Public Information Statement
Issued by NWS Memphis, TN

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000
NOUS44 KMEG 030241
PNSMEG
ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-
MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-031445-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
941 PM CDT SUN JUN 2 2013

...MAY 2013 MONTHLY CLIMATE SUMMARY...
MAY IN THE MIDSOUTH WAS COOL AND WET...KEEPING IN LINE WITH APRIL
...WHICH ALSO SAW BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND ABOVE AVERAGE
PRECIPITATION TOTALS FOR THE MONTH. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR
MEMPHIS...JACKSON...AND TUPELO WERE NEARLY TWO DEGREES BELOW
NORMAL...WHILE JONESBOROS AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS
NEARLY A DEGREE BELOW NORMAL. MEMPHIS SET THE ALL-TIME LOW
TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF MAY THIS YEAR...RECORDING 36 DEGREES
ON MAY 4TH. EACH OF THE OTHER THREE SITES BROKE AT LEAST ONE DAILY
LOW TEMPERATURE RECORD DURING MAY...MAINLY DURING THE FIRST WEEK
OF THE MONTH. THE CURRENT AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR 2013 IS IN THE
LOWER 50S FOR EACH OF THE SITES...BRINGING EACH AROUND A DEGREE
BELOW AVERAGE FOR 2013 SO FAR. MEMPHIS WAS THE WARMEST SITE THIS
MONTH...WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 69.7 DEGREES...WHILE
JACKSON WAS THE COOLEST AT 66.9 DEGREES. IN ADDITION TO BEING THE
WARMEST IN MAY...MEMPHIS WAS ALSO THE WETTEST SITE THIS MONTH WITH
10.75 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION...MAKING MAY 2013 THE FOURTH WETTEST
MAY ON RECORD. TUPELO WAS THE DRIEST SITE THIS MONTH WITH 6.49
INCHES OF PRECIPITATION...BUT STILL MANAGED TO FINISH THE MONTH
NEARLY AN INCH ABOVE THE MAY NORMAL...AND NEARLY 4 INCHES ABOVE
THE NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR. JACKSON IS CURRENTLY THE
WETTEST SITE FOR 2013 WITH NEARLY 35 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION...WHICH IS JUST OVER 10 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL.
JONESBORO IS THE DRIEST SITE SO FAR IN 2013...WITH JUST OVER 26
INCHES OF PRECIPITATION.

TEMPERATURE DATA:
                               MEMPHIS   JACKSON   JONESBORO   TUPELO
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE (MAY)   :   69.7    66.9      68.3       68.8
NORMAL AVG. TEMP (MAY)      :   71.7    68.6      69.1       70.7
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL (MAY) :   -2.0    -1.7      -0.8       -1.9
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE (2013)  :   53.9    50.8      51.0       53.8
NORMAL AVG. TEMP (YEAR)     :   55.1    52.0      51.6       54.9
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL (2013):   -1.1    -1.3      -0.7       -1.0

PRECIPITATION DATA:
                               MEMPHIS   JACKSON   JONESBORO   TUPELO
TOTAL PRECIPITATION (MAY)    :  10.75    8.59      9.81       6.49
NORMAL PRECIPITATION (MAY)   :   5.25    5.69      4.61       5.56
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL (MAY)  :   5.50    2.90      5.20       0.93
TOTAL PRECIPITATION (2013)   :  34.58   34.98     26.34      28.43
NORMAL PRECIPITATION (YEAR)  :  24.28   24.54     21.28      24.60
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL (2013) :  10.30   10.44      5.06       3.83

SINCE MAY WAS ABNORMALLY WET AROUND THE MIDSOUTH...THE FOLLOWING IS A
LIST OF THE TOP TEN WETTEST MONTHS OF MAY. LISTED IN EACH LIST IS
RANK (RNK)...PRECIPITATION VALUE IN INCHES (IN)...THE YEAR IN
WHICH THE RECORD EVENT OCCURRED (YR)...AND THE DEPARTURE FROM
NORMAL...BASED UPON THE 1981-2010 SET OF NORMALS.


TOP 10 WETTEST MONTHS OF MAY:

MEMPHISJACKSON
RNKINYRDEPRNKINYRDEP
113.3418938.09114.9020109.21
211.5819536.33214.4619748.77
311.4020036.15311.4719835.78
410.7520135.50410.8819785.19
59.5819834.3359.3419673.65
69.2620104.0169.2519913.56
79.1418823.8978.6420092.95
89.0619843.8188.5920132.90
98.8819583.6398.3919792.70
108.7219753.47108.3819842.69


JONESBOROTUPELO
RNKINYRDEPRNKINYRDEP
110.6219466.01117.96197812.4
29.9819735.37217.56199112
29.9820035.37311.0819745.52
49.8819575.27410.4220104.86
59.8120135.2510.3519834.79
69.4820114.8769.8919794.33
79.3419204.7379.8520034.29
88.8419834.2389.819554.24
98.5919783.9899.6520094.09
108.3520093.74108.4419842.88


MONTHLY WEATHER SYNOPSIS:
MAY BEGAN COOL AND RAINY AS A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND ASSOCIATED
COLD FRONT BROUGHT HEAVY RAIN TO THE AREA...AS WELL AS THE ALL-
TIME RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE FOR MEMPHIS DURING MAY. THE SECOND
WEEK AND WEEKEND OF THE MONTH WITNESSED MORE RAIN AND BELOW
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES...LEADING TO MORE RECORD BREAKING LOW
TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH. THE NIGHT OF SUNDAY...MAY 12TH
SAW A DAILY RECORD LOW FOR JACKSON (38)...BREAKING THE PREVIOUS
RECORD OF 43 SET BACK IN 1960. THAT SAME NIGHT TUPELO TIED THE
1997 DAILY RECORD LOW OF 43 AFTER A COLD FRONT AND SECONDARY COLD
FRONT MOVED THROUGH THE AREA. AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT...HEAVY RAIN
CAUSED FLASH FLOODING TO OCCUR IN CARROLL COUNTY ON FRIDAY...MAY
10TH. AFTER THE FRONT PASSED THROUGH THE AREA...HIGH PRESSURE
BUILT ACROSS THE AREA AND DOMINATED AS NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR MAY
RETURNED. SEVERAL UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES DURING THE MONTH
CONTRIBUTED TO THE ABOVE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION TOTALS. A LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVED ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY ON
TUESDAY...MAY 21ST...BRINGING SEVERE WEATHER TO THE AREA. DAMAGING
WINDS...HAIL...AND FLASH FLOODING WERE THE PRIMARY THREATS DURING
THE EVENT. FOLLOWING THIS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM...AN UPPER LEVEL
RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILT OVER THE AREA...PROVIDING WARMER
TEMPERATURES AND HUMID CONDITIONS FOR THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.
ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH A SHORTWAVE MOVED
THROUGH THE AREA ON THE EVENING OF MAY 30TH AND THE MORNING OF MAY
31ST. A STORM ON MAY 30TH BROUGHT WIND DAMAGE TO AREAS FROM
NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI TO NORTHERN WEST TENNESSEE. WINDS UP TO 80
MPH WERE ESTIMATED NEAR JACKSON...TN...DAMAGING A BARN AND AN
OUTBUILDING...BRINGING DOWN MANY TREES AND TREE LIMBS...AND
CAUSING POWER OUTAGES. HAIL UP TO QUARTER SIZE WAS ALSO REPORTED
WITH THIS STORM. DURING THE MORNING HOURS ON MAY 31ST...ANOTHER
LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVED ACROSS THE AREA...PRODUCING AN EF1
TORNADO TO THE NORTHWEST OF COVINGTON...TN IN TIPTON COUNTY. THIS
TORNADO HAD AN ESTIMATED PEAK WIND OF 95 MILES AN HOUR...LASTED
ABOUT FOUR MINUTES...AND LEFT A DAMAGE PATH ABOUT 250 YARDS WIDE
AND 1.3 MILES LONG. IN THE END TWO HOUSES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY
DAMAGED AND A SHOP WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED...ALONG WITH MANY
DOWNED TREES AND LIMBS.


$$

MAYE





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