« National Climate Report - May 2019
Historically Extreme June-May Precipitation and Summer Temperature and Precipitation Maps
The map directly below shows the local wettest June-May (12-month) period on record across the CONUS based on average precipitation. The five largest footprints are depicted in unique colors; the other June-May periods are combined into an "other" category.
The remaining set of maps depict the same type of analysis, for: average temperature, minimum ("overnight low") temperature, maximum ("afternoon high") temperature and total precipitation during the summer (June-August) period.
Looking at the average temperature map and associated table, it is interesting to note which summers are represented. The summer of 2011 featured record warmth across the deep south, and shows up prominently. However, 2011 was just the third warmest for the CONUS. The warmest summer on record for the CONUS was 1936. Regionally, the summer of 1936 was record warm for much of the Northern Plains and parts of the Ohio Valley. Cooler than average temperatures were confined to parts of New England, Florida and Texas. The large area of warmer than average temperatures catapulted the country into the record warm category. More recently, during the summer of 2016, much of the country experience oppresive heat some of which were records, but many locations were not quite record warm, resulting in the fifth warmest summer on record.
(click any image to enlarge)
Wettest Average Precipitation
| Ranking | June-May | Extent |
|---|
| 1 | 2019 | 12.0% |
| 2 | 1983 | 5.9% |
| 3 | 2011 | 5.8% |
| 4 | 1942 | 3.5% |
| 5 | 1941 | 3.0% |
Warmest Average Temperature
| Ranking | Summer | Extent |
|---|
| 1 | 2011 | 13.8% |
| 2 | 1936 | 13.7% |
| 3 | 1934 | 9.2% |
| 4 | 1988 | 6.5% |
| 5 | 2010 | 6.2% |
Warmest Minimum Temperature
| Ranking | Summer | Extent |
|---|
| 1 | 2010 | 17.3% |
| 2 | 1936 | 11.8% |
| 3 | 2011 | 10.7% |
| 4 | 1934 | 6.7% |
| 5 | 2015 | 6.7% |
Warmest Maximum Temperature
| Ranking | Summer | Extent |
|---|
| 1 | 1936 | 15.5% |
| 2 | 2011 | 12.8% |
| 3 | 1988 | 8.8% |
| 4 | 1934 | 5.9% |
| 5 | 1961 | 5.1% |
Coldest Average Temperature
| Ranking | Summer | Extent |
|---|
| 1 | 1915 | 27.0% |
| 2 | 1993 | 12.3% |
| 3 | 1967 | 8.0% |
| 4 | 1927 | 7.1% |
| 5 | 1907 | 6.8% |
Coldest Minimum Temperature
| Ranking | Summer | Extent |
|---|
| 1 | 1915 | 15.8% |
| 2 | 1927 | 10.2% |
| 3 | 1895 | 7.0% |
| 4 | 1976 | 6.4% |
| 5 | 1903 | 4.3% |
Coldest Maximum Temperature
| Ranking | Summer | Extent |
|---|
| 1 | 1915 | 22.6% |
| 2 | 1993 | 15.5% |
| 3 | 1992 | 9.6% |
| 4 | 1907 | 6.9% |
| 5 | 1903 | 6.7% |
Driest Average Precipitation
| Ranking | Summer | Extent |
|---|
| 1 | 1936 | 9.1% |
| 2 | 1919 | 5.9% |
| 3 | 1930 | 5.5% |
| 4 | 1924 | 5.1% |
| 5 | 2011 | 3.5% |
Wettest Average Precipitation
| Ranking | Summer | Extent |
|---|
| 1 | 1993 | 10.2% |
| 2 | 1913 | 3.9% |
| 3 | 1984 | 3.3% |
| 4 | 1928 | 2.9% |
| 5 | 1915 | 2.4% |
Citing This Report
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State of the Climate: National Climate Report for May 2019, published online June 2019, retrieved on July 16, 2019 from https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/201905/supplemental/page-6.
