Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY

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000 CXUS51 KBUF 050238 CLMROC CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY 1226 PM EDT THU JUN 01 2023 ................................... ...THE ROCHESTER NY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MAY 2023... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2023 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL ................................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 94 05/30/1987 05/14/1974 LOW 26 05/02/1979 05/07/1970 HIGHEST 85 05/31 88 05/31 LOWEST 32 05/18 34 05/01 AVG. MAXIMUM 67.5 69.4 -1.9 71.5 AVG. MINIMUM 43.7 48.2 -4.5 49.7 MEAN 55.6 58.8 -3.2 60.6 DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.4 -0.4 0 DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS MIN <= 32 1 0.6 0.4 0 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 6.87 1894 MINIMUM 0.24 2007 TOTALS 1.39 2.86 -1.47 2.41 DAYS >= .01 7 11 DAYS >= .10 5 7 DAYS >= .50 1 2 DAYS >= 1.00 0 0 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 0.65 05/19 TO 05/20 0.90 05/21 TO 05/21 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 10.9 1989 TOTALS T 0.1 -0.1 0.0 SINCE 7/1 50.4 102.0 -51.6 MM SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 0 DAYS >= 1.0 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS >= 0.1 0 0 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 0 0 MM 24 HR TOTAL MM MM DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 297 232 65 192 SINCE 7/1 5802 6227 -425 MM COOLING TOTAL 13 40 -27 62 SINCE 1/1 21 44 -23 MM ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 7.3 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 30/250 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 45/250 DATE 05/16 SKY COVER POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.49 NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 12 NUMBER OF DAYS PC 12 NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 7 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 62 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0 HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 3 LIGHT RAIN 8 FREEZING RAIN 0 LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0 HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0 LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 1 FOG 10 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 0 HAZE 2 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && ...SPLENDID MAY... SUMMER`S FINEST WEATHER WAS ON DISPLAY THROUGH THE MONTH OF MAY, WITH NEARLY ALL DAYS FROM WEEK TWO TO THE END OF THE MONTH SUNNY, DRY, AND WITH LOW HUMIDITY. THE FIRST WEEK OF THE MONTH DID FEATURE SEVERAL SYSTEMS THAT BROUGHT RAIN. THE COOL START ALSO ALLOWED FOR MAY OF 2023 TO FINISH WITH A BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURE.  THE TEMPERATURE AVERAGED 55.6F DEGREES THIS MAY, WHICH IS 3.2 DEGREES BELOW MAY`S NORMAL TEMPERATURE. BELOW DAILY NORMAL TEMPERATURE VALUES OUTWEIGHED ABOVE DAILY NORMAL TEMPERATURE VALUES BY 18 TO 8. THE DAYS WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES WERE EVENLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE MONTH. FIVE DAYS THIS MONTH AVERAGED THEIR DAILY NORMAL. THERE WAS DAY-TO-DAY WARMING DURING THESE DRY STRETCHES, WITH THE WARMEST DAY THE LAST AT 85F.  A LATE SEASON FREEZE ON THE 18TH OCCURRED WITH A LOW OF 32F. THIS FROST AND FREEZE AROUND ROCHESTER, AND TOWARDS THE GENESEE VALLEY AND FINGER LAKES DID MUCH DAMAGE TO AGRICULTURE, ESPECIALLY FRUIT TREES AND BUSHES. THE 2 DAYS REACHING INTO THE 80S ARE THREE DAYS LESS THAN NORMAL, AND ALL OCCURRED THE FINAL 2 DAYS OF THE MONTH.  PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH TOTALED 1.39 INCHES, WHICH IS AN INCH AND A HALF BELOW NORMAL. THE RAIN FELL ALL DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY, EXCEPT FOR THE 19-20TH WHEN SOME LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS FELL WITHIN SOUTHERLY FLOW ON FRIDAY THE 19TH, AND THEN A PERIOD OF LIGHT RAIN ON THE 20TH WITH THE COLD FRONT PASSAGE. IN FACT, THE SECOND WEEK ONWARD (MAY 8TH-31ST) WAS THE TWELFTH DRIEST (0.69") ON RECORD. THANKFULLY THE WET START TO 2023 DELAYED THE IMPACTS OF THIS DRY STRETCH WITH VEGETATION GENERALLY REMAINING GREEN THROUGHOUT THE MONTH. THE 7 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION RANKS TIED FOR 9TH FEWEST IN THE MONTH OF MAY. THERE WERE NO THUNDERSTORMS AT THE ROCHESTER AIRPORT, AND NO SEVERE STORMS ANYWHERE ACROSS WNY THIS MONTH.  MAY BEGAN WITH A DEEP STORM SYSTEM SPIRALING ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES. THIS SLOW MOVING SYSTEM BROUGHT RAIN SHOWERS TO OUR REGION THE FIRST 4 DAYS OF THE MONTH, AND TEMPERATURES IN THE 40S OR LOWER 50S. ON THE 1ST, UNDER THE COLD AIR ALOFT, SOFT ICE PELLETS FELL GIVING THE AIRPORT A TRACE OF SNOW FOR THE DAY. THE WETTEST DAY THIS STRETCH WAS THE 3RD WITH NEARLY A QUARTER OF AN INCH OF RAINFALL. HIGH PRESSURE MAINTAINED SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES ON THE 5TH AND 6TH, WITH DRY CONDITIONS. A SHORTWAVE TROUGH BROUGHT SHOWERS BACK TO WESTERN NEW YORK ON THE 7TH, WITH THE RAIN FALLING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THEREAFTER THERE WAS JUST ONE SYSTEM OF NOTE THE REST OF MAY. THIS ON THE 19TH AND 20TH WHEN MOIST, SOUTHERLY FLOW BROUGHT A FEW RAIN SHOWERS ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK DURING THE AFTERNOON OF THE 19TH, AND THE COLD FRONT PASSING ON THE 20TH BROUGHT A PERIOD OF RAIN. OTHERWISE MOST DAYS CONTAINED WALL TO WALL SUNSHINE, AT TIMES THROUGH A MILKY SMOKE FILLED SKY, COMFORTABLE LEVELS OF HUMIDITY AND LIGHT WINDS.  THE WATER TEMPERATURE ROSE TO 55F DEGREES TOWARDS THE END OF MAY ON LAKE ONTARIO. WINDS WERE LIGHT THIS MONTH, AVERAGING A MILE AND A HALF PER HOUR BELOW NORMAL. THE STRONGEST WIND GUST OCCURRED ON THE 16TH DURING THE MORNING HOURS AND AHEAD OF A SOUTHWARD DROPPING COLD FRONT.  IN ALL, A QUIET, SUNNY AND DRY MONTH.  && THOMAS $$

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