Saturday, July 3, 2010

June Weather Summary

So far, I can say that the past few summers have just been plain nice in Missouri.  We are still experiencing days with dew points topping 70°, but temperatures haven't been that oppressive (which can be a typical talking point for Missouri loafers).  The last time we officially hit 100° was August 16, 2007 (according to the NWS Columbia Station).  I remember 2007 as an intense summer.  We had a string of 20 days at or above 90° (from 7/31 - 8/19), and if I remember right we had a minor to moderate drought in parts of Missouri.  I remember a funny scene on the news that summer.  The Governor was giving a speech at a Mid-Missouri farm announcing the release of state emergency funds for the drought...in the middle of a tropical downpour!

All that being said, we have enjoyed a couple of nice years, but the law of averages are not pointing in our favor.  And traditionally July and August are our toughest months.

Dew Point

I am interested in keeping track of the amount of moisture in the air throughout the year (by means of dew point temperature).  Although I could manually check the hi/low Td for each day as I do with the temperature, I'm not convinced I would stay disciplined enough to keep steady data (feeling overwhelmed as I do often).  For now, a glance of nighttime temps will suffice, as a lower Td will allow for more cooling overnight.  This month, we had 10 days with a nighttime low at or above 70°.  That makes for some sticky weather -- or "Air you can wear"-- as one local meteorologist puts it.


Temperature

Mostly above average this month.  We had 23 days with a high exceeding the average, which helped bump up our mean temp quite a bit over the 30 year average.



Mean Temp:  77.4°
Deviation:  +4.7°
Maximum:  95° on Jun. 20
Minimum:  59° on Jun. 30

Precipitation

Interspersed as it was, we still didn't hit the mark this month.  Pop-up showers and thunderstorms were the norm in Missouri this month, so extreme differences can be found from station to station.  We weren't that lucky, although we did receive our fair share.  The lawn looks the brownest that it has in three years (which is its normal dormancy period for MO).  I don't mind much because it gives the mowing a little respite.




Average June:  3.87"
Actual June:  2.79"  (1.08)

Days with measurable precip:  12


Other Weather Info

Days with thunder = 7
Days with fog = 1
Days with wind gust (>= 20 mph) = 5

Our lawn mowing count is up to 10 for the year.  I'm still thinking the total might top out at around 18...we'll see.

Random Photos and Video

Below is a video I shot shortly after sundown on May 24. The lightning was simply beautiful that night, so I couldn't help getting video of it. The camera view is facing ESE.



Other photos I have are ones that I've snapped over the summer.  There are plenty, but I chose only a sampling.  Enjoy!




Sunrise - June 27, Montauk Springs


The garden so far. We've got peppers that are close to being ready,
lots of green tomatoes, and squash comin out of our ears!

2 comments:

Josh Herman said...

WxWatcher, great month summary as always. I do know, that MO is one of my least favorite places to be during the months of July and August because of the heat. Even September is hot and humid. Our recent sticky air has all the MO transplants stating "this is nothing... blah, blah, blah". Personally I do enjoy the heat of the Summer, and I also enjoy that it only lasts a short while. My equation for a day with "air you can wear" is a maxt of 80+ and mint of 65+. I've been noting the max dew point in my daily observation comments, but sorta like you said, it would be tough to do it steadily when it's not humid and it really doesn't matter. I can tell it's Summer, we had only 1 less t-storm days. Great video of the lightning. Are you submitting you rain gauge photos to CoCoRaHS for that calendar? Your garden growth is huge. You coming up for the EAA?

WxWatcher said...

Thanks OSNW3. There's so much more I'd like to do with my summaries, but ironically the summer months are too busy! I usually wait until school starts to slow down a bit (in more of a routine, I guess).

Missouri is definitely not the place to be if you aren't a fan of hot/sticky air. Today is one of the worst -- not too hot out, but your clothes just stick to you no matter what you do. I picked some zucchini last night around 8:30 and came in sweating.

Seems like summer months are the stormiest for you, eh? We're lucky to get a pop-up shower or storm, but it isn't nearly as organized as the systems that rolled through your area last month.

I've been told by a couple people that I should submit that photo. I don't think it's calendar quality, but I'll send it in and see what happens.

About the garden...I read a book about gardening this year after great reviews from my Dad, called Joy of Gardening. It has a bunch of simple common sense approaches that really made the difference in the garden this year. I love it.

No EAA this year, unfortunately. Costs just a bit too much to get it done every year. It will happen again, I can assure you.