National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Climatic Data Center
Asheville, North Carolina
16 August 2004

July:


• July temperatures were cooler than average for the nation as a whole, with cooler than average temperatures in the middle of the nation and in the Northeast, while warmer than average conditions prevailed in the West. For information on temperature records during the month, please go to NCDC's Extremes page.
  
  
• The precipitation signal was mixed with wetter than average conditions across much of the Northeast and less than average precipitation in western states and parts of the Southeast. For more information on severe weather and hazards during July, please visit the Hazards page
  
  
• Indices used to determine the state of ENSO suggest that the Equatorial Pacific was in a neutral ENSO phase and Sea Surface Temperatures were above normal across the central equatorial Pacific during July. To see the latest NOAA advisory and typical impacts of a La Nina or El Nino episode for the U.S., go to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.
  
  For additional details, see the Monthly Highlights section. For details and graphics on weather events across the U.S. and the globe go to NCDC's Global Hazards page.

National:


• July 2004 ranked as the 29th coldest July in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature was 73.6�F (23.1�C), which was 0.7�F (0.4�C) below the long-term mean.
• July 2004 was near average for precipitation nationally, ranking 39th wettest.
  
  For tables of national, regional, and statewide data from 1895-present, for July, last 3 months or other periods, please go to the Climate At A Glance page
  
  
• May-July temperature was near average and ranked as the 49th warmest such period in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature for May-July was 68.4�F (20.2�C) which was 0.2�F (0.1�C) above the long-term mean.
• May-July was much above average for precipitation, ranking 9th wettest in the last 110 years.
  
  
• The August 2003-July 2004 temperature was much above average and ranked as the 10th warmest such period in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature was 53.9�F (12.2�C) which was 1.1�F (0.6�C) above the long-term mean.
• Precipitation was above average for August-July, ranking 35th wettest for the last 12 months based on a record of 109 such periods.
  
  Regional and Statewide:
  
  
• July 2004 temperatures ranked much above average for 2 states (NV and WA), while a further 6 were above average and 24 states were below average.
• Alaska temperatures were record warm for July with an anomaly of 3.2�F (1.8�C). This follows a record warm June and May, and the last 3 months was therefore also record warm with an anomaly of 4.3�F (2.4�C).
• July was record wet for New York and Pennsylvania and much wetter than average for 4 other states.
• The 3 month period, May-July, was much warmer than average for 6 states including Nevada, which had its second warmest May-July period.
• May-July 2004 was dry for parts of the West and Southwest, while wetter than average conditions prevailed across much of the South to the Northeast. Louisiana and Mississippi had their third wettest May-July statewide.
• The last 12 months were much warmer than average for 10 western states. Much of the rest of the nation also had above average temperature, but temperatures in the Southeast and parts of the Northeast remained near average.
• The last 12 months were record wet for 2 eastern states (PA and WV). Dry conditions prevailed across much of the Rocky Mountains, upper Midwest and parts of the Southeast.

  See NCDC's Monthly Extremes web-page for weather and climate records for the month of July.