The past month of May was the driest May since 2019, according to Austin Kraklau of the North Central Research Extension Center, south of Minot.

The total moisture for the month was 0.97 inches, which is 1.39 inches below the long-term average of 2.36 inches. May of 2019 only had 0.78 inch of moisture.

This past month of May the average temperature was 55.2 degrees, which is 1.8 degrees above the 119-year, long-term average of 53.4 degrees.

The lowest temperature of the month was 19 degrees, which occurred on May 5, and the high was 94 degrees, which occurred on the May 28.

“This May has tied 1980 for the most days above 90 degrees in my recorded history since 1946, with four days above 90 degrees,” Kraklau said.