June heat wave brings record highs, warm lows

The Southern Illinois, Southeast Missouri and Western Kentucky areas experienced a record breaking heat wave June 12-16.

The National Weather Service office in Paducah reported on its website that a strong upper level ridge of high pressure developed across the Ohio and Tennessee Valley, producing a record breaking early season heat wave. 

Numerous record highs and warm lows were established across the region, including the first triple digit temperatures experienced since 2016 in Cape Girardeau and 2013 in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

Low temperatures in the 80s were observed in several locations, setting monthly and all-time records in some cases. 

Heat index values exceeded 105 degrees starting on June 12 and continued through June 16.

 The most oppressive day was June 13, when dew points in the mid 70s to around 80 produced heat index values of 110 to nearly 120.

Numerous record highs and warm lows were set during the heat wave. 

Paducah tied its June all-time warmest low temperature of 81 degrees. 

Cape Girardeau broke its June record and tied its all-time warmest low record of 81 degrees. 

This was the earliest in the season that 80 degree low temperatures had ever been observed at each of the sites. 

This was only the second time on record that Paducah observed four consecutive days of reaching 95 degrees this early in the season (before June 20). 

The other occurrence was back in 1952, with eight straight days at or above 95 degrees from June 9-16.