Weather

June 2021 Saint Cloud Weather Summary



Warmest Overall June Since 1933 Worsens Rainfall Shortage

June 2021 Saint Cloud Weather Summary

After an up and down May, marked by a late month cool spell that nearly produced freezing temperatures in St. Cloud, Minnesota quickly felt the heat that has persisted in the Southwest all summer and has occasional pushed through the Northwest into southern Canada. St. Cloud had 7 consecutive days with a high of at least 90 degrees from June 4 through June 10. During that time, there were 10 daily record warm temperatures either set or tied. The hottest two days were June 4 (high of 97) and June 5 (high of 98). Those were as many high temperatures of 97 degrees or above as had occurred during the complete warm seasons of 2007 through 2020. The seven straight days with a high of at least 90 degrees was the earliest such streak in St. Cloud records and the longest heat wave (at least 3 straight days with a high of at least 90 degrees) since June 16-25, 2006. It was also the earliest recorded 7-day heat wave in St. Cloud records. Also, the record warm low of 74 degrees on June 6 was the earliest occurrence of a low temperature that warm in St. Cloud records.

 

St. Cloud June 2021 Heat Wave Summary
Date Record warm high Record warm low Record warm average
Friday, June 4 97 (95)   78 (tied record)
Saturday, June 5 98 (96) 70 (68) 84 (80)
Sunday, June 6   74 (68) 83 (80)
Wednesday, June 9 94 (tied record)    
Thursday, June 10 96 (tied record)   81 (79)
(old record in parentheses)
Consecutive 90 degree highs Length of Heat Wave Longest Since Record
  7 days through Thursday, June 10

10 days

June 16-25, 2006

14 days (July 5-18, 1936)
Highs of 97 or higher 2 days (2021) 2 days total (2007-2020)  
Last St. Cloud 100-degree high June 7, 2011 (101)    

 

There was only one really hot day the rest of June (95 degree high on June 13) and temperatures did decrease to near average the last week of the month. Still, that was enough to push the St. Cloud average June temperature to 71.4 degrees, 5.4 degrees warmer than average. That tied June 1931 for the 5th warmest June in St. Cloud records and the warmest June since 1933.

June 1988, even though it ranks 0.3 degree cooler than June 2021, was still more extreme than this past month. There were 11 days in June 1988 with a high of at least 90 degrees with 2 days over 100 degrees. The reason that June 1988 ranks lower is that the low temperatures were a bit cooler than in June 2021. That reflects that the summer of 1988 was in the middle of the last long-term extreme drought in the central US. June 1988 was not only hot, but there was also only 0.05 inch of rain, by far the driest June in St. Cloud records.

Rainfall was also a problem in June 2021. The St. Cloud Regional Airport picked up 2.63 inches of rain during the month, 1.12 inch below average. The combined May and June rainfall was only 4.93 inches, nearly two and a half inches below the average of 7.41 inches. Much of the rain came in a regime of daily scattered thunderstorms during the last week of June, which produced the first daily rainfall of at least one inch during 2021. However, these showers were highly localized. Even St. Cloud State University had a lot less rain (0.93 inch versus 2.11 inches at the Airport) and places to the northwest as close as St. Stephen and Holdingford had less than half an inch of rain during the week. While the St. Cloud Airport has seen nearly 5 inches of rain in May and June combined, the driest areas from north central to west central Minnesota have seen less than 2 inches of rain during the same period.

The lack of rainfall has produced worsening water shortfalls in especially western and central Minnesota. That has resulted in river flows in much of northern and central Minnesota to be in the lowest 25 percent with some areas showing flow in the lowest 10 percent. Still, most rivers are short of the record, usually set in 1988 or the 1930's. 70 to 75 percent of Minnesota soil moisture was rated as short or very short in moisture in the June 28 Minnesota Weekly Crop Report. The persistent drought conditions that began in winter in the Northern Rockies and North Dakota began spreading again into Minnesota and Iowa during June (set slider to difference between June 1 and June 29 on US Drought Monitor comparison page).

Really hot summers have been rare since the 1990's. While winters during the 1997 to early 2010's were frequently much warmer than average, the summer periods haven't been nearly as hot. 1988 has been the only summer later than 1936 which has rank among the 10 warmest summers. Since the 33 90-degree highs in 1988, only 8 of the 22 summers have seen an above average number of 90-degree highs, with the 20 recorded in both 2006 and 2007 being the highest. The 8 90-degree highs this June were the most in June since 1988 (11).

The trend of relatively cool summer high temperatures and elevated summer low temperatures were evident in the new 1991-2020 averages for St. Cloud. Average high temperatures during June, July and August each decreased by a few tenths of a degree. Howeve, the average low temperature in each summer month has increased with June having the biggest gain of 1.2 degrees. This reflects the more humid air, which makes it more difficult for low temperatures to drop as much.

The early outlook for July shows a piece of the devastating heat wave in Southwestern Canada and the Pacific Northwest moving in for a good chunk of the weekend. This will likely lead to the warmest high temperatures seen since early June.

 

    June 2021 Statistics

Temperatures (°F)
June 2021
Normal
Average High Temperature (°F)
85.1
77.2
Average Low Temperature (°F)
57.8
54.8
Mean Temperature for June (°F)
66.0
June Extremes
Temperature(°F)
Date
Warmest High Temperature for June 2021 (°F)
98 (broke record; see below)
June 5
Coldest High Temperature for June 2021 (°F)
73
June 13
Warmest Low Temperature for June 2021 (°F)
74 (broke record; see below)
June 6
Coldest Low Temperature for June 2021 (°F)
41
June 22
Record Temperatures in June 2021
Temperature(°F)
Date
Old Record
Daily Record Warm High
97
June 4
95 in 1900
 
98
June 5
96 in 1922
 
94 (tie)
June 9
tied record set in 1973, 1976, 2000
 
96 (tie)
June 10
tied record set in 1933
Daily Record Warm Average
78 (tie)
June 4
tied record set in 1900
 
84
June 5
80 in 1933
 
83
June 6
80 in 1922
 
82
June 10
79 in 1933
Daily Record Warm Low
70
June 5
68 in 1932
 
74
June 6
68 in 1939, 1968
St. Cloud Daily June Temperature Records      
Temperature Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
June 2021 Days with High Temperatures >= 90°F
8
2.16
Warm Season 2021 Days with High Temperatures >= 90°F
8
2.77
June 2021 Days with Low Temperatures >= 70°F
2
0.40
Precipitation (in)
June 2021
Normal
June 2021 St. Cloud Municipal Airport (Official Site) Rainfall (in)
2.63
3.75
2021 May June (May 1-June 30) Rainfall (in)
4.93
7.41
2021 Growing Season (April 1-June 30) Rainfall (in)
8.06
10.02
2021 Total Precipitation (Jan 1-June 30) (in)
9.81
13.02
June Extremes
Precipitation (in)
Date
Most Daily Precipitation in June 2021
1.25 inch (first daily 1 inch rainfall of year)
June 28
Record Precipitation in June 2021
Precipitation (in)
Date
Old Record
No records set
 
Precipitation Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
June 2021 Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation
9
10.9
June 2021 Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation
5
7.3
June 2021 Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation
4
5.1
June 2021 Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation
1
2.9
June 2021 Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation
1
1.2

 

Saint Cloud Hottest Annual Temperatures (1988-2021)
Year
Hottest High (°F)
Date
Days with High >= 97°F
1988
102°F
June 24, July 31
13
(7 days with >= 100°F)
1989
98°F
August 4
1
1990
101°F
July 3
1
1991
95°F
July 18
0
1992
92°F
June 12, August 9
0
1993
90°F
August 10
0
1994
95°F
June 14
0
1995
97°F
June 17, July 13
2
1996
96°F
June 28
0
1997
95°F
June 23
0
1998
94°F
May 18
0
1999
98°F
July 30
2
2000
94°F
June 9
0
2001
98°F
August 6, 7
4
2002
95°F
June 30, July 6
0
2003
96°F
August 24
0
2004
96°F
June 30
0
2005
98°F
June 23
1
2006
101°F
July 31
5
2007
96°F
August 10
0
2008
91°F
June 6, 11, August 18
0
2009
92°F
May 20
0
2010
94°F
May 24
0
2011
101°F
June 7
1
2012
94°F
May 18
0
2013
95°F
May 14, Aug 26
0
2014
94°F
July 21
0
2015
91°F
August 14
0
2016
93°F
June 25, July 22
0
2017
92°F
June 10, July 17
0
2018
97°F
June 29
1
2019
92°F
July 15
0
2020
96°F
June 8
0
2021
98°F
June 5
2

Historic temperature data provided courtesy of the Saint Cloud National Weather Service Office, and NOAA/NWS
National Weather Service logo NOAA logo

Send comments to: raweisman@stcloudstate.edu