000 CXUS53 KDTW 031729 CCA CLMDTW CLIMATE REPORT...CORRECTED *ASOS 24 HOUR MAX PRECIP TOTAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 535 PM EDT WED JUN 2 2004 ................................... ...THE DETROIT CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MAY 2004... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1870 TO 2004 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM NORMAL ................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 95 05/31/1895 LOW 25 05/10/1966 HIGHEST 84 05/22 MM MM 05/10 LOWEST 32 05/04 MM MM AVG. MAXIMUM 70.8 70.2 0.6 AVG. MINIMUM 50.9 49.4 1.5 MEAN 60.9 59.8 1.1 DAYS MAX >= 90 0 MM MM DAYS MAX <= 32 0 MM MM DAYS MIN <= 32 1 MM MM DAYS MIN <= 0 0 MM MM PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM MM MM MINIMUM MM MM TOTALS 8.46 3.05 5.41 DAILY AVG. 0.27 0.10 0.17 DAYS >= .01 19 MM MM DAYS >= .10 13 MM MM DAYS >= .50 5 MM MM DAYS >= 1.00 2 MM MM GREATEST *24 HR. TOTAL 2.15* 05/20 TO 05/21 STORM TOTAL MM (MM/DD(HH)) MM SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL MM MM 24 HR TOTAL MM TOTALS 0.0 T 0.0 LIQUID EQUIV 0.00 MM MM SINCE 7/1 24.1 44.0 -19.9 LIQUID 7/1 MM DAYS >= TRACE 0 0.0 0.0 DAYS >= 1.0 0 0.0 0.0 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 0 MM 24 HR TOTAL 0.0 05/31 TO 05/31 STORM TOTAL MM (MM/DD(HH)) MM DEGREE_DAYS HEATING TOTAL 174 219 -45 SINCE 7/1 5926 6376 -450 COOLING TOTAL 53 42 11 SINCE 1/1 65 48 17 FREEZE DATES RECORD EARLIEST MM LATEST MM EARLIEST MM LATEST MM ................................................. WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.2 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 61/220 DATE 05/23 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 78/220 DATE 05/23 SKY COVER POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.70 NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 1 NUMBER OF DAYS PC 13 NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 17 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 75 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 14 MIXED PRECIP 0 HEAVY RAIN 11 RAIN 9 LIGHT RAIN 22 FREEZING RAIN 0 LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 1 HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0 LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0 FOG 24 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 0 HAZE 16 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. $$ ---------------------------------------------------------------- CLIMATOLOGICAL STATISTICS FOR THE NWS WHITE LAKE - MAY 2004 ...TEMPERATURE DATA... ...PRECIPITATION DATA... AVERAGE MAXIMUM.... 68.5 MONTHLY TOTAL .......... 8.55 AVERAGE MINIMUM.... 47.7 GREATEST IN 24HRS....... 2.07 MONTHLY AVERAGE.... 58.1 ON THE 23RD 2004 TOTAL..............14.56 ...HEATING DEGREE DAYS... ...SNOWFALL DATA... MONTHLY TOTAL............ 240 MONTHLY TOTAL........... 0.0 2003-2004 SEASON TOTAL...6736 2003-2004 SEASON TOTAL.. 62.6 ...COOLING DEGREE DAYS... MONTHLY TOTAL............ 34 2004 SEASON.............. 45 ================================================================ CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMARY FOR DETROIT - MAY 2004 ...AN INCREDIBLE STORMY AND WET MAY BREAKS/TIES/FLIRTS WITH SEVERAL RECORDS... NEVER IN THE HISTORY OF CLIMATE RECORDS FOR DETROIT HAS A MAY BEEN THIS STORMY OR WET ACROSS THE METRO DETROIT AREA. SO MUCH SO...THAT A PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT REGARDING THE RAIN...STORMS...FLOODING AND SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT: WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/DTX?PAGE=MAY2004. MANY RECORDS THAT WERE BROKEN OR TIED THIS MAY DATE BACK OVER A CENTURY! ...WETTEST MAY ON RECORD ALSO PLACES SECOND FOR WETTEST MONTH OF ALL TIME (AND THIS COMING AFTER THE FOURTH DRIEST APRIL)... ...MOST RAIN TO OFFICIALLY FALL ON DETROIT IN 126 YEARS... MAY OF 2004 EASILY TOPPED THE LIST FOR WETTEST MAYS ON RECORD WITH 8.46 INCHES. THE OLD RECORD OF 8.05 INCHES WAS SET 61 YEARS AGO IN 1943. THE 8.46 INCH TOTAL ALSO EASILY MOVED INTO SECOND PLACE FOR WETTEST MONTHS ON RECORD. THE PREVIOUS SECOND PLACE RECORD WAS 8.33... SET IN AUGUST 1926. THE HIGHEST RAINFALL EVER MEASURED IN A MONTH AT DETROIT STILL REMAINS THE FIRST PLACE AT 8.76...SET WAY BACK IN JULY OF 1878! THEREFORE...THE 8.46 INCHES THAT FELL THIS MAY IS THE MOST RAIN OFFICIALLY OBSERVED AT DETROIT IN ANY MONTH IN 126 YEARS! THE 8.55 INCHES THAT FELL HERE AT THE NWS IN WHITE LAKE WAS THE MOST RAIN OBSERVED FOR A MONTH SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN NOV 1995. IN ADDITION...OUR WETTEST MONTH HERE AT THE NWS IN WHITE LAKE WAS PROCEEDED BY THE DRIEST MONTH ON RECORD (APRIL WITH 0.39). ...TOTAL DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORMS IN MAY BREAKS MAY'S OLD RECORD AND TIES FIRST PLACE FOR ANY MONTH (AND ALL PREVIOUS RECORDS ARE OVER 100 YEARS OLD)... NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE MONTH BROUGHT THE AMOUNT OF THUNDERSTORM DAYS TO 14. THIS BLEW AWAY THE OLD RECORD OF THUNDERSTORM DAYS FOR THE MONTH OF MAY WHICH WAS 11 AND SET WAY BACK AGAIN IN THE 19TH CENTURY /1896/. THE 14 DAYS OF STORMS THAT OCCURRED THIS MAY ALSO TIED JUNE OF 1892 AND JULY 1902. ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WIND ON 23RD OF 78 MPH FLIRTS WITH RECORD TERRITORY AT DETROIT METRO AIRPORT... WHILE THE WIND GUST OF 78 MPH WAS NOT A RECORD WIND GUST FOR DETROIT METRO AIRPORT (THAT RECORD IS 94 MPH ON 6/26/73 ALSO DURING AT SEVERE THUNDERSTORM)...IT WAS THE STRONGEST WIND GUST THAT WAS OFFICIALLY RECORDED AT METRO SINCE 1973. ANOTHER STORM (WITHIN DERECHO TYPE THUNDERSTORMS) ALSO IS IN THE SAME BALLPARK AS THIS MAY'S WIND GUST AND OCCURRED BACK ON JULY 16TH, 1980. WHILE ISOLATED WIND GUSTS OF AROUND 100 MPH WERE REPORTED IN SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN (OUTSIDE OF METRO AIRPORT) THAT /16TH/ MORNING...OFFICIALLY AT METRO...A 75 MPH WIND GUST WAS CLOCKED. THEREFORE...THE 78 MPH WIND GUST ATTAINED ON MAY 23RD IS THE STRONGEST WIND GUST OFFICIALLY AT METRO AIRPORT SINCE 1973. AFTER RESEARCHING THE EARLIEST OF IN-HOUSE DATA (BACK TO 1870)... THE STRONGEST WIND OBSERVED OFFICIALLY FOR DETROIT WAS WAY BACK ON JUNE 17TH, 1890 WHEN A WIND SPEED OF 125 MPH WAS REGISTERED. JUST BRIEFLY READING THE NOTES INDICATED THE POSSIBILITY OF A FUNNEL OR TORNADO HAD PASSED OVER THE STATION. (LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER WEATHER STORY FOR THE WEATHER STORIES ARCHIVE ON OUR WEB HOMEPAGE SOON). ...24 HOUR RAINFALL ON MAY 20TH-21ST OVER TWO INCHES BUT NOT A RECORD AMOUNT OF RAIN IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD FOR MAY... THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING VERY HEAVY AMOUNTS OF RAIN RUMBLED THROUGH THE METRO DETROIT AREA SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE MONTH. THE RAINFALL DUMPED ON THE AREA ON THE 20TH-21ST /2.15"/...HOWEVER...DID ATTEMPT TO CHALLENGE THE ALL TIME 24 HOUR RECORD FOR THE MONTH OF MAY /2.87/ THAT FELL ON MAY 26-27TH 1968. THE GREATEST RECORD RAINFALL FOR A CALENDAR DAY FOR MAY ALSO FELL AT THIS TIME WITH 2.56 FALLING ON MAY 26TH ALONE. IN ADDITION...THE CALENDAR DAY RAINFALL OF 1.69 ON BOTH THE 21ST AND 23RD WERE RAINFALL RECORDS FOR BOTH DATES THIS MAY. SINCE THE MONTH AVERAGED 1.1 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL...IT WAS THE FOURTH MONTH IN A ROW WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THE PAST THREE SPRING MONTHS MADE FOR ONE OF OUR WARMER SPRINGS ON RECORD. (LOOK FOR THE SPRING WRITE-UP WHEN OUR SUMMER OUTLOOK IS ISSUED EARLY JUNE). THERE WERE NO RECORD HIGHS NOR LOWS DURING THE OTHERWISE...VERY ACTIVE MONTH. DEEDLER