May has been warmer and drier

May 2015 is half over and it is time to see how the monthly climate is doing so far.  The maps from the High Plains Regional Climate Center below show that for the region as a whole, temperatures are running about 1.5 degrees above the 1981-2010 normal, while the precipitation is much below normal and in some areas none has fallen at all, which is shown on the “percent of normal precipitation” map as an area of dark red, indicating zero percent of normal rainfall for the month.  Atlanta broke their record for the driest start to May before finally getting rain on 5/17.  Athens, GA is the driest May to date on record and Macon is tied for the driest, although rain is likely at both locations this week.

pct-normal-precip-may-2015-5-18-2015

For the rest of the month, warmer than normal temperatures are expected to continue.  Rainfall is expected to increase and may even be above normal for the rest of the month, although it will be spotty.

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