NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY
MAY 2001
1st-5th…An area from lower New England to parts of the mid-Atlantic enjoyed near
record warmth Wednesday, while winter storm watches remained in effect in Wyoming and Colorado. Other parts of New England were cloudy, with showers and isolated storms. It was dry and partly cloudy to fair along the east Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and much of the Mid-Atlantic. The Southeast was cloudy, and Florida was wet with showers and some thunderstorms. Isolated showers fell from Alabama into the Texas coast. The central Plains to western Great Lakes were stormy with strong winds and hail. Rain showers and mountain snows fell in the Rockies. The Pacific Northwest saw early showers, then cleared in the afternoon.
The Southwest was partly cloudy to fair, with low clouds and fog near the south California coast. Much of the region was windy with gusts over 40 mph.
Heavy snow lingered over higher elevations in the Rockies Friday, while thunderstorms pounded a large section of the Plains. Snow fell in parts of the Colorado and northern New Mexico mountains and also blanketed Utah and Wyoming where average snowfall amounts ranged from several inches to nearly a foot. The storm system that brought snow in the Rockies produced rain, gusty winds and some lightning over a large area of the nation's midsection. Much of the east from lower New England through the Mid-Atlantic states was dry and partly cloudy. A cold front spawned some showers in the southern Great Lakes region. Showers ahead of the cold front also developed over central Illinois and southeastern Ohio and West Virginia. The Southeast was mainly dry except for South Florida where there were strong thunderstorms.
6th-12th…A strong cold front brought rain from the Great Lakes to the Gulf coast on Monday, while scattered showers fell in the northern Plains. Rain and occasional thunderstorms were reported in western upper Michigan, eastern Illinois and northeast Arkansas. Other storms hit western Oklahoma and northern Texas, while isolated showers fell in Kansas and Louisiana. Heavy rains, gusty winds and occasional lightning were associated with storms in southwestern Oklahoma. A stationary front brought cloudy skies to the central Great Lakes and upper Ohio Valley. Scattered showers were reported in the Appalachians, while rain also moved into northeast Florida. A system in the northern Plains produced isolated showers in eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. High pressure brought clear, dry weather to the Northeast and northern Mid-Atlantic states, as well as much of the West. Only a few clouds were found near the southern California coast.
Temperatures climbed for a second straight day in parts of the Southwest, while several other parts of the nation had cloudy skies. Temperatures were in the 70’s and 80’s in interior California and much of the Southwest were on their way to near record highs. Parts of the Desert Southwest baked under temperatures in the high 90’s. Skies were dry and generally clear in the lower Rockies and Southwest. Showers and thunderstorms were scattered across parts of Tennessee through northern Alabama and near the lower Mississippi Valley. There were stronger storms and occasional lightning near Muscle Shoals, AL. The Southeast was dry and partly cloudy to clear. Conditions were generally pleasant in the Southern Plains, with a few showers along the Oklahoma-Texas state line. Mostly cloudy skies covered the Mississippi Valley into the Appalachians. The Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Northeast had partly cloudy to clear skies.
Thunderstorms rolled across the nation's heartland Friday while sunshine brightened most of the East and West. Storms lashed Missouri, with 1 1/2 inches of rain and hail reported in and around Joplin. Severe storms also hit parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. Lighter rain dampened the Ohio Valley and lower Great Lakes, with showers lingering in Wisconsin and Michigan. Partly to mostly cloudy skies covered the northern and central Plains and upper Mississippi Valley. Showers fell across the Dakotas while rain wound
down in Nebraska. Fair skies dominated the East, with isolated showers near Florida's southeast coast and the Keys. Scattered showers also fell across Texas and Louisiana coasts. Clear skies prevailed in most of the West, with spotty clouds in the Rockies, northwestern Montana, Washington and along the California coast.
13th-19th…A line of storms pushed rain from Michigan to West Virginia on Wednesday, while spotty showers moistened the Pacific Northwest. Storms moved across Indiana and Ohio, accompanied by heavy rain, lightning and gusty winds. More than an inch of rain fell in Muncie, IN, while hail up to an inch in diameter pelted parts of Ohio. Lighter showers and thunderstorms tracked across West Virginia through North Carolina. Clouds spread over western Washington and western Oregon, and light rain fell west of the Cascades. The Southwest and most of California were dry, with partly cloudy to fair skies. Low pressure brought clouds to New England and eastern New York, with temperatures mainly in the 50s to low 60’s. The lower Ohio Valley, Tennessee Valley and much of the Southeast were dry. Scattered showers and blustery winds moved through Montana, Wyoming and Colorado, while another band of dampened affected eastern South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska.
A powerful line of storms dumped heavy rain from Oklahoma to the Ohio Valley on Friday, swamping roads and pushing streams out of their banks. More than 2 inches of rain fell in parts of West Virginia and wind gusts up to 54 mph were recorded in some areas, officials said. Heavy rain also swamped roads in southern Ohio, with the village of South Webster reporting 2 inches in an hour late Thursday. Rain continued to fall Friday, spreading across the mid-Atlantic states and parts of the Northeast. Farther west, storms struck parts of Oklahoma and Kansas and slipped into Missouri and Arkansas. Red Rock, Okla., reported 5.4 inches of rain in a 24-hour period ending Friday. The Great Lakes region and the northern Plains were cloudy but mostly dry. Mostly dry conditions were also found in the Southeast, except for scattered showers over the Tennessee Valley.
In the West, scattered showers fell in Nevada, Utah and the central Rockies but most of the region was dry.
20th-26th…Three storm systems pushed across the eastern United States on Monday,
bringing heavy rain to the Great Lakes region, the Northeast and parts of the Mississippi Valley. High wind damaged buildings, vehicles and trees in Livingston and Oakland counties in eastern Michigan. No injuries were reported.
Thunderstorms, rain, high wind and hail moved across the region, from Michigan and Ohio south to Louisiana and east through Alabama and Mississippi to the Carolinas. Lighter showers hit the mid-Atlantic states, including New Jersey and New York. New England and the Deep South were mostly dry, except for scattered showers in Florida. The West, dominated by high pressure, was largely dry and calm.
Clouds and thunderstorms lingered over the Southeast Wednesday as a storm
system that dampened the region with heavy rain and high winds moved offshore.
Small hail accompanied thunderstorms that soaked central and southern Florida.
Rain also moistened the western and central Great Lakes, the Ohio and Tennessee Valley Appalachians, the Northeast, and New England. The Mid-Atlantic was mostly dry, with lingering clouds along the coastline. Clouds and isolated thunderstorms spread over much of the central and eastern Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and northern Illinois. Blustery winds were found throughout the northern and central Plains and upper Mississippi Valley, with gusts between 20 and 40 miles-per-hour. High pressure along the West Coast brought clear and sunny skies, dry conditions, and warming temperatures.
Rain fell along the East Coast and upper Midwest on Saturday, the first day of the Memorial Day weekend, while mostly sunny skies and warm temperatures prevailed in the West. A front stretching from the Mid-Atlantic through the Gulf Coast to Texas brought rain and occasional thunderstorms from southwestern New England into the Carolinas. Strong storms, with gusty winds and heavy lightning, rolled through central Virginia and eastern Maryland. Hail pelted Lisbon, NC and Williamsburg, VA. Another batch of thunderstorms rumbled through Texas, accompanied by heavy rain and gusty winds. A low pressure system brought clouds across the upper Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes, while rain pushed through Iowa and Illinois into the Dakotas. Scattered showers also fell in Ohio, Michigan, northern Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota. High pressure brought generally fair and dry conditions to the West, although a few clouds spread over the Great Basin area, Wyoming and Colorado, along with scattered showers and a few thunderstorms in northern Nevada and northern Utah.
27th-31st…Showers and thunderstorms spread across the South on Monday, while another band of storms formed in the Northeast. A line of storms pushing eastward from Oklahoma and Texas brought rain to Louisiana, Florida and Alabama. Rain also spread over Tennessee, the northern Gulf States and the Carolinas. Severe storms, accompanied by strong winds and lightning, pushed through eastern North Carolina, uprooting trees in Fayetteville. A low pressure system in the Northeast brought scattered thunderstorms to New York and much of New England.
The northern Plains to the western Great Lakes and lower Ohio Valley were Relatively quiet Monday, with generally cloudy but dry conditions. In the West, widely scattered showers dampened southern Idaho, northern Utah, Wyoming and northern Colorado. In the Pacific Northwest, an approaching system brought cloudy conditions and light rain to western Washington and western Oregon. California, Nevada and Arizona were mostly clear and dry.
A broad band of storms rumbled across the nation's midsection from the northern Plains to the Gulf Mexico on Wednesday, while the West was mostly dry and sunny. The storm system dumped rain on Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The leading edge pushed across southern Illinois and into western Kentucky and western Tennessee as well. The northwestern boundary of the system produced moderate rain in Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. An upper-level trough covered eastern New York and New England with clouds. There were isolated showers in northeast and east-central New York and northern New England. The Great Lakes and upper Ohio Valley through much of the Southeast were dry and partly cloudy to clear. A stationary front near the Gulf Coast brought a few more clouds to that region, with widely scattered showers. In the West, mostly cloudy skies covered Wyoming and northeast Colorado, as moisture wrapped in behind the storm system in the central Plains. Clouds covered Washington and northern Oregon, while light showers dampened northwest Washington. The rest of the West, from the northern Rockies to the desert Southwest and California, was dry and generally fair.