May 2023 dumped more than five inches of rain on Boulder and concluded as the 11th wettest May since the late 1800s. Though there were no exceptionally warm days, the month did see an above normal mean temperature, breaking a streak of cold months stretching back to November. Other monthly headlines included multiple severe weather outbreaks and of course the thick wildfire smoke from Canada which created days of degraded air quality. Here’s a quick and colorful graphical recap of our weather during May and how it relates to climatology.
May 2023 Recap Graphics:
How does May 2023 fit into the last 74 years?
How does May 2023 fit into the last 12 months?
Final 2022-23 Seasonal Snowfall Timeline
Our top posts of May 2023
May 2023 retold via our Twitter timeline
Smoke from distant wildfires in Mexico contributing slightly to beauty of tonight's Front Range sunset! #COwx pic.twitter.com/G3EIH1LlQv
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 2, 2023
No snow yet this month & we're not seeing much evidence to support a deep/cold enough storm system in the extended pipeline for (very) late-season lowland snowflakes. However, accumulating snow in May has happened in #Boulder 16 out of the last 22 years, so you never know! #COwx pic.twitter.com/v2GJVzGFku
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 9, 2023
Sorry, this is a long update….but we've got two rounds of severe weather in the near-term pipeline, and a heap of rain after that.
⛈️ Severe thunderstorms are possible Tuesday night, but are much more likely Wednesday afternoon: https://t.co/ce9RurKRC4 #COwx #colorado
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 9, 2023
Wednesday: This is an extremely rare occurrence to have this level of severe weather risk this far westward into the terrain. We really can’t remember seeing "Slight Risk" this far west in the last five years or more #COwx Please correct us if that is not accurate! pic.twitter.com/OUTk5jm6Tu
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 10, 2023
💥 Right on schedule storms are starting to pop around Boulder! Probably going to be quite stormy around here the next hour or three. Enjoy the fireworks. Hail is likely! Damaging hail possible! #COWx #Boulder #Boulderwx pic.twitter.com/NGbpGKAnUd
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 10, 2023
So. Much. Lightning. ⚡#cowx pic.twitter.com/pZTYVS2CND
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 10, 2023
Hail in Erie / Lafayette CO from tonight’s storm #BoulderHail #BoulderCounty #cowx pic.twitter.com/Oa9TrUb01K
— KristinMiller (@KristinMiller) May 10, 2023
😲 Golf ball to lime-size hail reported in parts of eastern Boulder County last night (1.75 to 2.00"). Tennis ball hail out in Morgan County (2.5"): https://t.co/eQxKdwt8Sb #COWx pic.twitter.com/9CVG1feQJS
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 10, 2023
Today in Colorado Weather: Wind, Water, Fire, and Ice! 🌪️🌊🔥❄️ #COWx pic.twitter.com/NLcMbeS6c0
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 10, 2023
Glitchy and confusing, but we love it! https://t.co/C60OAw8Tor
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 10, 2023
Busy day across northern Colorado with up to 4" (softball) hail and at least one tornado! #COwx pic.twitter.com/VhrJW3NHfF
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 11, 2023
RAIN & SNOW OUTLOOK: The heaviest rain is expected to fall Thursday, but rain sticks around through the night well into Friday. The greatest risk for stream/urban flooding is in the southeast side of the Metro area. Plan for winter driving conditions in the Mountains! #COWx pic.twitter.com/wvRUD9oyM3
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 11, 2023
📡 12:50PM Radar Update: Gulf moisture continues to unleash on Colorado this afternoon with widespread moderate rainfall in the Front Range & t-storms out east, including some tornadic. The dry slot is forecast to remain off to our east with ~24 hours of steady rain to go! #COWx pic.twitter.com/LH6vFxlX8Q
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 11, 2023
Definitely a beautiful storm today spinning in SE Colorado! #COWx pic.twitter.com/PwCHRwBtA9
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 11, 2023
72-hour rainfall totals show anywhere from 1 to 6" of rain has fallen across the Front Range, the biggest single storm total since the 2013 Colorado Flood in many locations. Goodbye, drought! Don't let the minor floodwaters hit you on the way out! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/nqrtGBJAcD
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 12, 2023
Big, much-needed moisture all of northeast Colorado, but another devastating miss for the area of the state that needs it most (the southeast corner) https://t.co/eexPXQqb0x
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 12, 2023
Storm Recap: Plowable hail, tornadoes, Mountain snow, flooding, and the biggest deluge of rain since the 2013 Flood: https://t.co/6B2CSqMkr2 #COwx #Boulder #Colorado #KSwx #DenverWeather #Denver #Boulderwx #Hail pic.twitter.com/RR0sYS6vKP
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 13, 2023
Still waiting on the exact rainfall total for #Boulder, but it should come in around 2.5" which is far from historic for the city. While it was our largest 3-day precipitation event in 6 years, it didn't even crack the top 50 all-time list. Color us disappointed! #COwx pic.twitter.com/VobkF6zgTo
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 12, 2023
3 to 8" of rain over 3 weeks goes a long way! #COwx pic.twitter.com/YgTzjtjp3J
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 18, 2023
Wildfire smoke inbound to the Front Range! It'll be filtering in Friday morning…
Where is the smoke coming from? Here's a few hints:🐻❄️🍁🥞🏒 #COwx pic.twitter.com/SYRn3XRJm0
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 18, 2023
🔥💨 Smoke from Canadian wildfires will be thickest in the Front Range on Friday, but it is projected to stick around through the weekend in lesser concentrations: https://t.co/BMCFXMPCcH #COWx #Smoke #Denver #Colorado #Boulder pic.twitter.com/Ag9MNFxzCE
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 19, 2023
🤢 Denver is currently ranked #2 for the worst air quality in major cities globally right now….slightly better than Kuwait but slightly worse than most of China: https://t.co/9BOy2VrwSq #COwx #Denver pic.twitter.com/jt1oxoLNx3
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 19, 2023
🚗🏔️ If you are looking for clean air to breath today, you need to head west and beyond the Eisenhower Tunnel. We've already seen some of the smoke make it over the Divide near Winter Park, so things may worsen past the tunnel as well through the day. Good luck! #COWx #Smoke pic.twitter.com/icbrR6hw5T
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 19, 2023
How today started this morning & how it is going now #COwx #Smoke #Boulder pic.twitter.com/fomQnWOSHq
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 22, 2023
🌞 Our solar production from May 22nd last year (line) and this year (bars). Both were basically completely sunny days. The only difference? Thick smoke reduced solar output by 20% this year… #cowx #smoke pic.twitter.com/qfYEgPodW4
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 23, 2023
😷 The air over our area has been so stagnant since the smoke arrived last week on Thursday night. This is Day #6 of degraded air quality in the Front Range! #COwx #Boulderwx #Boulder #Smoke #AirQuality #Colorado pic.twitter.com/vZUoo43M7i
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 24, 2023
Hello beautiful blue sky! 😍 #COWx #Boulder #SmokeFree pic.twitter.com/EYLZtxIdth
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 25, 2023
💦Our wet last few weeks has dropped Colorado down to 18th place on the list of most drought-stricken states in the country!
🙁However, the top three spots are still controlled by our neighbors… #COWx #KSwx #NEwx #drought pic.twitter.com/2Wx7lSK0h8
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 25, 2023
🌩️ Another round of hail-producing severe thunderstorms are possible today, but once again the threat will be greatest along and east of I-25. Best chance of any severe weather here is 2-6PM. Some weaker showers/storms could linger into the late evening #COwx pic.twitter.com/PzIe9VzqhM
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 26, 2023
Storms just starting to explode over the northern Front Range. This cell over Lafayette shows early promise… #cowx pic.twitter.com/XJkHTLfeGZ
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 27, 2023
Lots of runners are happy the smoke has cleared out. A beautiful morning for a race! #BB10k #Boulder #BolderBoulder pic.twitter.com/YnVemVv6oh
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 29, 2023
First severe cell of the day clipping northward across the Metro. Personally observed nickle sized soft hail in this storm! #cowx pic.twitter.com/njgKufe1S2
— BoulderCAST Weather (@BoulderCAST) May 31, 2023
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