This month still has a week to run. But there's seems little doubt that May 2005 will stack up as one of the coolest on record in Baltimore. At this point the month is averaging 58.4 degrees. That's about 5 degrees below normal (depending on which of the Weather Service's conflicting statistics on the point you accept). Temperatures should warm to near normal by the weekend. That will nudge the average up some. But the month will surely remain among the chillier Mays we've seen.

There have been only five years (since the official Baltimore weather station moved to BWI in 1951) in which May temperatures have averaged less than 60 degrees. The most recent was 2003, when the average was 59.3 degrees. And there has been just one year - 1967 - when May was cooler than 58 degrees.

Here is the full list:

1967: 57.0
2005: 58.4 (through Monday)
1907: 59.0
1917: 59.2
2003: 59.3
1997: 59.5
1973: 59.6
1882: 59.6
1968: 59.7

We've had just three days this month that have averaged above 65 degrees. That comapares with 24 last year. And, we've seen just two days with highs greater than 80 degrees this May. Last year there were 19 days with highs of 80 degrees or more, including two in the 90s.

That translates into just 9 cooling degree-days so far this month, compared with 203 in all of May 2004. So, we've all saved some money in air conditioning expenses.

On the other hand, maybe your furnace has been running some mornings. We've had 156 heating degree-days this month, compared with 49 last May.