The phrase for spring 1997: Way cool!

Mt. Washington, N.H., had its old monthly snowfall record crushed for May by a whopping 43.6 inches, beating the old record of 52.2 inches 30 years ago. The new record is 95.8 inches. The Northeast's cool weather continued through May, as the average temperature for the 12-state region was 4.4 degrees cooler than normal. For the Northeast, this was the fourth coolest May in the last 103 years, according to Keith Eggleston, a climatologist at the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University.

West Virginia and Pennsylvania enjoyed their third coolest May on record, with monthly departures of -4.8 and -4.7 degrees respectively. Vermont had the region's largest departure from the long-term average this month (-5.3 degrees), while Rhode Island reported the smallest difference from the long-term average (-2.0 degrees).

The average temperature for the spring season (March through May) was 2.6 degrees cooler than normal and the ninth coolest spring on record for the Northeast.

"May showed a pronounced lack of warm days," Eggleston said.

In Burlington, Vt., for example, there were only three days during the month where the maximum temperature was above 70 degrees (28th, 29th and 31st). The average number of such days in May is 11, and the last time there were fewer than three was in 1945. It was also the first May since 1983 when the mercury failed to reach 80 degrees at that location.

In New York City's Central Park, there was only one day this spring when the temperature reached 80 degrees (83 degrees on May 19). The last time there was only one such day in the spring was in 1928, when the surrounding area was much less urbanized.

Rainfall was generally below normal around the region this month, according to the NRCC. Delaware was the driest state, with 59 percent of its May normal. The only state reporting an above normal statewide total was Maine, with 116 percent of the normal May accumulation.

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Monthly Average Temperature - Coldest May on Record

City                          New     Previous
Pittsburgh                    54.2     54.3 in 1967
Elkins, W.Va.                 52.4     52.6 in 1924

Daily Low Temperature Records

City                          Date     New     Previous
Burlington, Vt. (tie)          5th     27¡      27¡  in 1924
Allentown, Pa.                 8th     30¡      32¡  in 1974
Baltimore (Airport)            8th     33¡      34¡  in 1974
Williamsport, Pa. (tie)        8th     29¡      29¡  in 1974
Wilmington, Del. (tie)         8th     35¡      35¡  in 1947
Beckley, W.Va. (tie)          15th     35¡      35¡  in 1984
Beckley, W.Va.                22nd     33¡      36¡  in 1993
Elkins, W.Va.                 22nd     29¡      31¡  in 1907
Morgantown, W.Va.             23rd     35¡      36¡  in 1967
Elkins, W.Va                  23rd     30¡      30¡  in 1971
Buffalo, N.Y. (tie)           26th     37¡      37¡  in 1961
Hartford, Conn.               28th     38¡      39¡  in 1974
Atlantic City  (Airport), NJ  29th     37¡      40¡  in 1992
Baltimore  (Airport)          29th     41¡      42¡  in 1956

Daily High Temperature Record

City                          Date     New     Previous
National  Airport, Va. (tie)  19th     96¡      96¡  in 1911

Monthly Snowfall Record for May (inches)

City                          New     Previous
Mt. Washington, N.H.          95.8     52.2 in 1967

Monthly Precipitation Record for May (inches)

City                          New     Previous
Mt. Washington, N.H.          19.00   18.82 in 1984

Daily Precipitation Record (inches) for May

City                          Date     New     Previous
Pittsburgh                    25th     2.48    2.31 on May 24, 1973