John McGinley, Peak to Peak.   Warmer and drier than normal was the key finding in the statistics. The mean temperature was a huge 7 degrees above normal. This was brought on by many dry, windy days and downslope conditions. Almost all precipitation came mid-month, as moisture from Hurricane Bud blew into the state from the 15th to the 19th. Total for the month was 1.59 inches, about 0.20 below normal. The monsoon never got established even though there was a minor surge on the 23rd.

Precipitation: The first two weeks were completely dry. Bud’s moisture brought some relief with 1.45 inches. The big day was the 17th where over an inch fell. Total moisture almost hit normal, falling a bit short.

Temperature: Average high for the month was 77F with an average low of 47F. These means were more like July. The mean monthly temperature was 62F, about 7 degrees above normal. We hit the highest temperature of 89F on the 28th with the lowest low of 39F on the 25th. A strong cold front brought in this cool air with a high of only 58F on the 24th and the aforementioned 39F.

Winds: A typical June has three windy (40+mph) days. This month we saw six days, much windier than normal. These were mostly downslope winds accounting for the warm day and night temperatures.

Other features: With 14 days in the 80s and windy conditions, the fire threat was high most of the month. The monsoon failed to establish itself with any continuity. A strong cold front for late June moved in on the 24th giving a fall-like high of 58F and a low of 39F.

Outlook for July: Owing to the holiday deadlines for the Mountain-Ear, we find ourselves well into July as this column is being written. The first ten days of July have been warm with minimal precipitation. A typical July has an average high of 77F and a low of 47F. The monsoon brings much more precipitation than June with 2.76 inches. We have a long way to go as only 0.10 have fallen so far. Good news is that it looks like the monsoon will become locked in for the remaining weeks in July. Because of the moist conditions, temperatures will be a bit cooler than normal.

(Originally published in the July 12, 2018, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)