY
 DRY CONDITIONS HAVE PERSISTED ACROSS THE REGION SINCE EARLY
 SPRING. THE RESULTING LOW SOIL MOISTURE AND POOR GREENNESS HAVE
 ALLOWED FOR TEMPERATURES TO BE WARMER THAN THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN
 WITH A TYPICAL SPRING GREEN UP. SECOND...THE REGION EXPERIENCED A
 SURGE OF VERY HOT AND DRY AIR FROM THE GREAT BASIN ON TUESDAY. DRY
 AIR HEATS UP FASTER THAN HUMID AIR...AND HUMIDITY FELL INTO THE
 SINGLE DIGITS AS TEMPERATURES SKYROCKETED. FINALLY...IT SHOULD
 ALSO BE NOTED THAT AIR COMPRESSES AND WARMS WHEN IT FLOWS DOWN
 SLOPES AND JUST PRIOR TO COLD FRONTAL PASSAGES. THESE EFFECTS
 LIKELY PLAYED A ROLE IN HEATING UP AN ALREADY HOT AIRMASS.
 
 WHAT IS IN STORE FOR THE REST OF SUMMER? THE OFFICIAL TEMPERATURE
 OUTLOOK FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER CALLS FOR AN INCREASED
 LIKELIHOOD OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES IN JULY AND DURING THE
 JULY-AUGUST-SEPTEMBER PERIOD ACROSS SOUTHEAST MONTANA AND NORTH
 CENTRAL WYOMING.