Article published Aug 2, 2007

City has hottest July ever

By RICHARD PETERSON

Tribune Staff Writer

Great Falls recorded its hottest July on record this year as the mercury hit at least 100 degrees seven times throughout the month, the National Weather Service said Wednesday.

Thermometer readings of 104 degrees were recorded on July 6, July 15, and July 19. The temperature topped out at the century mark on July 23, July 28 and July 30, and hit 101 on July 29, weather officials said. The normal average high temperature for July is 85 degrees in Great Falls.

"That's pretty drastic, very unusual," said meteorologist Jerome Saucier.

The ongoing heat wave is taking a toll on outdoor workers such as the lifeguards at Great Falls' pools, said Marian Permann, the aquatic supervisor for the city. The pool workers are on the job during the hottest periods of the day.

"Working on that hot cement is tough," said Permann, who added that attendance at the pools is noticeably up over last year at this time. Official numbers won't be available until later.

The city is making sure the pool workers stay hydrated and cool as possible with water and Gatorade, ice-cold towels, sunglasses and plenty of sunscreen.

"We often tell them, 'You need to jump in.' It's tough for everyone out there," Permann said.

Just east of Great Falls at Malmstrom Air Force Base, weather officials recorded 15 days over 100 degrees last month, said 2nd Lt. Korry Leverett. On July 19, the mercury hit 109 degrees at the base, he added.

According to National Weather Service statistics, the highest July reading on record in Great Falls is 107, set in 1933.

Wednesday's high temperature of 81 degrees provided some relief for visitors to the Montana State Fair, who baked in 90-degree and triple-digit temperatures earlier this week.

Attendance for the 2007 event is down compared to last year, but the drop is most likely because the fair had higher than normal attendance during its 75th anniversary celebration in 2006, said ExpoPark spokeswoman Lori Cox.

"The heat is tough on people but, surprisingly, we haven't seen a tremendous difference," Cox said, adding that fair officials won't have an accurate number of visitors until an audit is conducted.

Cox said the fair had record attendance on Saturday, when the temperature reached 100 degrees.

The hot weather hasn't hung over just Great falls as July 6 was one of the hottest days ever in Montana history, cities in the Treasure State averaged a daily high of 102.1 degrees, according to the weather service.

Electric City residents didn't get much relief from the heat in terms of rain either as only 13-hundreths of an inch of moisture fell on Great Falls in July, about 1.32 inches below normal, the weather service said.

The hot and dry weather was caused by a large high pressure system locked over the state, according to meteorologists.