News photo by Josh Jambor Alpena resident Vern Vassallo waters the grass at his home on Monday afternoon. Precipitation levels for the month of May were inches above what we normally see here in Northern Michigan. The extra rainfall should benefit local lakes, rivers, and vegetation heading into the summer growing season.

ALPENA – Northern Michigan’s late spring delivered a classic mix of chilly mornings, occasional summer-like warmth, and plenty of rainfall as the month came to a close, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Residents in the Alpena area experienced temperatures that ran slightly below average for the month according to NWS Meteorologist Sean Christensen.

“Temperatures for May were pretty close to normal compared to previous years. Your average high temperature was 63.8 degrees, meanwhile the normal is 65.8 degrees, so just a couple degrees off,” Christensen said. “The average was slightly lower because of the cold spell that we had in the beginning of the month.”

“The average low temperature for May was 38.4 degrees, meanwhile the average is 40.9 degrees,” Christensen added.

While the region didn’t see any major all-time records, daily highs and lows provided notable swings typical of the transition from spring to summer. Christensen spoke about our highest and lowest temperatures for the month of May.

“There was a tie for the high temperature in the month of May, the Alpena area observed a high of 87 degrees on May 18, and May 26,” Christensen said. “The coldest temperature observed was the overnight low on May 12, which was 25 degrees.”

“The highest average monthly temperature all-time for the month of May was in 1955 where the average high temperature was 73.7 degrees,” Christensen noted.

Precipitation finished above normal, with Alpena recording 3.43 inches of rain for the month compared to a normal of about 2.78 inches. This left the area roughly 0.65 inches wetter than average, contributing to ongoing soggy conditions across northern Lower Michigan and helping push the yearly precipitation level to approximately 20.17 inches (roughly eight inches above normal).

“The majority of the precipitation arrived in the first half of May, the highest amount was observed on May 17, 1.02 inches,” Christensen said.

The variable pattern featured cooler, wetter periods early in the month giving way to milder conditions later. Daily climate summaries showed highs frequently in the 60s and 70s, with at least one push into the mid-80s, while many nights stayed in the 30s and 40s.

Snowfall was negligible, with only a trace recorded – slightly below the average of 0.2 inches expected for May. No significant accumulations were reported as the region fully transitioned out of winter weather.

As June begins, Alpena and surrounding communities can look forward to gradually warming trends. The extra rainfall should benefit local lakes, rivers, and vegetation heading into the summer growing season.

“As of right now we are expecting to remain dry through the mid-week, I do not expect any precipitation until we get closer to the end of the work week,” Christensen said. “Chances for rain arrive Friday and remain throughout the weekend with temperatures in the 70s and 80s, with some cooler temps near the lake.”