May weather trended with the “eights” – the temperature was 0.8 degrees milder and the rain was 8 per cent greater than what is norm for the fifth month of the year.
“May 2017 was slightly warmer and slightly wetter than the average May,” local forecaster Ron Lakeman noted in his month-end weather summary from the Castlegar weather offices.
The majority of rain fell in the first three weeks, nearing 80 millimetres (mm) compared to the usual 70 mm on record.
The most active period, brought on by a Pacific frontal system, produced more than 22 mm of rain during the afternoon and night of May 5.
Another 34 mm fell from May 10 to May 16.
Interestingly, 1996 is on record for being the wettest May ever on record – that year almost 158 mm doused the region.
As far as temperature, an intense but dry cold front produced strong gusts of wind during the third week of the month.
“And an unseasonably cool high temperature of 14.8 degrees on May 24,” Lakeman said. “Otherwise, the final 12 days of the month were generally drier and warmer as high pressure was of greater influence.”
The warmest temperature, 33.2 degrees, was recorded on May 30, which set a new record daily maximum for the day.
The highest temperature ever recorded in May was back in 2006, when the mercury climbed to almost 35 degrees on May 18.
