...MAY AND SPRING SEASON HIGHLIGHTS...
...10TH WETTEST AND 11TH WARMEST MAY ON RECORD...
...MAGICAL FIRST CENTURY HIGH TEMPERATURE OCCURS ON 20TH...
...3RD AND 5TH HOTTEST TEMPERATURES IN MAY RECORDED...
...18TH WARMEST AND 44TH WETTEST SPRING ON RECORD...
...15TH WARMEST AND 23RD WETTEST START TO A CALENDAR YEAR...

THE END OF A GORGEOUS SPRING...RECORD HEAT...AND UNSEASONABLE
RAINFALL WERE THE WEATHER NEWS MAKERS DURING MAY. THE GORGEOUS SPRING
SEASON CONTINUED DURING THE FIRST HALF OF MAY AS SEVERAL WEATHER
SYSTEMS MOVED THROUGH THE AREA KICKING UP THE WIND AT TIMES. THE
COOLEST HIGH TEMPERATURES OF THE MONTH OCCURED ON THE 7TH (77) AND
8TH (78).

THIS UNSETTLED PATTERN OF THE FIRST HALF OF MAY GAVE WAY TO VERY
STRONG HIGH PRESSURE BETWEEN THE 19TH AND 24TH. THIS RAPID INCREASE
IN HIGH PRESSURE RESULTED IN THE WARMEST TEMPERATURES EVER RECORDED
IN TUCSON DURING MAY. RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE SET ON THE 20TH
(105 DEGREES...OLD RECORD 102 DEGREES SET IN 1986)...21ST (107
DEGREES...OLD RECORD 105 DEGREES SET IN 1914) AND 22ND (109
DEGREES...OLD RECORD 105 DEGREES SET IN 2000*). THE 109 DEGREES ON
THE 22ND AND 107 DEGREES ON THE 21ST RANK AS THE 3RD AND 5TH WARMEST
MAY TEMPERATURES EVER RECORDED RESPECTIVELY IN TUCSON. THE ALL-TIME
RECORD MAY HIGH IN TUCSON IS 111 DEGREES SET ON MAY 29 1910.

THIS EARLY HEAT WAVE BROKE ON THE 27TH AS THE STRONG UPPER LEVEL HIGH
PRESSURE WEAKENED AND AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEVELOPED IN
SONORA MEXICO. THIS UPPER LOW WAS STRONG ENOUGH TO IMPORT
UNSEASONABLE MOISTURE ACROSS SOUTHERN ARIZONA. THIS LED TO AFTERNOON
AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ON THE 27TH AND 28TH. LOCALIZED
HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS...BLOWING DUST AND SMALL HAIL ACCOMPANIED
THE STORMS EACH DAY. SEVERAL LOCATIONS RECORDED UP TO AN INCH OF RAIN
IN LESS THAN ONE HOUR THAT LED TO SOME MINOR FLOODING PROBLEMS. THE
TUCSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT RECORDED RECORD RAINFALL ON THE 27TH WITH
0.44" INCHES SHATTERING THE OLD RECORD OF SIX-HUNDREDTHS ON AN INCH
/0.06"/ SET IN 1992 AND MARKS THE 10TH WETTEST (TIED WITH MAY 30 1986
AND MAY 26 1926) DAY IN MAY ON RECORD. OFFICIALLY FOR THE MONTH...THE
AIRPORT RECORDED JUST UNDER TWO-THIRDS OF AN INCH /0.63"/ WHICH RANKS
AS THE 10TH WETTEST MAY ON RECORD. RAINFALL TOTALS ACROSS THE METRO
AREA RANGED FROM A TENTH OF AN INCH TO JUST OVER ONE INCH WITH A FEW
SPOTS IN THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS RECORDING BETWEEN ONE AND TWO
INCHES.

MAY RAINFALL SINCE 1995...
2005 ... 0.63"     2001 ... 0.24"    1997 ... 0.44"
2004 ... Trace     2000 ... 0.00"    1996 ... 0.00"
2003 ... 0.13"     1999 ... 0.00"    1995 ... 0.15"
2002 ... 0.00"     1998 ... Trace

THE GRAPHIC BELOW SHOWS AVERAGE DAILY DEWPOINT VALUES FROM TUCSON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT VERSUS HISTORICAL AVERAGE. YOU WILL SEE THAT
THE AREA RECORDED MONSOONAL LIKE DEWPOINTS ON THE 27TH THRU 29TH.


THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE FOR MAY WAS 77.4 DEGREES WHICH IS
ABOUT THREE DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND RANKS AS THE 11TH WARMEST ON
RECORD. EIGHT OF THE ELEVEN WARMEST MAYS HAVE BEEN RECORDED SINCE
1993.

TOP 12 WARMEST MAYS ON RECORD...
1) 80.2 IN 2000         6) 79.0 IN 1996        11) 77.4 IN 2005
2) 79.9 IN 1984         7) 78.3 IN 1934            77.4 IN 1989
3) 79.7 IN 1997         8) 78.1 IN 1993
4) 79.3 IN 2001         9) 77.9 IN 2003
5) 79.1 IN 1958        10) 77.7 IN 2004

TEMPERATURE EXTREMES FOR THE MONTH RANGED FROM A RECORD HIGH OF 109
DEGREES ON THE 22ND TO A LOW OF 51 DEGREES ON THE 12TH. THE MAGICAL
100 DEGREES WAS HIT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2005 ON MAY 20TH AT 12:43
PM MST. THE AIRPORT HIT OR EXCEEDED 100 DEGREES SEVEN TIMES WHICH IS
THE TENTH MOST NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES (TIED WITH 1998...1986 AND 1910)
DURING MAY ON RECORD. THE MAY RECORD IS 12 OCCURRENCES SET IN 1988.

...MAY 2005 STATS...           MONTH     NORMAL     DEPARTURE
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE        92.2      90.4        + 1.8 
AVERAGE LOW  TEMPERATURE        62.5      58.6        + 3.9
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE             77.4      74.5        + 2.9
NUMBER OF 100+ DEGREE HIGHS       7         3         +  4
RAINFALL                        0.63"     0.24"      + 0.39"

THE 2005 SPRING SEASON (MARCH THROUGH MAY) WAS GORGEOUS BUT STILL
RANKED AS THE 18TH WARMEST ON RECORD...WITH AN AVERAGE SPRING
TEMPERATURE OF 68.1 DEGREES. RAINFALL DURING SPRING 2005 WAS RIGHT
AT NORMAL WITH AN INCH AND A THIRD BEING RECORDED AT THE AIRPORT.

...SPRING 2005 STATS...        SEASON    NORMAL     DEPARTURE
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE        82.2      81.7        + 0.5
AVERAGE LOW  TEMPERATURE        54.1      51.4        + 2.7
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE             68.1      66.6        + 1.5
RAINFALL                        1.33"     1.33"        0.00"
		
ALTHOUGH THE SPRING SEASON RAINFALL WAS NORMAL...THE 2004-2005
WATER YEAR (OCTOBER THROUGH MAY) IS STILL BELOW NORMAL BUT WETTER
THAN THE PREVIOUS THREE WATER YEARS.

WATER YEAR (OCT-MAY) RAINFALL TOTALS SINCE 1991 (NORMAL IS 6.11")...
2004-2005 .....  5.72"     1997-1998 .....  9.15"
2003-2004 .....  4.93"     1996-1997 .....  4.46"
2002-2003 .....  3.15"     1995-1996 .....  2.58"
2001-2002 .....  2.02"     1994-1995 ..... 10.00"
2000-2001 ..... 10.01"     1993-1994 .....  4.68"
1999-2000 .....  1.22"     1992-1993 ..... 10.89"
1998-1999 .....  2.71"     1991-1992 .....  9.40"

...2005 STATS THRU MAY...       YEAR     NORMAL     DEPARTURE
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE        75.7      75.7        + 0.0
AVERAGE LOW  TEMPERATURE        50.4      47.0        + 3.4
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE             63.0      61.3        + 1.7
NUMBER OF 100+ DEGREE HIGHS       7         3         +  4
RAINFALL                        3.95"     3.20"      + 0.75"
WATER YEAR RAINFALL (OCT-MAY)   5.72"     6.11"      - 0.39"

THE AVERAGE YEARLY TEMPERATURE THROUGH MAY 31ST OF 63.0 DEGREES RANKS
AS THE 15TH WARMEST START (TIED WITH 2004) TO A CALENDAR YEAR. THE
YEAR-TO-DATE RECORD IS 65.2 DEGREES FROM 1986. THE AVERAGE YEARLY LOW
TEMPERATURE THROUGH MAY 31ST OF 50.4 DEGREES RANKS AS THE WARMEST ON
RECORD. RAINFALL FOR 2005 THROUGH MAY 31ST OF 3.95 INCHES RANKS AS THE
23RD WETTEST START TO A CALENDAR YEAR ON RECORD. THE YEAR-TO-DATE
RECORD IS 13.83 INCHES FROM 1905.
		
...LOOKING AHEAD INTO JUNE AND THE SUMMER SEASON...
THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER FORECAST FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE LEANS
TOWARD ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES WITH NO SKILL IN FORECASTING
RAINFALL. THE CPC FORECAST FOR SUMMER 2005 (JUNE THROUGH AUGUST)
LEANS TOWARD ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL
RAINFALL.

JUNE NORMALS AND RECORDS...
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE .........100.2 DEGREES
AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE .......... 68.0 DEGREES
AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE ...... 84.1 DEGREES
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE .......... 117 DEGREES ON JUNE 26 1990
RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE ...........  43 DEGREES ON JUNE  4 1908
WARMEST JUNE (AVG) ............... 89.2 DEGREES IN 1994
COLDEST JUNE (AVG) ............... 77.6 DEGREES IN 1965
NORMAL RAINFALL .................. 0.24 INCHES
WETTEST JUNE DAY ................. 1.56 INCHES ON JUNE 28 1938
WETTEST JUNE...................... 2.07 INCHES IN 1938
DRIEST JUNE ...................... 0.00 INCHES IN 2002
                                        (LAST OF 13 OCCURRENCES)

SUMMER SEASON NORMALS AND RECORDS (JUNE THRU AUGUST)...
NORMAL HIGH TEMPERATURE ......... 99.1 DEGREES
NORMAL LOW TEMPERATURE .......... 71.3 DEGREES
NORMAL SEASONAL TEMPERATURE ..... 85.2 DEGREES
WARMEST SUMMER (AVG) ............ 89.9 DEGREES IN 1994
COLDEST SUMMER (AVG) ............ 81.3 DEGREES IN 1923
NORMAL SUMMER RAINFALL ..........  4.61 INCHES
WETTEST SUMMER .................. 13.06 INCHES IN 1955
DRIEST SUMMER ...................  0.81 INCH   IN 1926

THE NUMBER OF DAYLIGHT HOURS WILL INCREASE FROM 14 HOURS 8 MINUTES
ON THE FIRST TO 14 HOURS 14 MINUTES ON THE 30TH...A GAIN OF 6 
MINUTES. SUMMER WILL BEGIN ON JUNE 20TH AT 11:46 PM WHEN THE SUN 
REACHES THE NORTHERN MOST LATITUDE PART OF THE EARTH (23.4 DEGREES 
NORTH OR THE TROPIC OF CANCER). 

GLUECK