July 2017 Climate Summary
Temperatures were mostly 1 to 2 degrees above normal while precipitation was generally below normal across a good portion of the region. The main exception was across southwest Indiana and part of southern Illinois closer to the I-64 corridor. Near to above normal rainfall fell across much of White and Hamilton counties in Illinois into southwest Indiana. The highest observed rainfall total was in Pike County, Indiana at the Stendal COOP Station where 10.49 inches occurred. Many locations only picked up 1.5 to 3 inches for the month, which is roughly 1 to 2 inches below normal for July.
As is typically the case in the warmer months, thunderstorms cause rainfall to be distributed very unevenly. There were also locations where there are no reporting stations, but radar estimates showed fairly heavy amounts occurred.
As for temperatures, there weren’t really any prolonged cool stretches, which is typical in July in the region. The area experienced the coolest temperatures during the last three days of the month when some lows dipped into the mid to upper 50s. The hottest stretch was from July 19-22 when temperatures reached the mid to upper 90s with heat index readings from 100 to 110 common, with some higher readings up near 115, particularly on July 21.
Most of the region was under an Excessive Heat Warning during that time. Paducah observed high temperatures of 89 degrees or warmer for 22 straight days from July 7-28. July 2017 also marks the 14th consecutive month with temperatures at or above normal in Paducah and Evansville.