NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

 

MAY 2023

 

Apr. 30-May 6: During the first few days of May, heavy precipitation was scarce and mostly limited to the upper Great Lakes region and the Northeast. However, portions of the upper Great Lakes States received heavy snow, while some Northeastern locations received rainfall totaling at least 2 to 4 inches. Several other areas, including northern California, the Northwest, the northern and southern Plains, and the central Gulf Coast region, reported variable precipitation.

 

As April ended, a snow melt-induced crest on the Mississippi River was moving along the Iowa-Illinois border. A top-three crest was observed on April 29 in Iowa locations such as Dubuque (7.03 feet above flood stage) and Bellevue (4.78 feet above flood stage). The only higher crests in both locations occurred in April 1965 and 2001. By the time the water level peaked (6.06 feet above flood stage) in Fulton, IL, on April 30, it was a top-four crest, behind the high-water marks of April 1965 and 2001, along with July 1993. As runoff moved into drier areas of the Midwest, a top-seven crest was observed in Rock Island, IL, where the Mississippi River climbed 6.51 feet above flood stage on May 1. Meanwhile, the week began with separate areas of heavy precipitation hammering the upper Great Lakes region and the Northeast. In the latter area, daily-record rainfall totals for April 30 ranged from 2 to 3 inches or more in Scranton, PA (3.06 inches); Augusta, ME (3.00 inches); Providence, RI (2.49 inches); Georgetown, DE (2.40 inches); and Binghamton, NY (2.18 inches). Farther west, Marquette, MI, received 19.8 and 6.4 inches of snow, respectively, on May 1 and 2. Previously, Marquette’s 1- and 2-day snowfall records during May were 14.2 inches on May 10, 1990, and 22.4 inches on May 9-10, 1990. In addition, Marquette’s snowiest May on record had occurred in 1990, with 22.6 inches. By May 2, precipitation spreading inland across northern California and the western Great Basin led to daily-record totals in Reno, NV (0.68 inch), and Montague, CA (0.55 inch). Reno, with snowfall totaling 0.5 inch on May 3, reported its 40th day this season with measurable snow, well above the former record of 35 days, set in 1921-22. EarlyMay accumulations also occurred on some of the highest Appalachian peaks, with a trace noted on the 3rd in West Virginia locations such as Charleston and Elkins. During the mid- to late-week period, spotty showers on the Plains resulted in daily-record totals in North Platte, NE (1.47 inches on May 4), and Borger, TX (1.38 inches on May 3). North Platte had recently completed a record-dry April, tying 0.04 inch in 1928. In the upper Midwest, daily-record amounts reached 1.32 inches (on May 5) in Eau Claire, WI; 1.09 inches (on May 6) in Jamestown, ND; and 1.04 inches (on May 6) in Mobridge, SD. Late in the week, showery weather continued in the Northwest and briefly affected southern California. Northwestern daily-record totals topped an inch in Burns, OR (1.14 inches on May 5), and Kalispell, MT (1.14 inches on May 6). In southern California, record-breaking rainfall totals for May 4 reached 0.78 inch in Burbank and 0.52 inch in Camarillo. With a May 1-4 sum of 0.54 inch, the total (since July 1, 2022) in downtown Los Angeles climbed to 28.39 inches (204 percent of normal). In the history of Los Angeles’ weather records, only seven July-June periods have featured higher totals: 1883-84, 1889-90, 1940-41, 1977-78, 1982-83, 1997-98, and 2004-05. Elsewhere, heavy showers spread into the central Gulf Coast region, where Baton Rouge, LA, collected a record-setting sum (2.63 inches) for May 5.

 

7-13: A complex, slow-moving storm system delivered heavy rain across much of the nation’s mid-section, but largely bypassed some of the country’s driest areas in south-central and southwestern Kansas, as well as the northwestern half of Oklahoma and portions of neighboring states. Still, the rain broadly provided much needed moisture for rangeland and pastures.  Significant rain spread into other areas, including the southern and western Corn Belt and the mid-South.   Excessive rainfall (locally 4 to 8 inches or more) sparked flooding in portions of the western Gulf Coast region. Light showers dotted the Northwest, while little or no rain fell across the remainder of the country.

 

Early in the week, separate areas of showery weather affected the Far West and the Midwest. In northern California, Redding netted a daily-record total of 2.02 inches on May 7. On the same date, Fort Wayne, IN, also collected a daily-record sum (1.53 inches). In northern Minnesota, International Falls received daily-record amounts on May 8 and 9, totaling 1.56 inches. By May 9, daily-record rainfall included 2.20 inches in Concordia, KS; 1.61 inches in Jackson, KY; and 1.48 inches in Tuscaloosa, AL. Meanwhile, scattered but locally severe thunderstorms developed across the Plains, South, and Midwest. On May 9, thunderstorm wind gusts were clocked to 78 mph in Springfield, MO, and 59 mph in Tulsa, OK. Earlier on the 9th, pre-dawn thunderstorms had produced winds gusting from 70 to 90 mph in coastal southern Texas, with 84 mph recorded at Isla Blanca Park in the Brownsville Ship Channel entrance. On May 10 in New Mexico, wind gusts reached 71 mph in Clayton and 68 mph in Raton. Elsewhere on the 10th, Palacios, TX, measured 6.21 inches of rain—part of a very wet stretch that included 3.93 inches on May 13-14. Outside of the western Gulf Coast region, some of the heaviest rain fell from the central High Plains into the upper Midwest. Goodland, KS, received consecutive daily-record totals of 1.50 and 1.12 inches, respectively, on May 10 and 11. Dailyrecord totals topped 3 inches on the 11th in Imperial, NE (3.56 inches), and Colorado Springs, CO (3.18 inches). That marked the wettest May day on record in Colorado Springs, toppling 2.34 inches on May 30, 1935. In Denver, CO, where 2.92 inches fell on the 11th, it was the wettest calendar day since May 6, 1973, when 3.27 inches fell. Denver’s storm total (4.40 inches from May 10- 12) represented more than 30 percent of its normal annual precipitation. By May 12, heavy rain shifted across portions of the northern Plains and Midwest, where daily-record amounts reached 2.49 inches in Columbus, OH, and 2.35 inches in Minot, ND. Downpours returned to southern Texas at week’s end, when Brownsville logged a record-setting total (2.61 inches) for May 13.

 

14-20: Early in the week, heavy showers lingered in the western Gulf Coast region, where daily-record amounts in Texas for May 14 totaled 3.48 inches in Palacios and 2.45 inches at Houston’s Hobby Airport. Meanwhile, drought-easing showers peppered the southern Plains, resulting in daily-record totals in locations such as Borger, TX (1.81 inches on the 14th), and Russell, KS (1.33 inches on the 18th). In fact, Borger received more than an inch of rain on May 14, 17, and 18, totaling 4.38 inches. Locally heavy showers were also common across the South, where Orlando, FL, measured 3.90 inches, a record for May 18. Southern daily-record totals ranged from 1 to 3 inches in a multitude of locations, including Richmond, VA (2.78 inches on the 16th); Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (2.21 inches on the 16th); New Bern, NC (1.90 inches on the 19th); Alma, GA (1.73 inches on the 18th); Jackson, TN (1.54 inches on the 20th); and Paducah, KY (1.53 inches on the 19th). Meanwhile, out-of-season showers dotted the Southwest. In Arizona, daily-record amounts for May 18 included 0.48 inch in Tucson and 0.27 inch in Douglas. The following day, additional Arizona daily records were set in Prescott (1.61 inches) and Flagstaff (0.82 inch). With a 0.66-inch sum on the 16th, Safford, AZ, experienced its wettest May day of the 21st century, surpassing 0.43 inch on May 19, 2015. In Utah, Capitol Reef National Park measured 1.74 inches in a 24-hour period on May 14-15. At week’s end, heavy rain spread northward along the Atlantic Coast, resulting in May 20 daily-record totals ranging from 2 to 3 inches or more in Providence, RI (3,02 inches), and Bridgeport, CT (2.34 inches).

 

Early in the week, heavy showers lingered in the western Gulf Coast region, where daily-record amounts in Texas for May 14 totaled 3.48 inches in Palacios and 2.45 inches at Houston’s Hobby Airport. Meanwhile, drought-easing showers peppered the southern Plains, resulting in daily-record totals in locations such as Borger, TX (1.81 inches on the 14th), and Russell, KS (1.33 inches on the 18th). In fact, Borger received more than an inch of rain on May 14, 17, and 18, totaling 4.38 inches. Locally heavy showers were also common across the South, where Orlando, FL, measured 3.90 inches, a record for May 18. Southern daily-record totals ranged from 1 to 3 inches in a multitude of locations, including Richmond, VA (2.78 inches on the 16th); Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (2.21 inches on the 16th); New Bern, NC (1.90 inches on the 19th); Alma, GA (1.73 inches on the 18th); Jackson, TN (1.54 inches on the 20th); and Paducah, KY (1.53 inches on the 19th). Meanwhile, out-of-season showers dotted the Southwest. In Arizona, daily-record amounts for May 18 included 0.48 inch in Tucson and 0.27 inch in Douglas. The following day, additional Arizona daily records were set in Prescott (1.61 inches) and Flagstaff (0.82 inch). With a 0.66-inch sum on the 16th, Safford, AZ, experienced its wettest May day of the 21st century, surpassing 0.43 inch on May 19, 2015. In Utah, Capitol Reef National Park measured 1.74 inches in a 24-hour period on May 14-15. At week’s end, heavy rain spread northward along the Atlantic Coast, resulting in May 20 daily-record totals ranging from 2 to 3 inches or more in Providence, RI (3,02 inches), and Bridgeport, CT (2.34 inches).

 

June 28-June 3: A low-pressure system over the western Atlantic Ocean moved inland across the Carolinas during the Memorial Day weekend, delivering locally heavy showers and gusty winds. Later in the week, on June 2, Tropical Storm Arlene formed over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico.

 

Tropical showers not directly associated with Arlene affected southern Florida. Meanwhile, daily showers and thunderstorms across the Plains further dented long-term drought but resulted in localized wind, hail, and flash flood damage.

 

As a non-tropical storm system moved inland across the Carolinas, heavy showers lingered from the middle Atlantic Coast into the central Appalachians through the Memorial Day weekend. On May 28-29, Bluefield, WV, netted consecutive daily-record rainfall totals of 1.51 and 2.94 inches, respectively. Daily-record amounts also topped the 2-inch mark on May 29 in Virginia locations such as Danville (2.56 inches) and Blacksburg (2.30 inches). Meanwhile, almost daily showers and thunderstorms continued across various parts of the Plains. In northern Texas, Borger (9.70 inches) and Dalhart (6.62 inches) completed a record-wet May. Record-setting May wetness extended as far north as western Nebraska, where Imperial received a monthly sum of 9.09 inches. In contrast, recordlow May rainfall totals dotted the Midwest and were more widespread in the Northeast. Monthly totals less than one-quarter inch marked the driest May on record in Omaha, NE (0.17 inch), as well as Pennsylvania locations such as Reading (0.09 inch) and Philadelphia (0.24 inch). The only drier month in Reading’s history occurred in October 1924, with 0.04 inch. May-record dryness extended to other Northeastern communities, including Wilmington, DE (0.20 inch), and Binghamton, NY (0.71 inch). In Michigan, Grand Rapids (0.84 inch) completed its driest May since 1936, when 0.72 inch fell. Farther west, the month ended with record-setting rainfall totals for May 31 in Chadron, NE (0.85 inch), and Bozeman, MT (1.00 inch). Elsewhere in Montana, recordsetting amounts for June 2 included 2.19 inches in Billings and 2.00 inches in Lewistown. Billings’ June 1-4 rainfall reached exactly 4.00 inches. A few showers even affected southern California, where record-setting amounts for May 31 included 0.12 inch in Escondido and 0.04 inch at Lake Elsinore.

 

locally heavy showers affected Florida, as Tropical Storm Arlene developed over the Gulf of Mexico. Daily-record totals for June 2 in Florida reached 2.80 inches in Brooksville and 1.99 inches in Winter Haven. By Memorial Day weekend (May 27-29),

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com