Daily Feature: Warmer/Wetter Than Normal Spring 2024 in U.S.

Discussion: May 2024 was BOTH the 13^th warmest AND wettest in the 130-year U.S. climatology. In May, the South and East U.S. was mostly MUCH WARMER than normal including record warm in Florida with all-time top 10 rankings for 13 states from Texas to Maine (Fig. 1). The Interior Northwest was the only cool zone. Wet weather dominated the Upper Midwest and Tennessee Valley to North Carolina where 5 of 6 states ranked in the all-time top 10 wettest (Fig. 2). Southern New England and most of the Gulf States ranked wetter than normal. The dry zone in May was in the Southwest U.S.

Fig. 1: NOAA state temperature rankings based on a 130-year climatology valid for MAY 2024.

Fig. 2: NOAA state precipitation rankings based on a 130-year climatology valid for MAY 2024.

Meteorological spring (MAR/APR/MAY) 2024 was the 10^th warmest on record. A record warm spring was observed in Ohio and Pennsylvania (Fig. 3). The entire South, East-central, and East U.S. was MUCH ABOVE normal and included the second warmest spring on record for Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Michigan, West Virginia, Virginia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Only 3 states were not warmer than normal during spring. The springtime precipitation regime featured all-time top 10 wet rankings for the Upper Midwest, Louisiana, and parts of the Northeast States (Fig. 4). The national rank was 15^th wettest on record. The western third of the U.S. observed near normal precipitation with Washington and New Mexico the only dry states.

Fig. 3: NOAA state temperature rankings based on a 130-year climatology valid for MAR/APR/MAY 2024.

Fig. 4: NOAA state precipitation rankings based on a 130-year climatology valid for MAR/APR/MAY 2024.