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June Sees Sizzling Summer Heat Stick Around

June

A photo of sun and clouds over Grandfather Mountain

Jul 1, 2026

Heat Heightens and Drought Drags On in June

The start of summer brought several waves of hot weather, plus mostly dry weather with a few late-month rain showers. For more potential rain chances, we check in on the tropics and the emerging El Niño event. Summer Sizzle Sets In Multiple rounds of hot weather made this an overall warmer-than-normal June in North Carolina.…
A photo of the sun in a hazy, cloudy sky over the Outer Banks on June 1

Jul 7, 2025

June Started Wet, Ended Hot with Active Air Quality

June was warm overall thanks to a late-month heat wave and mostly wet due to early-month showers and storms. It also saw several air quality hazards, as revealed by our recent AIR tool updates. Building to a Summer Sizzle Boosted by a late-month heat wave, last month was our state’s warmest June since 2018. The…
A photo of sunset between two trees near Lincolnton, NC.

Jul 5, 2024

A Record Dry June Accelerates Drought’s Arrival

Extreme heat hit home in June, with little rainfall throughout the month. That combination brought the rapid onset of drought conditions in North Carolina. Summer Sizzle Shows Up A boost from a late-month heat wave helped put our June temperatures well above normal. The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) reports a preliminary statewide average…
A photo of sunrise over the Pasquotank River on June 16

Jul 10, 2023

Smoke and Storms Fill the Skies in June

Cool and at times smoky conditions continued in June, while a week of showers and storms reversed the dry pattern we started the month with. We also look at the numbers after the first half of 2023, and preview the main storylines for the end of the year. Spared from Summer Heat, but Not Smoke…
A photo of low water levels at Pig Basket Creek in Nash County

Jun 30, 2022

Summer Starts with Scarce Rain, Sizzling Heat in June

Our scattered showers were exactly that last month, while our temperatures turned up during two stretches of extreme heat. Both have caused expanding dryness and drought across North Carolina. Dry Weather Dominates Rain was tough to come by last month, and as a result, we had our driest June in more than three decades. The…
The June 2021 precipitation summary infographic, highlighting the monthly average temperature, departure from normal, and comparison to historical and recent years

Jul 2, 2021

Rainfall Extremes in June Jumble the State Drought Map

While the rain reigned in eastern North Carolina last month, the western Piedmont stayed dry and has seen a degradation on the state drought map. Plus, how do our temperatures compare to the recent records out west? From Really Dry to Record Wet In some months, a statewide average acts as a good representation for…

Jul 7, 2020

Summer Sputters to a Start in a Cool, Cloudy June

June continued our late-spring cooler pattern with wet conditions in parts of the state. At the halfway point in 2020, we also check the year-to-date temperature and precipitation rankings. Cool Temperatures and Cloudy Days Our cool spring has spilled over into summer. The statewide average temperature last month was 73.3°F, ranking as our 50th-coolest June since 1895, according to data from the National Centers…

Jul 2, 2019

June Rains Offer Relief, But Not Full Drought Recovery

June brought wet weather across much of North Carolina, as well as a mid-month break from the heat. It also saw our office get out and about to a number of weather stations and events across the state and even across the country. A Wet Month in the North and West After a dry May…

Jul 3, 2018

June Sees Sizzling Summer Heat Stick Around

Mother Nature turned up the thermostat last month, giving us a particularly steamy start to the summer. Our latest climate summary takes a look at the past month’s weather, including our warm temperatures, areas of increasing dryness, and tropical activity — or lack thereof. Hot Weather from Summits to Sounds High pressure systems taking a…