Weyburn broke one heat record and tied another in August during a much hotter and drier summer than the city has experienced over the past 50 years.

Records kept at the Weyburn water filtration plant for Environment Canada show the city tied a 1970 and a 1984 temperature of 36 C on Aug. 13, and broke a 1975 temperature of 37, with a temperature of 37.5 C. on Aug. 16.

A comparison of this summer with the summer of 2002 shows the city was slightly hotter in June and July, on average, and a lot hotter in August this year than it has been since the first record-keeping in 1952-53.

The mean maximum temperature in June 2003 was 23.38, slightly higher than the 23.30 in June, 2002, and higher than the 23.05 average over 50 years. The mean maximum temperature in July was 28.74, slightly higher than the 28.19 temperature in July 2002, and higher than the 26.41 average over 50 years.

The mean maximum temperature in Weyburn during the day in August was 30.10 C., compared with the past 50 years mean of 26.24 C. In the evening, the temperature remained hotter this August, with a mean minimum temperature of 14.35 this year, compared with the long term running average of 11.03.

The mean maximum temperature during August 2002 was 23.10 C.

The amount of precipitation the city received is also less than last year and the past 50 years.

Weyburn received only 14 mm. of precipitation in August, compared to a 50-year average in August of 46 mm.

In July, 2003, the city received 24 mm. of precipitation, compared with 50.6 mm. last year and a 50-year July average of 60 mm. In June, the city received 43.2 mm of rain, compared with 86.8 mm. last year and a 50-year average that month of 73.1 mm.

The record high precipitation over the past 50 years in June is 228.6 mm, set in 1976. The record high precipitation in July is 215.8 mm, set in 1990. And the record for rain in August is 191.5 mm, set in 1968.