July in Berks got off to hot start, but flamed out

Last month got off to a blistering start in Berks County as anyone waiting outside on July 2 for Big Boy 4014’s appearance can attest to.

The temperature was off to the races with highs of 99, 103, 102 and 99 degrees July 1 through 4, respectively, on the automated equipment at Reading Regional Airport. The only date records were the 103, which eclipsed 102 degrees in 1966, and the low of 77 degrees on the 3rd, bettering 76 in 2018 for mildest low.

Of the 31 dates in July, 18 have high temperature records of at least 100 degrees. On the other end, 27 of the 31 dates have low temperature records of at least 76 degrees.

The temperature database is approaching 13 decades long.

But, after the blazing start, most of last month was unusually normal for this hot era of Julys: seven of 12 hottest on record since 2010.

Retired meteorologist and Berks weather historian Jeffrey R. Stoudt of Lincoln Park sized it up this way: “Other than a three-day comeback of heat at midmonth, including 98 on 15th, the great majority of days after the 5th averaged near normal to moderately below normal in temperature, keyed by lows of 56 on 20th and 24th, typical for lowest during a month of July.

“This trend eroded the early huge plus departure to a modest final departure of plus 1.0 degree from a final average of 77.1, way below the 10th warmest July of 79.0 which last occurred in 2022. Despite the very strong start of heat this July, only eight days heated to at least 90, below the average of 10 days during July.”

Stoudt sees a parallel with the July from 60 years ago in 1966: “Both of which began with high heat that then subsided with several mild days but some hot comebacks.  And July 1966 contained several days with more-miss-than-hit downpours resulting in drier than normal officially and on most areas.”

The rainfall

On the precipitation front, rainfall was a subnormal at 3.22 inches for July at the official site at Reading Regional, and only came that close because of 1.21 inches in a thunderstorm at the airport on July 28.

“Some sections of the Reading area received considerably more, enough to cause some brief localized flooding,” Stoudt said.

But overall, “The longstanding severe drought intensified further.”

Some areas of Berks received average or above rainfall totals, especially northeast sections where some got over 6 inches. Some places southwest of Berks in northern Lancaster County collected around 8 inches, added Stoudt, the founder of the Berks Area Rainfall Networks.

For the year at month’s end, the airport was at 18.06 inches, 7.45 below normal. Or, the total for the year is about two-thirds of normal.

However, the county overall is showing 21.4 inches of precipitation, 5.1 below normal, according to a division of the National Weather Service, the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center. That amount takes into account many more sites than the airport and is quality controlled by a hydrologist.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has Berks listed with seven other counties in a drought warning, with a call for a 10% to 15% voluntary reduction of water consumption.

All counties touching Berks except for Montgomery also are in drought warnings.

Philadelphia and Montgomery counties have recently returned to “normal” status, according to the DEP’s Commonwealth Drought Task Force. The Middle Atlantic center has those counties at 22.8 inches, 4.8 below normal; and 20.8 inches, 6.3 below normal, respectively.

The Montgomery County deficit is the second steepest in Pennsylvania behind Bucks County’s minus 6.4.

The DEP didn’t discuss the particulars of Philadelphia and Montgomery counties but does say this: “Drought declarations are not based on a single factor. DEP considers four key indicators: stream flow, groundwater levels, precipitation and soil moisture. Each has an established normal range.”

July weather in Berks

• Temperature: 77.1 degrees

• Normal: 76.1 degrees

• Precipitation: 3.22 inches

• Normal: 4.77 inches

More data:

• 90-degree days: 8 (annual total: 19)

Source: National Weather Service

Rainfall amounts from the Berks Area Rainfall Networks in inches:

• Bally, 6.61

• Boyers Junction, 6.49

• Topton, 6.1

• Quaker Hill, 5.78

• Mohrsville, 5.74

• Oley Furnace, 5.41

• Strausstown, 5.33

• Henningsville, 5.22

• Bernville, 5.13

• Muhlenberg Park, 4.59

• Lobachsville, 4.58

• New Morgan, 4.54

• Boyertown, 4.42

• Shartlesville, 4.35

• West Reading, 4.24

• Womelsdorf, 4.19

• Auburn, 4.17

• Morgantown, 4.09

• Reading E, 3.99

• Shillington, 3.56

• Wernersville, 3.52

• Lincoln Park, 3.51

• Greenfields, 3.5

• Knauers, 3.5

• Mohnton, 3.48

• Cornwall Terrace, 3.44

• Hamburg, 3.39

• Elverson NE, 3.24

• Cacoosing, 2.77

• Frystown, 2.18