Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Summer off to Sizzling Start

In what may be a harbinger of things to come, meteorological summer is off to a sizzling start in Salt Lake City.  In fact, the average temperature for the first week of June is the highest on record, topping the next highest, June 1–7, 2006, by a whopping 2.3ºF.

Source: NOAA Regional Climate Centers
I've always considered June to be a critical month in determining one's overall impressions of summer comfort.  In part, this reflects that fact that an average July is too hot for my blood, so the length of the oppressive heat season is strongly dependent on June.  A cool or average June means the dog days of summer aren't going to stretch for an excessively long period.  A hot June, however, usually means a long stretch of uncomfortable weather, compounded by the high-angle sun and long day length around the summer solstice.  

With the climate system in temperature overdrive right now, I see the dice as being loaded for a warmer than average summer.  Heat-sensitive types will also find little solace in the CPC outlook for summer issued last month.

Source: CPC
Let's hope we're wrong.  

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