STN  T      T1     U  U1   V      V1  W X   Y      Z  1  2  3   4     5     6   6A   7    7A 8      S
     -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     TRI  4.58  +0.26 0.75 4, 0.93   4-5 19 0 16.15  0.0   0  0  0   0.0   8.3 30.42 19 29.71  28        2400
                            7
     DAV  7.10  +1.3  1.17  4            20 2 30.90  0.0   0  0  0   0.0 189.0                           0700    

Virginia:

Arlington - From NWS WBC come these notes: " TEMPERATURES THIS MAY 2009 AVERAGED NEAR NORMAL. WASHINGTON DID NOT REACH 90F DURING THE ENTIRE MONTH. MAY 2009 WAS THE SIXTH WETTEST MAY ON RECORD DATING BACK TO 1871. THIS IS THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE MAY THAT HAD MUCH ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL. LAST MAY...2008...RECORDED 10.66 INCHES OF RAIN...WHICH IS THE THIRD WETTEST MAY ON RECORD. MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION WAS MEASURED ON 16 DAYS IN MAY ...THE MOST IN ANY MONTH SINCE MAY 2004. ALSO MAY 2009 HAD EIGHT DAYS WHERE AT LEAST 0.50 INCHES OF RAIN WAS OBSERVED...THE MOST NUMBER OF HALF INCH DAYS IN ANY MONTH SINCE AUGUST 1955. FOR THE YEAR...TOTAL RAINFALL OVER THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF 2009 WAS ONLY 5.00 INCHES...WHICH RANKED FOURTH DRIEST ON RECORD FOR THAT PERIOD. THE NEXT TWO MONTHS...APRIL-MAY 2009...HAD A COMBINED TWO-MONTH PRECIPITATION TOTAL OF 12.27 INCHES...MAKING IT THE FIFTH WETTEST APR-MAY PERIOD...THE WETTEST APR-MAY PERIOD BEING 1889... WHICH RECORDED 19.82 INCHES. AT THE END OF MAY...TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR 2009 WAS NEARLY ONE AND ONE QUARTER INCH ABOVE NORMAL. RAINFALL OF 1.65 INCHES ON THE 26TH BROKE THE DAILY RECORD AT DCA OF 1.49 INCHES SET IN 2003. " [ + + ] 

Bridgewater - " The precipitation for the year is now slightly above normal. We went from dry at the first of the month to wet at the end of the month. Our gardens are soaked. This is the wettest May since 1988, and the second wettest in my 44 years of record keeping on precipitation. " - [ + + ] - additional notes from Clayton

Centreville - " The abundance of rain for May certainly left its effects felt in our record books. With 4.48" as a normal precipitation amount for the month we managed to exceed that amount by 234% for a final accumulation of 10.48". Must have had the head dress on too tight for the neighborhood rain dance. Although slightly warmer than usual, it wasn't by much. The average high for May came in at 72.4°; a little less than two degrees under the normal average high of 74.3°. It's the low temperatures that skewed the daily average to 4.9° above the published 49.8° normal for the month though. This resulted in an overall monthly average 1.3° above the 62.0° normal. No records were set in the extremes department. Eighty-six degrees was our high temperature on May 23 while 38° was the lowest set four days earlier on the 19th. Precipitation played a similar appearance this year in May as it did in 2008. Back then, 10.55" fell saving us for the rest of the year from further negative annual accumulation totals. With a hefty 10.48" of rain in the ledger for May-2009 we can brag about exceeding our normal monthly rainfall of 4.48' by 6.00". For this May there has not been a single day rain event of a greater amount since 1989 when 2.90" was recorded. Our 2.39" on May 26th certainly gave that figure a run for the money though and accounted for 23% of our monthly accumulation. As it currently stands we are entering June with a 2.14" surplus. Summer's best from sunny Centreville. " - [ + + ] - notes from Paul

Chantilly - Russ send these additional notes: "May was extremely wet. It's rain total of 10.15" was greater than the total precipitation of 2009's previous months. The average temperature was 1.4° above normal and precipitation was an incredible 5.93" above normal. May tied for the wettest May on record, with 20 days seeing more than a trace of rainfall. Record high minimum temperatures occurred on the 15th (64.3°) and 16th (65.2°). Record precipitation fell on the 26th (3.62"). It was the 2nd highest precipitation total ever recorded for any day in May. Thunderstorms rumbled through on the 6th, 7th, 14th, 16th, 26th, 28th, 29th and 30th. Dense fog was observed on the 6th, 12th and 14th. *Please note, anemometer is currently partially obstructed from the Southeast " - [ + + ]

Dulles - from NWS Sterling (KLWX) come these notes: " TEMPERATURES THIS MAY 2009 WERE ABOVE NORMAL...BUT DULLES DID NOT REACH 90F DURING THE ENTIRE MONTH. NEW RECORD HIGH-MIN TEMPERATURES WERE RECORDED ON THE 15TH...65F...AND THE 16TH...66F MAY 2009 TIED FOR THE WETTEST MAY ON RECORD. IT WAS THE WETTEST MONTH OF ANY CALENDAR MONTH SINCE JUNE 2006. MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION OF 0.01 INCHES OR MORE WAS RECORDED ON 18 DAYS...THE MOST SINCE AUGUST 2003. AT LEAST 0.50 INCHES OF RAIN WAS OBSERVED ON EIGHT DAYS THIS MONTH...WHICH WAS THE MOST DURING ANY MONTH AT DULLES DATING BACK TO 1962. FOR THE YEAR...TOTAL RAINFALL OVER THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF 2009 WAS ONLY 5.40 INCHES...WHICH RANKED FOURTH DRIEST ON RECORD FOR THAT PERIOD. THE NEXT TWO MONTHS...APRIL-MAY 2009...HAD A COMBINED TWO MONTH PRECIPITATION TOTAL OF 14.38 INCHES...MAKING IT THE SECOND WETTEST APR-MAY PERIOD ONLY TO LAST YEARS 15.60 INCHES RECORDED DURING APR-MAY 2008. BY THE END OF THE MONTH...TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR 2009 WAS NEARLY 3 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THE 3.59 INCHES OF RAIN MEASURED ON THE 26TH BROKE THE DAILY RAINFALL RECORD FOR THAT DATE AT DULLES...THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 1.59 INCHES SET IN 2002. THE 3.59 INCHES ON THE 26TH ALSO WAS THE SECOND HIGHEST PRECIPITATION TOTAL FOR ANY DAY IN THE MONTH OF MAY AT DULLES. " - [ + + ]

Falls Church - Erica notes: " A very wet month. 20 days of the month had some measurable rain or sprinkles. " - [ M + ]

Front Royal - Mike sends these notes: " The best way to put the start of May 2009's weather is wet. The first eight days saw measurable precipitation. None of the days exceeded 1.00" though. A pesky front stalled first to our north and then moved south and as areas of low pressure moved along the front light to occasionally heavy rain fell in the Shenandoah Valley. The only interesting thing which might be boring to some is that the 4th and 5th had the same high and low of 56° and 51°. Precipitation for the first eight days of the month totaled 2.92". The front moved out as weak high pressure gave way to a southwesterly flow on the 9th and 10th. A weak cold front accompanied by a thunderstorm on the 11th gave us another .19" of rain on the 11th. A cold front approached from the northwest on the 14th with another round of showers and thunderstorms. This front also became stationary in the area. On the 16th and early on the 17th another approaching cold front gave another round of showers and storms. The front cleared the area early on the 17th. Clouds broke and a cooler then normal air mass moved in as the sun came out. I was just happy to see the sun. The lowest temperature of the month of 37° was reached on the morning of the 19th as good radiational cooling conditions were present. The driest and sunniest portion of the month occurred from the 18th to the 24th. High pressure moved overhead and as it moved east southwesterly winds provided for moderating temperatures and an accelerated grass growth rate. The highest temperature of 87° on the 24th would be nothing but reminder that we are in the warmer months. Yet another front was to bring more showers and storms the next few days and you guessed it, stall to the south. The 25th through the 28th were mostly cloudy and the high temps of 66° and 68° with associated clouds on the 26th and 27th made for more dreary May days. Temps rebounded on the 28th in advance of another front and its showers and storms. Precip total from the 25th to the 28th was 1.27". A MCS coming out of Ohio and West Virginia gave us a round of early morning showers and storms on the 31st, followed by a weak and dry cold frontal passage. Measurable precipitation fell on 17 of the 31 days and thunderstorms breezed by 7 times. The rainfall deficit has pretty much gone to the wayside as the yearly rainfall total is 11.46". If you would have told me that we would not have hit 90 during the month say in April when we had three 90ø days I would have thought you were, well, no so smart. The notes in my observer book summarize May as "active, but boring due to lack of extremes." The way June 2009 is shaping up that might be written again. Only time will tell. " - [ - + ]

Glen Allen - Lowell Koontz reports the following: " May was warmer than average as the monthly mean temperature was 68.0°F, a +3.4°F departure, and was above average in precipitation (when compared to Ashland, Virginia records). The 4.64 inches of precipitation for May was a + 0.79 inch departure when compared to the Ashland, VA average. The maximum precipitation recorded in a day was 1.03 inches on the 5th and thunder was heard on eight days during May. Measurable precipitation occurred on fifteen days which was near average as the 112 year average for Richmond is 14.2 days and May has the highest frequency of precipitation of all the months of the year. The maximum temperature for May was 88°F on the 9th and the lowest minimum was 41°F recorded on the 19th which was near record cold for the later part of May. Charlottesville reported 34°F and some western locations reported frost. KRIC had 41°F the lowest for the date since 1935. KRIC also had a 42°F minimum on the 20th which was only 1°F above the record for the date of 42°F set in 2002. The lowest dew point temperature for May was 24°F on the 18th at 1221 and the highest dew point was 74.7°F on the 28th at 1514. The lowest relative humidity for the month was 23% on the 18th and 20th giving very large daily temperature ranges of 35°F on the 20th and 36°F on the 21st. The maximum wind gust was 32 mph from the west-southwest that occurred on the 14th at 1635. The highest barometer recorded for the month was 30.46 inches on the 19th and the lowest reading for May was 29.67 inches on the 9th and 29th. " - [ + + ] 

Herndon - Randy reports: " May's about normal for temperature but, was VERY WET. The temperatures ranged between a high of 86 and a low o f 38. The average high was about normal and the average low slightly above normal yielding the average temperature for the month only 0.6 degrees above normal. But the rainfall was anything but normal. It rained on 10 of the first 11 days and 7 of the last 8 days and on 21 days all together. The only "Dry Spell" occurred between the 18th and 23rd. The heaviest rain fell in thunderstorms on the 26th with 4.07 inches falling. We ended up with 9.78" for the month which was 4.80" above normal; the second above normal month in a row. The rainfall this month has now erased our deficit for the year and we are now 1.63" above normal. " - [ + + ]

Ladysmith - Danny adds these notes: " May finished with slightly below normal temperatures. Precipitation was below normal yet again, but only by 0.19". Perhaps the most interesting statistic was that 15 of the 31 days this month featured measurable rainfall, including 9 of the first 11 days. However, no single day featured more than 0.72" of precipitation. " - [ - - ]

Portsmouth - " May was a warm and wet month relative to normal for May months from 1977 to 2008. The 5.65" of rain produced a May that was 1.54" ABOVE normal rainfall (138% of normal). The month's average temp was 2.8° ABOVE normal Cold frontal passages occurred on the 4th, 11th, 17th, 31st. Station Records: 3rd - TEMPERATURE TIED - Maximum Minimum 66° [previous 1983]; 9th - TEMPERATURE - Maximum Minimum 68° [previous 66° in 2000]; 9th - TEMPERATURE - Maximum 89° [previous 88° in 2000]; 17th - RAINFALL - 0.91" [previous 0.90" in 1988]; 20th - TEMPERATURE - TIED - Minimum 46° [previous 2002]; 20th - TEMPERATURE - TIED Minimum 46° [previously 2002]. Through the 31st, rainfall for the year totalled 16.65" which is 98% of normal through the end of May, or 1.68" BELOW normal. " - [ + + ] 

North Carolina:

Greensboro - NWS Raleigh (RAH) reports: - " A RECORD RAINFALL OF 1.75 INCHES WAS SET AT THE PIEDMONT TRIAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON MAY 5TH. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 1.69 SET IN 1989. The May 2009 North Carolina Weather Review is located here: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/rah/ncsummaries/MonthlySummary.May.2009.doc [when available]. " - [ + - ]

Raleigh - Bob reports: " The average daily temperature during May was 2.0 degrees above normal. Also rainfall was 0.77" above normal. May was a fairly active month regarding severe weather. From May 4th thru May 9th, there were either tornado or severe thunderstorm watches each day . Fortunately, there were no actual major severe weather events. Thunderstorms were observed at this station on at least six (6) days during May. " - [ + + ]

Raleigh - NWS Raleigh (RAH) reports: " A RECORD RAINFALL OF 0.98 INCHES WAS SET AT THE RALEIGH-DURHAM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON MAY 5TH. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 0.91 SET IN 1989. The May 2009 North Carolina Weather Review is located here: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/rah/ncsummaries/MonthlySummary.May2009.doc [when available]. " - [ + + ]

Nearby Cities:

Tri-Cities, TN - from NWS Morristown: " The monthly-averaged temperature at Tri-Cities was 64.8 degrees, which was 1.8 degrees above normal. It ranked in the middle one-third of observations taken in May at Tri-Cities. No daily temperature records were broken. The warmest May at Tri-Cities was back in 1962, when the monthly-averaged temperature was 71.2 degrees. Tri-Cities received 4.58 inches of rain in May, which was 0.26 inches above normal. It ranked as the 20th wettest May on record at Tri-Cities. Measurable rain occurred on nineteen days, and four of those days had more than one-half of an inch. The heaviest rain fell on the 4th and 7th, when 0.75 inch was reported. The wettest May of the 72 years of observations taken at Tri-Cities was back in 1950, when 9.71 inches of rain was recorded. The seasonally-averaged temperature at Tri-Cities this spring was 56.1 degrees, which was 1.4 degrees above normal. It tied with 1986, 1976, and 1962 as the 28th warmest spring on record at Tri-Cities. The warmest spring at Tri-Cities was back in 1991, when the seasonally-averaged temperature was 59.5 degrees. Tri-Cities received a seasonal rainfall total of 9.51 inches of rain this spring, which was 1.95 inches below normal. It ranked as the 25th driest spring on record at Tri-Cities. The wettest spring at Tri-Cities was back in 1973, when 17.22 inches of rain was recorded. " - [ + + ]

Davis, WV - from Dave Lesher's website: " May finished with an average temperature that was NORMAL but greater than normal rainfall. No snow for the month was NORMAL. Year-to-date rainfall of 30.9" was a whopping 7.1" ABOVE normal. The seasonal snowfall of 189" was 46" ABOVE normal. " - [ +/- + ]