While June has produced healthy rainfall so far, 2.79 inches as of Thursday, that wasn’t the case with other months this spring — including April, which is known for its showers, but in 2021 not so much.
As of May 31, Mount Airy had received a total of 17.84 inches of precipitation for this year as a whole. That is 1.88 inches, or 9.5%, below the 19.72-inch norm for the five-month period, according to an April/May report from F.G. Doggett Water Plant, the city’s official weather-monitoring station.
The last time Mount Airy had a precipitation deficit at that point in the year was 2015.
April contributed to this due to 2.74 inches being measured that month by water plant personnel, which was below April’s all-time average of 3.95 inches in Mount Airy, where weather records have been kept since 1924.
Only seven days with measurable rainfall occurred during April, with .79 inches the most recorded for a single day, on April 11.
But even with April not living up to its reputation, annual precipitation still was above normal at the end of that month, albeit by only 1.5% or .22 inches — 15.24 inches compared to 15.02.
May also was much drier than normal, with 2.60 inches logged — well below the 4.70 inches that is normal locally for the fifth month of the year.
Only 10 of May’s 31 days had measurable rainfall, with the largest output for a single day, .78 inches, occurring on May 29.
Cooler conditions prevail
The drier weather in this area over the past two months was accompanied by cooler air, including two days in which the record-low temperature was broken.
This transpired first on April 23, when a 27-degree reading was registered which bested the previous record for that date of 28 set nearly 100 years ago in 1927 — when Charles Lindbergh made his famous flight.
The second record broken also involved a 27-degree temp, on April 24. It broke the prior record of 28 set on April 24, 1982.
Perhaps somewhat strangely, however, the month’s low for April 2021 was 24 degrees on April 4, which did not break a record.
The highest temperature that month came only four days later on April 8, when the mercury hit 84 degrees at the water plant.
Temperatures averaged 54 degrees for April as a whole, compared to the all-time average for that month in Mount Airy of 55.8.
Frost was noted on three days during April, but no fog.
The cool trend continued in May, when temperatures averaged 62.3 degrees, nearly two degrees cooler than the all-time readings for that month locally, 64.2.
May’s low involved a pair of 35-degree days on the 13th and 14th.
On the other end of the scale, an 89-degree spike on May 24 took high-temperature honors for the month.
Fog was reported on five days in May, which had no sightings of frost.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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