Wet & Warm June Draws to a Close

Wet and warm. That's the best way to describe our June weather. The official statistics were tabulated just after midnight, and last month was a soaker, to be sure. Over a half-foot of rain (6.54") fell across southwestern Connecticut, which was more than double the norm, and the average temperature was one-and-a-half degrees above normal.

June was punctuated by two pronounced wet streaks. The first featured a stretch of seven wet days out of nine from June 9 through June 17. Three of the days --- June 17 (0.89"), June 11 (0.85"), and June 9 (0.66") --- delivered more than a half-inch of rain. Just about three inches of rain (2.99") drenched the rain gauge from June 22 through June 24, with the June 23 deluge (2.41") resulting in serious flooding problems on Naugatuck Avenue in Milford.

Last month's average temperature was 69.5 degrees, which was warmer than the 68-degree normal average for June. The hottest stretch happened from June 7 through June 10 when the daytime highs reached 86, 89, 87, and 83 degrees, respectively. Only nine of the 30 days (30%) were cooler-than-normal, including a three-day streak from June 23 through June 25.

The warmest temperature recorded last month at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford was 89 degrees on June 8, while the coolest temperature (53 degrees) happened on the mornings of June 3 and June 5. Fourteen days featured daytime high temperatures in the 80s, while there were only five days when the high temperature stayed in the 60s.

July will begin under mostly sunny skies, warm temperatures, and fairly low humidity. A weak system will pass just to our East this afternoon, and then warmer and more humid weather is expected tomorrow and Sunday. A cold front will likely tigger thunderstorms Sunday, but Independence Day will be partly-to-mostly sunny, warm, and slightly less humid with a high near 85.

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend.

Paul