NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, recently released its National Overview for June of 2016. As many suspected for the Lower 48 of the United States, temperatures were much warmer than normal and precipitation fell short of average in most places for June of 2016.

Last month, the average temperature for the country was 71.8 degrees Fahrenheit, which was 3.3 degrees above the 20th Century normal for combined high and low temperatures. NOAA says that it was also the warmest June on record which beat the old mark of 71.6 degrees set in 1933, when we were in the midst of the infamous “Dust Bowl Days.”

The hot temperatures last month extended across 17 states from the West, Great Plains and into the Southeast. Even Alaska was warmer than normal as it was 2.4 degrees above its normal reading.

The hot and dry weather in the Far West has also led to outbreaks of wildfires. One of the largest for this year was the Erskine fire that burned close to 48,000 acres in Southern California. From Jan. 1 to mid July of 2016, over 2.4 million acres has burned across the U.S. In 2015, from Jan. 1 to mid July, that figure was near a whopping 5 million acres as the wildfire season was in full force. Undoubtedly, more fires are expected, especially in California as the drought continues and there is no rain in sight.

Here in the Coeur d’Alene area, despite five days in the 90s (two of them records), our average high temperature was a near normal 76 degrees for June of 2016. By the way, it was a record 94 degrees on June 5 and a record 96 degrees on June 6. The average U.S. maximum daytime temperature last month was a very warm 84.9 degrees, which was 3.6 degrees above the 20th Century normal and also the third warmest on record.

June was also dry across the U.S., including the Inland Northwest. At Cliff’s station, only .99 inches of rain fell compared to the normal of 1.93 inches. Last month was the 14th driest June on record across the U.S. as the dry areas focused on the northern and central Great Plains, the Midwest and Northeast. By contrast, the Southwest, southern Great Plains and Mid-Atlantic regions were wetter. The big area of flooding was West Virginia as a series of strong thunderstorms drenched parts of the state on June 23-24 with over 10 inches of rain.

For July of 2016, our region has been seeing cooler and slightly wetter than normal weather. So far, average temperatures are about 3-4 degrees below normal through the middle of the month. Many have told me that they have enjoyed the pleasant temperatures, but wish it would be a little drier. Well, there’s little doubt that the summer of 2016 is different than the summer of 2015 across the Inland Empire. My electric bill is much better this year.

Cliff’s station is already reporting over a half-inch of rain for this month. The normal is .92 inches for July in Coeur d’Alene. Most forecasters, including us and the National Weather Service, are forecasting a very strong ridge of high pressure to intensify over the nation’s midsection later this month and into August. This will mean very hot temperatures of at least 110 degrees in Texas with triple-digits extending northward in the Midwest later this summer. The timing of this hot and dry pattern will probably send grain and soybean prices higher as many crops will be stressed.

Except for some scattered shower activity over the next few days, the rest of July should have many days with lots of sunshine and very warm temperatures. I wouldn’t be surprised to see readings around 90 degrees before the month ends.

With the strong ridge of high pressure expected to the east in August, we should be on the “back” side of that system. Therefore, Cliff and I are expecting cooler and wetter than normal weather next month as moisture rotates around the ridge. The wet periods may include the first part of August and days prior to the North Idaho State Fair.

I have to mention that if a tropical storm or hurricane gets into the Gulf of Mexico and moves into the southern U.S., then weather patterns would be different as these storms often “bust up” those big ridges. It’s happened before and conditions this year are more favorable for tropical storm and hurricane development.

Looking farther out, we could see a brief dry period in the early fall season, but with an expected new La Nina, the cooler than normal sea-surface temperature pattern and lower sunspot activity, the upcoming winter of 2016-17 looks snowier than normal across our region and the northern portions of the central U.S.

Contact Randy Mann at randy@longrangeweather.com