...MAY 2011 WEATHER SUMMARY FOR THE MIDLANDS AND CSRA...
...ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR THE MONTH OF MAY...
...RAINFALL NEAR NORMAL ACROSS THE MIDLANDS AND CSRA...
...MULTIPLE SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS DURING THE MONTH OF MAY...


IN GENERAL...THE FIRST HALF OF MAY BEGAN WITH A FEW DAYS OF 
TEMPERATURES THAT WERE ABOVE NORMAL FOLLOWED BY A FEW DAYS OF 
TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL. DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH 
TEMPERATURES REMAINED 5 TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL WITH HOT DAYTIME 
TEMPERATURES IN THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 90S AND WARM NIGHTTIME 
TEMPERATURES IN THE MIDDLE 60S TO LOWER 70S. THE BIG STORY FOR THE 
MONTH OF APRIL WERE THE NUMBER OF SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS 
ACROSS THE AREA. THERE WERE SEVERAL EVENTS WITH SEVERE WEATHER...BUT 
4 EVENTS WERE WIDESPREAD. THERE WERE 42 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS 
ISSUED FOR THE COUNTY WARNING AREA (CWA). THERE WERE OVER 60 
SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS GATHERED DURING THE MONTH. THE TEMPERATURE 
CLIMBED TO THE CENTURY MARK ON THE 23RD AT TWO COOPERATIVE OBSERVER 
LOCATIONS. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE AT BARNWELL (BNLS1) REACHED 101 
DEGREES AND BAMBERG (BAMS1) REACHED 100 DEGREES. AS FOR 
PRECIPITATION...RAINFALL ACROSS THE AREA WAS GENERALLY BETWEEN 2 AND 
3 INCHES...WHICH IS CLOSE TO NORMAL FOR THE MONTH OF MAY. THE 
HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS WERE ACROSS THE NORTHERN MIDLANDS AND 
PEE DEE REGIONS WHERE 3 TO 5 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. THE LOWEST 
PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS WERE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN MIDLANDS AND CENTRAL 
SAVANNAH RIVER AREA WHERE 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN FELL FOR THE MONTH.  

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS...

THERE WERE 4 SIGNIFICANT EVENTS DURING THE MONTH OF MAY:

ON MAY 10-11TH...A MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE COMPLEX DEVELOPED IN THE 
MIDDLE AND UPPER LEVEL NORTHWEST FLOW ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. THE 
COMPLEX OF STORMS MOVED SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION DURING THE LATE 
EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY 
AFFECTED THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PORTION OF THE MIDLANDS. THERE 
WERE SEVERAL REPORTS OF TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN ALONG WITH QUARTER 
TO HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL. 

ON MAY 13TH...A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT SETTLED IN ACROSS THE NORTHERN 
AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE CWA. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED 
WITH SEVERAL OF THEM BECOMING SEVERE. THERE WERE SEVERAL REPORTS OF 
TREES DOWN AND HAIL UP TO GOLF BALL SIZE.   

ON MAY 26TH...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED AHEAD OF AN 
APPROACHING COLD FRONT. SOME OF THESE STORMS BECAME SEVERE AND 
DOWNED TREES AND POWERLINES ALONG WITH QUARTER SIZE HAIL. 

ON MAY 27TH...AS THE COLD FRONT MOVED CLOSER TO THE 
REGION...ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED. SEVERAL OF THESE STORMS 
BECAME SEVERE DOWNING TREES AND PRODUCING 1 TO 2 INCH HAIL. ONE 
STORM PRODUCED A WIND GUST OF 53 MPH AT FLOTILLA ISLAND AT LAKE 
MURRAY AND A 51 MPH GUST AT THE COLUMBIA METRO AIRPORT.


TEMPERATURES...

RECORD DAILY TEMPERATURES FOR APRIL 2011 FOR COLUMBIA METROPOLITAN 
AIRPORT (CAE) AND AUGUSTA BUSH FIELD (AGS):

AT COLUMBIA...THERE WERE NO DAILY RECORDS EITHER TIED OR BROKEN 
DURING THE MONTH.      

AT AUGUSTA...
AGS 99 23RD...TIED 1941
    
COLDEST TEMP OF THE MONTH
CAE 47 5/05
AGS 44 5/07

WARMEST TEMP OF THE MONTH
CAE 99 5/31
AGS 99 5/23



COLUMBIA SC METROPOLITAN AIRPORT (CAE) AVERAGE TEMPERATURE...

         AVG HIGH/DEP  AVG LOW/DEP   AVG TEMP  NORMAL  DEPARTURE 
JAN 2010  52.4/-2.7     29.6/-4.4     41.0      44.6    -3.6
FEB       51.8/-7.7     31.2/-5.1     41.5      47.9    -6.4
MAR       65.7/-1.7     41.1/-2.4     53.4      55.4    -2.0
APR       80.3/+4.6     51.3/+0.6     65.8      63.2    +2.6
MAY       86.6/+3.5     65.3/+5.3     76.0      71.6    +4.4
JUN       94.6/+5.5     72.8/+4.9     83.7      78.5    +5.2 
JUL       95.1/+3.0     73.7/+1.9     84.4      82.0    +2.4 
AUG       92.3/+2.3     74.6/+4.6     83.5      80.3    +3.2 
SEP       91.3/+6.5     66.6/+2.0     78.9      74.7    +4.2 
OCT       79.8/+4.0     51.2/-0.3     65.5      63.7    +1.8 
NOV       68.3/+1.6     41.9/-0.7     55.1      54.7    +0.4
DEC       51.1/-6.7     28.2/-7.9     39.6      47.0    -7.4 
ANNUAL    75.8/+0.5     52.3/+0.7     64.0      63.6    +0.4

JAN 2011  52.7/-2.4     30.7/-5.5     41.7      44.6    -2.9 
FEB       64.6/+5.1     39.7/+3.4     52.2      47.9    +4.3
MAR       68.6/+1.2     45.7/+2.2     57.1      55.4    +1.7 
APR       80.9/+5.2     54.6/+3.9     67.8      63.2    +4.6 
MAY       85.5/+2.4     62.8/+2.8     74.2      71.6    +2.6 
 

AUGUSTA GA BUSH FIELD (AGS) AVERAGE TEMPERATURE...

         AVG HIGH/DEP  AVG LOW/DEP  AVG TEMP   NORMAL  DEPARTURE
JAN 2010  53.9/-2.6     29.5/-3.6    41.7      44.8     -3.1
FEB       53.6/-7.7     30.6/-4.9    42.1      48.4     -6.3
MAR       66.0/-3.2     39.5/-3.0    52.8      55.9     -3.1
APR       80.9/+4.2     47.7/+0.4    64.3      62.4     +1.9 
MAY       86.9/+3.0     61.4/+4.2    74.2      70.5     +3.7
JUN       95.9/+6.3     69.6/+4.2    82.8      77.5     +5.3
JUL       95.8/+3.8     71.5/+1.9    83.6      80.8     +2.8
AUG       92.4/+2.2     72.2/+4.3    82.3      79.3     +3.0
SEP       91.5/+6.2     61.9/-0.5    76.7      73.8     +2.9
OCT       81.1/+4.6     47.3/-2.3    64.2      63.1     +1.1
NOV       70.1/+2.3     39.7/-1.2    54.9      54.4     +0.5
DEC       52.9/-6.2     26.0/-8.7    39.4      46.9     -7.5
ANNUAL    76.8/+1.1     49.7/-1.0    63.2      63.2      0.0

JAN 2011  54.1/-2.4     29.2/-3.9    41.7      44.8     -3.1 
FEB       65.9/+4.6     36.9/+1.4    51.4      48.4     +3.0
MAR       71.4/+2.2     43.9/+1.4    57.6      55.9     +1.7
APR       82.6/+5.9     51.6/+3.5    67.1      62.4     +4.7
MAY       86.7/+2.8     57.7/+0.5    72.2      70.5     +1.7 


PRECIPITATION...

COLUMBIA METRO AIRPORT PRECIPITATION...

                    TOTAL       NORMAL      DIFFERENCE
                  (INCHES)
JANUARY 2010        3.18         4.66         -1.48  
FEBRUARY            2.88         3.84         -0.96 
MARCH               2.34         4.59         -2.25     
APRIL               0.91         2.98         -2.07  
MAY                 2.10         3.17         -1.07 
JUNE                4.20         4.99         -0.79 
JULY                7.70         5.54         +2.16 
AUGUST              5.56         5.41         +0.15 
SEPTEMBER           1.94         3.94         -2.00 
OCTOBER             1.83         2.89         -1.06 
NOVEMBER            1.46         2.88         -1.42 
DECEMBER            1.40         3.38         -1.98 
ANNUAL             35.50        48.27        -12.77

JANUARY 2011        1.70         4.66         -2.96 
FEBRUARY            4.21         3.84         +0.37 
MARCH               4.00         4.59         -0.59
APRIL               2.76         2.98         -0.22 
MAY                 2.74         3.17         -0.43


AUGUSTA BUSH FIELD PRECIPITATION...

                    TOTAL       NORMAL      DIFFERENCE  

                  (INCHES)  
JANUARY 2010        5.39         4.50         +0.89 
FEBRUARY            2.37         4.11         -1.74 
MARCH               3.20         4.61         -1.41 
APRIL               1.20         2.94         -1.74 
MAY                 1.36         3.07         -1.71 
JUNE                2.19         4.19         -2.00  
JULY                5.86         4.07         +1.79 
AUGUST              2.04         4.48         -2.44 
SEPTEMBER           1.89         3.59         -1.70 
OCTOBER             0.67         3.20         -2.53 
NOVEMBER            1.30         2.68         -1.38 
DECEMBER            1.17         3.14         -1.97 
ANNUAL             28.61        44.58        -15.97
JANUARY 2011        2.11         4.50         -2.39 

FEBRUARY            4.31         4.11         +0.20
MARCH               5.45         4.61         +0.84
APRIL               1.93         2.94         -1.01
MAY                 2.50         3.07         -0.57

.NOTE...
TEMPERATURE RECORDS FOR COLUMBIA GO BACK TO 1887 AND FOR AUGUSTA  
BACK TO 1873. PRECIPITATION RECORDS FOR COLUMBIA GO BACK TO 1878 AND 
FOR AUGUSTA BACK TO 1871. 

ADDITIONAL CLIMATE INFORMATION...INCLUDING CURRENT AND
ARCHIVED DAILY AND MONTHLY SUMMARIES...CAN BE FOUND ON THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC HOME PAGE AT 
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/CAE .

$$


VAUGHAN