May continued the unusual weather trend of recent months: the amount of precipitation in Latvia was again below the climatic norm. As a result, drought persists in several regions of the country, and in some areas its level has been recognized as extreme.
Latvia has completed its tenth consecutive month with a precipitation deficit.
According to the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre, an average of 38.6 millimeters of precipitation fell across the country in May, which is only 77% of the climatic norm for the period 1991–2020.
The driest month was in Liepaja, where only 10.4 millimeters of precipitation was recorded. In comparison, the wettest place in the country was Madona, where 89.7 millimeters fell in the month.
The prolonged lack of precipitation is already affecting soil conditions. In Latgale, as well as in some areas of Vidzeme and northern Kurzeme, moisture levels still corresponded to the norm, but moderate to severe drought was observed in most parts of the country.
The situation is particularly difficult in Liepaja and Saldus, where May has officially been recognized as extremely dry.
It is important to note that ten consecutive months with below-normal precipitation does not necessarily mean a constant drought in all areas of the country. However, this trend gradually reduces moisture reserves in the soil and may affect agriculture, water levels in small water bodies, and the condition of forests.
At the same time, May turned out to be slightly warmer than usual. The average air temperature was +11.7 degrees, which is 0.3 degrees above the climatic norm. The lowest temperature of the month was recorded on May 6 in Mersrags — minus 3.1 degrees. The hottest day was May 4, when the air warmed up to +28.2 degrees in Daugavpils.
At the beginning of the month, the country experienced a short heatwave. On May 3 and 4, 12 temperature records were set. No other temperature records were recorded during the month.
Since the beginning of the year, Latvia has already registered 141 heat records and only 19 cold records.
Another feature of May was the relatively low humidity. The average humidity across the country was 72%. The driest air was observed in Riga, while the most humid was in Ventspils.
The strongest wind gusts were recorded on May 27 in Riga, where wind speeds reached 21.5 meters per second.
Despite the dry May, meteorologists predict that June will be warmer than the climatic norm. The question of whether summer rains will compensate for the accumulated moisture deficit remains open.
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