Summit County Citizens Voice

Monsoon moisture finally started to build in the Colorado high country in late June. Photo by Bob Berwyn.

Monsoon promising some relief for parched state

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — June 2012 brought exceptionally warm temperatures to most of Colorado, with Denver setting an all-time record for the month based on data going back to 1872.

In Dillon, where official temperatures are tallied for the National Weather Service, the average daily high was 74.9 degrees, also a new monthly record, 6.1 degrees above the historic average of 68.8 based on records going back to 1909.

The average daily low low temperature was 34.6 degrees, well above the long-term average of 31.4 degrees.

Most of the state sat under a strong ridge of high pressure most of the month, reflected by the Denver weather stats, record daily highs were recorded June 4 and June 9, 17, 18, 25 and 26.

Late in the month, Denver also recorded a five-day stretch with highs climbing above 100 degrees June 22-26) for only the third time in the city’s weather history. The previous five-day streaks were Jul 4-8, 1989 and July 19-23 in 2005.

The 105-degree readings on June 25 and 26 were both all-time temperature records for the month of June and tied Denver’s all-time high for any month.

But while this June was the hottest on record for average temperature, June 2006 still holds the record for consecutive days with highs above 90 degrees, with a string of 19 days when the temperature reached or exceed that mark.

In Summit County, June precipitation was also well below normal, with the Dillon site reporting only 0.38 inches of water, only about a third of the average 1.14 inches. There were only four days with measurable precipitation, as compared to 11 on average.

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, seasons, Summit County snow and weather Tagged: | Colorado drough, Colorado monsoon, Colorado weather, record temps June 2012