Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
000 CXUX51 KGYX 042343 CLMGYX PWMCLMGYX 000 TTAA00 GYX 020949 CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME 548 AM EDT FRI JUN 02 2023 ................................... ...THE GRAY ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MAY 2023... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1995 TO 2023 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE NORMAL .............................................................. TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 95 05/18/2017 LOW 31 05/10/2020 05/09/2020 05/01/2008 HIGHEST 90 05/28 86 4 88 LOWEST 33 05/18 35 -2 36 AVG. MAXIMUM 67.3 64.3 3.0 68.7 AVG. MINIMUM 44.6 44.0 0.6 46.9 MEAN 55.9 54.2 1.7 57.8 DAYS MAX >= 90 1 0.4 0.6 0 DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS MIN <= 32 0 0.2 -0.2 0 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 8.54 2006 MINIMUM 0.90 2018 TOTALS 4.88 3.56 1.32 1.08 DAILY AVG. 0.16 0.11 0.05 0.03 DAYS >= .01 9 13.6 -4.6 8 DAYS >= .10 6 8.1 -2.1 4 DAYS >= .50 3 2.7 0.3 0 DAYS >= 1.00 2 0.7 1.3 0 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 3.67 04/30 TO 05/01 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL T 2002 TOTALS 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 SINCE 7/1 81.2 84.0 -2.8 44.0 SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 DAYS >= TRACE 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS >= 1.0 0 0.0 0.0 0 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 0 0 24 HR TOTAL 0 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 288 346 -58 242 SINCE 7/1 6295 7060 -765 6630 COOLING TOTAL 14 9 5 27 SINCE 1/1 14 9 5 27 .............................................................. - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && THE COOL, CLOUDY, AND DAMP PATTERN THAT DOMINATED THE SECOND HALF OF APRIL PERSISTED INTO THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY. A SIGNIFICANT RAIN EVENT THAT STARTED ON APRIL 30TH CONTINUED INTO MAY 1ST WHERE THE GRAY AREA RECEIVED 3.87 INCHES OF RAIN WITH UPWARDS OF 5 TO 6 INCHES FALLING ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND CENTRAL MAINE LEADING TO SIGNIFICANT FLOODING. THE GRAY AREA WENT ON TO RECORD MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION FOR THE NEXT FOUR DAYS OF THE MONTH WITH TEMPERATURES AVERAGING BELOW NORMAL. THE BLOCKING PATTERN ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEGATIVE PHASE OF THE NAO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS PROLONGED PERIOD OF DREARY WEATHER, AND THIS PATTERN BROKE DOWN BY THE END OF THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY. A PERIOD OF DRY WEATHER ENSUED, AND WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A COUPLE COOL DAYS AND SEASONABLY COLD NIGHTS, TEMPERATURES AVERAGED ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH. TOWARDS THE END OF THIS DRY STRETCH OF WEATHER A COLD FRONT CROSSED ON THE 17TH WITH A CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM BUILDING IN BEHIND THE FRONT. THIS HIGH ALLOWED FOR STRONG RADIATIONAL COOLING WITH THE TEMPERATURE FALLING TO 33 DEGREES ON THE MORNING OF THE 18TH, PRESERVING THE LAST FREEZE DATE OF APRIL 10TH. A COUPLE DAYS LATER A COASTAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MERGED WITH A COLD FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE WEST BRINGING SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL TO THE GRAY AREA WHEN A STORM TOTAL OF 2.25 INCHES FELL ON THE 20TH INTO THE 21ST. COOL WEATHER FOLLOWED THIS HEAVY RAIN EVENT BEFORE A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILT IN OVER THE NORTHEAST RESULTING IN VERY WARM WEATHER TO CLOSE OUT THE MONTH OF MAY. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 55.9 DEGREES, WHICH WAS 1.7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE WARMEST MAY ON RECORD WAS IN 2015 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 59.0 DEGREES. THE COOLEST WAS 49.4 DEGREES IN 2005. A TOTAL OF 4.88 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL IN MAY, WHICH WAS 1.32 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THE WETTEST MAY ON RECORD WAS IN 2006 WHEN A TOTAL 8.54 INCHES FELL. THE DRIEST WAS 0.90 INCHES IN 2018. $$ DS