Issued by NWS Grand Rapids, MI
000
CXUS53 KGRR 011154 RRA
CLMGRR
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS, MI
754 AM EDT SUN JUN 1 2008
...................................
...THE GRAND RAPIDS CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MAY 2008...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1892 TO 2008
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 98 05/30/1895
LOW 21 05/01/1903
HIGHEST 79 05/26 MM MM 89 05/30
05/24
05/23
LOWEST 35 05/04 MM MM 36 05/18
AVG. MAXIMUM 67.0 69.6 -2.6 74.7
AVG. MINIMUM 44.0 46.6 -2.6 50.7
MEAN 55.5 58.1 -2.6 62.7
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 MM MM 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 MM MM 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 0 MM MM 0
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 MM MM 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
TOTALS 2.13 3.35 -1.22 1.68
DAILY AVG. 0.07 0.11 -0.04 0.05
DAYS >= .01 11 MM MM 7
DAYS >= .10 7 MM MM 5
DAYS >= .50 0 MM MM 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 MM MM 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.46 05/30 TO 05/30
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
TOTALS 0.0 T 0.0 0.0
SINCE 7/1 107.0
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 MM MM 0
DAYS >= 1.0 0 0.0 0.0 0
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 0 MM 0 MM
24 HR TOTAL 0.0 05/31 TO 05/31
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 298 255 43 137
SINCE 7/1 6366 6838 -472 6297
COOLING TOTAL 8 38 -30 73
SINCE 1/1 11 46 -35 79
.................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.3
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 30/280 DATE 05/31
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 43/280 DATE 05/17
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) 65
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 4
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 19
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 8
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 61
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 4 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 3 RAIN 5
LIGHT RAIN 12 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0
FOG 10 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 0
HAZE 4
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
&&
MAY 2008...
THE MONTH OF MAY FEATURED LARGELY COOLER AND DRIER THAN NORMAL
WEATHER ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN LOWER MICHIGAN. GRAND
RAPIDS...LANSING...AND MUSKEGON ALL RECORDED BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES AND BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL FOR MAY.
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVERSPREAD THE AREA ON MAY 2ND. NUMEROUS
REPORTS OF HAIL AROUND HALF AN INCH WERE COMMON. TEMPERATURES BEHIND
THE SYSTEM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RAIN EVENTUALLY WARMED INTO THE UPPER
70S BY MAY 6. HOWEVER...TEMPERATURES WOULD NOT GET THAT WARM AGAIN
UNTIL MAY 25. IN FACT...MOST AREAS EXPERIENCED HIGH TEMPERATURES
BELOW 70 FOR AT LEAST A TEN DAY STRETCH FROM MAY 14-23. THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL DURING THIS PERIOD OCCURRED ON MAY
7TH...11TH...AND 14TH.
IN GENERAL...MANY LOCATIONS ONLY EXPERIENCED A HANDFUL OF DAYS WITH
ANY MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION. MORNING RAIN ON MAY 30 PROVIDED GRAND
RAPIDS AND MUSKEGON WITH THE GREATEST SINGLE DAY PRECIPITATION
TOTALS FOR THE MONTH. AS FOR SEVERE WEATHER...THERE WAS VERY LITTLE
TO SPEAK OF. IT IS UNUSUAL FOR WEST MICHIGAN TO BE SPARED THE ENTIRE
MONTH OF MAY FROM ANY SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER...BUT THAT IS WHAT
HAPPENED AS MOST OF THE THREATENING WEATHER STAYED SOUTH AND WEST OF
OUR AREA.
THE GENERAL DRYNESS OF THE MONTH LED TO AN INCREASED FIRE DANGER
THREAT ACROSS THE AREA. A RED FLAG WARNING WAS ISSUED ON MAY 25 TO
WARN THE PUBLIC OF A HIGH FIRE DANGER. AN ISOLATED FIRE OR TWO WAS
EVEN REPORTED TOWARD THE END OF THE MONTH.
MAY WILL PERHAPS BE REMEMBERED FOR THE LATE FROSTS AND FREEZES
ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN LOWER MICHIGAN...PARTICULARLY OVER THE INTERIOR
LOCATIONS. CITIES AND TOWNS NORTHEAST OF GRAND RAPIDS EXPERIENCED
SOME ESPECIALLY FROSTY MORNINGS THAT POSED A HAZARD TO SENSITIVE
VEGETATION. MANY RESIDENTS STILL HAD TO COVER THEIR PLANTS EVEN INTO
THE FINAL DAYS OF MAY.
$$
MJK
