Feeling a little hot in Dickinson? Area soon to cool off to near normal temps in the 80s

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And another weather record falls. The city beat its old July 19 record high temperature by 1 degree when the mercury rose to 102 degrees Thursday.

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And another weather record falls. The city beat its old July 19 record high temperature by 1 degree when the mercury rose to 102 degrees Thursday.

But the past is proof that it could always be worse.

The monthly record temperature for Dickinson in July is 114 degrees, which was set in 1936, according to data from the National Weather Service in Bismarck.

The city’s average high temperatures for July are in the low- to mid-80s. Temperatures are expected to return closer to normal this week.

According to the U.S Geological Survey, the highest ever recorded temperature in North Dakota was 121 degrees, recorded July 6, 1936, in Steele.

While the temperatures rose, precipitation amounts re-mained below average.

Since the start of 2012, the city has incurred a 2.81-inch precipitation deficit. Average July precipitation levels are around 2 1/2 inches, according to the NWS drought information statement.

In the last month alone, Dickinson’s precipitation levels were down an inch-and-a-half from average, but the city has not issued any water restrictions, said City Administrator Shawn Kessel.

Kessel, who attended a water conference Friday, said he spoke with Mary Massad, CEO/manager of Southwest Water Authority, and she agreed that it is not necessary to limit water usage at this point.

“I don’t see a short-term scenario that would demand us to limit water usage,” Kessel said. “Demand is what requires us to limit water usage, and right now the demand compared to the supply is adequate.”

He said city water usage has been limited only once in his four years here, and it was due to upgrades at the water plant.

Kessel said an example of water restrictions are alternating days when different parts of the city can do certain tasks, like wash cars or water lawns.

Dickinson appears to mirror the state, which has had no major water supply issues or droughts, according to the NWS.

“The amount of rain we could get over the next few days isn’t likely to have an impact on our drought conditions,” said Harlyn Wetzel, meteorologist at the NWS in Bismarck.

Rain hasn’t been an issue for the newly planted trees and grass at Shannon Herr’s Fifth Street West home, where the greenery is thriving with a little assistance from a water hose.

As for the heat, the Memphis, Tenn., native said it makes her feel right at home.

“This heat is reminiscent of the South,” Herr said.

But do not toss the parka and snow boots in the trash just yet, Wetzel said.

This is North Dakota after all, and he advised people to remember winter will soon return.

“We don’t have any way to say that the summer weather is a good predictor of what winter will be like because there is no firm connection between the summer and the winter that follows it,” Wetzel said. “But it is the moisture in the air that helps to moderate the temperatures, so if we would stay dry the rest of the summer and into the winter we could wind up with a winter that is dry but very cold.”

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