May 2026

[495weatherguy]

6 minutes ago, nycwinter said:

this may have been the last winter day in the city until this fall..

We can only hope.  
 

The promise of better weather this spring is reminiscent of the promise of a snow storm only 5 days away that never materializes. 

[Santa Claus]

pollen kicking my ass

[MJO812]

Snowing in Denver this week

 Road trip ?

[psv88]

Late day high of 60

[NEG NAO]

[bluewave]

22 hours ago, MJO812 said:

Snowing in Denver this week

 Road trip ?

Backloaded season for them. The West  is one of those places that needs a great snowpack for water supplies and the ski industry. They are way down in both of those areas. Hopefully, the developing very strong El Niño can deliver for them with better snow in the West next winter. 
 

Monthly Total Snowfall for Denver Area, CO (ThreadEx)
Click column heading to sort ascending, click again to sort descending.

2025-2026	0.0	0.0	0.2	6.6	6.6	T	10.5	3.4	M	27.3
2024-2025	0.0	0.0	23.3	1.4	13.3	5.5	2.0	2.2	0.0	47.7
2023-2024	0.0	7.5	2.9	1.4	3.6	13.7	9.2	6.3	T	44.6
2022-2023	0.0	T	10.9	13.0	13.0	4.7	5.1	2.2	T	48.9
2021-2022	0.0	T	T	4.8	13.4	15.8	13.1	T	2.3	49.4
2020-2021	1.0	4.0	5.0	7.0	3.1	13.5	34.0	12.6	T	80.2
2019-2020	0.0	12.5	13.7	2.8	0.9	16.5	7.5	3.7	0.0	57.6

https://www.denverwater.org/tap/denver-water-snowpack-and-water-supply-update

Denver Water’s collection and service areas continue to face severe drought conditions, with historically low snowpack. Denver Water depends on mountain snowpack for its water supply, which serves 1.5 million people in Denver and surrounding suburbs.

As a result, on March 25, 2026, the Denver Board of Water Commissioners declared a Stage 1 drought, seeking a 20% reduction in water use to preserve water levels and avoid even stricter mandatory restrictions later this summer. On April 8, 2026, the board approved the implementation of temporary drought pricing, starting with May water use and reflected in June bills, to signal the premium value of water during droughts and help incentivize customers to save water.

Customers are urged not to turn on automatic sprinkler systems until at least mid- to late-May, or later if possible. It is not necessary to water grass two days per week in April and the beginning of May; keeping automatic systems off will help save water. Occasional hand-watering may be necessary for trees and shrubs during this time. Keep an eye on the weather and let Mother Nature do the watering when she delivers spring rains.

---

Snowpack and water supply update

• In Denver Water’s collection system, snowpack as of April 27, 2026, remained at the lowest levels observed in the past 40 years:
  • Colorado River Basin: 18% of normal, worst on record. 
  • South Platte River Basin: 2% of normal, second-worst on record.
• Snowpack and melting conditions are unprecedented, with accelerated melting seen since mid-March. Customers need to save water to protect the supply we have right now.
• Streamflow forecasts are calling for runoff levels to be 10-40% of normal in 2026.
• Reservoir storage conditions are below average; while in reasonably good shape for the time being, far less snowpack is available to help refill them. As of April 27, 2026, reservoirs were 79% full, versus an average of 85% full for this time.

[SACRUS]

64 / 38 in this 48 hour warmup reprieve 70s today / 80s tomorrow in the warmest spots.  Clouds / showers - cooler Wed - Thu.  With a possible nice weekend for mothers day coming up later this week, still would heed caution with trough into the east.  Overall cooler than normal through the mid month ahead of a moderation towards a more persistent warmer one.

 

[SACRUS]

Records:

Highs:

EWR: 94 (2001)
NYC: 92 (2001)
LGA: 92 (2001)
JFK: 88 (1965)


Lows:

EWR: 37 (1941)
NYC: 38 (1917)
LGA: 41 (1957)
JFK: 42 (2005)

Historical:

1774: TR. OF SNOW AT MT. VERNON- MOST GARDEN PLANTS FROZE ON 5TH Snow was reported in the Williamsburg Gazette to have fallen in Dumfries, Va. George Washington's at Mount Vernon, logged in his diary a cold day with spits of snow and a hard wind from the northwest. Thomas Jefferson near Charlottesville observed the Blue Ridge Mountains covered with snow. The late-season snow and frost killed most of the fruit crop in the northern part of the state. (Ref. Virginia Weather History)

1812 - A storm produced snow from Philadelphia to Maine. A foot of snow fell near Keene NH, and in Massachusetts, nine inches fell at Waltham, located near Boston. (David Ludlum)

1917 - A late season snowstorm in northwest Texas produced up to eight inches of snow in Potter County and Armstrong County. (David Ludlum)

1922 - Austin, TX, was hit twice by tornadoes which struck within thirty minutes of each other. Twelve persons were killed in the tornadoes. (The Weather Channel)

1952: Record heat occurred across parts of the upper Midwest as temperatures soared in the 80’s and 90’s. Daily record highs included: Sioux City, IA: 93°, Moline, IL: 93°, Chicago, IL: 92°, Rockford, IL: 92°, Kansas City, MO: 92°, St. Louis, MO: 92°, La Crosse, WI: 91°, Columbia, MO: 91°, Madison, WI: 90°, Springfield, IL: 90°, Milwaukee, WI: 89°, Green Bay, WI: 89° and Springfield, MO: 89°. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1961: At least 10 tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma, including a large tornado near Cheyenne that was observed from many surrounding communities. One person was killed and more than 20 farmsteads were severely damaged or destroyed by a tornado that tracked from just west of Geary, to south of Kingfisher. One farmstead was struck by two tornadoes within 5 minutes. This tornado outbreak occurred exactly one year after an outbreak that produced a dozen tornadoes across Oklahoma on May 4th, 1960. A multiple vortex tornado struck Trombe d'Evereau, France killing one person and injuring 100 others along a five mile path. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1977 - A tornado 500 yards in width struck Pleasant Hill, MO, severely damaging the high school and grade school. Only minor injuries were reported among the more than 1000 teaches and students due to excellent warnings and prior tornado drills. (The Weather Channel)

1987 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the southeastern U.S., with South Carolina hardest hit. Thunderstorm winds toppled trees seventy feet high in Spartanburg County SC, and knocked homes off their foundations near Bishopville SC. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1988 - Thunderstorms produced large hail in North Carolina, but brought welcome rains to much of the rest of the eastern U.S. Residents of New England finally saw sunshine after about a week of clouds and rain. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the Southern Plains Region and the Lower Mississippi Valley. Thunderstorms spawned fifteen tornadoes, and there were 340 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Hail three inches in diameter, and 9.39 inches of rain, resulted in more than 130 million dollars damage at Monroe LA. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 100 mph at Epps LA and Fort Worth TX. A thunderstorm north of Mineral Wells TX produced high winds which unroofed a nightclub, turning it into a "topless club." (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from the Lower Ohio Valley to Virginia and the Carolinas. A tornado at Augusta Springs VA killed two people and injured ten others, and another tornado caused 1.7 million dollars damage at Colonial Heights VA. Temp-eratures soared into the 90s in northern California. The high of 98 degrees in downtown Sacramento was their hottest reading of record for so early in the season. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1996: Partlow, Spotsylvania County, VA a man was injured when lightning struck a tree near the porch where he was standing. He went into shock but remained conscious. Another lightning strike started a fire in an abandoned trailer. (Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)
Golf ball size hail caused significant crop damage across northern Manatee and southern Hillsborough counties in Florida. 77% of the tomato crop and 90% to 100% of the cucumber, bell pepper, and green bean crop were severely damaged or destroyed. Losses were estimated at over $18 million dollars. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2002: Road signs and four power poles were blown down when a tornado crossed Highway 350 in West Texas. The most intense activity was across the eastern basin where three supercell storms moved parallel to Interstate 20 producing large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. Two tornadoes were observed in northern Mitchell County just before midnight along with hail to the size of baseballs. Damage was estimated at $100,000 dollars. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

[SACRUS]

[Stormlover74]

74.. perfect day

[Brian5671]

19 hours ago, MJO812 said:

Snowing in Denver this week

 Road trip ?

73 today there-snow tomorrow-what a crazy climate

[Brian5671]

Windy, clear/sunny here 71

[nycwinter]

6 hours ago, SACRUS said:

last time ny had a serious reservoir storage problem was got to be in the early 1990's.

[winterwarlock]

2 hours ago, Stormlover74 said:

74.. perfect day

Not quite

 

Add about 10 degrees and take away the wind

[psv88]

69 today

[NEG NAO]

[bluewave]

Looks like the warm spots make a run on 87° today. Next chance for 80 appears to be on Sunday. The coolest temperatures relative to the means will be over the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest behind the cold fronts. 
 

 

[MJO812]

Already sweating 

Awful 

[Brian5671]

another modeled wet couple days has turned into .10 to .30 of QPF

[psv88]

26 minutes ago, MJO812 said:

Already sweating 

Awful 

It’s 65 outside. Maybe see a doctor 

[SACRUS]

72 / 51 gorgeous dy.  Warmest of the next week with Mothers coming in a close second.  Clouds / cooler and rain showers 0.20 - 0.30 area wide Wed.  with nice cooelr weather Thu - Fri and clouds and rain showers Saturday similar to wed.  Mothers day back into the 70s/warm. Overall near / below normal 5/11 - 5/15 with moderation to warmer as ridging builds east boyond mid month.  Next heat maybe in the 5/17 - 5.24 range?

 

 

[jm1220]

Point and click has 76 for the high here today. Doubting MBY gets over 70 unless we see a more westerly wind. Currently at 66 and S wind but places west/north are over 70. 

[SACRUS]

Records:

Highs:

EWR: 94 (1949)
NYC: 90 (1980)
LGA: 90 (1955)
JFK: 84 (1980)

 

Lows:

EWR: 38 (1966)
NYC: 34 (1891)
LGA: 42 (1978)
JFK: 41 (2002)



Historical:

1834: A group of tornadoes in Virginia killed three people. The twisters carved a path from near Victoria to south of Petersburg to just south of the James River. The damage path was reportedly one mile wide in places. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)
 

1917 - The same storm which a day earlier produced eight inches of snow in the Texas panhandle, produced a foot of snow at Denver CO, their heaviest snow of record for the month of May. (David Ludlum)

1930 - The temperature at College Park, VA, soared from 43 degrees to 93 degrees to begin an exceptional heat wave. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders - 1987)

 

1933: An estimated F4 tornado cut a 35-mile path from near Brent into Shelby County, Alabama. The town of Helena, AL was especially hard hit, as 14 people died. The tornado roared through Helena at 2:30 am.

1960: A dust devil on the western shore of ME’s Lake Auburn lifted a 1,000 pound ice boat and turned it topsy-turvy. A nearby clothes line was unscathed. (Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

1961: 19 tornadoes touched down leaving more than 30 people dead in eastern Oklahoma. Hardest hit was the town of Wilburton, where 13 people were killed, and over 800 homes and buildings were either damaged or destroyed. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1975: Heavy rains totaled 2 to 5 inches in the northern Black Hills of South Dakota flooding many streams. Higher elevations such as the Lead area received over a foot of snow. Rapid City narrowly missed being struck by a tornado as the storm's damage path began about two miles east of Rapid City. The Rapid City airport did report a gust of 53 mph with Ellsworth Air Force Base receiving a gust to 70 mph. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1978: Heavy wet snow of around 24 inches collapsed an office and hotel in Boulder, CO. Many cars were abandoned across the city. Denver received 14 inches with Evergreen and Golden receiving a foot. Snowfall totaled 12.4 inches at Stapleton Airport in Denver, CO and 7.2 inches at Cheyenne, WY. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1981: Mobile, AL had its worst flash flooding ever as thunderstorms unloaded 8 to 16 inches of rain over the metro area in a couple of hours. Damage totaled $36 million dollars. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1982: Severe flash flooding hit parts of southwest Oklahoma and the western parts of North Texas. The hardest hit area was around Lawton, where 4 to 5 inches of rain fell in just 90 minutes. The weight of the heavy rain caused the roof of a shopping mall to collapse, killing one person and injuring two others. Flooding also occurred in north Texas, where several roads in Wichita, Clay, and Archer Counties were closed by high water that spilled over the banks of area creeks. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)
 

1987 - Unseasonably hot weather prevailed in the western U.S. A dozen cities in California reported record high temperatures for the date. Afternoon highs of 93 degrees at San Francisco, 98 degrees at San Jose, 100 degrees at Sacramento, and 101 degrees at Redding, were the warmest of record for so early in the season. The high of 94 degrees at Medford OR was also the warmest of record for so early in the season. (The National Weather Summary)

1987 - Parts of the western U.S. were in the midst of a blistering May heat wave. The reading of 100 degrees in Downtown Sacramento CA was their earliest of record. Sacramento CA established daily record highs on nine of eleven days between the 4th and the 14th. (The Weather Channel)

1988 - A stubborn low pressure system continued to drench the eastern U.S. with rain. Thunderstorms again produced large hail in North Carolina. (The National Weather Summary)

1989 - Thunderstorms swept across Georgia and the Carolinas during the late afternoon and evening hours spawning seventeen tornadoes. A tornado at Toccoa GA injured 15 persons, and a tornado at Chesnee SC killed two persons and injured 35 others. Five tornadoes in North Carolina accounted for five deaths, 88 injuries, and sixty million dollars damage. Thunderstorms also produced baseball size hail at Lake Murray SC, and wind gusts to 78 mph at Brooklyn MD. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1990 - A strong Pacific cold front moving rapidly inland caused weather conditions at the east end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Washington State to quickly change from sunny and calm to westerly winds of 60 mph and ten-foot waves. Three recreational fishing boats capsized in heavy seas off Port Angeles resulting in five deaths. In California, temperatures soared above 90 degrees across much of the state. The high of 101 degrees in downtown Los Angeles was eight degrees hotter than their previous record for the date. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1995: A supercell thunderstorms brought torrential rains and large hail up to four inches in diameter to Fort Worth, Texas. This storm also struck a local outdoor festival known as the Fort Worth Mayfest. At the time the storm was the costliest hailstorm in the history of the US, causing more than $2 billion in damage.

2002: On a scary note, a convoy of experienced storm chasers, including Matt Sellers and Shane Adams, had a near-miss with a tornado which touched down nearly on top of them near Lakeview, TX as they were following the storm that had earlier struck the town of Happy. No chasers were injured during the encounter, but several had damage to their vehicles. In addition, the University of Massachusetts 10-centimeter Mobile Doppler Radar was entangled in downed power lines near Lakeview. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

[SACRUS]

80 here - warmest since April 23

[steve392]

So is it now the norm to just have non-stop windy days??  Yea it's gorgeous but this wind is just annoying. 

[Snowlover11]

Wife said we had some thunder this morning? Slept right thru it. Beautiful outside now 78.

[Dark Star]

15 minutes ago, steve392 said:

So is it now the norm to just have non-stop windy days??  Yea it's gorgeous but this wind is just annoying. 

It has been windy the last 5-7 years.  

[Dark Star]

2 minutes ago, Snowlover11 said:

Wife said we had some thunder this morning? Slept right thru it. Beautiful outside now 78.

My dog ran in the closet.  Thought she was crazy...

[jm1220]

Made it to 72 here but dropping a little on S winds. 

[golfer67]

Thinking the Yanks get it in tomorrow, everything looks to get out of here faster now. May not have to cancel my plans after all...