May 2023 Observations and Discussion

[Clinton]

Good luck to eastern Nebraska today.  The rain woes continue in mby with only .40 inches for the week.  Severe drought has now found it's way into my area.

[CentralNebWeather]

Wonder how many millions this rain was worth?  What a blessing it was. Gauge says about 2.20”. 

[chescowxman]

Today has a chance to reach the 80 degree mark across much of the County with the exception of some of the higher ridges in western sections. Shower chances increase especially over southern chesco by tomorrow morning. Sun returns on Mother's Day and we should see dry and normal to below normal temps for most of next week with the exception of Tuesday which looks to be several degrees above normal.

Records for today: High 91 (1911) / Low 31 (1907) / Rain 1.38" (1974)

[Tom]

10 hours ago, CentralNebWeather said:

 

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Heavy rain has begun. My goodness. 

It looks like things really greened up around town?

[Tom]

Wow, some impressive hail storms out in the plains of CO...one lone tornado report near OKC... @Iceresistance

 

[Stormy]

11 hours ago, CentralNebWeather said:

 

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Heavy rain has begun. My goodness. 

Looks like you're gutter or downspout is plugged. I had to clean a couple of ours lately.

Congrats on all of the rains! 

[hawkstwelve]

We have some chances at severe thunderstorms this evening with the SPC painting Sioux Falls under the 'slight' risk. 'Enhanced' risk is not too far away, covering Sioux City and surrounding areas. NWS FSD seems to be a little hesitant about it but I'm crossing my fingers it all works out.

Currently under mostly cloudy skies with some sprinkles. Temp at 61 after a low of only 60. Pretty humid out there too.

[CentralNebWeather]

25 minutes ago, Stormy said:

Looks like you're gutter or downspout is plugged. I had to clean a couple of ours lately.

Congrats on all of the rains! 

 It was raining so hard that it was just coming off of the overhang/roof on the porch that doesn't have a downspout.  Checked the downspouts last week on the roof and they are all clear.

[Tom]

This is freakin' pretty rad to see daily storm chances across the higher terrain starting this Mother's Day weekend and lasting all throughout next week!  You don't see this quite often...this is very intriguing to see this happen at the time of year when PHX only averages 0.12" of precip in the valley.  

[Bryan1117]

2 hours ago, Clinton said:

Good luck to eastern Nebraska today.  The rain woes continue in mby with only .40 inches for the week.  Severe drought has now found it's way into my area.

Fingers are crossed here as this might be our last decent rain chance for the next week or so. 

So far this week's "active pattern" has delivered 0.15" of rain for my backyard... that's just not going to cut it this time of year. 

[Tom]

Hmm, an interesting looking "clipper system" will dive due South out of the NW Territories of Canada late next week and make it into the GL's by the weekend ushering a significant cool down.  This will lead into a NW flow aloft and likely drive CF's through the region with more precip chances.  Memorial Day weekend starting to show a cooler pattern for the MW/GL's and the C & S Plains region where it'll be wet wet wet...

 

0z EPS for the next 2 weeks...

[Stormy]

PWATs must be quite high now as some tiny showers dropped a surprising 0.21" this morning. Nothing measurable fell last evening/overnight. This was perfect to soften the crust on the garden from the previous hard rain last weekend. 

[Anti Marine Layer]

Sparky became Stormy

[Tom]

@gabel23 did you get lucky from that line?

[Iceresistance]

@Tom I am alright, I made the difference between 2 Supercells. I did go to the storm shelter.

[hawkstwelve]

Quite the active looking radar over Nebraska right now. Hoping things will hold together as it moves northeast.

Love that classic comma look. Sure looks pretty on satellite, especially for being a fairly weak low.

[Bryan1117]

Why am I not surprised??? Laughable!

[OttumwaSnomow]

23 hours ago, Stormy said:

Ha. Looks like we posted at the same time. Glad you got that much! 

Was it actually a thunder shower? Don't recall seeing any lightning strikes on the map for there. 

 

23 hours ago, Stormy said:

Ha. Looks like we posted at the same time. Glad you got that much! 

Was it actually a thunder shower? Don't recall seeing any lightning strikes on the map for there. 

I actually  didnt hear lightning.  But was really intense rain for 5 min and  very  ominous  clouds.  I like  the word "thundershower" but i hear its not correct  meteorologically  speaking. Was common when I was young.

[hawkstwelve]

Always cool seeing the shadows grow off the high clouds as the sun sets.

[Andie]

This is different.

currently 81*.  Humidity 79%
 

[gabel23]

6 hours ago, Tom said:

@gabel23 did you get lucky from that line?

Had 3 tornado warnings in my county but luckily no official tornado on the ground. As far as the rain goes ended up with a total of .30” for the week. Mondays forecast was looking like 1-3 was a good bet. Drought goes on….

[Stormy]

5 hours ago, OttumwaSnomow said:

 

I actually  didnt hear lightning.  But was really intense rain for 5 min and  very  ominous  clouds.  I like  the word "thundershower" but i hear its not correct  meteorologically  speaking. Was common when I was young.

Yeah I also heard it's not correct, but I like to use that terminology for smaller or weaker cells since they're basically a shower with a little lightning and thunder, and aren't much of a storm. 

[westMJim]

The official H/L at Grand Rapids yesterday was 79/55 there was just a trace of rain fall and just 10% of possible sunshine. There were 2 cooling degree days and 0 heating degree days. For today the average H/L is 69/48 the record high of 86 occurred in 1982,1991 and 2022. The record low of 27 was set in 1946. The record rain fall of 1.92” fell in 1964.

[Clinton]

Warm and dry again today.  Next best chance of rain looks to be Sunday night but it looks scattered at best.  The drought looks to spread and strengthen. 

[Tom]

10 hours ago, Andie said:

This is different.

currently 81*.  Humidity 79%
 

Right in the heart of the Drought regions...

[hawkstwelve]

Ended up getting some pretty decent lightning and thunder along with about a half inch of rain out the storms last night and this morning. Not too shabby.

More storms on deck for today, especially this afternoon. Everything has really greened up around here (can't believe how fast my grass is growing!) and any additional rain we can get will really help in that department. Praying for more!

[CentralNebWeather]

My Agrible weather app from the last 7 days. Almost exactly what I measured in my rain gauge during that time. We are also above normal for the year for precipitation. The yards are thick and green. My son and I mowed the grandparents yard this morning. Whoa had it grown. 

[hawkstwelve]

Fairly good totals for I-90 south and SW MN.

 

[Bryan1117]

49 minutes ago, hawkstwelve said:

Fairly good totals for I-90 south and SW MN.

 

Goose eggs here… gotta love the Oma-dome.

Not even one single raindrop fell in my backyard.

[OKwx2k4]

On 5/12/2023 at 6:57 AM, CentralNebWeather said:

Wonder how many millions this rain was worth?  What a blessing it was. Gauge says about 2.20”. 

That's a beautiful sight buddy! So glad to see that! Congrats.

[Clinton]

Models are looking encouraging for some very much needed rainfall for Missouri tomorrow and tomorrow night Fingers crossed!

[Stormy]

There were storms and thunder nearby all around my location, especially around midday. I was in a hot spot, but managed to picked up only 0.11". Some places got 1" - 2".

[westMJim]

Happy Mother’s day. The official H/L yesterday was 73/59 there was 0.01” of rain at GRR here in MBY I recorded 0.04”. There was 10% of possible sunshine there was 1 cooling degree day and no heating degree days. For today the average H/L is 69/48 the record high of 89 was set in 1982 and the record low of 31 was set in 1961. The record rain fall amount of 1.26” fell in 1946.

[chescowxman]

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mom's out there today!! Well not much rain across Northern Chester County yesterday and not that much more...up to 0.10" across southern sections. So we continue to be running over 4" of rain below normal so far here in 2023.

More dry weather for the work week with temps rising to above normal by Tuesday before falling below normal by Wednesday through Friday. Next rain chance looks to be on Friday.

Records for today: High 92 (1900) / Low 30 (1996) / Rain 1.06" (1978)

[CentralNebWeather]

58 degrees with light rain and a cool north breeze on this Mother’s Day and Graduation Sunday. 

[Tom]

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful Mom's out there.  Hopefully mother nature is cooperating for your festivities today!

Out here in the Valley of the Sun, we will be doing just that...Baking in the Sun!  Heading up to 100F with full Sun this morning and sitting at balmy 78F at 7:11am...while we are enjoying the sun in the valley, it's a different scenario up in the mountains.  I was driving around the valley yesterday and looked north at the views towards the mountains and the clouds certainly looked like the Monsoon season is off to an early start with towering cumulonimbus clouds.  It doesn't typically begin till late June but maybe this year it's starting early?  Some mets aren't saying so but i believe it is natures way of saying "Yes"!  I'll try and capture some photos throughout the week as storm chances are on the rise by midweek.

0z Euro...

[Hawkeye]

This weekend has been a pretty big disappointment, rain-wise.  Since Thursday we've only received 0.21".  Today was looking like our big day, but instead the heavy rain ended up well to the north and east.  The upcoming week looks dry, so we will likely fall below average for the month.

[hawkstwelve]

 

[OttumwaSnomow]

Here's  my  precip numbers from 2023 so far.

Jan - 2.23

Feb - 3.07

Mar - 2.08

Apr - 2.46

May - .86 so far

Today I  planted 3 large trees.  Basically  18 inches down almost void of moisture.   The trend since 2012 looks to continue. Other than a handful  of very wet weeks and a wet day or two per month the growning season my area in general here has been dry dry dry! Some of our wettest periods since 2011 have been in sept or oct. But some winter months way way wetter than avg. Basically  it rains but rarely when we need it! I used to trust May for 4 inches or more but apparently  thats becoming  a thing of the past!  July  and Aug here have become shockingly dry, as well as some Septembers and June. Even Aprils have been so dry at times grass will barely  grow. Again all of this Im comparing to averages  for Ottumwa  Iowa I assume  over 60 years?  We started our business  here in 2008 and for the first 4 years lack of rain never entered  our minds!  I still cant believe  today that we were getting  mowers stuck back then in places  haven't  even barely  been wet for years now.  Most ponds  haven't  been full  for 18 months or longer now. About 3 yrs ago I saw a report on National Geographic  Channel  discussing Iowa flooding.  The report basically  said that growing  crops in Iowa is becoming  almost  impossible and insinuated that world food supplies  will be affected by all the flooding in constantly  in Iowa!  MUCH OF IOWA BEEN IN DROUGHT SINCE I SAW THAT!  In my area here  lack of july aug moisture  has reduced yields  somewhat.  But flooding? What is that? Map below is past 30 days rain.

[Andie]

Pretty sad turn out rain wise. 
Drizzle, mist, clouds.  
Big build up—Big Let Down

[Clinton]

5 hours ago, OttumwaSnomow said:

Here's  my  precip numbers from 2023 so far.

Jan - 2.23

Feb - 3.07

Mar - 2.08

Apr - 2.46

May - .86 so far

Today I  planted 3 large trees.  Basically  18 inches down almost void of moisture.   The trend since 2012 looks to continue. Other than a handful  of very wet weeks and a wet day or two per month the growning season my area in general here has been dry dry dry! Some of our wettest periods since 2011 have been in sept or oct. But some winter months way way wetter than avg. Basically  it rains but rarely when we need it! I used to trust May for 4 inches or more but apparently  thats becoming  a thing of the past!  July  and Aug here have become shockingly dry, as well as some Septembers and June. Even Aprils have been so dry at times grass will barely  grow. Again all of this Im comparing to averages  for Ottumwa  Iowa I assume  over 60 years?  We started our business  here in 2008 and for the first 4 years lack of rain never entered  our minds!  I still cant believe  today that we were getting  mowers stuck back then in places  haven't  even barely  been wet for years now.  Most ponds  haven't  been full  for 18 months or longer now. About 3 yrs ago I saw a report on National Geographic  Channel  discussing Iowa flooding.  The report basically  said that growing  crops in Iowa is becoming  almost  impossible and insinuated that world food supplies  will be affected by all the flooding in constantly  in Iowa!  MUCH OF IOWA BEEN IN DROUGHT SINCE I SAW THAT!  In my area here  lack of july aug moisture  has reduced yields  somewhat.  But flooding? What is that? Map below is past 30 days rain.

The drier area is over mby but I am getting some decent rains right now.  .40 in the bucket with some more on the way.

[Tom]

4 minutes ago, Clinton said:

The drier area is over mby but I am getting some decent rains right now.  .40 in the bucket with some more on the way.

Do you collect rainwater?

[Tom]

1st little taste of the Monsoon out here…had a dying storm out by Mesa blow some dust in the air from a pretty decent outflow…

 

[Clinton]

1 hour ago, Tom said:

Do you collect rainwater?

Yes we do.  Right now we collect enough to water our garden with.

[westMJim]

The official H/L at Grand Rapids yesterday was 65/48 there was no rain fall and 10% of possible sunshine. For the day there were 8 HDD’s and 0 CDD’s The official overnight low at GRR looks to be 40 here in MBY the low was 39. For today the average H/L is now up to 70/48. The record high of 91 was set in 1991 and the record low of 34 was set in 1920. This is the 1st this is the earliest day that has not yet reached 32 or lower. The rain fall record of 4.15” was set in 2001.

There was not any frost here in the Grand Rapids area but that was not the case just to the north of here. The low here in MBY was  39.  There will be a chance of frost to the north this week but not here in southern lower Michigan. While the highs yesterday were in the mid 60's there were a lot of clouds and with a cool north wind it felt rather cool. The next 5 days look to be rather typical mid to late May in the temperature department.

[CentralNebWeather]

Very odd weather around here.  Yesterday only made it to 58 degrees, one of the coolest gradation days I can remember.  We dropped in the upper 40's overnight, and are now dealing with a heavy mist/drizzle and fog with a temp of 50 degrees.  We're only supposed to make it to 54 degrees for a high today.  

[Tom]

Happy Monday!  It’s a gorgeous morning out here in AZ…I can feel the moisture, albeit minimal, DP’s are in the mid 40’s right now and this will be the theme for the rest of the week.  
 

Here is a short vid of the rain shafts that are evaporating before reaching the ground…

 

 

[Tom]

@Clinton Models look good for your area as that tropical wave that came out of the GOM up thru TX/OK will pivot in almost a perfect spot into C MO...

 

[Tom]

This week should bring some pretty good relief in the drought over the MW...

[CentralNebWeather]

Exciting times as we are on our final testing schedules today and tomorrow, and kids are done with school this Wednesday morning, May 17th.  Our family is leaving on vacation this Thursday.  We are going to drive from here to Galveston, then take a 7 day cruise from May 20-27.  Excited to see the landscape and cities as we travel south.  My son and I love college football, so were are stopping at Stillwater (OSU), Norman (OU), Fort Worth (TCU), and Houston (UH) to check out their football stadiums.  We are staying in Norman OK on Thursday night and the north side of Houston on Friday night.  When he depart the ship on Saturday the 27th around 9 AM, we are going to drive straight back to Central Nebraska.  Trip is about 13.5 hours.  With my wife and I both teachers, we can then do things around home and recover from the trip.  My son with be a senior next fall, so workouts and camps start the day after Memorial Day.  My daughter just graduated from UNK in Kearney Nebraska, and will start her new job in the area after we return.