June was a soggy and hot month for the Historic Triangle, with rainfall levels and temperatures well above average.
The National Weather Service’s Wakefield office relies on measuring stations at the Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport and Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport to keep track of rainfall and temperatures.
Williamsburg recorded 10.5 inches of rain during June, far above the 3.9 inch average for the month. The Newport News airport — located close to the most developed parts of York County — received 9.8 inches of rain despite an average of only 4.2 inches for the month.
“It was a wet month,” NWS Meteorologist Matt Scalara said of June. “You have some dry months and wet months. We had a lot of low pressure systems and a lot of thunderstorms. These things happen over the summer.”
June also brought above-average temperatures. Williamsburg recorded an average 77 degrees across the month compared to the historic average of 74 degrees, while Newport News recorded a monthly average of 81 degrees. The historic average at that station is 76 degrees.
NWS predicts the coming months to be drier and warmer. July appears to be lining up with historic averages for rainfall and temperature through the first week of the month.
Scalara said the next one to three months should feature below average precipitation with slightly higher than average temperatures.
Despite the hotter, wetter June, Colonial Williamsburg enjoyed a 1 percent increase in leisure sale tickets, while admissions to the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg climbed 2.7 percent.
“With the exception of outdoor programming that was already contingent on weather, operations were not significantly impacted,” Colonial Williamsburg Spokesman Joe Straw said in an email.
The Virginia Department of Transportation, which maintains almost all of the roads in James City and York counties, did not experience much trouble either.
VDOT Spokeswoman Jennifer Gwaltney said some mowing was delayed due to the rain, but it has not affected any planned work or construction projects. VDOT is also unaware of any ponding or drainage issues related to rain on Interstate 64, though there has been an increase in drainage sinkholes and ponding on some of the secondary roads.
“Overall, there have been no major impacts from the rain events,” she wrote in an email.
Busch Gardens and Water Country USA spokesman Kevin Crossett said he is not able to discuss how weather affected the parks due to rules from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission governing insider trading.
