May — warm and very dry month
By The Nelson Daily Sports
The weather in May was a warm and very dry month said Ron Lakeman, Weather Forecaster for the Southeast Fire Centre in Castlegar.
In the monthly weather media release from the Southeast Fire Centre, Lakeman said the mean monthly temperature was 1.7 degrees warmer than normal.
“The total amount of rain was only 23.7 millimetres or 34% of the normal May rainfall,” he said. “It was the third driest May on record. Only May of 1970 and 1995 were drier with 17.0 mm and 21.2 mm of rain respectively.”
The cause, said Lakeman, was an upper ridge of high pressure centred off the coast initially and then over the interior dominated for dry and warmer trending conditions during the initial two weeks of May.
He said a large Pacific system followed but generally skirted south of the International Border with light amounts of rain the night of May14th through the night of May 17th.
“The only other measurable rainfall during the month was the 12.6 millimetres due to another Pacific system spiraling moisture northeastward across southern BC on May 24th & 25th.”
Lakeman, adding there were no records in May, said high pressure dominated for dry and unseasonably warm conditions again during the final five days of May with the warmest temperature during the month was 31.4 degrees during the afternoon of May 29th.
Following a few days of unsettled, wet weather, Environment Canada is calling for a return to warmer temperatures beginning early next week.
According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the average temperature for June is 15 C with preciptiation at 50 mm, which is 30 mm below average.
