May in Seattle

 

Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum at an electrical substation built of concrete cement in the deco style in Columbia City. May 2013

Brick Tudors are common early 20th century homes in Seattle.  The landscape is also no surprise.  The Bergenia may date back to the 1920s.  The Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum) is a remnant of the native forest.  Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) & Kurume azalea (Rhododendron obtusum) became (& remain) popular in the 1950s & 60s when Japanese style gardens were fashionable.  Euphorbia characias  & Euphorbia in general has come to be used commonly within the past few decades.  This house is on Mt Baker Ridge. May 2013

This is a very uncommon early 20th century home in Seattle.  The Spanish colonial style was never popular here.  Stucco is considered inappropriate for the rainy climate.  On Mt Baker Ridge in May 2013

A garden at New Holly in May 2013.  The lot across the street is undeveloped.  The business district in the Othello neighborhood has been redeveloping slowly since the 1980s, after decades of decline.

May 2013 in Seattle was warmer & wetter than normal.  The mean temperature was 58.6F/14.8C.  The normal mean temperature is 56F/13.3C.  Total precipitation was 2.38 inches/60.45 mm.  Normal precipitation is 1.94 inches/49.27 mm.  The weather was unusually warm & sunny early in the month.  The temperature rose from 65F/18.3C on May 1 to 87F/30.6C on May 6, which set a record for that day at 17 degrees above normal.  The temperature dropped to 67F/19.4C on May 8, then rose to 81F/27.2C on May 11 at 13 degrees above normal.  Cooler weather prevailed for the rest of the month, included a high of 52F/11.1C on May 22 at 8 degrees below normal.  There were 6 days with rain, 17 days with light rain, 14 days with fog, 3 days with haze, 14 cloudy days, 11 partly cloudy days & 6 fair days.

May is the most flowery month in Seattle.  The leaves on the trees are still a bright green as the rainy season comes to an end.