*** Paul Piorek is editor and publisher of Paul's Local Weather Journal for southwestern Connecticut ... Paul is the on-air meteorologist at WICC 600 AM and 107.3 FM ... Paul is a New York Emmy award winner (2007), five-time Emmy nominee, and four-time winner of the Connecticut Associated Press Broadcasters' Association award for Best TV Weathercast (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012) ... Paul was voted Best Local Television Personality by the readers of Fairfield County Weekly Magazine (2012) ... Paul was inducted into the Housatonic Community College Hall of Fame and received the Distinguished Alumni Award (2012) ... The local weather journal is a two-time winner of the Communicator Award of Distinction (2012 & 2013) ... Paul is currently a full-time teacher of Earth Science and Mathematics in Fairfield ... Follow Paul on Twitter @PaulPiorekWICC ...

Monday, July 2, 2012

Heat Wave Caps Warm & Wet June

A three-day heat wave which began Friday, June 29, and continued through Sunday, July 1, capped a warmer and wetter-than-normal June across southwestern Connecticut. The average temperature last month was 69.7 degrees, which is exactly one degree above normal. It was the 16th consecutive month of above average temperatures. Nearly four-and-a-half inches (4.39") of rain fell in June, which was 0.78" above normal.

It sure didn't look as though the monthly streak of above-normal temperatures would continue through the first three weeks of June. Eleven of the first 19 days last month were cooler-than-normal, including a streak of eight out of nine days from June 11 through June 19. In addition, three of the first six days of June featured below-normal temperatures. Only one day out of the first 19 days last month was at least five degrees above normal.

However, our temperature pattern changed dramatically over the last 11 days of June. Nine of the 11 days were warmer-than-normal, including daytime highs of 92 and 96 degrees on June 20 and 21, respectively, and 91 and 92 degrees on June 29 and 30. All told, 17 of the 30 days were warmer-than-normal. In case you're wondering, the warmest June on record in southwestern Connecticut happened in 1994 when the average temperature was 71.7 degrees.

Twelve days last month (40%) featured measured rain, including four in a row from June 22 through June 25 and three in a row from June 5 through June 7. Over an inch of rain fell June 2 (1.27") and June 13 (1.03"), and more than three-quarters of an inch of rain fell June 25 (0.76"). There were four days on which a trace of rain was recorded. The longest dry stretch was eight days from June 14 through June 21. David French took this photo of a rainbow at Sterling Farms Golf Course in Stamford last month.


After a high temperature of 92 degrees yesterday, we'll experience somewhat more comfortable weather today. A cold front pushed through the Northeast late Sunday, bringing strong thunderstorms to the Eastern part of Connecticut. Today will be mostly sunny, warm, and less humid with a high temperature in the mid 80s. A sunny and slightly more humid day is expected tomorrow before Mother Nature delivers fireworks in the form of thunderstorms early Wednesday morning and during the afternoon for the Fourth of July.

Paul