NOTE...AVERAGES AND TOTALS LISTED ARE AS OF 530 PM JUNE 30.
AFTER A SPRING THAT STUCK AROUND LONGER THAN MOST...THE CHANGE OF
THE CALENDAR TO JUNE FINALLY BROUGHT ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES BACK
TO THE JUST ABOUT THE ENTIRE AREA. WHILE ALL AREAS SAW NEAR TO BELOW
NORMAL READINGS DURING METEOROLOGICAL SPRING OR THE MARCH THROUGH
MAY PERIOD...MANY AREAS...ESPECIALLY THOSE IN THE SOUTHERN GREAT
BASIN...ALSO SAW BELOW NORMAL READINGS IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY.
OVERALL THE WEATHER PATTERN THIS MONTH WAS DOMINATED BY STORM
SYSTEMS MOVING ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND NORTHERN ROCKIES.
WHILE THESE STORMS STAYED WELL NORTH OF THE MOJAVE DESERT AND
SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN FOR THE MOST PART THEY OFTEN KEPT THE
UPPER-LEVEL FLOW IN THE ATMOSPHERE IN A POSITION THAT KEPT OUT ANY
PUSHES OF HOT AIR. HOWEVER...WHEN HOTTER AIR WAS ABLE TO GET IN
HERE...IT WAS IN HERE AND THERE WERE TWO PERIODS DURING THE MONTH TO
FEATURE WELL ABOVE NORMAL READINGS.
A FAIRLY FLAT FLOW AT THE START OF THE MONTH EVENTUALLY TRANSITIONED
TO A STRONG UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE BY THE 5TH. THIS RIDGE ALLOWED FOR
WIDESPREAD ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA WITH SOME
LOCATIONS SETTING OR TYING RECORD HIGH MAXIMUMS ON THE 6TH AND 7TH.
BY THE 9TH THE STRONG UPPER RIDGE THAT WAS OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN
UNITED STATES WAS SHUNTED EASTWARD BY AN ANOMALOUSLY STRONG
UPPER-LEVEL LOW THAT MOVED TOWARDS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THIS LOW
EVENTUALLY PUSHED SOUTHWARD INTO THE GREAT BASIN BY THE 11TH AND
DRASTICALLY PLUMMETED TEMPERATURES SOME 10-20 DEGREES FROM WHERE
THEY WERE JUST A FEW DAYS EARLIER. THIS LOW WAS ACCOMPANIED BY JUST
ENOUGH MOISTURE TO PRODUCED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND EVEN A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA ON THE 12TH MAINLY OVER THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS OF THE AREA FROM INTERSTATE 40 NORTHWARD. THE HEAVIEST
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED OVER NORTHERN MOHAVE COUNTY WHERE
LOCALIZED RAINFALL AMOUNTS EXCEEDING A HALF OF AN INCH WERE
REPORTED. HAIL AS LARGE AS DIME SIZE WAS REPORTED IN COLORADO CITY
AZ ON THE AFTERNOON OF THE 12TH. WINDS FROM NEARBY STORM ACTIVITY
ALSO DOWNED SEVERAL TREES IN BUNKERVILLE NV THAT SAME DAY. EARLIER
IN THE MORNING A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS MOVED OVER THE EASTERN SIERRA
NEVADA AND PRODUCED SNOW SHOWERS AS LOW AS 8000 FEET. AT ASPENDELL
ONE-TENTH OF AN INCH OF SNOW WAS MEASURED BY THE CO-OP OBSERVER AT
8500 FEET.
ONCE THIS LOW MOVED NORTHEAST AND AWAY FROM THE AREA...MAINLY DRY
WEATHER PERSISTED. ANOTHER STRONG UPPER LOW MOVED INTO THE GREAT
BASIN ON THE 16TH AND PUSHED A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE AREA THAT
PRODUCED WIDESPREAD GUSTY WINDS FOR THE FINAL TIME THIS SEASON IN
ASSOCIATION WITH A COLD FRONT WITH GUSTS OF 40 MPH OR GREATER IN
MANY LOCATIONS.
TEMPERATURES REMAINED ON THE COOL SIDE THROUGH THE 23RD BEFORE
FINALLY MODERATING TO ABOVE NORMAL READINGS TOWARDS THE CLOSE OF THE
MONTH AS HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT BUILT BACK INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED
STATES. HOWEVER NOT ALL OF THE AREA WAS HIGH AND DRY. A FEW WEAK
SYSTEMS MOVED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN AND TRIGGERED SOME
VERY LIGHT SHOWERS AND EVEN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS ON THE 21ST AND AGAIN ON THE 25TH. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED ALSO DEVELOPED EACH AFTERNOON ACROSS
NORTHERN MOHAVE COUNTY ON THE 25TH...28TH...29TH AND 30TH AND
PRODUCED VERY LIGHT PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS.
...LAS VEGAS...
TEMPERATURES AVERAGED 87.5 DEGREES AT MCCARRAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
- THE OFFICIAL CLIMATE STATION FOR LAS VEGAS - RESULTING IN THE
FIRST MONTH WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES SINCE FEBRUARY. THIS
RANKED AS THE 14TH WARMEST JUNE ON RECORD SINCE 1937. NOT
SURPRISINGLY THIS WAS DUE TO THE VERY WARM LOW TEMPERATURES WHICH
AVERAGED OUT TO 75.8 DEGREES AND RANKED AS THE 8TH WARMEST EVER FOR
JUNE. THIS WAS AN IMPRESSIVE 3.6 DEGREES ABOVE WHAT THE AVERAGE LOW
TEMPERATURE WAS FOR THE MONTH AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE
WHICH IS LOCATED JUST 2 MILES TO THE SOUTHWEST OF MCCARRAN. THE
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE MEANWHILE FOR JUNE 2010 WAS 99.2 DEGREES
THIS PAST MONTH WHICH WAS 0.3 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE HIGH
TEMPERATURE FOR JUNE IS 98.9 DEGREES.
THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH AT MCCARRAN WAS 110 DEGREES
WHICH WAS SET ON THE 6TH AND MARKED THE EARLIEST 110 DEGREE HIGH
TEMPERATURE OR GREATER EVER RECORDED IN LAS VEGAS MAKING THIS THE
OUTSTANDING WEATHER EVENT OF THE MONTH IN LAS VEGAS. MCCARRAN SAW A
TOTAL OF 16 TRIPLE DIGIT HIGHS WHICH IS EXACTLY NORMAL FOR THE
MONTH. ELSEWHERE IN THE VALLEY THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE AT AN
OFFICIAL WEATHER STATION WAS ALSO 110 DEGREES AT THE NORTH LAS VEGAS
AIRPORT ON THE 7TH. HENDERSON EXECUTIVE AIRPORT REACHED 109 DEGREES
ON THE 6TH AND 28TH. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURES AT THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE AND THE NORTH LAS VEGAS AIRPORT WERE 108
DEGREES AND BOTH WERE RECORDED ON THE 6TH.
THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE RECORDED AT MCCARRAN WAS 64 DEGREES ON THE
13TH. THIS WAS THE COOLEST MORNING OF THE MONTH AS WELL AT ALL OTHER
OFFICIAL VALLEY WEATHER STATIONS. THE HENDERSON EXECUTIVE AIRPORT
RECORDED A LOW OF 59 DEGREES WHILE AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
OFFICE THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO 60 DEGREES. MEANWHILE AT NELLIS
AIR FORCE BASE THE LOW DROPPED TO 63 DEGREES AND IN NORTH LAS VEGAS
THE THERMOMETER BOTTOMED OUT AT 64 DEGREES AT THE AIRPORT AND 65
DEGREES AT THE CO-OP STATION.
PRECIPITATION WAS SCARCE ACROSS THE VALLEY AND WHERE IT OCCURRED
FELL ON THE MORNING AND AFTERNOON OF THE 12TH. THE OFFICIAL CLIMATE
STATION AT MCCARRAN SAW JUST A TRACE FALL. NORMALLY JUNE IS THE
DRIEST MONTH OF THE YEAR IN LAS VEGAS WITH 0.08 INCH FALLING.
RAINFALL WAS GREATEST OVER THE FAR WEST SIDE OF THE VALLEY IN
SUMMERLIN WITH MANY NEIGHBORHOODS ON THE NORTH AND EAST SIDES SEEING
NO RAIN AT ALL. SOME SPECIFIC MONTHLY TOTALS FROM ACROSS THE VALLEY
INCLUDE...
SUMMERLIN - COCORAHS 0.14 INCH
SUMMERLIN NORTHWEST - CCRFCD 0.08 INCH
SUMMERLIN - CHARLESTON & RAMPART - CCRFCD 0.04 INCH
CIMARRON & SPRING MOUNTAIN - COCORAHS 0.03 INCH
ANTHEM - COCORAHS TRACE
FLAMINGO & BOULDER HIGHWAY - COCORAHS TRACE
HENDERSON EXECUTIVE AIRPORT TRACE
HENDERSON - ROBINDALE & PECOS - COCORAHS TRACE
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE TRACE
NWS LAS VEGAS TRACE
OAKEY AND JONES - COCORAHS TRACE
TENAYA & WASHINGTON - COCORAHS TRACE
WINDS WERE HIGHEST ON THE 10TH AND 11TH AND AGAIN ON THE 16TH AS
STORM SYSTEMS MOVED THROUGH THE AREA. WIND GUSTS OF 40 MPH OR
GREATER WERE RECORDED ON EACH OF THOSE DAYS AT MCCARRAN. THE HIGHEST
GUST FOR JUNE 2010 WAS 44 MPH ON THE 11TH AND 16TH.
...ELSEWHERE IN THE MOJAVE DESERT AND SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN...
JUNE 2010 WAS A WARM AND DRY MONTH ACROSS THE AREA. AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES WERE ABOVE NORMAL ALTHOUGH THE DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL
WERE LOWEST ACROSS LINCOLN...CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN NYE AND NORTHERN
MOHAVE COUNTIES. THESE AREAS SAW THE GREATEST IMPACT FROM SYSTEMS
MOVING THROUGH THE REGION AND THUS THIS LOWERED TEMPERATURES THERE
MORE THAN IN OTHER AREAS. THE WARMTH THIS MONTH WAS LARGELY DUE TO
THE WARMER THAN NORMAL LOW TEMPERATURES ESPECIALLY AT NEEDLES AND
DEATH VALLEY. AT DEATH VALLEY THE AVERAGE LOW WAS 84.9 DEGREES WHICH
RANKED AS THE 8TH WARMEST EVER SINCE 1911.
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL FOR A FEW
LOCATIONS...
LOCATION JUNE 2010 DEPARTURE
AVG. TEMP FROM NORMAL
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BARSTOW-DAGGETT AIRPORT 83.6 +1.6
BISHOP 72.7 +1.6
DEATH VALLEY
97.9 +3.4
DESERT ROCK 79.5 +1.1
KINGMAN 77.9 +0.2
MT CHARLESTON 60.7 +1.7
NEEDLES 91.6 +1.3
* CALCULATED BASED ON TIME SHIFTING HIGHS TO CALENDAR DAY.
AT AN OFFICIAL CLIMATE STATION THE HOT HONORS...AS IT TYPICALLY DOES
THIS TIME OF YEAR...GOES TO FURNACE CREEK IN DEATH VALLEY WHERE THE
HIGH TEMPERATURE REACHED 123 DEGREES ON THE 28TH. THERE WERE 3 DAYS
WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE AT FURNACE CREEK OF 120 DEGREES OR BETTER IN
JUNE. ELSEWHERE THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURES OF THE MONTH INCLUDED 115
DEGREES AT OVERTON NV ON THE 28TH AND BULLHEAD CITY AZ ON THE
30TH...114 DEGREES AT KATHERINE LANDING AZ ON THE 28TH AND AT
LAUGHLIN AND MESQUITE NV ON THE 28TH AND AGAIN AT LAUGHLIN ON THE
30TH...113 DEGREES AT LAKE HAVASU CITY AZ ON THE 30TH AND ALSO AT
AMBOY...BAKER AND NEEDLES CA ON THE 28TH AND AGAIN AT NEEDLES ON THE
29TH AND 30TH. FOR MOST LOCATIONS ELSEWHERE IN THE AREA THE HOTTEST
TEMPERATURES OF THE MONTH WERE RECORDED ON THE 28TH.
THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH AT AN OFFICIAL CLIMATE STATION
WAS AT SPRING VALLEY STATE PARK NV WHICH DROPPED TO A CHILLY 25
DEGREES ON THE MORNING OF THE 17TH. ELSEWHERE THE LOWEST READINGS OF
THE MONTH INCLUDED 33 DEGREES ON THE 12TH AT KYLE CANYON ON MT
CHARLESTON NV...34 DEGREES ON THE 11TH AT ASPENDELL CA AND 38
DEGREES AT DIAMOND M RANCH AZ ON THE 13TH.
PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE AREA WAS GREATEST OVER NORTHERN MOHAVE
COUNTY AND ALSO IN LINCOLN COUNTY WHERE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
MAINLY ON THE 12TH PRODUCED BETWEEN A QUARTER AND A HALF OF AN INCH
OF RAIN WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. THE HIGHEST AMOUNT REPORTED WAS
FROM AN AUTOMATED GAUGE NORTHEAST OF DOLAN SPRINGS AZ IN THE
ARCHIBOLD WASH THAT MEASURED 0.94 INCH WHILE THE IMMIGRATION WASH
RAWS IN LINCOLN COUNTY NV MEASURED 0.82 INCH. AT AN OFFICIAL CLIMATE
STATION THE WETTEST LOCATION WAS SPRING VALLEY STATE PARK NV WHICH
RECORDED 0.45 INCH DURING THIS EVENT WHILE CALIENTE NV MEASURED 0.42
INCH. MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION ALSO FELL ON MT CHARLESTON WITH
BETWEEN A QUARTER AND A HALF OF AN INCH FALLING WHILE A FEW
HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH FELL IN PARTS OF THE EASTERN MOJAVE NATIONAL
PRESERVE JUST OVER THE BORDER IN CALIFORNIA. THIS EVENT ALSO
PRODUCED AMOUNTS AROUND A TENTH OF AN INCH IN THE COLORADO RIVER
VALLEY FROM LAUGHLIN AND BULLHEAD CITY SOUTHWARD TO NEEDLES. THE
DRIEST PART OF THE AREA WHERE NO PRECIPITATION AT ALL FELL FOR THE
MONTH WAS FROM THE OWENS VALLEY AND DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
SOUTHWARD TO THE MORONGO AND CADIZ BASINS. NO PRECIPITATION ALSO
FELL IN THE MESQUITE-BUNKERVILLE AREA OF NEVADA AND IN THE LOWER
ELEVATIONS IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF MOHAVE COUNTY AWAY FROM THE
COLORADO RIVER.
SNOW WAS LIMITED TO THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE EASTERN SIERRA
NEVADA AND THE SUMMIT OF MOUNT CHARLESTON NV. ASPENDELL CALIFORNIA
MEASURED 0.1 INCH OF SNOW ON THE 12TH. SNOW WAS STILL COVERING PARTS
OF THE HIGHEST PEAKS ABOVE 11000 FEET AT THE CLOSE OF THE MONTH WITH
GREATER COVERAGE IN THE EASTERN SIERRA NEVADA.
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THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS PRELIMINARY AND IS SUBJECT TO A FINAL
REVIEW BEFORE BEING CERTIFIED BY THE NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER.
Above courtesy
NWS Las Vegas
