It was hot last month in Los Alamos and White Rock. Or was it? Several rather warm days in June might lead the casual observer to think temperatures were above average in the two towns.
But according to Laboratory meteorologist Scot Johnson, temperatures were about normal last month. While there were some warm days, the average temperature in Los Alamos in June was 66 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1 F above normal. In White Rock, the average temperature of 67 F was right on normal.
Ironically, the only temperature records established last month occurred June 7 when the low temperature in Los Alamos and White Rock dropped to 34 F, breaking the record of 36 F and 37 F respectively.
Los Alamos and White Rock also saw near normal precipitation. Early June saw some rain showers and gusty winds, including gusts of 56 and 65 miles per hour June 6 in Los Alamos and White Rock.
A trough of low pressure brought more precipitation to the area between June 10 and 12, followed by more rain on June 16. The latter storm brought three-quarter-inch hail to Los Alamos. For the month, 1.28 inches of precipitation was recorded in Los Alamos and White Rock, just slightly below normal.
Through June, Johnson said about 6 ½ inches of precipitation has been recorded in Los Alamos, while 5.16 inches of precipitation has been recorded in White Rock, or about 106 percent of normal.
Johnson said New Mexico’s “monsoon” season typically begins in July, but the North American monsoon is not well understood and predictable, so few forecasts of the monsoon season are available. He added that the Climate Prediction Center of the National Center for Environmental Prediction is forecasting warmer-than-average temperatures and “equal chances” for (higher or lower than normal) precipitation into summer of 2008.
Aside from the early-month wind gusts, winds were about normal in Los Alamos and normal in White Rock in June.
For more information about weather in the region, go to http://weather.lanl.gov/ online.
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