NCDC: U.S. May Climate

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

U.S. Climate Monitoring
National Overview
May 2003
National Climatic Data Center
Asheville, North Carolina
6 June 2003

These pages provide temperature and precipitation rank maps and graphics as well as textual weather and climate summaries for May 2003, the three-month period March-May 2003, the six-month period December 2002-May 2003, and the last 12 months - June 2002-May 2003.

National Overview
Monthly/Seasonal Ranks and Values
Monthly/Seasonal Maps and Graphics

National Overview:

Conditions were generally wetter than average in the East and drier than average across much of the South and High Plains states for May 2003. Rainfall was heavy across the Southeast and eastern Midwest as a series of storms impacted the regions early in the month. Parts of the South and Southwest were warmer than average for the month, while states in the Mid Atlantic region and Northeast were generally cooler than average for May.

Several outbreaks of severe weather occurred across parts of the Midwest stretching into the Tennessee Valley in the first 10 days of May. An incredible 84 tornadoes were reported on May 4 and 5 and at least 38 people in Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee were killed as a result of the storms. Further storms during May 6-10 led to a federal disaster declaration covering the entire state of Oklahoma and a total of 42 people died in the first 10 days of May from the severe weather. From May 1-May 10, 412 tornadoes occurred, breaking the record for the most tornadoes ever to have occurred during a ten-day period. More details and graphics on this unusual outbreak can be found on NCDC's Global Hazards page.

Snow cover generally retreated northward across Canada during May. Some further heavy snow fell in parts of Colorado, but overall across the U.S., very little snowfall activity occurred. For monthly totals and a seasonal summary see NCDC's Snow Summary page.

Hurricane season in the eastern North Pacific officially begins on May 1st, and the first tropical storm of 2003 (Andres) formed on May 20th. Maximum windspeeds reached 40 knots (46 mph) and Andres never threatened land. It weakened back to a tropical depression on the 25th. The Atlantic season does not officially begin until June 1st, though some pre-season activity was recorded in April leading to the first named storm of the season for the Atlantic. See the East Pacific hurricane page and the Atlantic Hurricane page for further details.

La Nina conditions continued to develop across the tropical Pacific indicating that associated climate impacts will likely be felt in many areas of the world, including the United States, by the fall. It is not yet clear how strong the La Nina event will be, but to see the latest NOAA advisory and typical impacts of a La Nina episode for the U.S., go to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

Monthly and Seasonal Highlights:

National:

May 2003 ranked as the 20th warmest May in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature was 62.5�F (16.9�C) which was 1.4�F (0.8�C) above the long-term mean.
May 2003 was wetter than average, ranking 25th wettest.
The 2003 spring (March-May) was warmer than average and ranked as the 21st warmest such period in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature for March-May was 53.1�F (11.7�C) which was 1.3�F (0.7�C) above the long-term mean.
March-May 2003 was wetter than average, ranking 34th wettest in the last 109 years.
June 2002-May 2003 ranked as the 16th warmest such 12 months in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature was 53.7�F (12.1�C) which was 0.9�F (0.5�C) above the long-term mean.
Precipitation for last 12 months (June-May) was slightly wetter than average, ranking 40th driest in the last 108 such periods.

Regional and Statewide:
New Jersey and Maryland ranked as 5th and 9th coldest on record for the month respectively.
Alaska was near the 1971-2000 average for the state with a negative departure of -0.2�F (-0.1�C)
Eleven States were much wetter than average, while Texas was much drier.
For the Primary Corn and Soybean Belt, preliminary data indicate that precipitation was above average for May and near average for the growing season so far (March-May) in 2003. The growing season runs from March to September for corn and soybean.
Maine and Massachusetts ranked as 12th and 24th coldest on record for the 3-month period, while all other states were near normal or above normal for spring 2003.
Virginia, North and South Carolina were record wet for March-May 2003, while Texas had its second driest spring on record.
Eight eastern states were much wetter than average over the last 12 months. Maine was much colder than average and eight western states were much warmer than average.
See NCDC's Monthly Extremes web-page for weather and climate records for the month of May.

Maps and Graphics:

Current Month	Most Recent 3 Months	Most Recent 6 Months
Most Recent 12 Months	US Percent Area Very Wet/Dry/Warm/Cold	Monthly Drought Indices

It should be emphasized that all of the temperature and precipitation ranks and values are based on preliminary data. The ranks will change when the final data are processed.

For all climate questions other than questions concerning this report, please contact the National Climatic Data Center's Climate Services Division:

Climate Services Division
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4876
phone: 828-271-4800
email: ncdc.info@noaa.gov

For further information on the historical climate perspective presented in this report, contact:

Jay Lawrimore
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4328
email: Jay.Lawrimore@noaa.gov

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