Major Highlights
NOAA REPORTS RECORD WET JUNE FOR PARTS OF THE SOUTH.
RECORD WARMTH IN ALASKA.
Many areas of the South had some of their wettest June conditions on record in 2004, according to scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville, N.C. Record dryness averaged across southern California contrasted the extreme wetness in the South, while much of the Midwest had a cooler than average June. The global average temperature was 6th warmest on record for June.
NOAA scientists report that the average temperature for the contiguous United States for June (based on preliminary data) was 68.6�F (20.4�C), which was 0.5�F (0.3�C) below the 1895-2003 mean, near the June temperature average. The mean temperature was below average in nineteen states across the middle of the nation extending into the Northeast. Much of the West was warmer than average with Nevada (and Florida) having much above average temperatures for June. Alaska was record warm for June with a statewide temperature of 5.2�F (2.9�C) above the 1971-2000 mean. Record-setting temperatures were also recorded in several Alaskan cities in June, including an all-time high of 93�F (33.9�C) on Annette Island. The extreme temperatures exacerbated widespread wildfire activity in the state.
Precipitation averaged across the contiguous United States was much above average, ranking 7th wettest June on record for the nation. Texas had its wettest June on record along with the 2nd and 3rd wettest June for Mississippi and Louisiana, respectively. The heavy rainfall during the first week of the month resulted from severe storms in Texas and parts of the South and led to flooding in some areas.
Drought conditions that had begun to re-emerge in the Southeast in recent months eased throughout June as precipitation was above average across much of the region. Below average June precipitation occurred in many areas of the West where drought has persisted for much of the past five to six years. Southern California as well as eastern Arizona had record or near record dryness for June exacerbating moderate to severe drought in the region. Reservoir levels also remained below average in many western areas, and at the end of June the percent of the western United States in moderate to extreme drought increased to 74%, based on a widely used measure of drought, the Palmer Drought Index. The most extensive drought on record for the West occurred in July 1934, when 97% of the region was in moderate to extreme drought.
Globe:
The average global temperature anomaly for combined land and ocean surfaces during June 2004 (based on preliminary data) was 0.47�F (0.26�C) above the 1880-2003 long-term mean. This was the 6th warmest June since 1880 (the beginning of reliable instrumental records). Land surface temperatures were anomalously warm across Alaska, western Europe and central Asia as well as most of the Southern Hemisphere, while ocean surface temperatures in much of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific were near average as the neutral phase of ENSO (El Nino/Southern Oscillation) continued. The global land surface temperature was 4th warmest on record for June.
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