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May finishes among the top 5 wettest in Cincinnati history

We saw more than nine inches of rain this May
Flooded road rain weather
Posted at 5:40 PM, May 31, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-31 17:42:27-04

The usual saying is “April Showers, Bring May Flowers” but this year it looks like May showers will be bringing us June flowers. This May will go down as one of the wettest on record for Cincinnati and the surrounding areas.

We had a relatively dry meteorological spring coming into the month of May. Between March and April, there had only been a combined 5.44” of rain. That was more than three inches below the normal for that timeframe. However, May has made up that deficit and then some.

Very Wet Month of May
Very Wet Month of May

This May brought 9.08” of rain at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) where Cincinnati’s climate data records are recorded. That is nearly double the May average of 4.67”. In fact, that ranks as the fifth wettest May on record at CVG. Records began in 1872, so that is 150 years worth of data.

Top 5 Wettest Mays in Cincinnati
Top 5 Wettest Mays in Cincinnati

Other notable totals from across the Tri-State include:

  • Delhi – 10.45”
  • Brookville, IN – 8.42”
  • Wilmington – 7.89”
  • Cheviot – 7.04”

The good news, as we look ahead at June, is that the Climate Prediction Center is not expecting a wetter than normal month of June.

Climate Prediction Center's June Precipitation Outlook
Climate Prediction Center's June Precipitation Outlook

Their forecast for June has us in the “equal chances” of seeing below normal or above normal precipitation. June’s 30-year rainfall average is 4.75”.