NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

MAY 2024

Apr. 28-May 4: A sharpening temperature gradient fueled ongoing severe weather across the nation’s mid-section, with an EF-3 tornado causing a fatality in Pottawatomie County, KS, on April 30. At least one tornado was reported each day of week across the Plains, Midwest, or mid South, with ten or more catalogued—based on preliminary reports—on April 28 and 30, along with May 1, 2, and 3. Thunderstorms also sparking flooding and delivered torrential rain, which totaled 10 inches or more in parts of eastern Texas. A broader area from the eastern Plains into the Mississippi Valley received rainfall totaling 2 to 4 inches or more, with spotty totals of that magnitude extending into the upper Great Lakes region and the Tennessee Valley.

Early in the week, the first of two rounds of flooding rainfall struck eastern Texas. With a total of 5.43 inches on the 28th, College Station, TX, experienced its wettest April day on record (previously, 5.17 inches on April 12, 1969). College Station received an additional 2.71 inches during the first 4 days of May, for a weekly total of 8.14 inches. Just to the east, an observation site in Huntsville, TX, received 7.56 inches during the late-April deluge, followed by 14.42 inches in early May, for a weekly sum of 21.98 inches. Record flooding ensued on the Navasota River between Easterly and Normangee, TX, with the river cresting 11.62 feet above flood stage (on May 2) in the former community and 10.59 feet above flood stage (on May 4) in the latter town. In both locations, previous modern record high-water marks had been established during a flood in late April and early-May 2009. Meanwhile, the East Fork of the San Jacinto River near New Caney, TX, crested 19.75 feet above flood stage on May 3, second only to the Hurricane Harvey-fueled crest (23.15 feet above flood stage) on August 29, 2017. Similarly, a record crest (6.41 feet above flood stage on May 6) was established along the Trinity River at Liberty, TX, edging the high-water mark set on September 1, 2017, by 0.29 foot. Locally heavy thunderstorms struck other parts of the central U.S. as one severe weather outbreak wound down on April 28 and another began 2 days later. On the 28th, daily-record rainfall totals included 1.64 inches in Sioux Falls, SD, and 1.18 inches in Wausau, WI. By April 30, Southeastern showers led to daily-record amounts in West Palm Beach, FL (4.81 inches), and Huntsville, AL (3.37 inches). Meanwhile, an EF-3 tornado near Westmoreland, KS, spent only 8 minutes on the ground and traveled less than 2.6 miles, but produced estimated winds of 140 mph and resulted in one death. Late in the week, unseasonably heavy precipitation overspread the Northwest, with Oregon communities such as North Bend (1.36 inches) and Eugene (1.31 inches) netting daily-record totals for May 3. Farther inland, snowfall in Wyoming on May 3 totaled 3.9 inches in Casper and 0.7 inch in Riverton. By May 4, daily-record totals topped an inch in California locations such as Redding (1.47 inches) and Mount Shasta City (1.38 inches).

5-11: Another major outbreak of severe weather peaked from May 6-9, with as many as 150 tornadoes noted across the Plains, Midwest, and South, according to preliminary reports. During the latest siege, there were two tornado related fatalities—one apiece in Osage County, OK (on May 6), and Maury County, TN (on May 8). The thunderstorms also produced scattered large hail and damaging winds.

Rainfall was highly variable, but in areas receiving higher amounts (2 to 4 inches or more) there (Continued from front cover) were numerous observations of flash flooding.

The 5th was the second-wettest day during May on record in Portland, OR, with the 1.48-inch total trailing only 1.64 inches on May 29, 1906. Daily-record totals for May 5 topped an inch in Walla Walla, WA (1.34 inches), and Hermiston, OR (1.14 inches). Although no daily records were set, Ely, NV, received 4.4 inches of snow (and 0.52 inch of liquid equivalency) on May 5. From May 5-7, Alta, UT, measured 36.6 inches of snow, boosting the snow depth to 110 inches. Soon, impressive precipitation arrived on the northern High Plains. In Montana, the 7th was the wettest day during May on record in Havre, where the 2.59-inch total surpassed 2.48 inches on May 2, 1899. Havre’s May 5-8 storm total reached 3.25 inches. Elsewhere in Montana, lower-elevation snowfall totals for May 7-8 included 2.0 inches in Great Falls and 0.5 inch in Helena. Farther east, daily-record amounts of 1 to 3 inches were common, with rainfall reaching 2.42 inches (on May 9) in Columbus, GA; 1.97 inches (on May 8) in Knoxville, TN; and 1.83 inches (on May 9) in Greenville-Spartanburg, SC. Earlier in the Midwest, similar sums had been reported in Rockford, IL (1.37 inches on May 7), and Watertown, SD (1.22 inches on May 6). Late in the week, a new area of snow developed across the central Rockies and environs, with Alamosa, CO, measuring 1.9 inches on May 9-10.

12-18: Heavy rain shifted southward, with weekly totals of 4 inches or more observed in numerous locations from eastern Texas to southern Georgia and northern Florida. A separate area of heavy rain (generally 2 to 4 inches) soaked the mid-Atlantic, including parts of Virginia and North Carolina. Thunderstorm-related high winds affected some areas, especially on May 16 from eastern Texas into Louisiana. Plenty of rain fell in other areas, including the Plains, Midwest, and mid-South, accompanied by locally severe thunderstorms.

One of the week’s most notable wind events involved straight-line winds, which struck parts of Texas and southern Louisiana on May 16. On that date, evening gusts were officially clocked to 62 mph in Houston, at both the international airport and Hobby Airport. Near the mouth of the San Jacinto River at Interstate-10, a gust to 78 mph was recorded. About 5 hours later in New Orleans, LA, wind gusts reached 84 mph at the international airport and 82 mph at Lakefront Airport. Days earlier, Southern downpours had led to daily-record totals in locations such as Mobile, AL (6.85 inches on May 13), and Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX (3.29 inches on May 12). For Mobile, it was the wettest day during May since 1981, when 7.96 inches fell on May 5. By May 14, downpours expanded into the mid-Atlantic and lower Midwest, leading to daily-record totals in Evansville, IN (3.42 inches); Danville, VA (2.68 inches); and Greensboro, NC (2.49 inches). On May 15, additional daily records included 2.06 inches in Lexington, KY, and 1.74 inches at Wallops Island, VA. Rain lingered along the northern Atlantic Coast into May 16, when Providence, RI, posted a daily-record sum of 1.90 inches. Farther south, heavy rain accompanied some of the straight-line winds, with College Station, TX, netting a daily-record total (3.34 inches) for May 16. Although the official peak gust in College Station on that date was 50 mph, nearby Kyle Field clocked a gust to 71 mph. Late in the week, additional rounds of heavy rain struck parts of the South and East, leading to daily record totals of 2 inches or more in locations such as Russellville, AR (3.41 inches on May 17); Worcester, MA (2.00 inches on May 18); and Montgomery, AL (2.24 inches on May 17). In contrast, March 1 – May 18 precipitation in Garden City, KS, totaled just 0.86 inch (22 percent of normal).

19-25: Daily thunderstorms across the central and eastern U.S. produced locally heavy rain and high winds. Some of the heaviest rain (2 to 6 inches) fell in previously drought-affected sections of the upper Midwest, while 2- to 4-inch totals were scattered across the northern and central Plains and the mid-South. At least a few tornadoes were reported somewhere in the country each day, with a preliminary national weekly tally of more than 150 twisters—more than two-thirds occurring on May 21, 23, and 25. Unsettled weather extended into the Northwest, the source region for the disturbances that later sparked active weather across the Plains, Midwest, and mid-South. However, unlike the southeastern half of the country, the Northwestern showers— which included high-elevation snow—were accompanied by chilly conditions.

Bozeman Airport’s reading followed a 3-inch snowfall on May 23. Montana State University, also in Bozeman, officially received 6.0 inches of snow on the 23rd. Although most of the Deep South received little or no rain, parts of the Florida Keys experienced a deluge on May 20. On that date, the 7.08 inch total in Marathon, FL, represented the wettest day during May on record in that location (previously, 6.60 inches on May 27, 1959). Meanwhile, unusually heavy precipitation arrived in the Pacific Northwest, where record-setting rainfall totals in western Washington for May 21 included 1.53 inches in Quillayute, 1.22 inches in Hoquiam, and 1.08 inches in Bellingham. Daily-record amounts exceeding 2 inches were common across the Plains, Midwest, and mid-South, with totals reaching 2.97 inches (on the 24th) in Jackson, TN; 2.25 inches (on the 24th) in Madison, WI; 2.02 inches (on the 23rd) in Billings, MT; 2.13 inches (on the 22nd) in Stuttgart, AR; 2.65 inches (on the 21st) in Omaha, NE; and 2.79 inches (on the 21st) in Waterloo, IA. On the day of Waterloo’s downpour, an EF-4 tornado, with winds estimated as high as 185 mph, cut across nearly 44 miles of Iowa from Page County to Adair County, resulting in five fatalities. On the night of May 25-26, there were four tornadoes resulting in at least 14 fatalities, of which seven occurred in Texas, five in Arkansas, and two in Oklahoma. Late in the evening of May 25, the Texas tornado sliced through 48 miles of Montague, Cooke, and Denton Counties, crossing Interstate 35 near Valley View and striking communities near Ray Roberts Lake, ultimately resulting in the seven deaths and at least 100 injuries. The storm rampage carried into the following day, with May 25-26 rainfall totals reaching 3.71 inches in Clarksburg, WV, and 3.12 inches in Poplar Bluff, MO.

26-June 1: Active weather featuring daily showers and thunderstorms continued across much of the central and eastern U.S. through May and into early June. In fact, May thunderstorms spawned more than 550 U.S. tornadoes, based on preliminary reports, second only to a total of 573 confirmed tornadoes in May 2003.

During the week ending June 1, some of the heaviest rain (2 to 4 inches or more) fell from central and eastern Texas into the lower Mississippi Valley. A separate area of heavy rain affected the lower Ohio Valley and neighboring areas. Most areas from the Plains eastward received some rain, except along the southern Atlantic Coast.

a storm rampage across the mid-South and environs, with the month’s final fatal tornado—an EF-3 with maximum winds estimated near 160 mph, resulting in one death and nearly two dozen injuries—sweeping across more than 35 miles in western Kentucky, from Lyon County to Hopkins County, on May 26. Elsewhere on the 26th, daily-record rainfall totals included 3.12 inches in Poplar Bluff, MO; 2.60 inches in Paducah, KY; and 2.32 inches in Clarksburg, WV. Clarksburg ended the month with 8.68 inches of rain (204 percent of normal), the wettest May in that location since 1996, when 11.26 inches fell. Paducah’s May rainfall also topped the 8-inch mark (8.37 inches, or 172 percent of normal). By Memorial Day, May 27, heavy showers affected portions of the Great Lakes and Northeastern States, where daily-record totals included 1.52 inches in Gaylord, MI, and 1.00 inch in Islip, NY. Elsewhere on the 27th, beneficial showers dotted Deep South Texas, where McAllen netted a daily-record sum of 1.68 inches. Rain in the Midwest and Northeast carried into May 28, when record-setting totals reached 1.89 inches in Milwaukee, WI, and 1.44 inches in Bangor, ME. Late in the month, thunderstorms continued to pepper the central and eastern U.S. In Texas, for example, daily-record totals for May 30 topped the 2-inch mark in Longview (3.77 inches) and Abilene (2.72 inches). On the same date, a tornado was spotted from the Midland International Air and Space Port, where an official northerly wind gust of 57 mph was accompanied by rainfall totaling 1.60 inches. On the last day of May, a deluge struck parts of the mid-South, including Arkansas, where daily record amounts reached 5.41 inches in Little Rock and 4.95 inches in North Little Rock. For Little Rock, it was the wettest day during May since May 26, 1955, when 7.68 inches fell, and the wettest day at any time of year since April 18, 2019. The downpour also boosted Little Rock’s monthly rainfall to 13.30 inches—wettest May in that location since 1882, when 15.91 inches was recorded. As the new month began, heavy showers shifted into portions of the Deep South, where Pensacola, FL, collected a record-setting total (3.99 inches) for June 1..

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