Merry month of May
Welcome to the merry month of May. According to a English travel site this is the weather that can be expected in the month of May here in Michigan.
“May brings bright sunshine to Michigan as the cold and windy conditions abate significantly. The average daily temperatures are in the pleasant 58°F (14.4°C) to 71°F (21.7°C) range, while the nights are in the mild zone of 36°F (2.2°C) to 48°.
Rain picks up in intensity with 3″ (76.2mm) to 5″ (127mm) in the state as the snow starts to melt away. The soil is free of frost, and the thawing of the snow brings abundant freshwater.
The air is sweet and fresh, with flowers blossoming in the wild. Wild turkeys and ducks provide plenty of opportunities for hunters with clear skies in the background. Late spring sees abundant trout in the Au Sable River that races through the heart of the wilderness in Eastern Michigan. The dunes along the lake shores are a fantastic sight in the warm spring conditions. Expect the weather to become warmer with each passing day in May in Michigan.”
That said, at Grand Rapids and Holland the average mean for the month is 58.7. At Muskegon the mean is 56.9. For the lake shore we could hear the phrase “cooler by the lake” from time to time. At Grand Rapids the average high low starts out at 64.9/43.0 on the 1st warms up to 69.2/47.4 on the 15th and is up to 74.3/52.8 by 7the 31st The warmest Mays at Grand Rapids are 1. 65.7 in 1977 2. 65.3 in 1896. 3. 65.0 in 1982. 4. 64.8 in 2018 and 5. 64.6 in 1991. The record highest reading recorded in May at Grand Rapids is 95 on May 31st, 1934. The coldest means for May at Grand Rapids are 50.3 in 1997. ** 50.7 in 1924.** 50.7 in 1907.** 50.9 in 1945. And 51.1 in 1917. The record coldest low for a May date is 21 set on May 1st, 1903. The top 5 wettest Mays of record are. 10.1” in 2001** 9.54” in 2000** 9.29” in 2004** 8.29” in 1981**and 7.18” in 1911. The driest top 5 are 0.72” in 1936** 0.94” in 1987** 0.98” in 1925** 1.03” in 1961 and 1.05” in 1971. And snow fall yes there have been years where it has snowed in May. The most was a tie of 5.5” in 1923 and 1902. In 1929 3.0” fell there was 2.0” in 1954 in 1940 0.8” fell. In 1990 0.2” was reported and in 1994 0.1” was reported.
Last year the mean temperature at Grand Rapids was 62.1° that was a departure from average of +2.9° the highest was 85 on the 19th and the lowest was 40 on the 12th there was 3.16” of rainfall.
It is now time to set back and see how May 2025 will play out.
The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 62/43 there was a reported trace of rainfall the highest wind gust was 21 MPH out of the W. the percentage of sunshine is missing. For today the average H/L is 65/44 the record high of 87 was in 1938 and 1955 the coldest high of 39 was in 1926 the record low of 26 was in 1971 the warmest low of 66 was in 1938 the most rainfall of 2.03” was in 1919 the most snowfall of 1.3” was in 1954.
Today and tomorrow look to be a little cooler than average with highs near 60 and lows near 40 tonight and in the upper 40’s for Sunday night there are showers in the forecast for later in the day on Sunday.
Yesterday was yet another below normal temp day! We sure have seen a lot of those lately! Wow!