Monthly Climatological Summary
Norman 3SE, Cleveland Co., OK (Lat 35^10'57"N, Lon 97^25'27"W, elev 1130)
May 2002
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Temperature Precipitation Snow AM PM
Max Min Water Snow Depth Wx Wx
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01 93.0 65.3 .00 0.0 0 SKC BKN
02 71.2 50.4 .00 0.0 0 OVC BKN
03 68.2 47.3 .00 0.0 0 OVC OVC
04 78.1 53.6 .00 0.0 0 FG BKN
05 83.7 57.2 T 0.0 0 -TSRA OVC
06 85.6 69.8 .00 0.0 0 TS OVC
07 86.5 70.2 .00 0.0 0 BKN OVC
08 84.7 70.9 .00 0.0 0 BKN OVC
09 75.7 53.4 .09 0.0 0 -TSRA FEW
10 72.7 56.3 .03 0.0 0 -RA OVC
11 83.3 67.1 T 0.0 0 OVC OVC
12 76.3 52.5 .02 0.0 0 OVC -RA
13 71.1 46.8 .00 0.0 0 SKC FEW
14 73.6 45.1 .00 0.0 0 BKN SCT
15 56.8 .00 0.0 0 BKN
16 86.4
17 .79 +TSRA
18 47.1
19 SKC
20 75.0 53.2 .00 0.0 0 BKN SCT
21 79.2 52.7 .00 0.0 0 BKN BKN
22 77.7 59.7 .00 0.0 0 BKN OVC
23 75.9 65.5 T 0.0 0 OVC -SHRA
24 81.9 56.1 .38 0.0 0 +TSRA
25 69.4 50.2 .09 0.0 0 TSRA BKN
26 82.8 57.2 .04 0.0 0 -TSRA SCT
27 80.6 64.6 .04 0.0 0 -TSRA BKN
28 73.6 61.7 .14 0.0 0 -SHRA SHRA
29 80.8 62.1 .00 0.0 0 FG SCT
30 87.8 60.6 .00 0.0 0 BKN SCT
31 86.7 61.2 .00 0.0 0 SKC SCT
KEY TO AM/PM WX: SKC - sky clear, FEW - few clouds, SCT -
partly cloudy, BKN - mostly cloudy, OVC - overcast, RA -
rain, SHRA - rain shower, TS - thunderstorm, TSRA - thunderstorm
with rain, FG - fog.
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Means and Totals for May 2002
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Average Maximum Temperature: 79.3
Average Minimum Temperature: 57.7
Mean Temperature: 68.5
Maximum Temperature: 93.0 (5-01-02)
Minimum Temperature: 45.1 (5-14-02)
Days with max temperature 90.0F+: 1 Year: 1
Days with max temperature <32.0F: 0 Year: 4
Days with min temperature <32.0F: 0 Year: 46
Days with min temperature <0.0F: 0 Year: 0
Precipitation: 1.62 Year: 11.34
Greatest one-day precipitation: .79 (5-17-02)
Snowfall: 0.0 Year: 2.4
Greatest one-day snowfall: 0.0
Maximum snow depth at midnight: 0
Days with measureable pcpn: 9 Year: 39
Days with pcpn 1.00"+: 0 Year: 3
Days with measureable snowfall: 0 Year: 3
Days with snowfall 1"+: 0 Year: 1
Days with glaze ice: 0 Year: 2
Days with damaging wind: 0 Year: 2
Days with hail: 0 Year: 1
Days with thunderstorms: 8 Year: 19
Days with fog: 2 Year: 10
NOTICE: All temperatures are in degrees Fahrenheit and all precipitation values in inches. Snowfall totals denoted by an asterisk indicate hail.
Summary....In what is typically central Oklahoma's stormiest and wettest month of the year, May 2002 was relatively tranquil and dry in this part of the state. Several robust cold fronts swept through the state during the month, and in doing so swept away the Gulf of Mexico origin airmasses that are an important ingredient for severe weather. Widespread outbreaks of thunderstorms occurred in the state on the 16th-17th and on the 24th, with more scattered thunderstorm activity occurring every day during the Memorial Day weekend.
Turlock CA had .07 inch of rain during May 2002, which brings their total since July 1, 2001 to 10.90 inches. All of the month's rain fell on the 20th, which was one of the most active severe weather days the Central Valley had seen in several years. At least 25 severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings were issued by the three National Weather Service offices in the region that day, with several reports of dime to golf ball sized hail across the region and 3 reports of tornadoes.
I chased storms on a total of five days during the month. Here are some notes detailing what I saw....
* May 8: Got into some 1/2 inch diameter hail in Winfield KS. No
damage to the body of the car, but it shredded up one of
the stickers on the rear winshield.
* May 15: Saw several gustnadoes near Minneola KS.
* May 16: After watching some storms struggle to get organized
near Spearman TX late in the afternoon, the storms
finally merged into a large rotating storm after
sunset that chased us all the way back to Elk City OK.
Lightning revealed that this storm had a spaceship
appearance.
* May 23: Witnessed a small but picturesque rotating storm
between Silverton and Memphis TX that produced several
funnel clouds.
* May 24: Wall cloud northwest of Crowell TX