GF July Ninth Hottest in History
By Nikki Voigt, Grand Forks Herald, N.D.
Aug. 2–July was a scorching hot month, but it wasn’t the fiercest heat Grand Forks has ever seen.
The average high for July was 84 degrees, making it the ninth hottest July in the city’s history.
“July 2007 was actually a couple of degrees cooler than July last summer,” said Peter Speicher, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Grand Forks. “But it definitely was above the normal average for the month.”
The hottest day was July 25, when the temperature reached 95 degrees. The record for that date 98 was set in 1999.
“It seemed very hot because of the heat index,” Speicher said. “But no days this July have actually beaten any temperature records.”
According to Speicher, the heat index is a measure of how hot it feels outside. It’s highly dependent on relative humidity, or the amount of moisture in the air. The more moisture in the air, the higher the heat index will be.
The highest temperature ever recorded in July in Grand Forks was 104, on July 5, 1988.
The sweltering weather has had an effect on gardens in the area, according to Zona Pearson, a member of the Grand Forks Horticulture Society, whose 23rd annual garden show will be held Friday and Saturday.
“The high temperatures absolutely hurt our gardens,” she said. “The flowers start to wilt down and plants in containers have to be watered twice, sometimes even three times a day.”
Pearson said that the heat stresses out all kinds of plants, including trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials and grass.
“A true gardener will just be out there watering and doing what they can,” she said. “People I’ve talked to have definitely been working harder than usual to keep their gardens looking good this year.”
Pearson said that a lot of gardeners have started using mulch in their gardens, because it helps conserve water and keeps roots cool.
“I’m actually very surprised at how well the gardens around here look with the strange summer we’ve had,” Pearson said. “First it was too wet, and now it’s too hot and dry.”
Today will cool off a little with a high of 82 degrees. Friday temperatures will be back up with a high of 88, and there also will be a 20 percent chance of rain.
The temperatures should stay in the mid 80s through the weekend.
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Copyright (c) 2007, Grand Forks Herald, N.D.
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