OSWEGO, NY – May 2013 was one of the warmest Mays on record, according to Bill Gregway, local observer for the National Weather Service.
The average temperature last month was 60.1 degrees. That is 4.1 degrees higher than average.
“That’s good for 6th place for warmest Mays, going back to 1854,” Gregway said.
The highest temperature was 86 degrees on the 31st and the lowest was 34 degrees on the 14th.
There were no records set last month, Gregway added.
There were 3 days where the high was 80 degrees or above and 15 days where it was 70 degrees or above, he said.
The overnight low lingered in the 30s on 2 occasions.
“The last light, scattered frost was on May 14th when it was 34 degrees,” Gregway said. “The last 32 degrees or below was April 22nd.”
The 34 was a near-record low, he added.
Total precipitation last month was 2.95 inches.
That is just 0.22-inch below average.
However, since the first of the year, the total stands at 13.49 inches, which is 2.98 inches below where it should be.
The greatest precipitation in a 24-hour period was 0.95-inch on the 29th.
There was no snowfall last month. The average for May is a trace.
At the end of May, the total snowfall for the winter was 104.3 inches. That is 46.5 inches below average.
May had 12 days with measurable precipitation, with streaks of 4 days in a row and 3 days in a row (twice).
There was 1 day with a trace and 18 days had no precipitation. May started with a streak of 7 consecutive dry days – all were in the 70s as well, Gregway observed.
May had 4 thunderstorms, which is 1 more than normal.
There were 2 foggy days, which is average.
May saw 60 percent of the possible amount of sunshine. That is 1 percentage above average.
The number of cloudy days, 11, was 1 below average.
The number of partly cloudy days, 2, was 2 above average.
The number of clear days, 8, was 1 below average. Four of the clear days were in a row (4th through the 7th).
The highest barometric pressure last month was 30.43 on the 2nd and the lowest was 29.53 on the 15th.
“There was a lot of wind last month,” Gregway said. “It was more than 20 mph 6 times.”
The strongest winds were greater than 30 mph were westerly on the 26th and west-northwesterly on the 16th. Winds were 30 mph on the 12th.
May 2012 was 6.7 degrees warmer than average. It had a high of 90 degrees and a low of 41 degrees.
The precipitation figures, 2.85 and 13.40, were both similar to this year, Gregway said.
And, the amount of sunshine was also 60 percent.
There were 2 temperature records set last May – 86 degrees on the 25th and 90 degrees on the 29th.
The coldest May, going back to 1854, is 46.4 degrees in 1917.
The warmest is 62.7 degrees in 2012. Also, 2010 is in 5th place and this year is 6th, Gregway pointed out.
The highest temperature in May is 94 degrees on May 30, 1879. The lowest is 27 degrees on May 10, 1909.
The wettest is 7.47 inches in 1931 and the driest is 0.18-inch in 1920.
May 1907 holds the dubious honor of being the snowiest on record. The total that year? Just 1 inch.
Several Mays have had no snow at all.
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