May is often a transition month from our dry spring to our wet summer. This May lived up to that.
The month began with a continuation of dry spring weather. We were in significant drought conditions.
About mid-way through the month, we launched into a preview of summer with daily thunderstorms. Like most Mays, some areas didn't get the needed rain like some others did. Rainfall ranged from a few tenths in some areas near the coast to upwards of 10 inches in some isolated inland spots.
Temperatures averaged near normal for the month. Most areas had between 10 and 12 days more than a degree above average and between 10 and 12 days with temperatures more than a degree below average.
We enjoyed a nice break from the wet weather and heat during Memorial Day weekend, with temperatures and humidity well below normal.
Here is a look at the numbers for May 2023.
Average temperature: 79.6 degrees (0.2 degrees above normal)
Rainfall: 3.89 inches (1.4 inches above normal)
Average temperature: 78.3 degrees (0.4 degrees above normal)
Rainfall: 0.66 inches (1.82 inches below normal)
Average temperature: 78.3 degrees (0.2 degrees above normal)
Rainfall: 8.75 inches (5.14 inches above normal)
Average temperature: 76.0 degrees (0.6 degrees above normal)
Rainfall: 2.92 inches (0.26 inches below normal)
Average temperature: 79.6 degrees (0.2 degrees above normal)
Rainfall: 3.59 inches (1.40 inches above normal)
Typically, during June, we launch right into our rainy season with daily thunderstorms. It usually takes a few more weeks for the coastal spots to get into the daily barrage of thunderstorms.
June averages 7.37 inches of rainfall.
The wettest June was in 2012, when 18.66 inches of rain fell. The driest was in 1918, with only 1.26 inches of rain.
Temperatures change little during June. We begin the month with an average high of 90 and an average low of 74 and by the 30th, we go to 91 and 76.
June can get hot if we aren't quite in the wet pattern. On June 5, 1985, Tampa hit 99 degrees for the hottest temperature recorded in history in Tampa.
On June 1, 1974, the morning low was a chilly 53 degrees.
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