From the NWS in Indianapolis...
May 2007 will be remembered for its extremes in warmth and lack of rainfall. An extended period of warmth covered nearly the entire month. Dry conditions were also remarkable during the month. This continued the drying trend which began in April 2007 after an eight month period of wetness dating back to late 2006. The following is a weather summary for selected points in Central Indiana during May 2007. TemperatureThe average monthly temperature for May 2007 was 68.1 degrees in Indianapolis. Compared to a normal of 62.4 degrees, this was above normal by 5.7 degrees. This made May 2007 the warmest May in Indianapolis since May of 1991 when the average temperature was 68.3 degrees. This was enough to tie May 2007 for the 10th warmest May ever recorded in the Indianapolis area. May was remarkable in that every day except for the 16th through the 19th were above normal. Many of these days were well above normal, and ten days saw a temperature that was at least 10 degrees above normal.17 days during the month of May at Indianapolis saw a high temperature of at least 80 degrees. A normal May would bring 9 days with highs in the 80s. The last time that May had more highs in the 80s was back in 1991 when 18 such days were recorded.Across Central Indiana, every site saw a monthly average temperature well above normal in May 2007.
Site
Avg. Temp. Normal Avg. Temp. Diff. From Normal # Days w/ Highs in the 80s
Indianapolis Intl. Airport
67.9 62.4 +5.5 17
IndianapolisEagle Creek
67.6 62.4 +5.2 17
Lafayette
66.6 61.4 +5.2 16
Terre Haute
67.3 63.0 +4.3 19
Bloomington
67.7 62.7 +5.0 20
Shelbyville
67.3 62.9 +4.4 19
Muncie
66.9 61.4 +5.4 15
PrecipitationMay 2007 totaled 1.97 inches of precipitation at Indianapolis. This was well below the normal value of 4.22 inches. This is the made it the driest May since 1992 when only 1.56 inches of rain was measured. The driest period of May 2007 came between the 17th and 24th of the month, when only a trace of precipitation fell. Despite the dry April and May, the year 2007 still remains above normal for precipitation at Indianapolis.Across Central Indiana, every site saw a monthly precipitation total well below normal during May 2007. All sites were more than one and a half inches less than normal.
Site
Precipitation Total Normal May Precipitation Difference from Normal
Indianapolis Int’l Arpt.
1.97 4.36 -2.39
Indianapolis Eagle Creek
1.68 4.36 -2.68
Lafayette
2.63 4.35 -1.72
Terre Haute
1.51 4.46 -2.95
Bloomington
1.44 5.12 -3.68
Shelbyville
1.91 4.47 -2.56
Muncie
1.17 4.17 -3.00
Severe WeatherNoticeably absent this month was severe weather. This is not too surprising given how dry the month was. The overall pattern during the month left high pressure over Central Indiana, which is not conducive to thunderstorm development. May 1-2 and the 26th saw a few instances of dime to nickel sized hail and flash flooding. Otherwise, the month was event free.
