Despite a warm spring and year to date, May 2021 was just about average for both temperature and precipitation across the U.S., according to scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
But May also brought the first named Atlantic tropical storm of the hurricane season, Ana, near the end of the month. Below are highlights from our May U.S. monthly climate report:
Climate by the numbers: May 2021
The average May temperature across the contiguous U.S. was 60.4 degrees F (0.2 of a degree above the 20th-century average), which ranked in the middle third of the 127-year record.
A soggy setup brought the fifth-wettest May to Louisiana and Texas. California had its fourth-driest May, while Florida and Utah saw their ninth driest.
Meteorological spring and the year to date (YTD)
The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during meteorological spring (March through May) was 52.6 degrees F (1.7 degrees above the 20th-century average), which ranked in the warmest third of the record. With a precipitation total of 7.53 inches (0.41 of an inch below average), this spring placed in the driest third of the climate record and was the driest since 2006.
