June 2011 Central Indiana Climate Summary

Central Indiana
June 2011

Climate Summary

 

39th Warmest on record at Indianapolis
27th Wettest on record at Indianapolis
 
Temperatures
June started out quite warm with the first third of the month well above normal as a series of high pressure systems built into the area. Much of the area experienced highs ranging from the 80s to mid 90s and average temperatures more than 10 degrees above normal.  The peak of the heat came on the 4th as temperatures surged into the middle 90s across much of central Indiana. Lafayette, Muncie, and Shelbyville all reached 97 degrees during the afternoon.  The Indianapolis area had the 6th warmest start to June on record. 
 
The remainder of the month was primarily marked by either below normal or near normal temperatures. Highs predominately remained in the 70s and 80s with lows in the mid 50s and 60s. The coolest periods occurred from the 12th-15th and the 23rd-26th after cold fronts pushed southeastward across the region associated with northeastward-tracking low pressure systems.
 
 
Site
June 2011 Avg Temp
June 2011 Difference from Normal
Highest
Temperature
Lowest Temperature
Indianapolis
73.7
+2.0
95 on 4
58 on 25
Lafayette
73.1
+2.6
97 on 4
53 on 12
Muncie
72.2
+1.6
97 on 4
54 on 12
Terre Haute
73.2
+0.9
96 on 4
54 on 13 and 25
Bloomington
72.3
+1.0
94 on 4
54 on 29
Shelbyville
73.5
+1.8
97 on 4
56 on 14
Indy – Eagle Crk.
73.2
+1.5
95 on 4
57 on 12
 
At Indianapolis, there were 10 days with below normal average temperatures, 16 days with above normal average temperatures, and four days with normal average temperatures.
 

June 2011 was the 39th warmest in the Indianapolis area since 1871.

 
Precipitation
Rainfall for June 2011 was above normal in many central and southern areas for the third consecutive month. June rainfall totals ranged from less than two inches to nearly 12 inches. The heaviest rainfall occurred in portions of central, south central, and southwest Indiana. The driest areas were across northeast and east central Indiana.  
Most of the rain activity during the first nine days of June was concentrated around the I-70 corridor and northward. Rainfall of two to more than six inches occurred in several areas across the northern half of Indiana. Lowland river flooding returned to the Wabash River as a result. In contrast, much of southern Indiana received little or no rainfall for the two week period ending at 8 a.m. EDT June 10th and, except for the Wabash River, rivers in central and southern Indiana remained low.
During the middle of June, storm activity was frequent in both central and southern Indiana. One of the heaviest rainfalls of the month occurred on the 20th when the Lafayette and Indianapolis areas received two to nearly six inches of rain in less than six hours. Significant flash flooding occurred in the eastern portions of the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Widespread lowland river flooding returned to western and southern Indiana following the rains on the 20th.
After the 20th the heavier rainfall activity moved south of I-70. Storms continued nearly each day in southern Indiana. Significant flash flooding occurred in portions of southern Indiana on the 26th when three to possibly more than six inches of rain fell along much of the U.S. Highway 50 corridor. Many areas of southern Indiana south of a line from Terre Haute to Cincinnati received four to 10 inches of rainfall from June 14th through June 27th.
The remainder of the month was mostly dry except for during the night of the 30th when storms brought rain to northern portions of central Indiana.

The continuing wet weather during June hampered efforts of Indiana’s agricultural community. Farmers had a difficult time trying to make hay, harvest wheat, and tend emerging crops. Some river bottom farmers replanted some fields at least once and possibly even a second time.

   

Site
June 2011 Precipitation
June 2011 Difference from Normal
Wettest Day
Longest Dry Stretch
Indianapolis
5.76
 +1.63
2.10 on 20
 3 days 1-3, 7-9, 12-14
Lafayette
6.49
 +2.25
3.14 on 20
 3 days 6-8 and 12-14
Muncie
3.65
 -0.63
1.22 on 11
 3 days 1-3,      12-14, and 28-30
Terre Haute
4.62
 +0.53
1.46 on 27
 5 days 6-10
Bloomington
6.00
 +1.93
1.79 on 15
 4 days 6-9
Shelbyville
6.82
 +2.89
3.63 on 20
 4 days 6-9
Indy – Eagle Crk.
6.43
 +2.30
1.87 on 20
 3 days 1-3 and 7-9

                           

June 2011 was the 27th wettest in the Indianapolis area since weather records began in 1871.

 

 

 

 Severe Weather

 The frequency of severe weather events in June diminished to some degree from the number of events experienced across central Indiana in April and May. There were, however, several notable events throughout the month. A squall line developed over northern Indiana on the evening of the 4th and quickly spread southward into the northern portions of central Indiana. These thunderstorms produced hail and damaging winds. These storms caused a tree to fall on a vehicle at Mounds State Park near Anderson causing one fatality and three injuries. 
 
Several rounds of storms during the early afternoon of the 10th and the overnight hours produced damaging winds up to 70 mph resulting in downed trees, power lines, and tree limbs. The damage associated with the storm development occurred along the northern portion of central Indiana near a stationary front.
 
The last notable severe weather event of the month occurred during the early morning of the 20th as thunderstorms developed along a weak boundary across the region. The storms continued to redevelop and impact areas from Lafayette southeast through the Indianapolis metropolitan area, Columbus, and Shelbyville for several hours, producing damaging winds, large hail, and flooding rainfall.
 
For information on severe weather in other areas during June, visit the Storm Prediction Center's “Severe Weather Event Summaries” website at http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/online/.
 

 Miscellaneous

The maximum wind gust at the Indianapolis International Airport was 46 mph from the northeast on the evening of the 4th as outflow from a nearby line of thunderstorms impacted the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Fog or haze was reported at Indianapolis on 16 days this month. Thunder was reported at Indianapolis on 11 days this month.
 

 July 2011 Outlook

The official outlook for July 2011 from the Climate Prediction Center indicates an equal chance for above normal, normal, or below normal temperatures and precipitation across central Indiana. At Indianapolis, the average temperature for the month is 75.4 degrees. The average precipitation for July at Indianapolis is 4.42 inches.  

 

Data prepared by the Indianapolis Forecast Office.


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