Warm-ups and cool downs for Berks in June averaged out to near normal

June weather was a series of warm-ups and cool downs in Berks County that in the end averaged out to a nearly normal temperature.

Rainfall started out plentiful in most spots but got more scarce in the final 10 days of the month, again in most places. But Berks isn’t close to being in a vegetation brownout mode. Brownout summers are becoming more rare.

There was one significant anomaly in June: a cold weather date record

The 47-degree low at Reading Regional Airport, the official National Weather Service site in Berks, on June 20 edged out a 48 from 1926 for the date.

It was the first cold weather date record — of either a low or high — in June since 1993. The Berks record period begins with 1898, though there are snippets of data that survived from earlier.

The date records are not evenly spread across the record period. The 1970s and ’80s dominate the cold records with the first two decades of last century adding a few, and a couple of outliers like 1926.

On the warm side it’s the reverse, with the 1930s through ’50s and this century holding most of those.

Jeffrey R. Stoudt, retired meteorologist and Berks weather historian summed up June rainfall this way:

“June brought a scattering of thunderstorms on several days, but they were mostly weak to moderate in intensity. Downpours were mostly brief in duration. Localities where heavy rain was longer lasting got somewhat greater rainfall totals. Locally to widespread hefty monthly totals are typical of June in Berks County. However, this June was absent of any total of near or over 6 inches. Rainfall totals ranged mostly between 3 and 5 inches.”

The rainfall total at the airport for the month was 3.92 inches, a respectable total but nearly an inch below normal.

Normal is the average of the most recent complete 30-year block, in this case 1991 through 2020, according to the weather service. The current June normal was boosted by the deluge years that ended last decade.

It’s ditto for the temperatures: the 1991 to 2020 block is the second warmest next to 1931-1960.

In other words, both normals are rather high.

For the first half of 2022, 23.46 inches of precipitation has been recorded at the airport, 2.57 inches above that elevated normal.

The Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center, a division of the weather service, has the county at a broad average of 24.2 inches, 2.4 above normal. The center shows most of Pennsylvania near normal but the counties along and near the Ohio line, including Allegheny, are well above normal.

July outlook

Summerlike conditions have set in with amped up humidity and chances for thunderstorms, all par for the course.

Those conditions are in the AccuWeather forecast as far as the eye can see in July with perhaps a few days that air conditioning might not be needed.

There are no 90-degree days in the forecast but that’s unlikely to hold out.

Four of the 10 hottest Berks Julys on record have occurred since 2010, but none have yet been hot enough by average temperature to dethrone 1955 at the top.

June weather

• 71.5°: Temperature

• 71.6°: Normal

• 3.92″: Rainfall

• 4.77″: Normal

90-degree days: 5 (Season, 8)

Record: 47-degree low on the 20th (48, 1926)

Source: National Weather Service

Totals from the Berks Area Rainfall Network

Boyertown, 5.59 inches; Topton, 5.13; Henningsville, 5.07; Pine Grove, 5.06; Frystown, 5.01; Mohnton (1), 4.89; Oley Furnace, 4.73; Mohrsville, 4.62; Mohnton (2), 4.51; Boyers Junction, 4.50; Mohrsville SW, 4.49; Bernville and Shartlesville, 4.47; Kutztown, 4.46; Lobachsville, 4.45; Wernersville, 4.34; Douglassville, 4.23; Lincoln Park, 3.95; Cornwall Terrace and Wyomissing Highlands, 3.83; Greenfields, 3.78; Wyomissing, 3.59; Elverson NE and Knauers, 3.58; Shillington, 3.56; Rock Hollow Woods, 3.50; Cacoosing, 3.48; New Morgan, 3.43; Adamstown, 3.33; Gibraltar, 3.23; east Reading, 3.13; and West Reading, 3.12.

Source: Berkshire mont