NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

MAY 2024

Apr. 28-May 4: Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5°F below normal across portions of the northern High Plains and the Northwest, while readings locally averaged more than 10°F above normal in the Ohio Valley and the lower Great Lakes region. As April ended, scattered record lows were reported throughout the West. For example, record-setting lows for April 30 included 16°F in Burns, OR; 22°F in South Lake Tahoe, CA; and 30°F in Provo, UT. Meanwhile, warmth prevailed across the central and eastern U.S. in advance of encroaching storminess. April 29 was an impressively warm day from the lower Great Lakes region into the mid Atlantic, with daily-record highs reaching 92°F in Baltimore, MD; 90°F in Philadelphia, PA; and 84°F in Cleveland, OH. On April 30, a separate surge of warmth delivered daily-record highs in Medicine Lodge, KS (97°F), and Gage, OK (95°F). In Medicine Lodge, March-April precipitation totaled just 0.46 inch (11 percent of normal). Record-setting warmth returned across the East on May 2, when highs climbed to 92°F in Raleigh-Durham, NC; 91°F in Washington, DC; and 90°F in Baltimore and Philadelphia. In contrast, the Western chill lingered into early May, with Klamath Falls, OR, posting a daily record-tying low (17°F) for the 1st. The following day, Northwestern daily-record lows for May 2 dipped to 10°F in Big Piney, WY, and 21°F in Pocatello, ID. By May 4, chilly air overspread the High Plains, where Chadron, NE, posted a daily record low of 22°F. Record-setting low temperatures also persisted on the 4th in Wyoming, where readings dipped to 23°F in Casper and Rawlins.

5-11: Unfavorable dryness persisted across portions of the central High Plains and environs, with ongoing adverse impacts on winter wheat and emerging summer crops. Meanwhile, mostly dry weather prevailed from California to the Rio Grande Valley. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal in several areas, including much of the South and areas along and near the Canadian border from northeastern Montana to northwestern Minnesota. In contrast, readings broadly averaged 5 to 10°F below normal from the Great Basin to the central Rockies. In Deep South Texas, the hottest day of the week occurred on May 9. On that date, monthly records were established in Texas locations such as McAllen (111°F), Harlingen (107°F), and Brownsville (104°F). McAllen also tied an all-time station record, matching the mark set on June 22, 2017. Harlingen narrowly missed its all-time station record of 108°F, set on August 18, 1915. The combination of high humidity and temperatures pushed heat indices above 120°F in all three of those Texas cities, with Brownsville noting a peak heat index of 125°F. A few days later, on May 11, Fort Lauderdale, FL, set a monthly record with a high of 98°F. More broadly, notable warmth spread as far north as the mid-South on May 7, when daily-record highs in Arkansas rose to 93°F in Texarkana and 90°F in Monticello. In the Atlantic Coast States, daily-record highs topped the 90-degree mark on May 8 in North Carolina locations such as Wilmington (92°F) and Elizabeth City (91°F). Conversely, consistently chilly weather in the West led to multiple freezes at some interior locations. Widespread readings below 32°F were observed across the Rockies, Intermountain West, and northern Great Basin. On May 8, a freeze reached into key peach production areas of western Colorado, where Grand Junction reported a daily-record low of 29°F. Farther west, daily-record lows in California for May 5 included 20°F in South Lake Tahoe; 35°F in Paso Robles; and 38°F in Eureka. With a low of 38°F, Santa Rosa, CA, collected a daily-record low for May 6. The Western chill lasted through May 9, when daily-record lows dipped to 16°F in Alta, UT, and 38°F in Lancaster, CA. In central California, however, sudden warmth on May 9 resulted in a daily-record high of 85°F at Oakland International Airport. In western Washington, Olympia closed the week on May 10-11 with consecutive daily-record highs (88°F both days). Other Northwestern daily-record highs on the 10th included 91°F in Portland, OR, and 90°F in Vancouver, WA.

12-18: West of the Rockies, warm, dry weather occurred.  Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal in southern Florida, northern New England, portions of the upper Midwest, and a broad region covering the western Great Basin and interior sections of California. Meanwhile, slightly below-normal temperatures were observed in parts of middle Atlantic States and the South, excluding Florida. Pre-rainy season heat continued to grip southern Florida, with temperatures regularly topping the 95-degree mark. From May 15 18, West Palm Beach, FL, collected four consecutive daily-record highs (98, 96, 96, and 97°F), narrowly missing its monthly standard of 99°F, set on May 14, 1922. Similarly, Fort Lauderdale, FL, twice notched a pair of daily-record highs—94 and 96°F, respectively, on May 14-15, and 95 and 96°F, respectively, on May 17-18. Temperatures in southern Florida frequently failed to fall below the 80-degree mark at night, with Key West reporting minima ranging from 82 to 84°F each day from May 13-19. Hot weather also persisted in southern and coastal Texas, where Corpus Christi collected consecutive daily-record highs (93 and 97°F, respectively) on May 13-14. Elsewhere in Texas, record setting highs for May 18 included 107°F in Del Rio; 104°F in Laredo; and 97°F in Brownsville. Warmth was more persistent but less climatologically extreme across the northern and western U.S., resulting in only widely scattered daily-record highs. Based on preliminary reports, there were approximately three dozen tornadoes during the week, many across the Deep South.

19-25: Daily thunderstorms across the central and eastern U.S. produced locally heavy rain and high winds. At least a few tornadoes were reported somewhere in the country each day, with a preliminary national weekly tally of more than 150 twisters—more than two-thirds occurring on May 21, 23, and 25. Unsettled weather extended into the Northwest, the source region for the disturbances that later sparked active weather across the Plains, Midwest, and mid-South.

Mostly dry weather prevailed in the Deep South, from southern Texas to Florida, and across much of the nation’s southwestern quadrant, from California to the southern High Plains. Dry weather in late spring is typical in California and the Southwest, but drought-related impacts persist for some areas.

Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5 to 10°F above normal from the south-central U.S., including much of Texas, northeastward into the lower Great Lakes region and the Northeast. Additionally, hot weather (as much as 5°F above normal) persisted across southern Florida. Meanwhile, readings averaged 5 to 10°F below normal across the interior Northwest, as well as portions of the northern Plains. With heat continuing, much of Florida’s peninsula careened toward a record-hot May. On May 19, the week opened with daily-record highs in Florida locations such as West Palm Beach (98°F), Miami (96°F), and Fort Lauderdale (95°F). Punta Gorda, FL, posted maxima of 90°F or greater on each of the first 25 days of the month, with daily record highs of 98°F occurring on May 23 and 24. Meanwhile, conditions in southern Texas remained equally extreme. A May record was set in Brownsville, TX, with its second triple-digit reading of the month (100°F on the 24th). Similarly, McAllen, TX, set a May record with 8 days of 100-degree heat (previously, 7 days in 2018). McAllen achieved a daily-record high of 102°F on May 20. Elsewhere in Texas, Del Rio tied a monthly record with a high of 109°F on May 24—a mark previously attained on May 24, 2000, and May 9, 2024— only to experience a higher reading (112°F) on Sunday, May 26. Scattered daily-record highs were noted in other areas of the Deep South; in Louisiana, for example, maxima reached 92°F (on May 19) in New Orleans and 96°F in Alexandria (on May 25). During a mid week surge of warmth into the Midwest and Northeast, daily-record highs reached or exceeded the 90-degree mark in locations such as Cleveland, OH (90°F on May 21), and Syracuse, NY (93°F on May 22). In contrast, daily-record lows in Montana included 26°F (on May 19) in Kalispell and 27°F (on May 20) in Dunkirk. Later in Nevada, record-setting lows for May 21 dipped to 21°F in Eureka and 26°F in Winnemucca. The greatest concentration of Northwestern daily record lows occurred on May 24, when readings dipped to 19°F in Big Piney, WY; 27°F in Bozeman, MT; and 29°F in Pocatello, ID.

26-June 1: Isolated showers dotted areas from the Pacific Northwest to the northern Rockies, while the remainder of the West experienced dry weather and a warming trend. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal in several areas, including parts of northern California, western and southern Texas, southern Florida, and coastal New England. Meanwhile, readings averaged more than 5°F below normal in scattered locations across the lower Midwest, Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, and middle Atlantic States. Chilly conditions also lingered in the Northwest, especially along and near the Canadian border. Anomalously hot weather remained impressive across southern Texas and peninsular Florida. On May 26, Del Rio, TX, opened the week with a monthly record high of 112°F. Previously, Del Rio’s highest May reading, 109°F, had occurred on May 24, 2000, and May 9 and 24, 2024. Elsewhere in Texas, triple-digit, daily-record highs for May 26 included 103°F in McAllen and 102°F in Abilene. McAllen’s 11 days with 100-degree heat achieved a record for the month, previously set with 7 triple-digit days in May 2018. Standards for record-high May average temperatures (4 to 6°F above normal) were established in several southern Texas locations, including McAllen (88.1°F), Del Rio (87.9°F), Laredo (87.7°F), Brownsville (87.4°F), and Corpus Christi (83.2°F). May records for highest average temperature (3 to 6°F above normal) were also broken in an array of Florida communities, mainly along and south of the Tampa-to-Orlando corridor. A May record from 1915 was broken in Orlando, where the monthly average temperature of 81.4°F was 4.1°F above normal. Records from May 1995 were eclipsed in Florida locations such as Vero Beach (80.1°F), Tampa (83.0°F), Fort Myers (83.2°F), and Key West (84.7°F). With a high of 101°F on the 30th, Punta Gorda attained a triple-digit reading in May for the first time; previously, the monthly record of 99°F had occurred on May 31, 1945, and May 16 and 17, 2017. A monthly record was also established in Sarasota-Bradenton, FL, with a high of 99°F on May 30 (previously, 98°F on May 28, 1953).

Farther west, heat began to build. By May 31, Las Vegas, NV, notched a daily record tying high of 104°F. To the north, however, chilly conditions lingered. In the Northeast, Williamsport, PA, collected a daily-record low of 36°F on May 30. A broader cool spell led to daily-record lows (and freezes) on May 31 in Montana locations such as Butte (24°F) and Dunkirk (28°F). With a daily-record low of 30°F on the 1st, Livingston, MT, noted its lowest reading in June since June 4, 2011, when it was also 30°F. 

 

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com