In the last 150 years, Concord has faced temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit only seven times on June 7. Monday was one of those days.
Due to the heat, the Concord School District ended classes early on Monday and planned to again on Tuesday, interim superintendent Kathleen Murphy announced Sunday.
The mask mandate currently in place for students does not help with the sweltering heat, Murphy said.
“Making matters more difficult, students are still expected to wear masks in classrooms and outdoors is not a to suitable option,” she wrote. “I am sorry for the imposition on families, but for the overall safety and health of the students I felt it was a prudent decision.”
The record for the highest June 7 ever in Concord was set in 1999 at 96 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Services. The high temperature by 4 p.m. Monday in the Capital City was 93 degrees.
Exceeding 90 degrees only seven times since 1868, qualifies “this day as pretty rare, probably once every 20 years or so,” said William Watson, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine.
In stark contrast, the coldest recorded temperature on June 7 was 54 degrees, set in 1982.
Watson credits the high temperatures to two factors: a ridge in the atmosphere and warm air pouring in from the southwest.
A ridge refers to high pressure in the upper atmosphere. This results in excessive heat brought in at ground level. The ridge also makes it harder for clouds to form, resulting in direct sunlight contributing to the heat.
However, the heat is not going to last. Today is the peak, with temperatures expected cool into the 70s by the end of the week, according to Watson.