String of record high temperatures for Hawaii set in July

The month of July has been hot, with a string of 29 temperature highs that have either tied or broke previous records, according to National Weather Service data.

On Thursday, a record temperature of 93 degrees Fahrenheit was set in Kahului, tying with the one set in 2016. In Lihue, a record high of 88 tied with one set in 1982. On Wednesday, a high of 93 in Kahului beat the previous record of 92 in 2004.

Kahului logged the highest temperatures in July, hitting 94 degrees three times, and hitting 93 degrees nine times, so far, this month. In June, Kahului hit 95 four times, and in May, set an all-time high for that month, with a high of 96.

Record temperatures have also been set in Honolulu, which hit a high of 92, and Hilo, which hit a high of 88, twice this month.

“We’ve had a lot of records this whole season,” said NWS meteorologist Melissa Dye. “We think a lot of the reason we’ve had so many record temperatures is due to the elevated sea temperatures that we have.”

In May and June, Dye said those elevated sea temperatures were paired with a southeasterly flow that disrupted the usual pattern of summer trades, contributing to the record highs.

Those trades have made a comeback since the middle of the month, and are expected to prevail heading into the weekend.

Forecasters say typical summertime weather is in place, and that moderate-to-breezy, east-northeast winds are in store for this weekend, with showers favoring windward and mauka areas.

A small pocket of moisture is expected to affect Kauai and Oahu late Saturday, and an uptick in shower activity is possible early next week as an upper-level trough settles over the area.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, June was the hottest on record for the world in 140 years, with an average global temperature 1.71 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average of 59.9 degrees.

Some other record highlights from July in the state of Hawaii:

>> On July 6, three daily records were tied or broken — a high of 88 in Hilo tied with the one set in 2008, a high of 91 in Honolulu tied with 2005, and a high of 94 in Kahului broke the record of 92 from 1981.

>> A record daily rainfall of 1.4 inches in Hilo was set on July 8, surpassing 1.27 inches in 1967.

>> On July 14, a record of 86 degrees in Lihue tied with the record in 2005. In Kahului, a record of 92 was set in Kahului, tying with the one set in 1950.