How Will this May be Remembered?

Just last Monday, Washingtonians were lamenting this May’s cool and wet weather.  However, May 2016 is no longer poised to finish among the Top 5 coolest on record in the Nation’s Capital following a week of warmer than average temperatures.  It will still finish up as one of the wetter Mays in recent memory.

Today could be the 20^th day of measureable rainfall this month in the Nation’s Capital – that would tie the monthly record from May 2003.  That includes a record streak of 15-consecutive days with measureable rain which ended on May 11.  The combination of clouds and rain helped suppress temperatures.  In fact, through May 22, the average temperature this month – combining daily highs and lows – was more than five degrees below average at 59.6 degrees.

However, there was a significant shift in the weather pattern last week that brought much of the eastern United States summer-like weather.  While Washington, D.C. enjoyed temperatures in the 80s over the past week, many cities in New England saw record warmth.  This past Saturday, May 28, Albany, NY, set a record high of 93 degrees, while Providence, RI also tied its record high of 91 degrees.

Area residents and tourists alike have enjoyed daily high temperatures in the 80s for the past week.  The warmest it’s officially been in the Nation’s Capital was 88 degrees on May 26 and May 27.  It hasn’t been 90 degrees or warmer in Washington, D.C. since it was 94 degrees on September 9, 2015.  Longtime residents know a day or two of 90-degree heat prior to the start of meteorological summer on June 1 is common in the Nation’s Capital.  Washingtonians have experienced at least one day of 90-degree heat in 15 of the 23 May’s since 1993.  May 2016 will, however, finish as the first May since 2013 without any 90-degree temperatures.

May 2016 will finish as the coolest since 2005 in Washington, D.C., with an average temperature – combining daily highs and lows – of 63.0 degrees.  By comparison, last May was the warmest on record in the Nation’s Capital with an average temperature of 73.2 degrees.  This May has also been the wettest since 2009 with 5.65” of rain.  Washingtonians can take satisfaction in their perseverance in getting through the cool and wet weather that dominated most of the month.