GENERAL OUTLOOK

Precipitation Summary

COOLER AND WETTER THAN NORMAL JULY

A warm, dry southwesterly flow around a ridge of high pressure over the Southwest United States and an upper low off the British Columbia coast dominated early in the month.

During the middle and latter part of the month, the ridge of high pressure shifted east into the South-Central United States, while a trough of low pressure moved east into British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. This brought cooler weather into the region and pushed precipitation to above normal levels, especially east of the Cascades.

Pacific Northwest mean temperatures departed -0.6 degrees from normal relative to 1961-1990 normals (31 stations). Mean temperature departures ranges from -3.1 to 0.9 degrees.

There were 5 new high temperature records in July. They include: 100 at Pocatello on the 3rd, 95 at Kalispell and 100 at Pocatello on the 4th, 102 at Havre on the 9th, and 100 at Havre on the 11th.

There were 4 new low temperature records established in July. They all occurred at Kalispell and include: 34 on the 17th, 36 on the 19th, 39(tie) on the 28th, and 35 on the 30th.

There were 7 new daily precipitation records established in July. They include: 0.32 inches at Helena on the 21st, 0.37 inches at Astoria on the 27th, 0.32 inches at Eugene and 0.17 inches at Salem and Portland on the 29th, and 1.05 inches at Great Falls and 0.60 inches at Kalispell on the 31st.

For JULY, PRECIPITATION is:

102 percent of normal (1961-1990) at COLUMBIA ABOVE COULEE, 118 percent of normal at THE SNAKE RIVER ABOVE ICE HARBOR, and 103 percent at COLUMBIA ABOVE THE DALLES.

For the SEASON, PRECIPITATION is:

73 percent of normal (1961-1990) at COLUMBIA ABOVE COULEE, 74 percent of normal at THE SNAKE RIVER ABOVE ICE HARBOR, and 71 percent at COLUMBIA ABOVE THE DALLES.