Summer 2021 was one for the record books. Here’s how hot Tri-Cities was

The summer of 2021 was one for the record books.

The Hanford Meteorology Station, which collects some of the most complete weather data in the Mid-Columbia, says temperatures for June through August were the hottest on record.

It keeps daily weather data dating back to World War II for the met station about 25 miles northwest of Richland.

The Tri-Cities had its second hottest summer ever, according to the National Weather Service.

Temperatures averaged 76.7 degrees, which was not quite as warm as the average of 77.4 degrees in 1961, as measured in Pasco.

The summer months recorded an all-time record high of 118 at the Richland airport on June 29. The new high record temperature for Hanford at the met station also is 118, recorded the same day.

It tied the previous Washington statewide record of 118 recorded in August 1961 at the Ice Harbor Dam east of Pasco.

There were 35 days this summer with temperatures 100 or higher, compared to the normal of 15 days at Hanford.

It beats the past record of 28 days of triple digits recorded in 1958 and 2015, according to the Hanford Meteorology Station.

Temperatures for the summer months averaged 79.7 at Hanford, which was 4.8 degrees above normal, and 0.2 above the previous record set in 2015.

September forecast

Warmer than usual weather is expected to continue in the Tri-Cities through September, according to the National Weather Service.

Normal highs for the Tri-Cities fall from 86 at the start of the month to 74 at the end of the month. Normal lows fall from 51 to 42.

Another month of less precipitation than normal is forecast. Normal precipitation for August in the Tri-Cities is 0.4 inch.

August record set

August was hotter than normal both at the Hanford site and in the Tri-Cities.

In the Tri-Cities temperatures averaged about 1.7 degrees higher than normal. The hottest day was Aug. 11, with a temperature of 107 recorded at the airport in Pasco.

At Hanford temperatures were 1.1 degrees above normal, with nine days of temperatures 100 or higher. That compares to a normal for August of five days.

The hottest day at Hanford was Aug. 11 with a high of 108. It tied the previous record high for the date set in 1971.

A new record high of 106 was set for July 15. The previous record was 105, recorded in 2008, among other years.

Not much summer rain

The summer months were dry.

At Hanford just 0.27 inch of precipitation was recorded, which was 27% of normal.

At the Pasco airport just 1.67 inches of precipitation has been measured this year, which is 3.81 inches below normal.

The Tri-Cities had just one day of measurable precipitation in August, with 0.01 inch recorded on Aug. 19.

This story was originally published September 5, 2021 at 11:27 AM.