Hot, smoky July in the Almanor Basin

By Dale Knutsen

Special to Plumas News

Regional fires dominated local news during July, and with good reason, but there were a few weather related topics that probably should be summarized.  Precipitation was very limited during the month.

The Prattville monitoring site registered 0.10 inch of rain during July, mostly from a thunderstorm that was caused by the nearby Dixie Fire.  The fire created a towering pyrocumulous cloud that produced lighting and a brief storm with highly variable rainfall amounts.

Both low and high temperatures averaged about 5 degrees warmer than the long-term norms for the month.  The peak high for July was 101 degrees, as measured at the automated site near Chester airport.  More annoying than the heat was the persistent heavy smoke that filled the basin on many days. High particulate counts often made the air unhealthy to breathe.