Using Beczak Environmental Education Center in Yonkers as a reference point we can see just how cool and wet this past month was relative to normal. The average temperature for the month of June is 71.2 degrees. This year the average was 67.5 degrees or 3.7 degrees below normal. This ranks June 2009 as the 8th coldest June all time. If we take a look at the precipitation total for the month, we had 10.06 inches of rain. This is 6.22 inches above our normal total for the month of June. That ranks June 2009 as the 2nd wettest of all time. Additionally, it rained on 23 of 30 days this month. What was the cause of our extreme weather?
The continuous wet weather was the result of a persistent trough of low pressure over the eastern third of the nation. Troughs allow cooler air from Canada to seep into the area while tracking storms in our direction. While we were under the trough, areas in the southern plains were under a ridge of high pressure. Texas all the way up to southern Illinois experienced temperatures well into the 90’s and 100’s.
In the coming weeks, a ridge of high pressure over the central part of the country will begin to move east. This will bring summerlike temperatures and drier weather to the Hudson Valley…finally!
Jason Muller
Educator/Technology Specialist
