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Denver Climatological Preview - June 2010 |
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A Preview of Thornton's June Weather - The Severe Weather Month
In just the last 25 years or so, there have been some particularly notable storms in June. Tornadoes have struck the metro area including one that longtime Thornton residents will recall on June 3, 1981. 53 residents were injured, 25 homes were destroyed and 239 other structures were damaged. Others tornadoes in the metro area include southeast Denver and Aurora on June 8, 1986 and east Denver on June 13, 1984. Severe thunderstorms occurring on June 13, 1984 dumped large hail making it one of the worst and the second costliest storm in Denver history. More recently, on June 20, 2001, a major hail storm moved across Denver International Airport dropping hailstones as big as two inches in diameter. Damage was extensive on and near the airport. Despite the frequent tornadoes in June, due to the large areas of rural and unpopulated land there has never been a fatality in June due to a tornado. Lightning on the other hand has caused several fatalities. Think we are done with the cold and snow now that June is here? Most likely yes however cool weather can still occur early in the month. The latest freeze on record in Denver occurred just last year on June 8, 2007 when the official low reached 31 degrees. On June 2, 1951 the mercury dropped to 30 degrees –the record low temperature for June. As for snow, June 11, 1947 actually saw a trace of snow fall! The wettest June was 1882 with 4.96 inches and the driest June was 1890 with only a trace of precipitation recorded. The maximum 24 hour precipitation was 3.16 inches on June 11, 1970 – that is a lot of rain for this area! Warmer temperatures are the norm though and by the end of the month temperatures can and have climbed above 100 degrees. June 26, 1994 saw a record June temperature of 104 degrees. Other dates with 100 degrees or higher include 102 on June 23rd 1954, June 27th 1990, June 29th 1990 and June 30th 1990 and 100 degrees set June 25th 1991. The warmest June occurred in 1994 with an average temperature of 73.5 degrees. The coldest June was 60.6 degrees in 1967. June 2003 was notable as it was the first June since 1972 with no 90 degree temperatures recorded. Just the year before, June 2002 had 17 90 degree days and June 2001 totaled out with 12 90 degree days. On average June will have 6 days with above 90 degree temperatures. June 2006 saw us have one of the hottest June’s on record when the high temperature at the Denver International Airport reached into the nineties for 19 days. This takes June 2006 into the record books with the most days having 90 degrees or above. The previous record for total number of 90 degree days for June was 17 occurrences established in 2002. Also during June 2006, a record setting temperature of 102 degrees was recorded on the 14th of the month – the earliest June date that 100 degrees or higher was registered. June 2006 was on track to become the Denver's warmest June but 3 days with highs in the 70s and several low temperature readings in the 40s and low 50s dropped the month into a tie as the 3rd warmest Denver June. Looking Back at June 2009 June 2009 went down in the history books as one of the more unusual June’s on record. Residents are all of course well aware of the string of severe storms but the Mile High City also were unusually cool and certainly very wet. In terms of precipitation, a whopping 4.86 inches of rain fell at the official measuring site at Denver International Airport during the month – the second wettest June since recordkeeping began here in 1872. We missed out on breaking the record by only a tenth of an inch as the all-time wettest was back in 1882 when 4.96 inches fell in the rain bucket. Nevertheless, we easily exceed the normal rainfall total for the month which is 1.56 inches. In fact, we beat that in one day on June 23rd when 1.64 inches fell at DIA. Here in Thornton we didn’t measure near as much precipitation having recording 3.44 inches for the month. This is more in line with what areas closer to the actual metro area recorded than what was recorded at DIA. Temperature wise, we were very cool as well, never breaking the 90 degree mark during the month. Two days, the 29th and 30th, came close with 89 degrees being recorded as the high temperatures on those days. This was the first time since 2003 no 90 degree days were recorded in June. Before that, you would have to go way back to 1972 to find another June when that happened. The average temperature for June 2009 was 64.4 degrees, 3.2 degrees below the normal of 67.6. That may be cool but it was nowhere near the record low average for June which is 60.6 set in 1967. Thornton was just a touch warmer than the official stats from DIA as we recorded 90.0 degrees on the 29th. Similarly, Thornton’s average temperature was just a bit cooler at 63.2 degrees. Then of course there were the storms. Tornadoes, funnel clouds and hail will probably be the most memorable events of the month, especially the EF 1 twister that struck the Southlands Shopping Center in Aurora on June 7th. That was followed by funnel clouds over Northglenn and Thornton on June 9th and more severe storms in the days that followed. On the 13th of the month, spectators at a Colorado Rockies game watched a funnel in the sky nearby and on the 15th multiple tornadoes ripped through Elbert County including one rated as an EF 2. In all, DIA recorded 18 days with thunderstorms – eight more than normal. 15 days had precipitation versus the normal of nine. All those storms also took a toll on what is normally a sunny month. On average Denver has 70 percent of possible sunshine during the month. This year we only recorded sunshine 51 percent of the time. The Outlook for June 2010 The National Weather Service 30-day outlook models for Denver do not favor any particular trend in temperature or precipitation. Historical norms listed below should be used as guidance. For More Information Temperature Normals and Extremes for June Monthly Temperature, Rainfall and Snowfall Extremes for June
* Historical weather statistics gathered from the National Weather Service's Denver / Boulder forecast office data archives. |
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June is historically Denver’s severe weather month and severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and hail are notorious visitors to Denver and across eastern Colorado during the month. In fact, over 40 percent of the tornadoes that occur in Colorado are observed in June and these are typically the most destructive of the year. Severe thunderstorms have also caused major property damage across the Front Range during the month.
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