Philly has had rain on 18 days so far in May, and more is yet to come
After 10 straight days of below-normal temperatures, the first week of June may start feeling like summer.
May has earned a rightful reputation for its blooms, but this year it also has exhibited quite a talent for gloom.
So far, the month officially has produced exactly one clear day in Philly — on average the city has seven in May — and the region is not likely to see another one before the calendar turns.
Rain, which forced the Phillies to postpone their game Wednesday night against the Atlanta Braves, has been observed on 18 days so far, with a good chance that number will increase to 20 by the weekend. (This has nothing to do with Tropical Storm Alvin, by the way; that’s in the Pacific.)
With showers due Friday and Friday night, May has a shot at being the wettest month in more than a year.
Philly also has had quite the run of cool days
Along with the dampness, the days have been consistently chilly. Wednesday marked the 10th consecutive day of below-normal temperatures, something that “hasn’t happened in a while,” said Patrick O’Hara, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.
Actually, the last such streak occurred at the end of May into early June of 2023.
For the month, the daytime highs are almost exactly normal; however, that’s the result of unusual warmth early in the month.
Since then, the jet stream winds — the upper-air boundaries between warm and cold air — have dipped into the East, said Tom Kines, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.
That development flipped the switch to cooler temperatures from Washington to Boston starting on the 19th.
Is the drought finally over in the Philly region?
The drought advisories remain in effect in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, although the rains are putting up an impressive, albeit mostly benign, fight.
After a historically dry fall, the rains have been easing precipitation deficits gradually with periods of steady rain, such as Wednesday’s, rather than dousing the region with “hit-and-run thunderstorms,” O’Hara said.
Said Kines: “It’s been a slow transition. A lot of times it doesn’t happen that way. Usually, when the dry spell breaks, it breaks with a vengeance.”
Through Tuesday the year-to-date rainfall is near normal, according to the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center. However, it continues to be about 25% below normal over the previous 365 days.
When will the sun reappear over the Philly region?
The skies are due to brighten by Thursday afternoon, but don’t get used to it.
Showers are likely Friday, with thunderstorms possible at night. The rains are expected to back off Saturday morning, and the sun will shine as the meteorological spring makes a cool exit with afternoon temperatures mostly in the 60s.
June is forecast to start off with a gradual warming trend, with highs in the 70s Monday and Tuesday, and perhaps the mid-80s midweek.
It could become quite warm later in the week, Kines said, with a reading of 90 “not out of the question.”