Heat records continue to fall at Lake Tahoe; Bad air quality to start week
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Several heat records have fallen or been tied at Lake Tahoe since mid-June.
On Saturday, when the high temperature reached 90 at 3:44 p.m. it was the 14th time that Lake Tahoe has set or tied a heat record since June 17.
The temperature reached 90 degrees Thursday topping the previous high of 89 set in 1990, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.
Scientists say climate change has made the western United States warmer and drier in the past 30 years, and it will keep making the weather more extreme as the Earth continues to warm.
U.S. weather officials announced Friday that July was the hottest month on Earth in 142 years of recordkeeping.
As extreme heat waves struck parts of the United States and Europe, the globe averaged 62.07 last month, beating out the previous record set in July 2016 and tied in 2019 and 2020, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The margin was just 0.02 degrees.
The last seven Julys, from 2015 to 2021, have been the hottest seven Julys on record, said NOAA climatologist Ahira Sanchez-Lugo. Last month was 1.67 degrees warmer than the 20th century average for the month.
At South Lake Tahoe, the monthly average temperature of 60.8 was 5.5 degrees hotter than normal for the month of July.
South Lake Tahoe tied or set new records on five of six days from July 7 to July 12.
The nine new, outright records set there since mid-June began June 17, when the high of 91 smashed the previous mark of 85 set in 1985.
The service is forecasting widespread haze and smoke for the region through Tuesday.
The air quality is unhealthy Monday morning in South Lake Tahoe and Incline Village according to airnow.gov.
Officials advise choosing less strenuous outdoor activities and to keep them short in duration.
Monday’s high is expected to reach into the low to mid 90s. The record for the time of year is 90, set in 2008.
After Monday, the high temps plummet to the mid 80s for Tuesday, and then to the mid to high 70s for Wednesday and Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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