June’s weather records are done and stored in the cloud, while July is starting off with a bang. But how many records were broken or tied?

The National Weather Service has weather data for Allentown going back to 1922, although there are some gaps. One of the records kept is the average of every hourly temperature reading taken during the month. Statistics show there is a slight upward trend, calculated to about a half of a degree over the last century. But July averages are rising much faster, up 1.6 degrees — three times as much as the June trend.

The average of every hourly temperature reading taken in June over the last 105 years is 69.8. This year’s average was 71.1. The highest June average was 74.8 degrees, recorded three times, in 1923, 1925 and 1943. While the average temperature is rising, there weren’t any new high temperature records set last month, although the 92-degree high recorded on June 12 tied the record set in 1949.

The highest daily temperature recorded in Allentown during June was 100 degrees, reached only three times since local records have been kept: 1923, 1925 and 1966. The highest temperature recorded in June of this year was 93 on June 11. That was 12.3 degrees higher than the average for the day.

While July is starting as a scorcher in the Lehigh Valley, it is not expected to be a record breaker, although records may be tied Thursday when the thermometer is expected to top out at 102 degrees and tie the record set in 1966. The chart below lists the records for each day in July since 1922.

The Valley might hit the same withering temperature Friday, but the record for July 3 is 105. That is also the highest temperature ever officially recorded in Allentown, also in 1966.

The same statistical analysis that shows average temperatures increasing since the start of local recordkeeping also shows that daily low temperatures are increasing even faster, and with a greater disparity between June and July daily lows.

The charts below show that the lowest daily low temperature recorded in June has gone up about a half degree over the last 105 years. That’s about the same amount as the monthly average temperature. But the July minimum temperatures have gone up six times faster, rising 3.23 degrees since 1922.

That increase hints at a diminishing chance for the area to cool off and recover after a hot summer day.

 

 

Here is the blazing forecast for Allentown:

Thursday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 102. Heat index values as high as 110. West wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly clear Thursday night, with a low around 78. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Friday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Sunny and hot, with a high near 102. Light west wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Partly cloudy Friday night, with a low around 75.

Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 98. Chance of precipitation is 40%. A chance of showers and thunderstorms overnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 95. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Showers likely Sunday night, and possibly a thunderstorm before 2 a.m., then a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Monday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Showers Monday night, and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Tuesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 30%.