HAPPY VALLEY, OREGON WEATHER: MAY 2022
TEMPERATURES
May 2022 averaged much cooler than Normal for this area. In fact, due to the persistent clouds and rain, Maximum Temperatures averaged between 4 and 5 degrees below Normal. Through the first 20 days of the month, there was only 1 day when the temperature reach ≥70° here in Happy Valley (72.3° on the 4th), with a chilly Max. of just 49.2°, coldest of the month, occurring on the 8th (and the first sub-50° Max. Temp. in any May). It wasn’t until the 21st when a string of milder days finally arrived, with 6 of 7 days exceeding ≥70° (barely) before quickly cooling again from the 27th-30th (only 56.1° on the 29th). The final day of May was suddenly the warmest of the month as it soared to 76.0°, the highest temperature since Sept. 25, 2021 when it reached 80.0°. May 2022 was a rare one to not reach 80°, at some point, and was the first such occurrence since records began at this location in 2014.
Minimum Temperatures were chilly but not as far below Normal as Maximums, with departures averaging about -2° to -3°. Only 4 days had Minimum Temperatures remain ≥50°, 3 of those were consecutive (25th-27th), with the highest Min. Temp. being 55.1° on the 15th. The chilliest temperatures occurred the second week, bottoming out at 36.7° on the 9th and 13th, the latter date having a very late frost and these were also the coldest May readings at this location.
Splitting the month in two, the Average Max./Min./Mean Temperatures were thus:
- 1st-15th, 59.5°/43.5°/51.5°
- 16th-31st, 65.5°/46.9°/56.2°
The Maximum Diurnal range was 30.6° (72.3°/41.7°) on the 4th, the least being 8.5° (56.1°/47.6°) on the chilly and damp 29th.
Comparing May 2022 to the previous coolest Mays back to 2014 shows this month was much cooler overall. Here are the May Monthly Averages and Departures compared to the previous coolest years:
Time Period Average Maximum Departure
| May 2020 | 68.2° | – |
| May 2022 | 62.6° | -5.6° |
Time Period Average Minimum Departure
| May 2021 | 47.4° | – |
| May 2022 | 45.2° | -2.9° |
Time Period Average Mean Departure
| May 2021 | 58.1° | – |
| May 2022 | 53.9° | -4.2° |
Time Period Average Maximum Departure
| Spring 2017 | 61.2° | – |
| Spring 2022 | 58.3° | -2.9° |
Time Period Average Minimum Departure
| Spring 2021 | 42.7° | – |
| Spring 2022 | 42.0° | -0.7° |
Time Period Average Mean Departure
| Spring 2017 & 2020 | 52.8° | – |
| Spring 2022 | 50.1° | -2.7° |
PRECIPITATION
Continuing the area’s very wet spring, a whopping 6.48″ fell during May, 190% of the monthly Normal of 3.41″ for this station (per the 30-year Normals (1991-2020) by the National Centers for Environmental Information). This total even slightly surpassed our very wet April 2022 which totaled 6.45″. This May surpassed the previous wettest May here since 2015 by 2.07″ (2020 measured 4.41″). From 2015-2021, the May average was just 2.28″. Overall, 23 days had measurable precipitation, tied for the second highest amount in the last 15 months (only Dec. 2021 was higher with 28 days). The 4 days from the 21st-24th was the only stretch of the month with more than 2 days without measurable precipitation. The chilly temperatures, combined with instability in the atmosphere, caused a mix of hail and graupel in the early evening on the 8th, the graupel even whitening local roofs.
≥0.25″: 8
≥0.50″: 6
≥1.00″: 0
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
Sky Cover: 3 Clear, 17 Partly Cloudy, and 11 Cloudy days.
Barometric Pressure: Average Maximum/Minimum readings were 30.15″/29.96″, with the Highest Daily Value of 30.32” on the 3rd & 20th, the Lowest Daily Reading of 29.86” on the 5th & 6th.
Relative Humidity: Maximum/Minimum Averages were 96%/56%, having a Daily Maximum of 98% on the 9th; Daily Minimum of 28% on the 22nd.
Dew Point: Averages were a Maximum/Minimum of 54°/42°, with a Daily Maximum of 63° on the 15th & 26th, Daily Minimum of 34° on the 5th.
Wind: The Daily Average Speed was 1.1 MPH from the SW, and the highest Daily Average was 2.8 MPH from the SSE on the 12th; the Daily Average Gust was 13.1 MPH and the Highest Gust reached 21 MPH from the SSW on the 18th.
HAPPY VALLEY MONTHLY WEATHER FORM: MAY 2022 (click the month/year to link to the form).
Cover photo: Bartzella Peony, 5/31/2022.