National Overview

June Extreme Weather/Climate Events

June Highlights

Average Temperature Departures (June)
June Average Temperature Departures
June Percent of Average Precip
June Percent of Average Precipitation

June Temperature

June 2022 Statewide Temperature Ranks Map
June 2022 Statewide Temperature Ranks
  • Above-average warmth, associated with a ridge of high pressure, dominated much of the contiguous U.S. during June.
  • The average contiguous U.S. temperature during June was 60.7°F, 2.2°F above the 20th century average, ranking 15th warmest in the 128-year period of record.
  • Temperatures across much of the southern half of the Lower 48 as well as from the northern Plains to the Ohio Valley were above average. Several Southern Tier states had a top-10 warmest June on record including Texas, ranking fifth warmest on record for the month. This is the third consecutive month of extreme heat across Texas, which resulted in a ranking of warmest on record for the April-June period.
  • The contiguous U.S. average maximum (daytime) temperature during June was 83.5°F, 2.2°F above the 20th century average, ranking in the warmest one-third of the record. Above-average maximum temperatures were observed from California to the Great Lakes and from Texas to the mid-Atlantic. Below-average daytime temperatures occurred across portions of the Northwest and Northeast. Texas ranked sixth warmest for daytime temperatures.
  • The contiguous U.S. average minimum (nighttime) temperature during June was 57.8°F, 2.2°F above the 20th century average, ranking seventh warmest on record. Above-average minimum temperatures were observed across much of the West Coast and Southwest, Plains, Southeast and across parts of the Great Lakes into the Northeast. New Mexico ranked warmest on record for nighttime temperatures in June with Louisiana ranking third warmest and Texas and Mississippi ranking fourth warmest.
  • The Alaska average June temperature was 52.2°F, 3.0°F above the long-term mean and ranked as the ninth-warmest June in the 98-year period of record for the state. Temperatures were above average across much of the southern half of the state with record warm temperatures across Kodiak Island. Temperatures were near average across much of the North Slope and Northeast Interior divisions.
    • Sitka had its warmest June on record while Anchorage and Kodiak were second warmest.
    • For the first time on record, Anchorage reported daily high temperatures of at least 60°F every day during June.
  • Based on data records as of July 6, there were 7,376 record warm daily high (2,958) and low (4,418) temperature records during June, which is more than three times the 2,295 record cold daily high (1,281) and low (1,014) temperature records.
  • Based on NOAA's Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index (REDTI), the contiguous U.S. temperature-related energy demand during June was 177 percent of average and the 10th highest value in the 128-year period of record.

June Precipitation

June 2022 Statewide Precipitation Ranks Map
June 2022 Statewide Precipitation Ranks
  • The June precipitation total for the contiguous U.S. was 2.33 inches, 0.60 inch below average, tying with 1930 for 12th driest in the historical record.
  • The Pacific Northwest received above average precipitation in June associated with multiple atmospheric river events during the first half of the month and the Southwest received an abundance of precipitation associated with the return of the monsoon season during the second half of June. Precipitation was below average in the Great Basin, from the central Rockies to the Great Lakes, across the Deep South and from the mid-Mississippi Valley to the Southeast.
  • New Mexico ranked fifth wettest on record. Washington and Oregon ranked seventh and eighth wettest on record, respectively. A dominant ridge of high pressure across the central and eastern U.S. resulted in below-average precipitation totals for the month. North Carolina ranked second driest on record for June and Nebraska seventh driest.
  • Integrated across the state, precipitation across Alaska ranked driest on record for June and was 0.04 inch less than the previous record set in 1934.
  • According to the June 28 U.S. Drought Monitor report, 47.7 percent of the contiguous U.S. was in drought, down about 1.5 percentage points from the end of June, but up 2.4 percent in the last week of June. Drought intensified and/or expanded across the Deep South, Southeast and New England and erupted across portions of the mid-Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. Monsoon rains helped to lessen the drought intensity across parts of the Southwest. Several atmospheric river events aided drought reduction and/or elimination in portions of the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rockies. Drought expanded across Alaska and Puerto Rico and contracted across the Big Island of Hawaii during June.

Other Notable Events

  • The wildfire season continues as large fires burn across portions of the South and Southwest and have grown rapidly across Alaska. Across all 50 states, more than 3.9 million acres have burned from January 1 through June 30 — nearly 2.3 times the average for this time of year.
    • As of July 1, the largest fire on record in New Mexico, the Hermits Peak Fire, had consumed nearly 342,000 acres and was 93 percent contained. The Black Fire, New Mexico’s second-largest wildfire on record, burned through 325,000 acres and was 70 percent contained as of July 2.
    • 1 million acres burned in Alaska by June 18 — the earliest such occurrence in a calendar year than anytime in the last 32 years. By July 1, 1.85 million acres had been consumed — the second-highest June total on record and the seventh-highest acreage burned for any calendar month on record for Alaska.
    • The East Fork wildfire in the Yukon River delta region of Alaska is the largest tundra fire on record (since the 1940s) in the Yukon delta at 166,000 acres. Smoke from the ongoing fires created visibility and health concerns across much of mainland Alaska during June.
  • The elevation of Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, is nearing closer to the dead pool, the elevation that prevents the water from flowing downstream from the dam, in late June. On June 30, the lake elevation was 1,043.02 feet above sea level — the lowest elevation since the 1930s when the lake was first filled and within 150 feet of the dead pool.
  • Heavy rainfall and melting mountain snowpack on June 13 caused catastrophic flooding in/around Yellowstone National Park. Roads and bridges were washed away by the historic flooding, forcing evacuations and indefinite closure of the north entrance.

Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters

  • Through the end of June, nine weather and climate disaster events have been identified, with losses exceeding $1 billion each across the U.S. during 2022. The nine individual billion-dollar events of 2022 include:
    • three general severe weather events
    • two tornado outbreaks
    • two hail storms
    • one derecho event
    • one broad-area drought event
  • For this year-to-date period, the 2022 disaster count ranks fifth-highest behind 2017, 2020, 2011 and 2021.
  • Despite the above-average number of disasters during the first half of 2022, only a small number of fatalities has been reported associated with these events.
  • With an estimated cost of $2.2 billion, the costliest event to-date was the Southern Severe Weather event that occurred April 11-13.
  • Since 1980, the U.S. has sustained 332 separate weather and climate disasters where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion (based on the CPI adjustment to 2022) per event. The total cost of these 332 events exceeds $2.275 trillion.

Year-to-Date Highlights

Average Temperature Departures (January-June)
January-June Average Temperature Departures
January-June Percent of Average Precip
January-June Percent of Average Precipitation

January-June Temperature

January-June 2022 Statewide Temperature Ranks Map
January-June 2022 Statewide Temperature Ranks

January-June Precipitation

January-June 2022 Statewide Precipitation Ranks Map
January-June 2022 Statewide Precipitation Ranks
  • The January-June precipitation total for the Lower 48 was 13.84 inches, 1.47 inch below average, ranking in the driest third of the January-June record.
  • Precipitation was above average across portions of the Pacific Northwest, northern Plains, Great Lakes and in pockets from the mid-Mississippi Valley to the Northeast. Precipitation was below average across much of the West and Deep South, as well as portions of the central Plains and Southeast during the January-June period. California ranked driest on record while Nevada and Utah ranked second and third driest for this six-month period, respectively. Texas ranked sixth driest.

Extremes

  • The U.S. Climate Extremes Index (USCEI) for the year-to-date period was 11 percent above average, ranking in the middle one-third of the 113-year period of record. Extremes in warm maximum temperatures and dry PDSI were the major contributors to this near-average CEI value. The USCEI is an index that tracks extremes (falling in the upper or lower 10 percent of the record) in temperature, precipitation and drought across the contiguous United States.
    • On the regional scale, the West, Northwest, South and Southeast each ranked in the highest third of their record for this six-month period. Elevated extremes were the result of large regions of warm maximum temperatures across the West, South and Southwest, dry PDSI across the West, Southwest and Northwest, extremes in 1-day precipitation across the South and Northwest, the number of days with precipitation in the Northwest and days without precipitation across the West. In contrast, the Upper Midwest Region had below-average extremes for this year-to-date period ranking 13th lowest on record.

Monthly Outlook

  • According to the June 30 One-Month Outlook from the Climate Prediction Center, above-normal temperatures are likely across the central and southern Plains and leaning above-normal from the Rockies to the East Coast as well as across southeastern Alaska. Below-normal temperatures are favored along the Pacific Northwest coast. Parts of the Southwest and from the Gulf Coast to the mid-Atlantic coast as well as the western half of Alaska have the greatest chance of above-normal precipitation whereas below-normal precipitation is favored across portions of the Great Basin and the central and southern Plains.
  • Drought is likely to persist over much of the West with some improvement expected across the Southwest and along the west-central Gulf Coast. Drought development is likely from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Midwest. Outside of the contiguous U.S., drought is likely to persist or develop across portions of Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, although recent heavy rains may mitigate drought on the eastern portion of Puerto Rico.
  • According to the One-Month Outlook issued on July 1 from the National Interagency Fire Center, parts of Alaska and Hawaii, eastern Washington to central California, portions of the southern Plains and the east-central Florida coast to the Carolina coast have above normal significant wildland fire potential during July.

Regional Highlights

These regional summaries were provided by the six Regional Climate Centers and reflect conditions in their respective regions. These six regions differ spatially from the nine climatic regions of the National Centers for Environmental Information.

Northeast Region (Information provided by the Northeast Regional Climate Center)

Despite multiple rounds of severe storms, June was drier than normal, allowing drought and abnormal dryness to expand, particularly in New England.

  • Temperature

The Northeast’s June average temperature of 65.2 degrees F was 0.3 degrees F cooler than normal. Average temperatures for June for the 12 Northeast states ranged from 0.9 degrees F cooler than normal in Maine to 0.2 degrees F warmer than normal in West Virginia, with only three states experiencing a warmer-than-normal June.

  • Precipitation

During June, the Northeast received 3.44 inches of rain, 78 percent of normal. June rainfall for the 12 Northeast states ranged from 64 percent of normal in Massachusetts and New Hampshire to 103 percent of normal in Rhode Island, the lone wetter-than-normal state.

  • Drought

The U.S. Drought Monitor released on June 2 showed 3 percent of the Northeast in moderate drought and 12 percent as abnormally dry. Short-term precipitation deficits, below-normal streamflow and groundwater levels, and declining soil moisture led to the introduction/expansion of moderate drought in coastal Maine and southern New England and the introduction/expansion of abnormal dryness in New England, eastern/central New York, northern Pennsylvania, western Maryland, eastern West Virginia, and southern New Jersey. Only a few small areas saw improvement, most notably the easing of moderate drought in western Maine. The U.S. Drought Monitor released on June 30 showed 7 percent of the Northeast in moderate drought and 22 percent as abnormally dry.

  • Notable Weather

There were multiple rounds of severe weather during June. On June 1, a three-inch hailstone was reported in Broome County, New York, the county’s largest and tied as the second largest in June for the state. Southern portions of the region experienced a severe weather outbreak on June 8. Two tornadoes touched down, an EF-1 in Camden County, New Jersey, and an EF-0 in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, with damage mostly consisting of downed trees. Multiple instances of significant straight-line wind damage occurred in southern Pennsylvania, central Maryland, and northern West Virginia, with storm reports noting roof and siding damage and hundreds of downed trees and wires. Monongalia and Preston counties in West Virginia had hail as large as two inches, their largest hailstones on record. On June 14, a derecho moved through northern West Virginia, particularly Ohio County, damaging dozens of buildings and downing hundreds of trees, which blocked roads and caused thousands to lose power. Three people were injured in conjunction with the storm. On the same day, flash flooding in Wetzel County, West Virginia, resulted in a fatality. A few days later, on June 16 and 17, western and central portions of New York and Pennsylvania, as well as West Virginia, experienced straight-line winds of up to 100 mph that damaged roofs, downed trees, and left one person injured. Some storms also produced large hail, with two-and-a-half-inch hailstones in Cayuga County, New York, and Mercer County, Pennsylvania, and a two-inch hailstone in Juniata County, Pennsylvania, being among the largest, if not the largest, hailstones for these counties on record.

Midwest Region (Information provided by the Midwest Regional Climate Center)

  • Temperature

The June average temperature for the Midwest was 69.9 degrees F (21.1 degrees C), which was 0.9 degrees F (0.5 degrees C) above the 1991-2020 normal. Statewide average temperatures ranged from 0.1 degrees F (0.1 degrees C) below normal in Michigan to 1.6 degrees F (0.9 degrees C) above normal in Missouri. Extreme heat settled into the Midwest mid-month, with over 1500 daily maximum and minimum high temperature records broken or tied from June 12-17 and from June 20-23. Triple-digit maximum air temperatures were measured across the region during these periods. On June 14, Midway Airport (Chicago, Illinois) recorded its first 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C) day since 2012, and Minneapolis Public Schools moved to e-learning for the day due to the heat and humidity paired with a lack of air conditioning.

  • Precipitation

June precipitation was 3.08 inches (78 mm) for the Midwest, which was 1.46 inches (37 mm) below normal, or 68 percent of normal. All nine states measured below-normal precipitation for June, ranging from 0.31 inches (8 mm) below normal in Ohio to 2.4 inches (61 mm) below normal in Indiana. Preliminary data indicates Kentucky and Indiana had the 11th and 14th driest June since 1895, respectively. Ashland, Wisconsin had the 2nd driest June since 1893 with 0.78 inches (20 mm). Sioux City, Iowa tied for the 4th driest June since 1889 with just 1.15 inches (29 mm) of rainfall. Carbondale, Illinois had the 5th driest June since 1898 with 0.68 inches (17 mm), which was drier than June 2012. Minneapolis-St. Paul had the 5th driest June since 1871 with 1.13 inches (29 mm). Despite the overall dry conditions, 209 daily high precipitation records were broken or tied across the region during June.

  • Flooding

Flooding that initiated across northern Minnesota in April 2022 continued throughout June. At Rainy Lake, water levels peaked at 1,113.2 feet (339 meters) in early June, exceeding the historical peak set in 1950 by 2.5 inches (63.5 mm). Water levels at lakes across the Rainy River basin are expected to remain high through the remainder of summer.

  • Drought

Coming off a wet spring, the Midwest started June with abnormal dryness and drought affecting about 10 percent of the region. Rapid drying progressed throughout the month fueled by minimal precipitation, high temperatures, and high evaporation rates. By month’s end, 44% of the Midwest had abnormal dryness or drought. Across the lower Midwest, moderate drought was indicated in portions of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. Drought intensified and expanded in northwest Iowa. Abnormal dryness was present in at least a portion of all nine states.

  • Severe Weather

Regionwide, there were 1,273 preliminary storm reports (tornado, wind, and hail), which is slightly higher than the 2000-2021 median of 1,228 reports. Preliminary tornado and hail reports were below the median by 10 and 100 reports, respectively. There were 1,046 reports of damaging wind, which was 169 above the median.

  • Notable Weather Events

On June 13, a large-scale straight-line wind event (derecho) affected the eastern Midwest from southern Wisconsin southeast through Ohio. Significant damage resulted from wind gusts ranging from 50-75 mph (80-121 kph) and higher. A 98-mph (158 kph) wind gust was recorded at the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Airport, along with numerous reports across Ohio of wind gusts over 90 mph (145 kph). More than 500,000 people were impacted by power outages that lasted for days, including during the height of the excessive heat.

  • For further details on the weather and climate events in the Midwest, see the weekly and monthly reports at the Midwest Climate Watch page.

Southeast Region (Information provided by the Southeast Regional Climate Center)

  • Temperature

Temperatures were above average across much of the Southeast region for the month of June. Of the 215 long-term stations (i.e., period of record equaling or exceeding 50 years) across the region, monthly mean temperatures were within 1 degree F (0.5 degrees C) of normal for 85 (40 percent) and within 2 degrees F (1.1 degrees C) of normal for 155 (72 percent) of stations. The monthly mean temperatures for 13 long-term stations (6 percent) were greater than 3 degrees F (2.2 degrees C) above or below normal. There were a handful of stations that observed monthly mean temperatures that were ranked within their five warmest values on record, including Pensacola, FL (1879 – 2022; 2nd warmest), Montgomery, AL (1872 – 2022; 2nd warmest), and Brunswick, GA (1948 – 2022; 3rd warmest). Maximum temperatures ranged from 6.1° (3.4 degrees C) above normal in Celo, NC (1956 – 2022) to 1.7 degrees F (0.9 degrees C) below normal at the Arecibo Observatory, PR, which tied the second coldest June monthly average maximum temperature (1980 – 2022). Daily temperature minimums ranged from 3.1 degrees F (1.7 degrees C) above normal in Mobile, AL (1871 – 2022) to 1.3 degrees F (0.7 degrees C) above normal in Roosevelt Roads, PR (1967 – 2022).

The warmest weather of the month occurred from the 22nd through the 24th, as sinking motions associated with an upper – level ridge to the west heated the air. Daily maximum temperatures exceeded 100 degrees F (38 degrees C) across portions of every state south of Virginia, and much of the region observed mean temperatures more than 10 degrees F (5.6 degrees C) above normal during this period. On the 22nd, Macon, GA (1892 – 2022) had a daily maximum temperature of 105 degrees F (41 degrees C), which was 3 degrees F (1.7 degrees C) below the highest temperature on record, and Raleigh, NC (1887 – 2022) had a daily maximum temperature of 100 degrees F (38 degrees C), both setting daily records. Extreme heat was observed in Puerto Rico, where a Heat Index value of 107 degrees F was measured in Arecibo, PR. In contrast, the coldest weather of the month across the Southeast occurred on the 10th through the 11th, when a cold front pushed southward all of the way to the Georgia-Florida border. Daily minimum temperatures fell below 60 degrees F (15.5 degrees C) across portions of every state north of Florida.

  • Precipitation

Precipitation was below average across much of the Southeast region for June. The driest locations were found across North Carolina, western South Carolina, central Georgia, western Alabama, and Puerto Rico. Monthly precipitation totals ranged from 70 to less than 25 percent of normal across these locations, with 50 percent of stations in each of AL, VA, FL, and DC (only 1 station) recording less than 75 percent of their normal June precipitation. Jacksonville, FL (1871 – 2022) observed 1.17 inches (30 mm) of precipitation, more than 6 inches (152 mm) below normal, making this the driest June on record. In contrast, the wettest locations for the month were located across northern Virginia and southern Florida, the latter largely as a result of Potential Tropical Cyclone One (detailed below). Precipitation totals ranged from 100 to 200 percent of normal. Hollywood, FL measured 23.05 inches (585 mm) which was 14.21 inches (361 mm) above normal (1999 – 2022; 1st wettest).

  • Drought

Because of persistent dry weather, drought conditions intensified for much of the Southeast in June. By the end of the month, a pocket of severe drought (D2) expanded along the eastern North Carolina coast ringed by moderate drought (D1) and abnormally dry conditions (D0) that expanded throughout the whole state. Moderate drought (D1) ringed by abnormally dry conditions stretch from South Carolina down into Georgia, with an embedded pockets of severe drought (D2) expanding by the end of the month. Abnormally dry conditions (D0) expanded in Alabama and southern Virginia, with embedded pockets of moderate drought (D1). In Florida, drought conditions improved slightly with only abnormally dry conditions (D0) remaining. Drought conditions intensified across Puerto Rico for the month, with pockets of severe drought (D2) ringed by moderate drought (D1) and abnormally dry conditions (D0) across most of the Island and severe drought (D2) to extreme drought (D3) across the Virgin Islands.

  • Agriculture

The citrus belt received widespread, moderate rainfall as the continued wet-season pattern of afternoon thunderstorms formed over the central peninsula of Florida. Grove operations continued as normal, and next season’s crop is progressing well. Producers in the northern part of the state had to run irrigation, where little to no rain fell. All crops were stressed as hot and dry conditions impacted Georgia. Pasture and range conditions declined significantly as the hot and dry conditions limited grass growth. Crop conditions and soil moisture were in good condition for much of Alabama due to adequate rainfall, although some livestock were experiencing heat stress from the higher temperatures. Limited rainfall and above average temperatures throughout South Carolina negatively affected fields and planting activities. The dry conditions allowed the spider mite population to multiply and impact many crops. Many pastures also dried out due to the hot and dry conditions.

  • Severe Weather & Other Impacts

There were 1,149 reports of severe weather across the Southeast during June, which is 56 percent more than the median monthly frequency of 735 reports during 2000 – 2020. There were 6 confirmed tornadoes reported for the month (5 EF-0, 1 EF-1), 50 percent of the monthly average of 12. The strongest tornado was in Fluvanna County, VA and was rated an EF-1 with winds of 95 mph (42 m/s) on June 16th. This tornado had a path length of 23 miles and a maximum width of 150 yards. There were no fatalities. There were 93 reports of hail for the month, on par with the median monthly frequency of 90 reports during 2000 – 2020, with the largest being baseball sized (3 inches) in Louisa, VA on June 16th. There were 1048 wind reports for the month, which is 66 percent above average (633 reports). A severe thunderstorm produced straight-line winds of 60 – 65 mph (27 – 29 m/s) in Jensen Beach, FL, causing minor damage to two homes. A high wind gust associated with a strong thunderstorm outflow boundary in Asheville, NC on June 17th caused a tree to fall on a car resulting in one fatality. There were four fatalities due to rip currents, with one each in SC, NC, FL, and PR. No lightning fatalities were reported, but there were four lightning strike injuries across the region.

  • 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season

Potential Tropical Cyclone One formed on June 2nd near the Yucatan Peninsula and Southeastern Gulf of Mexico. The storm tracked slowly NE, bringing rain and flooding to South Florida before finally crossing the region on June 3rd – 4th. Across Broward County and Miami-Dade County, there were over 3,000 power outages. Significant flooding was reported in Miami, FL, and Hollywood, FL recorded 13.50 inches (343 mm) of rain on June 4th, leading to a monthly total of 23.05 inches (585 mm), which is the wettest June on record (2000 – 2022). On June 5th, Potential Tropical Cyclone One intensified and became Tropical Storm Alex off the eastern coast of Florida (165 miles ESE of Fort Pierce, FL), reaching peak intensity on June 6th, with winds of 70 mph (31 m/s) and a minimum central pressure of 984 mb (29.06 inHg). High surf and dangerous rip currents from the storm threatened the SE coast from FL to VA June 4th – 6th.

High Plains Region (Information provided by the High Plains Regional Climate Center)

Summer-like conditions took hold in the High Plains towards the middle of the month, with above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation across the region. Drought conditions initially were improving towards the beginning of the month due to cool temperatures and above-normal precipitation, however, the prevailing hot and dry conditions led to intensification at the end of the month.

Temperatures were extremely hot in western Kansas this month, which led to many cattle deaths. A rapid increase in temperatures from 80 degrees F on the 9th to 104 degrees F on the 11th led over 2,000 cattle to perish. This extreme swing combined with other factors such as high overnight temperatures and minimal wind did not give time for cattle to adjust to conditions or to cool off.

Hailstorms were an issue for Nebraska this month, with the state having several destructive storms early in the month. Crops have been ravaged by the storms, while millions of dollars in damage has been caused to homes and vehicles. Two towns in the central part of the state have nearly 90 to 100 percent of homes significantly damaged. The most damaging storm was on the 14th when 115 mph wind-driven hail of 1 to 3 inches impacted cities across the eastern portions of the state.

Heavy precipitation in northern Wyoming and the rapid melting of snowpack led to record flooding in Yellowstone National Park. Bridges and roads were washed out, while several homes were swept away by the waters. The damage caused the park to close for over a week, with only the southern entrances reopened by the end of the month.

  • Temperature

June was warm for much of the region, with several locations observing their top 10 warmest months on record. This was particularly noticeable during the middle of the month when numerous temperature records were broken across the region. Towards the beginning of the month, several daily low records were broken in the western part of the region.

Temperatures were well above normal in eastern South Dakota this past month. Sisseton recorded its 3rd warmest month with temperatures averaging 73.6 degrees F, while Sioux Falls ranked 10th with an average temperature of 72.5 degrees F. In western Nebraska, McCook and North Platte ranked in the top 10 with numerous warm days.

The heat wave in the middle of the month led to scorching hot temperatures. Atwood, Kansas observed a high temperature of 111 degrees F and nearby McCook, Nebraska recorded a high of 109 degrees F on the 14th. Several locations in western Kansas observed over ten days of 100-degree F plus temperatures.

  • Precipitation

June precipitation was well below-normal for many parts of the region, most notably in Wyoming and western Nebraska. Contrary to this, the Southwest monsoon season began early this year, with much-needed precipitation in the southern and western parts of Colorado.

Much of Wyoming received less than an inch of precipitation this month, with the central part of the state nearly bone dry. Lander recorded trace amounts of precipitation which ties both 1956 and 1971 for driest on record. Nearby, Casper received 0.21 inches to rank 7th driest. This dryness stretched into western Nebraska, with North Platte and Chadron ranking 2nd and 3rd driest, after 0.43 and 0.84 inches of precipitation, respectively.

Precipitation in South Dakota was mixed, with both the top 10 driest and wettest months recorded in the state. In the northeastern part of the state, Sisseton and Aberdeen ranked 4th and 6th driest, respectively. In the central part of the state, however, Pierre observed their 6th wettest June on record, with 6.34 inches of precipitation.

Severe weather was near normal to slightly above average for the region in terms of warnings issued by the National Weather Service. Large hail was observed on numerous days across the region, with several days having reports of 4 inch plus diameter hail. A dangerous storm in Nebraska on the 11th dropped extremely large hailstones in the 5-inch range.

  • Drought

A wet start to the month led to improvements, however, dry and windy conditions prevailed towards the end. The High Plains region observed a 6 percent decrease in moderate to exceptional (D1-D4) drought in June. North Dakota remained drought-free the entire month.

The monsoon season began in the southwest towards the end of the month, leading to improvements in Colorado. Severe drought (D2) was reduced by 12 percent due to this beneficial precipitation. South Dakota and Wyoming observed a 25 percent reduction to D1 after receiving above-normal precipitation. Conditions improved slightly in southwestern Kansas, however, D4 remained entrenched in the area. A large swath of extreme drought (D3) was introduced at the end of the month along the Colorado and Nebraska border. Elsewhere in the region, other improvements and degradation were observed. According to the Climate Prediction Center’s U.S. Monthly Drought Outlook for July, drought conditions are likely to develop in parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

Southern Region (Information provided by the Southern Regional Climate Center)

  • Temperature

June 2022 was particularly warm across the Southern Region, extending a pattern established in May. Overall, temperatures averaged 81.7 F, tenth warmest on record and 2.7 F above normal. Texas had its fifth warmest June overall, at 83.8 F, while both Louisiana and Mississippi had their seventh warmest June, at 81.6 F and 82.8 F respectively. Temperatures in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee all ranked in the top 25, out of 128 years of weather records. Many locations across central and southeast Texas and eastern Louisiana recorded their warmest June on record. The hottest temperature recorded during the month was 117 F at Rio Grande Village, Texas, in Big Bend National Park, on June 8. That mark was only 3 F shy of the all-time temperature record for the state of Texas. Every state in the region recorded triple-digit temperatures. Five stations set records for hottest temperature observed during June, including Cotulla (111 F) and Fort Worth NAS (111 F) in Texas, Shreveport (105 F) and Leland Bowman Lock (102 F) in Louisiana, and Oneida (95 F) in Tennessee. The lowest temperature recorded in the region was 35 F at Mt. Leconte, Tennessee, on June 12. Among low-altitude stations, the coldest was 41 F at Milan, Tennessee, on June 4. No stations in the region set records for coldest temperature recorded in June.

  • Precipitation

Precipitation in the Southern Region averaged 2.20 inches, a full 1.65 inches below normal. Driest by ranking were Texas (1.27 inches, 15th driest), Tennessee (2.65 inches, 17th driest), and Louisiana (2.59 inches, 21st driest). Wettest by rank overall was Oklahoma at 3.81 inches, right at the historical median. At least forty stations, all in Texas, reported zero measurable rain. Two stations reported more than ten inches: Fort Smith, Arkansas (11.02 inches) and Rock Island State Park, Tennessee (11.34 inches). Only six locations reported single-day totals in excess of five inches: three in Texas (Richland Hills, 6.12 inches on June 4, Mansfield, 5.31 inches on June 4, and Quanah, 5.03 inches on June 1), two in Oklahoma (Hydro, 5.35 inches on June 2, and Sallisaw, 5.15 inches on June 10) and one in Louisiana (New Orleans Lakefront Airport, 5.36 inches on June 10).

  • Drought/Flooding

Dry conditions expanded across the region in June. Between May 31 and June 28, the proportion of the region that was at least abnormally dry increased from 60% to 82%, and drought area expanded from 49% to 54%. Texas was worst off, with 96% of the state at least abnormally dry, 86% in drought, and 44% in extreme drought. Water supply issues began to emerge, particularly in the southern Hill Country, where wells were beginning to run dry, and lack of water and forage continued to impact ranching operations. Dry conditions spread across Louisiana as well, as the proportion of the state at least abnormally dry grew from 66% to 98%. Oklahoma saw the greatest improvement, with the proportion of the state in at least extreme drought decreasing from 17% to 5%. As recently as March 15, 57% of the state had been in extreme or exceptional drought. Drought appeared in Arkansas and Tennessee, and drought coverage in Mississippi went from less than 1% to nearly 23%; only 3% of the state was not at least abnormally dry. Flooding was comparatively limited across the region. Flash flooding on June 10 damaged close to a hundred homes in west-central Arkansas.

  • Notable Weather

There were only three tornadoes in the Southern Region during June: EF1 and EF0 tornadoes near Brookhaven and Whitfield, Mississippi, on June 26, a weak EF0 tornado in western Tennessee on June 6, and a weak EF0 in Louisiana on June 30. No tornadoes caused any fatalities or injuries. There were 356 reports of damaging winds and 82 reports of large hail. The most widespread wind events were on June 8 (primarily Texas), June 10 (all states except Tennessee), and June 17 (primarily Tennessee, including one injury caused by a tree falling on an individual). The highest wind gust measurement was 88 miles per hour on June 7 near Eva, Oklahoma. Hail reports were most common on June 1, 7, and 17. The largest hail was 4 inches near Farnsworth, Texas on June 8.

Western Region (Information provided by the Western Region Climate Center)

Active spring weather continued into June bringing generally near-normal temperatures across the Western U.S but widely varying precipitation. Well-above-normal precipitation occurred in the Pacific Northwest and into northern California as well as in the desert Southwest with an early onset of the North American Monsoon.

  • Temperature

The continuation of an active spring stormtrack brought generally near-normal temperatures during June. Near-to-slightly above-normal temperatures (0-3 degrees) were observed in the southern tier of the West and near-to-slightly below-normal temperatures across the northern tier (0-3 degrees). The warmest anomalies (3-6 degrees) were observed along the southern coast of California eastward into Arizona and New Mexico, in California’s Northern Central Valley, and sporadically in Utah. With 75 years of records, Elk, NM recorded its 7th warmest June with a mean temperature of 70.7 degrees, 2 degrees above normal. Phoenix, AZ tied its 6th warmest June in 127 years of observations, recording a mean temperature of 94 degrees, which is 3 degrees above normal. Since record keeping began in 1893, Santa Barbara, CA observed its 2nd warmest June with a mean temperature of 68.2 (3 degrees above normal). Observing a mean temperature of 74 degrees (3 degrees), Salt Lake City, UT tied its 9th warmest June in the past 75 years. Cold anomalies were less widely observed. Ingomar, MT recorded its 9th coldest June in 62 years of observations with a mean temperature of 61.3 degrees, which is 2 degrees below normal. Similarly, with a mean temperature of 55.4 degrees (2 degrees below normal), Swan Valley, ID observed its 8th coldest June since records began in 1961.

  • Precipitation

With 2.16 inches of precipitation, 1.1 inches above normal, Pendleton, OR observed its 9th wettest June in 123 years of record keeping. Mystic Lake, Montana observed 6.6 inches of precipitation, 3.5 inches above normal, good for its 4th wettest June in 98 years of observations. Since records began in 1892, Albuquerque, NM experienced its 6th wettest June, measuring 2.38 inches of precipitation (1.8 inches above normal). Unfortunately, the active weather missed much of central California and Nevada with numerous stations reporting their driest June on record. Utah was largely near-normal, but June is typically dry in Utah. Many stations recorded no precipitation for the month, including Ely, NV (0.6 inches below average, 98 years of records), Salinas, CA (0.1 inches below average, 88 years of records), Reno, NV (0.4 inches below average, 127 years of records), and Santa Barbara, CA (0.2 inches below average, 126 years of records).

  • Snowpack & Drought

June began with a well-above normal snowpack remaining throughout the higher elevations of northern Western U.S. mountains and the Colorado Rockies. At the start of the month, snowpack had largely melted out in California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and much of Oregon. By the end of June, snow had melted in all but the highest elevations and most protected aspects. Continued snow accumulation and below-normal temperatures and solar radiation during June helped improve peak snowpack in the northern Rockies (delaying peak snowpack timing by approximately a month), but below-normal peak snowpack occurred nonetheless in many locations. Rapid snowmelt took place in the latter half of June leading to some flood impacts. At the time of writing, approximately 84% of the western U.S. is in drought, with nearly a third (32%) experiencing extreme to exceptional drought. Exceptional drought is occurring in Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Montana.

  • Alaska Summary

June brought continued dry conditions to Alaska. Since April, when no areas of drought were reported, over 45% of the state is now in some form of drought, with 26% in abnormally dry (D0) conditions, nearly 18% in moderate drought (D1), and just over 1% in severe drought (D2). Severe drought is occurring in the lower Susitna Valley and parts of Anchorage, meaning over half the state’s population is experiencing severe drought. Measuring 0.16 inches (1.45 inches below normal) of precipitation, Talkeetna observed 9% of normal June precipitation, making for its second driest June since 1918. Dry conditions in the Alaska Range were beneficial for extreme alpinism, with a new speed record set on Denali’s classic mixed climbing testpiece, the Slovak Direct, but contributed to deteriorating ice and snow conditions across the massif. Temperatures were warmer than normal statewide. With a mean temperature of 56.2 degrees (3.2 degrees above average), Sitka experienced its warmest June since records began in 1945. Dry and warm temperatures contributed to favorable conditions for wildfire. Ignitions from lightning outbreaks resulted in 1.84 million acres burning in June, the second highest June total since 1990. Wildfires caused evacuations and smoke impacts in communities across the mainland. Sea ice in the Chukchi Sea is melting faster than 2021 but did not approach the June record lows set in 2017 and 2019. Beaufort Sea ice is at its highest June average extent since 2013.

  • Hawaii Summary

Sea surface temperatures (SST) in the vicinity and north of the Hawaiian Islands remain 0–2 degrees above normal. Further north, SSTs continue to warm with anomalies of 3-5 degrees in the extratropical northern Pacific east of the dateline (180°W) and centered around 40°N latitude. Anomalously cold SSTs persist to the southeast of the islands as La Niña conditions remain and anomalously strong easterly trade winds favor equatorial upwelling. Drought continues to improve (64% of area in drought compared to 89% in April) but remains on all Hawaiian Islands, with the most severe drought conditions on Maui, Moloka’i, and Lana’i. With a mean temperature of 79.7 degrees (0.4 degrees above average), Kahului, HI experienced its seventh hottest June since records began in 1954. June is typically the driest month in Hawaii. Drier-than-normal conditions were observed on Maui, with Kahului measuring 0.01 inch of rainfall or 0.16 inches below average, marking its 13th driest June since 1905.

  • Significant Events for June 2022

Historic Flooding in Yellowstone National Park on June 10-13: An inland penetrating atmospheric river with near-record moisture content and moisture transport combined with atmospheric instability to produce heavy precipitation in southern central Montana and northwestern Wyoming between June 10-13. Multiday precipitation totals ranged from 1 inch to over 5 inches in the Beartooth and Absaroka Mountains. With rapid snowmelt ongoing before the storm event, streams and rivers were already running near nuisance flood stage and soils were saturated. Heavy precipitation combined with additional snowmelt to overtop river and streambanks, producing damaging floods destroying roads, bridges, and impacted homes and businesses in Yellowstone National Park and surrounding communities such as Red Lodge. The Yellowstone River surpassed its previous period-of-record river stage, set in 1918, and a drinking water facility serving the city of Billings was forced to shut down operations for a period of time. Evacuations, power outages, and boil water advisories were issued throughout the region.

Citing This Report

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Monthly National Climate Report for June 2022, published online July 2022, retrieved on April 26, 2024 from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/national/202206.