Charlottetown's May was 3rd wettest on record - Action News
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PEI

Charlottetown's May was 3rd wettest on record

Over the last 135 years there have only been two Mays in Charlottetown that were wetter than this years.

Charlottetown set two heat records in May

There were some heavy rains and not much sunshine in Charlottetown. (Laura Meader/CBC)

Over the last 135 years there have only been two Mays in Charlottetown that were wetter than this years.

On average 91 mm of rain falls at Charlottetown Airport in May. This year it was 160.4 mm.

Charlottetown records go back to 1872, but the two wetter months were relatively recent.

  • 1990: 217.8 mm.
  • 1983: 197.8 mm.

"A contributing factor to the very soggy weather this month was a number of low pressure systems that became separated from the jet stream and stalled in the vicinity of the Maritimes," said CBC meteorologist Kalin Mitchell.

"That put us in prolonged stretches of cloudy and damp conditions. Only 11 days of May 2017 were reported precipitation free at Charlottetown Airport."

One single system dropped 50.3 mm of rain on May 9 and 10.

The soggy state of the Island was bad news for farmers, who were delayed getting out on their fields to plant.

The average temperature in May was very close to the 9.2 C average, at 9.5 C.

While the average temperature was normal, there were two record-setting heat days: 25.4 C on the 18th and 26.6 C the following day.