June weather had ups, downs
Record snow year ends at 97.7 inches
June’s weather might have seemed wacky, with extreme temperatures as well as mighty thunderstorms, heavy rain and even hail.
But weather officials say the month’s averages were pretty normal, despite a couple of broken rainfall and temperature records.
On June 19, Spokane International Airport received 0.55 of an inch of rain, said Ellie Kelch, a National Weather Service meteorologist, breaking the record for that date: 0.44 of an inch, set in 1916.
For the month, 1.18 inches of rain fell in Spokane, Kelch said – “exactly normal for June.”
A high of 55 broke the record for the coldest June 21 in the city since record-keeping began in 1881, officials said. The previous record for that date was 56 degrees in 1984.
The highest temperature was 88 on June 4; the lowest was 41 just five days later. Overall, “we ended up 1.6 degrees warmer than normal,” Kelch said.
Tuesday was the official end of the 2008-’09 snowfall season. Measurable snow will go down in the books as 97.7 inches, shattering the record of 93.5 inches set in 1949-’50.
Although the .30 of an inch of hail that fell in June originally was included in the snowfall total, Weather Service officials corrected that Wednesday. Hail is not snowfall.
The overall outlook for July is normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation, said meteorologist Ron Miller.
Normal rainfall is three-quarters of an inch for the month, Miller said. The average high temperature starts at 79 for the beginning of the month and ends at 85.
Through the Fourth of July weekend, expect above-normal temperatures with below-normal precipitation, Miller said.
A high-pressure system moving through the area will keep the clouds in hiding.
Today’s high is expected to be in the mid- to high-80s in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, according to the Weather Service. The lows will be in the mid-50s.
Temperatures will keep rising throughout the weekend, with highs in the low 90s Saturday.
A slight chance of thundershowers is in the forecast for late Sunday into Monday.
The following week is forecast to have highs in the low 80s and lows in the 50s, with a slight chance of showers.