The weather in May 2023 was warmer than average (+1.7 degrees), as the lows for the month were much warmer than usual, and highs just a little above average.

Rainfall ended up quite a bit above average (+0.70 inches). The total was 1.85 inches at my location, which was in a northern corridor along US 64 east through the old blinking light towards Taos Pueblo that received above average rain (see map below). Another area with higher rainfall was along the Ranchos foothills north into the town of Taos. Drier areas were in the Arroyo Hondo to Arroyo Seco region where amounts less than an inch were recorded.

The first half of the month was mostly dry and a little warmer than usual with highs in the upper 60s and 70s and lows in the 30s to low 40s for the most part. A few days had some real light showers move through the area.

The bulk of the rain for the month (85%) occurred in the third week, from about the 17th to the 23rd. Different areas received heavy rain on different days during this period, with the main event at my location occurring on the 20th when 0.90 inches of rain fell between 6 and 7 PM. Highs during this period cooled down into the upper 50s and 60s, while lows rose into the 40s with all the moisture in the air.

The last week of the month saw a return to warmer and mostly dry conditions, with highs into the 70s. It did cool down on the 31st with more rain.

The warmest high was 79 degrees on the 29th and 30th. The coldest low was 31 degrees on the 12th. No temperature or precipitation records were set during the month.

Wind speeds overall were a little below average for the month, although there were 12 days with gusts of 35 mph or higher. The windiest days were on the 10th, 13th, and 26th. The highest gust of 52 mph occurred on the 10th around 325 PM.

Here are the actual numbers for the month…

Average Temp . . . . 56.1 degrees, +1.7 degrees above average

Average High . . . . . 71.7 degrees, +0.6 degrees above average

Average Low . . . . . 40.6 degrees, +2.85 degrees above average

Total precip . . . . . . . 1.85 inches, +0.70 inches above average

Total snowfall . . . . . . None

May 2023 Rainfall in the Taos area

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