May 2024 Review

It's time for our big look back at Edmonton weather for May 2024.

In 2023 Edmonton had its warmest May on record. May 2024 was...not that. 

May 2024's average High of 15.9°C was the 118th warmest. 

On the other hand, the average Low of 6.3°C was pretty warm, ranking as 23rd warmest.



High Temperatures

May 2024's Highs were below average for most of the month. Although nothing was either super-cold, or super-hot.

10 Highs were above our 30-year average, and 21 were below.

May averages:

• 10 Highs of 20°C, and 2024 had 5
• 3 Highs of 25°C, and 2024 had 1
• 3 Highs below 10°C, and 2024 had 3. 

May reached 30°C in 2023, 2019, 2018, 2017 & 2016, but 2024's warmest was 25.7°C

Low Temperatures

May 2024's Lows were mostly pretty close to the average. The warmest was 10.4°C on the 26th, and the coldest was 0.2°C on the 4th.

Overall 16 Lows were above average, and 15 were below.

May averages 2 below-freezing Lows, and 2024 had 0.

It also average 5 Lows above 10°C, and 2024 only had 2.



Frost-Free Days

Even though we had snow on April 30th, the below-freezing Low at Blatchford was April 20th. So officially that will probably end up as the final spring frost. Our average final frost is May 6th.

Recently 2020's was April 19th, and 2012's was April 18th.

Around the region Stony Plain's final frost was May 4th, which is a few days before their average of May 10th. For the airport & Campsie their final frost are currently May 18th & 21st, although they could see more in June.

Across the prairies the final frosts (so far) in Calgary & Winnipeg were a week or two early, while in Saskatoon & Regina they were right on average.



Warm & Cold Months

May's Highs were cool, so here it's a medium-sized blue bubble, similar to May 2014, 2010 & 2004. The average High of 15.9°C was -1.6°C cooler than the 20th century average.

The average Low of 6.3°C was 1.7°C warmer than average, and is a medium orange bubble.

Across the country May's highs were cool on the prairies and St. John's, and warm everywhere else. 

That ranged from Toronto at 3.3°C warmer than their 20th century average, down to Edmonton at -1.6°C below ours.



Snow

In May we average 6cm of snow, and 2024 got close with 4.2cm on May 1st.

Recent Mays which were snowfree were 2023, 2016-2018 & 2011-2013.

In a full winter we average 120cm of snow.

At the end of May we're probably done, with 77.6cm. That's the airport's 6th lowest winter, and just ahead of the 74.7cm in 2022-2023.

Across the country Edmonton's 78cm of snow was a bit ahead of Toronto's 67cm. Calgary's 201cm was their 8th snowiest winter on record. And Charlottetown & St John's were at the top with 347cm & 374cm.



Precipitation

For total precipitation (rain+snow), in May we average 50mm.

2024 was just above that with 55cm at Stony Plain, 59mm at Blatchford, and 63mm at the airport.

By the end of May we average 129mm of precipitation.

In 2024 the airport is right on that with 129mm, and Blatchford is just below that with 124mm.

(Stony Plain missed some measurements earlier in the year, so its number is lower than it should be)

For big May storms:

• Halifax had 50.1mm on the 28th
• Ottawa had 39.3mm on the 27th
• Winnipeg had 27.3mm on the 24th
• Toronto had 26mm on the 27th

 Edmonton's biggest was 22.8mm on the 6th & 7th.

June

In June usually about half of the Highs are above 20°C, with maybe a week above 25°C.

The last time that Blatchford had a June frost was 1942. But we've had snow in June in 2011, 1967, 1922 and 1888.