"Saturday, in the park, I think it was the fourth of July."

Words forever immortalized by the band Chicago, and this year they will hold true! Well, almost. Depending on where you live you may or may not be allowed to go to the park - certainly not the ballpark.

Things are different this year, and so too will be America's birthday. But something that will give us a sense of normalcy will be the weather. Hot, steamy, July weather. And we still have our pools, boats, and beaches (in some capacity anyway), so I hope you and your families will still be able to enjoy the holiday. 

Now let's take a look back at some notable July weather events from years past on Long Island.

July edges out August for our warmest month by just about 1 degree. It doesn't see a big temperature jump on average from start to finish. The normal daily high/low on the 1st is 81/65, compared with 82/67 on the final day. Prevailing air masses are typically coming from the south. Such air is already packed with moisture, which gives us that sticky, sweaty feel, and results in our bodies feeling hotter than what it actually is. For that, we use a Heat Index to let people know what they should plan for during the summer months.  

And while July also starts out with a lot of daylight, we will lose 42 minutes as we get ready to enter August.

July's all-time hottest day - also the overall hottest day - was 104 on July 3, 1966. And who knows what the heat index was that day! But would you believe it that just one year before, the month saw a low temperature of 49 degrees? You've gotta love Long Island weather!

HOT HOT HOT

July has brought some of the steamiest weather Long Island has seen.

July 4-7, 2010
Extreme Heat Wave; four straight days of temperatures near or exceeding 100 degrees; numerous brush fires

July 9, 1936
We stated above that the highest temperature ever was in 1966. But that is for Islip, where our records are kept. New York City goes back much further than that. The absolute highest temp in Central Park was recorded on this date at 106! Hicksville recorded 103, which was the highest on Long Island for the next 30 years.

July, 14-20, 2013
A week-long heat wave. Seven consecutive days with temperatures over 90 degrees at Islip, broke the previous record of six days set a decade earlier.

July 17, 1902
The first air conditioning system was installed at a printing plant in Brooklyn by Willis Carrier - quite a famous name in HVAC to this day!

July 20, 2015
Islip hit 94, ending a streak of exactly two years where the temperature hadn’t made it to 90.

July has brought more than its fair share of severe weather and heavy rain events.

July 1, 2001
Severe Thunderstorms,  weak tornado in Hampton Bays,  3" rain, flooding on Route 110, Huntington trees down, 16,000 outages.

July 4, 2006
Lightning critically injured a woman wading in the LI Sound, and sent five children playing on ball field in Uniondale to the hospital. Jones Beach had to be evacuated during day, prior to the nighttime fireworks show.

July 7-8, 2009
Severe thunderstorms hit from 11 p.m.-1 a.m. Downed trees in Sea Cliff, Syosset, Jericho, Brookville, and Glen Cove. Nickel-sized hail was reported. A Tornado Warning was issued, but it turned out to be a microburst instead.

July 10, 1989
A tornado in East Moriches flattened a building at Calabro Airport.

July, 14, 2016
Lightning injured five people during a surfing competition in Long Beach. Thankfully, no one was fatally injured.

July 18, 1997
Severe thunderstorms brought the current heat wave to an end, but also caused extensive damage. 60 mph winds brought down trees and power lines. The LIRR was temporarily crippled. A roof was completely ripped off of a business in Deer Park. Five people were injured and 100,000 lost power.

July, 18, 2007
Exactly a decade later, an F1 tornado hit Islip Terrace. There was also torrential rain. More than 5" fell in short time -  the National Weather Service reported 2.9" in one hour. There was considerable damage to trees and buildings, roads closed due to flooding, the LIRR was suspended, flights delayed up to 4 hours, numerous auto accidents with injuries, and 63,000 power outages.

July, 18, 2012
Severe thunderstorms broke a three-day heat wave, but also caused damage. An 80-year-old gazebo at Morgan Park in Glen Cove was flattened. Dozens of trees came down, flights were delayed, Route 111 in Hauppauge was completely flooded out, and over 22,000 lost power.

July 21, 2010
Severe thunderstorms on the East End, a waterspout off East Hampton, trees and power lines down, 7,000 outages. 

July 23, 1995
F1 Tornado in South Farmingdale, North Babylon, 2.2" rain, considerable damage but no deaths or injuries, 53,000 outages.

July 25, 2010
A Tornado Warning was issued along the South Shore of Suffolk County as severe thunderstorms came through. 60-80 mph winds brought considerable damage, including 50,000 outages.    

July 27, 2008
Severe thunderstorms. 1-3" of rain, a funnel cloud spotted in Farmingdale, five soccer players were injured at Cantiague Park in Hicksville, and a house was destroyed in Dix Hills. 77,000 reported power outages.

July 29, 1986
Waterspouts just south of Hamptons as thunderstorms rolled through. Lightning injured two people, 2" of rain fell in an hour, damaging a new wing of the Smithaven Mall.

July 30, 1986
A lot of rain in a little period of time - around 3.5" in 2 hours! An office building in Westbury was flooded, and 100 cars floated in the parking lot. The water was around 5 feet deep!

July 31, 1996
Another heavy rain event 10 years and one day later. 3.25" in Mineola, 2.85" in Wantagh. The LIRR was shut down, roadways were flooded and cars submerged.

TROPICAL TROUBLES

While July is not statistically a big month for tropical weather for us, we have had a few that have paid a visit.

July 4, 2014
Hurricane Arthur moved 150-200 miles east of LI, bringing heavy rain to the East End. Montauk picked up 3.02”. This was a Friday, and many events were canceled as a result and moved to Saturday. Beach goers dealt with strong rip currents and high tides.

July 13, 1996
Tropical Storm Bertha brought wind and rain. A 74 mph gust was recorded in West Babylon, uprooting trees and causing 92,000 outages.

July 20, 2006
Tropical Storm Beryl passes 125 miles SE of Long Island, causing rough seas with 5 - 8 foot waves and minor coastal flooding. Moderate beach erosion was reported at Robert Moses.

July 30, 1960
Tropical Storm Brenda hit New York City, with flooding rains and winds as high as 62 mph.

And we know all about the Saharan Dust this year, but here's an event that created a different kind of haze:

July 6-7, 2002
Smoke from forest fires in Quebec spread haze across Long Island and most of New England, dropping the visibility down to 2 miles!