WEATHER SUMMARY

 

JUNE 2011

 

1^st-4^th…Hot and dry conditions persisted across the South, a few storms developed in the Upper Midwest, and rain returned to the West Coast on Friday. A large low pressure system slowly moved off the Northern Rockies and advanced into central Canada. Flow around this system pushed a cold front into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, where it kicked up a few scattered showers and thunderstorms. These storms have not yet turned severe. Heaviest rain showers were reported in Paynesville, Minnesota, with a mid-day total of 0.33 inches of rain. Meanwhile, the back side of this system continued to push cold air in from Canada. This allowed for some more rain showers to develop across the Northern Rockies. Snow fell at the highest elevations of Montana and Idaho. Havre, Montana reported a mid-day total of 0.82 inches of rain. In the South, a ridge of high pressure created more sunny skies and warm temperatures across the Southeast. Heat advisories have been issued across the Gulf states, as highs neared 100 degrees. In the West, a low pressure system dropped down from the Gulf of Alaska, and hovered just offshore of northern California. This system pushed some moisture onshore, which brought a few scattered showers to the North Coast of California. Cloudy skies and cool temperatures stretched over most of the West Coast. Meanwhile, high pressure dominated over the Southwest, which brought another dry and windy day to the region. Major wildfires continued to threaten Arizona and New Mexico, with evacuations required near Tuscon, Arizona.

 

12^th-18^th…Heavy rain returned to the Midwest, slowing late season planting efforts but maintaining abundant to locally excessive moisture reserves. Rainfall was heavy enough to aggravate flooding in parts of the Missouri

River basin and triggered some renewed flooding in the middle and upper Mississippi Valley. Farther west, a phenomenal weather contrast persisted across the nation’s mid-section. Cool, showery weather continued to hamper fieldwork on the northern Plains, while blazing heat and mostly dry conditions maintained severe stress on pastures crops on the southern High Plains. Relentless heat stretched to the southern Atlantic States, although scattered showers tempered the effects of high temperatures in the Southeast. Elsewhere, cool, showery weather lingered in the Northwest, while favorable warmth and dryness arrived in California. Wildfire containment efforts continued in parts of the Southwest under a warm, dry weather regime. In Texas, Midland’s streak of triple-digit heat stretched to 12 days (June 7-18), including a daily-record high of 109°F on June 16. In fact, Midland closed the week with five consecutive records from June 14-18 (108, 107, 109, 108, and 107°F). Elsewhere in Texas, Tyler (105°F on June 18) tied a monthly record that was originally set on June 30, 1917, then was repeated on June 22-24, 1925, and June 28, 1930. Elsewhere on June 18, monthly records were tied in Shreveport, LA (104°F), and Monticello, AR (103°F). Shreveport had not reached 104°F in June since 1936. Extreme heat also gripped the southern Atlantic States, where Tallahassee, FL (105°F on June 15), set an all-time record.

Previously, Tallahassee had reached 104°F on multiple dates, most recently June 20, 1933. Alma, GA (103°F on June 15), experienced its hottest day since July 20, 2000, when the high reached 104°F. At the height of the heat wave, several locations in the south-central U.S. topped 110°F. In Texas, highs reached 111°F (on June 17 and 18) in Wichita Falls and 113°F (on June 17) in Laredo. Long-running streaks of triple digit days had begun on June 2 in Wichita Falls and May 18 in Laredo, where highs reached or exceeded 110°F on 5 consecutive days from June 15-19. In southwestern Oklahoma, Grandfield reported an unofficial high of 114°F on June 17. In contrast, Northwestern daily-record lows

included 23°F (on June 16) in Stanley, ID; 33°F (on June 17) in Pocatello, ID; and 38°F (on June 17) in Olympia, WA. Early in the week, heavy rain continued across the northern Plains. Daily-record totals in North Dakota reached 1.65 inches (on June 12) in Dickinson and 1.72 inches (on June 14) in Jamestown. Later, heavy showers pelted the central Plains and the Midwest, resulting a daily-record amounts in locations such as Peoria, IL (2.63 inches on June 15), and Concordia, KS (1.41 inches on June 16). Storms also swept into the mid-Atlantic States, where record-setting totals for June 16 included 1.96 inches in Baltimore, MD, and 1.84 inches in Harrisburg, PA. Late-week thunderstorms provided some

Southeastern drought relief, but also sparked high winds. On June 17 In Florida, Daytona Beach (1.89 inches) received a daily-record rainfall, while Gainesville (64 mph) recorded its highest wind gust since the passage of Hurricane Frances on September 5, 2004. A day earlier, on June 16, Valentine, NE, had recorded a thunderstorm wind gust to 74 mph. Toward week’s end, rainfall intensified in the upper Midwest, where daily-record totals for June 18 included 4.50 inches in La Crosse, WI, and 4.74 inches in Eau Claire, WI. For La Crosse, it was the wettest June day on record (previously, 3.93 inches on June 15, 1967) and the wettest day since July 27, 1987, when 5.24 inches fell. For Eau Claire, it was the wettest day since September 10, 2000, when 5.98 inches fell. At week’s end, the Missouri River remained at a record-high level at Williston, ND (more than 8 feet above flood stage and rising), and achieved a record-setting crest at Brownsville, NE (11.62 feet above flood stage on June 19). Previous records were set at Williston in April 1912 (6.00 feet above flood stage) and at Brownsville in July 1993 (11.30 feet). Wet weather was not just confined to the Plains, Midwest, and East. For example, excessively wet conditions persisted in parts of Puerto Rico, where San Juan set a June rainfall record. Through the 18th, San Juan’s monthly rainfall reached 12.64 inches, compared to the June 1902 mark of 12.22 inches. However, dry weather persisted across the drought-stricken Deep South from Arizona to the central Gulf Coast region. Wildfire size topped 500,000 acres near Alpine, AZ (the Wallow fire), and 250,000 acres near Fargo, GA (the Honey Prairie fire). The nation’s year-to-date wildfire acreage exceeded 4.5 million, nearly 250 percent of the 10-year average for mid-June. Mild, mostly dry weather in western Alaska contrasted with cool conditions and occasional showers across the remainder of the state. Bettles (0.56 inch) netted a daily-record total for June 12, while Juneau (1.03 inches) received a daily-record amount for June 14. Fairbanks received measurable rain on 6 consecutive days from June 11-16, totaling 0.60 inch. During the preceding 15 weeks (105 days), from February 26 - June 10, Fairbanks’ precipitation had totaled just 0.36 inch. Farther south, Hawaiian showers were mostly confined to windward locations. On the Big Island, Hilo received measurable rain each day during the week, totaling 2.05 inches.

19^th-25^th…Wet weather pattern lingered across the Midwest. Pockets of excessive moisture persisted, however, on the northern Plains, where heavy rain and melting snow (from the northern Rockies) overburdened already swollen rivers. Record flooding continued along portions of the Missouri River and neighboring areas, including North Dakota’s portion of the Souris River basin. In stark contrast, little or no rain fell on the heat-baked southern Plains, leaving little short-term hope for drought-ravaged rangeland, pastures, and summer crops. Late week temperatures topped 110°F from western Texas into southwestern Oklahoma, placing enormous amounts of stress on both rain-fed and irrigated crops. Farther east, however, scattered showers and thunderstorms provided local drought relief and helped to offset the effects of hot weather from the western Gulf Coast region into the southern Atlantic States. Elsewhere, drought persisted in Arizona and New Mexico, while favorably warm, mostly dry weather promoted fieldwork and crop growth across the remainder of the West. Williston, ND, located on the Missouri River between Fort Peck and Garrison Dams, experienced a record-high crest, 8.61 feet above flood stage, on June 21. The previous record, 6.00 feet above flood stage, had been set in April 1912. The Missouri River also rose to record high levels, more than 10 feet above flood stage, in southeastern Nebraska from Plattsmouth downstream to Rulo. Previous high-water marks in Plattsmouth, Nebraska City, and Brownsville, NE, had been established in July 1993. Record-setting crests were also achieved in North Dakota along the U.S. portion of the Souris River. On June 26, the Souris River rested 12.72 feet above flood stage in Minot, exceeding both the historical record (9.00 feet above flood stage in 1881) and the modern-day standard (7.08 feet on April 18, 1976). During the week, additional rain aggravated the northern Plains’ flood situation. Daily-record amounts included 3.89 inches (on June 19) in Sidney, NE; 2.89 inches (on June 20) in Pierre, SD; 1.81 inches (on June 21) in Fargo, ND; and 1.64 inches (on June 25) in East Rapid City, SD. As the week progressed, showers and locally severe thunderstorms generally shifted into the South, East, and lower Midwest. On June 20, Indianapolis, IN, netted a daily-record sum of 2.03 inches. The following day, records for June 21 reached 2.89 inches in Baton Rouge, LA, and 2.84 inches in Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX. Beneficial rain fell in Deep South Texas, where Brownsville measured exactly 5 inches of rain from June 22-25. Heavy rain swept into the East by June 22, when daily-record totals were set in locations such as Boston, MA (1.82 inches), and Albany, NY (1.52 inches). The following day, June 23, Bridgeport, CT (2.41 inches), received a daily-record amount. In Wisconsin, Green Bay neared the end of its third-wettest January-June period on record, behind 20.95 inches in 2004 and 20.00 inches in 1894. From January 1 - June 25, Green Bay received 19.62 inches (158 percent of normal). Meanwhile, nearly unrelenting heat persisted across the South.

Roswell, NM, posted 13 consecutive triple-digit readings from June 7-19, breaking its record of 12 days set from June 19-30, 1998. In southern Texas, Laredo’s high temperatures reached or exceeded 110°F on 5 consecutive days from June 15-19. Daily-record highs for June 19 included 113°F in Childress, TX; 112°F in Laredo; and 110°F in Medicine Lodge, KS.

Charleston, SC (100, 102, 102, and 98°F), opened the week with four daily-record highs in a row from June 19-22. Wilmington, NC, posted a pair of triple-digit, daily-record highs (101 and 100°F on June 20 and 23, respectively). During the second half of the week, heat intensified across the southwestern and south-central U.S. Death Valley, CA (124°F on June 23), experienced its hottest day since June 25, 2006, when it was 125°F. June 24 featured all-time-record high temperatures in Texas locations such as Borger (110°F), Amarillo (109°F), and Dalhart (108°F). Previous records had been 108°F (most recently on June 27, 1998) in Borger, 108°F (most recently on June 28, 1998) in Amarillo, and 107°F (most recently on June 24, 1990) in Dalhart. Ironically, all three

Texas communities set all-time records again on June 26; details on the ongoing heat wave will appear in next week’s summary. The week ended on a torrid note in Texas, with daily-record highs on June 25 in locations such as Childress (112°F), Midland (111°F), and Lubbock (110°F). Lubbock’s reading represented its hottest day since June 27, 1994, when the high reached 114°F. In contrast, scattered Western daily-record lows included 26°F (on June 25) in Stanley, ID, and 30°F (on June 20) in Flagstaff, AZ. In Alaska, frequent showers accompanied variable temperatures. On June 20, King Salmon received a half-inch of rain, while

Nome (0.29 inch) netted a daily-record total. Later, King Salmon (35°F) posted a daily-record low for June 23. At week’s end, however, Fairbanks (88°F on June 25) noted its highest temperature since August 15, 2010, when it was 91°F. Farther south, Hawaii experienced typical summer weather, although a few heavy showers dotted the western islands. On Oahu, weekly rainfall totaled 5.38 inches at the Manoa Lyon Arboretum, aided by a 1.54-inch sum in a 24-hour period on June 21-22.

 

26^th-30^th...Locally heavy Southeastern showers provided relief to previously drought-stressed pastures and summer crops. Weekly totals in excess of 4 inches were common in Florida. Farther west, however, heat and drought continued to plague the western Gulf Coast region, excluding southern Texas. Showers associated with the northern fringe of Tropical Storm Arlene grazed Deep South Texas, but the remainder of the south-central U.S. remained mired in a pattern of unrelenting heat and drought. Hot, extremely dry conditions stretched as far although a late week surge of tropical moisture signaled the arrival of the Southwestern monsoon (summer rainy season). Meanwhile, temperatures rebounded to near normal levels across the northern Plains and the Northwest. In late June, however, out-of-season showers affected northern California and the Northwest. Elsewhere, patchy showers dotted the northern and central Plains, the Midwest, and the Mid-South. Areas along the Missouri

River and some neighboring river basins continued to deal with extensive lowland flooding. On June 26, all-time-record high temperatures were broken in northern Texas locations such as Borger (113°F), Amarillo (111°F), and Dalhart (110°F). Childress, TX (117°F on June 26), tied an all-time record originally set on June 27, 1994. All-time records were also tied in Ashland, KS (114°F); Gage, OK (113°F); and Dodge City, KS (110°F). Ashland had also attained 114°F on August 17, 1909, June 25, 1911, and August 13, 1936. Heat continued for the remainder of the week in the south-central U.S. and briefly shifted into the Southwest. On

June 27-28, Douglas, AZ, posted consecutive daily-record highs of 107°F. Elsewhere in Arizona, Willcox (110°F on June 28) tied an all-time record most recently achieved on June 28, 1994. The month ended on a torrid note across the south-central U.S., where daily-record highs for June 30 included 108°F in Dodge City, KS, and 102°F in Monroe, LA. Monroe topped 100°F each day from June 30 - July 3. Similarly, triple-digit heat affected Joplin, MO, from June 30 - July 3, highlighted by a daily-record high of 103°F on July 2. At week’s end, pre-monsoon heat in the Southwest led to a high of 118°F (on July 2) in Phoenix, AZ—the highest reading in that location since July 21, 2006. Farther east, Mobile, AL, experienced its longest stretch of 90-degree heat on record—at least 37 days from May

27 - July 2—surpassing its July-August 1999 standard of 35 days. By early July, warmth crept as far north as the nation’s northern tier, where Duluth, MN (91°F on July 1), recorded its first 90-degree reading since July 31, 2006. Meanwhile, June 2011 was the hottest month on record in San Angelo (88.6°F, or 9.4°F above normal), Midland (88.0°F, or 8.4°F above normal), and Lubbock, TX (85.9°F, or 8.8°F above normal). Previous monthly average temperature records had been set in August 1952 in San Angelo, August 1964 in Midland, and July 1966 in Lubbock. Midland also noted a June record, tied with 1998, with 21 days of 100-degree heat.

Midland also endured a rainless month—breaking its June mark of 0.01 inch set in 1990 and 2001—and completed its driest 9-month period on record. Midland’s October-June precipitation totaled 0.18 inch (2 percent of normal), shattering its 9-month standard of 2.02 inches set from November 1950 - July 1951. In contrast, June 29-30 rainfall totaled 3.75 inches in Brownsville, TX, as Tropical Storm Arlene approached and reached the Mexican Gulf Coast near Cabo Rojo. Farther north, scattered heavy showers stretched from the northern Plains into the Southeast. In Florida, daily-record totals topped 4 inches in locations such as Fort Myers (4.22 inches on June 29) and Vero Beach (4.09 inches on July 1). Miami Beach, however, completed its driest June on record, with a monthly total of 1.15 inches (previously, 1.45 inches in 1927). Elsewhere, Missouri

River basin runoff above Sioux City, IA, totaled 13.8 million acre-feet (4.5 trillion gallons) in June, breaking the April 1952 record of 13.2 million acre-feet (4.3 trillion gallons). In northern and central California, rare, late-June showers resulted in daily-record amounts for June 28 in locations such as Chico (1.25 inches), Napa (0.93 inch), and Redding (0.87 inch). Farther east, daily-record amounts exceeded 2 inches in numerous locations, including Paducah, KY (3.14 inches on June 26); Wallops Island, VA (2.38 inches on June 28); and Jamestown, ND (2.32 inches on June 26). Some of the storms were accompanied by high winds and trailed by cool air. On June 26, for example, Sioux City, IA, clocked a wind gust to 67 mph, while Great Falls, MT, notched a daily-record low of 36°F. Northwestern daily-record lows included 36°F (on June 27) in Pocatello, ID, and 43°F (on July 1) in Pendleton, OR. Seattle, WA (49°F on July 1), dipped below 50°F in July for the first time since July 31, 2002.

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com