July continued a 4-month streak of temperatures below
normal. Thirteen days of the month only saw highs in the 80s. The average high
should be around 92 degrees, but the monthly average only clocked in around 89
degrees. Seventy-eight percent of the days in July were cooler than average. Usually July is Jacksonville’s warmest month but the lack of any
westerly or southwesterly flow helped keep temperatures more moderate.
The month’s weather headlines were also dominated by the
tropics. A tropical disturbance and Tropical Storm Elsa influenced the area’s
weather for several days. Elsa made landfall on July 7th in Florida’s
Big Bend as a strong tropical storm. Much of the local area was put under
tropical storm warnings and a tornado watch. The system produced on average 2 –
5 inches of rain and was responsible for several tornadoes and waterspouts. One
person was killed when part of a tree fell on car along U.S. 17 in the Ortega
area.
Thanks to July the year’s overall average temperature fell below normal for the
first time in several years. Usually temperatures reach the upper 90s to low one-hundreds
at least once during the summer months, but again, 2021 is a different year.
The warmest summer temperature only reached 95 degrees on July 31st.
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