June more ‘thunderstormy’ than usual in New England

CONCORD, N.H. – Many northern New Englanders wouldn’t be surprised to learn the region had more days of thunderstorms and rain than normal in June. But it’s not as unusual as some think.

“It’s not atypical,” National Weather Service technician Art Lester said Monday. “Thunderstorms are a summer staple.”

There were nine days of thunderstorms in June in Concord, exactly the way it usually is.

“It just doesn’t seem possible,” said Janine Lep of Salisbury. “I think the precipitation this year has been insane. I feel like a mole.”

Bob Sturke, a psychologist from Concord, had a similar take on things.

“It feels more like April,” he said. “It’s more erratic. It’s not like what my revisionist memory thinks it was.”

The number of days with storms during the month was double the average in Burlington, Vt., where there were 10, and in Portland, Maine, which had seven. Some days had multiple storm warnings – June 10, for example, when the weather service office in Burlington said it put out 19.

“There’s been a lot of tree damage, a good deal of hail, a lot of downpours and belly washers,” Lester said.

He said lightning also caused a number of fires, some at homes.

“It’s been a more-active-than-usual June, but it’s not unheard of or anything,” Lester said. “June is traditionally a thunderstormy month around here, as are July and August.”

June also was wet in the three states. With half a day remaining, Portland had 3.87 inches of rainfall for the month, seven-tenths of an inch above the 30-year average.

Burlington and Concord each got about 5 inches, almost 2 inches above their averages of 3.31 and 3.10, respectively. Lester noted that Concord got far more rain – 8.85 inches – during June 2006, when parts of the state had floods.

That didn’t pacify some northern New Englanders.

“It’s really wet and damp and miserable,” said Becky Levick of Concord. “I feel kind of moldy.”

And the rain for the month may not have ended. The weather service was predicting thunderstorms, possibly with hail, in parts of Maine and New Hampshire Monday evening.