FROM: Bob Weisman, Earth Sciences


DATE: 5 June 2000


SUBJECT: More rain but not enough
         St. Cloud May 2000 and Spring 2000 Weather Summary


        Rains finally came to much of Minnesota during May 2000 and St. Cloud 
was no exception. Almost three inches of rain fell at the St. Cloud Municipal
Airport this past month, but this still left St. Cloud slightly below normal
in monthly rainfall and more than an inch behind for the spring season
(March 1-May 31). The shortfall is still a problem, especially considering 
last fall's two and a half inch rainfall. Still, the current pattern at least 
holds the promise of continued periodic rainfall. 
       May began much like the previous two months: with a hot spell the first
week. Five record warm temperatures were broken during May 5-7 and the high 
temperature averaged more than 82 degrees during May 1-7, including a 91
on May 5. However, thunderstorms broke the heat on the 7th and 8th, dropping
nearly an inch of rainfall. Showers from the next storm system produced another
.73 inch on the 9th and 10th. This rain was a by-product of a cooler pattern, 
which kept the storm track over Minnesota or further to the south. The changed
pattern produced many clouds, some showers, and much cooler weather. Still, 
the rain of May 27-28 produced the only other substantial rainfall during the 
month (.83 inch).
        The cooler weather during the second two-thirds of the month brought 
the average May temperature down, but St. Cloud still ended up a little more 
than 2 degrees above normal for the month. Still, there were only 8 days
out of the final 24 which had highs of 70 degrees or higher. The drier
conditions still allowed one record tying low of 28 on the 19th, which also 
appears to mark the last frost of the cold season.
          The spring totals still produced an average temperature of almost
four degrees above normal, the 11th warmest in the 118 years on record in 
St. Cloud. While March 2000 was the 3rd warmest March on record, both April 
and May were well above normal also. Each month also had below normal rainfall, 
so the spring total still shows a total rainfall of more than an inch below 
normal. Only 3.3 inches of snow fell during the spring, leaving the 1999-2000 
total snowfall at 28.1 inches, more than 17 inches below normal.
===========================================================================
MAY 2000 STATISTICS            MAY 2000       NORMAL
TEMPERATURE
Average High                     70.3           68.4
Average Low                      45.6           43.4
Average Temp                     58.0           55.9
Warmest high temperature          91 on the 5th (record; see below)
Coldest high temperature          48 on the 13th 
Mildest low temperature           64 on the 5th (record; see below)
Coldest low temperature           28 on the 19th (tied record; see below)


DAILY TEMPERATURE RECORDS
Record Warm Highs                  91 on the 5th (old record: 89 in 1918,
                                                                   1937)
                                   87 on the 6th (tied record set in 1918)
Record Mild Lows                   64 on the 5th (old record: 61 in 1926)
                                   62 on the 6th (old record: 61 in 1939)
                                   59 on the 7th (tied record set in 1926)
Record Cold Lows                   28 on the 19th (tied record set in 1981)


RAINFALL (in)                    2.96           3.16
Most in 24 hours                 0.81 on the 27th 


SPRING STATISTICS              SPRING 2000      NORMAL
Average High Temperature          58.1           53.7
Average Low Temperature           34.3           31.0
Average Temperature               46.2**         42.3
Total Melted Precip(in)           5.57           6.92
**11th warmest spring on record

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