May 2016 was an unusual weather month in New York City with some days feeling more like March and others like August. We had a near record low of 43°F on May 16th and two sweltering days in the 90s at the end of the month. But all together, the cold and warmth averaged each other out. The city’s mean temperature for the month was 62.8°F, which is only 0.4°F above normal.

In terms of precipitation, the city was mostly dry this May. In all, we received 3.75 inches of rain in Central Park, which is 0.44 inches below average. The majority of this total fell during a single heavy rain event on Memorial Day as the remnants of Tropical Storm Bonnie moved up the coast. The latest report from the US Drought Monitor (5/24), which came out before Bonnie, continues to list the city as “abnormally dry.”

Some days this May felt more like March and others like August. Credit: The Weather Gamut

Remnants of Tropical Storm Bonnie brought the city a significant rain event on 5/30. Credit: The Weather Gamut