Climate Summary
Summer has been warmer and wetter than normal for most Ohioans through the first half of the season. June 2025 ranks as the 10th warmest average temperature on record since 1895 and 3rd warmest for overnight lows during the month. Average temperature in July is running 2-6°F above normal. While growing degree days (GDDs) were well behind schedule at the end of spring, all of Ohio has now accumulated between 1000-1400 GDDs since May 1, which is up to 90 GDDs above average for the period.
June ranks as the 32nd wettest, but much of southern Ohio had much above normal precipitation. This pattern has continued throughout July as well. Just over the last 30 days, widespread 6-9 inches of rain (1.5-2x normal) has fallen in portions of central and southern Ohio (Figure 1). Since May 1, 15-24 inches of rain has fallen from the Cincinnati region through Pickaway, Ross, and Farifield Counties and southeast to Washington County. It is hard to imagine just a year ago, some of these counties were in the heart of historic drought conditions. Elsewhere, rains have been spotty in portions of west central and northwest Ohio, where only 1.8-4 inches of rain has fallen over the last 30 days. Drought stress is now evident with minor impacts to crops, decreasing pond levels , and dormant lawns. For the latest up-to-date conditions, seasonal outlooks, and monthly climate summaries, please visit the State Climate Office of Ohio.
Weather Forecast
We started the week off with westerly to northwesterly flow around high pressure to our southwest. This pattern has brought multiple rounds of showers and storms to the Buckeye State over the last several days. The high pressure should start to expand into the Ohio Valley for Tuesday through Thursday, as temperatures climb from the 80s into the low 90s over the period. With plenty of surface moisture around, heat index values may top 100°F during the afternoons and a few scattered storms are possible. The frontal boundary will sag back to the south across Ohio for Friday through the weekend, bringing a better chance for showers and storms. Overall, the the National Weather Service is currently forecasting 0.5-1 inch of rain for most of Ohio (Figure 2). With a very saturated atmosphere, some locations may see heavier totals where thunderstorms occur and linger.
The 8-14 day outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for the period of July 29 – August 4 and the 16-Day Rainfall Outlook from NOAA/NWS/Ohio River Forecast Center show above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation are favored (Figure 3). We have reached our peak climatological summer temperatures, with a typical high-temperature range of 83-87°F, a low-temperature range of 63-67°F, and weekly total precipitation of 0.90-1.15 inches.
