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Eric Swanson · **U.S. Record Temperatures, 6 October 2007**

In article . com,
says...

Eric - These look like weird data to me, or at least interesting data.

We have dozens of new record high temperatures, right? Really a
pretty stunning list.

Wait until you see the list for October 7 and 8. I haven't finished
with those yet, but you can go to the USHCN link and see most of what's
happening. The reports of the Chicago Marathon should give pause, as
many runners became ill and one died from the heat.

But we also have a list of more than a dozen places reporting new
record low maximum temperatures -- most of them in Utah and Nevada, it
looks like.

Do you have any proposed explanation for why this dichotomous pattern
exists?

Well, my back-of-the-envelope scenario is that the tropic to pole
circulation is stronger than usual this year. Also, the relatively
great warmth may be related to the lack of hurricanes so far this year
in the Gulf of Mexico. For whatever reason, the warm air is pushing
further to the north, as seen in the locations of most of the records
in the northern U.S. The colder air in the return of the circulation
is moving further southwards all the way to southern California, making
for a few records along the way.

--
Eric Swanson --- E-mail address: e_swanson(at)skybest.com :-)
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