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Double Record Days
Mon Aug 01, 2005
Listen in RealAudio 
On more than two dozen occasions in the past century, an American city has set both
the date’s record high and record low temperature on the same day. Hi, I’m Bryan
Yeaton for The Weather Notebook.
Often, these "double record" days occur when extremely clear, dry air and light winds
during the day allow maximum solar heating to produce the record high. But those
same conditions at night permit the day’s heat to escape through strong thermal
radiation, with plummeting temperatures, at times, exceeding the record low.
In some cases, extreme cold fronts, following a period of unseasonable record
warmth, have dropped temperatures to record low levels. One notable event came at
Oklahoma City where the record high of 83 plunged to 17 degrees with frontal passage
on November 11, 1911, or 11/11/11.
At other times, a late-day severe thunderstorm producing hail can break a record hot
day with icy downdraft winds. Just the opposite can occur when record morning cold is
followed by a strong, hot, Chinook-type wind.
Most double-record days have occurred in the arid and mountainous western regions
of the nation: California, Utah, Colorado. But Florida has also registered a couple, as
has Hawaii.
Las Vegas, Nevada recorded the greatest double-record range — a blistering 119
degrees plunging to a chilly 48 — a 71 degree drop. The smallest range occurred at
Hilo, Hawaii: only 28 degrees separated the high of 88 and low of 60.
August 2002 saw six double records set across the West: twice each at Alamosa,
Colorado, and Park City, Utah. Rapid City, South Dakota set records on the 17th that
were nearly monthly records. The low of 38 fell one degree shy of the month’s all-time
low. The high of 101 was only five degrees off the August record.
Thanks to our contributing writer, meteorologist Keith Heidorn. The Weather Notebook
is funded by Subaru of America.
Today's Links
Daily Temperature Extremes
http://www.weatherwise.org/qr/qry.temphilow.html
More Daily Temperature-Range Records
http://www.weatherwise.org/qr/qry.moredailytemps.html
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