NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

 

JUNE 2013

 

1^st-8^th…Tropical Storm Andrea’s interaction with a cold front led to heavy rain in the East, with 4 inches or more falling in portions of the Atlantic Coast States from Florida to Massachusetts. Andrea made landfall during the late afternoon of June 6 in Dixie County, FL, with maximum sustained winds near 65 mph. Most of Andrea’s impacts were related to heavy rain, although weakening and acceleration after landfall helped to limit flooding.  Meanwhile, most of the Midwest experienced several days without rain, allowing corn planting to near completion.

In fact, parts of the Central and Eastern Pains were dry all week. However, cool weather and showers fell in parts of the upper Midwest, where weekly temperatures generally averaged 5 to 10F below normal. Cool, showery weather also lingered across the Northern Plains. However, the rain also provided much-needed moisture for drought-stressed areas of the southern Plains.

Elsewhere, mostly dry weather accompanied record-setting heat in the West. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 10F above normal in California and neighboring areas, while readings above 110F were noted as far north as California’s Sacramento Valley.

Andrea, which developed over the Gulf of Mexico, was first identified as a tropical storm only about 24 hours before landfall. Andrea’s tropical moisture blended with frontal and jet stream energy to produce significant rainfall in the East. However, long before Andrea’s development, daily-record rainfall totals across the South and East.

Cool conditions dominated the Plains and Midwest for much of the week. During the week daily-record lows included 30F in International Falls, MN , and 34F in Alliance, NE. Gaylord, MI (31°F), posted a daily-record low for June 3. Later, another surge of cool air overspread the northern Intermountain West, where Sheridan, WY (32F), collected a daily-record low for June 5. In contrast, hot weather dominated the remainder of the West and occasionally reached the Southern Plains. Tucson, AZ, opened the week with a daily-record high of

107F on June 2. Two days later, record-setting highs on the Southern Plains for June 4 included 109F in Midland, TX, and 106F in Roswell, NM. During the second half of the week, heat intensified across the West. Death Valley, CA closed the week with consecutive daily-record highs (123 and 126F, respectively), on June 7-8. Elsewhere in California, Red Bluff (111 and 112F) and Sacramento (105 and 108F) were among a number of locations also notching consecutive daily-record highs on June 7-8.

 

9^th-15^th…An active weather pattern prevailed in most areas from the Plains to the East Coast. Nevertheless, weekly rainfall totaled an inch or more in parts of Montana and 2 to 4 inches in some Midwestern locations. Heavy rain also drenched areas from the Appalachians to the Atlantic Seaboard, with a few spots receiving more than 4 inches. Farther west, extreme heat preceded a period of cooler, unsettled weather in the central and Southern Plains. In particular, temperatures topped 100F, with isolated readings above 110F, as far north as eastern Colorado, western Kansas, and southwestern Nebraska. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 10F above normal in the Central Plains. The heat wave coincided with an increase in wildfire activity in parts of Colorado and New Mexico. Early in the week, extreme heat shifted from the West to the Central and Southern Plains. From June 7-9, Death Valley, CA, posted three consecutive daily-record highs (123, 126, and 125F). Reno, NV, logged four daily-record highs in a row (97, 100, 98, and 99F) from June 6-9. Farther east, Dodge City, KS, registered daily-record highs (104F each day) on 3 consecutive days from June 10-12. Denver, CO (100F on June 11), its earliest triple-dig it reading on record; previously, a reading of 102F was observed on June 14, 2006. Elsewhere in Colorado, Pueblo achieved triple digit readings (103 and 104F, respectively) on June 10-11, setting daily-record highs on both days. Consecutive daily-record highs were also established on June 10-11 in locations such as Clayton, NM (101 and 102F); Goodland, KS (104 and 107F); McCook, NE (104 and 108F); Tribune, KS (106 and 111F); and Garden City, KS (108F both days). Much of the nation experienced very warm weather during the mid- to late-week period, resulting in scattered daily-record highs in locations such as Douglas, AZ (105F on June 11 and 12); New Bern, NC (98F on June 13); New Iberia, LA (97F on June 14); Springfield, IL (95F on June 12); and Buffalo, NY (90F on June 13). In contrast, enough cool air spilled into the Northwest to produce a daily-record low (41F on June 10) in Bellingham, WA. Hot, dry, windy conditions, in conjunction with ongoing drought, contributed to a sharp increase in wildfire activity in the central and southern Rockies. In contrast, abundant rains fell in the East. Record-setting rainfall totals for June 9 included 3.23 inches in Greenville-Spartanburg, SC and 1.56 inches in Greenwood, MS. A day later in the mid-Atlantic region, record-high amounts for June 10 reached 2.77 inches in Washington, DC; 2.32 inches in Georgetown, DE; and 2.10 inches in Philadelphia, PA. By June 11, heavy rain spread into the Northeast and developed in parts of Montana, resulting in daily-record totals in locations such as Burlington, VT (1.94 inches), and Miles City, MT (1.10 inches). During the mid- to late-week period, occasional downpours dotted the Southeast, and Midwest.

16^th-22^nd…Hit-or-miss showers and thunderstorms dotted the northern tier of the west and areas from the Plains to the East coast. However, showers were heavier—totaling 2 to 4 inches or more—across the Upper Midwest. In contrast, little or no rain fell during the week in the vicinity of the Iowa-Illinois-Missouri, causing crusting of previously wet soils and leaving some summer crops in need of rain. Meanwhile, 2-inch weekly rainfall totals were common across the interior Southeast and along the middle and southern Atlantic Coast. However, little or no rain fell across southern Texas and from California to the Central and Southern Rockies. Several wildfires developed or remained active in the Southwest due to a combination of hot, dry, breezy conditions and long-term drought. Rain (1 to 2 inches or more) staved off further drought intensification on the Central and Southern Plains, although hot weather and the cumulative effects of the region’s 3-year drought maintained heavy irrigation demands. Elsewhere, cool, showery weather was experienced in the Northwest. Weekly temperatures averaged as much as 5F below normal across the interior Northwest, but were at least °F above normal in numerous locations from the Southern Rockies into the western Corn Belt. Early in the week, heavy showers occurred from the central and southern Plains into the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic States. In Michigan, daily-record lows included 36F (on June 18) in Marquette and 38F (on June 19) in Gaylord. Cool conditions lingered in New England through June 20, when Montpelier, VT (39F), posted a daily-record low. Farther west, persistent warmth from the Southwest to the western Corn Belt resulted in a few daily-record highs. Sidney, NE, collected a daily-record high of 95F on June 16. Three days later, Greybull, WY (96°F), also posted a daily-record high. Hot weather was especially persistent in the western Gulf Coast region, where Corpus Christi, TX, set or tied seven consecutive daily-record highs (97, 98, 97, 98, 97, 97, and 99F) from June 16-22. Corpus Christi last failed to achieve the 90-degree mark on May 25, and last experienced a cooler-than-normal daily average temperature on May 13. In contrast, chilly air settled across the Northwest during the second half of the week. On June 20, daily-record lows dipped to 28F in Randolph, UT, and Winnemucca, NV, Lake Yellowstone, WY, closed the week with three consecutive freezes, including lows of 27°F on June 21 and 22. At week’s end, extreme heat returned to the southern High Plains, where Roswell, NM, tallied a daily-record high of 106F. A record-setting heat wave baked Alaska early in the week and helped to propel weekly temperatures at least 10 to 15F above normal at many interior locations. Several wildfires ignited across interior Alaska during the hot spell, and by June 23, the Lime Hills (about 10 miles northwest of Lime Village) and Moore Creek (40 miles southwest of McGrath) incidents had each burned approximately 150,000 acres of tundra and timber.

McGrath opened the week with highs of 90, 94, and 91F, respectively, from June 16-18. The 94-degree reading shattered McGrath’s June and all-time record, originally set with a high of 90F on June 15, 1969. Other all-time records broken on June 17 included 90F in

Valdez (previously, 87F on June 25 and 26, 1953); 90F in Cordova (previously, 89F on July 16, 1995); and 96F in Talkeetna (previously, 91F on June 26, 1953, June 14, 1969, and June 16, 2013).

 

23^rd-30^th…Drier weather arrived covered across the Upper Midwest, easing residual lowland flooding and allowing wet fields to begin drying. In contrast, heavy showers continued from the central and eastern Corn Belt into the Northeast, where weekly rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches or more were common. Locally heavy showers also dotted the Southeast, primarily from the Appalachians eastward.  Farther west, most of the Great Plains received little or no rainfall, accompanied by above normal temperatures. Near to above normal temperatures dominated the nation, with the most persistent heat weekly temperatures as much as 10F above normal—covering southern portions of the Rockies and Plains. Toward week’s end, cooler air began to overspread the Midwest, while an impressive heat wave developed across the West. In the Southwest, lightning strikes in

advance of monsoon showers sparked several wildfires, including the deadly Yarnell Hill blaze in west-central Arizona. For much of the week, locally heavy showers peppered parts of the East and Midwest. Daily record rainfall totals topped 2 inches in several locations, including Moline, IL (4.46 inches on June 24); Evansville, IN (4.10 inches on June 24); Madison WI (3.19 inches on June 26); Lansing, MI (3.12 inches on June 28); Fargo, ND

(2.56 inches on June 25); New Bern, NC (2.31 inches on June 23); Cincinnati, OH

(2.28 inches on June 26); and Anniston, AL (2.24 inches on June 24).  Madison’s  heavy rain capped its wettest first half of a year on record, with 30.95 inches (189 percent of normal).  

Early in the week, a touch of cool air in the Northwest contrasted with heat in the Northeast. Daily record lows for June 23 included 30F in Randolph, UT, and 35F in

Baker City, OR.

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