Western New York State Continues to Break Heat Records…and It’s Not Over

(WKBW-TV) BUFFALO, N.Y. — It’s report card time! It’s report card time for the climatological summer, as we’re now halfway through the period, which runs from June 1 to Aug. 31.

If you thought the weather had been mild, you’d be right. The numbers in the video speak for themselves. In fact, at the halfway point, the weather is the third mildest in Buffalo’s history, which dates back to 1873.

July was also a hot month. With more than a week and a half to go, the month is on track to rank among the top 10 hottest months on record.

And as the old adage goes, “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”

Not only have we had a climatologically warm summer so far here in Western New York, but we’ve also had more than our share of sweltering days, where the air is rich in moisture. The dew point temperatures are a testament to that.

You often see us using the “Muggy Meter” in our weather forecasts. It looks like this.

Josh Nichols

The dew point is the temperature to which air must be cooled to reach saturation. The closer the air temperature is to the dew point, the closer the air is to the saturation point. When the air temperature and the dew point are far apart, the air is “dry.” When the two values ​​are closer, the air is humid and, typically, there is precipitation or fog.

When you see dew point values ​​in the 50s and 60s, especially during the warmer months, like the summer climatological period we were talking about (June 1st through August 31st), that feels comfortable. If we’re above the 65-degree mark, that’s usually when humidity levels are noticeable.

I decided to look back at the summer climatological period so far to see how many days had dew points above 65 degrees. Here’s what I found, according to the Iowa IEM data tracker.

IEM Data Tracer

Now let’s look at the probability of seeing these types of dew points during the summer season here in Buffalo. Note the green shaded area representing the lower percentiles and how this area intersects with dew points of 65 or higher.

iem data plot

The summer was wetter than usual, but also warmer.

Enjoy the break from the heat and humidity!