Ready to kick off summer?
The unofficial start to summer is upon us once again as Memorial Day weekend approaches, but it won’t feel like it with a cool snap in place.
We use Mother’s Day as a rule of thumb for safe planting of flowers and gardens with no more worry of frost or freeze. I put my hanging baskets of geraniums out early this year and have only had to bring them inside one or two chilly nights. This coming stretch of cool weather won’t be cold enough to warrant frost or freeze concerns south of Interstate 80. Still, no one wants to wear jeans, a jacket and socks to the Memorial Day picnic!
We always head to the Indy 500 for Memorial Day. Some years, it’s blazing hot. Last year, it rained and rained and delayed the race start until late afternoon. One year, I took jeans and a sweatshirt and was so cold I bought another fleece jacket at the track to try to stay warm. You just never know what Memorial Day has in mind when it comes to the weather.
This year, we may be chilling out yet again. In late May, our normal highs are in the lower 70s while normal lows hover in the lower 50s. Our spring has been warm with March ending 7.7 degrees above normal in Pittsburgh and 1.43 inches below normal precipitation. April was also warm (3 degrees above normal) but wet with precipitation measuring 1.10 inches above normal. We hit the 80s four days in April including one day with a high of 86 degrees. The last 31 days of climate data for the Pittsburgh site shows only seven days have averaged below normal temperatures. May is running 4.8 degrees above normal and 0.18 inches above normal precipitation. We hit 83 degrees on May first. Now, it appears we will end the month in a much different way.
The long-range temperature outlook through the end of May shows a good chance of colder-than-normal temperatures and near normal precipitation. The cool, breezy and somewhat damp Memorial Day weekend outlook so far appears more like weather we normally experience in early spring rather than late May.
The outlook will be a little brighter and warmer as the holiday weekend goes on with temperatures slowly recovering. While we may not have the perfect weather to open swimming pools just yet, it should still be mild enough to enjoy picnics, parties and firing up the barbecue. You just may have to endure some dreariness and cool air while mowing the lawn or getting the patio ready a few days before the picnic.
Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.