Was July the warmest ever in SLO County? One spot broke a 72-year-old record
Throughout the summer months, cities throughout San Luis Obispo County have issued numerous excessive heat warnings.
Paso Robles in particular had the hottest July on record since the National Weather Service started collecting data in 1952.
According to National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Kittell, Paso Robles unofficially had the hottest July on record since the agency started collecting weather data in 1952.
The monthly average temperature reached a scorching 100.2 degrees, according to Kittell.
The previous high was set in 1996 at 99.5 degrees; 2023 tied that record with the same average temperature.
Paso Robles also had its seventh-hottest day ever recorded on July 6 at 114 degrees, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Kristan Lund.
That day also broke the previous same-day heat record set for July 6 in 1989, with 112 degrees, Lund said.
What about SLO, rest of the county?
July’s temperatures in San Luis Obispo were also well above average, but it is difficult to determine if it was the warmest July ever recorded for the city.
The average high recorded at the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport in July was 83.6 degrees, up 5.6 degrees from the historical 78 degree average, according to the Weather Service.
Kittell said the Weather Service has access to some Cal Poly weather records for San Luis Obispo County, but gaps in that data and San Luis Obispo city numbers have made it difficult to draw “all-time” or “average” high temperatures for the area.
Meanwhile, August isn’t looking much cooler just yet.
More high temperatures are on the way for San Luis Obispo County, with the National Weather Service even issuing an excessive heat watch for inland parts of the county starting Sunday.
Temperatures are forecast to get into the triple digits in Paso Robles through mid-week, while San Luis Obispo and the inland valley areas will stay in the 80s.
Other California cities see warmest Julys
Fresno, Merced, Modesto and Stockton all recorded their warmest mean average temperatures ever in July, the Weather Service said on social media.
Fresno reported a mean average temperature of 90 degrees in July. That’s about a degree higher than its previous record of 88.7 degrees, set in July 2021.
In July, Modesto reported a mean average temperature of 85 degrees. That’s six degrees higher than its normal average temperature for the month, 79 degrees.
Stockton averaged 83-degree days in July, which means the city was 5 degrees higher than its normal of 78 degrees.
Merced’s mean average temperature for the month was 85.4 degrees, toppling a previous record set in July 1931 by about 1 degree.
Sacramento also experienced its warmest July on record. Sacramento Executive Airport recorded an average temperature of 81 degrees in July, the Weather Service said, surpassing its normal average temperature for the month by more than 5 degrees.
This story was originally published August 2, 2024 at 3:16 PM.
