Drought in Pennsylvania, May 1 to 20, 2001

Unseasonably dry weather continued across Eastern Pennsylvania into the 20th. Little, if any, precipitation fell across the state during the first 19 days of the month. It continued a trend that had prevailed since the second half of April. In response to the dry weather, a dozen townships in Monroe County imposed outside burning bans on May 4th. The lack of precipitation forced farmers to delay planting soybeans. May crops (grains/grasses) were either stunted or grew at a slow pace. Rain associated with a warm front missed the state on the 19th. But, a weak low pressure system that formed on the ensuing cold front spread rain across the state on the evening of the 20th and the early morning of the 21st. The heaviest rain fell around the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. This ushered a change in the weather pattern. For the rest of the month, precipitation totals were wetter than normal. No measurable precipitation fell at Philadelphia International Airport from April 25th through May 19th, a string of 25 consecutive days. This was the longest streak without measurable precipitation during the spring months (March, April, May) on record and the fourth longest overall.