Monthly Report Summary Information

The Monthly Report Summary Information is a synopsis of the collection of national and global summaries released each month.


National Summary Information - June 2014

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Contiguous US had sixth wettest and warmer than average June

US had warmth in the East and Southwest and cool conditions in the Northern Plains and Rockies. Record precipitation was observed in parts of the Plains and Midwest.

The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during June was 69.6°F, 1.1°F above the 20th century average, ranking as the 33rd warmest June in the 120-year period of record. The June national precipitation total was 3.62 inches, 0.69 inch above the 20th century average, marking the sixth wettest June on record, and the wettest since 1989.

Significant U.S. Climate Events for June 2014
Significant climate events for June 2014.
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Note: The June Monthly Climate Report for the United States has several pages of supplemental information and data regarding some of the exceptional events from the month, season, and year-to-date.

Major climate events NOAA is closely monitoring:

  • Persisting and intensifying drought in parts of the West and the Great Plains: Despite short-term drought relief in the Central and Southern Plains, long-term drought conditions will continue to impact water resources and agriculture. Long-term and short-term drought conditions in the West will also increase wildfire risk. More information is available from the U.S. Drought Monitor.
  • Probability of El Niño increases later this year: According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, there is a 70 percent chance of El Niño conditions developing this summer, increasing to an 80 percent chance by autumn and winter. El Niño conditions could have significant impacts on temperature and precipitation patterns across the U.S. More information is available from the Climate Prediction Center.
  • Upper Midwest and Northern Plains flooding: Record and near-record precipitation during June could increase the chances of river and lake flooding into mid- and late- summer.

U.S. climate highlights: June 2014

    June 2014 Statewide Temperature Ranks Map
    June 2014 Statewide Precipitation Ranks Map
    June 2014 Statewide Temperature (top)
    and Precipitation (bottom) ranks
  • California both had their 11th warmest June on record. No state had a top 10 warm June.
  • Below-average temperatures were observed in the Northern Rockies and parts of the Northern Plains. No state had a top 10 cool June.
  • A significant portion of the contiguous U.S. — parts of the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, and the Great Plains — had Minnesota being record wet for the month. The 7.75 inches of precipitation averaged across Minnesota was 3.64 inches above the 20th century average, marking the wettest month of any month for the state, surpassing July 1897 and June 1914 when 7.32 inches of precipitation was observed. In Canton, South Dakota, 19.65 inches of precipitation fell during June, setting a new record among all months for any location in the state, according to the South Dakota State Climatologist.
  • Arizona tied its third driest June on record, with 0.01 inch of precipitation, 0.28 inch below the 20th century average; only June 1916 and 1951 were drier.
  • Alaska was much wetter than average during June with a statewide precipitation total 53 percent above the 1971-2000 average, the second wettest June for the state. The wettest June occurred in 1980 when the monthly precipitation was 74 percent above average. Juneau and Fairbanks each had their wettest June on record, while Anchorage had its second wettest.
  • According to the July 1 U.S. Drought Monitor report, 34.0 percent of the contiguous U.S. was in drought, down about 3.3 percent compared to the beginning of June.
    • Beneficial rain improved drought conditions by one to three categories across parts of the Midwest and the Central and Southern Plains. Nebraska, which had its fourth wettest June, saw dramatic drought improvement.
    • Warm and dry conditions in parts of the West led to scattered locations experiencing worsening drought conditions. In California, the percent area of the state experiencing exceptional drought, the worst category, expanded to 36.5 percent, up over 11 percent since early June. In the East, abnormally dry conditions expanded in the Tennessee River Valley and southern New England.

U.S. climate highlights: year-to-date (January–June) 2014

    Year-to-date 2014 Statewide Temperature Ranks Map
    Year-to-date 2014 Statewide Precipitation Ranks Map January–June 2014 Statewide Temperature (top)
    and Precipitation (bottom) ranks
  • The contiguous U.S. average temperature for the first half of 2014 was 47.6°F, 0.1°F above the 20th century average. This ranked near the middle value in the 120-year period of record, and marked the coldest first half of any year since 1993.
    • During the January-June period,
    • Wisconsin each had a top 10 cold January-June. No state had six-month temperatures that were record cold.
  • The national precipitation total for the January-June period was 15.29 inches, 0.02 inch below average.
    • Wisconsin had its sixth wettest start to the year.
    • Arizona had its third driest six-month period, with 1.42 inches of precipitation, 3.19 inches below average. The city of Wichita Falls, Texas, experienced its driest 45 consecutive months ending in June 2014.
  • The U.S. Climate Extremes Index (USCEI) for January-June was above average. On the national-scale, the spatial extent of one-day precipitation extremes ranked as the third highest value on record at 80 percent above average. On the regional scale, the West had its highest value on record, driven largely by warm daytime and nighttime temperatures and the spatial extent of drought. The Upper Midwest had its second highest value on record, driven largely by cold daytime and nighttime temperatures, high one-day precipitation totals, and high number of days with precipitation. The USCEI is an index that tracks extremes (falling in the upper or lower 10 percent of the record) in temperature, precipitation, drought, and land-falling tropical cyclones across the contiguous United States.