REMARKS 



May of this year was the warmest, sunniest and very nearly 

 the dryest May on record here at the station; and yet on the 

 morning of the 19th a killing frost occurred which caused serious 

 damage to crops in this section. 



The mean temperature for the month was 63.4 degrees, com- 

 pared to a normal of 57.1 degrees. This is the highest mean 

 temperature for May recorded at this station in 56 years. The 

 nearest approach to this record is a mean temperature of 62.5 

 degrees recorded in 1911. Ihe highest temperature was 93 de- 

 grees on the 31st and the lowest, 30 degrees on the 19th. The 

 first and last weeks of the month were exceptionally warm. The 

 domestic heating load for the month was 112 degree-days, the 

 normal for May being 2o7 degree-days. The total heating load 

 for the season to the end of May is 6735 degree-days while the 

 normal for this period is 6778 degree-days. 



The total precipitation for the month was 1.35 inches, which 

 is 2.25 inches less than normal for May. Rain fell on only four 

 days. The total precipitation since the first of the year is now 

 12.95 inches, while the normal for this period is 17.45 inches. 

 The outstanding feature of May weather last year was the large 

 number of rainy days, 15 in all, with a total rainfall of 5.82 inches. 



There were 350 hours of bright sunshine compared with a 

 normal of 199 hours. There were no high winds during the month. 



Dr. J. K. Shaw, research pomologist, makes the following in- 

 teresting comments regardmg the progress of vegetation: "At 

 the end of April the development of vegetation was a week or 

 more behind normal. During the first half of May there were 

 many days when the temperature was unusually high and the 

 date of bloom of fruit plants was two or three days earlier than 

 normal. Warm weather continued through the blooming period, 

 bees were active and prospects were for a heavy set of fruit. 

 Both apples and peaches blossomed heavily. On May 17 the 

 maximum temperature was 85 degrees. On the afternoon of the 

 18th the temperature rose to 58 degrees and then fell to a mini- 

 mum of 30 degrees on the morning of the 19th. This caused severe 

 damage to tree fruits and injiired tender vegetation. Orchards 

 on high sites with good air drainage apparently escaped injury 

 but those on low sites or in "frost pockets" suffered complete loss 

 of the setting fruits. Some soft, tender new shoot tips were killed 

 and there was injury to all tender vegetation that had been 

 encouraged by the warm days preceding May 18. This is the 

 second time in 37 years that there has been extensive spring 

 frost injury in our orchards. Rainfall during the month was de- 

 ficient. While the month closes with no serious drouth injury, 

 shallow-rooted plants will soon suffer if rains do not come early 

 in June." 



