Hot weather arrived on schedule last month, while it was raining soak some points and miss others. That is the story of our spring in North Carolina.
The hustle and bustle in
Spring ended with a summer-like feel as the hot weather arrived last month. According to the National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI), the preliminary statewide average temperature of 68.5°F rank as May 26 is the warmest since 1895.
After a few icy nights at the end of the year Aprilwe had our last cool mornings of the season on May 10th and 11th, when the temperature fall to freeze in the northern mountains and in the thirties in northwestern Piedmont.
Then our temperatures went up, including the first 90 degrees of the year in most states. Raleigh end the month with six days at or above 90°F, while Lumberton there were those 14 warm days – the 2nd most of any May there, just behind 1953.
In terms of time, that temperature affects pretty much as much as climate suggests. The first day of four days 90 degrees in Charlotte arrived on May 19, compared with the long-term average of May 21. Greensboro also hit 90°F for the first time on May 19, or a day later than average.
It is slightly delayed for some coastal locations, including Kinstonreached 90°F on May 20, eight days later than the average first occurrence in history.
In southeastern North Carolina, abundant sunshine and limited rainfall have made it one of the five Warmest Days on Record. Wilmington has the 3rd warmest May – just behind 2019 and 1953 – dating back to 1874, while Lumberton had the warmest May of the 110 years observed.
While humidity remains elusive in those areas, the good news for farmers and gardeners is the amount more and more levels – a temperature-based index of plant growth – has now climbed above the climate average for this time of year.
That is confirmed by Latest USDA Crop Status and Progress Reportshows that both corn and soybeans appear to be five years ahead of the average as they enter a critical growth period this summer.
Rain at the end of the month wets the West
After a dry start, torrential rains near the end of the month helped bring those May flowers into bloom. The NCEI notes that the statewide preliminary average precipitation is 4.08 inchesslightly higher than the recent 30-year average and The wettest month of 55 in the past 128 years.
The predominant pattern in our May precipitation is a descending west-to-east slope, meaning that some mountainous areas are higher than normal while many coastal areas are on the dry side.
One of our year-long wettest areas in Plateaulocated more than 4,000 feet in southern Macon County, recorded the 4th wettest May on record with a total of 14.85 inches of rainfall. Asheville May has the wettest May 11 with 7.32 inches, or 3.2 inches above normal.
Two rains in the span of a week made it a wet month in those areas. First, slow motion low pressure system passed the state on May 22-24 left behind total of three days over 3 inches in some western locations and scattered a total of 2 inches or more in northern Piedmont and the Central Coastal Plain.
That weekend, a cold front bring a add 2 to 6 inches on the mountain range. With such heavy rainfall falling in such a short period of time, parts of Haywood County have been flash flood warningand the River Pigeon at Canton reached its flood stage for the first time since Tropical Storm Fred last August.
Rain later that month washed away the Unusually Dry (D0) conditions causing briefly emerged in the mountains Throughout May, the drought map remained active in the east, with Moderate Drought (D1) and Severe Drought (D2) persisting over parts of the Coastal Plain. In Wilmingtonit was the driest May 11 on record with just 1.12 inches of rain.
The heat and lack of rainfall have taken a toll on the southeastern part of the state. One Monitor CoCoRaHS . Status Observers note wetlands in Carolina Beach State Park are drying up, including a puddle “just big enough for… a turtle trying to swim in it”. Flow has also fallen below the 10th historic percentile across the Southern Coast Plains.
While fortunately the drought does not extend beyond eastern North Carolina, it will not go away there, either. second year in a row with dry conditions in place when entering the summer.
The end of a warm and dry spring
May marks the end of climate spring, and this year has been warm with mixed rainfall across the state.
Preliminary statistics from the NCEI record an average temperature of 60.3°F for March, April and May, or ours 14-warmest spring in profile.
Considering the cool April nights and the timely arrival of 90 degrees last month, it might be surprising to see our average spring temperatures rank so high. But don’t forget that the season started the same way we did Winters Affected by La Niña ended: with above-normal temperatures in March.
Overall warmth was also seen at our peak during the day. Based on average maximum temperatures, this ranks as our 10th warmest spring. Remarkable, Raleigh there are 36 days and Charlotte had 37 days of high temperatures at or above 80°F, placing 4th on record in both locations.
Our nights were also warm, with average minimum temperatures ranking as the 20th warmest of all springs since 1895. This was the eighth consecutive spring with below-average temperatures. jar.
Preliminary average precipitation statewide is 10.97 inchesor 1.01 inches below the average from 1991 to 2020. That’s ours 49 driest spring in the past 128 years.
Of course, that one number doesn’t represent statewide variation in precipitation, and there are some big differences over small distances.
Our ECONet station is in Jackson Springs had Monday 2-wettest spring for the past 20 years, with 15.77 inches of rain. Just 40 miles to the east, Fayetteville associated with the 16-driest spring for the past 116 years, for a total of just 7.59 inches.
Overall, the Southern, southern Piedmont, and eastern Piedmont Mountains end spring with above-normal rainfall, while the Coastal Plains along and southeast of Interstate 95 experience seasonal rainfall. less than 75%.
After a rare tornado-free April in North Carolina, severe weather was more common in May, including nine confirmed tornadoes. These include EF1 on May 6 in Swain County – only third known tornado there since 1950 – as well as a EF0 in Durham County on May 23 and a EF2 in Iredell County on May 26.
Added two tornadoes from 3 months 1 blizzard events and another on March 23 near Taylorsville, we now have a total of dozens of tornadoes so far this year. This is slightly higher than the historical average of 9.9 tornadoes from January through May.
In terms of weather hazards, our attention turns to the tropics as the Atlantic hurricane season officially begins. For the first time since 2014, we won’t have a named storm form before June 1. However, this year’s first hurricane may not be far off.
Remnants of Tropical Cyclone Agatha from the Pacific Ocean have swept into the Gulf of Mexico and may soon regenerate as Tropical Storm Alex. Current forecast suggests the storm is offshore, although depending on its strength, it could produce large waves and even gusts along our coast as early as next week.
Although we may have almost met Alex, pre-season prediction favors another active hurricane season this year, so it may be only a matter of time before we get the beneficial rains – or damaging winds, high tides and floods – associated with these events. this case.
Last year showed that tropical cyclones are not just a coastal phenomenon. Tropical Storm Elsa bring heavy rain and high winds to Piedmont, while Fred produces catastrophic floods on the mountain range.
So no matter where you live, make sure you and your family prepare By having your supply kits ready, keep your home safe, and know what you’re going to do and where you’ll go if and when a storm hits.
