June 26-30, 2002: A Warmer and Drier End to June.

The final 5 days of June turned warmer and drier in most of the Midwest, although there were some isolated locations that received heavy rain as a trough slowly moved across the Midwest from west to east. A band from west-central Wisconsin, through central Indiana, to eastern Kentucky received 1.0 to 2.0 inches of rain (Figure 31). These areas and southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois received about 100% of normal rain, while the remainder of the Midwest was drier than normal (Figure 32). The western two-thirds of Iowa received less than 0.25 inches of rain, with the northwestern part of the state receiving no rain at all as temperatures climbed into the 90s. Temperatures were above normal throughout the Midwest, but especially in northern Minnesota, which was 10-12°F above normal for the June 26-30 period (Figure 33). The combination of a lack of rain and high temperatures in the western and central Corn Belt caused concern, especially for those corn fields that were planted late due to heavy spring rains and potentially have shallower root systems than normal. The western portion of Iowa is suffering from well below normal soil moisture amounts (Figure 34, Climate Prediction Center - CPC).

On June 30, widespread temperatures in the 90s (Figure 35) and dew points in the mid-70s caused heat index values well above 100 to be measured in Chicago (104 at O'Hare) and Minneapolis (104). Even Houghton, MI, in the Upper Peninsula reached a heat index of 101, which is quite unusual for the latitude and time of year. The pattern of heat index values was somewhat scattered, as cloud formation kept some temperatures down, while places that received more sun had higher air temperatures and heat index values. In Wisconsin, Medford (105) and Osceola (113) had some of the highest heat index values reported, on the strength of fairly localized dew points of 81°F in both locations. In areas with more widespread dew point agreement, Muscatine (109) and Carroll (107), IA, and Crystal (110), MN, had warm temperatures to go with mid-70s dew points to attain high heat index values.