Watch out for Severe Weather in June

June has the second highest average annual number of tornadoes (243).  Severe weather is defined as a thunderstorm that has any of the following: hail 1” in diameter or greater, wind gusts 58 mph/+ or a tornado.  The Mid-Atlantic Region has seen many severe weather outbreaks during the month of June.  Below are some of the more significant ones that have occurred locally.

2016: On June 21, there were several dozen severe weather reports that included large hail, high wind and a tornado.  An EF-0 tornado with estimated wind speeds of 80 mph traveled more than 12 miles in Howard County, Maryland, where minor damage occurred.  Hail nearly 2” in diameter fell at Dulles Airport and several other locations in the DC Metro Area.  Also, last June 16 there were several cases of hail at least 2” in diameter in north central Virginia, including the town of Bluemont in Loudoun County.

2013: A total of six EF-0 tornadoes developed on June 13 in the DC Metro Area.  Although they were all relatively weak, some occurred in heavily traveled parts of Montgomery and Charles Counties in Maryland and caused minor damage.  This was one of the wettest Junes on record in the Nation’s Capital, with a monthly total of 9.97” of rain at National Airport.

2012:  The June 29 Derecho was one of the most destructive events on record from parts of Illinois to the Mid-Atlantic Coast.  The DC Metro Area saw peak wind gusts of 71 mph at Dulles Airport, 70 mph at National Airport and 66 mph at BWI Airport.  This caused widespread damage and power outages.  The month began with a series of tornadoes on June 1.  However, none of the tornadoes were as destructive as the Derecho was at month’s end.

2008:  One of the more active severe weather days on record in the Nation’s Capital occurred on June 4.  Unlike Derecho day on June 29, 2012, that featured a singular destructive event, there were multiple rounds of severe weather on this date.  The first round was a powerful squall line that passed through the DC Metro Area in mid-afternoon.  Later that evening, several supercell thunderstorms developed and some produced tornadoes.