 |
| A June day in the nation's capital |
June is the third
hottest month of the year on average in the nation’s capital. Washingtonians
know there have been some significant June heat waves in recent decades, as
well as some exceptionally wet weather. However, June’s weather isn’t
always a good harbinger of what the entire summer’s weather will be like.
Longtime
Washingtonians may recall the summer of 1994. That June featured a 14-day heat wave with temperatures of at least 90° from June 13 – June 26. The hottest
day was June 15 when a record high of 101° occurred. This was DC’s hottest
stretch of weather during the entire 1994 summer. June was also warmer than
August in 1994. June being warmer than August is a relatively
rare occurrence in the nation's capital having happened only four times since 1994.
The summer of 2016 was another standout season for DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia) residents since the spring and first third of June were rather cool. The nation’s capital didn’t experience its first 90-degree day of 2016 until June 11. That’s several weeks after DC’s average first 90-degree day of the year occurs around May 18.
However, despite the cool start to the 2016 summer in the nation’s capital, a hard pivot to hotter weather occurred and DC went on to have its fourth hottest summer on record. Multiple days of record, triple-digit heat occurred in July and August 2016.
A wet or dry June also isn’t a strong indicator of what might occur in July and August. For example, Washington, D.C. had 14.02” of rain in its wettest June on record in 2006, but was followed by below average July and August rainfall. Meanwhile, June 2017 was DC’s third driest, but was followed by wetter than average conditions in July and August.
This June is well-positioned to finish as a warmer and drier than average month in the nation’s capital. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center expects July to also be a warmer than average month in the nation’s capital, but with near average rainfall.
No comments:
Post a Comment