By Chuck Otte
County Extension Agent, Retired
The month of June continued the ongoing trend in the Junction City area of above average temperatures. Fortunately, the twist this month was that the region also had above average rainfall, well above average rainfall!
The average daily high for June was 83.6, a surprising 1.5 degree below average. However, the average overnight low was 68.2, 4.1 degrees above normal. This resulted in a monthly mean temperature for June of 75.9, 1.3 degree above normal. While not a large deviation from the average temperatures, it was still above average for the tenth consecutive month. The highest temperature for the month was 92 on four different days: 10th, 28th, 29th, and 30th. The lowest temperature for the month was 58 on the morning of the 19th. The hottest June on record was 1953 with a monthly mean temperature of 83 degrees. The coldest June on record was in 1982 when we had a chilly monthly mean of 67.8 degrees. There were two temperature records set during June and one was tied. All were record high overnight lows. The low of 71 on the 2nd broke the old record high low of 70 set in 1955 and again reached in 2002. The low of 78 on the 30th broke the old record of 77 set in 1970. The low of 76 on the 17th tied the record high low for that date. The record was set in 2016 and reached again in 2018.
Long-term average rainfall for June is 4.84 inches. Thanks to regular, at times heavy, rainfall events, the month ended with 9.18 inches. Rainfall was recorded on 13 days during the month. This makes June 2026 the 8th wettest June on record. The wettest June was in 1965 when 11.90 inches of rain was recorded. The driest June was in 1966 when a mere 0.20 inches was all that found its way into area rain gauges. Year to date, through the first half of the year, we are at 21.27 inches. Long term average for January through June is 16.96 inches.
Historically, July is our hottest month of the year. While the daylight hours are slowly starting to decrease, it takes the heat a bit longer to abate. Average daily highs and lows don’t change very much through the month, with daily highs averaging in the 89 to 90-degree range and overnight lows typically hanging right around 68 to 69. Historically, whether you look at the 30-year average of the 70+ year average, July 18 and 19 emerge as the hottest days of the year. Average temperatures don’t really start to decrease very much until we move into August. The area can and has seen 100+ degree readings clear into September. But until we start moving into August, just expect the heat to continue. Average rainfall decreases somewhat in July with 4.14" being the current 30-year average.