tamarack

Looks like EWR has that 97. Warmth reached into Aroostook - HOU 82 at 2 PM, was 84 earlier. Didn't get to northern ARO - FVE tops at 53 with RA.

April 28, 2009 hit 89, tops for that year. In 28 years, we've had two months tying on 3 occasions and in 2010 the warmest (88°) was reached 5 times - May, July(2), August and September, hence the fractions below: APR: 1 MAY: 3.2 JUN: 10 JUL: 9.4 AUG: 3.7 SEP: 0.7 Hottest here of 93 occurred on July 3 and September 9, 2002. Low of 44, now approaching 80, but clouds have dimmed the sun. We've gone from 5% leaf-out on Friday to 50% now and climbing; might be the quickest leaf-out I've seen.

Some of that in Maine, but nearly all the panels are being installed on idle farmland. Only advantage comes when the panels' life are done - quicker to revert the land to farming than to create a mature forest.

Looking at NYC and other (somewhat shorter record) sites, I'd put the mid-60s as the driest in a century or more.

The 1960s drought in the Northeast 'peaked' in 1965. Thay year was the driest on record for all 3 SNE states, plus NJ, PA, DE. NY's record occurred in the drier region in the Allegheny Plateau, but the NYC records picture the drought clearly: 1931-60 norm: 44.24" Driest ranks, 1869-on: 1962 37.15" 21st 1963 34.28" 5th (4"+ event in November prevented a new record.) 1964 32.99" 2nd 1965 26.09" 1st (Remains of Camille doused one VA town with that much in 5 hours.) 1966 was tracking close to 1965 thru August. Then 5.54" fell on 9/21/66, the beginning of the drought's end. JAN-AUG SEP-DEC 1965 19.05" 7.04" 1966 19.79" 20.21"

The one big event, Jan 25-27, parlayed a modest 0.77" LE into 19.6" of fluff, ratio 25:1. Next biggest was 8.5" on Christmas Eve. Only once before have I recorded a storm of 15"+ with ratio above 16:1, at Fort Kent in December 1981 - 15.5"/0.68" for 23:1

Outside of the upslope sites, NNE did somewhat poorly, especially CAR. Their 86.4" ranks 74th of 87 and failed to have a 10"+ event for just the 4th time in 60+ years.

You're too young to have experienced the 1960s.

We're far enough from salt water to avoid significant marine influence. However, with a warming climate one might expect more convective events, but the opposite has been occurring. Our average for thunder days is 15 but in recent years it's been lower, and just 5 days last year, only the 2nd year below double digits (8 in 2010). Met summer had only 2 instead of the average of 10. Merely stochastic variation? (SSS - we moved here 28 years ago on May 15.) Had 1.28" between 9 last evening and 7:30 this AM, a very pleasant surprise given the modest forecast yesterday afternoon. With that drink, the coming 70s should bring an explosion of growth - leaf out here is a bit behind the average.

Had 0.20" 6 PM thru now, one blip of color might hit us for a few cents. Coming home from BGR we saw dark clouds ahead as we left I-95 in Newport. Adjusted the wipers about 30 times in 45 miles after that, mainly between interval and stop (don't like the squawk of wiper vs. dry glass). Forecast for this aft, tonight, tomorrow - less than 0.1" thrice, even with PoPs of 60/60/80%. The 1-2" is staying west and south.

If we have to endure 3 awful May days, I wish it would RAIN - the 20 months 9/24 thru 4/26 have racked up a deficit of 21.2". Not mid-1960s but troubling. Last week's 3-day soaking rain dropped a modest 0.62"; 2" would be nice.

Low of 27. Had full sun thru 8 AM, now (9:45) more cloud than blue.

80s in May happen most years here - only 4 of 28 failed to reach 80 and the median for May's warmest is 85. As for this week, highs 50s-60s and frost advisory the next 2 mornings.

Some rain every day this month, current total 0.99". At that rate we would finish May about 0.9" BN. If so, it would make 11 BN months in the most recent 12. April had 98% of average thanks to 1.18" on the 30th. The previous 10 months (June-March) were at 61% of average, and met summer's 5.29" was the driest of 28 by 1.95", and only 41% of average. Things aren't bad now, but another such summer might cause problems. The afternoon line of precip split north and south in order to miss here. Were not progged to get much anyway.

Frosty 26 this morning, but at least the sun is out. First 8 days this month has had only 31% of available sunshine; average is 42%. We've had rain on all 8 days, but are running only 90% of average. Tuesday's high of 78 changed the sugar maple buds to small leaves, which haven't expanded much since then. Looks better 20th onward.