NOAA's temperature outlook for May |
Although March and April
were both drier than average in the Nation’s Capital, a major shift in the
weather pattern has brought an extended period of unsettled weather to the
Mid-Atlantic Region. A total of 1.22
inches of rain has fallen in Washington, D.C. since April 27 which reduced the
rainfall deficit that had grown to 3 inches just since March 1.
Although
there is no drought in the DC Metro Region, there has been some drier than average weather during the last few months.
Seven of the last nine months since last August have featured below
average rainfall with a running deficit of 5.27” through April 30. So, the rainfall that’s fallen the last few
days has been quite beneficial for Washingtonians.
Like April, the month of
May features a wide variety of weather in the Nation’s Capital. The average high and low temperatures on May
1 are 71 and 52 degrees, respectively, and rise to 80 and 61 degrees on May
31. Washington, D.C.’s hottest May daily
temperature on record is 99 degrees, which occurred on May 31, 1991. Its coldest May temperature on record is 33
degrees, which occurred on May 11, 1936.
Area residents should also be pleased to know that average highs will be
at least 70 degrees in the Nation’s Capital from now through October 12.
May is also the wettest
month of the year in Washington, D.C. with 3.99” of rain on average. However, five of the last six Mays have
featured below average rainfall in the Nation’s Capital according to the
National Weather Service. Yesterday we
received 0.48” of rain at National Airport, whereas that much rain didn’t occur
until May 16 in 2015. Concurrently,
there is also a stretch of six consecutive warmer than average Mays in Washington,
D.C. Area residents may recall that May
2015 narrowly surpassed May 1991 as being the warmest on record.
A key factor that enhances May’s rainfall chances is the higher frequency of showers and thunderstorms that typically occur during the spring. For example, a powerful EF5 tornado developed in Moore, Oklahoma as part of an outbreak of more than 30 tornadoes on May 20, 2013; and on May 8, 2008 when 10 tornadoes occurred from North Carolina to Maryland.
May has also featured cooler
than average weather. An example is May
2003, which was more than four degrees cooler than average in the Nation’s
Capital and also significantly wetter than average. NOAA’s temperature outlook for this May is
for a 40% chance it will be warmer than average, but only a 50-50 chance for
above average monthly precipitation.
Glad to see the cold go elsewhere until October!
ReplyDeleteSend some of that excess precip West!!
ReplyDeleteAs May comes to a close, the weather pattern has changed dramatically. Those anxious for drier, more summery weather will be please. No more sustained rainy and cool stretches on the horizon.
ReplyDelete