June another dry month

June was another dry month in an increasingly dry year, with a total of 0.7 inches of rain.

The half inch of rain June 9-10 was two-thirds of the month’s total. The other 0.24 inches of rain came June 18-20.

Rainfall has been below average every month in 2023. Precipitation measured at Washington State University’s Memorial Highway Mount Vernon station is 9.3 inches for the year. That is 7.1 inches, 43.4%, below the January-June century average of 16.4 inches.

This was the fourth driest June this century and one of seven times less than an inch of rain has fallen. Four of those years have been since 2017, each with less than one than one inch of rain. Less than two inches have fallen in 17 of the last 24 Junes. Seven of those years have been since 2014.

The driest years were 2003, with 0.1 inch of precipitation, and 2009, with 0.2 inch.

The 3.1 inches of rain in 2022 was the third wettest of this century; almost that much rain fell in 2020.

The 4.5 inches in 2001 was the wettest June this century. Last year’s 3.1 inches was the third wettest since 2000. There were 16 days of rain in 2022, with an inch falling June 9.

The lowest June temperature ever recorded at this weather station was the 39.7 degrees June 5. Another record low was set June 6, 43.4 degrees. The month’s high was the next day, June 7, 83.8 degrees.

June 23 provided the next lowest and highest temperatures at 44.6 and 76.2 degrees. That day’s average temperature was 61.4 degrees.

The month’s average daily temperature was about average for the century at 59.0 degrees, balanced by an average morning low of 50.3 degrees, 1.7 degrees below the century average. June’s average daily high of 68.2 degrees was 1.0 degree above the century’s average for June.

Measurements and data are at Washington State University’s Mount Vernon weather station on Memorial Highway,