Following a wet and rainy winter season, Tucson is now seeing an extended period of dry weather, with no rain falling here in the month of May.
Since January, Tucson has received 5.29 inches of rain, which is 2.61 inches above the normal 2.68 inches of rain in that spring period, making it the 18th wettest spring on record, according to the National Weather Service.
Despite the above average precipitation early in the year, Tucson is currently experiencing a historic 60-day dry streak, receiving zero inches of precipitation in the entire month of May.
While itβs not unusual for Tucson to see a distinct lack of rain in May, receiving on average, only .20 inches of rain during the month, this marks the 5th longest recorded dry streak in the spring.
The longest recorded dry streak for the city was 114 days, all the way back in 1950.
Things really started heating up towards the end of the month, with May 27 being the very first 100 degree day of the year.
Mayβs hottest day was May 28, with temperatures reaching a scalding 103 degrees, well above the average high temperature of 92.6 degrees. May 28 also holds the current record for the hottest day of 2024 so far.
The lowest recorded temperature in the month of May was 53 degrees, recorded on May 7.
If that seems cold, itβs because it is. The average low temperature for May is 61 degrees.
The overall average temperature for May was 76.8 degrees.
The hottest temperature ever recorded in the month of May was 111 degrees, recorded on May 29th in 1910, while the record low temperature for the month was on the third of May 1988, when temperatures dipped to 32 degrees.
On Average, Tucson sees four days in the month of May where temperatures exceed 100 degrees. This year, the number of 100 degree days Tucson experienced was slightly above average, with the last 5 days of the month surpassing triple digits. On May 27, temperatures reached 100 degrees, May 28 saw a 103 day high, while May 29 and 30 both maxed out at 100 degrees. The final day of the month, May 31, closed out the month with 102 degree heat.
The record for the most days over 100 degrees in the month of May goes back to 1988, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees for 12 days.
As summer temperatures continue to rise, the National Weather Service released their 2024 Monsoon Outlook, which predicts monsoon rainfall for the Tucson area might be below average, which means the hot dry weather could be sticking around a little longer.
