• A severe thunderstorm threat in the Deep South today could bring damaging winds, hail and isolated tornadoes from northern Texas all the way across to northern Florida. Learn why this is an unusual weather pattern for June.
• Roads were closed and cars were stranded in Colorado yesterday as strong storms brought heavy rain, hail and flooding to parts of the state.
• An early season heat wave will persist across much of the south-central U.S. into next week.

This Caught My Eye
Chris Dolce
Senior Digital Meteorologist

The Puerto Rico heat wave has been caused by an unusually strong and persistent area of high pressure aloft. Warm water temperatures and Saharan dust intrusions have also played a role.

The most stifling heat relative to average in the U.S. so far this June is in a location you might not think of first.

San Juan, Puerto Rico, has equaled the hottest 12-day period that the U.S. territory capital has experienced in 125 years of records. Its average daily temperature was 86.7 degrees (highs and lows combined) from May 31 to June 11, as calculated by the local National Weather Service office.

In that time, San Juan broke or tied daily record highs on five of the 12 days. It also tied its warmest June low temperature of 82 degrees on three consecutive days.

Weather Words

‘Swullocking’

Swullocking is an old adjective from England that means “overpoweringly hot.” It’s related to the word “swelking,” which means sultry. Swullocking, however, indicates hotter and more uncomfortable conditions. To use it, you might say to a friend “what a swullocking hot day it is!”

This week, we’re seeing swullocking weather in many locations, from Puerto Rico to India. The continental U.S. will see some early summer swullocking heat in Texas and parts of the Midwest as well, while much of the United Kingdom is under a heat advisory. Which is all to say, I guess, that swullocking season really has begun.