Chuck Otte - Special Weather Correspondent
JC Post
June’s weather sounded like a broken record: above average temperatures and below average rainfall. This was the fourth consecutive month this year with below normal precipitation and the third consecutive month with above average temperatures.
The average daily high during June was 86.1, 1.0 degree above average. The average daily low was 66.2, 2.1 degrees above average. The monthly mean temperature was 76.2, 1.6 degrees above average. The highest temperature for the month was 100 on the 28th. The coolest temperature for the month was 55 degrees on the morning of the 12th and 13th. There were no temperature records set or tied during June.
While it was slightly above normal for the month, it was a long way from record setting. The warmest June on record was June of 1953 with a brutal monthly mean temperature of 83 degrees. The coldest June was in 1982 with a chilly monthly mean of only 67.8 degrees.
While June rainfall was below average, it was not very much below average. Average June rainfall is 4.84 inches and Milford Lake received 4.56 inches. Most of that rain fell during the first half of the month leaving the last half rather warm and dry. This dry spell was broken with heavy overnight rains on June 30th, which was recorded on July 1st. The wettest June on record was 1965 when 11.90 inches fell. The driest June on record was the very next year, 1966, when a mere 0.20 inches was all that the rain gauges could collect.
July is our hottest month of the year. Average daily highs basically run 89 to 90 degrees during the entire month with average overnight lows maintaining a steady 68 degrees. In actuality, looking at long term (70+ years) data, temperatures peak around the middle of the month and then slowly start to drop. Looking at those long-term averages, the hottest day of the year is July 18th.
The highest records ever recorded in Junction City were on July 12, 13 and 14, 1954 when the mercury hit 114 on each of those days. Average rainfall during July is 4.14 inches.