NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

 

JUNE 2017

 

4-10: Mostly dry weather persisted through a second consecutive week in the heart of the Midwest. In addition, late-week heat spread across the western Plains and eth Midwest.  Meanwhile, late-week showers and thunderstorms provided only local relief to heat and drought stressed rangeland in the northern Plains.  Seasonably dry weather covered the Southwest, accompanied by consistently hot conditions.  Weekly temperatures averaged as much as 5 to 10F above normal from the Southwest and Intermountain West to the northern Plains and upper Midwest.  As heat shifted eastward, late-week temperatures topped 100°F on the Plains as far north as the Dakotas.  Elsewhere, scattered showers were noted in the Northwest, as well as central and southern sections of the Rockies and Plains.  Building heat across the western and central U.S. led to several daily-record highs.  In Utah, record-setting highs for June 4 reached 97F in Wendover and 95F in Tooele.  On June 5 in Texas, McAllen posted a daily-record high of 106°F.  Brownsville, TX, tallied a trio of daily-record highs (98, 97, and 97F) from June 5-7.  Meanwhile, chilly air associated with a Northeastern storm system kept the temperature from rising above the 50-degree mark on June 6 in locations such as Worcester, MA (high of 49F), and Concord, NH (50F).  Heat surged, however, across the northern Intermountain West and the northern Plains.  Idaho Falls, ID, notched consecutive daily-record highs (92 and 90F, respectively) on

June 7-8.  By June 9, triple-digit, daily-record highs reached locations such as Mobridge, SD (103F); Valentine, NE (102F); and Bismarck, ND (101F).  On June 10, heat expanded to the southern High Plains and the upper Midwest, resulting in daily-record highs in Roswell, NM (106F), and La Crosse, WI (96F).  Conversely, cooler weather in the Northwest led to a daily-record low (29°F on June 10) in Burns, OR.

 

11-17: Mostly dry, increasingly hot weather covered large sections of the central and southern Plains and boosted irrigation demands and increasing stress on rain fed crops.  Temperatures also averaged as much as 10F above normal on the central and southern Plains.  In contrast, near-normal temperatures and occasional showers caused some Southeastern fieldwork delays but maintained generally favorable crop conditions.  Elsewhere, seasonably dry weather in the Southwest contrasted with cool, showery conditions in the Northwest.  Below-normal temperatures covered much of the West until late in the week, when markedly hotter weather suddenly arrived. An early-week surge of heat through the eastern U.S. resulted in consecutive daily-record highs (95 and 94F, respectively) in Burlington, VT, on June 11-12.  Similarly, consecutive daily-record highs occurred on June 12-13 in locations such as Cleveland, OH (93F both days); Reading, PA (93 and 96F); Providence, RI (95F both days); and Newark, NJ (97 and 99F).  Early-week heat also prevailed in the Midwest, where daily-record highs for June 11 soared to 96F in Rochester, MN, and La Crosse, WI.  In fact, the first half of June featured record-high average temperatures in Rochester (72.5F; previously, 71.1F in 1956) and La Crosse (75.3F; previously, 73.3F in 2005).  And, for the first time, La Crosse reported highs of 80F or greater on each of the first 17 days in June.  Rockford, IL, reached or exceeded the 90-degree mark each day from June 10-15—the longest such streak occurring by mid-June in that location since June 9-14, 1956.  Meanwhile, a spell of cool weather in the West led to daily-record lows in several locations, including Tonopah, NV (34F), and Heppner, OR (36F).  Late in the week, however, intense heat developed across parts of the West.  On June 17-18, consecutive daily-record highs were reported in locations such as Cottonwood, AZ (108 and 113F), and Stockton, CA (105 and 108F).  Intense heat also briefly reached the southern High Plains, where daily-record highs for June 17 surged to 112F in Lubbock, TX; 111F in Midland, TX; and Roswell, NM (110F).  For Lubbock and Midland, the June 17 readings represented the highest respective temperatures in nearly 6 years, since late-June 2011.

 

18-24: Cool air trailed that front, as well as a previous one, helping to hold weekly temperatures as much as 5F below normal across the northern Plains and upper Midwest.  However, rain again mostly bypassed the driest areas of eastern Montana and the western Dakotas, maintaining stress on rangeland, pastures, winter wheat, and summer crops, despite the lower temperatures.  Farther south, short-term dryness on the central and southern Plains favored winter wheat maturation and harvesting, but remained a concern with respect to diminishing grass growth and stress on rain-fed crops.  Spotty showers brought local relief, but only after a mid-week heat wave had pushed temperatures to 100F or higher throughout the central and southern High Plains.  Unlike the Plains’ fleeting hot spell, sustained, record breaking heat—with temperatures averaging at least 10°F above normal—gripped California, the Great Basin, and the Southwest.  Weekly readings averaged as much as 20F above normal in northern California, while all-time-record highs were tied on June 20 in locations such as Needles, CA (125F), and Las Vegas, NV (117F).  The Western heat boosted irrigation demands; melted much of the remaining high-elevation snow; and spurred fieldwork and crop development that had been previously delayed by a cool, wet spring. Sweltering conditions blanketed much of the West all week.  A streak with highs of 120F or greater began in Death Valley, CA, on June 17 and lasted at least 10 days, with the temperature peaking at 127F on the 20th and 24th.  All-time records for the hottest day were tied on June 20 in locations such as Needles, CA (125F; previously, June 20, 2016), and Las Vegas, NV (117F; previously, June 30, 2013).  With highs of 122F on June 20, 24, and 25, Palm Springs, CA, tied a monthly record previously attained on June 29, 2013, and June 20, 2016.  Tucson, AZ, tallied a high of 116F on June 20, tying with June 29, 1994, for its second-hottest day on record.  Tucson’s highest reading remains 117F on June 26, 1990.  However, Tucson recorded its first-ever daily average temperature above the 100degree mark, with a high of 116F and a low of 87°F.  Extreme heat extended as far east as the lower Rio Grande Valley, where McAllen, TX, set an all-time record with a high of 111F on June 22.  Previously, McAllen had reached 110°F on June 15, 1998, and May 4, 1999.  On June 21, heat briefly expanded northward across the Plains, where North Platte, NE, tied a monthly record with a high of 107°F.  North Platte had also reported 107°F on June 15, 1952, and June 26, 2012.  Late in the week, heat surged into the Pacific Northwest.  With a high of 103°F on June 24, Roseburg, OR, achieved its highest June reading since June 30, 1942, when the temperature soared to 104F.  In stark contrast, a late-week cool surge reached the northern Plains, upper Midwest, and interior Northwest.  Record-setting lows for June 24 dipped to 37F in Casper, WY, and 39F in Aberdeen SD.  Lake Yellowstone, WY, ended the week with consecutive freezes (27 and 28F, respectively) on June 23-24.

25-30: Weekly temperatures averaged 4 to 8F below normal in a broad area centered on the upper Midwest.  Near- to below-normal temperatures covered all of the central and eastern U.S., excluding southern Florida and southern and western sections of Texas.  In contrast, hot, mostly dry weather persisted in the West, although temperatures in California and the Southwest were lower than those observed the previous week.  Nonetheless, weekly readings ranged from 4 to 8F above normal throughout the Far West, except along the Pacific Coast. Extreme Western heat lingered through June 25, when Campo, CA, set a monthly record high with 108°F.  Previously, Campo’s highest June temperature had occurred on June 26, 1990 and 1994, when it was 107F.  Elsewhere on the 25th, Palm Springs, CA, attained a June record-tying high of 122°F for the third time this month—along with June 20 and 24.  Farther north, monthly records were tied on June 25 in Washington locations such as Olympia (98F) and Seattle (96F).  There was little relief at night, as Tucson, AZ, reported 9 consecutive days (June 20-28) with minimum temperatures of 80°F or greater.  Tucson’s previous record of 8 days had been set from June 24 – July 1, 1990.  In Phoenix, AZ, a minimum temperature of 93F on June 25 tied a monthly record originally set on June 27, 1990.  Conversely, chilly air settled across the northern Plains and Midwest.  In Montana, Havre posted a daily-record low of 39F on June 25.  From June 25-27, Aberdeen, SD, tallied a trio of daily-record lows (41, 39, and 42F).  Similarly, Ottumwa, IA, notched consecutive daily-record lows (46 and 44F, respectively) on June 26-27.  Daily record lows were also set or tied in locations such as Fargo, ND (40F on June 26); St. Cloud, MN (42F on June 26); and Moline, IL (46°F on June 27).  The cool air later reached the Mid-Atlantic States, where record-setting lows for June 28 included 49F in Lynchburg, VA, and 51F in Baltimore, MD.  Late in the week, another push of cool air brought daily-record lows for July 1 to several communities in Kansas, including Garden City (53F) and Wichita (58F).  In contrast, late week heat arrived across the southern High Plains, boosting temperatures to daily-record levels in Texas locations such as Lubbock (107F on June 29) and Midland (106F on June 30).  In the Southwest, ongoing heat capped the hottest June on record in Tucson, AZ.  Tucson’s monthly average temperature of 89.7F edged its June 2013 standard of 89.5F.

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