NOAA
REPORTS RECORD WET JUNE FOR PARTS OF THE SOUTH, July
20, 2004 — Many areas of the South had some of the wettest June
conditions on record, according to scientists at the NOAA
Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. Record dryness 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 sixth warmest on record for June. (Click NOAA image for larger
view of USA drought conditions during June 2004. Please credit “NOAA.”) Precipitation across the contiguous United States was much above average, ranking June 2004 the seventh wettest on record. Texas had its wettest June on record. Mississippi and Louisiana had their second and third wettest June conditions 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 reemerged 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 the past five to six years. Southern California and 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 areas of the West, and at the end of June the percent of the western United States in moderate-to-extreme drought increased to 74 percent, based on a widely used measure of drought, the Palmer Drought Index. The
Globe: Land surface
temperatures were anomalously warm across Alaska, western Europe and central
Asia and 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 El Niño/Southern Oscillation continued.
The global land surface temperature was fourth warmest on record for June. NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation�s coastal and marine resources. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Relevant
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