May generally cooler, drier, across Nevada

Sandra Chereb

Thursday, June 3, 1999 | 1:41 a.m.

RENO, Nev. - May was generally cooler and drier across the Silver State, with record lows matched or broken in several locations and precipitation spotty at best, state Climatologist John James said.

Temperatures around the northern two-thirds of Nevada ranged from 3 1/2 degrees below average in Elko; 3 degrees below normal in Winnemucca and 2 1/2 degrees below normal in Reno, James said.

The exception was in southern Nevada, where the average temperature in Las Vegas was about 1 degree above normal, he said.

Precipitation across the state was light and infrequent.

In Winnemucca, half of the month's total precipitation of 0.36 inch fell on May 14 and three record low temperatures were either met or broken, according to the National Weather Service.

The 20 degrees on May 14 broke a previous record low of 24 degrees set for that date in 1967. Two days later, the mercury dropped to 18 degrees, breaking the previous record low of 22 degrees that had stood since 1959. The 27 degrees on May 31 tied the record of 1951.

Elsewhere, Reno received two-tenths of an inch of moisture, or about one-third its normal amount for the month.

In Elko, May started out wet, with most of the 0.83 inch of precipitation falling during the first three days. But the month ended 0.17 inch drier than normal.

Elko also saw two record lows - on May 15 when the mercury plunged to 25 degrees, tying a record set in 1970; and again on May 16, when the mercury sank to 20 degrees, tying a record set in 1990.

Ely was also chilly and dry. A low of 18 degrees on May 16 broke the previous record of 21 set in 1955, while the 0.58 inch of precipitation was about half of normal for the month.

Las Vegas was about 1 degree warmer than normal and picked up only a trace of rain, compared to a normal month of nearly three-tenths of an inch.

The wettest locations were in the northeast, James said. Tuscarora received 2.69 inches of precipitation followed by Jarbidge with 2.41 inches.

After eight months into the 1998-1999 water year, James said precipitation levels range from one-half to two-thirds of normal in the south to 125 percent of normal in the northeast and south central areas.