June sizzles under El Nino warming

After more than two years of tweaking and testimony, Kootenai County has a new Land Use and Development Code. County commissioners unanimously approved the code after a two-hour public hearing and meeting attended by about 50 residents on Monday night at the county’s Administration Building. (Tyler Tjomsland/SR photo)

Two days of record-setting June heat and another hot day in store for Tuesday appear to be the work of the El Nino phenomenon in the tropical Pacific, according to forecasters in Spokane. The current El Nino, which started last year, is now considered one of the two strongest on record since climate scientists started keeping track in 1950, said Ron Miller, science and operations officer for the National Weather Service in Spokane.  The Inland Northwest broiled in June 2015, with triple-digit temperatures on two consecutive days late in the month. That was when El Nino was kicking into gear. The average temperature for June 2015 was 9.3 degrees above normal/Mike Prager, SR. More here.

Question: How are you beating the heat?