It's July, and something very abnormal is happening in Redding over this holiday weekend

Christian Boehme and Makyna Laeber ride scooters around downtown Redding on Sunday. The high temperature reached 80 degrees Sunday, 18 degrees off the normal for the date.
Christian Boehme and Makyna Laeber ride scooters around downtown Redding on Sunday. The high temperature reached 80 degrees Sunday, 18 degrees off the normal for the date.

Something quite abnormal happened in Redding on Sunday. And if Mother Nature again smiles favorably upon us, it will happen again Monday.

Sunday was the third day of July, typically the hottest month of the year in the North State.

But instead of boiling under intense sun with temperatures in the high 90s or above 100 degrees, something unusual happened.

The high temperature Sunday reached only 80 degrees, 18 degrees cooler than the normal for the date, according to the National Weather Service.

To put a little perspective on how unusual that is. Last year on July 3rd the mercury reached 106 degrees, the weather service said. The normal temperature for the date is 98 degrees.

On Sunday, Christian Boehme and his friend Makyna Laeber rode scooters around downtown Redding under cloudy skies.

Boehme, 17, said he grew up in Redding and knows what July temperatures can be like.

"It's horrible. Redding during the summer is the worst. Now this is a lot better. But honestly, I didn't even think about it — the fact that it was cool. We just wanted to go out," Boehme said.

While the high temperature was way below normal, it didn't set a record for the lowest high temperature recorded for the date, said Katrina Hand, a meteorologist with the weather service.

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The lowest high temperature ever recorded on July 3 was 70 degrees, and that was measured in 1912, she said.

Monday is expected to be even cooler than Sunday, with a forecast high of 79 degrees. Monday, July 4th, will take Redding into even cooler weather territory. But still, no records are expected to be broken.

The record lowest high temperature for July 4 is 75 degrees, which was set in 1895, Hand said.

North State residents enjoying the cooler weather can thank the influence of the Pacific Ocean for affecting the recent temperatures, Hand said.

"We did have a troughing pattern set up over the area that's been bringing in a lot of onshore flow, keeping things cool and also some cloud cover during the day," she said.

The National Weather Service issued an advisory of cooler than normal temperatures for the Independence Day holiday.
The National Weather Service issued an advisory of cooler than normal temperatures for the Independence Day holiday.

The weather pattern even brought in some showers to the mountains of Trinity and Siskiyou counties, she said.

All good things must pass, though, so expect a warming trend over the next week or so, with high temperatures back in the 90s by Thursday, the weather service said.

Hannah Straub and Kye Carey enjoyed the weather while it lasted Sunday, taking a stroll around downtown Redding.

"It's probably one of my favorite types of weather because it's not hot, but it's not cold and it's overcast. So the sun's less likely to burn you," Straub said.

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Damon Arthur is the Record Searchlight’s resources and environment reporter. He is part of a team of journalists who investigate wrongdoing and find the unheard voices to tell the stories of the North State. He welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834 by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: It's July and something abnormal happening in Redding