Is it time to update the averages? (Seattle, Spokane: 2013, house)

[PS90]

Or "Why is it always so damn hot?"

I keep hearing this stat, and I just heard it again a few days ago - according to the local weathergirls, Spokane is supposed to average 19 or 20 (depending on who you ask) days over 90 degrees per summer.

According to the Weather Channel, Spokane has had 26 days over 90 so far in 2018, with at least 7 more in the forecast. And, assuming that I know how to count, we have had significantly more days than 19 every year for the last 5 years (that's as far as I counted), except for 2016.

For whatever the reason (Global warming, blah, blah, blah) it seems like the local meteorologists need to consider updating their historical data, or maybe making a new/recent data set, or maybe even just saying that the last few years have been hot as hell...

I'm tired of sweating like this guy every day:

[mistyriver]

I want a nice, grey, rainy day.
I’m so glad we put AC in this house when we bought it.

[Tall Traveler]

Yeah, they should update the averages every year.

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by Tall Traveler

Yeah, they should update the averages every year.

I think "they", meaning the NWS does update them every year, but the basis is so large that even an extremely warm summer won't swing it much. That said, Seattle has gone from an average July high of 75 to 76 in the past couple of decades. There are similar increases in the winter temps as well.

[Count David]

They use the most recent 30-year average.

We are using the 1981-2010 averages right now.

In 2021, we will begin using the 1991-2020 averages.

And so on.

[Tall Traveler]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

I think "they", meaning the NWS does update them every year, but the basis is so large that even an extremely warm summer won't swing it much. That said, Seattle has gone from an average July high of 75 to 76 in the past couple of decades. There are similar increases in the winter temps as well.

"They" can do 30, 10, or 5 year averages. I prefer a longer but a shorter average may show a trend. In my experience, you have cold years and then hot years, this ones been hot.

[PS90]

Originally Posted by Count David

They use the most recent 30-year average.

We are using the 1981-2010 averages right now.

In 2021, we will begin using the 1991-2020 averages.

And so on.

Thanks for the info. I had no idea.

Originally Posted by Tall Traveler

"They" can do 30, 10, or 5 year averages. I prefer a longer but a shorter average may show a trend. In my experience, you have cold years and then hot years, this ones been hot.

Yes, I agree. Short term trends can at least tell us if it's continually getting hotter, or if it's just been a weird last few years. It might also justify all my complaining about the heat.

[Yeledaf]

It’s cooling off tomorrow.

[mistyriver]

Originally Posted by Yeledaf

It’s cooling off tomorrow.

But back into the 90’s next week.

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by Count David

They use the most recent 30-year average.

We are using the 1981-2010 averages right now.

In 2021, we will begin using the 1991-2020 averages.

And so on.

What is interesting about this is stats lag behind actual trends with this system. We have to wait ten years to see trends. On one hand, that feels "out of touch", but on the other hand, the idea of climatic averages should be over many years and/or decades. So at the end of the day, I have no problem with that data-point. I think we shall see a significant increase in temps in the Western Hemisphere during the 1991-2020 averages.