The Columbian

Weather & Climate

People stand atop a rock formation to watch the sunset, Sunday, July 30, 2023, in Phoenix. Phoenix hit its 31st consecutive day of at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius). The National Weather Service said the temperature climbed to a high of 111 degrees Fahrenheit before the day was through.

Phoenix has ended 31-day streak of highs at or above 110 degrees as rains ease a Southwest heat wave

July 31, 2023, 5:24pm Nation & World

A record string of daily highs over 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius) in Phoenix ended Monday as the dangerous heat wave that suffocated the Southwest throughout July receded slightly with cooling monsoon rains. Read story

Graiden Therrien, 11, cools off in a water feature Monday at Harrington Park in New Bedford, Mass., amid sweltering heat.

Forecast: Expect hotter than normal August, September

July 31, 2023, 4:46pm Nation & World

At about summer’s halfway point, the record-breaking heat and weather extremes are both unprecedented and unsurprising, hellish yet boring in some ways, scientists say. Read story

In this photo provided by the National Park Service, smoke rises from the York Fire in the Mojave National Preserve, Calif., Sunday, July 30, 2023. A massive wildfire burning out of control in California's Mojave National Preserve was spreading rapidly amid erratic winds, while firefighters reported progress against another major blaze to the southwest that prompted evacuations.

Crews battle ‘fire whirls’ in California blaze in Mojave Desert

July 31, 2023, 11:21am Nation & World

MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE, Calif. (AP) — Crews battled “fire whirls” in California’s Mojave National Preserve this weekend as a massive wildfire crossed into Nevada amid dangerously high temperatures and raging winds. Read story

The sun sets over Phoenix, Sunday, July 30, 2023. Phoenix sizzled through its 31st consecutive day of at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) and other parts of the country grappled Sunday with record temperatures after a week that saw significant portions of the U.S. population subject to extreme heat.

July keeps sizzling as Phoenix hits another 110-degree day and wildfires spread in California

July 31, 2023, 8:35am Nation & World

Phoenix sizzled through its 31st consecutive day of at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) and other parts of the country grappled Sunday with record temperatures after a week that saw significant portions of the U.S. population subject to extreme heat. Read story

You-pick farms lose customers and crops through heat, drought and haze in Iowa

July 31, 2023, 8:01am Business

You-pick farms are struggling through heat, drought and haze as customers cancel picking appointments and crops across Iowa refuse to grow. Read story

Weather Eye: Make yourself comfortable: Weather pattern stable

July 29, 2023, 6:08am Clark County News

I could easily cut and paste words from Thursday’s column today, as our weather pattern is remaining stable. We will continue to enjoy highs in the 80-to-85-degree range through the end of July and most likely the first several days of August, although on occasion, we might top 85 degrees. Read story

FILE - A tour guide fans herself while working in Times Square as temperatures rise, July 27, 2023, in New York. Nearly 60% of the U.S. population, are under a heat advisory or flood warning or watch as the high temperatures spread and new areas are told to expect severe storms.

Extreme heat moves east where many will see their hottest days of the year

July 28, 2023, 8:06am Nation & World

Nearly 200 million people in the United States, or 60% of the U.S. population, are under a heat advisory or flood warning or watch and have been since Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Read story

FILE - A runner jogs along Tempe Town Lake at sunrise, July 12, 2023 in Tempe, Ariz. President Joe Biden plans to announce new steps to address the extreme heat that has threatened millions of Americans, most recently in the Southwest.

Biden looks to provide relief from extreme heat as record temperatures persist across US

July 27, 2023, 1:00pm Nation & World

With heat waves spreading across the United States, President Joe Biden on Thursday announced new steps to protect workers — including a hazard alert notifying employers and employees about ways to stay protected from extreme heat — as well as measures to improve weather forecasts and make drinking water more accessible. Read story

FILE - A man, who is homeless, drinks water as he wears a wet towel on his head, given to him by Maribel Padilla of the Brown Bag Coalition, July 20, 2023, in Calexico, Calif. Once temperatures hit 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 Celsius), Padilla and the Brown Bag Coalition meet up with people who are homeless in Calexico, providing them with a cold, wet towel, and some refreshments to help them endure the scorching temperatures.

July has been so blistering hot, scientists already calculate that it’s the warmest month on record

July 27, 2023, 8:10am Nation & World

July has been so hot thus far that scientists calculate that this month will be the hottest globally on record and likely the warmest human civilization has seen, even though there are several days left to sweat through. Read story

Abnormal dryness and hot temperatures persist in the Pacific Northwest, posing significant wildfire risk and changing reservoir operations. And the summer is only half over.

Dryness, heat fuel Northwest wildfire risk

July 27, 2023, 6:01am Clark County News

Abnormal dryness and hot temperatures are persisting in the Pacific Northwest, presenting significant wildfire risk and, in some areas, shifting water operations. Read story