In case you wanted some data to back up your misery, May 2019 did indeed rank among the coldest and wettest Mays on record.
Denver recorded its coldest May since 1995, . With an average monthly temperature of 51.6 degrees, that made it Denver’s 7th-coldest May in 147 years of record-keeping. Only 1917, 1995, 1935, 1907, 1983 and 1892 finished colder.
This data is based on official observations taken at Denver International Airport. Average May temperatures were slightly colder at Denver’s Stapleton Airport (51.1 degrees) and a fair bit warmer in downtown Denver (53.3 degrees).
Normally, Denver’s average May temperature should be around 57 degrees, making May 2019 about 5.5 degrees below average. A persistent trough of low pressure anchored over the western United States through much of the month kept Denver and most of the West cold and soggy.
In addition to the chill, Denver recorded over three inches of precipitation in a month for the first time in two years – or 24 months. With a total of 3.23 inches of precipitation (that’s total rainfall and liquid equivalent snowfall), that made it Denver’s wettest month overall since May of 2017, when 3.66 inches of precipitation fell. It also finished as Denver’s second-wettest month in four years.
Normally, Denver gets a little over two inches of precipitation in May. So far this year, Denver’s seen over seven inches of moisture – almost two inches above average.
If you’re looking for a drier and warmer June, well, you might not want to take a look at the June outlook. You guessed it, more rain and cold – thanks to a persistent El Nino, an active phase of the Madden-Julian Oscillation, and high soil moisture values.
That same moisture has the mountains at near-record levels of snowpack, and it could lead to flood issues into the summer.
