Memorable June Heat in Washington, D.C.

 

June 2016

Although summer officially gets underway in June, DC’s hottest weather doesn’t typically arrive until July and August.  Nevertheless, Washingtonians have endured some memorable stretches of hot weather during the month of June.  To add to that, three of DC’s 10 warmest June’s have occurred just since 2010.

2021: The last time D.C. residents experienced at least three consecutive 90°-days in June was June 28 – 30.  This was the second such occurrence of the month following a similar stretch from June 5 – 7.  By comparison, the nation’s capital had five June days in the 90s last year, but none occurred consecutively.

2011:  DC’s fourth warmest June was noteworthy for several reasons.  The longest stretch of 90° heat was a six-day event from June 7 – 12.  It included two record highs: 99° on June 8 and 102° on June 9.  The June 9 temperature of 102° tied the existing record for the date.

2010:  This was the warmest June on record in the nation’s capital with 18 days of 90° heat, including an 11-day stretch from June 19 – 29.  Six of those 18 days had high temperatures of at least 95°.  D.C. residents had a record high of 100° on June 24.  That was also DC’s first instance of triple-digit June heat since 1997.  Although more than a decade had passed since the last time Washingtonians experienced triple-digit heat in June, June 2010 was the first of three consecutive June’s with 100° heat.

1997: This was an unusual June since it got off to a very cool start.  The June 3 high temperature of 58° set a new record for DC’s coolest high temperature for the date.  There was a major shift in the weather pattern occurred during the second half of the month, with a nine-day heat wave from June 20 – 28.  The hottest day was June 25 that featured a record high of 100°.  Despite the impressive heat during the final third of the month, June 1997 still finished as a cooler than average month overall in the nation’s capital.

1994: For nearly two decades, June 1994 held the distinction of DC’s hottest on record.  It also featured the hottest weather of the summer with a 14-day streak of 90° heat from June 13 – 26.  The hottest day was June 15 with a record high temperature of 101°.  A total of five record highs were set during the month, including three consecutive records from June 14 – 16 that still stand today.  According to NOAA, no June has had more than one day of 100° heat in the nation’s capital.