NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY
JUNE 2001
1st-9th…Intense storms with heavy rain, winds and hail moved into the Southeast on Friday. The West was quiet. A large storm system dumped rain and thunderstorms from the Ohio Valley and the Carolinas into Florida. Tennessee, Georgia and Florida recorded rainfall up to three inches in some areas by mid-afternoon. Severe weather, including hail, 60-mph winds and lightning was expected in the evening. North of the frontal system, lighter rain fell in the Northeast and Great Lakes region. Another cold front in the northern Plains brought rain to Minnesota and the Dakotas. Texas also was stormy, with torrential rainfall, small hail and dangerous lightning reported in some areas. High pressure west of the continental divide kept conditions clear and dry. Light rain fell in western Washington and Oregon.
Thunderstorms soaked parts of the South and Midwest on Monday, while heavy rain hit the northern Plains after dumping wet, heavy snow in communities across the northern Rockies. A strong system near the Rockies brought winter-like conditions to northwest Montana and parts of Idaho. Residents made snowmen in Butte, MT., after nearly a foot of snow fell Sunday and early Monday. Farther west, the same system brought heavy rain to drought-stricken parts of eastern Montana, as well as the western Dakotas and Minnesota. The Great Lakes region and the Northeast were generally mild, with partly cloudy skies and scattered showers. A few clouds were found across central and southern Florida, with isolated showers near the Keys. The rest of the Southeast was dry and partly cloudy. Similar conditions were found across the southern Plains. Scattered showers also fell in the Pacific Northwest, while hot and dry conditions dominated the Southwest.
Heavy downpours soaked the Gulf states on Wednesday as the remnants of Tropical Storm Allison moved through the area, while much of the West saw sunny skies. The storm, downgraded to a tropical depression early Wednesday, brought heavy rain to eastern Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and southern Arkansas. The Houston, Texas, area has received more than a foot of rain since early Tuesday. A front extending from the central Plains through the Ohio Valley to the mid-Atlantic states brought showers and storms from central Missouri through southern Illinois into West Virginia and Ohio. Flood watches were in effect for these areas, which have received substantial rains in recent days. The Northeast saw partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered showers in Pennsylvania and northern Maine. Isolated thunderstorms rumbled through the Southeast. Light showers moistened the Pacific Northwest. Sunny and dry conditions prevailed in the Southwest and Great Basin.
10th-16th…A system left over from Tropical Storm Allison brought thunderstorms and continued flooding to parts of the Gulf Coast Monday. The storm was blamed for 18 deaths in Texas and Louisiana and thousands of people were forced to flee flooded homes. An apparent tornado struck Lucedale, Miss., injuring at least seven people, and another possible tornado damaged roofs in southern Alabama.
There were heavy, steady rains over southern Alabama, northwest Florida and southeast Mississippi. A weaker system in the Northeast brought light to moderate rain in central and eastern New York and western New England. Showers trailed into the upper Ohio Valley, West Virginia and Virginia and the central Carolinas. Parts of the northern Plains had heavy storms, and hail nearly two inches in diameter was reported near Eldridge, ND. A tornado was reported in Benson, MN. Skies were cloudy in the Pacific Northwest with light to moderate showers falling in western Washington and northwest Oregon. There were also spotty showers east of the Cascades, into Idaho and Montana. The Southwest and the south-central states through the lower Ohio Valley were dry, and low clouds and fog were dissipating along California's coast.
A cold front brought severe storms to the central third of the nation Thursday, while the remnants of Tropical Storm Allison dumped heavy rain in the mid-Atlantic. Cool temperatures and showers stretched from Minnesota to Texas. From Wisconsin to Iowa into Texas, the showers were severe at times with gusty winds and drenching rains. Eveleth, Minn., recorded 2.3 inches of rain by midday, and flood watches were posted in Iowa and Wisconsin. In the mid-Atlantic, heavy rain circulated around a low pressure area that was once Tropical Storm Allison. The most intense rain fell in North Carolina, which had as much as 6 inches of rain over two days. Scattered clouds drifted into Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and across portions of the Ohio Valley. High pressure with warm temperatures dominated the Northeast. The moist air created low clouds and fog along the coast of lower New England. Cool temperatures and clear skies dominated the western states.
Storms cut a swath from the Great Lakes to the Gulf coast on Friday, while the remnants of Tropical Storm Allison brought rain to the Mid-Atlantic states. A cold front stretching from Michigan through the Mississippi Valley into Texas produced rain and thundershowers throughout the area, with the strongest storms in western Indiana and southwestern Michigan. Behind the front, temperatures dipped into the upper 50’s and lower 60’s across the Dakotas and Minnesota. In the Mid-Atlantic, the lingering effects of Allison brought heavy rain to southern Virginia and coastal North Carolina, along with gusty winds. Showers and storms began to develop in southern Florida, southern Georgia and eastern Alabama, with the potential for very heavy rainfall and strong, gusty winds. The Northeast was mostly clear and very warm; temperatures in southern Maine approached 90°F. Clear skies and warm temperatures also prevailed in the West.
17th-23rd…Thunderstorms swept across the northern Plains Monday while much of the rest of the nation basked under clear skies. The storms also drenched parts of upper Michigan and Wisconsin, where up to 5 inches of rain fell. Mostly clear skies spread across New England, along the Atlantic Coast and over much of the Southeast. A cold front was stalled over the Florida peninsula, triggering spotty thundershowers. Clear to partly cloudy skies prevailed over the southern Plains. Showers diminished in eastern Montana as clouds spread over southern Colorado and the Four Corners area. Most of the rest of the West remained dry.
Areas of scattered showers and thunderstorms developed across wide areas of the eastern half of the nation on Wednesday, from the Plains to the East Coast and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. One area of locally heavy rainfall stretched across parts of Kansas and Missouri during the morning, with hail 2 inches in diameter reported at Comanche, KS. That concentration of rain dwindled during the afternoon, as lines of storms sprang up elsewhere. Some of the strongest storms formed in lines extending along the southern edges of Illinois and Indiana and the northern edge of Kentucky, from eastern Kentucky into West Virginia, and diagonally across central Pennsylvania into eastern New York. Showers and a few thunderstorms also developed during the afternoon across the Dakotas and Minnesota into northern Wisconsin, with showers reaching southward into Nebraska. Across the South, scattered afternoon thunderstorms formed from southern Texas across sections of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia into South Carolina and much of Florida. In the West, a few showers formed over New Mexico, extreme eastern Arizona and southern Colorado.
Storms battered the eastern third of the nation on Friday, while tranquil weather prevailed in the Plains and the West. Thunderstorms moved along a cold front stretching through the Ohio, Tennessee and Mississippi valleys. Severe thunderstorms were reported in portions of Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Florida. High pressure brought generally clear skies in the center of the nation, although scattered showers dampened Texas. The West saw very tranquil conditions, with fair skies over most of the region, although clouds spread into the Pacific Northwest.
24th-30th…A slow-moving low pressure system brought thunderstorms to the Southeast on Monday while scattered storms blew across the Southwest and southern Rockies. High temperatures baked the Plains. On a mostly calm day across the nation, scattered pockets of heavy rain moved across parts of the Carolinas, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. Scattered showers also hit northern California and the southern Rockies, but most of the West was clear and mild. Rain also fell in the Dakotas, while the rest of the Plains was mired in near-record heat. Fair and partly cloudy skies dominated the Midwest and East.
Thunderstorms soaked part of the northern Plains on Tuesday and scattered afternoon storms developed across the southeastern quarter of the nation.
A cold front moving across the Plains produced a concentrated area of storms and showers during the morning over southeastern South Dakota and northeastern Nebraska. During the afternoon, the storms spread out and became widely scattered over wider areas of the two states and also extended into parts of North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. An area of low pressure centered over the Tennessee Valley helped kick off scattered pockets of showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon across parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and the Carolinas. Scattered storms also spread into the lower Ohio Valley, northern sections of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, and into parts of Virginia and West Virginia. Farther south, storms also formed over southern Florida as temperatures and humidity rose during the afternoon. Another area of stormy weather formed along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana. In the West, scattered showers moved across Arizona and New Mexico into parts of Utah and Colorado. Elsewhere, a disturbance moving in from the Pacific spread showers into northern California and southwestern Oregon.
Thunderstorms hit the southern Plains on Thursday, dumping more rain on already soaked Oklahoma. Scattered storms also moved across the Southeast, while clear skies and heat dominated the rest of the nation. Strong storms moved across the Gulf Coast, lower Mississippi Valley, Texas and Oklahoma, packing hail, strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical moisture also brought heavy rain to Florida and parts of Georgia. The Northeast, Plains, Rockies and West were all baked by high temperatures on Thursday. Only the Northwest saw moderate temperatures as a trough of low pressure brought cool weather and scattered showers. Widely scattered storms also hit the Great Lakes region.
A storm system over the central section of the nation produced showers and thunderstorms Friday, while the rest of the country was dry and warm. Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas had heavy rain with hail and strong winds at times. Nearly two inches of rain had fallen in Oklahoma by midday. The rest of the central Plains was mostly fair and dry. The Great Lakes and Northeast also had fair skies. Afternoon heating caused thunderstorms to develop in the Tennessee Valley and Southeast. In Florida, a tropical wave dumped heavy rain in drought-plagued areas. Some places had three inches of rain since Thursday. A cold front coming into the northern Plains caused light showers in the Dakotas and Minnesota. The western third of the nation was fair and dry.