A June preview

After a busy end to the month of May with severe storms, it is time to preview June. Kids are on summer break, the Kansas wheat crop is ripening, and we are just weeks away from the official start to summer. Here's a brief recap of where we have been:

• January - warmer than normal
• February - record setting cold
• March - warmer than normal
• April - cooler than normal - mainly dry
• May - cooler than normal - more widespread rains

We will add a little more rain to monthly totals before all is said and done, and most of us go into June in decent shape when it comes to moisture. The latest drought map still has south central and southwest Kansas "abnormally dry", but a few more good rains could wipe that out. Will it happen?

June normals look like this:

June rainfall (over the 30 day period) has reason to believe moisture will continue to move this way. Early signs are pointing toward a drier than normal start to June, but that doesn't look like it will hold for very long. We may continue to have an active setup across the western half of the country, which would keep Kansas in the running for rains.

Slightly cooler than normal temperatures for the central and southern Plains. This would be the 3rd month in a row where average temperatures stayed below normal. I'm not exactly sure which part of June will be the "coolest". It may turn out to be a blend of early June and mid June.  There are hints of a very warm end to the month if we see a high pressure pattern setting up across the central/southern Plains. That would be perfect timing for the wheat harvest if it does materialize.

Have a great day and thanks for spending a few minutes checking out the blog.