Mid-point of summer and the Ozarks have been warm & wet

We are officially midway through meteorological summer. While there have been days of high heat and stifling humidity , judging from history, it could be much worse. Overall, the first 45 days of summer have been 0.8° above average. We’ve also seen a surplus of rain, measuring 2.06″ above average. We have yet to make it to 100°.

The hottest day of the year so far was on June 29, 2024, when Springfield reached 96°. With the heat index, it felt more like 105°. The coolest temperature of the summer was on June 7, 2024, when we dropped to 55°.

Rain has been consistent this summer. We measured 8.44″ of rain from June 1 to July 15, 2024. The rainiest 24-hour time period was on June 8-9, 2024. During that time, Springfield officially picked up 3.08″ of rain. Overall, we’ve seen rain on 18 out of 45 days.

The current weather trend is one where a ridge has set-up over the western half of the country for much of the summer. The trough has been moving in and out of the Ozarks, bringing persistent rain showers for what is normally a dry period of weather.

The excess rainfall has kept the vast majority of the Ozarks out of drought conditions. This is a stark change from the summer of 2023 , where the first half of summer only brought 4.12″ of rain.

Out west, the ridge has led to dry and hot conditions. Currently, hot weather advisories are in effect for parts of Oregon and Washington state.

The current pattern looks to continue. Thanks to an incoming cold front, the next week will be nearly 5-12° below normal for the middle part of July. On top of cooler temperatures, we will also see rounds of rain to add to our surplus of precipitation.

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