With the increase in temperature and humidity, you can really tell that summer is right around the corner. Let’s take a look at the climatology of the Southeast U.S. for a typical month of May. Here is a comparison of rainfall between April and May. While rainfall patterns are somewhat similar, you might note an increase in rainfall over parts of Alabama, Virginia, the Carolinas, and much of Florida.

The Southeast U.S. flood climatology indicates that main stem river flooding is at a low point in May.

Evapotranspiration (ET) has really stared to pick up. Here is an image showing monthly ET. Shades of red indicate higher ET levels. Note that most of the region is now experiencing high levels of ET.

If we look at ET from an annual perspective, (at least at this location in central Georgia) we can see that ET has ramped up into a peak period that will last through August.

Here is the outlook for May from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC). CPC is calling for above-normal temperatures and equal chances for either above- or below-normal rainfall.