June ushers in rain after driest May on record
It might seem like a distant memory now, but last month proved to be the driest May on record, according to the National Weather Service, making the steady rainfall of June 1 and June 2 a relief to some farmers and gardeners in the area.
The meteorological agency reported that a scant 0.42 inches fell throughout the month, as measured in Islip — the official NWS station on Long Island.
That’s the least rainfall ever recorded in May since records started being kept in 1984.
According to Faye Berthold, meteorologist with the NWS, last month also came in well below the 3.36 inch average in May.
The last five Mays, according to Ms. Berthold, have seen the following amounts of rainfall at the official NWS monitoring station:
- 2014: 2.66
- 2013: 3.05
- 2012: 4.22
- 2011: 3.81
- 2010: 2.85
More locally, unofficial stations — where the data is considered reliable, but not archived, as is Islip — reported similar rainfall.
In Upton, a half inch of rain fell last month, and at Cornell Cooperative Extension on Sound Avenue in Riverhead, 0.40 inches fell.
