MUWIC
Newsletter - June 2002 (Issued:
June 4, 2002) Millersville
University Weather Information Center (MUWIC) Eric J.
Horst, Director ************************************************************************ LEAD
STORY: "Drought Conditions Ease" Twenty
Pennsylvania counties remain in a Drought Emergency despite a persistently
cool, damp May. Monthly precipitation was normal to above normal everywhere
across the region with between 3.5 and 7.0 inches falling. Another good sign of
the easing drought is that surface moisture and stream levels have rebounded to
the highest levels since early last summer. While
it could be argued that there has been enough improvement to downgrade the
Drought Emergency to a Drought Warning, it might be prudent to maintain the
higher status level since we are now entering the hottest time of the year.
Evaporation rates will increase dramatically in the coming weeks as high
temperatures regularly reach the 80s and 90s. Without a continuation of May's
showery pattern, conditions will undoubtedly worsen. In the
short term, scattered showers and thunderstorms are likely in the next couple
of days and some may contain heavy downpours. Therefore, as with the storms
last month, some neighborhoods can pick up double or triple the rainfall of
other nearby communities. See the monthly outlook (below) for further insight
into what may be in store in the coming weeks. ************************************************************************ EVENT
OF THE MONTH Two
consecutive record lows were set on May 21st
(34F) and May 22nd (33F). Much of the county received the latest frost
seen in several years. ************************************************************************ STAT OF
THE MONTH May
2002 featured the most total precipitation since August 2001. Official rainfall
measured at the Millersville Weather Center was 3.51 inches, though, other
parts of the county received more or less. ************************************************************************ MAY
CLIMATOLOGY (MU Weather Station) Average
High Temp: 72 F Average
Low Temp: 49 F
Average
Monthly Temp: 60.5 F (Departure
from Normal: -0.5 F) Precipitation:
3.51 inches (Departure
from Normal: -0.11) Annual
Precipitation: 11.08 inches
(Departure
from Normal: -4.87) ************************************************************************ JUNE
NORMALS, RECORDS & FACTS Normal
high/low temperatures range from 78/55 on June 1st to 83/61 by month's end. The
record high for June is 103 degrees set on the 20th of 1923 and 29th of 1934.
The lowest temperature recorded in June is 33 F set on the 5th of 1921 and the
8th of 1932. Normal liquid precipitation for the month is 3.88 inches. The
rainiest June on record (14.14 inches) occurred in 1972 when the remains of
Hurricane Agnes moved through the region. The driest June was in 1966 when only
0.54 inches fell. Summer officially begins on June 21st. ************************************************************************ JUNE
OUTLOOK May
featured numerous below normal days as a strong jet stream trough locked in for
much of the month over Eastern Canada and the Northeast. I expect this feature
will persist well into June, though, with much less amplitude than in recent
weeks. Meanwhile, I expect a mean ridge position to remain over the southern
plains states and, thus, the core of the above normal temperatures should be
centered around Texas. Given
the above factors, June may yield a rollercoaster ride of sorts as heat
attempts to expand east from the plains and then gets cut off by occasional
cold fronts pressing down from Canada. The magnitude of the warm ups will
likely be greater than that of the cool periods, so overall June may average
out a bit above normal. I do expect we'll see high temperatures hit 90F on a
few occasions but the above pattern is not favorable for producing a
long-lasting heat wave. What
this pattern may produce is a continued chance of frequently showers,
especially on days that cold fronts pass though the region. Given that June
climatologically exhibits a higher chance of severe weather, it would seem
reasonable that we'll have a couple severe weather days across the region. In
the end, total rainfall for the month may (again) vary widely across the county
depending on the luck of just where these hit-or-miss storms strike. COPYRIGHT
2002 Millersville University Published
monthly by the Millersville University Weather Information Center. Subscribe
on our homepage at www.atmos.millersville.edu/~wic ************************************************************************
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