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