Many, perhaps most, of us are eagerly welcoming the opportunity to put April in our rear-view mirror. It was a month that started with so much promise in the weather department, but changed course quickly, with much cooler temperatures dominant of the month's past three weeks.
May is off to a similarly promising start, and the weekend upon us is to be the warmest we've seen here since the end of last summer! Not since September 21 and 22 has a weekend produced back-to-back 70°+ temperatures! We'll surpass the 70° mark by midday Saturday, ultimately topping out in the middle 70s. Should clouds hold off just long enough, an 80° reading in one or two locations isn't impossible to fathom, though it does appear to be a long shot. A cold front drops through the area later in the day Saturday, which will cause temperatures to slide a bit Sunday. However, thanks to a more bountiful supply of sunshine, Sunday's temperatures shouldn't have much trouble reaching the lower 70s.
Suffice it to say, this weekend will offer Stateliners more than ample opportunities to tackle a variety of outdoor projects. With gardens and nurseries reopening Friday in Illinois, many folks have likely purchased trees, shrubs, plants, and flowers with the intention of planting much sooner than later. With gorgeous weather on tap this weekend, there's going to be a strong temptation to plant those newly-purchased annual plants and flowers, but we're here to tell you to resist the urge to do so.
The reason for that is quite simple. The Stateline's often a candidate to see at least one, perhaps more than one frost well into May. In examining the records dating back to the early 1900s, it's been found that our typical last frost doesn't occur until, on average, around May 14. What's more, freezes have been known to occur here, albeit rarely, into mid-May. Sure, many years have seen a final frost in April, but the expected pattern likely to ensue here points to a more than decent possibility of a frost or two over the next two weeks.
Unfortunately, we won't hold on to the warmth forever. This weekend's 70s will be, without much doubt, the last 70s we see until at least May 15, and quite possibly later than that. We're likely to see major regression in the temperature department, with a prolonged stretch of 50s and 60s set to begin Monday and continue through the midway point of the month. There'll be periods of unsettled weather as well, with occasional rain showers here or there. At this point, though, most precipitation appears as though it'll stay on the light side, with no all-day washouts in sight.
There are signs the chill may ease beyond May 15, with hints of warmth's resurgence closer to the 20th of the month. The Climate Prediction Center's May outlook calls for temperatures to end up slightly below normal overall for the month, suggesting the second half of the month will likely be warmer than the first half.
In a typical May, normal highs go from 67° at the beginning of the month up to 77° by month's end, making it the third fastest warming month on the calendar. It's also the third wettest month of the year, with just over four inches of rain coming down in a typical May. Early indications are that May precipitation may end up short of normal. May also typically sees the year's first 85° temperature. On average, that comes around May 11. We can say, without question, that we'll be waiting long beyond then for 2020's first 85° temperature. In fact, our first 80° may still be several weeks away.
"Warm" - Google News
May 02, 2020 at 11:03AM
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Warm Weekend Ahead, but Prolonged Cool Pattern Looms - WIFR
"Warm" - Google News
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