Photo by Shane Tomcheck A storm cloud moves over Thunder Bay in this photo submitted to the News by y Shane Tomcheck last week.

ALPENA – Slightly cool temperatures ruled most of June in the Alpena area, with rain totals running above normal, the National Weather Service said.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Eleanor Delizio said the cooler pattern lasted most of the month, but the heatwave at the end of June helped to bump averages up.

“This past month we were working with cooler temperatures to start the month, and it remained that way throughout most of June,” Delizio said. “That kind of reflects the cooler stretch of weather that we had, and we are just now warming up and getting into that warmer air mass.”

Daily high temperatures often stayed in the 60s and 70s for much of the month. Lows were mostly in the 40s and 50s during the overnight hours.

The average high temperature for June was 75.9 degrees, right at the normal mark. The average low was 50.9 degrees, a bit above the normal of 50.4 degrees.

The overall average temperature was 63.4 degrees, very close to normal. The warmest day was June 30, when the high reached 92 degrees.

The precipitation level was above average last month.

The area received 3.69 inches of rain last month. That is more than the long-term average of 2.74 inches. Delizio explained why.

“We had a total of 3.69 inches of precipitation in June and that is above normal for the month,” Delizio said. “Which makes sense because we were cooler, and we kept getting weather systems that rolled through the area that produced rain.”

Rain fell for several days. Some of the bigger amounts came on June 6 with nearly an inch, while other days produced rain but not as much. These rain events came from weather systems moving through the region while the air stayed cooler.

Over the years, Alpena has seen much hotter and colder June days. The hottest temperature ever recorded in June here is 104 degrees, set on June 1, 1934. The coldest is 27 degrees, which happened on a few early June days back in the 1920s and 1940s. June 2026 did not come close to those extremes.

This kind of weather affects daily life in simple ways. Many people needed jackets or umbrellas for cooler, rainy days. Outdoor fun like boating or beach visits on Lake Huron may have been slower early in the month. However, the extra rain helped keep grass, gardens, and arm fields green and healthy. It was a welcomed change after spring weather that had its ups and downs.

The National Weather Service continues to track weather patterns across northern Michigan. With the warmer air now in place, July is starting out on a more typical summer note that should support outdoor fun, tourism and community events.