West Virginia Climate Summary, May 2003 Drought remained far from the minds of most West Virginians during May, as a relentless upper-level trough across the eastern United States kept Mountain State conditions frequently cloudy and showery. Even the northern Panhandle and adjacent areas, which according to the U.S. Drought Monitor began the month abnormally dry (D0), received above-normal rainfall. At West Virginia's primary observing sites, the number of days in May with measurable rainfall ranged from 18 in Charleston to 24 in Martinsburg. At least 0.01 inch fell in Martinsburg on 15 of the last 17 days of the month. Monthly totals generally ranged from 5 to 10 inches at the major observing stations, contributing to West Virginia's second-wettest May on record, behind 1996, according to preliminary information from the National Climatic Data Center. Elkins (7.51 inches) marked its wettest May since a record-high total of 15.76 inches fell in 1996, while Huntington (9.67 inches) bettered its May 1974 record of 9.26 inches. According to preliminary information from the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center(SPC), the majority of West Virginia's severe weather occurred on May 9 and 10, when several rounds of thunderstorms hammered the state. On the afternoon of May 9, a tornado struck Greenbrier County, spawned by a supercell thunderstorm that produced a long swath of wind damage while sweeping southeastward across southern West Virginia, southern Virginia, and eastern North Carolina. SPC reports also indicated well over a dozen reports of large hail across West Virginia on May 9 and 10, with stones one-and-three-quarters of an inch in diameter reported in parts of Mineral, Wood, and RaleighCounties. Although there were a few more reports of large hail on May 23 and 29, West Virginia's mid-to late-month rains were often non-convective in nature. Despite cool weather during the mid- to late-month period, May temperatures were close to normal across the majority of West Virginia. However, a lack of sunshine suppressed daytime temperatures, while persistent cloudiness helped to prevent low overnight readings. For example, Charleston's high temperatures were 4.1 degrees F below normal during May, while lows averaged 3.5 degrees F above normal. Thus, Charleston's average daily temperature range, normally 24.3 degrees F during May, was only 16.7 degrees F. Continuing a familiar refrain in eastern West Virginia, a tendency for cold-air damming held monthly temperatures as much as 4 degrees F below normal. Martinsburg's daily-average temperatures were above normal on 8 of the first 12 days of May, but below normal on 19 consecutive days (May 13-31) to end the month. As is often the case in a damming regime, fog frequently formed on the east slopes of the Appalachian ridges. One such fog event in the Potomac highlands, on the afternoon of May 23, contributed to devastating chain-reaction collisions involving nearly 90 vehicles on I-68 near Finzel, Maryland, just a few miles north of Mineral County, West Virginia. Preliminary Station Data, May 2003* Temperatures (Degrees F), Precipitation (Inches), and Departures from Normal Station Avg Dep Hi / Lo Temp (Dates) Pcpn Dep % of Nml Beckley 58.8 -1.1 77 (9th, 10th, 11th) / 43 (14th) 5.49 +1.10 125 Bluefield 58.5 -2.8 78 (10th) / 44 (14th) 5.06 +0.75 117 Charleston 62.2 -0.2 81 (9th) / 44 (14th) 4.99 +0.69 116 Elkins 58.0 +0.1 81 (11th) / 35 (14th) 7.51 +2.74 157 Huntington 63.4 -0.2 82 (9th) / 43 (4th) 9.67 +5.26 219 Martinsburg 58.9 -4.4 83 (11th) / 41 (5th) 7.57 +3.38 181 Parkersburg 61.6 -1.2 83 (9th) / 41 (14th) 5.45 +1.27 130 Nearby Stns Avg Dep Hi / Lo Temp (Dates) Pcpn Dep % of Nml Pittsburgh, PA 59.1 -0.9 82 (1st) / 39 (14th) 6.14 +2.34 162 Blacksburg, VA 58.9 0.0 82 (9th, 10th) / 42 (14th) 6.50 +2.11 148 Jackson, KY 63.2 -0.8 83 (10th) / 46 (4th) 5.88 +0.99 118 * Preliminary station data provided by National Weather Service offices in Blacksburg, VA, Charleston, WV, Pittsburgh, PA, Sterling, VA, and Jackson, KY.