June was incredibly hot across the Inland NW, leaving us Meteorologists in awe at the numbers. And it wasn't just Eastern Washington and North Idaho that set records. The record warmth stretched all across Washington, Oregon, and most of Idaho as the image below shows.
See the table below for a closer look at the actual numbers. You can see in some cities such as Ephrata and Portland, the previous records were shattered by 3 to 4 degrees.
So how much above normal was it? Average temperatures were generally 6 to 10 degrees above normal for the month of June. That is a huge anomaly when considering this is over a 30 day period.
See image below for the graphical depiction.
The heat wave on June 27th and 28th was exceptionally noteworthy with numerous stations setting their warmest June temperature on record. Here is a map showing some of the observed readings, with some places such as La Crosse, Walla Walla, Lewiston, Chelan, and Omak reaching or exceeding 110 degrees!
Not only was it hot, but June was also dry which has caused elevated fire danger across the region. See map below showing the % of normal precipitation for June
So what caused this abnormally warm and dry conditions. An anomalous ridge was in place over the Inland NW causing the record warmth.
This past June was a month to remember. We'll see what the rest of the summer offers, with the latest long range outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center favoring increased odds of the continued warmth.
Does the increase in the heat have anything to do with the shift of the cascadia subduction zone? If the friction between the two plates created enough heat to melt the rock above and produce magma, wouldn't that heat rise and mess with the temperature? Maybe it's a warning from mother nature that something is changing and maybe not for the best... just a thought
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