Weather

May and Spring 2016 Saint Cloud Weather Summary



 

Second Month of Near Average Temperatures After Incredibly Mild Winter

May and Spring 2016 Saint Cloud Weather Summaries

For the second straight month, St. Cloud temperatures were within a degree of average. The May average temperature at the St. Cloud Regional Airport was 57.1°F, 0.6°F warmer than average. The average temperatures were due to a roller-coaster month produced by very slow moving weather across the US. St. Cloud broke out into the very warm air on May 5 and 6, including a record-breaking 89 degree high on May 6. This was the 12th record warm temperature set or broken so far in 2016. On the other hand, the periodic slow-moving or stalled low pressure systems brought southward some very cool air from central Canada. There were 5 straight days with highs staying below 60 degrees, including a pair of lows in the 20's on May 14 and 15. The low temperature of 29 degrees on May 14 tied the record cold low (second record cold low tied or broken in 2016) and it was even one degree colder on May 15. However, this last day of a frost was still near the average of May 18.

The cooler conditions, or alternation between warm and cold, slowed the trends coming off the 2nd warmest Oct-April in St. Cloud records. The table below shows how early the first 50 and 60 degree highs were, but the slowing of the first 70 and 80-degree high

 

St. Cloud Spring Threshold 2012 Date 2012 Rank 2013 Date 2013 Rank 2014 Date 2014 Rank 2015 Date 2015 Rank 2016 Date 2016 Rank Average (1896-2016)
First 50-degree high January 5 Earliest April 26 Latest March 30 21st latest March 9 38th earliest February 27 27th earliest March 15
First 60-degree high March 11 7th earliest April 26 Tied with 1947 and 1965 for latest April 6 48th earliest March 10 6th earliest March 7 4th earliest April 4
First 70-degree high March 14 3rd earliest April 27 24th latest April 9 34th earliest March 15 4th earliest April 13 44th earliest April 16
First 80-degree high May 2 50th earliest May 14 36th latest May 24 13th latest May 27 11th latest April 13 10th earliest May 5
Last 32-degree low April 23 Earliest 10% May 13 Latest 50% April 25 Earliest 10% May 20   May 15 Near Average May 18
Last 28-degree low April 20 Earliest 20% May 12 Latest 20% April 18 Earliest 5% April 27   May 15 Latest 15% April 30

This ends the cold season. With only 3 days with a low temperature of freezing or colder, the entire cold season total of temperatures of freezing or colder ended up at 143 days. That's a new record for the fewest days with lows of freezing or colder. There were only 64 days with a high of freezing or cold, the 9th lowest total of such days in St. Cloud history.

Spring Ends Up Dry

May began quite dry with 8 straight days. Then, there were 0.75 inch over the following 5 days. This was followed by another dry period. The second wave of frequent rain during the last 9 days of May produced 1.42 inch of rain, about two-thirds of the May total of 2.17 inches. Each of the dry periods came as slow-moving storms stayed mostly in the South Central States. This has led to near record rainfall in eastern Texas, resulting in repeated flooding episodes.

The overall rainfall in May of 2.17 inches is 0.78 inch short of the May average. There was a lot more rainfall in the southern third of Minnesota with portions of the Minnesota River Valley and pockets near the Iowa border with over 5 inches of rain.

For the Spring (March 1-May 31), St. Cloud has picked up 5.41 inches, 1.66 inches below average. That is down from the deficit that exceeded two and a half inches in early May.

     

May 2016 Statistics

Temperatures (°F)
May 2016
Normal
Average High Temperature (°F)
66.3
68.8
Average Low Temperature (°F)
43.9
44.2
Mean Temperature for May (°F)
57.1
56.5
Temperature Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
May 2016 Days with High Temperatures =>90°F
0
0.04
May 2016 Days with Low Temperatures <= 32°F
3
2.8

Cold-season 2015-2016 Days with Low Temperatures <= 32°F

170.4

Cold-season 2015-2016 Days with High Temperatures <= 32°F

87.7

 


Spring First/Last High Temperatures
May Extremes
Temperature(°F)
Date
Warmest High Temperature for May 2016 (°F)
89 (set record; see below)
May 6
Coldest High Temperature for May 2016 (°F)
47
May 13
Warmest Low Temperature for May 2016 (°F)
61
May 23
Coldest Low Temperature for May 2016 (°F)
28
May 15
Record Temperatures in May 2016
Temperature(°F)
Date
Old Record
Daily Record Warm High
89°F
May 6
87 in 1918 and 2000
Daily Record Cold Low
29°F (tie)
May 14
set in 1921
Precipitation (in)
May 2016
Normal
May 2016 Precipitation (in)
2.17
2.95
May Extremes
Precipitation (in)
Date
Most Daily Precipitation in May 2016
0.58 inch
May 25
Record Precipitation in May 2016
Precipitation (in)
Date
Old Record
No Records Set
Precipitation Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
May 2016 Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation
10
10.7
May 2016 Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation
8
6.5
May 2016 Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation
3
4.4
May 2016 Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation  
1
2.2
May 2016 Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation  
0
0.7
Complete list of Saint Cloud May Records
Link to 10 Wettest/Driest Mays
Snowfall (in)
May 2016
Normal
May 2016 Snowfall (in)
0.0
0.1
Seasonal Snowfall (in) for Cold Season 2015-2016
30.3
46.1
May Extremes
Snowfall(in)
Date
Most Daily Snowfall in May 2016
None
Record Snowfall in May 2016
Snowfall (in)
Date
Old Record
No Records Set

Spring (Mar 1-May 31) 2016 Statistics

Temperatures (°F)
Spring 2016
Normal
Average High Temperature (°F)
57.1
54.7
Average Low Temperature (°F)
36.3
32.2
Mean Temperature for Spring (°F)
44.6
43.5
 
Temperature Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
Spring 2016
Days with High Temperatures => 90°F
0
0.6
Spring 2016
Days with High Temperatures <= 32°F
4
11.0
Spring 2016
Days with Low Temperatures >= 70°F
0
0.03
Spring 2016
Days with Low Temperatures <= 32°F
37
46.5
Spring 2016
Days with Low Temperatures <= 0°F
0
3.6
Spring 2016
Days with Low Temperatures <= -20°F
0
0.1
Spring 2016
Days with Low Temperatures <= -30°F
0
0.6
Liquid Equivalent Precipitation (in)
Spring 2016
Normal
Spring Melted Precipitation (in)
5.41
7.07
Precipitation Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
Spring 2016 Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation
34
26.2
Spring 2016 Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation
17
14.7
Spring 2016 Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation
8
9.3
Spring 2016 Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation
2
4.4
Spring 2016 Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation
0
0.7
Snowfall (in)
Spring 2016
Normal
Spring 2016 Snowfall (in)
4.6
11.0
Seasonal Snowfall (in) for Cold Season 2015-2016
30.3
46.1

 

Ten Snowiest Springs

Ten Snowiest Seasons

 

Historic temperature data provided courtesy of the Saint Cloud National Weather Service Office, and NOAA/NWS
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Send comments to: raweisman@stcloudstate.edu