ASHEVILLE, N.C., June 9 (UPI) -- After torrential downpours that let to historic flooding in the nation's midsection, May will go down in the history books as the wettest month since record-keeping began 121 years ago, NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information said.
Rainfall across the contiguous United States averaged 4.36 inches in May, 1.45 inches more than the average, NOAA said. This beats the previous 1957 May record of 4.24 inches and the previous wettest month on record, October 2009, at 4.29 inches. Record-keeping began in 1895. For the spring season, the contiguous U.S. rainfall total was 9.33 inches, 1.39 inches above average and the 11th wettest on record, NOAA said.