Record low max at Knoxville.

[John1122]

Knoxville set their record low max for today with a high of 53 degrees. That blew away the old record of a 59 degree max high.

It's only made it to 47 degrees here at my place today.  40's for highs the first day or two of May aren't common but aren't unheard of either. For mid to late May it's pretty amazing.

[Cyclonicjunkie]

Some strange weather we are having, it felt more like a winter day today. Seems it would mean something (some old wives tales?) I dont like it because there is nothing interesting that can come of cool temps in late may.

[Charles L.]

I dont like it because there is nothing interesting that can come of cool temps in late may.

Yes there is...a happy Charles. I will take these cooler temps. as I dread the hot July/August days ahead of us...

[Cyclonicjunkie]

Moderate snow coming down on the beech mtn NC webcam 

http://highcountrywebcams.com/webcameras_BeechSlopeside2.htm

Thats happened before but its rare to get snow this late anywhere in the Apps, much less the southern apps

[Math/Met]

Moderate snow coming down on the beech mtn NC webcam 

http://highcountrywebcams.com/webcameras_BeechSlopeside2.htm

Thats happened before but its rare to get snow this late anywhere in the Apps, much less the southern apps

I just wish I was there.

[John1122]

I will be curious to see if LeConte gets any snow. I know they were 32 this morning.

Mid May snow isn't common there but it's certainly not unprecedented.

[Coach B]

Had some uppper 30s for lows in N Alabama and S Mid TN this morning.  Seems to be a long lived cold shot for this time of year.  Its been cool since what...last Friday?  Thats five or six days worth.  My FIL refired his woodstove.  I was to lazy to fire mine and decided that it was perfect heat pump weather. 

[Adam]

What is up with this low pressure system moving backwards?

[Charles L.]

What is up with this low pressure system moving backwards?

It really isn't moving backwards, it is just slowly making its way towards the Carolinas...slowly.

[Thundersnow]

It really isn't moving backwards, it is just slowly making its way towards the Carolinas...slowly.

I haven't been following this system closely, but it must be a pretty stubborn cut-off low to be keeping these cloudy, cool, occasionallly drizzly conditions over us for so long. 

And, the general flow apparently isn't very progressive right now.

[John1122]

Has indeed being snowing on LeConte today. They were at 29 with light snow earlier.

[dwagner88]

I took advantage of the weather today to go to dollywood. I hadn't been in about 10 years. Lots of fun, and perfect themepark weather IMO.

[Cyclonicjunkie]

Seems to be a long lived cold shot for this time of year.

I hate to start talking about next winter this early, but these unusually cool temps make me wonder if we have started down a very cold path. I have said numerous times that I believe we have entered a cold phase alot like the 50's-70's was. We will just have to wait and see, but I have a BIG stinking suspicion (backed up with some climatological evidence) that its going to get brutaly cold this winter, and many winters to come.

[aubieman]

I just picked this data from wunderground:
Since 1948, Nashville has had a total of 18 days in May with a high temperature in the 50s.  This year has seen three of them.

The years when this has happened (highs in the 50s) - 1953, 1957, 1958 (2 times), 1960 (1 high in 50s, 1 high of 48), 1978 (3 times), 1981, 1983, 1989, 1992 (2 times), 1994 (on May 1), 2002, 2006, 2010, 2011(3 times).

Consecutive highs in the 50s has happened only once before this past Sunday and Monday, and that was in 1978.

I noticed on alabamawx that Birmingham just experienced its coldest 4 day period in May on record.

[John1122]

I really have no idea if it had anything to do with the cool weather, but not a single one of my fruit trees bloomed this year. That includes two different kinds of apple tree, pears, peaches and plums.