So, what can we expected for June? As far as our local weather is concerned, the average high temperature for southwestern Connecticut jumps to 80 degrees by the end of the month, a leap of seven degrees from June 1. The all-time record high for the month is 97 degrees, which was established during the record-breaking heat wave on June 9, 2008.
That unusual late-Spring heat wave five years ago forced early dismissals and closings at area schools. The unseasonably warm air arrived Sunday, June 8, when the mercury reached 90 degrees. The next two days featured daytime high temperatures of 97 and 96 degrees, respectively, capping a most unusually hot stretch of weather for early June.
The mercury also reached 96 degrees two other times (June 19, 1994, and June 26, 1949). Record high temperatures of 95 degrees have been set three times, including back-to-back days of June 16 and 17 of 1957. The warmest June on record happened in 1994 when the average temperature for the month was 71.7 degrees, well above the 68.0 degree normal.
On the flip side, early June can still be gray, damp, and cool. Although the temperature has never fallen below 40 degrees for the month, the record lows for the first half of June are consistently in the lower 40s. The chilliest morning was 41 degrees on June 1, 1967. The “coldest” June on record happened in 1982 when the average temperature was 63.8 degrees, over four degrees colder than normal!
The wettest June on record happened 41 years ago in 1972 when nearly a foot-and-a-half of rain fell (17.7″). That’s well above the 3.57″ norm based on 40 years of climatology. Unbelievably, there was nearly a completely dry June in 1949 when only 0.07″ of rain was recorded. The most rain recorded in one day happened on June 19, 1972 when 6.18″ fell. Nearly five inches (4.79″) fell on June 5, 1982.
Last June featured four days with a high temperature of at least 90 degrees, including a record high of 96 degrees June 21. That followed a high temperature of 92 degrees June 20. The mercury reached 89 degrees June 22, which was just one degree shy of an official heat wave. The last two days of last June had high temperatures of 91 and 92 degrees, respectively. The heat wave was capped with a high of 92 degrees July 1. Last June's average temperature of 69.7 degrees was one degree above normal.
The average temperature is expected to be close to normal over the next two weeks, once the cold front clears the region Monday. Take a look at the forecast temperature graphics for the weeks of May 31 through June 7 and June 8 through June 16. Notice that Connecticut is within the yellow shading, which means the average daily temperature will be between 60 and 70 degrees through the next two weeks.
The length of daylight continues to grow during the month. In fact, by the start of June the sky begins to brighten in the East a little before 4 o’clock in the morning. I can actually hear a few birds chirping when I arrive at the News 12 Connecticut studios shortly after three o’clock in the morning. June features the “longest days” of the year, and by the end of the month the Sun sets at 8:30, the latest ever in southwestern Connecticut. The earliest Sunrise happens at 5:18 from June 13 through June 16.
June features the Full Strawberry Moon. It will be full this Sunday, June 23rd at 7:32 a.m. This name was was universal to every Algonquin tribe. However, in Europe they called it the Rose Moon. The relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June, so the Full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry!
Happy June.
Paul
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