Here comes May, final month of meteorological spring. Will we see wild or mild weather in Philadelphia?
May is the final month of meteorological spring — and a month known for flowers, Mother's Day and the unofficial start to summer, Memorial Day. However, if the past 30 years are any indication, we can expect some wild swings in the temperatures, rainfall and severe storm days in May.
Our warmest day in May was two consecutive days in 1991, when the high temperature reached 97 degrees on May 30 and 31. Our coldest night was May 11, 1966, when the temperature dropped to 28 degrees.
Snow shovels have never been needed in May, with never more than a trace of snow during the month. Only a dusting has fallen nine times since weather records began in Philadelphia.
Rain is another story, with an average of 11 umbrella days, but you would have needed all the rain gear for the 18 very wet days in May 2003. It was just the opposite in 1991, when the spring flowers needed extra watering, as only four days saw rain that month.
May is also one of our main convective months, with an average of 35 severe thunderstorm warnings across the greater Philadelphia area. The boom of thunder was practically nonstop in May 2011, when a staggering 1,621 severe storm warnings were issued.
Last year, only 1.72 inches of rain fell, and there were only 11 severe storm warnings for the month. Our warmest day was 90 on May 2, and the coldest night was 46 degrees on both May 11 and 14.
This year, May is expected to start very wet, with a parade of possible storms forecasted through the middle of the month. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center outlook for May is for wetter-than-average conditions with near-average temperatures.
Bottom line, anything is possible during May, so stay tuned for regular updates by the NEXT Weather Team, and welcome to May.