Special Weather Statement
Dept Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences UCLA
3:15 PM PDT Friday, 01 June 2012...correction in 1st paragraph

This May was drier than normal. The total for the month was the minimum measurable
amount(0.01 inch). Although the normal rainfall for the month is 0.31 inch, the
median rainfall is only 0.04 inch("normal" taken from a mean value). Drier than normal
Mays have occurred in four of the previous five years(last year was wetter than normal
with 0.64 inch rainfall). Still, this month ranked tied for the second lowest total for
May(first time in 1948 and repeated in 1950,1963,1975,1981,and 2000). There was only
one measurable rain day this month(normal for the month). It occurred on the morning of
the 25th. Occasional light showers fell early to mid-morning. The 0.01 inch total was
enough to set a record rainfall for the date. It was previously a trace amount in 1966
and repeated in 1993 and 1994. The only other event occurred in the early hours of the
1st(drizzle actually started late evening on 30 April). Some occasional drizzle or
light rain showers left a trace amount in the rain gauge.

This month was cooler than normal. The average temperature was 62.3 degrees. That was
0.7 degree lower than normal, and it ranked tied for 25th coolest May(first in 1976).
The average maximum temperature was 69.0 degrees(1.3 degrees below normal). That ranked
20th coolest in that category(coolest since 2002). The average minimum temperature was
a normal 55.6 degrees(a degree higher average than last year). There were no days this
that reached at least 80 degrees(normal is two days). The highest temperature this
month was 76 degrees(16th). The lowest temperature of the month was 51 degrees(26th).
No temperature records were set or tied this month.

For this Spring(defined as the period March through May), the average temperature was
60.2 degrees. That was one degree below normal. It was the coolest spring since 2006(last
year was warmer than normal..61.8 degrees). This Spring ranked tied for 22nd coolest
in campus history(first in 2003).

Visibility this month fell to a mile or less on one day this month. That occurred on the
morning of the 8th. For a short time(around 6:15 AM), the visibility fell as low as a
quarter mile. The visibility, however, improved rapidly after 6:30 AM.

Significant wind(at least 25 mph gusts) occurred on two days this month. The first event
occurred on the 23rd. Occasionally brisk south to west-southwest winds blew from mid-morning
to early afternoon that day. The peak wind gust for the day and month was 27 mph. It
occurred at 12:55 PM(South-southwest) and 1:14 PM(west-southwest). The other wind event was
on the 25th. Occasionally brisk southwest winds occurred from mid-morning to late afternoon.
The breezy weather was most consistent mid-afternoon. The peak gust of the day(26 mph) occurred
at 3:15 PM.

J. Murakami

Rainfall in inches
24 hour rainfall measured from Midnight to Midnight, Greenwich Mean Time
Normals are defined using a 30 year mean from 1981-2010
UCLA records date back to 1932
All times given in Pacific Standard Time