June was another record month for heat in Abilene

Abilene only had four really hot days in June, but heat records still fell.

With temperature hitting 101 on Thursday, the month ended with 21 100-degree or hotter days. That ties the record set in 1953, according to the National Weather Service office in San Angelo.

The 14 days of triple digits in May doubled the record for that month.

The average high of 99.5 degrees was the third hottest on record, while the low reading average of 73.5 was the fourth.

This considers that the first four days of June were under 100; in fact, two of those days were under 90. So, the final 26 days were extremely hot.

The median daily temperature of 86.5 was second only to the 87.7 recorded in 1953.

That year is significant because Abilene had 37 100-degree days overall. That's 10th on the all-time list, matched in 1998.

On Friday, the temperature by 3 p.m. had cleared 100, giving Abilene 36 days and putting the city on the edge of cracking the top 10.

Four daily records were broken or tied.

It was 106 degrees on June 6, breaking the 1948 record of 104.

The 102-degree mark on June 10 equaled a record.

The two hottest days of the month crushed previous records.

It was 108 on June 11, besting the mark of 105 set in 1955 and 2012.

And the 109 on June 12 topped the previous record of 106, set in 1942.

Abilene normally gets 3.56 inches of rain in June, which is the rainiest month. However, the city measured just 0.69 on an inch.

The month ended with Abilene more than 8 inches behind its average total for six months.

The forecast through Thursday calls for continued hot weather and more 100-degree days, which would push Abilene's total higher into the top 10.

A high of 100 is forecast for Independence Day.

The all-time record was set in 2011, at 81 days. But No. 2 is 46, set in 1934.

There is little indication of rain, perhaps a 20% chance Sunday.

Greg Jaklewicz is editor of the Abilene Reporter-News and general columnist. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: June was another record month for heat in Abilene