A warm May for Long Island? Maybe.
There’s a glimmer of hope for Long Islanders who are growing weary of asking, “What the heck has happened to spring?”
The long-range temperature outlook for May shows a slight tilt favoring, on average, above normal temperatures for most of the eastern United States, Long Island included, said Anthony Artusa, seasonal forecaster with the Climate Prediction Center, which is under the umbrella of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Promising, perhaps, but certainly no vote of confidence for warmer than 63 to 72 degrees, which is the month’s range of daily normal high temperatures at Long Island MacArthur Airport.
While “most guidance was hinting” at warmer than normal, Artusa said Thursday, there was also enough squabbling among climate models to lead to the “low probability” call.
This so-so projection comes as April, as of day-end Wednesday, was registering 3.8 degrees below normal for the month at the airport — following on the heels of March’s 1.3 degrees below normal — following on the heels of February’s whopping 6.3 degrees above normal.
Also as of day end Wednesday, April was ranking as the eighth coldest such stretch at the airport since records started being kept in September 1963, said Jessica Spaccio, climatologist with the Northeast Regional Climate Center, based at Cornell University.
Thursday’s outlook also indicated a slight tilt toward above May’s normal precipitation, which is 3.78 inches at the airport.

Things to do now on LI Rock climbing? Indoor beach volleyball? Water parks? Arts and crafts? NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday deputy lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your look at ways to spend your winter break.

Things to do now on LI Rock climbing? Indoor beach volleyball? Water parks? Arts and crafts? NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday deputy lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your look at ways to spend your winter break.