From May 2021 

“Green is the spring-time and blushing with bloom;
Bring we an offering to each soldier’s tomb”
~Sara L. Vickers Oberholtzer, “Under the Flowers” (A Decoration Ode), Come for Arbutus, and Other Wild Bloom, 1882

Memorial Day, as the name implies, was established to create a day of remembrance to honor soldiers who fought and lost their lives in the U.S. Civil War. In this day and age, however, many of us have come to associate the holiday with the start of summer activities – barbecues, going to the beach and vacations. As eager as we may be, though, it’s too early to call summer.

Scientifically, the first day is the summer solstice, which officially arrives on June 20. How did a day of commemoration become the signal for the beginning of summer? I will venture to say weather played a role in transforming a somber time to one of jollity.

The month of May ushers in several notable changes in the nation’s weather compared to earlier in spring. Across most of the U.S. warmer temperatures are settling in. As the cold air meets the warm severe thunderstorms are often one of the first weather concerns at the end of spring. The same ingredients that give thunderstorms their source of energy are conducive for tornado formation. May is when the peak of tornado activity occurs in the United States.

Snowfall becomes more rare as May progresses but is still likely at higher elevations in the western U.S. and Alaska. Parts of the country experience severe flooding as the snow melts. Weather-wise, May is an active month. In spite of weather-related disasters, most look forward to May with its longer daylight hours and warmer temperatures. 

Mild days with patchy fog in the mornings and cloudy in the late evenings will bring us through the weekend and into the Monday holiday with highs around 76-77 degrees and lows in the mid 50s while Tuesday is looking at clear skies that will turn up the temperature with a high of 80.

Thank you to Rachelle Miller who helped gather together this column.