May rain was above average for city
Number of days that showers fell in month among most on record
For Houston-area residents, it may have felt at times last month like it would never stop raining.
And, indeed, rainfall totals for May confirm that the city had some notable weather: An above-normal amount of rain fell in May in Houston. It also showered on more days than any other May on record, except one.
The National Weather Service recorded 11.17 inches of rain last month at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. This is well above the “normal” amount of precipitation for May, which is 5.01 inches.
(That “normal” is based on how much precipitation fell in all of the Mays over the past three decades, from 1991 through 2020.)
Last month’s total ranked 11thhighest for May since consistent records have been kept, beginning in 1892, according to National Weather Service data sorted by meteorologist Jimmy Fowler.
The highest amount of measured rain to fall in any May was 15.87 inches, in 1907. (At that point, they were measuring it at a location downtown.)
Notably wet Mays recently include 14.17 inches in 2015, when the Memorial Day floods hit.
This past month also had the second-highest number of rainy days on record for May, with raindrops falling on our heads on 21 days. The only May with more rainy days was 2015, when it rained for 23 days.
This May included a stretch of 10 rainy days in a row, from May 16 to May 25, when those trying to walk dogs had to wonder: How is it still raining? It rained on dinners. On drives. On at least one graduation.
Still, that stretch was second to the 11 rainy days in a row of rain in 2015.
How this fits with climate change is nuanced: Climate experts believe that heavy rainfall will be more common as the globe warms. But whether Houston will see an overall increase in rain amounts isn’t clear, Texas State Climatologist John NielsenGammon explained.
There was a silver lining to
that long wet spell. Up until May, the area was battling drought, Fowler said. This rain eradicated that.
Plus, Houstonians will now get something new to complain about: Going ahead, the forecast is looking drier, Fowler said.
“So,” he said, “that’s nice.”
And Wednesday’s 90degree temperatures were a reminder of something else: area residents grumble not only when it’s raining, but also when it’s hot.