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May — Near-Normal Temperatures and Rainfall
With an average temperature of 62.5 degrees, May was 0.9 degrees above the normal of 61.6. Total precipitation for the month was 4.54 inches, or 0.19 inches above the monthly May normal of 4.35 inches.
May got off to a warm start with afternoon temperatures generally in the 70s during the month’s first week. A reading of 79 degrees was registered on the 6th, and that turned out to be the highest temperature all month. Surprisingly, April produced three days in the 80s, but none were recorded in May. And after that first mild week, daytime temperatures generally ran on the cool side for the remainder of the month. However, extensive periods of cloudy, mild and showery weather during the latter half of May kept nighttime temperatures up. Consequently, temperatures for the month as a whole ended up being slightly above normal.
The month’s lowest temperature was 36 degrees, on May 9. However, it was a clear and calm night, and cool air drained from the ridges down into the valleys. Early-morning minimum temperatures in the lower and middle 30s in Fairview’s higher elevations were chilly enough (that 36-degree reading was recorded at 3,650 feet), but it was colder in the lower elevations and low temperatures fell to about 30 degrees in the coldest spots. That produced frost, though we heard no reports of damage to cold-sensitive plants.
June 1-15 update
Warm, humid and thundery weather prevailed across Fairview during the first half of June. The thunderstorms tended to be afternoon and early-evening affairs, and they were hit-and-miss, but they were in the area practically every day.
The 2010 Hurricane Season
We don’t usually concern ourselves with hurricanes in Western North Carolina, but weather history tells us they are an important part of our climate. The remnants of hurricanes and tropical storms sometimes move across our area, delivering wind-driven, flood-producing rainfall. Remember 2004? Fairview received a combined total of 15.69 inches of rain from the remnants of Hurricanes Jeanne, Frances and Ivan.
The Atlantic Basin hurricane season is the six-month period from June through November and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued its 2010 hurricane season forecast. It raises a warning flag for residents in the country’s hurricane-prone areas. The 2010 season is to be an active one, potentially “... one of the more active on record,” says NOAA chief Dr. Jan Lubchenco. They are calling for an especially active season with 15 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes (Category 3 strength or greater). On average, the Atlantic hurricane season produces 10 named storms, with six of them hurricanes and two of them major hurricanes.
The rapid demise of El Niño figures prominently in the agency’s prediction. El Niños usually thwart Atlantic Basin tropical cyclone activity by increasing winds aloft over the tropical Atlantic. This has the effect of shearing developing tropical disturbances apart before they can organize into tropical storms and hurricanes. Thus, hurricane numbers go down in times of El Niñ–––o. The quiet nature of the 2009 Atlantic Basin hurricane season is a perfect example. But with the current El Niño in full retreat, conditions grow more supportive for tropical cyclone (tropical storm and hurricane) development.
In addition, sea-surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and tropical Atlantic Ocean are running well above normal for this time of year. Hurricanes draw their energy from ocean water — and the warmer the water, the more energy. This is not good news, and it is particularly troubling given the catastrophic oil spill underway in the Gulf of Mexico.
by Richard Koeneman, Meteorologist
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Richard Koeneman moved to the mountains of WNC several years ago after a 30-year career as a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Richard is currently a part-time contributor to the Chicago Tribune weather page.
