NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY
JUNE 2021
May 30-June 5: Hot, dry weather developed across the north-central U.S., promoting a rapid pace of crop development but stressing rangeland, pastures, winter wheat, and spring-sown crops in drought-affected sections of the northern Plains. Adverse
conditions extended into the parched West, where relentless, early-season heat heightened already rampant concerns regarding wildfires and water supplies.

Cooler-than normal conditions persisted from the southern Plains into the Southeast. Weekly temperatures ranged from as much as 10°F below normal on the southern Plains to more than 10°F above normal in parts of Minnesota, Montana, and the Dakotas.
Western heat boosted temperatures as much as 10 to 15°F above normal in California, the Great Basin, and the Northwest.

Midwestern daily-record lows for May 30 included 37°F in Moline, IL, and 38°F in Vichy-Rolla, MO. With a low of 32°F, Massena, NY, also tallied a daily-record low for May 30. High temperatures on the 30th failed to reach the 50-degree mark in
Northeastern locations such as Worcester, MA (47°F), and Albany, NY (48°F). In contrast, scorching heat developed at month’s end in California, where Redding set a monthly record on May 31 with a high of 109°F (previously, 108°F on May 27, 1919,
and May 28, 1984). Daily-record highs for May 31 in California rose to 108°F in Red Bluff and 106°F in Ukiah and downtown Sacramento. The first day of June featured triple-digit, daily-record highs in locations such as Medford, OR, and Montague, CA—
both reached 102°F. Montague topped that mark with another daily-record high (103°F) on June 2. In the Northwest, mid-week (June 2) highs soared to daily-record levels in dozens of locations, including Pasco, WA (104°F); Lewiston, ID (101°F); and
Pendleton, OR (100°F). With a high of 98°F on June 3, Billings, MT, achieved its earliest reading of 98°F or greater (previously, June 4, 1988). Elsewhere on the 3rd, daily-record highs climbed to 120°F in Death Valley, CA; 103°F in Boise, ID; 101°
F in Winnemucca, NV; and 100°F in Glasgow, MT. On June 4, Salt Lake City, UT (100°F), experienced its earliest triple-digit heat, clipping the record set last year on June 5, 2020. Torrid weather overspread the northern Plains and upper Midwest during
the second half of the week, replacing previously cool conditions. On June 4-5, temperatures topped 100°F in parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota, resulting in some of the highest June temperatures on record. With a high of 105°F on June 4, Minot, ND,
achieved a monthly record high (previously, 102°F on June 20, 1988). The following day in South Dakota, maxima of 104°F in Aberdeen and 101°F in Huron and Sioux Falls were the highest June readings since June 29, 2002. Aberdeen and Huron had not been
as hot at any time of year since July 17, 2017; in Sioux Falls, it was the hottest day since August 30, 2012. On June 4, Bismarck, ND, reported 106°F— the highest temperature in that location since July 23, 2007, and the highest June reading since
June 29, 2002. Brainerd, MN (100°F on June 4), tied a monthly record originally set on June 19, 1988. Grand Forks, ND, which progressed from consecutive freezes on May 27-28 to a pair of tripledigit readings on June 4-5, weathered its first consecutive
readings of 100°F or greater since August 7-8, 1949. Prior to this year, the last occurrence of triple-digit heat in Grand Forks had been June 17, 1995. At week’s end, heat quickly shifted across the Midwest and East; record-setting highs for June 5
included 99°F in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN; 95°F in Green Bay, WI; and 94°F in Newark, NJ.

6-12: Showers and thunderstorms provided limited drought relief in the north-central U.S.—but also produced localized damage due to high winds, large hail, and isolated tornadoes. The bulk of the severe weather occurred on June 8 and 10. Scattered
showers affected the Northwest, bypassing many key agricultural areas. Much of the northern Corn Belt also continued to experience shortterm dryness.

Breezy, seasonably dry weather prevailed from California into the Southwest, fueling an increase in wildfire activity. The two largest active wildfires—the Telegraph and Mescal Fires, both east of Phoenix, AZ, were more than three-quarters contained by
mid-June but had collectively charred more than 150,000 acres of vegetation. Farther east, subsiding shower activity and increasing heat across the southern Plains. in the Mississippi Delta and environs, where weekly rainfall locally exceeded 4 inches.
Pockets of heavy rain extended eastward into the mid-Atlantic, easing dryness but sparking flash flooding. Generally hot weather across much of the North and central and southern sections of the Rockies and High Plains contrasted with near-normal
temperatures in the South and cooler-than-normal conditions in the Far West. Weekly temperatures averaged more than 5°F below normal in portions of the Pacific Coast States.

Cloudiness and rainfall helped to suppress Southern temperatures. However, readings averaged at least 10°F above normal from South Dakota (and portions of neighboring states) to Michigan, reducing soil moisture reserves and increasing stress on some
pastures and summer crops. Early-week heat was particularly impressive in the Great Lakes and Northeastern States, leading to consecutive daily-record highs on June 6-7 in Burlington, VT (95 and 96°F, respectively), and Syracuse, NY (93 and 94°F).
Across Maine, a pair of daily-record highs were established on June 7-8 in locations such as Houlton (93 and 92°F, respectively), and Caribou (92°F both days). From June 4-8, Green Bay, WI, reported 5 consecutive days with highs of 90°F or greater, a
record for so early in the year (previously, June 11-15, 1894). Meanwhile, periodic triple-digit heat persisted across the northern Plains. In South Dakota, Pierre (102°F) and Mobridge (101°F) posted daily-record highs for June 7. Upper Midwestern heat
intensified around mid-week, resulting in consecutive dailyrecord highs on June 9-10 in La Crosse, WI (97 and 99°F, respectively). In South Dakota, another round of triple-digit, dailyrecord readings on June 10 affected communities such as Aberdeen and
Mobridge—both 101°F. Farther south, heat also developed across the southern High Plains, where record-setting highs for June 10 soared to 111°F in Roswell, NM, and 105°F in Dalhart, TX. Elsewhere in Texas, Lubbock logged a daily-record high of 108°
F on June 11. In contrast, cool conditions lingered for a few days in the Far West. In California, consecutive daily-record lows occurred on June 10-11 in Ramona (38 and 42°F, respectively) and Stockton (46 and 48°F). Elsewhere on June 11, Idaho
locations such as Stanley (20°F) and Idaho Falls (33°F) reported daily-record lows. Just 2 days later, however, Idaho Falls collected a daily-record high of 95°F on June 13. Late in the week, intense heat developed over the Southwest, while warmth
broadly covered much of the western and central U.S. El Paso, TX, closed the week on June 11-12 with a pair of daily-record highs (106 and 109°F). On the same dates, Rockford, IL, also registered consecutive daily records (highs of 99 and 95°F,
respectively). On June 12 in Arizona, Tucson noted a high of 110°F, the first of at least three consecutive daily records.

13-19: Historic Western heat elevated weekly temperatures as much as 10 to 15°F above normal, primarily from the Great Basin and Desert Southwest to portions of the northern and central High Plains. Above-normal temperatures extended into the western
Corn Belt, reaching as far east as the middle and upper Mississippi Valley.

Cloudiness and showers suppressed temperatures (to near-normal levels) in the Southeast. Below-normal weekly temperatures were limited to the middle Atlantic States, where a spell of cool, dry weather peaked around mid-week. In many of the Western
drought areas, extreme, early-season heat boosted irrigation demands and further reduced soil moisture availability for rangeland and pastures. Farther east, showers and thunderstorms delivered beneficial moisture in portions of the southern and eastern
Corn Belt, while unfavorably dry conditions persisted across the northern Plains and upper Midwest. From the upper Mississippi Valley westward, high temperatures accompanied the mostly dry weather, further limiting soil moisture availability. Meanwhile,
mostly dry weather across the southern half of the Plains.

Scorching heat developed across California, the Great Basin, and the Southwest, breaking numerous June temperature records and setting or tying several all-time records. Among the communities experiencing their hottest weather on record were Palm Springs,
CA (123°F on June 17), and Salt Lake City, UT (107°F on June 15). Palm Springs had previously attained 123°F on August 1, 1993, and June 28 and 29, 1995; Salt Lake City had reached 107°F on July 26, 1960, and July 13, 2002. In Wyoming, all-time-
record highs were tied on June 15 in Sheridan (107°F) and Laramie (94°F). Sheridan’s previous occurrences of 107°F had been July 14, 2002, and July 13, 2005. Laramie had reached 94°F on several occasions, most recently on July 22, 1982. On June 16,
cities such as Las Vegas, NV (116°F), and Grand Junction, CO (105°F), were just 1°F of all-time high temperature records. In Utah, monthly records were tied or broken in Provo (105°F on June 15), Tooele (104°F on June 15), and Cedar City (102°F on
June 16). With a high of 128°F on June 17, Death Valley, tied a monthly record previously set on June 30, 1994, and June 30, 2013. With a high of 100°F on June 16, Colorado Springs, CO, experienced its earliest triple-digit heat (previously, 101°F on
June 21, 2016). Similarly, Tucson, AZ, noted its earliest 115-degree reading on record, with a high of 115°F on June 15 (previously, 115°F on June 19, 2016 and 2017). Tucson also registered daily-record highs each day from June 12-17, with readings of
110, 112, 112, 115, 114, and 112°F. Extreme heat extended into California’s Central Valley, where Redding tallied a trio of highs of 110°F (from June 17-19). Fresno, CA, collected consecutive readings of 111°F—both records for the date—on June
18-19. Farther east, heat inching into the Midwest resulted in a handful of dailyrecord highs, including 106°F in Mitchell, SD (on June 16); 105°F (on June 17) in Omaha, NE; 102°F (on June 17) in Mason City, IA; and 99°F (on June 18) in Springfield,
IL. The central Plains endured a brief period of extreme heat; on June 17, daily-record highs soared to 108°F in Hill City, KS, and McCook, NE. In contrast, Parkersburg, WV, tied a daily record on June 17 with a low of 47°F.

20-26: Mostly dry weather west of the Rockies, accompanied by record-shattering heat, exacerbated drought impacts on rangeland, pastures.

A gradual northward shift in extreme heat severely stressed Northwestern dryland crops that were already greatly suffering from record-setting spring and early-summer dryness. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 10 to 15°F above normal in the
Northwest, mainly across Oregon and Washington. Heat continued to intensify after the week ended, with temperatures peaking in late June.

Meaningful rain bypassed drier sections of the upper Midwest and northern Plains, leaving those crops with limited soil moisture as some entered reproduction. Below-normal temperatures were common across the upper Midwest and the middle and southern
Atlantic States, with weekly readings averaging as much as 5°F below normal in scattered locations. Elsewhere, heavy showers dotted the southern Atlantic region and areas along the Gulf Coast, but mild, generally dry weather across the remainder of the
South.

As the week began, lingering heat in the Southwest resulted in several additional records. For example, record-setting highs for June 20 included 109°F in El Paso, TX, and 108°F in Deming, NM. Meanwhile, heat began to develop across the Northwest. By
June 21, highs of 97°F in Portland, OR, and 89°F in Seattle, WA, were records for the date. (Just 7 days later, on June 28, Portland would peak at 116°F and Seattle would attain 108°F, shattering all-time station records.) Hot weather across the
nation’s mid-section peaked around mid-week, with temperatures topping 100°F throughout the southern half of the High Plains and briefly reaching triple-digit values as far north as South Dakota. Meanwhile, Midwestern temperatures remained mostly
below 90°F all week, especially from the upper Mississippi Valley eastward. In Iowa, daily-record lows for June 22 included 43°F in Cedar Rapids and 44°F in Dubuque. The following day, record-setting lows for June 23 dipped to 41°F in Dubois, PA, and
45°F in West Virginia locations such as Bluefield and Martinsburg. Elsewhere on the 23rd, high temperatures of 108°F in Borger, TX, and Valentine, NE, were records for the date. Late in the week, temperatures surged to 100°F or higher in much of
Oregon and Washington. By June 26, the highest temperatures ever recorded occurred in Portland, OR, and Vancouver, WA—both 108°F. Portland’s previous all-time-record high of 107°F had been set on July 30, 1965, and August 8 and 10, 1981. Elsewhere
on the 26th, dailyrecord highs included 115°F in Red Bluff, CA, and 110°F in Pasco, WA. More details on the Northwestern heat, which generally peaked on June 27-28, will appear next week.

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