There’s lots of hullabaloo over the supposedly tied all time temperature record of 117°F in Las Vegas on June 29th, and the potential for a new all-time temperature record in Death Valley, which would negate the all time world record of 134F set on July 10th, 1913, since the previous world record in Libya of 136.4°F (58°C) was recently said to be unreliable. More on Death Valley in the next post, but for now let’s look at Las Vegas.
I don’t know where NBC news got 117°F where they say:
The high temperature officially hit 117 degrees at Las Vegas-McCarran International Airport — equaling the airport’s record
Even Drudge reported this.
Did NBC make this up? It wouldn’t be the first time they made up a news report to make it more spectacular. The official report from NWS Las Vegas for June 29th says 115°F:
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS, NV
212 AM PDT SUN JUN 30 2013
...................................
...THE LAS VEGAS NV CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR JUNE 29 2013...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1937 TO 2013
WEATHER ITEM OBSERVED TIME RECORD YEAR NORMAL DEPARTURE LAST
VALUE (LST) VALUE VALUE FROM YEAR
NORMAL
..................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
YESTERDAY
MAXIMUM 115R 452 PM 115 1994 103 12 105
MINIMUM 89 529 AM 60 1941 79 10 82
AVERAGE 102 90 12 94
The 117°F is not mentioned in the Record Event Report either: 115°F is.
RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS, NV
150 AM PDT SAT JUN 29 2013
...SUMMARY OF RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES BROKEN ON 28 JUNE 2013...
IN LAS VEGAS THE HIGH TEMPERATURE AT THE OFFICIAL CLIMATE STATION AT
MCCARRAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REACHED 115 DEGREES. THIS TIED THE
DAILY RECORD FOR JUNE 28TH SET IN 1994. THIS MARKS THE FIRST TIME
LAS VEGAS HAS REACHED 115 AT MCCARRAN SINCE JULY 6, 2007 AND IN THE
MONTH OF JUNE SINCE JUNE 30, 1994.IN LAS VEGAS AT NORTH LAS VEGAS AIRPORT THE HIGH TEMPERATURE REACHED
113 DEGREES. THIS BREAKS THE OLD DAILY RECORD OF 108 DEGREES SET ON
JUNE 28TH 2003. THIS MARKS THE FIRST TIME NORTH LAS VEGAS AIRPORT
HAS REACHED 113 SINCE JULY 7, 2007.
So, that 115°F is fairly unremarkable as temperatures go, having been reached twice before. According to the NWS Las Vegas, summary the all time high of 117°F has been reached twice before:
Highest Maximum Temperatures Recorded in Las Vegas – 117 degrees
July 19, 2005
July 24, 1942
Source: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/vef/climate/LasVegasClimateBook/Highest%20and%20Lowest%20Maximum%20Temperatures%20Ever%20Recorded.pdf
Interesting to note that NWS Las Vegas has followed the lead of the Surface Stations project, and on their main web page today, provided photos of each weather station…well almost, they don’t have photos of the Ellis AFB weather station, just the tarmac. 5 out of six isn’t bad though, I’ll give them props for effort.
Their caption reads:
Although there are 6 official weather stations in the Las Vegas Valley, our long-term climate station is at McCarran Airport. Most weather stations are located at airports since the aviation community relies heavily on weather data for flights.
UPDATE: The new record report (preliminary, pending certification) for June 30th, today does show that the temperature reached 117F:
RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS, NV
450 PM PDT SUN JUN 30 2013
...LAS VEGAS TIES THE JACKPOT OF ALL-TIME RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES...
...ALL-TIME JUNE RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT LAS VEGAS...
THE HIGH TEMPERATURE SO FAR TODAY AT MCCARRAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
IN LAS VEGAS HAS REACHED 117 DEGREES. THIS TIES THE ALL-TIME RECORD
HIGH FOR LAS VEGAS FOR ANY MONTH FIRST SET ON JULY 24, 1942 AND TIED
ON JULY 19, 2005.
THIS ALSO SETS THE ALL-TIME JUNE RECORD HIGH FOR LAS VEGAS. THE
PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 116 DEGREES ON JUNE 15, 1940.
THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS PRELIMINARY AND IS SUBJECT TO A FINAL
REVIEW AND CERTIFICATION BY THE NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER.
Never let good propaganda go to waste. It’s summer and it’s hot. How unremarkable.
Tsk, tsk. I think Anthony is using the raw and uncorrected data again. He should, of course, be using the “adjusted” temperatures which are usually a couple of degrees higher.
/sarc
All I know is, I’m hopping a plane to Vienna from Blast Furnace Iraq tomorrow. Them thar Gamble-vegas types haven’t a clue about hot.
Still hot as hell. Fifteen years ago (sometime in the late ’90s) I took my wife to the Mayo clinic in Scottsdale. Dropped her off at the entrance early in the morning and went to park the car. By the time I had walked back and gotten inside the clinic my shirt was sodden.
The picture in the story shows 125. Do people think you can compare the 30’s to now? Las Vegas is much bigger than it was in the 30’s with around 4 times the number of people.
Now, you know that relying on facts and integrity are signs of a flat earther, according to our leader.
And we must all rally around our leader, no matter what.
What was the minimum value the last time it was a record maximum of 115F in 1994?
According to the linked NOAA PDF, 115° F has been achieved 30 times since 1937 but calling it unremarkable is a stretch when it’s the highest temp for that location since July 2007 and only 5 times has it been reached this early, the last was 21 yrs ago and the time before that was 43 yrs past.
Vegas has grown A LOT since 1942. In 1942, it was just a dusty patch along Hwy 91. The Flamingo didn’t even open until 1947. How can you even compare a temperature recorded there now with then?
There have also been claims of records in Phoenix. Yet evidence from Arizona USHCN stations suggests that last week’s highs were between 5F and 8F lower than the records set in the 90’s.
http://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2013/06/30/us-heatwave-in-southwest-par-for-the-course/
I’m going to wait for the Death Valley post, but also I want to put my 2 cents in as a preliminary on that, as this also relates to general heat wave. My Real Science comment:
And speaking of hot…
Yesterday [Friday] it hit 125°f in Death Valley.
That is hot, but it is still a far cry from the 134 world record set also in Death Valley in 1913. Even 129 would be far off the record, but 129 was forecast by some and it didn’t happen. The 134°F record was set in 1913, and now after a 100 years of “data” showing runaway hockey stick warming we should be seeing that 134 record passed virtually every hot summer day.
But no.
Here we are in a “historic” heat wave that Drudge has been spending days headlining like it’s the apocalypse, and we’re still 9 degrees short of the record! This doesn’t add up as far as the hockey stick warming theory. The 1913 record still stands, like the American flag still stood after the battle of New Orleans or whatever.
Didn’t WUWT report that the temperature sensor in Death Valley was moved to an area known as “the oven” several years ago?
No surprise that NBC would take liberties with the facts. Recently it was NBC Peacock Productions that produced the Discovery Channel presentation of Wallenda’s walk. Notice how many times they repeated that he crossed the Grand Canyon? First, it was NOT the Grand Canyon. Second it was not across the Little Colorado River Canyon but only from one side to an island mesa in the middle. Still an amazing feat but a whole lot of fibbing by the NBC broadcasters on the microphone.
Paul Homewood says:
June 30, 2013 at 10:52 am
Re my comment above on Las Vegas. Phoenix has also mushroomed, becoming the 5th largest city in America (a fact people are often shocked to learn). How do you compare temperatures then and now?
I just wan’t to saY SOMETHING.
The UK Guardian just censored me for daring to suggest that global temperatures were falling and had not risen in 23 years according to the satellite record….
And I thought the Guardian was a Liberal newspaper.
Ah! That’s better.
In my local paper there were 3 stories (all AP) about the coming heat wave with all the mights, could bes and other propaganda. It’s like they’ve been drooling over this heat wave for months. I guess the cool spring had got them all in a knot.
The record temperature was probably measured at a home weather station of one of the NBC affiliates located next to the air conditioning condenser on [their] concrete patio 🙂
Bart says:
June 30, 2013 at 11:13 am
Phoenix the fifth biggest city in the USA?
Not by population, per Citypop.de at
http://www.citypopulation.de/world/Agglomerations.html
10 New York United States of America 21,600,000 incl. Bridgeport, Newark, New Haven
13 Los Angeles United States of America 17,100,000 incl. Anaheim, Riverside
31 Chicago United States of America 9,750,000
42 Washington United States of America 8,050,000 incl. Baltimore
44 Philadelphia United States of America 7,250,000 incl. Allentown, Trenton
46 Boston United States of America 7,200,000 incl. Providence
46 San Francisco United States of America 7,200,000 incl. Concord, Oakland, San Jose, Santa Rosa
54 Dallas United States of America 6,350,000 incl. Fort Worth
61 Houston United States of America 5,900,000
63 Miami United States of America 5,800,000 incl. Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach
65 Detroit United States of America 5,550,000 incl. Toledo, Windsor (Canada)
68 Atlanta United States of America 5,400,000
91 Phoenix United States of America 4,250,000
[Rankings shown are global]
Area-wise – maybe, yes.
Auto
Perhaps someone would check my maths the formula is rather nasty – but I just did a rough comparison –
Florida (Daytona Beach) Temp 25.1C Humidity 83% – Heat Content – 1257.6 Kilojoules/Kilogram
Nevada (Las Vegas) Temp 41.6C Humidity 12% – Heat Content – 307.2 Kilojoules/Kilogram
I was under the impression that green house gases trapped heat – not ‘temperature’. There is more heat on the East coast than there is in Nevada because the enthalpy of the air is higher due to its water vapor content.
Ian W says:
June 30, 2013 at 11:50 am
The old dry heat story,hey.
Auto says:
June 30, 2013 at 11:42 am
Bart says:
June 30, 2013 at 11:13 am
Phoenix the fifth biggest city in the USA?
Not by population, per Citypop.de at
http://www.citypopulation.de/world/Agglomerations.html
****************************
Agglomerations are not single incorporated places such as cities.
Phoenix is reported as sixth largest in the US here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population
They all look like they are sited to the usual high standard of the NWS/NOAA/NASA . /sarc off
Mikeyj says:
June 30, 2013 at 12:12 pm
Ian W says:
June 30, 2013 at 11:50 am
The old dry heat story,hey.
More the climate ‘scientists’ showing their lack of science – or perhaps relying on the lack of science in the ‘do you want fries with that’ media. They are using the wrong units to measure ‘trapped’ heat. And everyone has joined them ‘under the lamppost’.
Ian W says:
June 30, 2013 at 11:50 am
###
This is a little pet peeve of mine. In the SWUS desert, the AWG propagandist always intimate that high temps cause drought when it is often the drought that results in high temps.
“DMarshall says:
June 30, 2013 at 10:43 am
According to the linked NOAA PDF, 115° F has been achieved 30 times since 1937 but calling it unremarkable is a stretch when it’s the highest temp for that location since July 2007 and only 5 times has it been reached this early, the last was 21 yrs ago and the time before that was 43 yrs past.
###########################
you haven’t figured it out yet. No temperature no matter how high will ever be regarded as “remarkable”. There is an unstated skeptical position that nothing remarkable can ever happen. It’s all happened before. Even if it reached 130F in Las Vegas, that record would still be attacked, because nothing remarkable can ever happen. It’s all happened before is a null hypothesis that will never be rejected, ever.
Steven Mosher says:
June 30, 2013 at 12:36 pm
“DMarshall says:
June 30, 2013 at 10:43 am
According to the linked NOAA PDF, 115° F has been achieved 30 times since 1937 but calling it unremarkable is a stretch when it’s the highest temp for that location since July 2007 and only 5 times has it been reached this early, the last was 21 yrs ago and the time before that was 43 yrs past.
###########################
you haven’t figured it out yet. No temperature no matter how high will ever be regarded as “remarkable”. There is an unstated skeptical position that nothing remarkable can ever happen. It’s all happened before. Even if it reached 130F in Las Vegas, that record would still be attacked, because nothing remarkable can ever happen. It’s all happened before is a null hypothesis that will never be rejected, ever.
Steven,
There is a difference in a temperature that has been acheived before several times and one that has never been seen in that place before.
I do sense some projection in your reasoning on the null hypothesis though – had you thought about that? 😉
“Area-wise – maybe, yes.”
Area-wise the largest city in the US (and on earth apparently) is Jacksonville, Florida.
Human made new records?
http://www.john-daly.com/stations/badwater.htm
Steven Mosher says:
June 30, 2013 at 12:36 pm
you haven’t figured it out yet. No temperature no matter how high will ever be regarded as “remarkable”.
==================
Oh contraire. I’d say that a reported temperature of 117F at anAirport which turns out to not have been the reported temperature at all is quite ‘remarkable’. FYI, I’m a skeptic.
Steven Mosher says:
June 30, 2013 at 12:36 pm
“you haven’t figured it out yet. No temperature no matter how high will ever be regarded as “remarkable”. There is an unstated skeptical position that nothing remarkable can ever happen. It’s all happened before. Even if it reached 130F in Las Vegas, that record would still be attacked, because nothing remarkable can ever happen. It’s all happened before is a null hypothesis that will never be rejected, ever.”
When the hypothesis being bandied about is that humanity is inflicting “change” on the climate that hasn’t been seen in “millions” of years, why would you even suggest that the null should be rejected?
I’ll never understand the excitement a CAGW NGO gets at learning that the weather is almost as hot as it was decades or centuries ago, and at a time when CO2 and SUV’s were far more rare.
The population of Clark County, NV is 100x what it was in 1942.
I live in Phoenix and was monitoring The Weather Channel on Friday. At about 2 PM, they reported a temperature of 117. I figured the record of 118 would certainly be broken. However, at around 3 PM, The Weather Channel backed down the temperature to 115 and it maxed out at 116 according to The Weather Channel and the NWS. The 117 degree reading was bogus. I point this out because the NBC reporter who claimed that Las Vegas hit a record of 117 that day apparently got his numbers from The Weather Channel. Maybe the “glitch” that caused the erroneous reading in Phoenix was somehow duplicated in Las Vegas. Of course, if that were the case, you would expect NBC to update their article and say so…
I was out there in Las Vegas this time of year many times but in either 1991 or 1992 there was 115°F on that big clock on the upper strip ( near the Sahara ) in the afternoon and it still read 100°F at midnight. I checked the PDF linked above and it does not show up.
At most places the local airport is the source for local temps, and these airports are usually “developed” or “urban” when compared to the surrounding “rural” areas. For example, here in upstate NY the airport temp shown on the local news channel and the weather channel is almost always a couple of degrees warmer than we actually see on thermometers outside.
So I am wondering if any Las Vegas locals can comment on this, do you have kind of a reverse situation out there? Is it possible that McCarran is a cooler micro-climate ( well, less urban ) than on the strip? Up where that clock was 20 years ago there was nothing but brick, concrete and asphalt. Just buildings, streets and parking lots. No dirt, no sand, except around the odd palm tree.
Hehe. Steve Mosher is whining that skeptics aren’t impressed by all the alarmism that his buddies are frantically plastering all over the media. Exactly which alarmist report grabs your fancy but not ours Steve? Please don’t tell me that high temp fraud has you all worked up.
And right back at you: one might wonder why 17 years of non-Warming doesn’t impress you and your buddies?
Where is the nearest USHCN station to Las Vegas?
Is it: NV Baker 5 W Great Basin National Park (Gravel Pit Site)
It only got to 95.4 deg 6/29 15:00.
Or is it NV Mercury 3 SSW
Got to 109.6 deg F at 16:00.
Monthly summary. Got to 107.1 deg F on Jun 8.
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/crn/newmonthsummary?station_id=1049&yyyymm=201306
I wouldn’t have believed this if I didn’t see it for myself…
The weekly temp chart for NV Mercury 3 is clipped at 40 deg C
http://i44.tinypic.com/2uhludc.jpg
Rounding error?
If it stays at this temperature every day for the next ten years, we might… just might… have a problem.
Steven Mosher says:
June 30, 2013 at 12:36 pm
> you haven’t figured it out yet. No temperature no matter how high will ever be regarded as “remarkable”.
It most certainly is remarkable – there are 35 comments here remarking on the weather mentioned in this post.
Question for Anthony and Moderators …
My above post ( #comment-1350890 ) is stuck in moderation.
Is there something in it that tripped a spam or content filter? I cannot seen anything, and there are no links either.
Has the forum changed again? I could swear that I have had recent posts go straight through without moderation. This is not impatience, just wondering.
[Reply: For unknown reasons sometimes WordPress will put a comment in spam. Found your comment above in Spam folder & now posted. — Mod.]
Stephen Rasey says:
June 30, 2013 at 1:56 pm
###
To be fair, one has to realize that the local temps can vary a great deal in an area like south eastern Nevada. It does not take much change in elevation to have a dramatic effect. I was camping at Lake Mead during the mid 70’s when the local temp hit 122 F. That is only 20 miles south of Las Vegas, but down in the Colorado Valley. Our Chocolate Bars in the ice chest, sitting on ice, where melting on top!
Mike Smith, you are wrong. The temperatures are not adjusted, they are homogenised, manipulated and/or tortured.
The word “adjusted” suggests there might have been some valid reason for the change.
“Manipulated”, or “tortured” are much better words to describe what the Climate Establishment does to temperature records.
That little squeal that Steven Mosher emitted a couple of posts back is so typical of the Warmist reaction. It’s a squeal of frustration that the planet is simply failing to respond according to their predictions.
It reminds me of Dr Phil Jones Climategate email, the one in which he laments…”I hope you’re not right about the lack of warming lasting till 2020″.
They so want to be right, they so hate it that they’re wrong.
When it’s 115°F in Maine, Washington or Alaska, call me. I may be curious then. 115°F at an airport in a city surrounded by desert and rock, in late June? Meh…not so much.
Nellis AFB, not Ellis. Sorry, anal retentive hat on tonight.
Steven Mosher says:
June 30, 2013 at 12:36 pm
“you haven’t figured it out yet. No temperature no matter how high will ever be regarded as “remarkable”. There is an unstated skeptical position that nothing remarkable can ever happen. It’s all happened before. Even if it reached 130F in Las Vegas, that record would still be attacked, because nothing remarkable can ever happen. It’s all happened before is a null hypothesis that will never be rejected, ever.”
==========
Haha, It is only the stupid policies enacted by data challenged politicians, that “we” wish to avoid. That is all.
I remember visiting Las Vegas once when it was 116 F. I was from Michigan so was shocked by the high number, but nobody there seemed impressed. Too hot do anything outdoors except walk from building to car; that’s it. No one ever mentioned climate problems or thought it was unusual.
This is an example of normal weather and abnormal people talking about it.
Just got home (Lakewood, CO) yesterday from Mt. Shasta, CA. Came through Death Valley. Stayed two days in DV. That was a study in contrasts. Having been in DV a half dozen times before, it is a place where one can see subtle contrasts. But it was HOT!!!! It is one of the unique areas on earth. Well worth a visit in any season. Really!! Today it is 71 in Lakewood.
115 degrees is certainly remarkable enough. It just isn’t unprecedented. Now if all those high had been set in the last thee years, that would be unprecedented.
@Mosher, no comment then of the fact that it was 115F and not 117F ? Apparently that’s not “remarkable” for you.
But one more 115F previously hit 30 times in LAS is remarkable?
You’ve strayed into your own secular BS zone my friend. Lose the snark-hate, it isn’t becoming of you. You are acting like Seth when it comes to “remarkable” temperatures.
Ian W says:
June 30, 2013 at 11:50 am
Perhaps someone would check my maths the formula is rather nasty – but I just did a rough comparison –
Florida (Daytona Beach) Temp 25.1C Humidity 83% – Heat Content – 1257.6 Kilojoules/Kilogram
Nevada (Las Vegas) Temp 41.6C Humidity 12% – Heat Content – 307.2 Kilojoules/Kilogram
I was under the impression that green house gases trapped heat – not ‘temperature’. There is more heat on the East coast than there is in Nevada because the enthalpy of the air is higher due to its water vapor content.
That is a remarkably important point that is not discussed nearly as often as it ought to be.
I understand why there are a lot of weather stations at airports. Pilots need to know the current weather at the airport, but what they don’t need to know is what the historic data was. Until recently no one really needed to know the historic data. In the sane world we used to live in before 1980 or so it really did not matter if the record temperature was 115 or 117. It might have been a curiosity, but it really did not matter, now with global warming alarmistism running amok it means way more than it should. .
@Steven Mosher:
That the temperature has set a daily record is enough to show that it is unusually hot. However daily temperature records are set in both the hot and cold directions on a fairely regular basis.
To claim the record daily high as evidence of #weatherweirding or whatever the lastest bizarre hashtag is, would require some actual statistical analysis.
Steve Mosher:
Can you provide any examples whatsoever that can vaguely support your bizarre anti-skeptic strawman? —that skeptics don’t think any weather is remarkable. You insulted a million weather-bugs. Steve, some of us just aren’t the sensationalist type.
Certainly this heat wave is not exciting. Maybe a few more degrees would be something to rave about, aye? Actually, I find all kinds of weather remarkable, I like to talk about weather, but exaggerating about it for money and propaganda is now a disgusting political habit. It’s political machination, pure and simple. And your statement exposes your political bent.
You’ve let the cat out of the bag, now we know you are anti-skeptic, and that you see yourself as separate from us. Thanks for clearing that up.
Despite 20-30 years of “alarmist propaganda,people continue to vote with their feet and move to major cities in SW desert areas.
Remember, one hot day in one place. And there is a scramble for points! Didn’t someone mention weather and climate are somewhat different! Even one hot summer does not equate to climate.
@DesertYote 2:52 pm re: Rasey 1:56 pm
To be fair, one has to realize that the local temps can vary a great deal in an area like south eastern Nevada.
Yes, of course. I just thought it worthwhile to bring up the US Climate Reference Network (USCRN) into the discussion and see if any of them are showing record temps in their short existence.
I’m sitting here in Inyokern CA, two valleys from Death. It’s kind of oppressively hot outside at 111F. The old swamp cooler is maintaining 82F at 70% RH. Looking at Mesowest I see a couple local results at 114 and 117, but these two sites are always a little high. This heatwave isn’t remarkable for us but I would say it’s more usual to have our first real one in early to mid July. For most of June we were enjoying relatively cool temps in the mid to high 90’s – here’s to July!
Correction to Rasey 1:56 pm..
I meant “USCRN”, not “USHCN”.
I live in Las Vegas. Intellisense and the Weather Channel reported a high of 114 deg. F yesterday. I have a fairly high end thermometer. It recorded 112.2 deg. ~3:45 PM yesterday. It is typically 2 deg. F below McCarran.
A number of other sources I checked, including Weather Source (who claim to have the most accurate historical database), show our record high to be 118 deg. F, set on July 26, 1931. I’m not sure why they all disagree with NWS.
Anyway, here’s what I collected and put together relevant to the above:
http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/2544/ymfr.jpg
It did, for the first time in 23 years, officially reach 119°F yesterday in Phoenix. It hits 115° or 116° a few times every year. 119° doesn’t feel any different.
Interesting story: Back on June 25, 1990, takeoffs at the Phoenix airport were stopped for an hour or two when the temperature reached 122°. Apparently precalculated tables of take-off parameters for the aircraft didn’t go beyond 120°. OK, maybe not so interesting.
I’ve lived in the Phoenix metro area my entire life. The summer days are no hotter than they were 50 years ago. The summer nights are an entirely different story.
Yesterday the high here in Sarasota Florida was 90. This was so remarkable that the weatherwoman had to repeat it, as in “90………….90!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ” The thing is that the average high is 89. I don’t know, but when the average high is 89 a high of 90 doesn’t really need the extra emphasis. The record high was 96.
Sarasota is place where the temperature doesn’t vary that much from year to year, but even so, making a point of a one degree variation from the normal seems a bit much. On the same station I have seen a weatherman remark on how much warmer than normal it is, when it was only two degrees about the normal high, that is bit of overkill in my book.
@ Steve Mosher: If someone of sound mind compared me to Seth Boringstern I would seriously consider psychiatric help.
Ah, post-normal temperatures. So that’s what’s “driving” global warming.
Finally we have an answer.
Well most of it has happened before, stating that fact doesn’t make us wrong.
McCarran wasn’t there in 1940.
Guess we need tarmac around in order to reach these highs nowadays, unlike back almost 75 years ago?Twitter that! LOL!
Here are Oregon’s all time records…:
http://coolweather.net/statetemperature/oregon_temperature.htm
note no records set to speak of in the 1980’s,90’s,2000’s…
“you haven’t figured it out yet. No temperature no matter how high will ever be regarded as “remarkable”. There is an unstated skeptical position that nothing remarkable can ever happen. It’s all happened before. Even if it reached 130F in Las Vegas, that record would still be attacked, because nothing remarkable can ever happen. It’s all happened before is a null hypothesis that will never be rejected, ever.”
Mosher, you have not yet figured it out:
people are yanking your chain with the “unprecedented” claims.
Once, in 1991, my total at a store came up to $19.91. Remarkable Then, in 1992, I had a purchase that was $1992.00!!!!!
Here is science, Steve:
Specify a priori what the indicators of your theory are, then wait for the data to come in. Then see if your theory is sustained.
So, Steve: please give us the official prediction of what global weirding will do.
To take remarkable, unusual occurrences, unpredicted, as support of a theory is called – google this — Moving The Goalposts.
No one ever claimed that LV would tip the record book in one year out of several by a half degree – what they have said is we ALL will have CLEARLY HIGHER temps, the Arctic would be gone, polar bears would be gone, there would be millions of climate refugees, and on and on.
A record high in one town does not support ALL OF THAT.
We scientifically minded people are mindful of this because we paid attention in middle school science class.
Hank, assuming you’re in the “suburbs”, what kind of correlation do you think exists between McCarran and the strip? ( see my post above at 1:35 pm ). Anyway, I’m just wondering how it would be possible for McCarran to create any UHI above and beyond the 100% concrete and asphalt jungle up on the Northern strip. It might be interesting to also compare to the lower strip with huge man-made lakes and golf courses.
I’ve stayed over in Spring Valley, maybe 3 or 4 miles away and at night you might be wearing a coat but over on the strip you will definitely be carrying it. I wonder if anyone has day and night infrared-only photos of Las Vegas from the air, that would be pretty neat. I was gonna say Predator style heat images ( like the alien in the movies ) until I realized there are probably Predator drones up there right now doing exactly that!
Ah, here’s a video of someone filming in IR from a car, but he’s a bit farther South and West, probably about 5 or 6 miles from the strip. It’s a shame he doesn’t drive over to the Casinos.
No question the original figure of 115 F. was replaced with the false figure of 117 F. Typical alarmist lying.
In any case the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia (550 feet below sea level) has had uoinfficial temperatures of up to 145 F. Since the Danakil is deeper and narrower than Death Valley, is similarly surrounded by high mountains, and closer to the equator (14 N vs 36 N for Death Valley), it stands to reason that it will get even hotter.
@auto –
Phoenix IS the 5th largest city on the US in terms of city boundaries, having recently passed Philadelphia. Phoenix has just crossed the 1,600,000 mark while Philadelphia stands at 1,547,000. Only NY, LA, Chicago and Houston are larger municipalities, as compared to metro areas.
Blade:
Spring Valley is a bit higher in elevation than the Strip. The Airport, well where the weather station is located is about 5 miles south of Sahara ave. It depends on whether the temperature reading was from the clock on top of the Sahara or at Las Vegas Blvd south and St Louis ave. there were clocks at both locations and they did not agree most days. There are problems with the weather station at Mc Carren airport and it has only been at McCarren since 1948. Before that it was at Nellis Air Force Base, which was the airport for Las Vegas until the County bought the private air strip at the site on Las Vegas Blvd south where the executive terminal is now.
In Spring Valley you might well have been near the Flamingo Wash or even the Tropicana Wash. Any where there is an underground stream running through that valley it is many degrees cooler. Just north of the city on 95 the temperature used to drop dramatically between Cheyenne and Craig Road. I used to ride a bike and a motorcycle around the valley and lived there from the mid fifties until 2006. I watched the city grow and visited most every part of the county throughout those years.
If they say a record was set in the las Vegas Valley X year, if is only a paper record and any comparison over the years is like comparing the taste of different fruits in a fruit salad. At one time or another I visited all the weather stations in the valley, or was within eye site of them. They are not where they were.
McCarran International Airport is approximately 4.5 miles due South of the North strip. The Stevenson Screen located at McCarran, which is our “official” thermometer (as I understand it) is situated near the Southwest end of the main runway.
I’m located approximately 8 miles to the West of the airport and 445′ higher in elevation (the KLAS [airport] thermometer is at 2,180′, I’m at 2,625′). You’re right, my setting is in the suburbs. And you’re also right – the UHI effect downtown is quite noticeable on the strip!
Here’s a satellite view of where the KLAS Stevenson Screen is located at McCarran Airport:
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/6518/gsc.png
Howdy miked1947! Ya’ beat me to the post 😀
I was in Las Vegas recently and heard a speech by the director of its water board. Rainfall in that area has dropped in half in recent years. I learned in agricultural college that most years in arid areas are drought years. The average is brought up by a few rainy years. So neither this record, nor the current drought proves much of anything.
Then again, these may not be random, either. I have recently learned that the climate IS changing in many places to produce desertification, it IS due to man, and it has the potential to be catastrophic indeed. Catch is that carbon dioxide is not the source of the problem, and will in fact, reduce it. The source of the problem is agriculture–monocropping and sprinkler irrigation, and chemical practices that damage soil organisms, insecticides, herbicides, fertilizers and others. Soil culture is being promoted among organic farming fans because it sequesters carbon dioxide.
Taking that in reverse, maybe the destruction of much of the world’s soil organisms is causing the rise in carbon dioxide. This would be a beneficial thing in itself as the higher CO2 levels enable plants to cope better with the droughts. At any rate, our industries and cars are blameless–except the chemical and agricultural industries. This group knows the planet’s overall temperature is not changing significantly. But the climate in desert areas IS changing.
Desertification can be reversed–Google permaculture for some wonderful websites and videos.
You can learn more about how it is being caused from a favorite book of this group: Iain Murray’s The [i]Really[/i] Inconvenient Truths: Seven Environmental Catastrophes Liberals Don’t Want You To Know About–Because They Helped Cause Them. Chapter Seven describes the Death of the Aral Sea. Similar processes are at work in the USA.
I grew up in Asmara Eritrea (part of Ethiopia at the time). I’ve been to the Northern part of the Danakil Depression to visit the the geothermal pools a number of times. It is definitely hot as Hades there.
Lady life Grows:
The average rainfall in Las Vegas increased from the 50s to the late 90s and if it has fallen recently it was just returning to the Arid conditions that are normal for the desert. However there is no one location with a long enough record in Southern Nevada to make any accurate claim. The head of the water board was blowing smoke as usual.
I’m surprised the temperature at the airport didn’t reach 120 given all the concrete, bitumen, jet exhausts, buildings etc.
Gbees:
Where the equipment is currently located is away from all the buildings, actually I am surprised it is there as the claimed site is not near any buildings. It is off the East West runway, about at the western end. The gray surface is likely gravel,but that is normal ground cover around the airport. No Jet exhausts at that location either. If the wind is blowing from the south there would be heat from the major road about 200 ft south and the desert beyond. There were many a day I thought it was over 120 when I was working near a road in that city, but Laughlin was even worse during the day, in the Summer. About 90 miles south along the Colorado River.
Nit picking time. I don’t think there is an Ellis AFB in LV. You mean Nellis AFB?
Yes Elmer he means Nellis AFB! The picture shows the runway with the Thunderbirds on it at Nellis.
Stephen Rasey says:
June 30, 2013 at 4:23 pm
@DesertYote 2:52 pm re: Rasey 1:56 pm
To be fair, one has to realize that the local temps can vary a great deal in an area like south eastern Nevada.
Yes, of course. I just thought it worthwhile to bring up the US Climate Reference Network (USCRN) into the discussion and see if any of them are showing record temps in their short existence.
###
Oh, ya, that makes sense.
Great 🙁
Now I most resist the urge to plunge down yet another rabbit hole; looking at all the data from all the stations around Las Vegas.
… anyone figure in the ‘high’ that has encompassed the SW the last few days and probable ‘descending air’ near the middle of that high helping raise those temps a bit? Mosher?
.
Desertyote:
Steven Rasey:
None of them have enough history in one location to be of any value! No need to waste your time. If the CRN station is at Mercury, AKA Nevada Test Site, that is 90 miles north and a completely different climate zone. Mercury might have some history going back to the 50s.
Chad Wozniak says:
June 30, 2013 at 6:21 pm
@auto –
Phoenix IS the 5th largest city on the US in terms of city boundaries, having recently passed Philadelphia. Phoenix has just crossed the 1,600,000 mark while Philadelphia stands at 1,547,000. Only NY, LA, Chicago and Houston are larger municipalities, as compared to metro areas.
Many thanks – it’s definitions again – City Boundaries vs Metro.
Aside from that, very sad news about the firefighters losing their lives in/around Yarnell, Az. Our thoughts are with their families. Brave souls all.
And regarding city rank in terms of area, it looks like Alaska has a lock on the top spots. (Sitka has over 2,000 sq. miles) Honolulu is way up too. (the entire Island of Oahu) Phoenix might be 6th in the contiguous 48. Now if someone would use a criteria like energy density to delineate urban vs sub-urban, agricultural, rural, ranch, mining, wilderness, etc. we might know something useful.
Trumpeting local temp records? A summer like all others.
@miked1947 at 9:16 pm
None of them [CRN stations] have enough history in one location to be of any value!
I disagree.
If LV does not show a record, but the CRN does, it would be mildly interesting given the short history of the CRN.
If LV show a record, but the nearest CRN does not, that would be very interesting.
“None.. to be of any value!” So dismissive! “Move along, nothing to see here.” It might be low grade ore, but it might contain some gems.
So strange that everyone is up in arms about the 117 F. When I lived in Vegas in the back in 1990 I swear I recall a heatwave with temps above 120. Apparently a poster above sited a 122 temp. I remember this because I was in my last trimester with my eldest and my AC broke and I spent a couple of days hanging out at a sports book for their AC until my we could get a repairman out to fix it. Now, was this in LV Proper? No, but it was just south, still in the city limits. Or perhaps those were the airport readings. At any rate, what’s is with that?
Sorry, Anthony, but I’m just not grokking any snark-hate in Mosh’s comment. Or BS, for that matter. I find that the
has become distressingly common in the skeptical blogs. Skepticism is supposed to be open-minded and flexible, but too much climate “scepticism” has gotten rigid and dogmatic of late. There have been many records set or matched in the last week in the southwest, and dismissing them out of hand only dings the credibility of skeptics and blogs like WUWT; especially since clusters happen and a few weeks of record warms don’t mean squat in the longer trends. This is what I tell uninformed friends and family, and is how skeptics should be responding to MSM hype (I would, however, find these record warms less remarkable if there were a similar cluster(s) of record colds this year – anyone?).