NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

JUNE 2022

 

1-5: Lingering chill across the nation’s northwestern quadrant contrasted with hot weather in much of Texas and significantly above normal temperatures from the lower Great Lakes region into the middle and northern Atlantic States. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5°F below normal across northern sections of the High Plains and Intermountain West— but averaged more than 5°F above normal in central Texas and parts of the middle and northern Atlantic States. With cool air in place across the Intermountain West, freezes— though not particularly unusual for this time of year—were frequently observed. Still, sub-freezing, daily-record lows were reported in several locations, including Ely, NV (22°F on May 30); Cedar City, UT (29°F on May 30); and Alturas, CA (26°F on May 31). Cool weather briefly returned across the upper Midwest; on June 2, daily record lows dipped to 37°F in Norfolk, NE, and 41°F in Sioux City, IA. For Norfolk, it was the lowest June reading since June 7, 1935, when the temperature fell to 34°F. In contrast, Texas remained a focus for extreme heat, especially in late May. On May 29, daily-record highs in Texas rose to 104°F in Childress and 103°F in Abilene. In addition, Abilene doubled its 1927 record for 100-degree readings in May; there were 14 such days in May 2022. By Memorial Day (May 30), heat surged into the Great Lakes region, where Michigan locations such as Pellston and Traverse City notched daily-record highs of 92°F. A day later, May 31 featured Northeastern daily-record highs of 98°F in Newark, NJ, and 94°F in Reading, PA. Heat lingered for several days in the Southeast, where Lumberton, NC, opened June with consecutive daily-record highs of 100°F. Florence, SC, also logged a daily-record high of 100°F on June 2.

 

5-11: Hot and dry weather occurred from California to Texas compounded the effects of a punishing drought.  Drought-related complications included dwindling surface water supplies; severe stress on rangeland, pastures, and rainfed summer crops; and record-setting wildfires. 

 

The patchy Southeastern dryness, combined with rising temperatures, led to an increase in stress on pastures and reproductive corn. Farther west, weekly temperatures averaged at least 5 to 10°F above normal in most areas from central and southern California to central Texas. In contrast, readings averaged more than 5°F below normal at several locations in the Great Lakes region. In New Mexico, the two largest wildfires in modern state history continued to burn, albeit somewhat less aggressively.

 

Chilly weather prevailed at times across the North. On June 5, for example, daily-record lows included 32°F in Hibbing, MN, and 35°F in Glens Falls, NY. In Texas, however, chronically hot conditions persisted. Victoria, TX, shortly after completing its hottest May on record (82.7°F, or 5.4°F above normal), tallied a trio of daily-record highs (98, 99, and 102°F) from June 8-10. San Angelo, TX, reported high temperatures during the week ranging from 99 to 107°F, failing to reach the 100-degee mark only on June 8. San Angelo logged daily-record highs of 106°F on June 5 and 6. A streak of high temperatures of 100°F or greater in Del Rio, TX, began on the 4th, with a peak of 110°F occurring on June 6. As the week continued, heat intensified in the Southwest. By June 10, readings above 110°F were common in the Desert Southwest. Death Valley, CA, closed the week with consecutive daily-record highs (123 and 122°F, respectively) on June 10-11. Phoenix, AZ, registered three daily-record highs in a row (113, 114, and 113°F) from June 10-12. Other daily-record highs above the 110-degree mark on June 11 included 114°F in Palm Springs, CA; 111°F in Childress, TX; and 111°F in Roswell, NM. Elsewhere in New Mexico, Tucumcari set an all-time-record high temperature on June 11 with a reading of 112°F (previously 110°F on July 13, 2020). As heat surged northward across the High Plains, Denver, CO (100°F), tied a record for its earliest-ever triple-digit reading, which previously had occurred with a high of 100°F on June 11, 2013.

 

12-18: A sprawling ridge across the central and southern Plains and the mid-South. With the hot, dry weather leading to diminishing soil moisture reserves, summer crops— including reproductive Southern corn—experienced an increase in stress. The hot weather, accompanied by humid conditions and minimal overnight relief, also contributed to varying degrees of livestock stress, with significant cattle mortality noted in parts of southwestern Kansas.

 

An unusually early onset of monsoonrelated showers in portions of the Four Corners States. The ribbon of Southwestern moisture extended northward from western New Mexico and southeastern Arizona, resulting in drought relief but triggering flash flooding, especially on recently burned hillsides.

 

Triple-digit readings were common across the central and southern Plains, with a late-week heat surge also pushing temperatures to 100°F or higher as far north as the Dakotas. Early-week heat was particularly intense across the south-central U.S., including Texas, where record-setting highs for June 12 soared to 111°F in Childress and 109°F in Abilene. The temperature in Childress represented the highest reading during the first half of the year in that location since June 26, 2011, when it was 117°F. Meanwhile, Southwestern daily-record highs for June 12 included 113°F in Phoenix, AZ, and 108°F in Roswell, NM. In fact, Phoenix registered a trio of daily-record highs (113, 114, and 113°F) from June 10-12. Roswell noted triple-digit highs each day from June 10-17, peaking at 111°F on the 11th. Nights offered little cooling, with Galveston, TX, tying a monthly record with lows of 85°F on June 12, 13, and 15. Amarillo, TX, shattered a monthly record on June 12 with a low of 78°F (previously, 76°F on June 28, 1953). Dodge City, KS, reported its highest-ever minimum temperature on June 13 with a low of 83°F (previously, 81°F on July 12, 1978, and several earlier dates). Elsewhere on the 13th, Cape Girardeau, MO, tied an all-time station record with a low of 81°F, while June records were tied or broken in Paducah, KY (low of 81°F), and El Paso, TX (low of 83°F). June 13 high temperatures soared to triple-digit, daily-record levels in locations such as McCook, NE (109°F); Hill City, KS (108°F); and Columbia, SC (103°F). For Columbia, it was first 100-degree reading since October 4, 2019, and the hottest day since July 11, 2018. As the week progressed, many more records were set. On June 14, highest monthly minimum temperature records were tied or broken in Bowling Green, KY (81°F), and Evansville, IN (81°F). The record in Evansville had stood since June 28, 1931, when the low also fell only to 81°F. Louisville, KY, remained at or above 80°F on 3 days in a row (June 14-16) for the first time on record. Meanwhile, selected triple-digit, daily-record highs for June 16 touched 100°F in Salt Lake City, UT; and Athens, GA. Memphis, TN, logged consecutive highs of 100°F on June 16-17, achieving daily records both days. Macon, GA, registered three triple-digit highs in a row, peaking at 104°F (on June 15) on the first day of the streak. At week’s end, heat lingered in the Deep South and returned across the Plains; daily-record highs for the 18th surged to 101°F in Valentine, NE, and Mobile, AL. In contrast, scattered Western daily-record lows included 24°F (on June 15) in Big Piney, WY; 25°F (on June 15) in Randolph, UT; 26°F (on June 14) in Klamath Falls, OR; and 26°F (on June 14) in Winnemucca, NV.

 

19-25: Hot, dry weather across much of the South and lower Midwest led to sharp declines in topsoil moisture and a concurrent increase in crop stress. 

Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5°F below normal. In contrast, temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal across large sections of the Plains and upper Midwest, as well as the central Gulf Coast region. Readings averaged more than 10°F above normal in much of Minnesota and portions of neighboring states. Chilly weather was entrenched in much of the eastern and western U.S. as the week began. In California, daily-record lows for June 19 included 29°F in Campo, 41°F in King City, and 50°F in Stockton. On the same date, Eastern dailyrecord lows dipped to 38°F in Watertown, NY, and 43°F in Parkersburg, WV. Augusta, GA, posted a daily-record low (55°F) on June 20, just 3 days before hitting 100°F. Cool conditions lingered in the Midwest, where record-setting lows for the 19th fell to 43°F in Flint, MI, and 46°F in Rockford, IL. In Maine, the week began on June 19 with highs of 49°F in Houlton and Millinocket, marking the latest in spring that temperatures had remained below the 50-degree mark. The previous record-latest date of a sub-50°F high in both locations had been June 10, 1956. By the morning of June 21, daily record lows in Maine included 34°F in Houlton and 38°F in Caribou. Chilly conditions also lingered in the West, where sub-freezing, dailyrecord lows for June 21 plunged to 25°F in Big Piney, WY, and 28°F in Vail, CO. In stark contrast, heat surged into the north-central U.S., where daily-record highs in North Dakota for June 19 reached 101°F in Fargo and 100°F in Bismarck and Grand Forks. In Minnesota, triple-digit, daily-record highs for June 20 rose to 101°F in St. Cloud and Minneapolis-St. Paul. In Brainerd, MN, where there have been fewer than two dozen triple-digit readings in the last 120 years, the high of 100°F on the 20th represented the highest June reading on record, tied with June 19, 1988, and June 4, 2021. Scattered triple-digit readings persisted through mid-week in the Midwest, where Rockford, IL, and Toledo, OH, logged highs of 100°F on June 21. Farther south, however, heat continued and further intensified. On June 22, Nashville, TN (101°F), experienced its first triple-digit reading since July 8, 2012, ending that city’s third-longest such streak just shy of 10 years. Nashville once went almost 13 years, from August 14, 1881, to August 12, 1894, without 100-degree heat. Elsewhere in Tennessee, Memphis collected consecutive daily-record highs (101 and 102°F, respectively) on June 21-22. In Georgia, Alma tied a monthly record with a high of 105°F on June 23 (previously, 105°F on August 18, 1995). Daily-record highs soared to 104°F in Alexandria, LA (on June 23 and 24); Tallahassee, FL (on June 24); and Montgomery, AL (on June 23). In Texas, Austin (Camp Mabry) registered highs ranging from 100 to 105°F each day from June 6 to 25, except the 15th. At week’s end, heat developed in the Pacific Northwest, while cool air arrived across northern sections of the Rockies and High Plains. On June 25, Hoquiam, WA, noted a daily-record high, while Montana locations such as Livingston (33°F), Bozeman (34°F), and Great Falls (37°F) tallied daily-record lows.

 

26-July 2: Most of the Midwest experienced drier-than-normal weather, leading to further reductions in topsoil moisture as summer crops approached, or moved into, the critical reproductive stage of development.

 

Cloudiness and showers associated with the monsoon contributed to temperatures up to 5°F below normal from the southern Rockies to the central Plains. A separate area of cooler-than-normal conditions affected the upper Great Lakes region. In contrast, weekly temperatures averaged more than 5°F above normal in many areas west of the Rockies, including southern California, the Great Basin, and the Northwest. Early in the week, cool air settled across northern sections of the Rockies and Plains. On June 26, daily-record lows dipped to 35°F in Choteau, MT, and 39°F in Worland, WY. A day later, recordsetting lows for June 27 included 45°F in Rapid City, SD, and 46°F in Norfolk, NE. On the other side of the Rockies, Northwestern heat resulted in a daily-record high (93°F) for June 26 in Hoquiam, WA. Meanwhile, intense heat persisted across the South through June 26, when a monthly record was set in Shreveport, LA (105°F; previously, 104°F on June 22 and 25, 1875; June 20, 1936; and June 18, 2011). Triple-digit, daily-record highs for June 26 soared to 104°F in Tyler, TX, and 101°F in Tupelo, MS. A few days later, another surge of cool air resulted in several additional daily-record lows, mainly across the Plains, Midwest, and mid-South. Recordsetting lows for June 28 fell to 44°F in Flint, MI, and 46°F in Garden City, KS. On June 29 in Missouri, daily-record lows included 51°F in Cape Girardeau and 52°F in West Plains. On the same date, however, a brief surge of heat led to record-setting highs for the 29th in Huron, SD (105°F), and Sioux City, IA (100°F). In Texas, Abilene tied a 1953 record with 21 days of triple-digit heat in June. Abilene’s high temperatures reached or exceeded 100°F on June 5- 7, 10-26, and 30. Additionally, Abilene experienced 35 days of 100- degree heat during the first half of 2022, toppling the January-June record of 24 days set in 1953 and 2011. In Louisiana, the hottest June on record concluded in locations such as New Orleans (average temperature of 85.2°F) and Baton Rouge (83.9°F).

 

 

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