NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

JUNE 2003

1st-7th...Thunderstorms and locally heavy showers spread across the Plains and
the
Mississippi Valley on Monday, pouring more than 2 inches of rain on parts of
Oklahoma. A strong low pressure moving through the southern Plains states
produced the wet weather that stretched from Texas into the Dakotas. The
heaviest rain spread from eastern sections of Kansas and Oklahoma through
Missouri and Arkansas, extending into western sections of Tennessee and
Kentucky. Lighter rain spread north through eastern Nebraska and Iowa into
southwest Minnesota and the eastern Dakotas. Rain also moved eastward by late
afternoon into Illinois and southern Indiana. Farther south, scattered
thunderstorms developed during the afternoon from central Texas into Louisiana
and southern Arkansas. In the West, a few afternoon thunderstorms developed
over eastern Montana, and isolated light showers were scattered over other
sections of Montana, Wyoming and New Mexico. Elsewhere, scattered thunderstorms
developed over northern and southern sections of Florida.
Much of the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast was bleak and unseasonably cool
Wednesday, and showers were scattered across much of the rest of the nation as
well. A storm system over the Ohio Valley will bring plenty of rain to
southeastern New England today, while the cold front associated with this storm
system brings showers and thunderstorms to the mid-Atlantic and the Southeast
coast. Rain fell from Richmond, VA, to Washington, D.C., to New York City and
southern New England. Most of the showers were light. Florida, Georgia and the
Carolinas also had rain, and thunderstorms developed along the spine of the
Appalachians. Mostly light showers and thunderstorms spread across parts of
Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma, as well as scattered parts of Texas and the
Dakotas. Partly cloudy to fair skies and dry conditions prevailed across the
western Great Lakes and the Upper Midwest. Scattered rain fell along the
northern and central Rockies, mostly light but heavy in parts of northern
Colorado. The rest of the West was dry, although clouds shrouded the California
coast.
Early rain drenched much of the East on Friday, with showers scattered
elsewhere. Showers were spread over parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee,
Georgia, Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina. Further north, a high pressure
ridge brought mostly sunny skies with dry, calm and mild conditions to the Ohio
Valley, mid-Atlantic and Northeast. An area of low pressure in North Dakota,
produced mostly cloudy skies in the northern Plains, Midwest, Missouri Valley
and western Great Lakes. Scattered showers and thunderstorms were reported
across the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and eastern Missouri.
In the West, mostly cloudy skies with scattered showers stretched across
Montana, Wyoming and northern Colorado. Skies were sunny in the southern
Rockies, desert Southwest, Four Corners, Great Basin and Pacific Northwest.

8th-14th...Thunderstorms spread across parts of Florida on Monday, and showers
and occasional thundershowers were scattered along the Rockies and over the
northern Plains. A cold front passing over the Southeast produced thunderstorms
and showers over the Florida Peninsula, with the strongest concentration of
storms during the afternoon spanning the southern half of the peninsula. The
unsettled weather forced NASA to postpone the launch of a rocket carrying the
first of two rovers destined to examine the surface of Mars for evidence of
water. Monday's launch was postponed until Tuesday afternoon. A few storms also
formed during the afternoon over the Florida Panhandle and southern Georgia. In
the West, scattered showers and thundershowers formed during the afternoon
along and west of the Rockies, affecting parts of western Montana, western
Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. Showers also extended from New Mexico into
southeastern Arizona, and westward from Colorado across Utah into parts of
Nevada. An area of more concentrated showers stretched across eastern Montana
and North Dakota, with light showers also extending into South Dakota and
north-central Nebraska. Elsewhere, a few isolated, light showers moved through
parts of the Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma. In the Northeast, a few showers
moved through parts of New York state and Maine.
Thunderstorms spread through the Mississippi into the Gulf Coast states and the
Ohio Valley on Wednesday. Storms moved out of eastern Oklahoma and Kansas early
in the day, spreading through Missouri and Arkansas into southern Illinois and
Kentucky. Parts of Oklahoma had severe storms during the night, with scattered
power outages, and 2.16 inches of rain at Norman caused street flooding. By
mid-afternoon, scattered storms had spread across Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama and Tennessee, and moved through Kentucky into southern West Virginia.
Storms and showers also rolled across Illinois into Indiana and parts of Ohio.
Isolated thunderstorms developed in parts of Georgia, the Carolinas and
southern Florida.
Farther north, showers and a few thunderstorms rolled through Pennsylvania and
New York state into Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and parts of Maine.
Elsewhere, an area of rain with a few thunderstorms spread across Montana and
into western North Dakota. Isolated, light showers were scattered over the
Plains from Texas to South Dakota.
Much of the country got at least a little wet Friday, although parts of the
central and southwestern United States were dry. Areas of northern, central and
western Texas were hit with many showers and strong to severe thunderstorms, as
well as a couple of tornado sightings. Heavy rainfall in Missouri combined with
already saturated ground prompted flood warnings near St. Louis, which received
close to an inch of rain. The Northeast, Southeast and Gulf Coast received
scattered showers and thunderstorms and mostly cloudy skies. Illinois, Indiana,
Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Virginia saw similar weather,
with gusty winds, locally heavy rainfall and frequent lightning. In southern
Texas, the central and northern Plains and the upper and lower Mississippi
Valley, conditions were dry and clear to partly cloudy. Light showers fell
throughout the Rockies, in parts of the Great Basin and in the Pacific
Northwest. The rest of the West was dry and clear to partly cloudy, except for
fog along the California coast.

15th-21st...Rain, heavy at times, lashed parts of the East on Monday while
sunny skies spread over much of the West. A line of showers and thunderstorms
stretched from the Mid-Atlantic to the western Gulf of Mexico, bringing
flooding to West Virginia, Ohio and neighboring states. Up to 6 inches of rain
drenched the area between Cincinnati and Dayton. Severe storms also swept
through Texas and Louisiana, with flash flood warnings in Arkansas. Fair skies
spread over the central and southern Plains, while a cold front brought
scattered showers and thunderstorms to the northern Plains. Most of the West
stayed dry, with light rain in parts of Montana and the high plains.
Flood watches were in effect Wednesday across much of the Southeast, which was
hit with scattered moderate to heavy rain showers and thunderstorms. Storms
were particularly heavy in southern Georgia and northern Florida, which also
saw gusty winds and small hail. The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast were bleak with
extensive cloudiness and scattered showers. The upper Midwest and Great Lakes
were partly to mostly cloudy but generally dry, although parts of Wisconsin and
Iowa saw very light showers. The lower Mississippi and Missouri river valleys
received showers, as did parts of the central Plains and Colorado. The Dakotas
were dry and sunny to partly cloudy, as were much of Oklahoma and Texas. The
West was dry as well, aside from some light rain in parts of Oregon and
Washington.
A slow-moving cold front Friday triggered showers from the mid-Atlantic states
to Florida while much of the rest of the country saw the sun. The rain was
light to moderate from northern Virginia and Maryland to New York and eastern
Pennsylvania. Scattered thunderstorms across the Carolinas produced hail the
size of dimes, winds up to 60 mph and dangerous lightning. Farther south, rain
continued to saturate much of Florida. The heaviest rainfall occurred from
Tallahassee down along the Gulf Coast to Tampa. For a second consecutive day,
Brooksville recorded the highest precipitation in the nation - 3.35 inches.
Several small creeks and streams in the area left their banks. Sunshine and
dry, windy conditions dominated the Midwest. A low-pressure trough covered much
of the West. Cloudy skies stretched from the Great Basin to and the Pacific
Northwest. Colorado and New Mexico had thunderstorms that produced wind gusts
up to 70 mph, large hail and lightning. Mostly sunny skies and dry conditions
were found across California and the desert Southwest.

22nd-30th...Thunderstorms spread across southern Florida and along the Gulf
Coast on Monday, and storms also rolled through parts of the Upper Midwest.
Showers and thunderstorms covered large parts of the southern tip of Florida,
with the bulk of the stormy weather south of the Lake Manatee area, where
downpours last week caused severe weekend flooding southeast of Tampa. A few
storms also formed along the coast of Texas, southeastern Louisiana and the
shores of Mississippi and Alabama. In the Upper Midwest, strong thunderstorms
and heavy showers moved across central Minnesota. Showers and a few
thundershowers stretched along the Wisconsin-Minnesota state line into eastern
Iowa, northeastern Missouri and western Illinois. And to the west, a few
thundershowers were scattered over central sections of the Dakotas. Storms
early in the day had poured locally heavy rain on parts of the Plains and Upper
Midwest. In the West, afternoon showers were scattered from northern California
across northern Nevada into northern Utah and parts of Utah. A few showers also
were scattered over eastern Oregon and parts of Idaho. Elsewhere, showers were
scattered over Maine and parts of New Hampshire as the remnants of a storm
system that soaked the Northeast during the weekend moved out to sea. In the
Southwest, radar showed showers forming during the afternoon in extreme western
Texas. Hot, humid air flowed into the southern Plains and lower Mississippi
Valley, pushing temperatures into the upper 80's and 90's.
Locally heavy rain spread across the Upper Midwest early Wednesday, and
thunderstorms rushed out of the Plains into the Mississippi Valley during the
afternoon. The rain moved out of the Dakotas and across Minnesota into
Wisconsin and Upper Michigan during the morning. Within the area of showers,
thunderstorms developed from eastern Nebraska across northern Iowa and southern
Minnesota into northern Wisconsin. During the afternoon, a band of concentrated
thunderstorms formed across eastern Kansas, northern and central Missouri, much
of Iowa and southern Wisconsin. A few storms also extended southward into
Arkansas. The storms formed along a cold front that was pressing southeastward
and separating hot, muggy air from cool, northerly wind. During the early
afternoon, temperatures fell into the 50's in parts of the Dakotas, while
readings on the central Plains were still in the upper 80's. Farther southwest
along the front, showers and a few thundershowers formed from Oklahoma into
northern and western Texas. West of the front, scattered showers developed from
the northern Rockies across Montana and Wyoming into northern Colorado, western
Nebraska and the Dakotas. Unseasonably chilly air covered the northern Rockies,
holding early afternoon temperatures in the 40's in some areas. Elsewhere,
afternoon thunderstorms spread across southeastern Texas and southern
Louisiana, and along parts of the Florida Keys.
New Orleans reported more than 6 inches of rain, while Pensacola, FL, reported
4.76 inches on Monday. To the north, golfball-sized hail struck the town of
Vassalboro, Maine, while damaging winds downed several trees and power lines
in Freedom, Maine. Conditions began to clear and dry in the mid-Atlantic states
and around the Great Lakes. Mostly clear skies and dry weather stretched from
the northern Plains to the upper Midwest and central Plains. To the south, a
weak frontal boundary clashing with moisture from Tropical Storm Bill brought
scattered showers and thunderstorms to much of Missouri, Arkansas, far eastern
Oklahoma, and central and eastern Texas. While only a few isolated severe
storms developed, rainfall was significant, with 2.15 inches reported in
Batesville, AR. In the West, widely scattered showers and thunderstorms
developed over portions of Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and along the Front Range
of the Rockies in Colorado and New Mexico. The majority of these showers,
however, were light.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms increased in coverage and strength over the
high Plains of eastern Montana. Further west, light rain and drizzle fell in
Washington and northwestern Oregon. The rest of the West remained hot and dry.