News | Washington State Climate Office

Aug 5, 2021 | Climate Matters, Extreme Heat, Humidity

Wet Bulb Globe Temperatures during the 2021 Heat Wave

As must be well known by all the readers of this newsletter, the Pacific Northwest suffered through a severe heat wave at the end of June 2021. In association with extreme geopotential heights aloft and thermally-induced low pressure near the surface, many all-time temperature records were set.

Oct 15, 2019 | Climate Matters, Humidity, Seasonal, Temperature

The Warm Nights of Summer 2019

The summer of 2019 included very near-normal daytime temperatures for Washington state. The mean maximum temperature anomaly for the state as a whole for the months of June through August was 0.3°F (relative to 1981-2010).

Jun 6, 2019 | Climate Matters, Extreme Heat, Humidity

Humidity Variation during Heat Waves in WA State

Summer is approaching, and while there will surely be some spells of hot weather, we cannot say much about their severity. Our most extreme heat waves tend to occur in July and August, but they certainly can occur earlier in summer and occasionally well into September.

Aug 7, 2015 | Climate Matters, Extreme Heat, Humidity, Temperature, Trends

Minimum Temperatures on the Increase in Summer

OWSC is receiving a large number of inquiries about the hot weather this summer and whether it is due to global climate change. The short answer is no, and the recent weather should be thought of as a short-term climate event.