Hot June for Tri-Cities, July could be a little warmer than usual

July is starting out slightly warmer than usual in the Tri-Cities, and that could be the trend for the month, according to the National Weather Service.

It predicts temperatures for the month that are close to or possibly above normal. Normal highs for the Tri-Cities in July are 90.3 degrees and normal lows are 61.7 degrees.

Once again, last month was warmer than normal for the Tri-Cities, according to the National Weather Service. The above-normal average came despite a cool spell in the middle of June. May also was warmer than usual.

June was the 26th month of the last 28 with an average temperature that was higher than usual at the Hanford Meteorological Station, said the Hanford Meteorology Service.

Records were set at the Hanford met station for both the hottest and coldest daily temperatures since records began being collected in 1945:

▪  On June 5, the high of 102 topped the previous record high of 101 set in 1978.

▪  On June 6, the high of 106 was warmer than the previous record high of 102 last recorded in 1970.

▪  On June 7, the high of 104 beat the previous record of 102 set in 2015.

▪  On June 14, the low of 42 was colder than the record low of 44 last recorded in 2012.

▪  On June 19, the low of 42 was colder than the record low of 43 set in 1986.

On five days in June temperatures reached at least 100 at the Hanford station. Usually, the temperature on only one day in June hits at least 100.

In the Tri-Cities, temperatures in June averaged 71.3, which was 2.5 degrees above normal. Highs averaged 85.1, which was 3.5 degrees above normal. The warmest day was June 7, with a high of 102.

July likely will be drier than usual for the Tri-Cities, according to the National Weather Service. Usual precipitation is just 0.22 inch.

June was also drier than usual, with total precipitation of 0.43 inch, which was slightly below normal. Rain fell on just three days in the Tri-Cities.

Precipitation for the year in the Tri-Cities has reached 5.22 inches, which is close to an inch above normal. Precipitation for the water year, which starts in October, also is about an inch above normal at 8 inches.

The peak wind gust as measured in Kennewick for the month was 48 mph on June 24. At the Hanford Meteorological Station it was 43 mph on June 29. Gusts of at least 40 mph were recorded on five days.

This story was originally published July 1, 2016 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Hot June for Tri-Cities, July could be a little warmer than usual."