Will scorching June weather continue?

WASHINGTON — There were many notable weather headlines this past month from the June 5 tornado outbreak across the northern and western suburbs to D.C.'s first triple-digit heat in nearly eight years on June 22. 

None of those events were as significant, though, as last month finishing as D.C.’s second warmest, at 79.7 degrees, and fourth driest June, with 1.15” on record.

Having such a hot and dry first month of “meteorological summer” might cause some to wonder if that will serve as a harbinger for the rest of the summer. Let's consider D.C.’s warmest and driest Junes to see whether or not that’s the case.

The warmest June on record in the nation’s capital occurred in 2010 when it was 4.3 degrees warmer than average. That was followed by a very hot July and August that combined to make the summer of 2010 one of D.C.’s warmest on record. 

By contrast, the summer of 1981, despite seeing the fifth warmest June, had a cooler than average July and August that made the entire summer finish cooler than average.

D.C.’s third driest June was in 2017 with only 1.13 inches of rain. That was followed by a very rainy July, with 9.15 inches, and a wet August that made the entire 2017 summer a wetter than average season. However, D.C.’s second driest June in 1988 (0.95 inches) was followed by an exceptionally hot and dry summer. The summer of 1988 finished with only 7.08 inches of rain.

This helps illustrate that while July and August sometimes have similar weather, June isn't a reliable indicator of what the entire summer will be like. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center expects this July to be a warmer than average month with the potential for above average rainfall in the nation's capital. 

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