Mid-Missouri experienced one of warmest Junes on record

Cool days have been hard to come by since May started, with only a handful of those days seeing temperatures below average. June was no exception, as temperatures soared into the 90s for more than half of the days.

As the calendar turns to the new month, it’s time to look at back at June and what was one of the warmest ever recorded.

Following a brutal stretch of heat for the last half of the month, the average temperature for June climbed a few degrees to 79.1, just 1.3 degrees shy of the record 80.5 set back in 1953.

A big reason June was so high, was the abnormally dry conditions that gripped a good portion of the state. That, along with an early summertime ridge, led to temperatures climbing well above average for most of the month.

An average June typically sees six 90-degree days, which wasn’t the case this year. For 19 days last month, Columbia Regional Airport climbed into the 90s. It was enough to place June not only as the fourth warmest on record, but a June that placed fourth in the number of 90-plus degree days.

Although the lack of rain contributed some to the warming conditions, last month saw its fair share of rain and severe storms with many locations seeing flooding. Even with the rain that we’ve seen, a drought is still gripping Mid-Missouri and will likely for weeks to come.

The good news is that thanks to a weakened ridge, this week will feature slightly cooler temperatures, compared to the dangerous heat we saw last week.

Stay with ABC 17 Stormtrack as we continue to track the building heat and follow us on Twitter @ABC17Stormtrack.