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

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.