We’ve entered the month of May and Spring is now in full-swing. We review May’s climatology and highlight a few aspects of the weather to watch in what is typically our gloomiest month of the year.
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Things to watch during the month of May
MELTING SNOWPACK & FLOODING
Mountain snowpack across Colorado right now is running 10 to 70% above normal, depending on the basin. All of this snow will be rapidly melting through the month of May. Minor downstream flooding is almost a certainty at this point. If Mother Nature throws in stretches of very warm temperatures or significant additional rain and snow, rivers and streams will be dangerous for the next few months and widespread flooding could occur. Also consider that May comprises 6 of the 8 wettest months in Boulder’s history.
LINGERING EL NIÑO
The latest guidance from both dynamical and statistical climate models suggests that there is about a 65% chance that El Niño will linger throughout the summer months. Typically this means increased odds of wetter weather for the Front Range.
SEVERE WEATHER SEASON COMMENCES
May typically marks the beginning of severe weather season for northeast Colorado, or as we like to call it, storm chasing season! Very large hail, tornadoes, and damaging winds are all a possibility this month across our region, though the peak of severe weather is normally in June. Who can forget the “billion dollar hailstorm” that destroyed the Colorado Mills Mall back on May 8, 2017.
Tornado from Simla, CO in June 2015
GET THAT GARDEN GOING!
The median and average date of our last frost are May 1st and 3rd, respectively. We’re not suggesting that you’re in the clear as of now, but by mid-May, odds are very good that another frost won’t occur across the Boulder and Denver areas.
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