Some nice weather and a bit warmer than normal 

By Russell Russ

Here are the weather highlights from May as recorded at Norfolk’s National Weather Service Cooperative Weather Observer Station, Norfolk 2 SW, by the Great Mountain Forest Corporation.  Norfolk 2 SW has recorded weather observations since January 1, 1932.

The month’s low temperature of 32 degrees was observed on May 7.  The high temperature of 85 degrees was observed on May 25.  The average temperature this month was 57.6 degrees which was 3.0 degrees above normal.

The total precipitation recorded for the month was 1.93 inches.  This was 2.53 inches below normal.  There was no snowfall recorded this month.  Every once in a while we do get snow during the month of May, but not this year.  The total precipitation for 2007 through May is now exactly 20.00 inches.  Comparing this to the last 75 years we are now just 1.10 inches below an average year.  Now that it is the summer season we can take a welcomed break from talking about snow.

On May 16, 20 and 31 thunderstorms were observed at the station.  Two separate storms hit late in the day on May 31.  None of these storms produced hail.  Although four thunderstorms were observed here, we were spared the severe storms that seemed to pop up all around the area.  On May 16 severe storms hit parts of Torrington, Bethany and Ridgefield.  The storms on May 31 were especially strong in parts of Colebrook, Winsted and Waterbury.  This strange occurrence of strong storms seemingly all around, but not on top of, Norfolk continued into the first two weeks of June.  If you watched the weather radar during these storms (doesn’t everybody?) you would have noticed many of them head straight for Norfolk only to just miss us or fall apart at the last moment.  You have to wonder why Norfolk seems to be shielded from the strong ones — at least we have been so far this summer season.

All in all this month was quite pleasant weather-wise with a string of nice days from May 3 through May 10 and again from May 22 through the end of the month.  Memorial Day was warm and a little humid this year, but with only a trace of rain it made for a nice day for Norfolk’s annual parade and road race.