Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Heat Warnings Given

John Teeter, Prescott's meteorologist, has issued a special hot weather report for August.

Teeter said the area has gone 20 consecutive days with no rainfall. This is unusual, but not a record.

The record for no rain occurred in the years 1930-1936, 1954 and 1980. These were the record dry years for Nevada County.

While it's been miserably hot, Teeter said there have only bee four days when the mercury topped the 100 degree mark.

In 1936, 1954 and 1980, he said, there were 45 to 60 days of 100 degree plus temperatures recorded.

"Everyone needs to be careful when working outdoors," Teeter said. "Don't be fooled by our official' high temperature readings."

The "official" high readings, he said, are taken from a shaded thermometer five feet above the grass and not closer than 50 feet from a building or paved street.

In the business area, he continued, the temperature will be 15 to 20 degrees higher than the official reading. This is because of the pavement and masonry between buildings traps the heat.

To make his point, Teeter placed a thermometer on the west wall of the Depot Museum at 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10. In 15 minutes, the thermometer had a reading of 121 degrees.

No matter how hot it may be now, he said, the first "cool snap" of the year is right around the corner. The first break in the heat normally occurs between Sept. 15 and 21.