WeatherWatcher: May 2011 was drier than normal - yes, really

Carls Shoreline Weather Station

We actually are drier this year in May then the previous two years. We still averaged about 4ºF cooler than the normal average for May, closely following the trend we’ve had most of the spring as far as temperatures go. 

The average temperature for the month of May was 50.9ºF, May of 2010, (last year) had an average temperature of 51.5ºF, so it was not as dramatic as April was for cold temperatures, year over year. 

The average temperature for May 2009 however was 54.1ºF which is probably closer to the normal, compared to 2010, or 2011.

May of 2010 had a warm spell and a cool spell, where has this year it was fairly steady all month long, however there is a glimmer of a slow upward trend there towards warmer temperatures.

Most of the rainfall in May fell right around the middle of the month. You can see when compared to 2010, and 2009, that the rainfall really doesn’t seem to have much of a pattern. 2010 had more rain near the end of the month, from what was probably a one two punch storm system. 2009 had a good chunk of rain near the beginning of the month and a little bit in the middle, but dried out at the end. 2010, and 2011 May’s were not typical, 2009 is probably a very good example of a normal May, with rain ending towards the end of the month.

Compared to the last 3 years, it looks like May 2010 was the wettest May. Believe it or not, but 2011 has the lowest rainfall amount of the last three years. May of 2009 had 3.16 inches of total rainfall, 2010 had 5.00 inches of rain, and this year we had 2.75 inches of rain during the month of May, which wasn’t very far behind May of 2009, indicating that our effects from La Nina are fading quickly. This could mean a direction to warmer weather, or a closer to normal June!