6.21.12 Ongoing Longest Dry Stretch of 2012

Steve Glazier

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By Steve Glazier - email

*Another hot, humid, and poor air-quality-day is expected Thursday, June 20*

Of note folks, there is no Heat Advisory in effect for today (20th of June). That's because the heat index values this afternoon won't get to the minimum threshold of a Heat Advisory, 100°. Be aware, it certainly will get close with highs in the 90s and the heat index possibly reaching 98° or 99° at the peak of the afternoon.

The air quality is going to be poor during the midday hours, which will mean more difficult conditions for those people who are more sensitive to heat and humidity. It will be muggy and hazy, but slightly drier dew points than Wednesday which will give us every so slight relief compared to yesterday.

Still the same heat tips are applicable to Thursday: Stay hydrated with water. Wear light-colored clothing, the UV Index is 9 which is very high and sunburn can happen quickly. Make sure others are hydrated such as pets, elderly, and children. Check in on those same groups to make sure they're doing okay as well. Have things to do outside? Do them early, or late in the day if you're a night-owl.

A reminder, any weather alert that pops up will automatically scroll across our homepage and the details on them can be found at our weather section. During the week and between Chief Meteorologist Kerrin Jeromin and myself, the weather section is updated multiple times per day based on the latest forecast, expectations, and any potential hazards.

The other big story is the lack of rain!

Last week I wrote this in my blog:

"I'm projecting we'll get at least six out of this upcoming stretch from June 14-19, 2012."

I estimated incorrectly! But that's okay, we're enjoying the longest dry stretch of weather in 2012 so far. The data at the Burlington International Airport:

Wednesday, June 13: High: 73° Low: 53° Precip: 0.11"

Thursday, June 14: 77°/50°/0.00"

Friday, June 15: 79°/50°/0.00"

Saturday, June 16: 85°/54°/0.00"

Sunday, June 17: 82°/64°/0.00"

Monday, June 18: 78°/63°/0.00"

Tuesday, June 19: 80°/64°/0.00"

Wednesday, June 20" 95°/73°/0.00"

Thursday, June 21.....................TBD

That makes seven straight days! The longest streak prior to this was mid-May where the Burlington area had four straight days. Again, more information about our previous dry streak can be found in my other blog.

We're getting to the point where we could use some rain. We're not quite getting to that point where we NEED it just yet. Here's a look at data through the last 30 days in Burlington, in terms of observed precipitation. The brown area shows the deficit.

In the last 30 days, ending June 18, the Burlington area is down about 1.1". The green bars show accumulated rain at the airport. Notice the last week where we haven't gotten anything. In terms of this month alone (June) we've gotten about 50% of the average amount.

June is climatologically one of the wetter months of the year for the North Country. We've gotten 1.24" of rain in Burlington, while average-to-date numbers show 2.45".

The reason we shouldn't worry yet, or I should say reasons plural are because rain is on the way next week and the dry weather is very recent and short-term.

The last 90 days in Burlington show the early-Spring drought that we had, followed by some pretty decent rains that got us above average for rainfall (in that period of time). Now we've leveled off to just a deficit of -0.1" in the last 90 days compared to average. So it's not a time to worry just yet, but we could use the rain.

Fire danger is increasing, but the good news is that everything is fully bloomed. Spring is usually the most hazardous time for fires because there are a lot of dry fuels like dead grass and barren trees. The summer features a lot of extra moisture from the leaves, plants, and trees. Although the top layer of ground is pretty dry, and fire dangers will rise if we don't get some rain in the next week or two.

-Meteorologist Steve Glazier