Monthly Climatological Summary
Norman 3SE, Cleveland Co., OK (Lat 35^10'57"N, Lon 97^25'27"W, elev 1130)
May 2004
------------------------------------------------------------------
     Temperature  Precipitation  Snow      AM         PM
      Max   Min    Water Snow    Depth     Wx         Wx      
------------------------------------------------------------------
01   64.6  46.8       T   0.0      0      -DZ         SCT
02   76.1  40.8     .00   0.0      0       SKC        FEW
03   71.2  41.0     .00   0.0      0       SKC        SKC
04   82.9  55.6     .00   0.0      0       SKC        SKC
05   83.7  57.9     .00   0.0      0       SKC        SKC
06   84.6  59.4     .00   0.0      0       SKC        SCT
07   84.0  61.7     .00   0.0      0       BKN        BKN
08   86.4  61.7     .00   0.0      0       SKC        SCT
09   82.9  62.8     .00   0.0      0       BKN        SCT
10   86.2  62.8     .00   0.0      0       BKN        BKN
11   86.2  67.5     .01   0.0      0       BKN        SHRA
12   87.6  67.8       T   0.0      0      -DZ         SCT
13   84.2  48.2     .36     T*     0       BKN       +TSRA GR
14   64.8  46.2     .00   0.0      0       OVC        SCT
15   74.8  45.3     .00   0.0      0       SKC        FEW
16   81.3  55.8     .00   0.0      0       BKN        BKN
17   84.7  64.0     .00   0.0      0       BKN        BKN
18   88.5  67.6     .00   0.0      0       BKN        BKN
19   88.9  70.0     .00   0.0      0       BKN        SCT
20   90.0  69.4     .00   0.0      0       SCT        SCT
21   87.6  70.0     .00   0.0      0       BKN        SCT
22   86.2  69.8     .00   0.0      0       BKN        SCT
23   94.8  71.6     .00   0.0      0       BKN        BKN
24   89.4  71.1       T   0.0      0       BKN       -TSRA
25   83.5  67.5     .00   0.0      0       BKN        OVC
26   91.6  66.2       T   0.0      0      -RA         BKN
27   85.6  67.6     .02   0.0      0       BKN       -TSRA
28   90.0  63.3     .00   0.0      0       SKC        SCT
29   89.4  68.7     .00   0.0      0       BKN        SCT
30   87.3  66.7     .00   0.0      0       BKN        FEW
31   88.3  52.2     .00   0.0      0       SKC        SKC

KEY TO AM/PM WX: SKC - sky clear, FEW - few clouds, SCT -
partly cloudy, BKN - mostly cloudy, OVC - overcast, RA -
rain, SHRA - rain shower, DZ - drizzle, TSRA - thunderstorm
with rain, GR - hail.


------------------------------------------------------------------
Means and Totals for May 2004
------------------------------------------------------------------
Average Maximum Temperature:      84.1
Average Minimum Temperature:      60.9

Mean Temperature:                 72.5

Maximum Temperature:              94.8  (5-23-04)
Minimum Temperature:              40.8  (5-02-04)

Days with max temperature 90.0F+:    4             Year:       4
Days with max temperature <32.0F:    0             Year:       2
Days with min temperature <32.0F:    0             Year:      35
Days with min temperature <0.0F:     0             Year:       0

Precipitation:                     .39             Year:    9.38
Greatest one-day precipitation:    .36  (5-13-04)

Snowfall:                            T*            Year:       T
Greatest one-day snowfall:           T* (5-13-04)
Maximum snow depth at midnight:      0

Days with measureable pcpn:          3             Year:      37
Days with pcpn 1.00"+:               0             Year:       2
Days with measureable snowfall:      0             Year:       0
Days with snowfall 1"+:              0             Year:       0
Days with glaze ice:                 0             Year:       2
Days with damaging wind:             0             Year:       1
Days with hail:                      1             Year:       2
Days with thunderstorms:             3             Year:      16
Days with fog:                       0             Year:      13

NOTICE: All temperatures are in degrees Fahrenheit and all precipitation values in inches. Snowfall totals denoted by an asterisk indicate hail.


Summary....May 2004 was about as dry and storm free as you get this time of year in central Oklahoma. Moisture was slow to recover over the area the first week of the month following yet another strong cold frontal passage on the 1st. Then a strong subtropical ridge set in around the middle of the month, with the main jet stream way up in the northern Plains. The only widespread outbreak of storms to hit the state during the month was on the 13th as a cold front moved south across the state. The jet stream dipped far enough south during the last week of the month to allow isolated supercells to form across western Oklahoma on the 24th, 26th, and 29th. The storm on the 29th was especially long lasting, forming near Elk City around 4pm and continuing northeast until it got to the Arkansas border at 3am the next morning. As it crossed the state, it dropped hail up to 5 inches in diameter, produced winds over 100 mph, and dropped as many as 14 tornadoes. The storm on the 29th stayed well north of Norman however, as we and many other locations in the state had one of our driest Mays on record.

Turlock CA nearly had as much rain as Norman during the month, recording .18 inch of rain (all on the 28th). This brought the season rainfall total for Turlock up to 10.01 inches, making 2003-04 the 12th year in a row Turlock has received 10 or more inches of rain.