May Plays It Cool...So Far
In contrast to March and April, the first half of May was cooler than normal for most of the Northeast. However, the precipitation pattern during the first half of May has been a somewhat familiar one this spring - wet weather in an area from northwestern Pennsylvania to northern New York but dry conditions in an area from the southern half of West Virginia to the southern half of New Jersey.
Read more in the NRCC BlogNortheast News
Much-Needed Rain Arrives in the Mid-Atlantic
The U.S. Drought Monitor released on Thursday, May 28 showed drought and/or abnormally dry conditions improve in sections of the Mid-Atlantic. Beneficial precipitation boosted soil moisture, streamflow, and/or groundwater levels in several areas including parts of West Virginia, Maryland, and southern Pennsylvania. However, portions of southern New England continued to see reduced precipitation amounts and other impacts, resulting in drought expansion. There were generally limited changes elsewhere in the Northeast.
- Extreme drought was mostly removed from West Virginia.
- Severe drought was erased from portions of West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware but increased in Massachusetts.
- Moderate drought and/or abnormal dryness contracted in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and northern New England but expanded in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
- Record-low seven-day streamflow was mostly confined to spots like southern Delaware, southeastern New Jersey, and southeastern Massachusetts.
- Groundwater levels were record low in a few areas including parts of Maryland, New Jersey, eastern Massachusetts, and southern Maine.
- The short-term outlooks for June 4-10 predict near-normal precipitation and above-normal temperatures for the Northeast, conditions that warrant observation for possible deterioration.
Website Highlights
Weather Station Data
Weather Station Data includes location-specific information, such as wind data, evapotranspiration, and daily almanacs.
CLIMOD 2 is a user-friendly website to find single-station and multi-station climate products for locations accross the country. For example, the Seasonal Ranking report produces a graph and table of extremes or other summaries for a specified period for each year.
Go to CLIMOD 2State & Regional Analyses
These provide several map types, regional climate summaries, snow survey data, and drought information.
The Monthly Maps offer a variety of monthly precipitation and temperature departure maps for any given month for the Northeast region or a selected state.
Go to Monthly Map pageAnalyses for Industry
Analyses for Industry shows products the NRCC has created through partnerships with various industries.
The Apple Frost Risk page has maps and animations for Red Delicious, Empire, and McIntosh apples. The maps show accumulated chill, growing degree days, phenological stages, and kill probability.
Go to Apple Frost RiskWebinars & Workshops
Webinars & Workshops provides recordings and presentations from the monthly webinar series, as well as information on past and upcoming workshops.
The Northeast Regional Climate Center hosts a monthly webinar series with NOAA affiliates to address timely weather topics.
Go to Monthly WebinarsPublications & Services
Publications & Services includes the NRCC blog, quarterly outlooks, as well as other reports and publications.
The Quarterly Outlooks are seasonal climate highlights and outlook for the upcoming season for the Eastern, Region, Great Lakes, and Gulf of Maine. Published in March, June, September and December.
Go to Quarterly Reports