Old Records Out In The Cold June’s Been Downright Chilly - And Wetter Than Usual, Too

If you think June is unusually cool and rainy this year, you’re right.

June typically is a wet month in Spokane, but the downpours of the past 16 days have amounted to more rain than normal.

Even more unusual is the cold. For the second time in two weeks, Spokane has set a record for the coldest daytime temperature.

The high of 52 on Monday was three degrees colder than the previous record low maximum temperature of 55 degrees on June 19, 1926.

The coldest June day ever recorded in Spokane occurred on June 6 of this month. The high that day was only 46 degrees.

Normal daytime temperatures this time of year are in the 70s.

One more day of dreary weather is in the forecast; then a warm-up is expected Wednesday. Highs are forecast to be in the low- to mid-80s by the weekend.

The summer-like heat will coincide with the start of summer at 1:34 p.m. Wednesday.

The weather this summer is looking good.

The National Weather Service outlook for July, August and September calls for Spokane to have normal temperatures and normal precipitation. That means the region should see extended periods of fair weather, said Ken Holmes, meteorologist for the weather service in Spokane.

“A lot of people kind of rush summer,” Holmes said. “We often have better Mays than Junes.”

So far this month, 1.71 inches of rain have fallen at Spokane International Airport compared with a normal for the full month of 1.26 inches.

Historically, June is a soggy month. The record rainfall for the month is 5.12 inches in 1888. The greatest amount of rain to fall in 24 hours ever in Spokane occurred that same month when 2.22 inches fell in a single day.

So far this year, Spokane has had 12.12 inches of precipitation, compared with a normal of 8.36 inches through June 19. This comes after several years of drought.

“It’s going to take more than this to make up for the drought,” Holmes said.

The rain is good for farmers, foresters and even yard enthusiasts. Crops are nourished. The forests are soaked going into the fire season. Homeowners are saving money on water bills.

The downside is a profusion of grasses that can aggravate allergies and create fire danger later in the summer.

Monday’s cloudy weather caused six or seven flights into the airport to be diverted when the cloud ceiling dropped below 1,000 feet.

The airport is using its cross-wind runway this summer while the main runway is being repaved. The crosswind runway is not equipped with electronic guidance equipment to allow landings under low cloud ceilings, said an official with the Federal Aviation Administration.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: One Color Photo; One Graphics: June showers