An Impressive Cool Shot To End an Impressive Record Warm Spring (Mainly Due to March);

After a record or near record warm spring; a rather breezy and cool fresh air mass  for ironically; the season change to meteorological summer, will surge into the region the last few days of May and hold into the first few days of June. This much cooler air mass (with a upper level tag from the polar region) will change the record high air mass in place on Memorial Day to normal; then below normal temperatures to close out the month/season. While starting out the week in the 90s for Memorial Day; cooler weather will infiltrate the region in several waves. The first of these being tonight into Tuesday morning and this most important wave will be accompanied scattered showers and thunderstorms.

Another system is slated develop late in the week on the parameter of this "polar air mass" and shoot thru the Lower Great Lakes. Interesting and also ironic; as winter snow buffs were looking for some sort of semblance to this type of system back in the cold season. This low on the models has been showing many preliminary characteristics of a winter-type low pressure for development and track thru the region late in the week. While temperatures will be cool; no winter type precipitation is expected. I will update about this system as it plays out on guidance, also.

Much of the southern half of Southeast Lower Michigan could use the hopeful rain as it has been rather dry; NOT a good time in the growing season for fellow gardeners and farmers. Check out these precipitation stats for Detroit, Flint and Saginaw for the spring and May thru the 27th:

DETROIT:
MAY TO DATE   1.34      NORM 2.93   -1.59           LAST MAY 5.13 
SINCE MAR 1    6.44      NORM 8.11   -1.67    LAST SPRING 14.35

While it's been dry this spring the BIG news here is the comparison to last spring when it was SO WET. Basically; up to date we've had half the rainfall of last spring /14.35/. Of course, further north around Flint because of the flooding rains earlier in the month on the 3rd and the 4th; it's a different story. 

FLINT:
MAY TO DATE 6.87       NORM 2.68 +4.19             LAST MAY 6.90 
SINCE MAR 1 10.23      NORM 7.48 +2.75      LAST SPRING 16.29

Ironically; last May and this May are neck in neck for rainfall at Flint but even with the earlier flooding rains this May, it is nowhere close to last spring's total rainfall to date /16.29/!

 

The Saginaw Valley region was drier but heavy rains trekking southeast across the region Sunday put an end to that; and the area is now on par to be closer to normal for rainfall both May and spring.

SAGINAW
PRECIPITATION: MAY.... 3.62   SPRING.... 7.30

As mentioned; we are still expecting scattered showers and storms overnight into Tuesday morning, then a slight chance Wednesday. So these totals are likely to change.

Making weather fun while we all learn,
Bill Deedler -SEMI_WeatherHistorian