June weather was hotter and drier than average
July 8, 2022
June temperatures in Illinois were above normal with a prolonged heat wave mid-month, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey. The rainfall was below normal for June.
The preliminary statewide average June temperature was 73.5 degrees, 1.6 degrees above the 1991–2020 average.
During the heat wave on June 13-18, temperatures reached 15-20 degrees above normal. High temperatures hit the upper 90s on multiple days and even broke 100 degrees at a few weather stations. Combined with humidity, heat index values approached 120 degrees in parts of southern Illinois on June 13 and 14.
The high temperatures and humidity in mid-June made for some very warm nights. The all-time high nighttime temperature records for June were broken at eight stations in Illinois that week, including a 78-degree low temperature in Peoria and an 83-degree low at Chicago’s Midway Airport.
There were breaks from the heat in June, although only temporarily. June average temperatures ranged from the high 60s in far northern Illinois to the high 70s in southern Illinois, between 1 and 3 degrees above normal. The hottest point in the state was Bean Ridge in Alexander County with an average June temperature of 78 degrees, and the coolest location was Waukegan with an average June temperature of 67.7 degrees.
Precipitation
June is typically one of the wettest calendar months across Illinois, but this June was unusually dry. Total precipitation ranged from less than 1 inch in east-central Illinois to just over 5 inches in northwest Illinois. Only the Quad Cities area was wetter than normal in June, while other places in the state were between one-half inch and 3 inches drier than normal. The driest parts of the state were in east-central and southern Illinois.
The wettest location in the state in June was Jacksonville, with just under 8 inches of rain. In contrast, Sidell in Vermilion County received just 0.60 inches in June.
Outlooks
The latest outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center show higher odds of warmer than normal weather in July, and slightly higher chances of drier than normal conditions for southern and central Illinois.
Meanwhile, outlooks for July through September continue to lean toward warmer than normal conditions across the entire central U.S. Summer precipitation outlooks are also leaning toward drier than normal weather in western Illinois, with much stronger odds in the plains.
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