A Very Dry June

After persistent and soaking rain that flooded area rivers and farm fields this spring, June has been a complete 180 to very dry conditions. Here is where the past three months have registered:

April: 6.33" --2nd wettest all time
May: 5.88" --9th wettest all time
June: 0.51" --3rd driest all time

The only years that eclipse this year's bone dry weather in June were in 1946 with 0.27" and 1876 with 0.12" of precipitation.

So Long La Nina!

A transition from La Niña to ENSO-neutral conditions occurred during May 2011 as indicated by generally small sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies across the equatorial Pacific Ocean. The latest weekly Niño index values showed near-average SSTs in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific. Notice the figure below the absence of the "below average" sea surface temperatures that would typically be associated with the La Nina regime.



The duration of this La Nina was just less than 12 months, which is on the low end of the "average" duration of a La Nina event.


CLICK HERE for a full discussion on the end to La Nina.

Latest Solar Storm

The wait for the Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) continues. As it is expected to make but a glancing blow on the Earth's magnetic field, the timing of the impact is difficult (much more straightforward for a direct hit). Look for G1 (minor) Geomagnetic Storm conditions from 1200 UTC tomorrow (June 9) through June 10. The possibility remains for heightened Radiation Storm levels with the passage of the CME shock, but nothing greater than S2 (moderate) is forecast.

These types of eruptions can cause troubles with airline travels, GPS systems and have been known to knock power grids off line.


CLICK HERE for and Awesome animation of the GOES 15 Solar X-Ray Imager that is pictured below!!!