From ABR  http://www.crh.noaa.gov/abr/scripts/wxhistory.php
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/abr/scripts/wxhistory.php?data=may01
NEW http://www.weather.gov/abr/ThisDayinWeatherHistory 
http://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in_Weather_History_May_01
http://www.weather.gov/abr/events#histarchive use this 
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1 May 1895 → An F5 tornado went on a 22 mile rampage from the northwest corner of Sedgwick County to 6 miles northwest of Newton in central Kansas. The almost one mile wide behemoth killed 8, injured 25, and devastated 25 farms, a few of which completely vanished. Four fatalities occurred in each of 2 families who had hesitated to take cover. It is possible they didn't recognize the nearly 1 mile wide funnel as being a tornado. Debris was carried for many miles. 
1 May 1999: Record low temperatures for the date were broken in the Deep South. Mobile, Alabama dropped to 46 degrees.  Miami fell to 58, Miami Beach bottomed out at 61, and Vero Beach dropped to 47 degrees, all new records. Other stations in Florida also set record cold maximums for the date, including 61 at Jacksonville and Daytona Beach with 66 degrees. 
1 May  2003: A record setting 516 tornadoes occurred during the month of May 2003.  In particular, during the period May 4-10, 2003, an unprecedented number of tornadoes affected the central and southern United States. During this period, 393 tornadoes occurred across the central and southern U.S. resulting in 39 deaths across 4 states. Six of these tornadoes were classified as violent (F4) on the Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale. Click HERE for more information.  http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/record-breaking-tornado-wave-begins
1 May  1857: The Washington Evening Star publishes the first US national weather summary using observations from volunteers to the Smithsonian Institution's cooperative network.
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%201%2C%201857%20Evening%20Star.jpg
Above is the first published weather summary from the Washington Evening Star. The image is courtesy of the Library of Congress.
1 May  1933: An estimated F4 tornado struck Minden, Louisiana, killing 28 people and injuring 400 others. 500 homes were damaged or destroyed with $1.3 million dollars in damage. Click HERE for more information from Minden Memories.org. 
http://www.mindenmemories.org/Tornado,%20Minden%20Storm%201933.htm
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160428140636_image002.gif
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%201%2C%201933%20Minden%2C%20LA%20tornado.jpg
Image above is courtesy of the LSU Archives and Special Collections.
1 May  1999: Record, low temperatures for the date, were broken in the Deep South. Mobile, Alabama dropped to 46 degrees.  Miami fell to 58; Miami Beach bottomed out at 61, and Vero Beach dropped to 47 degrees, all new records. Other stations in Florida also set record cold maximums for the date, including 61 at Jacksonville and Daytona Beach with 66 degrees. 
1 May  2003: A record-setting 516 tornadoes occurred during the month of May 2003. In particular, during the period May 4-10, 2003, an unprecedented number of tornadoes, 393 total, affected the central and the southern United States. The tornadoes resulted in 39 deaths across four states. Six of these tornadoes were classified as violent (F4) on the Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale. Click HERE for more information.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/record-breaking-tornado-wave-begins
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2 May 1891 → Around 5:30 in the evening a tornado struck Paducah from the west. There were no fatalities, but many buildings were damaged. The Third Street Methodist Church was picked up and dropped into the middle of the street, demolishing it.
2 May 1920 → An F4 tornado killed 71 people when it tore apart the entire town of Peggs, OK. The fatalities were nearly thirty percent of the town's population. All eleven members of the Stevens family were killed.
2 May 1929 → In Virginia an F2 tornado at Rye Cove caused 13 deaths and 100 injuries. Homes and a school were torn apart as an F3 passed through Woodville, VA killing 3 and injuring 30. In Maryland a couple was killed as their farmhouse was destroyed west of Frederick by an F3. 8 others were injured. A home was destroyed by an F3 tornado near Laytonsville, MD killing 4 people.
2 May 2010 → Historic rains swept much of Tennessee. Nashville received 13.53" of rain in two days, double the old record. 7.21" of that fell today, making it the wettest day ever seen in Nashville. New records were also set at Nashville for the most rain in 6 hours (5.57") and 12 hours (7.20"). The Cumberland River peaked at 51.9 feet which was the highest since the Flood of '37.  
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/ohx/rainfall/TN_May2010_rainfall_map.png
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ohx/?n=may2010epicfloodevent
2 May 1983: Severe thunderstorms produced 21 tornadoes across the northeastern states of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. One tornado even occurred in Ontario, Canada. Of the 21 tornadoes in the United States, 9 were rated F3 and 6 were rated F2. The tornadoes caused 5 deaths.
2 May 2010: May began with two days of historic rainfall over much of middle Tennessee, with the heaviest swath stretching along the I-40 corridor from Benton County to Davidson County. Some areas received nearly 20 inches of rain in this 2-day period, the highest of which was 19.41 inches reported by a CoCoRaHS observer in Camden, TN. Numerous rainfall records were broken at the Nashville International Airport, including the most rain received in a 6 hour period, highest calendar day rainfall, and wettest month, along with several others. Incredibly, the Nashville Airport experienced its wettest and third wettest days in history on back to back days. Many area rivers exceeded their record crest levels, including the Harpeth River near Kingston Springs which rose to 13.8 feet above the previous record. The Cumberland River at Nashville reached its highest level since flood control was implemented in the late 1960s, flooding parts of downtown Nashville. Waters from the Cumberland reached as far inland as 2nd Avenue, flooding many downtown businesses. Forty-nine Tennessee counties were declared disaster areas with damage estimates of between $2 and $3 billion statewide. Many Nashville landmarks received damage from floodwaters, including Gaylord Opryland Hotel and the Grand Ole Opry. Other popular Nashville landmarks affected by the floods include LP Field, Bridgestone Arena, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, which received damage to the basement and its contents, including two Steinway grand pianos and the console of the Martin Foundation Concert Organ. Over $300 million in Federal Disaster Assistance has been approved for the people of Tennessee.
from http://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in_Weather_History_May_02
2 May 2013 → An historic May snowstorm struck all the way from the Ozarks of Oklahoma and Arkansas up to Lake Superior. Snowfall amounts ranged from 1-4 inches from Fayetteville, AR to Kansas City...to up to 12 inches in central Iowa...to an amazing foot and a half in northern Wisconsin.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/tsa/?n=weather-event_2013may2
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/dmx/Events/130503SnowMap.png	
2 May 1762: A tornado struck Port Royal Island, South Carolina. It left a path 400 yards wide, tore up trees by the roots, and carried away houses and bridges.
2 May 1929: Virginia's worst tornado disaster occurred on this day. Six tornadoes, two of which were west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, killed 22 people. One tornado killed twelve children and a teacher at Rye Cove, in Scott County. The storms destroyed four schools.
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160428142628_image002.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%202%2C%201929%20Rye%20Cove%20Schoolhouse.jpg
The image above is courtesy of the History of Scott County, Virginia.
2 May 1983: Severe thunderstorms produced 21 tornadoes across the northeastern states of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. One tornado even occurred in Ontario, Canada. Of the 21 tornadoes in the United States, nine were rated F3, and six were rated F2. The tornadoes caused five deaths.
2 May 2010: May began with two days of historical rainfall over much of Middle Tennessee, with the heaviest swath stretching along the I-40 corridor from Benton County to Davidson County. Some areas received nearly 20 inches of rain during this 2-day period, the highest of which was 19.41 inches reported by a CoCoRaHS observer in Camden, TN. Numerous rainfall records were broken at the Nashville International Airport, including the most rain received in a 6 hour period, highest calendar day rainfall, and wettest month, along with several others. Incredibly, the Nashville Airport experienced its wettest and third wettest days in history on back to back days. Many area rivers exceeded their record crest levels, including the Harpeth River near Kingston Springs, which rose to 13.8 feet above the previous record. The Cumberland River at Nashville reached its highest level since flood control was implemented in the late 1960s, flooding parts of downtown Nashville. Waters from the Cumberland reached as far inland as 2nd Avenue, flooding many downtown businesses. Forty-nine Tennessee counties were declared disaster areas with damage estimates of between $2 and $3 billion statewide. Many Nashville landmarks received damage from floodwaters, including Gaylord Opryland Hotel and the Grand Ole Opry. Other popular Nashville landmarks affected by the floods include LP Field, Bridgestone Arena, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, which received damage to the basement and its contents, including two Steinway grand pianos and the console of the Martin Foundation Concert Organ. Over $300 million in Federal Disaster Assistance was approved for the people of Tennessee.
File:Nashville Flood The District.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%202%2C%202010%20Nashville%20Flood.jpg
This image taken on May 3, 2010, is the Symphony Place and 2nd Avenue S in Nashville, Tennessee.
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3 May 1895 → Four schools were leveled by what was probably an F5 tornado in Sioux County, IA. A teacher killed at the first school struck was the brother of a teacher killed at the second school struck, several miles away. School children were carried for up to half a mile, sustaining severe injuries. There were 9 fatalities in the tornado.
3 May 1968 → A severe thunderstorm moved into the path of a Braniff Airlines plane between Houston and Dallas, TX. The plane got caught in hail and severe turbulence. The aircraft broke up in mid-air, resulting in 85 casualties.
3 May 1999 → In less than 48 hours, a total of 76 tornadoes touched down across Oklahoma. An F5 tornado tracked for 40 miles, skirting south of Oklahoma City through the communities of Moore and Chickasaw. The tornadoes killed 42 people and caused $1 billion in damage. It was the NWS's first use of "tornado emergency" wording in its Tornado Warnings.  http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-19990503
3 May 1868: A tornado traveled 15 miles across Warren and Knox Counties, northwest of Galesburg, IL. The small town of Ionia, in Warren County, was destroyed. 16 homes and two churches in the town were leveled, along with 30 homes elsewhere. The tornado killed six people and injured 40 others. Many of the casualties occurred during a church service, when the church roof was torn off and dropped onto the congregation. 
3 May 1999: There were 63 tornadoes in Oklahoma, making this the worst outbreak ever to strike the state. In central Oklahoma alone, 8 individual supercell thunderstorms produced 57 tornadoes. Bridge Creek, Moore and southern parts of the Oklahoma City Metro area were hit the hardest. When it was near Moore, Oklahoma, a truck-mounted Doppler radar measured a wind speed of 318 mph, the highest ever observed in a tornado. Forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK were faced with the unprecedented situation of a major tornado on the ground threatening their location. As a major F5 tornado was approaching the Oklahoma City metro area from the southwest, the SPC notified its backup, the Air Force Weather Agency at Offutt AFB in Omaha, Nebraska that they might have to assume operational responsibility if the tornado approached Norman. The storm remained several miles west of the facility but was visible from the SPC roof. Damage from this single tornado was around one billion dollars, making it the most costly tornado in history. Estimated damage from the entire tornado outbreak was $1.485 billion dollars, making this the most costly tornado outbreak ever. 2,314 homes were destroyed and another 7,428 were damaged. To the north in Kansas, an F4 tornado tracked 24 miles through Sumner and Sedgwick Counties, killing 6, injuring 154, and causing $146 million in damages. Haysville and Wichita suffered severe damage. A total of 8,480 buildings and homes were damaged or destroyed with, 109 totally destroyed.
3 May 1868: A tornado traveled 15 miles across Warren and Knox Counties, northwest of Galesburg, IL. The small town of Ionia, in Warren County, was destroyed. 16 homes and two churches in the town were leveled, along with 30 homes elsewhere. The tornado killed six people and injured 40 others. Many of the casualties occurred during a church service, when the church roof was torn off and dropped onto the congregation. 
1999: There were 63 tornadoes in Oklahoma, making this the worst outbreak ever to strike the state. In central Oklahoma alone, 8 individual supercell thunderstorms produced 57 tornadoes. Bridge Creek, Moore and southern parts of the Oklahoma City Metro area were hit the hardest. When it was near Moore, Oklahoma, a truck-mounted Doppler radar measured a wind speed of 318 mph, the highest ever observed in a tornado. Forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK were faced with the unprecedented situation of a major tornado on the ground threatening their location. As a major F5 tornado was approaching the Oklahoma City metro area from the southwest, the SPC notified its backup, the Air Force Weather Agency at Offutt AFB in Omaha, Nebraska that they might have to assume operational responsibility if the tornado approached Norman. The storm remained several miles west of the facility but was visible from the SPC roof. Damage from this single tornado was around one billion dollars, making it the most costly tornado in history. Estimated damage from the entire tornado outbreak was $1.485 billion dollars, making this the most costly tornado outbreak ever. 2,314 homes were destroyed and another 7,428 were damaged. To the north in Kansas, an F4 tornado tracked 24 miles through Sumner and Sedgwick Counties, killing 6, injuring 154, and causing $146 million in damages. Haysville and Wichita suffered severe damage. A total of 8,480 buildings and homes were damaged or destroyed with, 109 totally destroyed.
3 May 1761: Large tornadoes swept through the harbor at Charleston, South Carolina when a British fleet of 40 sails was at anchor. The tornadoes raised a wave 12 feet high, leaving many vessels on their beam ends. Four people drowned.
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%202%2C%201761%20Charleston%20SC%20Tornado%20Info.jpg
While difficult to read, the article above details this tornado event. This article was published in the Gentleman's Magazine, vol. 32, pg. 329.
3 May 1868: A tornado traveled 15 miles across Warren and Knox Counties, northwest of Galesburg, Illinois. The small town of Ionia, in Warren County, was destroyed. 16 homes and two churches in the town were leveled, along with 30 homes elsewhere. The tornado killed six people and injured 40 others. Many of the casualties occurred during a church service when the church roof was torn off and dropped onto the congregation. 
3 May 1895: In Sioux County, Iowa an extremely violent tornado, at times 1,000 yards wide packing winds estimated at over 250 mph moved from three miles north of Ireton to two miles southwest of Hull hitting four schools. Two school houses several miles apart were leveled, killing teachers and students. Sibling teachers were killed at two different schools. Adjoining farms were also entirely destroyed with several deaths in homes.
3 May 1999: There were 63 tornadoes in Oklahoma, making this the worst outbreak ever to strike the state. In Central Oklahoma alone, eight individual supercell thunderstorms produced 57 tornadoes. Bridge Creek, Moore and southern parts of the Oklahoma City Metro area were hit the hardest. When it was near Moore, Oklahoma, a truck-mounted Doppler radar measured a wind speed of 318 mph, the highest ever observed in a tornado. Forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK were faced with the unprecedented situation of a major tornado on the ground threatening their location. As a major F5 tornado was approaching the Oklahoma City metro area from the southwest, the SPC notified its backup, the Air Force Weather Agency at Offutt AFB in Omaha, Nebraska that they might have to assume operational responsibility if the tornado approached Norman. The storm remained several miles west of the facility but was visible from the SPC roof. Damage from this single tornado was around one billion dollars, making it the most costly tornado in history. Estimated damage from the entire tornado outbreak was $1.485 billion dollars, making this the most costly tornado outbreak ever. 2,314 homes were destroyed, and another 7,428 were damaged. To the north in Kansas, an F4 tornado tracked 24 miles through Sumner and Sedgwick Counties, killing 6, injuring 154, and causing $146 million in damages. Haysville and Wichita suffered severe damage. A total of 8,480 buildings and homes were damaged or destroyed with, 109 totally destroyed. Click HERE for more information from the NWS Office in Norman, Oklahoma.  http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-19990503 
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160502151838_image003.gif
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%203%2C%201999%20Central%20Oklahoma%20Tornado.jpg
One of several tornadoes observed by the VORTEX-99 team on May 3, 1999, in central Oklahoma.
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%203%2C%201999%20Oklahoma%20City%20Tornado.jpg
File:Tornadic classic supercell radar.gif
A radar image of a violently tornadic classic supercell near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at 7:12 PM, CDT on 3 May 1999.
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4 May 1812 → A "winter" storm produced snow from Philadelphia to Maine. Keene, NH reported a foot of snow, while parts of Massachusetts reported 9 inches.
4 May 2007 → Greensburg, KS was completely destroyed by a 1.7 mile wide EF-5 tornado. Though 11 people did lose their lives, the death toll could have been much larger given the total destruction of the town.  
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/ddc/News/Greensburg/Greensburg_1year_later.pdf
from http://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in_Weather_History_May_04
4 May 1774: Snow was reported in the "Williamsburg Gazette" to have fallen in Dumfries, Virginia. George Washington's weather diary logged at Mount Vernon, that it was a cold day with spits of snow and a hard wind from the northwest. Thomas Jefferson near Charlottesville logged that the Blue Ridge Mountains were covered with snow. The late snow and frost killed most of the fruit crop in the northern part of the state.  It also snowed north across Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
4 May 2003: The week of May 4th through the 10th was one of the most active weeks for tornadoes in U.S. history. On this date through the 5th, the deadliest outbreak of severe weather since May 1999 produced 84 tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds across eight states. Several thunderstorms became tornadic with a total of five distinct tornado touchdowns in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Two of the tornadoes received a rating of F4, two a rating of F2, and the last was rated was rated F1. Total damage exceeded 144 million dollars. Several of the tornadoes tracked long distances ranging from 15 to 80 miles. More than 3000 homes and businesses were damaged. At least 38 people were killed in Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee. 
4 May 2007: A devastating EF5 twister demolishes nearly every structure in Greensburg around 9:30 pm (CDT) and kills ten. The mammoth wedge tornado cuts a swath 1.7 miles (2.7 km) wide and 22 miles (35 km) long across the Kansas landscape. It is the worst single tornado to touch down in the US in eight years.
1774: Snow was reported in the Williamsburg Gazette to have fallen in Dumfries, Virginia. George Washington's weather diary logged at Mount Vernon, that it was a cold day with spits of snow and a hard wind from the northwest. Thomas Jefferson near Charlottesville logged that the Blue Ridge Mountains were covered with snow. The late snow and frost killed most of the fruit crop in the northern part of the state.  It also snowed north across Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
2003: The week of May 4th through the 10th was one of the most active weeks for tornadoes in U.S. history. On this date through the 5th, the deadliest outbreak of severe weather since May 1999 produced 84 tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds across eight states. Several thunderstorms became tornadic with a total of five distinct tornado touchdowns in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Two of the tornadoes received a rating of F4, two a rating of F2, and the last was rated was rated F1. Total damage exceeded 144 million dollars. Several of the tornadoes tracked long distances ranging from 15 to 80 miles. More than 3000 homes and businesses were damaged. At least 38 people were killed in Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee. 
2007: A devastating EF5 twister demolishes nearly every structure in Greensburg around 9:30 pm (CDT) and kills ten. The mammoth wedge tornado cuts a swath 1.7 miles (2.7 km) wide and 22 miles (35 km) long across the Kansas landscape. It is the worst single tornado to touch down in the US in eight years.
4 May 1774: Snow was reported in the Williamsburg Gazette to have fallen in Dumfries, Virginia. George Washington's weather diary logged at Mount Vernon that it was a cold day with spits of snow and a hard wind from the northwest. Thomas Jefferson near Charlottesville recorded that the Blue Ridge Mountains was covered with snow. The late snow and frost killed most of the fruit crop in the northern part of the state. It also snowed north across Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
4 May 1922: The first of two tornadoes that formed over Austin, Texas was called the "western cloud." It was more visible, but caused much less damage than the "eastern cloud."
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160503083044_image002.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%204%2C%201922%20Austin%20Texas%20Tornado%201.jpg
The image above is courtesy of the Austin Public Library. This storm produced the only major tornado in Austin's history. The tornadoes on May 4th killed 13 and injured 44 others.
medium image
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%204%2C%201922%20Austin%20Texas%20Tornado.jpg
This tornado was seen from the rooftop on downtown Congress Avenue. "Visible in the foreground are: the Queen Theater at 700 Congress Avenue, the Walter Tips Building at 708-710-712 Congress Avenue, and the F. W. Woolworth & Company at 800-802 Congress Avenue. The side of the Paramount Theater is also visible." The image is courtesy of the Portal to Texas History.  
http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth124232/
4 May 2003: The week of May 4th through the 10th was one of the busiest weeks for tornadoes in U.S. history. On this date through the 5th, the deadliest outbreak of severe weather since May 1999 produced 84 tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds across eight states. Several thunderstorms became tornadic with a total of five distinct tornado touchdowns in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Two of the tornadoes received a rating of F4, two a rating of F2, and the last was rated an F1. Total damage exceeded 144 million dollars. Several of the tornadoes tracked long distances ranging from 15 to 80 miles. More than 3000 homes and businesses were damaged. At least 38 people were killed in Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee. 
4 May 2007: A devastating EF5 twister demolishes nearly every structure in Greensburg around 9:30 pm (CDT) and kills ten. The mammoth wedge tornado cuts a swath 1.7 miles (2.7 km) wide and 22 miles (35 km) long across the Kansas landscape. It is the worst single tornado to touch down in the US in eight years.
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160503083044_image003.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%204%2C%202007%20Greensburg%20Kansas%20Tornado%20Damage.jpg
Greensburg, Kansas on May 16, 2007. The center of town twelve days after it was hit by an F5 tornado with 200 mph winds. Debris removal is moving at a record pace, but reconstruction will likely take years. The Photo is courtesy of Greg Henshall from FEMA.
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5 May 1960 → Sapulpa, OK was visited by an F5 tornado along its 70 mile long path. Three hundred homes were damaged in town.
5 May 1964 → An F5 tornado destroyed a dozen farms in Clay and Hamilton Counties, NE.
5 May 1989 → Damage was in the millions as a tornado cut a swath across Cleveland, Lincoln, and Catawba counties in North Carolina. The F4 killed 4 and injured 52.
5 May 1995 → Two billion dollars damage was done in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex by a historic hailstorm. It's the most expensive single thunderstorm on record in the U.S.  http://www.srh.noaa.gov/fwd/?n=mayfest15
5 May 2000 → Possibly the largest hailstone ever recorded in Indiana, 4.5" in diameter, fell at Cayuga in Vermillion County.
5 May 1933: An F4 tornado cut a 35 mile path from near Brent into Shelby County, Alabama. The town of Helena, Alabama was especially hard hit, as 14 people died. 
5 May 1987: Unseasonably hot weather prevailed in the western U.S. A dozen cities in California reported record high temperatures for the date. Afternoon highs of 93 degrees at San Francisco, 98 degrees at San Jose, 100 degrees at Sacramento, and 101 degrees at Redding were the warmest of record for so early in the season. The high of 94 degrees at Medford, Oregon was also the warmest of record for so early in the season.
5 May 1933: An estimated F4 tornado cut a 35-mile path from near Brent into Shelby County, Alabama. The town of Helena, AL was especially hard hit, as 14 people died. The tornado roared through Helena at 2:30 am.
5 May 1987: Unseasonably hot weather prevailed in the western U.S. A dozen cities in California reported record high temperatures for the date. Afternoon highs of 93 degrees at San Francisco, 98 degrees at San Jose, 100 degrees at Sacramento, and 101 degrees at Redding were the warmest on record for so early in the season. The high of 94 degrees at Medford, Oregon was also the warmest on record for so early in the season.
5 May 1995: A supercell thunderstorms brought torrential rains and large hail up to four inches in diameter to Fort Worth, Texas. This storm also struck a local outdoor festival known as the Fort Worth Mayfest. At the time the storm was the costliest hailstorm in the history of the US, causing more than $2 billion in damage. Click HERE for more information from the History Channel. 
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hail-storm-surprises-dallas-residents
Also == from 
http://addins.wkow.com/blogs/weather/2010/05/60th-anniversary-of-severe-wind-storm
4-5 May 1950 
SIXTY YEARS AGO...ONE OF THE MOST SEVERE WIND STORMS IN WISCONSIN
HISTORY STRUCK THE STATE ON MAY 5-6...1950. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS
WERE REPORTED FROM THE PLAINS OF TEXAS...NEBRASKA...OKLAHOMA...AND
KANSAS NORTHEAST INTO MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN. THE STORM KILLED 10
PEOPLE INCLUDING TWO IN WISCONSIN.
PEAK WIND GUSTS FROM THIS STORM INCLUDE:
                                          PEAK
LOCATION            STATE                 WIND (MPH)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
GUADALUPE           TEXAS                  120 (ESTIMATED)
AMES                IOWA                   100
SUPERIOR            WISCONSIN               96
GREEN BAY           WISCONSIN               92
MILWAUKEE           WISCONSIN               90
DES MOINES          IOWA                    90
LA CROSSE           WISCONSIN               89
DULUTH              MINNESOTA               88
CEDAR RAPIDS        IOWA                    87
MASON CITY          IOWA                    84
MADISON             WISCONSIN               84
SHEBOYGAN           WISCONSIN               80 (ESTIMATED)
TRAVERSE CITY       MICHIGAN                80
JANESVILLE          WISCONSIN               80
DAVENPORT           IOWA                    79
APPLETON            WISCONSIN               79
GRAND RAPIDS        MICHIGAN                79
IOWA CITY           IOWA                    78
WATERLOO            IOWA                    77
RHINELANDER         WISCONSIN               75
WAUSAU              WISCONSIN               72
WINONA              MINNESOTA               72
OMAHA               NEBRASKA                71
AUSTIN              MINNESOTA               70
MANITOWOC           WISCONSIN               70
WISCONSIN RAPIDS    WISCONSIN               67
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6 May 1917 → A late season snowstorm produced up to 9 inches of snow in parts of the Texas Panhandle.
6 May 1930 → The entire town of Frost, TX was destroyed and 22 people were killed by an F4 tornado. The tornado killed a total of 41 people along its 35 mile path. Seventy-five minutes later another F4 tornado struck Texas and took 34 lives. One home suffered nine fatalities and the bodies were scattered for 300 yards near Kenedy.
6 May 1973 → An F5 tornado in McLennan County, TX carried a pickup truck for half a mile.
6 May 1981 → A spring blizzard dumped 19 inches of snow on Calgary, Alberta, setting a record May snowfall total for the area.
6 May 1984 → On Sheridan Lake in South Dakota 2 men where struck by lightning and killed while they were standing on their boat.
6 May 2012 → A tornado damaged nearly 900 houses in Tsukuba, Japan, northeast of Tokyo. A 14-year-old boy was the storm's only fatality.
6 May 1876: A tornado, estimated at F3 intensity, tracked four miles across Chicago, Illinois. The damaged buildings included a candy factory, a hospital, a freight depot, and a church. The tornado moved out over Lake Michigan, and was observed by a reporter to have multiple vortices. Further south in Illinois, a tornado blew a moving passenger train off the tracks near Neoga, injuring all 19 people aboard.
6 May 1975: A massive tornado hit Omaha NE killing three persons, injuring 133 others, and causing 150 million dollars damage. The tornado struck during the late afternoon moving northeastward through the industrial and residential areas of west central Omaha, and lifting over the northern section of the city. The twister, which cut a swath ten miles long and as much as a quarter of a mile wide, was the mostly costly in U.S. history up till that time.
6 May 1876: A tornado, estimated at F3 intensity, tracked four miles across Chicago, Illinois. The damaged buildings included a candy factory, a hospital, a freight depot, and a church. The tornado moved out over Lake Michigan, and was observed by a reporter to have multiple vortices. Further south in Illinois, a tornado blew a moving passenger train off the tracks near Neoga, injuring all 19 people aboard.
6 May 1975: A massive tornado hit Omaha NE killing three persons, injuring 133 others, and causing 150 million dollars damage. The tornado struck during the late afternoon moving northeastward through the industrial and residential areas of west central Omaha, and lifting over the northern section of the city. The twister, which cut a swath ten miles long and as much as a quarter of a mile wide, was the mostly costly in U.S. history up till that time.
6 May 1876: A tornado, estimated at F3 intensity, tracked four miles across Chicago, Illinois. The damaged buildings included a candy factory, a hospital, a freight depot, and a church. The tornado moved out over Lake Michigan and was observed to have multiple vortices by a reporter. Further south in Illinois, a tornado blew a moving passenger train off the tracks near Neoga, injuring all 19 people aboard. 
6 May 1937: The German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at Naval Air Station Lakehurst in Manchester Township, New Jersey, United States. Of the 97 people on board (36 passengers and 61 crewmen), there were 35 fatalities (13 passengers and 22 crewmen). One worker on the ground was also killed, making a total of 36 deaths. The Hindenburg was delayed two hours from docking due to thunderstorms in the area. Click HERE for more information from the History Channel.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hindenburg-explodes-in-new-jersey	
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160503140716_image002.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%206%2C%201937%20Hindenburg.jpg
The Zeppelin LZ 129 Hindenburg was catching fire on May 6, 1937, at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey.
File:Hindenburg wreckage 1937.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%206%2C%201937%20Hindenburg%202.jpg
Aerial photo of the wreckage of the Hindenburg taken on May 7, 1937, the morning after the crash. Image from Wikipedia.
6 May 1975: A massive tornado hit Omaha, Nebraska killing three persons, injuring 133 others, and causing over 250 million dollars damage. The tornado struck during the late afternoon moving northeastward through the industrial and residential areas of west central Omaha and lifting over the northern section of the city. The twister, which cut a swath ten miles long and as much as a quarter of a mile wide.  It was the most costly in U.S. history up till that time. Click HERE for more information from the NWS Office in Omaha, Nebraska.
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160503140716_image004.png
The photo of the Omaha Tornado above was taken near Aksarben (72nd and Mercy Rd.) by Bob Dunn.
http://www.weather.gov/images/oax/Archives/may1975/75path.png
The tornado track above is courtesy of the NWS Office in Omaha, Nebraska.
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7 May 1774 → Sir Francis Beaufort, inventor of the Beaufort Scale, was born in County Meath, Ireland.  http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/beaufort.html (Check -- 27 May 1774 -- use this one)
7 May 1840 → At Natchez, MS at least 48 died on land and 269 on the river, most of those in the sinking of flatboats, when a tornado struck. A piece of one steamboat was carried 30 miles.
7 May 1927 → A family of tornadoes up to two miles wide and F5 in strength tore a 115 mile long path across south central Kansas. The tornadoes were easily visible so there were only 10 deaths, but there were still hundreds of injuries, likely from debris being flung from the tornadoes. More than 100 farms were hit, some swept clean away.
7 May 1840: A powerful tornado wrecked many boats at the Natchez Landing in Mississippi then plowed through the city on the bluff. The tornado killed 317 persons and caused a million dollars damage. The force of the storm caused houses to burst open. The tornado was one of the most deadly and destructive in early American history.
7 May 1993: Serious flooding occurred in central Oklahoma following torrential rain and hail on this date through the 8th. Rainfall amounts on this date were generally around one inch. Oklahoma City, OK then recorded 6.64 inches of rain on the 8th, the third greatest daily rainfall amount ever observed in the city. Extensive flooding resulted, which killed four people, and the fire department had to rescue 183 others. More than 2,000 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed, and damages were estimated at $8 million.
7 May 1989: Thirty-two cities in the central and eastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, and 24 hour snowfall totals of 7.2 inches at Buffalo and 10.7 inches at Rochester New York were records for the month of May.
7 May 1840: A powerful tornado wrecked many boats at the Natchez Landing in Mississippi then plowed through the city on the bluff. The tornado killed 317 people and injured 109 others. The storm is currently the second deadliest tornado on record. The actual death toll could be higher as slaves were not counted. Click HERE for more information from the Weather Doctor.  
http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/almanac/arc2005/alm05may.htm

http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%207%2C%201840%20Natchez%20Tornado.jpg
Above is an artist's rendition of the storm approaching a steamboat. The drawing is from Lloyd's Steamboat Directory, published in 1856.
https://archive.org/stream/lloydssteamboatd00lloy#page/140/mode/2up
7 May 1993: Serious flooding occurred in central Oklahoma following torrential rain and hail on this date through the 8th. Rainfall amounts on this date were generally around one inch. Oklahoma City, OK then recorded 6.64 inches of rain on the 8th, the third greatest daily rainfall amount ever observed in the city. Extensive flooding resulted, which killed four people, and the fire department had to rescue 183 others. More than 2,000 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. Damages were estimated at $8 million. 
7 May 1989: Thirty-two cities in the central and eastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, and 24-hour snowfall totals of 7.2 inches at Buffalo and 10.7 inches at Rochester New York were records for the month of May.
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8 May 1784 → Eight people were killed in what may have been the U.S.'s deadliest hailstorm. Hail nine inches in circumference also killed sheep and birds when it fell along the Wateree River in South Carolina.
8 May 1895 → A light rain shower in Winnipeg dropped a mixture of rain and black ants on the city. Most of the black ants were the size of huge wasps.
8 May 1965 → A mile-wide F5 tornado swept farms clean along a 30-mile path near Colome, SD. The tornado traveled in nearly a due north direction. Fortunately there were no fatalities.
8 May 1981 → Dallas/Fort Worth was hit by one of their worst hailstorms on record, as baseball to grapefruit sized hail and 100 mph winds caused $200 million in damages. The hail actually accumulated 8 inches deep in Cedar Hill, TX.
1979: Widespread damage occurred in the Tampa Bay area. The 19 tornadoes reported are the most in one day in Florida history. Three people drowned in Pinellas County where flooding was most severe. Rainfall amounts of 18 inches in 24 hours were reported with 12.73 inches falling at Tampa, FL; with 7.84 inches of that in just six hours. Worst hit was the Polk County community of Auburndale where a tornado made a direct hit on the Auburndale School. Only eight students were hurt by flying debris. An 83 year old woman was killed as she hid in an unreinforced concrete block storage shed. 98 trailers were damaged or destroyed and 40 people were injured.
2009: A deadly derecho squall line rakes far southern Illinois at midday devastating the Carbondale area on its way across a 1,200-mile swath of terrain covering sections of nine states. Hundreds of homes and businesses are damaged or destroyed in Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri. The wind gusts to 106 mph (170 km/h) in the Carbondale area with sustained winds measured at up to 90 mph. In southern Illinois, the storm system peels siding and roofs off homes and other buildings, blowing out car windows and tearing up trailer parks.  Click HERE for more information.  http://www.spc.noaa.gov/misc/AbtDerechos/casepages/may82009page.htm 
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/misc/AbtDerechos/images/2009may8/09may8_rflec_carbin_cdt_labels.png  or
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May_8TH.png
8 May 1784: Deadly hailstorm in South Carolina hits the town of Winnsborough. The hailstones, measuring as much as nine inches in circumference, killed several persons, and a great number of sheep, lambs, and birds.
8 May 1902: On May 7th, Martinique's Mount Pelee begins the deadliest volcanic eruption in the 20th century. On this day, the city of Saint Pierre, which some called the Paris of the Caribbean, was virtually wiped off the map. The volcano killed an estimated 30,000 people. Click HERE for more information from the History Channel.  http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/volcanic-eruption-buries-caribbean-city
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160503142739_image004.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%208%2C%201902%20Mt%20Pelee.jpg
The photograph of Mt. Pelee above was taken on May 26, 1902, by Angelo Heilprin.
File:Saint Pierre Montagne Pelee.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%208%2C%201902%20Saint%20Pierre%20Before.jpg
Saint Pierre in early 1902. Mt. Pelee is in the background.
File:Pelee 1902 3.jpg 
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%208%2C%201902%20Saint%20Pierre%20after.jpg
Photograph of the remains of St. Pierre by Angelo Heilprin.
8 May 1979: Widespread damage occurred in the Tampa Bay area. The 19 tornadoes reported are the most in one day in Florida history. Three people drowned in Pinellas County where flooding was most severe. Rainfall amounts of 18 inches in 24 hours were reported with 12.73 inches falling at Tampa, FL; with 7.84 inches of that in just six hours. Worst hit was the Polk County community of Auburndale where a tornado made a direct hit on the Auburndale School. Only eight students were hurt by flying debris. An 83-year-old woman was killed as she hid in an unreinforced concrete block storage shed. 98 trailers were damaged or destroyed, and 40 people were injured. 
8 May 2003: This was the second of three consecutive days with strong to violent tornadoes around Oklahoma City. A violent F4 tornado that affected Moore, Oklahoma City, Midwest City and Choctaw took on a path very similar to the 5/3/1999 devastating tornado. This particular storm back in 2003 affected areas from Newcastle and Moore to Del City and Choctaw. Although over 130 people were injured, there were no fatalities. Click HERE for more information from the NWS Office in Norman, Oklahoma. http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-20030508
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160503142739_image005.png
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%208%2C%202003%20Moore%20OK%20tornado.jpg
Radar shot of the Moore/Oklahoma City supercell at around 5:25 PM CDT on May 8, 2003, as the time it was at its peak intensity in southeastern Oklahoma City. Courtesy of NWS Norman, Oklahoma.
8 May 2009: A deadly derecho squall line crosses far southern Illinois at midday devastating the Carbondale area on its way across a 1,200-mile swath of terrain covering sections of nine states. Hundreds of homes and businesses are damaged or destroyed in Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri. The wind gusts to 106 mph in the Carbondale area with sustained winds measured at up to 90 mph. In southern Illinois, the storm system peels siding and roofs off homes and other buildings, blowing out car windows and tearing up trailer parks. Click HERE for more information. http://www.spc.noaa.gov/misc/AbtDerechos/casepages/may82009page.htm
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160503142739_image006.png
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May_8TH.png
Image courtesy of the Storm Prediction Center.
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9 May 1923 → Up to a foot of snow fell in parts of Michigan, following a day of comfortable springtime temperatures in the 60s.
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dtx/talesmay.php
9 May 1927 → A strong tornado, probably an F4, took three minutes to chew through Poplar Bluff, MO. In that time 83 people were killed and 31 blocks of the city were destroyed.
9 May 1964 → An Air Force transport plane was demolished when its crew flew into a supercell producing baseball-sized hail near Cooperton, OK. All six aboard were killed.
9 May 1977 → A late season snowstorm hit parts of Pennsylvania, New York, and southern and central New England. Heavier snowfall totals included 27 inches at Slide Mountain, NY and 20 inches at Norwalk, CT. At Boston it was the first May snow in 107 years of records. The heavy wet snow caused extensive damage to trees and power lines, knocking out power to half a million people following the storm.
9 May 1966: Record snows fell in the northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, including 3.1 inches at Pittsburgh and 5.4 inches at Youngstown Ohio. Snow also extended across parts of New York State with eight inches reported in the southern Adirondacks.
9 May 1990: Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the central U.S. during the evening hours, mainly from southeastern Missouri to southwestern Indiana. Severe thunderstorms spawned four tornadoes, including two strong F-2 tornadoes in southern Illinois. Strong thunderstorm winds gusted to 85 mph at Orient Illinois and to 100 mph at West Salem. Thunderstorms drenched northeastern Illinois with up to 4.50 inches of rain.
9 May 1918: An F4 tornado moved across Floyd, Chickasaw, and Winneshiek Counties in northeast Iowa from two miles north of Pearl Rock to Calmar. Two people died just east of Calmar when the tornado was a mile wide. Losses in and near Calmar totaled $250,000. Overall, this tornado killed seven people and injured 15 others.
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160504123637_image001.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%209%2C%201918%20Nasha%20Tornado%20Damage.jpg
A photograph from May 15, 1918, Waverly Democrat shows the destruction a tornado left to a farm outside Nashua, Iowa. Click HERE for more information from the Waverly Newspaper.   http://www.communitynewspapergroup.com/waverly_newspapers/news/destruction-worst-to-hit-area-since/article_7de7b923-1e73-540b-af9d-447f8b8ef587.html
9 May 1933: An estimated F4 tornado moved through Monroe, Cumberland, and Russell Counties in Kentucky along a 60-mile path. The town of Tompkinsville, KY was the hardest hit with 18 people killed. Overall, 36 people lost their lives. Click HERE for more information from the NWS Office in Louisville, Kentucky.  http://www.weather.gov/lmk/tompkinsville_tornado_may_9_1933
9 May 1966: Record snows fell in the northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, including 3.1 inches at Pittsburgh and 5.4 inches at Youngstown Ohio. Snow also extended across parts of New York State with eight inches reported in the southern Adirondacks.
9 May 1990: The 1990 Machilipatnam Cyclone was the worst disaster to affect Southern India since the 1977 Andhra Pradesh cyclone. This category four on the Saffir-Simpson scale had a severe impact on India, with over 967 people reported having been killed. Over 100,000 animals also died in the cyclone with the total cost of damages to crops estimated at over $600 million (1990 USD).
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160504123637_image003.gif 
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%209%2C%201990%20Cyclone%20Machilipatnam.jpg
Super Cyclone Machilipatnam on May 8, 1990.
9 May 1995: An F3 tornado produced $10 million in damages along its 40-mile path across central Illinois. The tornado caused significant damage in Cantrall where three homes were destroyed, 10 had major damage, and 11 had minor damage. The roof and interior of a grade school suffered extensive damage. The tornado passed about 2 miles southeast of the new NWS Office in Lincoln, Illinois.
http://www.weather.gov/images/ilx/Office_History/hp2b.gif
The image above is courtesy of the NWS Office in Lincoln, Illinois. The building with the white dome is for upper air balloon launches. The other white ball is the radar. 
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10 May 1905 → A killer tornado struck the town of Snyder, OK. It tracked 40 miles across southwestern Oklahoma, killing a total of 97 people, 87 in Snyder alone. The roar from the tornado could be heard up to twelve miles away.  http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-19050510 
10 May 1996 → The Howard College graduation ceremony was interrupted when softball-sized hail broke skylights in the roof of the event location in Big Spring, TX. Also on this date one of the most famous weather movies ever, Twister, premiered.
10 May 1880: A tornado estimated to be F4 intensity moved across 20 miles of Scott and Morgan Counties in central Illinois. The tornado touched down near Alsey and moved northeast, passing 8 miles south of Jacksonville. The tornado was strongest in the Pisgah area, where 30 buildings were destroyed. Seven people were killed.
10 May 1953: Four F4 tornadoes touched down in parts of eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. One F4 tornado moved northeast from northeast of Fountain City, Wisconsin to Colburn, Wisconsin. Total damage from this tornado was $1 million dollars and it caused 10 injuries. 
The second F4 tornado moved from 5 miles southwest of Chester, Iowa to 4 miles northeast of Chatfield, Minnesota. One man was killed as his barn was destroyed one mile southeast of Wykoff. A rural school was leveled 3 miles south of Chatfield as well. 
The third F4 tornado moved northeast and passed about 2 miles northwest of St. Charles, Minnesota. Farms were torn up all along the track. An infant was killed and 4 other people were injured in a car that was thrown 100 feet. Overall this tornado killed one person and injured 11 people. 
The final F4 tornado moved across Rusk, Price, and Taylor counties in Wisconsin. Over $150,000 worth of damage resulted. An F3 tornado moved northeast across Clayton County, Iowa. At least 60 head of cattle were killed. A farmer was carried 700 feet, but suffered only minor injuries.
10 May 2010: On this day Oklahoma experienced its largest tornado outbreak since May 3, 1999. Fifty-five twisters tore through the state, including two rated EF4. The EF4 storms took three lives and injured 81 people. Ironically, both EF4 tornadoes struck Norman, Oklahoma, home of the Storm Prediction Center and the National Severe Storms Laboratory. Fourteen additional tornadoes hit Oklahoma during May 11-13. The May 10 disaster racked up insured property losses of $2 billion.
10 May 1880: A tornado estimated to be F4 intensity moved across 20 miles of Scott and Morgan Counties in central Illinois. The tornado touched down near Alsey and moved northeast, passing 8 miles south of Jacksonville. The tornado was strongest in the Pisgah area, where 30 buildings were destroyed. Seven people were killed.
10 May 1905: On Wednesday, May 10th, 1905, the Oklahoma Territory was struck by one of the worst natural disasters in early American history. Tornadoes pounded the southwest part of the Territory, one of which flattened the town of Snyder. The "official" death toll is listed today as 97, but the actual number of victims may never be known. One hundred years later, this single tornado remains the second most deadly in Oklahoma history. Click HERE for more information from the NWS Office in Norman, Oklahoma.  http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-19050510
10 May 1953: Four, F4 tornadoes touched down in parts of eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. One F4 tornado moved northeast from northeast of Fountain City, Wisconsin to Colburn, Wisconsin. Total damage from this storm was $1 million dollars, and it caused ten injuries. 
The second F4 tornado moved from 5 miles southwest of Chester, Iowa to 4 miles northeast of Chatfield, Minnesota. One man was killed as his barn was destroyed one mile southeast of Wykoff. A rural school was leveled 3 miles south of Chatfield as well. 
The third F4 tornado moved northeast and passed about 2 miles northwest of St. Charles, Minnesota. Farms were torn up all along the track. An infant was killed, and four other people were injured in a car that was thrown 100 feet. Overall this tornado killed one person and injured 11 people. 
The final F4 tornado moved across Rusk, Price, and Taylor counties in Wisconsin. Over $150,000 worth of damage resulted. An F3 tornado moved northeast across Clayton County, Iowa. At least 60 head of cattle were killed. A farmer was carried 700 feet but suffered only minor injuries.
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160503150423_image001.gif
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2010%2C%201953%20Tornado%20Tracks.jpg
The tornado track map above is courtesy of the NWS Office in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Click HERE for more information.  http://www.weather.gov/arx/may1053
10 May 2010: On this day, Oklahoma experienced its largest tornado outbreak since May 3, 1999. Fifty-five twisters tore through the state, including two rated EF4. The EF4 storms took three lives and injured 81 people. Ironically, both EF4 tornadoes struck Norman, Oklahoma, home of the Storm Prediction Center and the National Severe Storms Laboratory. Fourteen additional tornadoes hit Oklahoma during May 11-13. The May 10 disaster racked up insured property losses of $2 billion. Click HERE for more information from the NWS Office in Norman, Oklahoma.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-20100510
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11 May 1894 → A six inch by eight inch gopher turtle, encased in ice, fell from a thunderstorm at Bovina, MS.
11 May 1953 → An F5 tornado smashed downtown Waco, TX. Hundreds of buildings and thousands of cars were demolished. Many homes were leveled, and 114 people lost their lives along the 23 mile path of the tornado.  http://www.srh.noaa.gov/fwd/?n=wacotormay1953
11 May 1970 → An F5 tornado struck the city of Lubbock, TX killing 26 persons, injuring more than 1500 others, and causing $135 million in damage. The twister hit a 20-story building in downtown Lubbock, twisting the structure and blowing out all the windows, but leaving it intact. The building still stands today.  http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lub/?n=events-1970-19700511
11 May 1865: A tornado touched down in Philadelphia around 6 PM ET, killing one person and injuring 15 others. There was great destruction to property, with 23 houses blown down, damage to the Reading Railroad depot, with the water tank carried 150 yards. Fairmont Park was damaged to the amount of $20,000 dollars.
11 May 1934: A tremendous dust storm affected the Plains as the Dust Bowl era was in full swing. According to The New York Times, dust "lodged itself in the eyes and throats of weeping and coughing New Yorkers," and even ships some 300 miles offshore saw dust collect on their decks. Click HERE from more information.  http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dust-storm-sweeps-from-great-plains-across-eastern-states
11 May 1953: A terrifying F5 tornado rips through downtown Waco, Texas, killing 114 people and injuring nearly 600 more. More than 850 homes, 600 businesses, and 2,000 cars are destroyed or severely damaged. Losses have been estimated at $41 million. The tornado is the deadliest in Texas history and the tenth deadliest in the US.
11 May 1865: A tornado touched down in Philadelphia around 6 PM ET, killing one person and injuring 15 others. There was great destruction to property, with 23 houses blown down, damage to the Reading Railroad depot, with the water tank, carried 150 yards. Fairmont Park was damaged to the amount of $20,000. 
11 May 1934: A tremendous dust storm affected the Plains as the Dust Bowl era was in full swing. According to The New York Times, dust "lodged itself in the eyes and throats of weeping and coughing New Yorkers," and even ships some 300 miles offshore sawdust collect on their decks. Click HERE for more information.  http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dust-storm-sweeps-from-great-plains-across-eastern-states
11 May 1953: A terrifying F5 tornado rips through downtown Waco, Texas, killing 114 people and injuring nearly 600 more. More than 850 homes, 600 businesses, and 2,000 cars are destroyed or severely damaged. Losses have been estimated at $41 million. The tornado is the deadliest in Texas history and the tenth deadliest in the US. Click HERE for more information from the NWS Office in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/fwd/?n=wacotormay1953

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12 May 1965 → A tropical cyclone hit Bangladesh killing 36,000 people.
12 May 1971 → A chain reaction car accident happened near Casa Grande, AZ after dust storms reduced visibility to near zero. Seven people were killed.
12 May 1886: A tornado, which peaked at F4 intensity, touched down in Vermilion County near Armstrong, Illinois, and passed between Alvin and Rossville before moving into Indiana. At least 5 houses were destroyed, two of which were totally swept away. Three people were killed. Five other strong tornadoes occurred across Illinois that day: two near Mt. Carroll, one near Odell, one near Jacksonville, and one in Iroquois County.
12 May 1760: Ben Franklin was the first person to identify nor'easters. In a letter on this date to Alexander Small of London, Franklin described an experience that happened to him in November 1743 when storm clouds in Philadelphia blocked his view of an eclipse. Franklin assumed that the storm had blown in from the northeast because the surface winds at his location were from that direction. He was puzzled to find out later that his brother had viewed the eclipse with no problems and that the storm had arrived in Boston four hours later. The information caused Franklin to surmise correctly that the storm had moved from southwest to northeast. Click HERE to read the letter to Alexander Small.
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2012%2C%201997%20Miami%20Tornado.jpg
12 May 1886: An estimated F4 tornado touched down in Vermilion County near Armstrong, Illinois, and passed between Alvin and Rossville before moving into Indiana. At least five houses were destroyed, two of which were entirely swept away. Three people were killed. Five other strong tornadoes occurred across Illinois that day: two near Mt. Carroll, one near Odell, one near Jacksonville, and one in Iroquois County.
12 May 1997: A towering F1 tornado ripped its way through the middle of Miami, Biscayne Bay, and Miami Beach right after lunch Monday, smashing cars and windows, tossing trees skyward and scaring the dickens out of thousands of people.
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160504131045_image002.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2012%2C%201997%20Miami%20Tornado.jpg
Click HERE for a YouTube video of the tornado.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DShp7d6yozY
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13 May 1930 → A man was killed when caught in an open field during a hailstorm northwest of Lubbock, TX.
13 May 1989 → Severe weather in the Southern Plains produced wind gusts up to 95 mph at Killeen, TX. At Fort Hood, 200 helicopters were damaged. 
13 May 1980: An F3 tornado ripped directly through the center of Kalamazoo, Michigan, killing five people, injuring 79, leaving 1,200 homeless and causing $50 million in damage. The tornado passed directly over the American Bank, where a barograph reported a pressure drop of 0.59 inches.
13 May  1995: This outbreak produced tornadoes extending from the Mississippi River near Burlington, Iowa, to west of Bloomington, Illinois. Two violent tornadoes, each ranked at F4 intensity, were reported. The first tornado traveled 60 miles from near Fort Madison, Iowa, to southeast of Galesburg, Illinois producing over $10 million dollars damage. The second violent tornado traveled 7 miles across Fulton County from Ipava to Lewistown, Illinois producing $6 million dollars damage. Another strong tornado took a 25 mile path across parts of Fulton, Mason, and Tazewell Counties. The storms also produced softball-size hail south and northwest of Macomb in Illinois. Five men were injured in Lawrence County, Indiana when lightning struck one of them and traveled to the other four. There were 184 reports of severe weather, including over three dozen tornadoes.
1980: An F3 tornado ripped directly through the center of Kalamazoo, Michigan, killing five people, injuring 79, leaving 1,200 homeless and causing $50 million in damage. The tornado passed directly over the American Bank, where a barograph reported a pressure drop of 0.59 inches.
may-13-1980-tornado-705.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2013%2C%201980%20Kalamazoo%20Tornado.jpg	
The image of the Kalamazoo tornado is courtesy of the Kalamazoo Gazette. Click HERE for more information from the Kalamazoo Public Library.
http://www.kpl.gov/local-history/general/tornado.aspx
1995: This outbreak produced tornadoes extending from the Mississippi River near Burlington, Iowa, to the west of Bloomington, Illinois. Two violent tornadoes, each ranked at F4 intensity, were reported. The first tornado traveled 60 miles from near Fort Madison, Iowa, to the southeast of Galesburg, Illinois producing over $10 million dollars damage. The town of Raritan, Illinois was hit the hardest. The second violent tornado traveled 7 miles across Fulton County from Ipava to Lewistown, Illinois producing $6 million dollars damage. Another strong tornado took a 25-mile path across parts of Fulton, Mason, and Tazewell Counties. The storms also produced softball-size hail south and northwest of Macomb in Illinois. Five men were injured in Lawrence County, Indiana when lightning struck one of them and traveled to the other four. There were 184 reports of severe weather, including over three dozen tornadoes. Click HERE for more information from the NWS Office in the Quad Cities.
http://www.weather.gov/dvn/05131995_raritanf4tornado

http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2013%20Raritan%20IL%20Tornado.jpg
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14 May 1686 (old style for British sources) → Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, inventor of the mercury thermometer, was born in Danzig (Gdansk), Poland.  (Birthday appears to be 24 May 1686) 
14 May 1886 → At 10:00 pm, after having already caused one death in Indiana, an F4 tornado hit Celina, OH, leaving 5 more dead and 20 injured. Then at 11:30 pm, an F3 tornado killed 11 and injured 25 as it destroyed much of Dunkirk and Cary, OH.
14 May 1923 → Farms were swept off the earth by what was probably an F5 tornado south of Lubbock, TX. A man and his three sons were among the 23 fatalities. The damage path was up to a mile and a half wide.
14 May 1995 → At Grissom Air Force Base in Indiana, winds were recorded reaching 136 mph.  (Was this on 13 May?)
From http://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in_Weather_History_May_14
14 May 1686 (old style for British sources) : The inventor of the thermometer Gabriel Fahrenheit was born.  (Birthday appears to be 24 May 1686) 
14 May 1923:  An early morning violent F5 tornado cut a 45 mile path of destruction through Howard and Mitchell counties in Texas. 23 people lost their lives and 250 sustained injuries. The path width of the tornado reached 1.5 miles at one point and entire farms were "wiped off the face of the earth". 
14 May 1990: Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front produced severe weather from northwest Texas to western Missouri. Severe thunderstorms spawned seventeen tornadoes including nine in Texas. Four tornadoes in Texas injured a total of nine persons. Thunderstorms in Texas also produced hail four inches in diameter at Shamrock, and hail four and a half inches in diameter near Guthrie. Thunderstorms over northeastern Kansas produced more than seven inches of rain in Chautauqua County between 9 PM and midnight.
14 May 1923: An early morning violent estimated F5 tornado cut a 45-mile path of destruction through Howard and Mitchell counties in Texas. 23 people lost their lives and 250 sustained injuries. The path width of the tornado reached 1.5 miles at one point, and entire farms were "wiped off the face of the earth".  The First Baptist Church in Colorado City, Texas became an emergency hospital for tornado victims.
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160505132247_image002.png
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2014%2C%201923%20Colorado%20Texas.JPG
Historical marker for the First Baptist Church in Colorado City, Texas.
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2014%2C%201923%20Colorado%20Texas%20Newspaper.JPG
The newspaper clipping above is courtesy of the Madera Tribune. Click HERE to read the article.  
http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=MT19230514.2.18
14 May 1990: Thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front produced severe weather from northwest Texas to western Missouri. Severe thunderstorms spawned seventeen tornadoes including nine in Texas. Four tornadoes in Texas injured a total of nine persons. Thunderstorms in Texas also produced hail four inches in diameter at Shamrock and hail four and a half inches in diameter near Guthrie. Thunderstorms over northeastern Kansas produced more than seven inches of rain in Chautauqua County between 9 PM and midnight.
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15 May 1896 → An F5 (estimated) tornado struck the west side of Sherman, TX. There were 73 fatalities. A trunk lid was carried 35 miles.
15 May 1968 → A huge Midwestern tornado outbreak included two F5's in Iowa resulting in 18 fatalities...most of them in Charles City. Also, a tornado touched down southwest of Anchorage, AK.    http://www.crh.noaa.gov/arx/?n=may151968 
15 May 1896: A tornado with F5 intensity struck Sherman, Texas, killing 73 people; 60 of them in downtown. Tornado victims were found as far as 400 yards away from their original location. A trunk lid was carried 35 miles by the twister.
15 May 1968: A tornado touched down southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. It was the second of just three tornadoes reported in Alaska since 1950. Also, an F5 tornado moved through Butler, Chickasaw, Floyd, Franklin, and Howard Counties in northeast Iowa. The tornado moved northeast from north of Hansell, passing east of Aredale and Marble Rock, before devastating Charles City. The tornado grew larger and more intense as it approached Charles City. The huge funnel passed directly through town, destroying 337 homes, and causing about $30 million in damage. The tornado continued to the northeast hitting Elma and it caused another $1.5 million in damages. From there the tornado turned to the north and dissipated south of Chester, 4 miles south of the Minnesota border. Nearly 2000 homes were damaged or destroyed. All 13 deaths occurred in Floyd County. 450 injuries were reported in Floyd County and 12 injuries in Howard County. Another F5 tornado moved north-northeast from southwest of Oelwein to Maynard and east of Randalia in Fayette County, IA. Homes were leveled and swept away in both Oelwein and Maynard. The warning sirens sounded for only 15 seconds before power failed in Oelwein. Nearly 1000 homes were damaged or destroyed along the path, and 34 people had to be hospitalized. Almost 1,000 families were affected. In addition to these F5 tornadoes, an F2 tornado touched down 6 miles south of Cresco, IA and two weak F1 tornadoes touched down in Dodge County, MN. Also, baseball size hail fell in Fayette County, IA.
15 May 1972: The worst ice jam flooding of memory for long-time residents took place along the Kuskokwim River and Yukon River in Alaska. It was the first time since 1890 that the two rivers "flowed as one". The towns of Oscarville and Napaskiak were completely inundated.
15 May 1896: An estimated F5 tornado struck Sherman, Texas, killing 73 people; 60 of them in downtown. Tornado victims were found as far as 400 yards away from their original location. A trunk lid was carried 35 miles by the twister. Click HERE for more information from the History Channel.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tornado-decimates-texas-town
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160505133436_image001.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2015%2C%201896%20Sherman%2C%20Texas%20Tornado%20Damage.jpg
The image above is Sherman, Texas following the tornado. The image is courtesy of Herald Democrat. Click HERE for a book about this disaster called Sherman's Black Friday by H.L. Piner.  http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txgrayso/Black-Friday/black.html
15 May 1957: An F4 tornado killed 20 people at Silverton, Texas. A 5,000-pound gasoline storage tank was reportedly carried 1.5 miles and dropped into a lake. Residents said the tornado "looked like red sand, boiling and rumbling."
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160505133436_image002.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2015%201957%20Silverston%2C%20Texas%20Tornado%20Damage.JPG
The image above is Silverton, Texas following the tornado. This image is courtesy of GenDisaster.com
http://www3.gendisasters.com/texas/5470/silverton-tx-tornado-may-1957
15 May 1968: A tornado touched down southwest of Anchorage AK. It was the second of just three tornadoes reported in Alaska since 1950.
Also, an F5 tornado moved through Butler, Chickasaw, Floyd, Franklin, and Howard Counties in northeast Iowa. The tornado moved northeast from north of Hansell, passing east of Aredale and Marble Rock, before devastating Charles City. The tornado grew larger and more intense as it approached Charles City. The huge funnel passed directly through town, destroying 337 homes, and causing about $30 million in damage. The tornado continued to the northeast hitting Elma, and caused another $1.5 million in damages. From there the tornado turned to the north and dissipated south of Chester, 4 miles south of the Minnesota border. Nearly 2000 homes were damaged or destroyed. All 13 deaths occurred in Floyd County. 450 injuries were reported in Floyd County and 12 injuries in Howard County. Another F5 tornado moved north-northeast from southwest of Oelwein to Maynard and east of Randalia in Fayette County, IA. Homes were leveled and swept away in both Oelwein and Maynard. The warning sirens had sounded for only 15 seconds before the power failed in Oelwein. Nearly 1000 homes were damaged or destroyed along the path, and 34 people had to be hospitalized. Almost 1,000 families were affected. In addition to these F5 tornadoes, an F2 tornado touched down 6 miles south of Cresco, IA and two weak F1 tornadoes touched down in Dodge County, MN. Also, baseball size hail fell in Fayette County, IA.
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160505133436_image003.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2015%20Charles%20City%20Tornado.jpg
Floyd County, Iowa Sheriff L.L. Lane was standing near the county fairgrounds when he took this picture of the tornado. Click HERE for more information from KWWL.com  http://www.kwwl.com/story/8328563/40th-anniversary-of-charles-city-tornado
15 May 1972: The worst ice jam flooding of memory for long-time residents took place along the Kuskokwim River and Yukon River in Alaska. It was the first time since 1890 that the two rivers "flowed as one". The towns of Oscarville and Napaskiak were completely inundated.
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16 May 1874 → A flash flood caused by dam slippage claimed 143 lives and a million dollars in property damage at Mill Creek, west of Northhampton, MA.
16 May 1951 → Hurricane Able performed a loop north of the Bahamas and reached Category 3 strength off Cape Hatteras, NC.
16 May 2010 → A significant hail storm struck the Oklahoma City metro area with baseball sized hail. It was one of the most damaging and costly hail storms in Oklahoma history. The hail produced significant damage to automobiles, roofs, and vegetation and was accompanied by winds in excess of 50 MPH. Hail drifts several feet deep were reported, and some locations had hail still covering the ground 12 hours after it fell. Damage estimates exceeded $500 million.  http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-20100516
16 May 1983: A very strong spring storm dumped heavy snow across the Front Range in Colorado. Strong winds of 20 to 40 mph with gusts to 55 mph produced blizzard conditions at times. The Foothills received 1 to 2 feet of snow with 4 to 12 inches along the Foothills. Blowing snow whipped the snow into drifts several feet deep closing schools and highways. Power outages occurred; with 20 square miles of Denver blacked out. Hundreds of passengers were stranded as only half of runways were open at Stapleton International Airport. The high temperature at Denver the next day of just 40 degrees set a record low maximum. Much of the snow melted on the 18th as temperatures rebounded into the middle and upper 50s causing widespread street flooding. 
16 May 1989: Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front produced severe weather in the south central U.S. Thunderstorms spawned twenty tornadoes, and there were 180 reports of large hail and damaging winds. A tornado in Cleburne, Texas caused thirty million dollars damage. A violent F-4 tornado touched down near Brackettville, Texas and a strong F-3 tornado killed one person and injured 28 others at Jarrell, Texas.
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17 May 1896 → A 2-mile wide path of utter destruction, made up of a nearly mile-wide F5 tornado plus powerful downburst winds, swept for 100 miles across northeast Kansas and the southeast corner of Nebraska. Seneca, KS was particularly hard hit and lost its opera house. Twenty-five people were killed.
17 May 1979 → It does get cold in Hawaii! The state's record low was set on Mauna Kea, bottoming out at a rather chilly 12 degrees.
http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/pages/climate_summary.php
17 May 1983 → A golfer playing the Fox Meadows course in Memphis, TN was struck by a bolt of lightning that went through his neck, down his spine, came out a pocket containing his keys, and went into a nearby tree. He survived.
17 May 1896: An estimated F5 tornado tracked 100 miles through northeastern Kansas and extreme southeastern Nebraska. Seneca, Oneida, Sabetha, and Reserve, Kansas sustained severe damage. While passing through Reserve the tornado was 2 miles wide. 25 people were killed and 200 were injured. Damage was estimated at $400,000.
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160523121756_image001.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2017%2C%201896%20Seneca%20KS%20Tornado%20Damage.jpg
The image above is Seneca, Kansas following the tornado. The image is courtesy of GenDisasters.com.  
http://www3.gendisasters.com/kansas/6626/ks-seneca-tornado-may-1896
17 May 1979: A reading of 12 degrees at Mauna Kea Observatory established an all-time record low for the state of Hawaii.
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18 May 1898 → In Marathon County, WI, 30 miles of farms and forest were leveled by what was likely an F5 tornado. Seventeen people were killed, including 5 people from one family. The tornado was one of five violent twisters that hit the middle and upper Mississippi Valley during a two-day outbreak on May 17-18, 1898. At least 55 people were killed across the region.
18 May 1902 → 100 buildings were obliterated in Goliad, TX by an F4 (estimated) tornado. 114 people were killed.
18 May 1980 → Mount Saint Helens, WA, erupted, spewing ash and smoke nearly 63,000 feet into the air. Heavy ash covered the ground as small particles were carried by the winds all the way to the Atlantic coast.
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/gallery2c.php
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2004/s2324.htm 
18 May 1995 → Near Ethridge, TN 6 TVA high-tension electric transmission towers were destroyed by an F4 tornado and were never found. Northern Alabama was hard hit as well, especially in the Anderson Hills area near Huntsville. Anderson Hills would be hit hard again during the April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mrx/research/May18tor/may18tor.php
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=reports05181995
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=data05181995
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=tornado05181995
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=hunsur_2011-04-27_main
18 May 1883: The large tornado outbreak on record in Illinois affected the northern and central parts of the state. At least 14 strong to violent tornadoes touched down killing 52 people. The largest death toll from a single tornado was 12, with 50 injuries, from an estimated F4 tornado which moved from near Jacksonville to 5 miles west of Petersburg. This tornado completely destroyed the town of Literberry. Another tornado, with an estimated F4 intensity, killed 11 people and injured 50 along its path from the south edge of Springfield northeast to near Kenney. This particular tornado reportedly drove 10 inch by 12 inch oak timbers 10 feet into the ground. Another estimated F4 tornado in far northern Illinois touched down near Capron, and tracked for 17 miles before lifting in far southern Wisconsin. Lately, an estimated F4 tornado tracked 20 miles through Kenosha and Racine Counties in Wisconsin. Eight people were killed and 85 were injured.
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160523124410_image001.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2018%2C%201883%20Racine%20Tornado.jpg
The image above is part of a YouTube video about the aftermath from this tornado. Click HERE to view the video.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp54qthtyNg
 A Deadly Storm-May 18m 1663 Tornado (from readyRacine)
18 May 1980: Mount Saint Helens erupted, spewing ash and smoke sixty-three thousand feet into the air. Heavy ash covered the ground to the immediate northwest and small particles were carried to the Atlantic coast. Click HERE for more information. 
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mount-st-helens-erupts
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160523124410_image002.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2018%2C%201980%20Mount%20St%20Helens%20Eruption.jpg
The image above is courtesy of the USGS.gov. Click HERE for more images. 
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/st_helens/st_helens_gallery_23.html
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19 May 1960 → Nearly 50 farms were devastated by a family of powerful tornadoes in northeast Kansas. Farms were swept clean away, and the twisters came within ten miles of Topeka. Much of the small town of Meriden was devastated.  
http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/090/mwr-090-06-0231.pdf
19 May 1974 → One of the deadliest F1 tornadoes on record took 6 lives when it struck a boat in Murrells Inlet, SC.
19 May 1990 → Thirteen inches of rain fell at Hot Springs, AR in 9 hours, resulting in a devastating flood. The 500 foot Carpenter Dam Bridge across Lake Catherine was completely washed away. Two waves of water that were 4 to 6 feet deep flooded stores down Central Avenue.
http://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in_Weather_History_May_19
19 May 1780: The infamous "dark day" in New England tradition. At noon it was nearly as dark as night. Chickens went to roost, and many persons were fearful of divine wrath. The phenomenon was caused by forest fires to the west of New England.
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2019%2C%201780%20Fires.jpg
The image above is courtesy of the International Journal of Wildland Fire published in 2007. "Fire dates based on tree rings and fire scars indicate that fires occurred in 1780 at several locations, including the Algonquin Highlands of southern Ontario, western Maryland, western Virginia, the Missouri Ozark Highlands, the Boston Mountains of Arkansas, and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of northern Minnesota." Click HERE to read the report.
http://web.missouri.edu/~stambaughm/2007_McMurry_DarkDay.pdf
19 May 1915: A spring storm came to an end after producing widespread snow. Total snowfall from the storm included: 17.6 inches in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, 8 inches at Cheyenne, Wyoming, 7 inches at Chadron and 3.9 inches in North Platte, Nebraska.
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20 May 1957 → An F5 tornado touched down southwest of Kansas City, then traveled 71 miles into the suburbs. The tornado killed 45 people and left a path of near-total destruction in its wake. A canceled check from Kansas City was blown all the way to Ottumwa, IA, a distance of nearly 200 miles.
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/eax/?n=ruskinheightstornado
20 May 1996 → In Niagara, Ontario a tornado struck a drive-in theater that was about to show the feature movie, Twister.
20 May 2013 → A 1.1 mile wide EF5 tornado tore directly through Moore, OK on its 14 mile long path. Twenty-four people lost their lives, including 7 children at Plaza Towers Elementary School. It was the third time in 14 years that Moore had been directly hit by a violent tornado, two of which were F5/EF5 and the other was an F4.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-20130520
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-19990503
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-20030508
20 May 1894: A record late snow of two to eight inches whitened parts of central and eastern Kentucky. Lexington received six inches of snow and Springfield, Kentucky received 5 inches.
20 May 1916: A tornado struck the town of Codell, Kansas on the 20th in 1916. A tornado struck the town on the same day the following year, and a third tornado hit Cordell on May 20th in 1918. The tornadoes are estimated to be F2, F3 and F4 respectively on the Fujita Scale.
1916: In three consecutive years, a tornado passed near or through the town of Codell, Kansas. The tornado on this day was an estimated F2. The estimated F3 tornado in 1917 passed two miles west of town. Finally, an estimated F4 tornado passed through Codell on May 20th, 1918. This tornado killed 9 and injured at least 65 others. Click HERE for more information from the Weather Doctor. 
http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/almanac/arc2006/alm06may.htm
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2020%2C%201916%20Codell%2C%20Kansas%20Tornado%20X3.jpg
 20 May 1957: A tornado touched down to the southwest of Kansas City and traveled a distance of seventy-one miles cutting a swath of near destruction through the southeastern suburbs of Ruskin Heights and Hickman Mills. The tornado claimed the lives of forty-five persons and left hundreds homeless. It was the worst weather disaster of record for Kansas City. About all that remained of one house were a small table and a fish bowl atop, with the fish still swimming about inside the bowl. A canceled check from Hickman Hills was found in Ottumwa, Iowa, 165 miles away. Pilots reported debris at an altitude of 30,000 feet.
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21 May 1857 → In Baghdad, Iraq a dust storm lasted the entire day. Then at about 5 pm, a darkness set in, deeper than the darkest night, and terrorized local residents.
21 May 1918 → An F5 tornado swept foundations bare along a 37-mile path from Carroll County to Webster County, IA. Mattresses were found two miles away, and 4 people were killed.
21 May 1950 → A tornado was on the ground for 66 miles from Buckinghamshire to Cambridgeshire, resulting in the longest track of any English tornado.
21 May 1949: A violent tornado crossed the Mississippi River from the St. Louis area into Wood River, then to Roxanna. This tornado damaged or destroyed 300 homes in these two towns, killing 5 people. Four people were killed in a destroyed restaurant in Palestine, Illinois; one body was recovered from a tree. A tornado causing estimated F4 damage killed 5 people and injured 55 in St. Louis and St. Charles counties in Missouri and Madison County in Illinois. This tornado was part of an outbreak that produced 4 different tornadoes and was responsible for 5 deaths and 57 injuries.
21 May 2001: Golfers participating in a golf tournament on the Majestic Golf Course in Hartland, Michigan received an urgent message on the Global Positioning Units on their carts. The message, replayed from the clubhouse, was that a tornado was bearing down on the course. Most of the golfers made it to safety in the clubhouse, although some had to take shelter out on the course. Only one golfer suffered a minor injury. The F2 tornado damaged 70 cars in the parking lot along with numerous golf carts and a pontoon boat.
21 May 1881: Clara Barton and a circle of close friends found the American Red Cross. Click HERE for more information from the History Channel.
21 May 1949: A violent tornado crossed the Mississippi River from the St. Louis area into Wood River, then to Roxanna. This tornado damaged or destroyed 300 homes in these two towns, killing five people. Four people were killed in a destroyed restaurant in Palestine, Illinois; one body was recovered from a tree. A tornado causing estimated F4 damage killed five people and injured 55 in St. Louis and St. Charles counties in Missouri and Madison County in Illinois. This tornado was part of an outbreak that produced four different tornadoes and was responsible for five deaths and 57 injuries.
21 May 2001: Golfers participating in a golf tournament at the Majestic Golf Course in Hartland, Michigan received an urgent message on the G.P.S. on their carts. The message, relayed from the clubhouse, was that a tornado was bearing down on the course. Most of the golfers made it to safety in the clubhouse, although some had to take shelter on the course. Only one golfer suffered a minor injury. The F2 tornado damaged 70 cars in the parking lot along with numerous golf carts and a pontoon boat. 
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2021%2C%202001%20Hartland%20Tornado.jpg
The image above is courtesy of Storm Data.
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22 May 1893 → Farms near Darlington, WI vanished as an F5 (estimated) tornado swept them away. Three people were killed.
22 May 1933 → A multiple vortex tornado that was nearly a mile wide and probably an F5 killed 8 people near Tyron, NE. Six of the fatalities were from the same family.
22 May 1948 → A rare early season hurricane struck Hispanola, killing an estimated 80 people.
22 May 1995 → Cantaloupe sized hail was reported in Preston, KS.
22 May 1996 → Collapsing nighttime thunderstorms in Oklahoma caused a large heat burst that made temperatures rise to over 100 degrees at midnight.
22 May 2004 → Possibly the world's widest tornado, with a maximum width up to two and a half miles, struck Hallam, NE with F4 strength.
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/oax/?n=hallam
22 May 2011 → Joplin, MO was struck by a devastating EF5 tornado that took 158 lives, making it the deadliest tornado since the Woodward Tornado in 1947. The tornado was half a mile wide and stayed on the ground for 7 miles, destroying a hospital.
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/sgf/?n=event_2011may22_summary
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-19470409
22 May 1876: Denver, Colorado was drenched with 6.50 inches of rain in 24 hours, an all-time record for that location.
year?? 22 May 1941: A devastating hailstorm hit the Sichuan Province of China. Reports indicate that up to 100 people were killed, 35,000 homes destroyed and entire crops devastated.
year?? 22 May 1986: A devastating hailstorm hit the Sichuan Province of China. Reports indicate that up to 100 people were killed, 35,000 homes destroyed and entire crops devastated. 
22 May 2011: On this day, one of the most devastating tornadoes in the nation's history directly killed 158 people and injured over 1,000 in Joplin, Missouri. The Joplin EF5 tornado was the first single tornado to result in over 100 fatalities since the June 8, 1953, Flint, Michigan tornado. Click HERE for more information from the NWS Office in Springfield, Missouri. http://www.weather.gov/sgf/events_2011may22
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2022%2C%202011%20Joplin%20Radar.jpg
Above is the radar shortly after the tornado tore through Joplin. Note the debris ball on the radar reflectivity.
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2022%2C%202011%20Joplin%20Tornado%20Path.jpg
Above is the damage track of the EF4 tornado. The image is courtesy of the Army Corps of Engineers.
Check
22 May 1960 --  The strongest earthquake ever measured, a magnitude 9.5 rocked Chile and generated a tsunami where at least 122 people lost their lives.  The number of deaths in Chile associated with both the earthquake and subsequent tsunami has been estimated between 490 to 5700. 
From NCEI -- "The main shock from the earthquake generated a tsunami that was not only destructive along the coast of Chile but also caused numerous casualties and extensive property damage as far away as Hawaii, Japan, and the Philippines. Waves were observed throughout the Pacific Ocean basin. Additionally, tide gauges recorded waves in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Indian Ocean, making it the first globally recorded tsunami.
"In Hawaii, the tsunami caused 61 deaths and 43 injuries, while two deaths took place on the West Coast of the United States. The tsunami hit the Pacific coast of Japan almost a day after the earthquake, causing deaths and destroying almost 3,000 houses. In the Philippines, the tsunami killed at least 21 people."
https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/day-1960-chilean-earthquake-and-tsunami?position=3&list=k643kfApdJCD0lToMT9aPgOti2I6Q_zzwbHnYW_cznc
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23 May 1878 → An F4 tornado struck Mineral Point, WI killing 17 and injuring 45. A record book was carried 60 miles from a schoolhouse. In Primrose Township, the deed to Chandler Farm was found 10 miles away. Also, an F4 tornado moved from Elgin to Barrington in northeast Illinois. A farmhouse was lofted 150 feet into the air before shattering, killing the two occupants.
23 May 2003 → Dense fog in Maryland was responsible for an 80-car pile-up on I-68 near Finzel. 
23 May 1960: A massive earthquake in Chile the previous day produced a tsunami that killed 61 people in Hilo, Hawaii.  An additional 180 people were killed in on the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido in Japan.  Click HERE for more information.  
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tsunami-hits-hawaii
23 May 1968: One of the costliest hail storms in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma history pummeled the city on this date. Hail the size of baseballs fell over much of the city, resulting in more than 40,000 insurance claims over the 90,000 square mile path of the storm. The final cost was more than $20 million dollars. The parent thunderstorm also caused flash flooding that left 2 to 4 feet of water in some underpasses, and a lightning strike that started a fire that killed two people.
23 May 1997: David McWilliams Ludlum was born 1910 in East Orange, NJ.  He was responsible for researching and publishing much of the early history of weather in early America. David died May 23, 1997 in Princeton, New Jersey. He was an American historian, meteorologist, entrepreneur and author.
23 May 1968: One of the costliest hailstorms in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma history pummeled the city on this date. Hail the size of baseballs fell over much of the city, resulting in more than 40,000 insurance claims over the 90,000 square mile path of the storm. The final cost was more than $20 million dollars. The parent thunderstorm also caused flash flooding that left 2 to 4 feet of water in some underpasses and a lightning strike that started a fire that killed two people.
23 May 1960: A massive earthquake in Chile the previous day produced a tsunami that killed 61 people in Hilo, Hawaii. An additional 180 people were killed in on the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido in Japan. Click HERE for more information from the History Channel. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tsunami-hits-hawaii
23 May 1997: David McWilliams Ludlum was born 1910 in East Orange, NJ.  He was responsible for researching and publishing much of the early history of weather in early America. David died May 23, 1997, in Princeton, New Jersey. He was an American historian, meteorologist, entrepreneur and author. 
23 May 2010: A rare tropical cyclone dubbed Bandu brings high winds and heavy rains to Somalia. The storm then moved into the Gulf of Aden where it quickly weakens and dissipates on the 23rd as it passes between Yemen and Somalia.
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160523140400_image001.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2023%2C%202010%20Cyclone%20Bandu.jpg
The satellite image above is Cyclone Bandu on May 21, 2010. The image is courtesy of the US Navy.
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24 May 1979 → Eastern Germany was swept by a major tornado outbreak, including an F4 that hit near Brandenburg.
24 May 1981 → An intense storm dropped ten inches of rain in four hours and produced catastrophic flooding in Austin, TX, resulting in 13 fatalities and $35 million in damage.
24 May 1990 → In Barton County, KS a 100 yard wide F3 tornado blew 88 rail cars off the tracks and stacked them 3 and 4 high. One survivor who was sucked out of her truck said she was "airborne, trying to run but my feet would not touch the ground!"
24 May 1896: An estimated F4 tornado passed just north of Des Moines, Iowa during the late evening. As many as 7 members of one family were killed at the north edge of Valeria, Iowa. They were caught in the open, running to the storm cellar. Five others died in a nearby home. A steel railroad rail was reportedly driven 15 feet into the ground. The death toll was at least 21.
24 May 1973: The Union City, OK tornado was the first storm to be studied in detail by the National Severe Storms Laboratory Doppler Radar Unit at Norman, OK and an armada of researchers in the field. Research of the radar data from the storm would lead to discovery of the a "TVS", or Tornado Vortex Signature. The presence of a TVS on Doppler radar data is a very strong indication of tornadic potential in a severe thunderstorm.  Click HERE for a video of the Union City tornado.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR_KebzKjfs
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160523150450_image001.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2024%2C%201973%20Union%20City%20Tornado.jpg
The first tornado captured by the NSSL Doppler radar and NSSL chase personnel. The tornado above is in the early stage of formation. Click HERE for more information from NSSL. 
https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/about/events/40thanniversary/stories/unioncity.html
24 May 2002: The last measurable snow for the season fell at Marquette, Michigan. This brought the city's seasonal snowfall to 319.8 inches, by far the city's snowiest winter ever.
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25 May 1896 → May 1896 was an extremely active month for tornadoes. On this date the nation's third F5 twister of the month struck the thumb of Michigan. There were 47 fatalities, including some entire families. Parts of houses were found 12 miles away.
25 May 1917 → A mile-wide F5 funnel swept away homes and entire farms near Andale and Sedgwick, KS. 23 people were killed and 70 were injured. The storm raced forward at 65mph!
25 May 1953 → In 1953, tropical storms began being named after women. Tropical Storm Alice, which formed near Nicaragua on this date, was the first Atlantic cyclone to be named in this way.
25 May 1955 → It was a bad day for Sumner County, KS and adjoining Kay County, OK, as not one but two F5 tornadoes struck. Half the population of Udall, KS was killed (80) or injured (270) as most of the town was destroyed. It remains Kansas' deadliest tornado. Blackwell, OK suffered nearly 1,000 destroyed buildings, including 400 homes that were swept clean of their foundations. Twenty were killed. 
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ict/udall/udall.php
25 May 1979 → In the 1979 Memorial Tournament, Tom Watson shot a 69 in the second round in rain, temperatures in the 40s, and 30 mph gusty winds in Dublin, OH. That was 10 strokes better than the average of the rest of the golfers that day. He continued to play well and won the tournament. He said he was used to it since he is from Kansas City.
25 May 1896: An estimated F5 tornado hit Oakwood, Ortonville, and Thomas, Michigan. Forty-seven people were killed, and 100 were injured. Trees were debarked "even to the twigs, as though done by the careful hand of an experienced artisan". Parts of houses were found up to 12 miles away.
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160524151306_image003.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2025%2C%201896%20Oakwood%20Tornado%20Damage.jpg
The image above is Oakwood following the tornado. The image is courtesy of the Northeast Oakland Historical Society.
25 May 1955:  An estimated F5 tornado moved north and NNW through the heart of Blackwell, Oklahoma. About 400 homes were destroyed, and many were leveled and swept away. About 500 other homes were damaged. The tornado dissipated just over the Kansas border, as the Udall, Kansas tornado was forming to the east. The Blackwell tornado was accompanied by unusual electrical activity, with up to 25 discharges per second recorded on sferics equipment. The funnel was said to glow and have "arcs" of glowing light. The Udall, Kansas tornado was estimated to be an F5 as well. Over half of the population of Udall was killed or injured as the tornado completely devastated a large portion of town. Seventy-five people were killed, and many of the 270 injuries were serious. 

http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2025%2C%201955%20Blackwell%2C%20Oklahoma%20Tornado%20Damage.jpg
The image above is Blackwell, Oklahoma following the tornado. The image is courtesy of the National Archives Catalog.
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2025%2C%201955%20Udall%20Kansas%20Tornado.jpg
The image above is Udall, Kansas following the tornado. Click HERE for more images from The Wichita Eagle.
25 May 1975: On Raccoon Lake, Indiana, lightning struck the motor of a speedboat and traveled up the control wires, killing the driver. The 38-year-old man was knocked into the water by the bolt. His wife and two children, also in the boat, were not injured.
25 May 2008: A rare, large and destructive EF5 tornado created a 43 mile long path across Butler and Black Hawk counties in Iowa. This tornado killed 8 people, injured dozens and caused several millions of dollars in damage. The tornado was nearly three quarters of a mile wide as it moved through the southern end of Parkersburg. A third of the town was affected by devastating damage with nearly 200 homes destroyed. This was the first EF5 tornado to strike Iowa since 13 June 1976 and only the third EF5 tornado to occur in the United States in the previous 10 years.
/images/abr/google/Survey/sd_20160524151306_image004.jpg
http://www.weather.gov/images/abr/wxhistory/May/May%2025%2C%202008%20Parkerburg%20Tornado.jpg
The photograph of the tornado above is courtesy of Chief Deputy Tim Wolthoff from Grundy County. Click HERE for more information from the NWS Office in Des Moines, Iowa. 
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/Image/dmx/parkersburg/Parkersburg-Storm-Damage-Survey.pdf
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26 May 1917 → An F4 tornado tore a two and a half block wide path of near total destruction for 2.5 miles through Mattoon, IL. 500 homes were destroyed and the debris was carried 50 miles. Fifty-three people lost their lives in town. The tornado then proceeded directly through the next town to the east, Charleston, where another 220 homes were flattened and 38 people killed.  http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ilx/?n=mto1917
26 May 1967 → A slow moving nor'easter battered New England with high winds, heavy rain, and record late season snow. Winds 70 to 90 mph in gusts occurred along the coast. Over 7 inches of rain fell at Nantucket, MA with 6.57 inches falling in 24 hours to set a new 24 hour rainfall record. 24.9 inches of snow fell at Mount Washington, NH to set a new May snowfall record.
26 May 1984 → Overnight from the 26th into the 27th thunderstorms dropped a foot of rain on Tulsa, OK in 6 hours. The flooding claimed 14 lives and caused $180 million in property damage. 4600 cars, 743 houses, and 387 apartments were destroyed or severely damaged in the flood.
From http://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in_Weather_History_May_26th
26 May 1917: A major tornadic thunderstorm took a 293-mile track across parts of central Illinois and Indiana. Once believed to be a single tornado, later study indicated it was likely at least 8 separate tornadoes. The first touchdown was about 50 miles south-southeast of Quincy, Illinois. The tornadic storm tracked due east, before beginning a northeast curve near Charleston; separate tornadic storms then curved southeast from Charleston. The towns of Mattoon and Charleston bore the brunt of the tornado. Damage from this severe tornado in Mattoon was about 2.5 blocks wide and 2.5 miles long, with over 700 houses destroyed, while the Charleston portion was 600 yards wide and 1.5 miles long, with 220 homes damaged. Damage in the two towns amounted to about $2 million dollars 1917 dollars. Dozens of farms were hit along the path and at least three farm homes were swept away between Manhattan and Monee. Another estimated F4 tornado touched down 6 miles south of Crown Point and devastated a dozen farms. A total of 7 people died and 120 were injured. 53 people were killed in Mattoon, and 38 were killed in Charleston. Overall, 101 people in Illinois were killed during the tornado outbreak, with 638 injured.
26 May 2009: Northeast of Anchorage, Alaska, 2 hikers climbed a ridge to better see a developing storm. Lightning knocked the couple unconscious. Regaining consciousness, they called emergency services as the woman was unable to walk. The man's shoes looked as though they had melted.
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27 May 1896 → A massive F4 tornado struck Saint Louis, MO killing 306 persons and causing $13 million damage. The tornado path was short, but cut across a densely populated area.  
http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/brs/nwind7.htm
http://tornados.slpl.org/index.html
http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/nws/tornado.html 
27 May 1917 → Major tornado outbreaks occurred every day from May 25 through 28 and again May 30 through June 1, 1917. On May 27 the storms were concentrated in a 7-state region from Illinois to Alabama. The worst of the day was an F4 that was continually on the ground for 50 miles and killed 67 people from Lake County, TN to Graves County, KY. Tiny Bondurant, KY, in Fulton County, was hardest hit with 21 lives lost.
27 May 1941 → An F2 tornado formed over the Great Salt Lake and skipped for 10 miles to the northeast, destroying barns near Woods Cross, UT.
27 May 1973 → Large tornadoes occurred every day from the 22nd to the 28th. On the 27th an F4 stayed on the ground for 65 miles and killed seven people as it chewed through five Alabama counties.
27 May 1997 → A 3/4 mile wide F5 tornado demolished much of Jarrell, TX. The tornado ripped asphalt up from roadways. Cattle were thrown a quarter mile away. 27 deaths occurred in the Double Creek subdivision, where the tornado was so strong there were no large pieces of debris -- everything was pulverized. The tornado also moved very slowly, and towards the SSW.   http://www.spc.noaa.gov/coolimg/jarrell/index.html
http://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in_Weather_History_May_27
27 May 1771: In Virginia, a wall of water came roaring down the James River valley following ten to twelve days of intensive rain. As water swept through Richmond, buildings, boats, animals, and vegetation were lost. About one hundred fifty people were killed as the river reached a flood stage of forty-five feet above normal. A monument to the flood was inscribed by Ryland Randolph, of Curles, in 1771-72: " ... all the great rivers of this country were swept by inundations never before experienced which changed the face of nature and left traces of violence that will remain for ages." Click HERE for more information. http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=9248 
27 May 1896: A massive tornado struck Saint Louis, Missouri killing 306 persons and causing thirteen million dollars damage. The tornado path was short but cut across a densely populated area. It touched down six miles west of Eads Bridge in Saint Louis and widened to a mile as it crossed into East Saint Louis. The tornado was the most destructive of record in the U.S. up until that time. It pierced a five-eighths inch thick iron sheet with a two by four inch pine plank. A brilliant display of lightning accompanied the storm. 
See https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/great-st-louis-tornado-1896 (NCEI May 2017)
27 May 1997: An F5 tornado killed 27 people in Jarrell, Texas. Although tornado warnings were issued 30 minutes in advance and local sirens were sounded, there were few places to go for safety. Most homes were on slabs, with no basements to shelter in. Houses were swept clean off their foundations, with little debris left behind. Total damage was $20 million dollars. The same thunderstorm complex produced a wind gust to 122 mph at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio. Click HERE for more information.  http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tornado-levels-texas-subdivision
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28 May 1963 → A tropical cyclone struck Bangladesh killing 11,500 people.
28 May 1987 → Up to 13 inches of rain fell across parts of Oklahoma, causing severe flash flooding. Thousands of people had to be rescued from their homes.
28 May 1880: Savoy, Texas was hit by an estimated F4 tornado. 14 people were killed and 60 others were injured. It leveled the entire business and northeast residential sections. The tornado was described as "a funnel blazing with balls of fire". 
28 May 1973: An F3 tornado moved east and struck the northern portion of Athens, Georgia. Destruction was very heavy near Athens, with losses estimated at ten million dollars. Destruction from the storm included, 545 homes and 17 businesses. Hundreds of large trees more than 100 years old were destroyed.
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29 May 1914 → Shallow river fog contributed to the collision of the CP Liner Empress of Ireland and a Norwegian coal ship, The Storstad, in the St. Lawrence River. The liner sank in 25 minutes drowning 1,024 passengers.
29 May 1953 → An F5 tornado destroyed a large church near Fort Rice, ND. The pews were jammed four feet into the ground. Parts of a car were carried for half a mile.
29 May 1982: Two major tornadoes ripped through southern Illinois. The most severe was an F4 that touched down northeast of Carbondale, Illinois then moved through Marion. The twister had multiple vortices within the main funnel. Extensive damage occurred at the Marion Airport. A total of 10 people were killed and 181 were injured. 648 homes and 200 cars were damaged or destroyed, with total damages around $100 million dollars.
29 May 1986: Hailstones over 3 inches in diameter pounded South Shore in Montreal, Quebec Canada causing over $65 million dollars in damage.
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30 May 1948 → Acting as a dam, a railroad bed gave way during a flood on the Columbia River. It destroyed the town of Vanport, OR. Fortunately, the 19,000 residents escaped, but with only the clothes they were wearing.
30 May 1961 → Near Gates, NE, a farm was completely destroyed by a violent tornado, possibly an F5. All buildings and machinery on the farm were swept away, and 30 head of cattle were killed.
30 May 1998 → A supercell moved across southeastern South Dakota and produced an F4 tornado that passed through the town of Spencer. The tornado killed 6 people and injured 300. Only 6 buildings were left standing in Spencer.  http://www.crh.noaa.gov/fsd/?n=tor1998may30
30 May 1879: A major outbreak of severe weather occurred in Kansas and western Missouri. In Kansas, tornadoes killed eighteen persons at Delphos and thirty persons at Irving. Two tornadoes struck the town of Irving within a few minutes time virtually wiping the small Kansas community off the map. The second tornado was perhaps two miles wide and exhibited multiple vortices.
30 May 1927: The Kentucky River peaks during a massive flood that kills 89 people and leaves thousands homeless. Torrential rains caused this unprecedented flood. Click HERE for more information.  http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/waters-of-kentucky-river-peak
30 May 1988: Memorial Day heralded heavy snow in some of the mountains and higher passes of Wyoming, closing roads in Yellowstone Park. McDonald Pass, Montana was blanketed with eight inches of snow, while the temperature at Miles City, Montana soared to 94 degrees.
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31 May 1889 → At 4:07 p.m. the inhabitants of Johnstown, PA heard a low rumble that grew to a "roar like thunder." The South Fork Dam had broken, sending 20 million tons of water crashing down the narrow Little Conemaugh River valley. Boiling with huge chunks of debris, the wall of floodwater grew at times to 60 feet high, tearing downhill at 40 mph, leveling everything in its path. 2200 people were killed that day.
http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/floods/papers/Johnstown_flood.pdf.
31 May 1911 → A violent derby day thunderstorm killed four horses on Epsom Downs in Southeastern England. Local flooding, landslides, lightning, and wind gusts inflicted damage across lowland England. Seventeen people were killed in the London area.
31 May 1930 → New Mexico's deadliest tornado, an F2, killed two men in Wagon Mound when it destroyed the auto repair garage they were in. About one hundred buildings were damaged.
31 May 1935 → The U.S.'s record 2-hour rainfall amount was set at D'Hanis, TX, with exactly 15 inches. The U.S.'s record 2.75 hour record rain was also set with 22 inches.
31 May 1947 → A tornado swept clean the north side of Leedey, OK. Not only were homes obliterated and blown away, but the top few inches of people's lawns were swept away as well. However, the tornado took a full 5 minutes to slowly chew through the small town, so F5 winds may not have been necessary to create damage this complete.
31 May 1985 → The eastern Great Lakes region's worst tornado outbreak. One of the tornadoes was an F5 that crossed from Ohio into Pennsylvania, killing 18 people along its 47 mile long path.  http://www.erh.noaa.gov/cle/office/localinterest/1985Tornado/1985Tornado.php
31 May 2013 → One of the widest tornadoes on record, an EF-3 that was as much as 2.6 miles across, struck near El Reno, OK. It was one of several tornadoes in the Oklahoma City area that took a total of 19 lives.  http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-20130531
From http://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in_Weather_History_May_31
31 May 1830: Shelbyville, Tennessee was turned into "a heap of ruins" as a tornado moved east through the center of the town. This tornado destroyed 15 homes and 38 businesses along with churches and other public buildings. Losses were estimated to be as high as $100,000. A book was said to be carried seven miles away.
31 May 1889: The Johnstown, Pennsylvania disaster occurred, the worst flood tragedy in U.S. history. Heavy rains collapsed the South Fork Dam sending a thirty-foot wall of water rushing down the already flooded Conemaugh Valley. The wall of water, traveling as fast as twenty-two feet per second, swept away all structures, objects and people. 2100 persons perished in the flood. Click HERE for more information.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-johnstown-flood
31 May 2013: The 2nd of the top 10 weather events for 2013 was El Reno, Oklahoma tornado of May 31, 2013. Part of the multiday storm outbreak caused $2 billion in damage. The EF3 that traveled through the western suburbs of Oklahoma City was the largest tornado ever observed with a width of 2.6 miles. It took eight lives including four tornado chasers. Click HERE for more information.  http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-20130531
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/oun/wxevents/20130531/damage/damage01.jpg

This photo shows EF-3 damage to a house near the intersection of S. Airport Road and SW 15th Street, or about 6.4 miles southwest of El Reno, OK in Canadian County. The exterior walls of the house had collapsed. Picture courtesy of the NWS in Norman, Oklahoma.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/abr/scripts/wxhistory.php
Also run off http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk 
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Now From MPX "This Day in Weather History"  http://www.weather.gov/mpx/wxhistory 
This "Day in Weather History" contains some memorable weather events and trivia from 1805 to the present day for much of Minnesota and west central Wisconsin. Many sources were used to research and compile the data. The Twin Cities/Chanhassen National Weather Service would especially like to thank the Minnesota State Climatology Office and its contributors for their input into this database.

May 1
1 May 1966: Winter made a last stab at Minnesota with a low temperature of 5 degrees at Cook. A widespread freeze hit the rest of the state.
1 May 1935: An unusually late snow and ice storm hit east central Minnesota. The heaviest ice accumulations were between St. Paul and Forest Lake and westward to Buffalo in Wright County, with accumulations of 1 to 1.5 inches on wires. The downtown Minneapolis Weather Bureau office recorded 3 inches of snow.
May 2

2 May 2013: A historic snowstorm dumped up to 18 inches of snow in southeast Minnesota and west central Wisconsin. Blooming Prairie received 18 inches from this storm, and Eau Claire got 9.3 inches.  See entry for date at http://www.weather.gov/arx/ThisDayInHistory

2 May 1954: Late season snowstorm dumps over half a foot of snow at International Falls.  (Appeared only in older version.)

May 3

3 May 1905: A "mixed bag of weather" was reported in Minnesota.   Western Minnesota was pelted with hail, while snow fell over the Arrowhead.
See entry for day in http://www.weather.gov/mqt/today_in_history

May 4

4 May 1926: Morris went from winter to summer temperatures in one day. The morning low was 32 degrees, followed by a high of 89 degrees.

May 5

5 May 1965: At least 7 tornadoes hit southern Minnesota. This outbreak was a preview of what would happen the next day…
See entry for date from http://www.weather.gov/arx/ThisDayInHistory 

May 6

6 May 1965: A family of 6 tornadoes, 4 of which were rated F4 on the Fujita Scale, devastated an 11 county area of east central Minnesota, including the western Twin Cities. 14 people were killed, 683 were injured. 3 of the tornadoes hit Fridley. (or was it 2 of the F4 tornadoes hit Fridley.)
See "50th Anniversary of the 1965 Twin Cities tornadoes" http://www.weather.gov/mpx/1965_tornadoes 
http://www.weather.gov/mpx/50th_anniversary_1965  
http://www.weather.gov/media/mpx/1965May6-50thAnniversary.pdf 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFQQnCP84fQ&feature=youtu.be
and
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/1965_Tornadoes.html
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/mqt/today_in_history

May 7

7 May 1916: Strong winds swept across the state and caused dust storms over southern Minnesota. Great damage was done to standing timber in Northern Minnesota. In Duluth, a boy in trying to cross St. Louis Bay was drowned by the waves capsizing his boat. Many fires were started, one of which destroyed 30,000,000 feet of lumber.

7 May 1915: Old man winter's last hurrah with 5 inches of snow along Lake Superior.

May 8

8 May 1924: A snowstorm brought up to 4 inches to parts of Minnesota. Minneapolis saw a half inch of snow with St. Paul picking up an inch. Up to 50-mph winds accompanied the snow and heavy coats were brought back out of the closet.

May 9

9 May 1966: Minnesota experienced a widespread hard freeze, with temperatures in the teens as far south as Caledonia.
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/arx/ThisDayInHistory

May 10

10 May 1934: 'The Classic Dust Bowl' hit Minnesota. Extensive damage occurred over the region, with near daytime blackout conditions in the Twin Cities and west central Minnesota. Dust drifts caused hazardous travel, especially at Fairmont where drifts up to 6 inches were reported on the roads. Automobiles drove with their headlights on due to the dust. Damage occurred to personal property due to fine dust sifting inside homes and businesses.

May 11

11 May 1915: A waterspout was seen on Lake Mills.

May 12

12 May 1922: A strong cold front moved through western Minnesota, replacing shorts with sweaters at Morris. The temperature dropped from 91 to 26 degrees on this date.

May 13
13 May 1872: A hailstorm hit Sibley County. Hail up to the size of pigeon eggs was reported. Lightning burned down a barn near Sibley, killing a horse tied up inside.

May 14

14 May 2013: Minneapolis set a record high temperature of 98 degrees, breaking the previous record of 95 degrees set in 1932.  

May 15

15 May 1998: Severe thunderstorms hit many areas of Minnesota. Baseball-sized hail caused damage at International Falls. A tornado hit a flea market in Albany, killing one person and injuring 30 others.  Another tornado severely damaged 102 homes in the northern Twin Cities.
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/arx/ThisDayInHistory and
http://www.weather.gov/mqt/today_in_history

15 May 1969: Torrential rain occured in Synnes Township, dumping 8 inches of rain in three hours.

May 16

16 May 2017 -- An EF-3 tornado traveled for approximately 83 miles across northwestern Wisconsin, beginning in southeastern Polk County, east of Clear Lake, then tracked mostly eastward across southern Barron and southern Rusk counties, to the southwest part of Price County.   One fatality was reported near Chetek. 
This is one of the longest track tornadoes ever to have occurred in Wisconsin since official National Weather Service records which began in 1950.
See http://www.weather.gov/mpx/May_16th_Wisconsin_Tornado_Upgraded_to_EF3
Also http://www.weather.gov/dlh/RecordWItornado
"The tornado which traveled through northern Wisconsin last week is now the tornado with the longest track of continuous damage in Wisconsin since modern tornado records began in 1950. The tornado's path was 83 miles long. The hardest hit areas were just north of Chetek, WI where EF-2 damage was found, and in the Conrath area where EF-3 damage occurred. EF-0 to EF-1 damage occurred along the remainder of the tornado's path. This is the first EF-3 tornado in the state since the Verona tornado in 2014. The EF-Scale is the Enhanced Fujita Scale of tornado damage where an EF-0 is the weakest tornado and an EF-5 is the strongest. See below for the latest information."

16 May 1934: An extreme hot spell resulted in temperatures over 100 degrees across parts of Minnesota, with record highs of 94 degrees  in St. Cloud and Minneapolis.

May 17

17 May 1915: Old Man Winter's last hurrah dumped 5 inches of snow along the western shore of Lake Superior.

May 18

18 May 1980: Mt. St. Helens erupted. The ash plume eventually rose to 80,000 feet, with the cloud circling the Earth in 19 days. Brilliant sunsets due to the volcanic plume were seen over Minnesota for days afterward. 

18 May 1933: Tornadoes hit McLeod and Mower counties.

May 19

19 May 1975: Strong winds caused over 2 million dollars damage across Fridley, Mounds View and New Brighton.
See entry for date on http://www.weather.gov/mqt/today_in_history

May 20

20 May 1892: Very late season snowfall hit central Minnesota. Maple Plain received 4 inches of snow, with 3 inches falling in Minneapolis. This is the latest significant snow on record for the Twin Cities, and one of the latest widespread snowfalls in Minnesota.

20 May 1876: A tornado struck near Ft. Ripley.

May 21

21 May 1960: A downpour at New Prague dumped 10 inches of rain in a 48-hour period.

May 22

22 May 2011: A strong EF-1 tornado with wind speeds up to 110 mph struck north Minneapolis, causing extensive tree and structural damage. The tornado touched down in St. Louis Park and moved through north Minneapolis, lasting 14.25 miles before dissipating in Blaine after causing minor damage to the Anoka County Airport. The tornado reached a peak width of 1/2 mile.
See entry for date at http://www.weather.gov/arx/ThisDayInHistory

22 May 2001: Record cold high temperatures were set in over 30 cities in Minnesota, including a chilly 47 degrees in the Twin Cities and 39 degrees at Grand Rapids and Pine River. Half of an inch of snow fell at International Falls.

22 May 1925: Temperatures took a nosedive from 100 to 32 degrees in 36 hours at New Ulm and Tracy.

May 23

23 May 1914: An early heat wave hit the state, with a high temperature of 103 degrees reached at Tracy.

May 24

24 May 1925: After seeing a high of 99 degrees two days earlier, the Twin Cities picked up one tenth (0.1) of an inch of snow.

24 May 1908: Tornadoes hit the counties of Martin and Blue Earth.

May 25

25 May 1862: Hail the size of "hickory nuts" fell on the Dakota Mission in Renville County.  
(Note this entry was no longer in the 2016 list)

25 May 2008: An EF-3 tornado struck Hugo, MN. 1 fatality and 9 injuries were reported. 
(Note: See the ABR history entry for the killer EF-5 tornado that traveled 45 miles across Iowa, damaging Parkersburg, IA.)
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/mpx/wxhistory

May 26

26 May 1929: A tornado raked Freeborn County and caused $10,000 of damage to farms.

May 27

27 May 1931: The Great Northern Empire Builder Tornado made a direct hit and derailed a famous train in Norman County. One passenger on the eastbound train was killed.
This should read 1931 not 1930.

May 28

28 May 1965: Late season snow fell across  much of Minnesota with Duluth and Caribou reporting an inch.

May 29

29 May 1949: An intense downpour dumped over 7 inches of rain at Thief River Falls.

29 May 1947: Extremely late season snow fell in southern Minnesota, northern Iowa, and southern Wisconsin. Worthington, MN picked up an inch, while some places in southern Wisconsin received up to 6 inches.
See entry for 28 May in  http://www.weather.gov/arx/ThisDayInHistory
and entry for this date in http://www.weather.gov/mqt/today_in_history

May 30

30 May 1998: A devastating line of storms hit east central Minnesota. 100-mph winds ripped through Scott and Dakota County. Over 500 homes were damaged in Washington County. 15,000 trees were lost in the Twin Cities metro area, and 500,000 people lost power in Minneapolis.

30 May 1985: A tornado hit Lakefield, and the Twin Cities reported  67-mph winds.
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/arx/ThisDayInHistory

May 31
31 May 1934: Extreme heat impacted the Twin Cities, with high temperatures of 107 degrees in St. Paul and 106 degrees in Minneapolis. Rush City reached 110 degrees . Numerous cases of heat ailments affected people and livestock.
See insert for day added in ARX section.
The low temperature for MSP ThreadEx for date was 75 degrees (highest low temperature record).
31 May 1932: A heat wave hit southern Minnesota, with high temperatures of 108 degrees at Campbell, Fairmont, Faribault, and New Ulm.
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MQT Today in History http://www.weather.gov/mqt/today_in_history
This "Day in Weather History" contains memorable weather events for much of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Many sources were used to research and compile the data.

May 1

1907: On May 1, 1907, ice in the Portage Canal and Portage Lake was still more than a foot thick, the thickest on record for so late in the season.

1909: On May 1, 1909, the wood, bulk freight Adella Shores, while carrying salt, was bound Ludington for Duluth when she 'sailed away' in a storm. No identifiable wreckage was ever found. She sank somewhere off Whitefish Point in Lake Superior and took all 14 or 18 crew members with her.

1940: On May 1, 1940, the steel, bulk freight 'canaller' Arlington carrying 98,000 bushels of grain, sailed into the teeth of a gale, in company of the steamer Collingwood, from Fort William, Ontario the night before. After she began to leak, her skipper took the helm to steady the listing ship while the boats were launched. He died when she suddenly plunged to the bottom off a wave. The other 15 crew made it to her boat and were picked up by the Collingwood. The Arlington sank near Superior Shoals in Lake Superior.

1996: On May 1, 1996, the all time seasonal total of 222 inches of snow was set at Sault Ste Marie in 1995-1996 breaking the previous record of 178.6 inches in 1976-1977. Average snowfall is 127.1 inches. 0.2 inch of snow fell this day in Sault Ste Marie, the last measurable snow seen that season.

1983: On May 1, 1983, an F0 tornado touched down west of Highway 117 in the mid afternoon 6.1 miles SW of Newberry. It caused $300 worth of property damage as it was on the ground for 0.1 mile and was 7 yards wide. 

May 2

1999: On May 2, 1999, the Tower Lake Fire began on this day and was the biggest fire since the Sporley Lake fire in 1986. It was spotted at 4:30 in the afternoon with a DNR plane with a campfire suspected to have started it. The fire spread from its position 2 miles south of Highway 41 and M-95 and headed east. It jumped M-95 and closed the highway. At least three vehicles, a mobile home and numerous outbuildings and sheds were destroyed. Hot, dry and windy weather, along with abundant dry fuel left over from winter set the stage and careless campers and an unattended campfire added the spark to start a major wildfire in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The Tower Lake Fire consumed 5,625 acres before it was extinguished. Firefighters and equipment from Montana, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ontario Canada assisted local fire crews in fighting the blaze. 450 people were evacuated from their homes for more than four days it took to fight the fire. Four firefighters suffered minor injuries and 15 structures were damaged or destroyed. Ten bridges burned and about a million dollars worth of timber went up in smoke. Costs for fighting the blaze exceed one million dollars. Three much smaller forest fires occurred during the same period the Tower Lake Fire was burning. The fire near Gwinn consumed 46 acres with minor damage to a campground at Anderson Lake, The Ishpeming Fire did some minor damage at a golf course and burned 26 acres, and a fire at Little Lake, set by vandals, scorched another 19 acres. While this fire was going on, a prescribed burn had taken place 9 days earlier and rekindled when strong winds hit the area in the eastern U.P. The Troll Fire as it was called had people from downstate fighting it while people in the eastern U.P. were fighting the Tower Lake Fire. The Troll Fire near Brevort burned 775 acres.

1900: On May 2, 1900, the schooner-barge, 3-mast R. Hallaran, while carrying 1600 tons of iron ore, was bound Two Harbors, MN for Conneaut, OH, when she was lost from tow of the steamer M.M. Drake in heavy seas during a gale off Stannard Rock, 35 miles from mainland and 8 miles from the rock in Lake Superior. The Drake stood by and picked up her crew with great difficulty, then loitered in the area until the Hallaran drifted off into the fog and presumably went down.

May 3

1922: On May 3, 1922, the unrigged wood barge Harriet B, while carrying pulpwood, was rammed by the steel freighter Quincy A. Shaw (see D.R. Hanna) and sunk while anchored in the fog off Two Harbors, MN in Lake Superior. She had been in tow of the steamer C.W. Jacob. Known as a hard-luck boat which had had many accidents, even in her days as a carferry.

1905: On May 3, 1905, the wood, bulk freight Hesper was driven on a reef near Silver Bay, MN in Lake Superior by winds reported as reaching 60 mph. She broke in two and later slid into deep water during the gale. Bound for Two Harbors. High winds were complicated by heavy snows, but her crew made it to shore in her yawls, though one capsized in big rocks.
See entry for day in http://www.weather.gov/mpx/wxhistory

1950: On May 3, 1950, another snowy season ended in Marquette with 188.0 inches in the winter of 1949 and spring of 1950. 1.8 inches of snow fell this day, the last measureable snowfall for that season in Marquette.

May 4

1954: On May 4, 1954, 17 inches of snow fell from the 2nd to the 4th around Ironwood with plows becoming stuck.

1891: On May 4, 1891, the 3-mast wood schooner Atlanta, was upbound and hit a gale while carrying coal. It was in tow of steamer S.S. Wilhelm. She broke her towline and went to pieces an hour later. 7 crew abandoned her in a lifeboat, but 5 were lost when it capsized near shore. Went down in 180 feet of water at about 3 AM 20 miles off Deer Park, MI in Lake Superior. Outbound from Soo. The new vessel was a total loss of about $37,000. 

May 5

1871: On May 5, 1871, 8 inches of snow fell in Negaunee.

1954: On May 5, 1954, Bergland Dam had 16.4 inches of snow fall between the 2nd to the 5th.

1918: On May 5, 1918, fires broke out in Marquette County. Fires were burning in the cut-over wastelands and approached farms and camps in the area, but were contained.

1999: On May 5, 1999, efforts to contain the Tower Lake and Troll Fires worked and both fires were contained on this day. A soaking rain helped put out both fires.

1861: On May 5, 1861, the wood schooner, 2-mast Augustus Handy, while carrying 16,000 bushels of wheat, was bound Chicago for Buffalo when she was caught in a gale and stranded on Spectacle Reef in the Straits of Mackinac in Lake Huron. Her crew was rescued by the prop Cleveland. Handy later broke up.

May 6

1964: On May 6, 1964, an F2 tornado touched down in Alger County just northwest of Eben Junction in the early evening. The tornado caused a reported $250,000 worth of property damage and was on the ground for a mile. A barn was leveled, killing 25 cattle, 3 miles northwest of Sundell. A gust to 73 mph occurred out of a thunderstorm 3.3 miles north of Ewen in the late afternoon.

1960: On May 6, 1960, 3 inches of snow fell in Iron Mountain.

1986: On May 6, 1986, a series of fires fanned by strong southwest winds burned more than 8,000 acres, most of them in Marquette County. Winds of 50 to 60 mph blew down a number of powerlines which started the fires. In excess of 100 fires broke out all over the U.P. but mainly in Marquette county. One of the largest fires was near Sporley Lake and at its peak, measured 2.5 miles wide by 5.5 miles long. The fire moved towards K.I. Sawyer Airbase and forced the evacuation of around 8,000 residents from their houses. Camps, outbuildings, boats and snowmobiles were torched amounting to losses in excess of $500,000.

2002: On May 6, 2002, ping-pong ball sized hail (1.5 inch) covered the ground in Gladstone in the mid afternoon during a severe thunderstorm.

1965: On May 6, 1965, a severe thunderstorm dropped 1.5 inch hail (ping-pong ball sized hail) 7.2 miles north northwest of Bessemer in the late afternoon.
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/mpx/wxhistory

May 7

1954: On May 7, 1954, 8 to 10 inches of snow fell in the Keweenaw Peninsula with 7.5 inches at Houghton and Marquette had 7.8 inches of snow.

1960: On May 7, 1960, 6.5 inches of snow fell in L'Anse.

2010: On May 7, 2010, WFO Marquette had a daily record snowfall of 2.4 inches. A low pressure system originating in the Plains lifted into the Lower Great Lakes bringing moderate snow to portions of west and north central Upper Michigan on the 7th and 8th.

1965: On May 7, 1965, the steel, self-unloading bulk freighter Cedarville, while carrying limestone, was moving at speed in fog and collided with the Norwegian freighter Topdalsfjord about 9:50 am and sank quickly 3 miles east of the Mackinac Bridge in the Straits of Mackinac in Lake Huron. The German motor vessel Weissenburg picked up the survivors. The Cedarville was later found to be at fault in the collision. 10 crew members perished.
See also entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/arx/ThisDayInHistory

1963: On May 7, 1963, a severe thunderstorm produced a wind gust to 60 mph 3.7 miles southwest of Laurium in the early evening. 

May 8

1885: On May 8, 1885, the tugboat City Of Marquette tried to go out to Stannard Rock in a snowstorm and reported icebergs 10 miles from Huron Island in an immense ice field. 5 inches of snow fell in the Copper Country.

1954: On May 8, 1954, 5 inches of snow fell at Bergland Dam.

1960: On May 8, 1960, Houghton County Airport had 3.6 inches of snow from May 7th to the 8th.

2010: On May 8, 2010, WFO Marquette had a daily record snowfall of 5.2 inches. Twelve-hour snowfall amounts from observers in Baraga county included 4.6 inches near Sidnaw and 7.6 inches in Herman. The observer in Ironwood measured 4.5 inches of wet snow accumulation in 15 hours. A low pressure system originating in the Plains lifted into the Lower Great Lakes bringing moderate snow to portions of west and north central Upper Michigan on the 7th and 8th.

1987: On May 8, 1987, fires broke out, the largest from arson. The biggest fire was north of Manistique with 6 small fires in a short distance combining to form the Eight Mile Road fire. This fire scorched more than 5,000 acres before being brought under control May 11th. 200 firefighters fought this blaze which cost $250,000 to control.

1916: On May 8, 1916, the composite, bulk freight S.R. Kirby, while carrying iron ore, tried to avoid Sawtooth Reef, near Eagle Harbor, MI in Lake Superior in huge waves and a blizzard, when she broke her back and drifted onto the reef anyway, where she sank. Two crewmen were saved by the steamers Berwind and Block, but most of the crew was drowned when the steamer broke up. 19 of 22 crew members perished. She had been downbound with the barge George E. Hartnell in tow. There were accusations at the time that both steamer and barge were overloaded. Largest composite vessel ever built on the lakes, she was also the first lakes freighter to be equipped with electric lights.

1963: On May 8, 1963, 2-inch diameter hail (lime sized or hen egg sized) fell in Kingsford in the early morning out of a severe thunderstorm.

May 9

1857: On May 9, 1857, a late season snowstorm at Eagle Harbor. Early morning temperature of 46F fell to 28F by mid-morning with 2-3 inches of snow.

1960: On May 9, 1960, from May 6th-9th, 8.8 inches of snow fell in Marquette, 14.5 inches fell in Ishpeming with 3-4 foot drifts, 6 inches fell at Bergland Dam, 9.3 inches fell in Champion. 5.3 inches of snow fell at Ironwood from May 7th-9th. Houghton still had 3 inches of snow on the ground from the snowstorm from May 6th-7th. The snowy season ended in Marquette with 188.1 inches in the winter of 1959 and spring of 1960 with the last measureable snowfall that snow year.

1990: On May 9, 1990, 8.2 inches of daily record snowfall of wet, heavy snow fell at WFO Marquette with a daily record 0.94 inches of liquid equivalent precipitation.

1896: On May 9, 1896, April came in at 5 degrees above average, May came in excess of 7 degrees with dry conditions. This led to a fire that broke out in the L'anse Lumber Company sawmill in the middle of the afternoon. The fire spread quickly in 10 minutes and got out of control. The sawmill was destroyed and the flames spread to the lumber dock where 3 million board feet of dry lumber were consumed. 20 businesses were burned and about that many houses were destroyed. Hundreds of people were left homeless in L'anse.

1908: On May 9, 1908, wildfires broke out from Houghton to Baraga. The first fire was at the Portage Entry at Jacobsville. It destroyed a large amount of property and caused smoke to hang over the lake miles from shore. The smoke was thick enough to cause boats to wait a while before attempting to go into the Portage Canal.

1907: On May 9, 1907, the wood steam fishing tug, W.L. Davis, wrecked and was a total loss near Pt. Maimanse, Ontario in a gale on Lake Superior.

2005: On May 9, 2005, a six-inch diameter tree snapped off 3 miles northeast of Randville in the late afternoon in a severe thunderstorm. 1.00 inch hail (quarter sized) fell 1 mile south of Ishpeming.

2002: On May 9, 2002, an 86 mph wind gust reported at Phoenix. A deepening low pressure system produced high winds over much of Michigan's Upper Peninsula overnight on May 9th and 10th as it tracked just north of Lake Superior. The Keweenaw Peninsula saw the strongest winds with a gust of 86 mph reported on top of the ridge at Phoenix.

2011: On May 9, 2011, a wake low formed by a thunderstorm complex moving through Wisconsin resulted in strong winds over western Lake Superior in the afternoon. Strong southeast winds from a wake low knocked down numerous trees near Little Girls Point. Winds gusted over 40 knots at the GLOS site in Saxon Harbor at this same time.

May 10

1857: On May 10, 1857, a low temperature of 17F at Eagle Harbor with a high of 23F occurred.

2001: On May 10, 2001, a cold front swept across Upper Michigan, fueling an isolated severe thunderstorm over Alger County that dropped 1.25 inch hail (half dollar sized) 1 mile southwest of Au Train in the mid afternoon, and 1.75 inch hail (golf ball sized) in Wetmore in the mid afternoon. 8 inch diameter trees up-rooted in Skandia. 2 inch hail (hen egg sized) fell 9 miles north of Steuben in the mid afternoon.
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/arx/ThisDayInHistory

1990: On May 10, 1990, 14.2 inches of daily record snowfall, 1.95 inches of daily liquid equivalent with a record cold high temperature of 33F at WFO Marquette which put a storm total snowfall of 22.4 inches and 2.89 inches of water equivalent from the 9th to the 10th. 11.8 inches of storm total snow fell in Marquette on the 9th and 10th, and 10 inches of snow fell in Norway, 11 inches in Iron Mountain and 6.5 inches in Bark River. Menominee had damage to cable and power lines from the wet, heavy snowfall.

1908: On May 10, 1908, a second fire burned from south of Houghton through the Pilgrim River area causing some narrow escapes for fishermen. A third fire burned near Baraga and some fishermen narrowly escaped it.

1881: On May 10, 1881, the wood schooner, 2-mast Charley was wrecked at her dock at the mouth of the Beaver River, MN near Lake Superior during a gale.

1884: On May 10, 1884, the wood schooner-barge, bulk freight Emma A. Mays, while carrying stove coal, was bound Cleveland for Thunder Bay, Ontario in tow of the tug Music, when she struck an ice floe and sank quickly in 90 fathoms of water off Grand Island, near Munising, MI in Lake Superior. Her crew abandoned ship. She had just come out of Grand Island, Michigan, where she had lain all winter, to complete her trip.

2011: On May 10, 2011, thunderstorms triggered by a warm front moving across the area dumped heavy rain over portions of Houghton County during the early morning. A spotter southeast of Chassel measured 2.45 inches of rain in a two and a half hour period with greater than one-inch per hour rainfall rates. Several inches of water covered Highway 41 near Chassel and Calumet during the heavy rain event. Water was also reported over several secondary roads near and just north of Chassel. There were multiple reports of estimated quarter-sized hail between Bruce Crossing and Trout Creek. In addition to the heavy rain, a lightning strike in northern Wisconsin around 3:30 AM CDT knocked out the main electrical transmission lines to the western half of Upper Michigan. Power was knocked out to nearly 75,000 residents for many hours throughout the western half of Upper Michigan. The power outage resulted in numerous school and business closures.

May 11

1953: On May 11, 1953, the steel, bulk freight Henry Steinbrenner, while carrying iron ore, foundered in a 75-mph gale when her hatch covers blew off. She filled and sank quickly off Isle Royale in Lake Superior. Part of her crew had abandoned before she went down. 17 members of the 30 member crew perished.

1990: On May 11, 1990, a record low temperature of 23F occurred at WFO Marquette because of snow on the ground from the big snowstorm of May 9th-10th.

2003: On May 11, 2003, 3 to 5+ inches of rain fell in watersheds of most rivers in the northwest third of the U.P. Flooding soon followed.

1996: On May 11, 1996, the all time seasonal snowfall record of 283.1 inches in the snow season of 1995-1996 in Ironwood broke the previous record of 255 inches in 1970-71 where the average snowfall is 171.8 inches. 0.3 inch of snow fell this day, the last measureable snow for the season there.

2011: On May 11, 2011, a warm front over Wisconsin generated severe thunderstorms with large hail over portions of western Upper Michigan. Lightning struck and damaged the steeple tower of the Keweenaw Heritage Center at St. Anne's located in Calumet Township in the early morning. This caused $20,000 in damage. 1 inch hail (quarter sized) fell 3 miles northeast of Mapleton in Iron County. Later in the morning, a large area of showers and thunderstorms impacted Northern Michigan for much of the day. The storms produced isolated severe weather and excessive rainfall, along with an area of high winds associated with a wake low trailing well behind the storms. A 74 mph wind gust was measured by the GLOS site at Big Bay. 1 inch hail (quarter sized) fell 7.5 miles northwest of Daggett at 1515 CST. A wake low, trailing well behind a large area of thunderstorms, produced damaging winds near Sault Ste Marie. A gust of 55 mph was measured at Sanderson Field in the Sault. Over two dozen trees were downed along South Mackinac Trail, and scattered trees were downed elsewhere in the area. A tree fell onto a home in the Sault. Several roofs had shingles removed, and two billboards along I-75 sustained heavy damage. A garage and barn were damaged a few miles southeast of the Sault. $140,000 in damage was caused by the wake low in Chippewa County.

May 12

1907: On May 12, 1907, snow of 1-3 feet still drifted on some fields near Ishpeming.

1997: On May 12, 1997, Ironwood had a foot of snow while Ontonagon had 13.6 inches, Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park headquarters had 16 inches and Summit Peak in the park had 36 inches of snowfall from the late season snowstorm. WFO Marquette had daily record snowfall of 2.7 inches with a record cold high temperature of 36F. 5.8 inches of snow fell at Bergland Dam, 5.5 inches fell at Houghton and 1.2 inches in Marquette. A late winter storm deposited 13 inches of snow at Herman, 12 inches at Ironwood and Wakefield, and 11 inches at Bergland. The snow established new single season snowfall records at Herman with 384.0 inches, Ironwood with 301.8 inches, and Bergland with 284.9 inches. It broke single season snowfall records set just last year of 347.0, 291.9 and 284.2 inches respectively.

1988: On May 12, 1988, an F0 tornado touched down in the early evening 4.6 miles SE of Bruce Crossing. It was on the ground for 0.2 mile and was 10 yards wide.

2003: On May 12, 2003, a deepening low pressure center on the 10th and 11th, moved northeast from the plains into eastern Upper Michigan. By the time the precipitation ended during the afternoon on 12th, Herman in Baraga County had received an impressive 4.88 inches of rain. Some other rainfall totals included 4.71 inches at Ironwood, 3.79 Inches at Paint Lake in Iron County, 3.62 inches at the Marquette NWS, 3.49 inches at Watton in Baraga county, 3.30 inches at Phoenix in Keweenaw County and at Wakefield in Gogebic County, 2.60 Inches at Hancock, 2.20 inches in the city of Marquette, and 0.94 inch at Munising. This heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding across the western Upper Michigan. A number of roads washed out and closed, including Highway M-28 in Ontonagon County between Bruce Crossing and Bergland and M-26 between Eagle Harbor and Eagle River in Keweenaw County. Flood waters as deep as 3 feet inundated downtown L'Anse as Linden Creek overflowed its banks. Other rivers that flooded include the Sturgeon River, the middle branch of the Ontonagon River, the Black River, the Paint River, the Trap Rock River, the Brule River, the Montreal River, and the Menominee River.

2006: On May 12, 2006, a strong low pressure system originating over the northern Plains tracked toward Upper Michigan on the 11th. Strong winds from the storm knocked down numerous trees and power lines in central and southern Menominee County on the 11th. Wet heavy snow on the 11th and 12th caused tree limbs to break off at numerous locations across western Upper Michigan while frequent power outages were reported in Gogebic and Ontonagon counties. The heaviest snow occurred at Ironwood where nearly 8 inches accumulated. Elsewhere, 3 to 5 inches of snow was reported over higher terrain locations of the west. Heavy rain exceeding 6 inches in some areas resulted in widespread flooding across northern Marquette County on the 11th and 12th. Significant road damage occurred on County Road 550 between Big Bay and Marquette with a washout reported near County Road KS and a mudslide reported near Eagles Nest Road. Other smaller creeks inundated portions of County Road 550. Washouts were also reported along County Road 510, Loma Farms Road at the Big Garlic River, Homeier Road near the Yellow Dog River, the County Road GGA Bridge at Clark Creek, and Dump Road in Big Bay. The Chocolay River at Harvey exceeded a flood stage of 9 feet on the morning of the 12th and then crested at nearly 12 feet on the evening of the 12th before subsiding below flood stage by the evening of the 14th. In addition to flooding the DNR public fishing pier on Highway M-28, water also inundated a portion of Timber Lane in Harvey, flooding a few properties and a home in that area. Damage to the home was minor and limited to the first floor. Heavy rain of 2 to 3 inches also fell across portions of Keweenaw, Houghton and Baraga counties. The Keweenaw County Sheriff's Department reported a washout of Highway US-41 at French Annie Creek just south of Copper Harbor. Property damage of $60,000 occurred in Keweenaw County.

1998: On May 12, 1998, two trees 12 inches in diameter were uprooted and fell on a trailer in a severe thunderstorm 2 miles east of Ironwood in the early evening.

2004: On May 12, 2004, a strong upper disturbance and a surface low pressure system over the plains moved northeast through Minnesota. The combination of increasing humidity, temperatures in the 80s, and the approach of the attendant cold front triggered the outbreak of showers and thunderstorms late in the afternoon and evening. A few of these thunderstorms became severe, with some wind damage reported west of Nisula along M-38 in southern Houghton County and large hail just south of Rockland in Ontonagon County. Numerous trees were knocked down 2 miles west of Nisula.

May 13

1954: On May 13, 1954, from May 2nd to the 13th, the temperature averaged 35.8F, the coldest stretch in May records for Marquette which was 1F colder than the same period in 1907.

1997: On May 13, 1997, the high temperature was 31F in Ironwood with a low of 21F. 0.3 inches of daily record snow fell at WFO Marquette.

2003: On May 13, 2003, WFO Marquette had a daily record rainfall of 1.27 inches, part of the deluge that fell the 12-13th. The Dead River flood would follow a day later with the Silver Lake Dam failing.

2008: On May 13, 2008, thunderstorms marched across Eastern Upper Michigan early in the morning. Lightning struck a large pine tree just outside the administration building of Tahquamenon Falls State Park 9 miles west southwest of Paradise, MI at 0330 EST. The tree was blasted into pieces, and most of the electronic equipment in the admin building was destroyed. Some electrical damage also occurred in a staff building, not quite an eighth of a mile away. $2800 in damage occurred from the lightning.

1899: On May 13, 1899, the wood schooner-barge, 3-mast Nelson, while carrying coal, was in tow of steamer A. Folsom, when she broke her towline in a gale, went to pieces and sank offshore in 300 feet of water off Grand Marais, MI in Lake Superior. The vessels had been unable to manage the harbor entrance at Grand Marais, and tugs would not risk the storm to bring them in. The captain was the only survivor out of 8; his wife and child perished along with the crew when the schooner went to the bottom with the yawl and its occupants still in its davits. Floating on the roof of the cabin he came ashore at precisely the same spot that the sole survivor to the sunken steamer Western Reserve had several years before.

1998: On May 13, 1998, a resort cabin burned down after it was struck by lightning in Iron River at 0000 CST causing $50,000 in damage. 

May 14

1888: On May 14, 1888, Gladstone was hit with a 24 hour snowstorm on the 13th-14th.

1997: On May 14, 1997, 0.8 inches of daily record snow fell at WFO Marquette.

2003: On May 14, 2003, a faulty fuse plug on the Silver Lake Dam produced an uncontrolled release of water down the Dead River storage basin. Heavy rains from the Mother's Day storm and runoff from the Huron Mountains filled the Silver Lake Basin reservoir. During the early afternoon, a safety valve designed to take pressure off the main dam began releasing a high volume of water. Between 3 and 4 PM, the dike supporting this 'fuse plug' began to fail. First reports of flooding occurred at 250 PM EST where water was reported over County Road AAO. Water was reported over Mulligan Bridge at County Road AAT at 4 PM EST, stranding a survey crew on the north side of the river. Water began flowing over County Road AAO bridge. By 646 PM EST, fast flowing water was a foot deep over the bridge. Floodwaters began entering secondary homes and camps along the Dead River Storage Basin as a large volume of water continued to flow out of the Silver Lake Basin. Water rose one foot per hour between 11 PM and 1 AM EST on the 15th. Floodwaters began to subside at 8 AM. Damage was reported to 15 secondary residences (camps and summer homes). Several private docks were damaged or destroyed. Over the next several days, the resulting flood waters caused the failure of the downstream Tourist Park Dam and the evacuation of 1800 residents. The total economic impact of the Dead River flood was estimated at $84 million dollars. Silver Lake in Marquette County went from 1400 acres down to 400 acres as the Silver Lake Dam had an earthen dike fail on it. Nearly 1800 residents were ordered to leave their homes and all streets north of Wright Street were closed due to the Dead River flood. Several feet of water gushed over the Hoist Dam and several bridges were taken out by the Silver Lake Dam failure on the Dead River. Several roads were washed out with about 100 seasonal and permanent residences flooded. The Presque Isle Power Plant flooded and the Dead River Bridge on Lakeshore Dr. in Marquette was taken out by the flood.

2007: On May 14, 2007, scattered thunderstorms tracked across Upper Michigan in the afternoon ahead and along a warm frontal passage. A few of these storms produced large hail over Marquette, Alger and Luce Counties. 1.25 inch hail (half dollar sized) fell in Ishpeming at 1300 EST and 1303 EST and 1.25 inch hail fell in National Mine at 1309 EST. Most hailstones were half an inch to an inch and a half in diameter, but a few stones were three inches in diameter (tea cup sized) and shattered car windows 1 mile southeast of Negaunee at 1310 EST causing $6000 in damage. 1 inch hail (quarter sized) fell in Lake Superior 2 miles east of Shot Point at 1349 EST. Half an inch to an inch and a quarter diameter sized hail (half dollar sized) covered the ground 7 miles north northeast of Newberry in the mid afternoon. A second round of severe storms developed in the evening coincident with a cold frontal passage. These storms produced large hail and damaging wind over the west half of Upper Michigan. A five-inch diameter tree limb down in Norway in the early evening. Golf ball sized hail (1.75 inch) reported along County Road 550 between the Big Garlic and Little Garlic Rivers 11 miles north of Marquette. A seven-inch diameter tree blown down onto guardrail on Highway M-95 3 miles north of Republic at 1910 EST. A 70 mph wind gust was reported at the KI Sawyer Airport control tower at 1934 EST. Numerous trees blown down 3 miles south of Watersmeet in the early evening with $5000 in property damage. 1 inch hail (quarter sized) fell in Iron River and several three-inch diameter branches blown down 1 mile west of Iron River. The top of a pine tree fell on a car on 48th Avenue along the north city limits of Menominee in the late evening causing $2000 in damage.

2009: On May 14, 2009, strong west winds in the wake of a cold front caused power outages in the Laurium/Calumet area of Houghton County in the morning. The observer in Laurium reported extended power outages in the Laurium/Calumet area. Michigan State Police also reported that a transformer started on fire and burned a power pole. The Houghton County Airport ASOS measured a wind gust to 45 knots during the event.

May 15

1907: On May 15, 1907, high temperatures failed to get out of the 30s from May 12th-15th in Marquette.

1997: On May 15, 1997, Ironwood had 3.8 inches of snow with 1.0 inch of daily record snow at WFO Marquette.

1854: On May 15, 1854, or somewhere around this date, the wood side-wheel steamer, passenger and package freighter Garden City went on Martin Reef west of Detour, MI in the Straits of Mackinac in Lake Huron during a gale and wrecked while bound Chicago for the Soo. Her passengers were picked up by the steamer Queen City.

1903: On May 15, 1903, the wood steam tug Edward Gillen was rammed and sunk by the steamer Maunaloa in a fog and sank quickly in the Duluth-Superior harbor near Lake Superior. The hulk was raised July 15, but was later declared a constructive total loss. One crew member lost their life.

1921: On May 15, 1921, the wood schooner-barge, bulk freight, 2-mast Miztec, while carrying salt, was in tow of steamer Zillah, when she broke her towline and foundered off Vermillion point in Lake Superior in a gale. She had stranded with heavy damage in nearly the same spot in 1919. After rebuilding, she stranded again near the same location in 1920. It got her at last in '21. All 7 crew members perished.

1998: On May 15, 1998, large branches were downed in a severe thunderstorm 3 miles east of Ironwood in the mid evening and large industrial waste containers rolled by thunderstorm wind at Wakefield in the mid evening.
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/mpx/wxhistory and
http://www.weather.gov/arx/ThisDayInHistory

2003: On May 15, 2003, when the Mother's Day storm runoff from the Huron Mountains overwhelmed a dike holding back Silver Lake in northwest Marquette County, a wave of water inundated the Dead River basin all the way to Lake Superior in Marquette. A number of roads and bridges were washed out by the flood waters. Officials in the city of Marquette issued a mandatory evacuation order for about 1800 people living north of Wright Street. The Presque Isle Power Plant at the Upper Harbor in Marquette was flooded and shut down for a number of days, resulting in shortages of electricity across western and central Upper Michigan. Flood waters on the Dead River did not subside until May 20th. Portions of Lakeshore Blvd and Hawley Street near the Dead River in Marquette were underwater in the early afternoon. Emergency crews in the area were forced to evacuate due to rapidly rising water. Debris from a railroad bridge was spotted being swept into the Lake Superior Harbor. Four feet of water was reported flooding the first floor of the Wisconsin Electric Power Plant at Presque Isle in Marquette. One permanent and three secondary residences were damaged 3 miles west of Marquette. The McClure Dam itself sustained minor damage. Several private docks were damaged by rapidly rising water. Two pontoon boats were torn from their moorings and were swept over the Forestville dam. The Forestville Road bridge and boat ramp were flooded. Flooding was reported along Wright and Granite Streets in Marquette. The road to the Presque Isle Power Plant was underwater. Four primary residences had flood damage along Granite Street. Floodwaters began overtopping the Tourist Park Dam at 11 AM EST. At 1230 PM, a section of the Tourist Park Dam failed and water flowing through the breach eroded a new channel on the left side of the dam. 

May 16

1905: On May 16, 1905, the composite, bulk freight Thomas W. Palmer, while carrying coal, was rammed amidships and almost cut in two by the steel steamer Harvard. Harvard stayed in the hole she had caused until Palmer's crew made it aboard, then backed away, allowing Palmer to sink like a brick. The collision, which occurred in heavy fog, had jammed Palmer's whistle, which blew until she settled off Stannard Rock in Lake Superior.

1997: On May 16, 1997, 2.9 inches of snow fell in Marquette and 1.6 inches fell in Houghton, 3.2 inches of daily record snow fell at WFO Marquette. From May 9-16th, it snowed 6 out of 8 days in western and central Upper Michigan.

2009: On May 16, 2009, strong northwest winds were reported over Houghton and Marquette counties in the wake of cold front from the late morning into mid afternoon. Winds frequently gusted at or near 50 knots for several hours. Localized strong wind downed a few large trees and caused power outages around the town of Negaunee.

May 17

1907: On May 17, 1907, timbered land was still covered with 1-2 feet of snow near Negaunee.

1906: On May 17, 1906, the spring across the U.P. was very dry. April came in more than 5 degrees above average with dry conditions. A series of fires broke out in the dry swamps, fields and forests of the U.P. and burned down portions of towns and farming settlements. The fires occurred in an area from Bessemer to Newberry. The high temperature reached 91F in Marquette with low relative humidity. Fires broke out around Marquette and were fanned by winds of 30-40 mph at times. At least 50 farmers lost their homes and farms to the fires in the Chocolay Valley along with cattle and other livestock. 100 families in the area south and southeast of Marquette were homeless. No one was killed with the fires. Kenton, Sidnaw and Big Bay were threatened with fires, but saved.

2001: On May 17, 2001, wind gusts out of a severe thunderstorm up to 75 mph caused an 18 inch diameter tree to be up-rooted, other trees downed 17 miles northeast of Munising in Alger County in the late afternoon and 8 inch diameter trees down 18 miles northwest of Seney. 6 to 8 inch diameter trees down 19 miles north of Newberry in the early evening. A cold front moving east across Upper Michigan produced severe thunderstorms with hail and high winds over the eastern Upper Peninsula and over eastern Lake Superior in the afternoon.

1998: On May 17, 1998, microburst winds downed 12-18 inch diameter aspen and pine trees in a location known as the 'Baraga Plains' in a severe thunderstorm with gusts up to 63 mph in the early evening. Roll clouds and funnel clouds were observed in the area around 3 miles southwest of Baraga, but no conclusive visual or ground evidence of tornado touchdown was found. Thunderstorm winds tore off part of the Lakeside Inn's copper roof and downed large maple trees in Baraga State Park campground and did $5000 worth of property damage in the early evening in Baraga. An automatic weather station reported a 64 mph wind gust at Pelkie at 2005 EDT. Thunderstorm wind gusts downed 12 inch diameter trees and blew shingles off a roof in L'anse and snapped 8 inch diameter trees just south of L'anse at 2011 EST. 25 miles southwest of Houghton had a wind gust to 61 mph at 1955 EST. Microbursts with wind gusts over 75 mph downed dozens of trees and damaged buildings at Cornell and Gladstone between 2210 and 2215 EST. At Cornell, strong winds destroyed a barn. In Gladstone, trees up 30 inches in diameter were blown down. Three storage sheds were destroyed, 15 homes suffered significant damage, and many other homes and businesses received minor damage. A 12 year girl in Gladstone suffered a broken arm when a pop up camper she was in flipped over. A woman inside a Gladstone house received a lacerated ear when a 2 by 4 from a demolished storage shed crashed through a window. This storm did $400,000 in property damage. An 18 inch diameter apple tree was downed 5 miles east of Rapid River at 2240 EST.

2008: On May 17, 2008, a severe thunderstorm dropped 1 inch hail (quarter sized) over Schoolcraft County over Gulliver in the early afternoon.

May 18

1906: On May 18, 1906, Quinnesec had a fire break out which spread quickly and went 64 miles along the Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad and then 30 miles beyond Channing. In Northland, the flames were beaten back three times with the fire stopped within 10 yards of homes on the outside rim of the town. 16 families lost homes in Quinnesec and a majority of the business district was destroyed. Near Foster, Felch and Sagola, numerous farmers lost their homes and farms from the wildfire. Sagola was saved by a wind shift at the last minute, otherwise it would have been destroyed by the wildfire.

1894: On May 18, 1894, the wooden schooner Myrtle Camp while carrying salt and empty barrels, was driven ashore 500 feet from deep water in a terrific spring gale, 1.5 miles north of Ingallston, MI at Deadman's Point near Menominee. Tugs were unable to reach her and she was abandoned. However, she was later recovered.

1924: On May 18, 1924, the wood, bulk freight Orinoco, while carrying pulpwood, was towing the huge barge Chieftain, when she was caught in a gale. She cut the unweildly barge loose, then foundered 6 miles off Agawa Bay, Ontario in Lake Superior. All 5 crew members perished.

1998: On May 18, 1998, a severe thunderstorm dropped 1.5-inch hail (ping pong ball sized) 6 miles south of Ishpeming in the early evening.

2009: On May 18, 2009, strong southwest winds ahead of an approaching cold front downed a large jack pine on top of an automobile at the Ranger Station of the Ottawa National Forest in Watersmeet. Property damage was $10,000.

May 19

1906: On May 19, 1906, after the previous day of large wildfires in the U.P, snow flurries developed in Marquette and the heatwave ended in the U.P. The wildfires of 1906 ended up being the most widespread and destructive to ever burn across the U.P.

1975: On May 19, 1975, 1.5 inch hail (ping pong ball sized) fell in Herman in Baraga County out of a severe thunderstorm and 1.25 inch hail (half dollar sized) fell 1.1 miles northeast of Ishpeming in the late afternoon.
See entry for date on http://www.weather.gov/mpx/wxhistory

May 20

2009: On May 20, 2009, the Pinery Wildfire started east of L'anse on this day around 3:30pm local time and burned 685 acres before being contained on the 22nd. Human burning of debris and brush in the early afternoon, strong southerly winds gusting as high as 50 mph, and very low relative humidity values of 15-25% caused and sustained the wildfire. The wildfire destroyed a mobile home and damaged the Pinery Ski Lake Cross Country Ski Trails and Pinery Cemetery. The fire fighting efforts were led by the Michigan DNR and BIA, which contained the fire on the 22nd and finished mop up on the 26th. The cost of fighting the fire was estimated at near $125,000. A warm frontal passage pushed record heat and very dry conditions across Upper Michigan. This warm front combined with wind gusts up to 50 mph to spark two large wildfires in the afternoon across Marquette and Baraga Counties. Winds gusting over 50 mph downed a 40 foot pine tree and snapped power lines in Marquette in the afternoon. The Black River Falls Wildfire started southwest of Ishpeming in Marquette County on the afternoon of the 20th. The wildfire was ignited when a jack pine tree branch split off the main stem from strong southerly winds and fell across a power line. The wildfire burned 811 acres, destroyed 21 residences and 12 other structures. The fire fighting efforts were led by the Michigan DNR. The wildfire was contained on the 22nd and mop up efforts continued into the 26th. The cost for personnel and equipment to fight the wildfire was estimated at near $100,000. The total damage estimate is unknown at this time but presumed to be in the millions of dollars.

2012: On May 20, 2012, a cold front moving through the region generated strong to severe thunderstorms over portions of west and central Upper Michigan in the afternoon. Winds estimated at 60 mph knocked over a 24-inch diameter white pine tree six miles south of Witch Lake. 1 inch hail (quarter sized) fell in Ironwood late in the morning and 2 miles northwest of Stanwood in Houghton County and 1 mile east of Calumet in the early afternoon. A lightning strike from thunderstorms caused a house fire in Iron Mountain in the evening. The home sustained $30,000 in damage in numerous areas, but firefighters were able to keep the damage contained to the second floor and attic. The Iron Mountain Police Department, Beacon Ambulance and Wisconsin Electric were also at the scene of the fire to assist. Trees were knocked down across Highway M-95 along the Marquette/Dickinson County line. Very strong winds knocked down small tree limbs and blew patio furniture across the yard 10 miles south southwest of National Mine and several trees were knocked down along County Road 581 4 miles south southwest of National Mine. Lightning and high wind from thunderstorms caused more than 200 customers to lose power in Ishpeming. The observer ten miles east of Ontonagon measured 1.75 inches of total rainfall. A small creek on the residence was reported over its banks. The observer at Rockland measured 2.80 inches of storm total rainfall. There was a report of one inch hail (quarter sized) near Redridge.

May 21

1873: On May 21, 1873, the latest opening to shipping season in Marquette occurred with the first boat in the harbor. This was the year of the famous ice blockade.

1889: On May 21, 1889, the wood schooner, 3-mast Erastus Corning, while carrying iron ore from Escanaba, was in tow of steamer Roumania. She was in a gale and struck bottom at Gull Island shoal, broke her towline, began to leak and went ashore at Poverty Island near Fairport, MI in Lake Michigan and later broke up.

May 22

1945: On May 22, 1945, the diesel tug Eddie S. foundered in a sudden 55-mph squall near the harbor mouth of Grand Marais, MI in Lake Superior. The one surviving crewman was saved by the USCG. 2 of 3 crew members perished.

May 23

2010: On May 23, 2010, a record high temperature was set at WFO Marquette with a high of 88F.

2011: On May 23, 2011, weak low pressure at the surface and aloft helped spin up a weak tornado in the Helmer Bay portion of Manistique Lake in southern Luce County at 1715 EST. After formation, the weak tornado then moved south toward Curtis in Mackinac County. The tornado/waterspout was not associated with a thunderstorm. The tornado touched down 4.57 miles south southwest of McMillan Corner and moved southward crossing into the Mackinac County portion of Big Manistique Lake 5.88 miles south southwest of McMillan Corner. The tornado then continued southward an additional mile into Mackinac County. It was on the ground for a mile, damage path was 50 yards wide and was rated an EF0.

May 23

2010: On May 23, 2010, a record high temperature was set at WFO Marquette with a high of 88F.

2011: On May 23, 2011, weak low pressure at the surface and aloft helped spin up a weak tornado in the Helmer Bay portion of Manistique Lake in southern Luce County at 1715 EST. After formation, the weak tornado then moved south toward Curtis in Mackinac County. The tornado/waterspout was not associated with a thunderstorm. The tornado touched down 4.57 miles south southwest of McMillan Corner and moved southward crossing into the Mackinac County portion of Big Manistique Lake 5.88 miles south southwest of McMillan Corner. The tornado then continued southward an additional mile into Mackinac County. It was on the ground for a mile, damage path was 50 yards wide and was rated an EF0.

May 24

2010: On May 24, 2010, record heat continues with a warm record minimum temperature of 68F and a record high temperature of 91F at WFO Marquette.

1928: On May 24, 1928, the wood schooner-barge, 2-mast Mingoe, while carrying salt and lumber, foundered in a storm in the Huron Islands in Lake Superior. Some speculation was that she struck an ice floe. 3 crew members perished.

2007: On May 24, 2007, isolated severe thunderstorms downed a few trees and branches in Iron County in the evening. A few trees were blown down across roads in the Gaastra area.

May 25

2010: On May 25, 2010, the last day of record heat at WFO Marquette with a record high temperature of 88F and a record high minimum temperature of 63F. Thunderstorms developed later that day. Ontonagon reported 60 mph wind gusts, 1 inch diameter hail (quarter sized), 1.63 inches of rain in 20 minutes, and some roads were washed out with some flash flooding from a severe thunderstorm. The Ontonagon Sheriff's office reported roads in and near Ontonagon washed out due to heavy rainfall of two to three inches which fell in less than an hour. Flooding on River Street in Ontonagon forced water over the sidewalks and into some area businesses. The Ontonagon Sheriff's office reported branches and small trees down in Ontonagon due to thunderstorm winds.

1989: On May 25, 1989, a severe thunderstorm produced a wind gust to 75 mph 1 mile east northeast of Sault Ste Marie in the St. Mary's River in the early morning.

2008: On May 25, 2008, a severe thunderstorm dropped 2.5 inch hail (tennis ball sized) 1 mile west of Bark River in the early evening and 1.5 inch hail (ping pong ball sized) at Iron Mountain and 1 inch hail (quarter sized) in Alpha, 1 mile northeast of Spalding and in Wilson in the late afternoon.
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/mqt/today_in_history

May 26

1919: On May 26, 1919, the wood, bulk freight Ferdinand Schlesinger, while carrying coal, sprang a leak in a gale and sank after a struggle of many hours by her crew 15 miles southeast of Passage Island off Isle Royale in Lake Superior. They abandoned the sinking vessel for the freezing lake and were rescued by the Canadian passenger steamer Assiniboia. Out of Duluth.

May 27

1884: On May 27, 1884, the sidewheel boom tug Ozaukee, while towing logging craft, was driven ashore, struck a sandbar in a storm and wrecked 3 miles off Bad River, WI southeast of Chequamegon Point in Lake Superior. Her crew escaped in her boats. Hailed from Marquette.

1907: On May 27, 1907, snow fell across most of Upper Michigan, but it melted rapidly.

1969: On May 27, 1969, a record high temperature of 88F occurred at WFO Marquette.
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/arx/ThisDayInHistory

1933: On May 27, 1933, the steel, passenger steamer George M. Cox, while carrying passengers, was traversing the foggy area at 17 knots. She impaled herself on a rock pinnacle 1/2 mile SE of Rock of Ages light, near Isle Royale in Lake Superior. She had been enroute to pick up passengers for her first cruise since refitting. She broke in half and slipped into deep water the following October.

May 28

1969: On May 28, 1969, the earliest 100F ever in the city of Marquette with a high of 100F with temperatures in the 80s at 730 am in Marquette, warming to 96F at noon. The heat caused concrete to explode with sections of Highway 41 from Chocolay to Ishpeming needing emergency repairs. Calumet had a high temperature of 95F and WFO Marquette had a record high of 95F and a record high minimum temperature of 67F.

1860: On May 28, 1860, the side-wheel wooden steamer Arctic while carrying merchandise and passengers, was driven ashore on the east side of Lighthouse Island in the Huron Islands in Lake Superior in a heavy fog and later destroyed by a gale on the Huron shoals. Passengers and crew were able to make it to shore by small boat before a storm arose and pounded her to pieces. They were later picked up by the steamer Fountain City.

1991: On May 28, 1991, two tornadoes touched down at 1230 CST in Menominee County. The first tornado moved NE from 1 mile west of Swanson to 3 miles west of Daggett with a path of 10 miles and width of a 150 yards. Trees, barns, and storage sheds were damaged. The end of a house roof was lifted several inches and set back down. A poultry building was destroyed. A car and garage were crushed by a tree. F1 to locally F3 damage was with this tornado and caused $250,000 worth of property damage. The second tornado had a path of 12 miles and 80 yards of width with F2 damage. This moved NE from 1 mile NW of Faithorn to near Hermansville, destroying a barn and several other small buildings causing $250,000 worth of property damage.

2006: On May 28, 2006, thunderstorms produced heavy rain and minor flooding over portions of south central Upper Michigan in the morning. Rainfall amounts from one and a half to three inches were reported over portions of Iron, Dickinson, Menominee and Delta Counties. Storm spotters in Escanaba reported street flooding with water up to the bottoms of cars on 15th Street.

1998: On May 28, 1998, strong thunderstorm winds downed trees between Ironwood, Bessemer, and Wakefield in the early morning. The downed trees damaged a pickup truck in Ironwood and a sport utility vehicle in Wakefield causing $10,000 in property damage.
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/arx/ThisDayInHistory

2012: On May 28, 2012, a cold front moving through a warm and unstable airmass produced isolated severe thunderstorms over south central Upper Michigan in the afternoon. The spotter seven miles southwest of Munising measured 1.50 inches of rain from a thunderstorm in 40 minutes. The spotter near Schaeffer reported trees greater than five inches in diameter down across his yard. Power lines and trees were reported down across the railroad tracks in Menominee. Emergency services were activated for the area.

May 29

1947: On May 29, 1947, 6 inches of heavy, wet snow fell in the Carp Plains area in Schoolcraft County, 9 inches fell in Deer Park, 6 inches fell in Munising, 1.3 inches fell in Grand Marais, 4.6 inches fell in Sault Ste Marie, 4 inches fell in Newberry, 3.8 inches fell in Fayette, 3.5 inches fell at Chatham experimental farm, 3 inches of snow fell in Manistique, 2 inches of snow fell in Rock, 3 inches fell in Steuben. The packet Favorite went off course in a gale in heavy weather and grounded on the northeast shore of Presque Isle, northwest of Marquette, MI in Lake Superior, then was broken up by storm waves. A small Coast Guard boat grounded trying to rescue her 1 crewman, USCG Woodrush finally affected the rescue. A wood motor Cost Guard patrol boat, probably a former yacht, was attempting to aid the stranded gas screw Favorite when her propeller fouled her tow cable. Helpless, the boat was driven ashore and smashed in the gale near Presque Isle, NW of Marquette, MI in Lake Superior.
See entry for 28 May in  http://www.weather.gov/arx/ThisDayInHistory
and entry for this date in http://www.weather.gov/mpx/wxhistory

1999: On May 29, 1999, 1 inch hail (quarter sized) fell at Worchester Lake in Creighton at 0315 EST.

May 30

1868: On May 30, 1868, the wood schooner Oneida Chief, while carrying pig iron, was driven into the shallows in a storm surrounding Au Sable Point in Lake Superior and broke up. She had been bound Marquette for Lake Erie.

1888: On May 30, 1888, the wood schooner, 3-mast former bark Maggie McRae, while carrying wheat, was in tow of tug Bruno after dark, when she stove in her bow planking in a collision with an ice sheet and sank 10 miles off Thunder Cape Light in Lake Superior. Bound for Kingston.

1915: On May 30, 1915, the wood schooner, 3-mast R.P. Mason, while carrying sawmill gear, was loading a cargo of sawmill equipment when she caught fire. She burned through her lines and drifted into the bay, where she was consumed down to the waterline at 'Gouley's' [Goully] Bay, N of Fayette, MI in the Big Bay De Noc off of the bay of Green Bay. The dock and sheds were also destroyed. 2 people died [lost in the dock fire, not on the ship].

2002: On May 30, 2002, a short wave trough moving rapidly southeastward across Michigan's Upper Peninsula combined with a mid-level jet to produce severe thunderstorms with large hail, damaging winds and a weak tornado. Large tree branches were broken off 8 miles northeast of Ralph in a severe thunderstorm in the mid afternoon. Three to four inch diameter tree branches were broken off 2 miles southeast of Gwinn. Several large trees were knocked down and large branches were broken off 4 miles northwest of McFarland. An F0 tornado touched down one mile southwest of Rapid River, MI in the late afternoon, was on the ground for 5 minutes and travelled 1 mile and was 20 yards wide. It caused no damage. One foot diameter trees were uprooted at Channing in the early evening. A one foot diameter pine tree was snapped in half 2 miles east of Michigamme. In the early evening, 1.5 inch hail (ping pong ball sized) was reported at Channing and 1.75 inch hail (golfball sized) at Sagola and 2 inch hail (hen egg sized) at Randville in the early evening. Golf ball sized hail (1.75 inch) fell at Hardwood, 7 miles east of Crystal Falls and 8 miles east of Crystal Falls in the early evening. In the mid evening, severe thunderstorms caused two inch diameter tree branches to be broken off with gusts to 63 mph 2 miles northwest of Covington. One and a quarter inch hail (half dollar sized) was reported 1 mile southwest of Escanaba in the mid evening in a severe thunderstorm. Three inch diameter tree branches were broken off 5 miles south of Lake Linden in the late afternoon.

2006: On May 30, 2006, thunderstorms dumped heavy rainfall and caused minor flooding over portions of the Pictured Rocks area in the morning. Radar rainfall estimates in excess of three inches were observed between Beaver Lake and Nawakwa Lake and the resulting heavy rainfall washed out portions of Kingston Lake Road (Highway H-58) between Twelvemile Beach and Hurricane River Road.

2011: On May 30, 2011, a low pressure system approaching from the Northern Plains triggered thunderstorms with heavy rain over portions of western Upper Michigan in the afternoon. A severe thunderstorm produced wind gusts in excess of 60 mph at Freda in Houghton County. The Gogebic County Sheriff reported a road washed out just west of Little Girls Point due to storms that passed over the area in the afternoon. The road was closed from Little Girls Point west to the Wisconsin state line. Heavy rain over a 15-minute period caused two to three inches of water over roadways and flooding in ditches 1 mile northwest of Wakefield. As a dying thunderstorm complex moved over Lake Superior on the afternoon of the 30th, a seiche developed due to the wake low formed by the complex. No damage or injuries were reported from this event but water levels fluctuated by two to four feet in a matter of minutes.

May 31

1907: On May 31, 1907, Marquette had an average temperature of 39.8 degrees which was more than 9 degrees below normal.

1986: On May 31, 1986, WFO Marquette recorded 0.06 inch of rainfall, the driest May on record for that site.

2004: On May 31, 2004, wind gusts, measured as high as 45 mph at Kinross, combined with wet soil conditions to down trees and cause scattered power outages across Eastern Upper Michigan in Chippewa and Mackinac Counties. This continued into June 1st.

2011: On May 31, 2011, severe thunderstorms produced damaging wind gusts over Baraga and Alger Counties in the mid afternoon. Numerous 100-foot white pine trees were downed along North Shore Road near Au Train Lake 1 mile south southwest of Au Train. One tree fell over a power line, and a telephone pole was snapped in half causing $2000 in property damage. A spotter reported a 25-foot 10-inch diameter maple tree snapped 2 miles south of Baraga Carlson airport. A tree fell on power lines sparking a small fire on Imperial Heights Road just off of US-41 7 miles east southeast of Nestoria. A spotter near Pelkie measured a thunderstorm wind gust to 60 mph at 1410 EST.

2010: On May 31, 2010, the first five months of 2010 were quite dry across Eastern Upper Michigan. In Sault Ste Marie, total precipitation from January through May was 3.70 inches, compared to a normal of 10.43 inches. Drought conditions developed as the year progressed, and by mid May western Mackinac County was considered to be in a severe drought. This categorization would expand into all of Eastern Upper Michigan in early June, before rainier weather eased drought concerns later in the month.

/////////////
From La Crosse  http://www.weather.gov/arx/ThisDayInHistory
"This Day in Weather History" contains come memorable weather events and trivia across southeast Minnesota, northeast Iowa and southwest into central Wisconsin. Many sources were used to research and compile the data.
May 1

2001: Four tornadoes affected Freeborn, Mower, and Olmsted Counties in southeast Minnesota during the evening. The first tornado (F2) moved through Glenville (Freeborn County). Another F2 tornado touched down just northeast of Glenville hitting several farms as it tracked northeast. Several hog farms were destroyed. This tornado crossed Interstate 90 between mile markers 173 and 174 west of Austin, tracked just southeast of Oakland, MN and continued toward the community of Lansing before lifting about 4 miles north of Austin. The tornado hit numerous farms, outbuildings, power poles, and crossed fields that were still bare of crops. Hardest hit were several homes in the small community of Andyville north of Austin, just off of Highway 218. Roofs were torn off and trees sheared off. Also, in this family oftornadoes, brief F0 tornadoes touched down briefly between Rose Creek and Elkton(Mower County) in a field 5 miles east of Stewartville (Olmsted County).

1978: Jump River, WI (12), Mauston, WI (18, coldest May temperature), and Platteville, WI (26) low temperature.

1973: Lake City, MN (3.50") rain.

1972: an F0 tornado touched down during the evening in Grant County, WI.

1954: Galesville, WI (3.97"), Blair (3.48", wettest May day), La Crescent, MN(3.48", wettest May day), Hokah, MN (3.41"), Genoa (3.14"), and Caledonia, MN (3")rain.

1950: Guttenberg, IA (28, coldest May temperature).

1936: Winona, MN (3.83", wettest June day).

1930: An F3 tornado skipped from 2 miles south of Holmen, WI to Tomah, WI. Most of the damage was north of West Salem, WI and the west and north edges of Sparta, WI. Homes and barns were destroyed. Damage estimates were $150, 000. It also caused 15 injuries. In addition to this tornado, two F2 tornadoes occurred. Thefirst F2 tornado moved east from southeast of Ettrick, WI to near Melrose, WI. "Cottages" and barns were leveled in the South Beaver Creek valley. Ten people were injured in one home. Estimated damage costs were $50, 000. The second F2 tornado moved through Westby, WI. Losses in the business district were about $100, 000 as35 buildings were damaged or destroyed. A nine-year old boy was killed by a flying store front as he ran for home. Also, eleven people were injured.

1911: La Crosse, WI (5.2") snow. Rain and sleet changed to snow about 4:45 AM and was heavy until about 9 AM when it became light. Trees, wires, etc were heavily coated with snow and considerable damage resulted to shade trees.

1887: A tornado occurred in Clark County, WI around 9 PM.

May 2

2013: A slow moving, potent spring storm brought heavy snow to parts of the region from late Wednesday night (May 1st) through Thursday, May 2. The snow lingered into Friday the 3rd. 1 to 2" per hour snowfall rates were common overnight Wednesday. The bulk of the snow fell on May 2nd. Daily snowfall records were set at many locations. In fact, some of the one-day totals also set monthly records. Snowfall from the 3-days in IA: Osage(13"), Spring Valley (12.9"), St Ansgar (10.9"), Charles City (10"), Riceville(7"). In MN: Dodge Center(17.2"), Reads Landing (15.8"), Rochester(15.3"), Oak Center(15"), Claremont(14.9"), Byron(14.8"), Kasson (14.5"), Zumbro Falls(14.1"), Grand Meadow(14"), Oronoco(14"), Elgin(13.1"), Pine Island (13"), Eyota(12.5"), St Charles(11.5"), Theilman(11.5"), Austin(10.2"), Zumbrota (9.9"), Wabasha (9.5"), Altura(9.4"), Mantorville(9"), Pine Island(9"), Lake City(8"), Lanesboro (8"), Lewiston (8"), Preston (8"). In WI: Mondovi (8.3"), Osseo (8.1"), Jump River (7"), Arcadia (6").
See entry for date at http://www.weather.gov/mpx/wxhistory

2012: Wednesday night (May 2nd), severe storms formed over southern MN and moved into parts of western WI. Hardest hit areas extended from Mankato, MN east through Lake City and Wabasha, into Buffalo and Trempealeau counties in WI. Numerous reports of large hail, very heavy rain, and wind damage were received. Wind gusts of 74 mph were recorded in Wabasha, MN. Early Thursday morning (May 3rd), additional thunderstorms produced large hail and wind damage from northeast IA into La Crosse, WI. Large hail also fell across parts of central WI. 2-day rainfall-In MN: Lake City (2.36"), Wabasha (2.21"). In WI: Friendship (2.76"), New Lisbon (2.08"), Blair(2.00").

1993: Prairie du Chien, WI (3") rain.

1959: Blair, WI (93) and Sparta, WI (92) had their warmest May temperature.

1911: The low temperature at La Crosse, WI was 26 degrees. This, along with May 3, 1971 and May 6, 1989, are the coldest May temperatures at La Crosse. Mather, WI (16) low temperature.

1908: Lancaster, WI (23, coldest May temperature).

1901: Caledonia, MN (90, warmest May temperature).

1895: a tornado caused 3 injuries in Humbird, WI (Clark County).

May 3

1971: The low temperature at La Crosse, WI was 26 degrees. This along with May 2, 1911 and May 6, 1989 are the coldest May temperatures at La Crosse.

1967: Coldest May temperatures were recorded in: Mondovi, WI (20), Rochester (21), Austin, MN (22), Alma, WI (24), and Waukon, IA (24).

1959: Owen, WI (93, warmest May temperature).

1949: Cresco, IA (91, warmest May temperature).

1935: La Crosse, WI (6") and Viroqua, WI (6") snow. Rain changed to sleet during the evening of the 2nd and into snow during the morning hours of the 3rd.

1902: Wabasha, MN (3.06") rain.

May 4

1976: Neillsville, WI (15, coldest May temperature).

1964: Baseball sized hail (2.75") fell in Crawford County WI.

1964: An F2 tornado moved across Jackson county, WI from 2 miles southeast of Melrose to 7 miles south southeast of Black River Falls. It leveled barns and destroyed trailers. All the trees on one side of a hill were leveled. Another F2 tornado moved northeast from east of Rossville, IA to northeast of Lynxville, WI and eventually to 1 mile east of Rising Sun. Farm losses totaled $100, 000 as barns were destroyed northwest of Harpers Ferry, in Taylor Township. All 3 injuries occurred in Crawford County, WI. Yet another F2 tornado across Juneau County, WI from 2 miles south of Hustler to 4 miles northwest of New Lisbon. It unroofed one home and a dozen smaller buildings were damaged. Another F1 tornado occurred 3 miles west of Necedah, WI.

1959: A weak F0 tornado touched down in Wabasha County, MN.

1935: Richland Center, WI (21, coldest May temperature).

1907: Fayette, IA (18), Charles City, IA (20), and Viroqua, WI (23) recorded their coldest May temperature.

1902: Chester, IA (3.3") rain.

1900: Medford, WI (16, coldest May temperature). 

May 5

1965: An F4 tornado moved east-northeast from 2 miles north of Nora Springs, IA, passing 3 miles north of Cresco and lifting near Yucatan, MN. About 28 farms lost buildings in Iowa. Six people were injured in Minnesota, as homes and barns were destroyed near Canton, Lenora, and Newburg (Fillmore County). Six people were injured in Floyd County, IA and 5 in Howard County, IA. Also, on this date, an F3 tornado moved east-northeast from northwest of Money Creek, crossing the Mississippi River near Dakota, MN, and passing between Mindoro and Stevenson, WI. Several barns and a brick school house were destroyed. A dozen Wisconsin farms lost buildings and 1 person (La Crosse County, WI) was injured when a car was thrown 75 feet. F2 tornadoes tore apart 2 farms south of Fremont, MN and damaged at least one barn on 20 farms from Le Roy, MN to Chatfield, MN. Finally, a weak F0 tornado touched down in Wabasha County, MN.
See entry for date from http://www.weather.gov/mpx/wxhistory

1962: Oelwein, IA (3.1") rain.

1959: An F2 tornado touched down briefly just north of Black River Falls, WI. It leveled a barn and destroyed a greenhouse. Another F1 tornado touched down near Mondovi, WI during the evening (7 PM). Neither tornado caused any injuries or deaths.

1949: Oelwein, IA (92, warmest May temperature).

1909: Rochester began the day with a morning low of 32. Later that afternoon, the temperature rose 58 degrees to top out at 90. This stands as the greatest diurnal temperature difference. Wabasha, MN (92/44) high/low temperatures.

1907: Blair, WI (17, coldest May temperature).

May 6

1989: The low temperature at La Crosse, WI was 26 degrees. This, along with May 2, 1911 and May 3, 1971, are the coldest May temperatures at La Crosse. Other coldest May temperatures: Prairie du Chien, WI (22), Cresco, IA (23), Genoa, WI (27), Lynxville, WI (27). Elgin, MN also had its latest measurable snowfall (0.5").

1962: Fayette, IA (4.41") rain.

1960: Platteville, WI (3") rain.

1936: Medford, WI (2.77", wettest May day).

May 7

1965: An F1 tornado touched down during the afternoon in Fayette County, IA.
See also entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/mqt/today_in_history

1964: F2 tornadoes occurred in both Juneau County, WI (1 mile north of Meadow Valley) and Fayette County, IA. The tornado in Juneau County caused one injury.

1960: Spring Grove, MN (1") and La Crosse, WI (0.8") had their latest measurable snowfall. Cashton, WI (6") snow. 

May 8

2002: Numerous severe thunderstorms dropped large hail and caused considerable wind damage over much of the region. The worst damage was in northeast Iowa where supercells dropped large hail and produced wind gusts up to 100 mph. A pole barn was destroyed near Protivin, IA and a brief tornado (F0) caused damage near Waukon, IA. Heavy rains also caused flash flooding leading to extensive field erosion.

1988: Grant County, WI was visited by 7 tornadoes causing $500, 000 in damages. Small tornadoes damaged some farm buildings and trees near Beetown, Union, Boscobel, and Rockville. A tornado path over 7 miles long between Stitzer and Montfort damaged mainly trees along with a few farm buildings. A tornado around Mount Ida damaged 2 homes, destroyed farm buildings, and uprooted trees. Another tornado with a 10-mile long track between Mount Hope and Fennimore, WI damaged 4 homes, downed 2 barns, and several farm buildings and trees. In addition to the tornadoes in Grant County, an F2 tornado mainly crossed rural areas of the Monroe County, WI (1 mile northeast of Cashton to 5 miles west of Warrens). Several farms and barns were destroyed or heavily damaged. Another F2 tornado touched down initially southwest of Richland Center, WI and then tracked to 1 mile east of Buck Creek before lifting just west of Cazenovia. Numerous barns, farm sheds, and trees were damaged in addition to 2 homes. There were also three F1 tornadoes reported in Juneau County. These tornadoes caused 2 injuries.

1964: An F2 tornado moved north from 3 miles northwest of Lyndon Station, WI to 8 miles east of Adams, WI. It shifted a home off its foundation and destroyed (close to F3 damage), and another was unroofed. A trailer was destroyed and a barn was leveled. Trees were debarked. Also, an F2 tornado leveled barns as it tracked northeast from east of Readstown, WI to 2 miles south of Viola, to 3 miles northwest of Yuba, WI to west of Hillsboro. Two people were injured in Richland County.

1960: Neillsville, WI (5"), Blair, WI (1"), and Sparta, WI (0.5") had their latest measurable snowfall. Curtiss, WI (6") snow.

1920: Several barns were completely destroyed in Washington Township in Chickasaw County, IA by an F2 tornado. Damage totaled $10, 000. 

May 9

1966: Owen, WI (13, coldest May temperature).
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/mpx/wxhistory

1945: Osage, IA (21, coldest May temperature).

1918: An F4 tornado moved across Floyd, Chickasaw, and Winneshiek Counties in northeast Iowa from 2 miles north of Pearl Rock to Calmar. Two people died just east of Calmar, when the tornado was a mile wide. Losses in and near Calmar totaled $250, 000. Overall, this tornado killed 7 people and injured 15 others. An F3 tornado initially touched down a mile south of Pachard, IA (Butler County) then moved east northeast into Chickasaw County, IA and dissipated 3 miles east of Pearl Rock. A woman was killed there when a dozen homes were damaged. As many as 30 people hid in a single cellar. Overall, it killed one person, injured 5 other, and caused $50, 000 in property damage. 

May 10

2001: Two funnels were seen with a thunderstorm just northeast of Edgewood, IA. The northern funnel touched down (F0) sporadically for 1 mile. It did damage to trees and 3 outbuildings on 2 farms.
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/mqt/today_in_history

1979: An F2 tornado occurred in Monroe County, WI.

1966: Coldest May temperatures were recorded at: Necedah, WI (16), Preston, MN (18), Theilman, MN (18), Hillsboro, WI (19), Sparta, WI (21), Decorah, IA (22).

1963: Charles City, IA (3.55", wettest May day).

1953: Four F4 tornadoes affected the area. One F4 tornado moved northeast from northeast of Fountain City, WI to Colburn, WI (Chippewa County). This tornado or tornado family struck about a hundred farms. Eight farms were hit in Glencoe Township, northeast of Fountain City. Total damage from this tornado was $1, 000, 000 and it caused 10 injuries. The second F4 tornado moved from 5 miles southwest of Chester, IA to 4 miles northeast of Chatfield, MN. Eleven farms were heavily damaged in northern Iowa before this tornado crossed into Fillmore County, MN. Twenty barns were damaged or destroyed in Minnesota and one man was killed as his barn was destroyed 1 mile southeast of Wykoff. A rural school was leveled 3 miles south of Chatfield as well. The only death occurred in Olmsted County. Six injuries occurred in Olmsted County and 2 injuries in Howard County, IA. The third F4 tornado moved northeast and passed about 2 miles northwest of St. Charles, MN. Farms were torn up all along the track. An infant was killed (Olmsted County) and 4 other people were injured in a car that was thrown 100 feet, about 1.5 miles west of St. Charles, IA. Four more injuries occurred in a barn, and three more in another car. Hundreds of trees were snapped at Whitewater State Park. Overall this tornado killed one person (Olmsted County) and injured 11 people (6 in Olmsted and 5 in Winona Counties). The final F4 tornado moved across Rusk, Price, and Taylor counties in Wisconsin. This storm tracked north-northeast to 7 miles north of Phillips (Price County), but the damage path was not continuous. One farm house was leveled and pieces of it were found 7 miles away. The tornado was most intense in Price County where F4 damage was witnessed for 12 miles. Over $150, 000 worth of damage. An F3 tornado moved northeast across Clayton County, IA from 7 miles north northeast of Elkader to just northeast of Giard. Barns and silos were destroyed as the tornado struck 8 farms. At least 60 head of cattle were killed. A farmer was carried 700 feet, but suffered only minor injures. Damage estimates were $150, 000.
See also http://www.weather.gov/arx/may1053 

1918: Lansing, IA (3.29") rain.

1905: Grand Meadow, MN (3") rain.

May 11

1967: New Hampton, IA (2.97", wettest May day).

1937: A barn and other farm buildings were destroyed by an F2 tornado near Rudd, IA. Damage estimated at $10, 000. 

May 12

1888: A tornado occurred in Crawford County, WI around 5 PM.

May 13

1978: Lancaster, WI (3") rain.

1942: An F3 tornado moved from 3 miles south of Black River Falls, WI to Loyal, WI. Most of the damage and the only death occurred in Jackson County as businesses and homes were destroyed along the east and southeast edge of Black River Falls. Other damage was sustained 1 mile north of Hatfield with a gap in damage around Neillsville. Total damage was $100, 000.

1940: Half dollar size hail (1.25") fell on the north side of La Crosse, WI during the evening (730 PM to 735 PM). The hail caused $300 to $400 damage to the glass at La Crosse Floral Company. 

May 14

1961: An F2 tornado moved through the southeast part of La Crosse, WI during the afternoon. It wrecked several garages and sheds. Also, several trees were uprooted.

1957: A weak F1 tornado touched down in Dodge County, MN.

1905: Winona, MN (3") rain.

May 15

1999: Elgin, MN (2.54", wettest May day).

1998: A weak F1 tornado formed very quickly 2 miles northwest of Eyota, MN and it moved north along Highway 42, and damaged several farms and trees before lifting along the Olmsted-Wabasha County line just south of Elgin. In addition to this one, F0 tornadoes touched down in both Buffalo and La Crosse Counties in WI.
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/mpx/wxhistory and
http://www.weather.gov/mqt/today_in_history

1985: Muscoda, WI (3.15") rain.

1968: An F5 tornado moved through Butler, Chickasaw, Floyd, Franklin, and Howard Counties in northeast Iowa. The tornado moved northeast from north ofHansell, passing east of Aredale, west of Greene, east of Marble Rock, and devastating Charles City. The tornado grew larger and more intense as it approached Charles City. The huge funnel passed directly through town, destroying 337 homes, and causing about $30 million in damage. The tornado continued to the northeast hitting Elma and it caused another $1.5 million in damages. From there the tornado turned to the north and dissipated south of Chester, 4 miles south of the Minnesota border. Nearly 2000 homes were damaged or destroyed. All 13 deaths occurred inFloyd County. 450 injuries were reported in Floyd County and 12 injuries in Howard County. Another F5 tornado moved north-northeast from southwest of Oelwein to Maynard and east of Randalia in Fayette County, IA. Homes were leveled and swept away in both Oelwein and Maynard. The warning sirens sounded for only 15 seconds before power failed in Oelwein. Nearly 1000 homes were damaged or destroyed alongthe path, and 34 people had to be hospitalized. Almost 1, 000 families were affected. Damage was $21 million. In addition to these F5 tornadoes, an F2 tornado touched down 6 miles south of Cresco, IA two weak F1 tornadoes touched down in Dodge County, MN and F1 tornadoes occurred in Fillmore and Chickasaw Counties, MN. Also, baseball size hail (2.75") fell in Fayette County, IA.

1909: Lancaster, WI (3.18", wettest May day).

May 16

1999: Record flooding began over northeast Iowa along the Turkey river and its tributaries. Over 5" of rain fell in many locations that Sunday, with over 8" in Oelwein. Major damage was done to the towns of Oelwein and Fayette where water inundated homes, business, and roadways. Boat rescues were need. The worst of the damage occurred along the Volga river from Volga to Elkport, and on the Turkey from Elkader to near Osterdock. Roads were flooded, some bridges swept away, mudslides, and even entire towns were evacuated. At one point, the town of Fayette was under 10 feet of water. A record flood was recorded in Garber, IA due to these rains, with the crest eventually reaching 30.6 feet a couple days later. Oelwein (4.38", wettest May day).

1999: Lightning struck a home in Rochester, MN blowing a hole in the wall of the kitchen as well as blasting the bark off a tree in the backyard. In addition, the lightning also set off an explosion in a nearby sewer, which damaged three homes and caused a gasoline leak. Several neighborhoods were evacuated. Damage was estimated at $25, 000.

1968: Blair (3.12"), Grand Meadow, MN (3"), and Decorah, IA (2.97", wettest May day) rain.

1951: Jump River, WI (2.7", wettest May day).

1933: Walnut size hail fell in La Crosse, WI between 2:25 PM and 2:29 PM. The hail depth on the ground was approximately an inch from the Bluffs to southeast of the airport.

1899: An F4 tornado moved east northeast from 3 miles northwest of Greeley in Delaware County, IA to northwest of Colesburg into Clayton County, IA. At least five farms were hit. The tornado narrowed to only 75 yards near Colesburg and swept away all buildings including homes on three of the farms. Two people were killed in one family and four others may have died later. Four men were caught in the one mile from Colesburg and two of them were killed as they looked for shelter. A tombstone of some kind was reportedly carried for two miles. This tornado killed 4 people (all in Clayton County) and injured 14 others. 

May 17

2000: Rochester (4.02", wettest May day) and Viroqua (3.97", wettest May day) rain.

1999: The following rainfall totals were recorded: In IA: Fayette (6.20", wettest day on record), Elkader (4.5", wettest May day), WestUnion (3.88"), Guttenberg (3.3", wettest May day).In MN: Strawberry Point (5.48", wettest day on record).In WI: Cuba City (5.70", wettest day on record), Platteville (3.21", wettest May day).

1996: Softball (4.5") size hail pummeled Charles City, IA. Property damage was estimated to be 600 thousand dollars, with an additional 25 thousand in crop damage.

1982: Three F2 tornadoes touched down on this date. The first occurred in Frankford Township, MN where it damaged two farm sites. It moved northeast and itwas observed to the west of Spring Valley, MN and again while crossing Highway 16. The second one touched down near Chatfield, MN and moved northeast throughsections of Winona and Wabasha Counties in southeast Minnesota before crossinginto western Wisconsin. Eleven barns were destroyed, 12 homes were damaged, andthree people were injured from flying glass. The people injured were in Buffalo County. The final F2 tornado moved from the south-southwest crossed the Mississippi River and climbed the bluff in Buffalo County between Alma and Buffalo, then continued north-northeast across County Road N through Herold. The tornado lifted at Herold, set down again briefly 2 miles to the northeast at the intersection of County Roads N and T, then disappeared. Eleven large barns were demolished along the tornado'spath, and 12 houses sustained some damage. One house trailer was also overturned. Three minor injuries due to flying glass and debris resulted. In addition to thesetornadoes, an F1 tornado touched down just southwest of Ettrick, WI. It destroyed 9 farm buildings including two large barns. Also, F0 tornadoes touched down just westof Mantorville, MN and northwest of Rochester, MN. An F1 tornado wrecked a 50x75foot steel pole shed, a 12x14 foot cattle hutch, and sent a heavy timber from the poleshed through the roof of a hog farrowing house just south of Lime Springs, IA). A pieceof wood from the wreckage was driven between the tire and rim of a tractor sitting north of the pole shed.

1936: An F2 tornado moved northeast from Elk Creek, WI to Hale, WI (Trempealeau County) hitting eight farms and completely destroying three barns. A second tornado may have touched down at Elk Creek at 5:00 AM. Damage estimates were $30, 000.

1902: Fayette, IA (5") rain.

May 18

2000: The following rainfalls occurred: In IA: Lansing (4.18").In MN: Lanesboro (5.01", wettest May day), Grand Meadow (4.70", wettest May day), Preston (4.7"), Hokah (4.33", wettest May day), Rushford (4.22", wettest May day), Caledonia (3.96", wettest May day), Harmony (3.73", wettest May day), Spring Valley(3.55"), La Crescent (3.20").In WI: La Farge (4.54", wettest May day), Readstown (4.46", wettest May day), Westby(3.98", wettest May day), Genoa (3.96", wettest May day), Mauston (3.86", wettest Mayday), Trempealeau (3.75", wettest May day), Muscoda (3.70", wettest May day), Richland Center (3.68", wettest May day), Hillsboro (3.33", wettest May day), Sparta(3.16", wettest May day), Steuben (3.07", wettest May day), Ontario (3.05", wettestMay day).

1996: A thunderstorm dropped 2.75" hail in the town of Eitzen, MN. Property damage was estimated at 1 million dollars with 500 thousand in crop damage. Two injuries were also reported. There were also numerous reports of 2.75" hail across portions of northeast Iowa.

1979: A weak F1 tornado touched during the afternoon in Adams County, WI.

1972: Mauston, WI (94, warmest May temperature).

1971: A weak F1 tornado touched during the afternoon in Adams County, WI. This tornado caused 5 injuries. Later that evening, two F1 tornadoes touched down 7 miles southwest of Lancaster and 5 miles west of Hazel Green in Grant County, WI. Neither of these tornadoes caused any injuries or deaths.

1967: A weak F1 tornado moved southeast between Gays Mills and Mount Sterling in Crawford County, WI. It caused no injuries or deaths. Also on this date, Osage, IA had a high temperature of 95 degrees. This is their warmest May temperature.

1918: Mauston, WI (3.35") rain.

1902: Postville, IA (5.45") and Elkader, IA (3.1") rain.

1898: An F3 tornado moved northeast from 7 miles west of Osseo, WI to 2 miles north of Augusta, WI. About 10 farm houses were destroyed. Several of them were leveled to the ground. A child was killed in one of them near the touchdown point. A feather bed was carried 2 miles. This tornado caused an estimated $75, 000 damage. 

May 19

2013: There were several rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms from late afternoon through the evening hours. Initially, tornadoes and large hail were the threats, but storms evolved into bowing segments with swaths of wind damage (50-70 mph) as the evening wore on. Heavy, persistent rain centered around a nearly stationary surface boundary over southeast MN and northeast IA resulted in significant rainfall (upwards of 5" in Mitchell county, IA). With soil soaked from rainfall days before, the downpours resulted in widespread flooding, most significant across Mitchell country. Roads were closed, fields flooded, and rivers and streams out of their banks. The Cedar River at Charles City was put into major flood. Rainfall in IA: St Ansgar(5.10"), Osage(4.16"), Oelwein(2.64"). In MN: Spring Valley(4.47"), Altura(3.33"), Chatfield(2.95"), Eyota(2.77"), Grand Meadow(2.75"), Dover(2.65"), St Charles(2.65"), Elgin(2.31"), Cherry Grove(2.20"), Rochester(2.19"), Minnesota City(2.17"). In WI: Galesville(2.63"), Tempealeau(2.49"), Ettrick(2.31"), Holland(2.00").

1996: Wind gusts over 90 mph were reported in Byron MN creating an estimated $900, 000 in property damage. The thunderstorms rolled from southeast MN to across western WI, with gusts around 90 mph in the communities of Alma and Nelson in Buffalo County, WI. There were 2 injuries reported due to these thunderstorms winds, with estimated damage costs of $85, 000. These storms produced an additional $500, 000 in damage in Clark County and $100, 000 in Taylor County WI.

1971: Hillsboro, WI (3.14") and Lynxville, WI (2.87", wettest May day) rain.

1966: Caledonia, MN (19) low temperature.

1959: A barn and a few sheds were leveled by an F2 tornado as it moved east across Grant County, WI from 6 miles south of Bloomington to 5 miles west of Lancaster. Also on this date, baseball sized hail was reported in Floyd County, IA.

1918: Viroqua, WI (3.04") rain.

1912: La Crosse, WI (3.06", wettest May day).

May 20

1989: Waukon, IA (89, warmest May temperature).

1953: An F3 tornado moved north northeast across Chickasaw and Floyd Counties in northeast Iowa, from 3 miles east of Bassett to 4 miles southwest of Lime Springs. Although barns were destroyed near Bassett, the worst damage was done near the end of the path in Howard County. An F2 tornado moved from 4 miles west of Allison, IA to Charles City, IA. Only a rope-stage funnel was seen in Charles City with trees downed. More damage occurred in Butler County.

1948: Decorah, IA (93, warmest May temperature).

1912: Mauston, WI (3.20") and Rochester, MN (2.97") rain.

1902: West Union, IA (3") rain.

May 21

1970: Jump River, WI (91, warmest May temperature).

1963: Dodge, WI (21, coldest May temperature).

1918: An F4 tornado touched down initially 4 miles southwest of Elkport, IA and then moved east northeast across Grant and Richland Counties in southwest WI, finally dissipated 4 miles southwest of Baraboo, WI. This was a distance of 80 miles. This tornado was one of the largest tornadoes during an outbreak of 19 tornadoes in Iowa. After causing extensive damage in Guttenberg, IA, the tornado crossed the Mississippi River 1 mile south of Glen Haven. Farms were lightly damaged in Grant County as the tornado probably lifted and re-formed. The tornado then hit Lone Rock destroying much of the town and killing 4 people there. Four more people were killed on three separate farms before the event dissipated to a downburst in the Baraboo area. Overall, the tornado caused 8 deaths, 100 injuries, $650, 000 in damage. An F2 tornado destroyed two barns as it moved northeast across Clayton County, IA from 2 miles northeast of Elkport to 2 miles southeast of Garnavillo.

1908: Osage, IA (4.4") rain.

1902: The rainfall totals amounted to: Postville, IA (3.42"), Caledonia, MN (3.38"), Decorah, IA (3.35"), Lansing, IA (3.25"), Prairie du Chien, WI (3.21", wettest May day), Viroqua, WI (3.01"). 

May 22

2011: During the afternoon, strong to severe thunderstorms produced large hail, damaging winds, and 6 confirmed tornadoes - including three EF2s. One of the EF2 tornadoes hit La Crosse, WI and produced damage from river to bluff on the south-central part of the city. It was the first tornado to hit La Crosse since 1966. Hail size: Mauston, WI (2.75"), West Union, IA (2").
See entry for date at http://www.weather.gov/mpx/wxhistory

1975: Necedah, WI (93, warmest May temperature).

1972: Lynxville, WI (92, warmest May temperature).

1970: Goodrich, WI (2.60", wettest May day).

1962: An F0 and F2 tornado touched down in Olmsted County, MN.

1925: Hatfield, WI (96, warmest May temperature).

1920: An F2 tornado moving northeast across Howard County, IA destroyed 4 barns in the northwest corner of New Oregon Township. Damage estimates were $10, 000.

1902: Cresco, IA (2.7", wettest May day).

May 23

2004: Several days of heavy rain, including at least 5 individual thunderstorm complexes, tracked across northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin from Friday May 21st through Sunday May 23rd. Record river flooding and widespread flash flooding was reported in the region after some areas received 8-10 inches of rain. The bulk of the heavy rain fell Friday night and again Saturday night. Record river levels were set on the Volga and Turkey River in northeast Iowa. The crest reading for the Turkey River at Garber, IA topped out at 33.14 ft. Flood stage at Garber is 17 feet.

1981: An F2 tornado destroyed a trailer, three barns, three machine sheds, and a garage about 4 1/2 miles south of St.Ansgar, IA.

1975: Thunderstorm wind gusts nearing 100 mph (98 mph) blew through Olmsted County, MN during the morning. Mondovi, WI (3.16", wettest May day).

1964: 83-mph thunderstorm wind gusts were reported in Olmsted County, MN and F2 tornadoes occurred in Clark, Trempealeau, and Jackson Counties in WI. An F1 tornado touched down in Buffalo County, WI.

1954: An F2 tornado touched down during the evening in Mitchell County, IA.

1933: A family of two or three small tornadoes moved northeast from the southeast corner of Houston County, MN, passing 3 miles south of Coon Valley, WI through southeast La Crosse County, WI and dissipated near Sparta. Two tornadoes may have actually crossed the Mississippi River. A dozen barns and farm houses were unroofed, mostly near Coon Valley. 

May 24

1989: An F0 tornado downed 50 to 75 trees and damaged a few cottages and mobile homes near the Castle Rock Flowage, WI. Earlier in the afternoon, baseball sized hail (2.75") fell across Mower County, MN. During the evening, an F1 tornado did little damage as it moved northeast across Chickasaw and Winneshiek Counties in northeast IA from 3 miles east of Lawler to Jackson Junction. Also, a farmstead was damaged 3 miles northwest of St. Olaf, IA.

1963: Trempealeau, WI (24, coldest May temperature).

1914: Decorah, IA (3.28") and Lansing, IA (3.09") rain.

1896: Postville, IA (3.20") and Prairie du Chien, WI (3.08") rain.

1874: About 3 PM a thunderstorm was noticed to the north and west of La Crosse moving rapidly south. This storm produced 0.81" of rain in 35 minutes and hail from the size of peas to 1.75" in diameter.

May 25

1994: An F1 tornado tracked east southeast over mainly open country in Clayton County, IA causing minimal damage from 4 miles north of Garber to a half mile northwest of Osterdock.

1989: Rainfall totals in WI ranged from: Galesville (4.19", wettest May day), Mauston (3.45"), Necedah (3.27", wettest May day), Trempealeau (3.01").

1964: 80-mph thunderstorm winds gusts and an F0 tornado occurred in Olmsted County, MN.

1957: An F2 tornado moved across Grant County, WI between Bloomington and Fennimore. It caused no injuries or deaths. Another tornado moved across Chickasaw County, IA. It also caused no injuries or deaths and it was ranked an F0.

1945: Mather, WI (3.3", wettest May day).

1918: Hatfield, WI (4.1", wettest May day).

May 26

2002: A brief F0 tornado touched down in an open field just west of Arcadia, WI (Trempealeau County), but did no damage. Straight-line winds estimated at around 70 mph destroyed a garage in Arcadia, throwing debris into homes and cars directly across the street. A parade in town had just ended when the storm hit, but there were no injuries reported.

1978: Grand Meadow, MN (3.48") rain. Also, Preston, MN (91) and Dodge, WI (95) had their warmest May temperature.

1967: Both Hillsboro, WI and Trempealeau, WI had a high temperature of 92 degrees. This is the warmest May temperature at both locations.

1965: La Crosse (2.10") rain.

1959: An F2 tornado skipped north-northeast from 1 miles east of Trempealeau, WI, through western Jackson County, to 4 miles northeast of Fairchild, WI (southwest Clark County). A cafe was destroyed in Clark County. Trees and sheds were downed. Two injuries occurred in Clark County.

1903: West Union, IA (4.06") and Postville, IA (3.16") rain. 

May 27

1991: Baseball sized hail (2.75") fell in Olmsted County MN.

1978: Theilman, MN (94, warmest May temperature).

1971: The latest occurrence of freezing temperatures in La Crosse, WI.

1970: Rochester, MN (2.08") rain.

1969: Alma, WI (92, warmest May temperature).
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/mqt/today_in_history

1956: La Crosse, WI (2.36") rain.

1941: Postville, IA (3.28") rain.

1938: Osage, IA (4.85") rain.

1903: Charles City, IA (3.24") rain.

1900: Elkader, IA (94, warmest May temperature).

May 28

1998: Guttenberg, IA (95, warmest May temperature).

1995: Elkader, IA (3.14") rain.

1988: Austin, MN (94, warmest May temperature).
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/mqt/today_in_history

1970: Rainfall (continuing from the 27th) caused flooding across parts of Wabasha County, MN. Flooding was worst in the Trout Brook/Zumbro River basin. Several cars were washed from roads drowning three persons. The Zumbro River at Zumbro Falls rose 11 feet in one hour and crested 3.4 feet above flood stage. Rainfall totals: Wabasha, MN (6.15") and Lake City, MN (5.60") had their wettest day on record. Alma, WI (3.35", wettest May day).

1959: an F0 tornado touched down in the morning in Mower County, MN.

1947: A very late season snow storm moved through Iowa, southern Minnesota, and Wisconsin from the afternoon into the early morning hours of the 29th. The heavy wet snow caused extensive damage to trees and power lines in Allamakee County, IA and Adams, Crawford, Juneau, Richland, and Vernon Counties, WI. In addition, this was the latest snow for southeast Minnesota, northeast Iowa, and southwest and central Wisconsin. Gays Mills, WI (10"), Viroqua, WI (9"), and Waukon, IA (7.5") snow.
See entry for 29 May in  http://www.weather.gov/mpx/wxhistory
and in http://www.weather.gov/mpx/wxhistory
See https://www.weather.gov/grb/052847_snowstorm for weather maps and more snowfall totals and 
http://www.weather.gov/arx/may27291947snow . 

1936: Mather, WI (98, warmest May temperature).

1899: West Union, IA (3") rain.

May 29

2013: Thunderstorms erupted during the early afternoon across northeast IA and developed into a line of storms that swept northeastward with damaging winds, torrential rains, and at least one tornado. There were numerous storms that produced wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph, knocking down farm buildings, sheds, trees, and damaging roofs. In addition, heavy rains caused widespread flooding and significant rises on area rivers by late evening. A small tornado (EF0) touched down near Garnavillo, IA during the late afternoon and crossed the Mississippi River into southwest WI before dissipating near Patch Grove, WI. Damage was confined to trees, a few campers and buildings. Rainfall in IA: Decorah (2.23"). In MN: Houston (2.12"). In WI: Steuben (2.89"), Boscobel (2.19"), Black River Falls (2.10").

1981: Theilman, MN (2.5", wettest May day).

1980: An F1 tornado touched down during the evening in Mower County, MN and an F0 tornado occurred in Howard County, IA.

1978: An F1 tornado occurred during the afternoon in Houston County, MN. Minnesota City, MN (4.20", wettest May day).

1962: Platteville, WI (3.18") rain.

1955: Mondovi, WI (3.07", wettest May day).

1943: Mather, WI (3.14") rain.

1942: Winona, MN (3.11") rain.

May 30

2000: A lightning strike knocked out telephone service to the entire city of LaCrescent, MN for over 12 hours. Lightning also struck a house, burning a hole in the roof, but no one was injured. Damage was estimated at $30, 000.

1994: Baseball size hail was reported in Salem Corners, MN.

1991: A small F0 tornado caused minor tree damage to a golf course just west of Whitehall, WI. Fayette, IA (3.35") rain.

1989: Necedah, WI (3.18"), Mather, WI (3.05"), Owen, WI (2.6", wettest May day) rain.

1985: An F3 tornado touched down west of Elkader, IA and tracked east northeast at about 45 mph. While the tornado did miss the town of Elkader, it did hit the County Care Facility and killed two residents. More than 20 farmsteads were also struck, with significant damage to dwellings, farm buildings, machinery, livestock, and crops. Total damage in Clayton County, IA alone was estimated at $9, 000, 000, including $1, 500, 000 at the care facility alone. The tornado crossed the Mississippi River near Bagley, WI. There were 25 injuries in Clayton County and 2 injuries in Grant County, WI. An F2 tornado caused over $100, 000 worth of damage to area farms north of Livingston, WI. Also on this date, baseball sized hail fell in Floyd County, IA.
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/mpx/wxhistory

1980: Preston, MN (5.63", wettest May day), Grand Meadow, MN (3.9"), Austin, MN (3.5"), and Dodge, WI (2.84", wettest May day) rain.

1979: Ontario, WI (4.10") rain.

1953: Platteville, WI (93) and Genoa, WI (90) had their warmest May temperature.

1942: Alma, WI (3.29") rain.

1941: Both Decorah, IA (7.7") and Waukon, IA (5.98") had their wettest day onrecord.

May 31

2013: The 3rd straight day with severe weather, which came in 3 waves from early afternoon into the late evening hours. Half dollar sized hail accompanied the storms, with damaging winds of 60 mph, heavy downpours, and one EF0 tornado. The tornado touched down 2.5 miles north of Floyd, IA along Highway 218 and 130th Ave for only a minute and there was no reports of damage. Heavy rain led to localized flooding in northern Mitchell County, IA. Rainfall in MN: Eyota(2.35").

2000: Waukon, IA (4.1"), Viroqua, WI (4"), Lansing, IA (3.87"), and Oelwein, IA(3.11") rain.

1980: Lanesboro, MN (3.42") rain.

1969: A weak tornado touched down in Dodge County, MN (F0). An F1 tornado traveling northeast touched down at several places from near Bagley, WI on the Mississippi River to Mount Hope, WI. Neither tornado caused any injuries or deaths. 

1934 -- Prairie du Chien reported 109 degrees, which is highest May temperature in state on record.   Note this entry is not on ARX website:
(Checks with entry on 
http://www.aos.wisc.edu/%7Esco/clim-history/state/wihitemp.html )
See entry for date in http://www.weather.gov/mpx/wxhistory

////

/////
From http://www.weather.gov/ddc/maytrivia
Weather trivia for May
 
May 1, 1895
A tornado nearly one mile wide cut a 22 mile path through
Sedgwick and Harvey Counties in Kansas. 8 people were killed and
25 were injured. 25 farms were completely devastated and a few
entirely vanished.
IN 1909...The low of 19 degrees established the record low for the month
of May at Dodge City.

May 2, 1920
Peggs Oklahoma was completely destroyed by a tornado. Seventy-one people
were killed which was 30 percent of the town's population.
IN 1929...Virginia's worst tornado disaster occurred. Six tornadoes, two
west of the Blue Mountains, killed 22 people. Twelve children and a
teacher were killed at Rye Cove, in Scott county. Four schools
were destroyed by the storms.

May 3, 1912
A tornado moved northwest through Offerle KS. This tornado
destroyed barns and small homes in the north part of town.
National newspapers picked up a false rumor that several Mexican
laborers had been killed in railroad cars.
IN 1954...The low of 28 degrees tied the record low for the month of May
at Liberal.
IN 1987...Thunderstorms produced severe weather in Texas, Oklahoma and
Kansas. Softball size hail was reported at Center Point, TX,
and a tornado caused three million dollars damage near Satanta KS.
IN 1989...Large hail did considerable damage to crops in Ford and Hodgeman
counties with about 10,000 acres of wheat nearly destroyed.
IN 1999...From the afternoon of May 3rd through the evening of May 4th,
there was an outbreak of tornadoes from southwest Texas through
southeast South Dakota. The most devastating part of this
outbreak occurred during the late afternoon and evening of May
3rd over Oklahoma and southern Kansas. Over 70 tornadoes were
spawned across this area, with the strongest one doing damage to
both rural sections of central Oklahoma as well as densely
populated areas of Oklahoma City and its suburbs. This tornado
was rated an F5, the highest on the Fujita Tornado Intensity
Scale. An F4 tornado plowed through Haysville in suburban
Wichita Kansas. A total of 42 people died in Oklahoma and 6 in
south Central Kansas.

May 4, 1922
Austin Texas was hit twice by tornadoes which struck within
thirty minutes of each other. Twelve persons were killed in the
tornadoes.
IN 2007...A destructive tornado hit Greensburg Kansas, the first 5 rating
on the new Enhanced Fujita Scale and the first 5 classification
since May 3, 1999 when an F5 tornado ripped through Moore, Oklahoma.
There were 12 tornadoes that evening from Clark and Comanche counties
to Edwards and Stafford counties during about a 4 hour period,
one a little over 2 miles wide! Two of the tornadoes existed for
over 1 hour as they churned up the ground, leveling homes and causing
fatalities along their path. Miraculously, only 13 people perished,
11 in Greensburg. Over 90 percent of the town of Greensburg was
literally wiped off the face of the earth. Another round of
tornadoes occurred the following day across generally in the same
area. Nearly 250 pivot irrigation sprinklers were damaged or
destroyed during the 2 day outbreak. Due to the number of sprinklers
involved and the lack of replacements, some farmers would be out of
service for over 1 year.

May 5, 1917
The same storm which a day earlier produced eight inches of snow
in the Texas Panhandle, produced a foot of snow at Denver
Colorado, their heaviest snow of record for the month of May.

May 6, 1900
A tornado moved south, passing 5 miles west of Jetmore. This
tornado picked up a small home and smashed it to the ground,
killing a woman. Cattle were carried 200 yards. At least 15,
perhaps over 25, tornadoes touched down in Kansas this day which
the press called the day of the cyclones.
IN 1939...A tornado moved east-northeast from 10 miles southwest of
Jetmore. Barns were swept away. Damage was $10,000.
IN 1975...A massive tornado hit Omaha Nebraska killing three persons,
injuring 133 others, and causing 150 million dollars damage.
This was the most costly tornado in U.S. history at that time.

May 7, 1840
A powerful tornado wrecked many boats at the Natchez Landing in
Mississippi, then plowed through the city on the bluff. The
tornado killed 317 persons, and caused a million dollars damage.
The force of the storm caused houses to burst open. The tornado
was the most deadly and destructive in early American history.
IN 1927...Two massive tornadoes combined for a 95 mile path of destruction
through Comanche, Barber, Kingman, Reno, and McPherson Counties
in Kansas. The death toll was 10 and 300 were injured. Damage
was set at 1.3 million dollars. The tornado path width reached 2
miles at one point.
IN 1936...A tornado skipped east northeast from 5 miles southeast of Garden
City to near Kalvesta. One barn was destroyed.
IN 2002...A large tornado moved southeast across much of Pratt KS. There
were 14 homes destroyed, 15 with major damage and 230 with minor
damage. Despite the very heavy damage, there were no injuries.

May 8, 1874
A deadly hailstorm in South Carolina hit the town of
Winnsborough. The hailstones, measuring as much as nine inches
in circumference, killed several persons, and a great number of
sheep, lambs and birds.
IN 1981...The Dallas/Fort Worth TX area experienced its worst hailstorm of
record as baseball to grapefruit size hail, accompanied by 100
mph winds, caused nearly 200 million dollars damage. Hail
accumulated eight inches deep at Cedar Hill.
IN 1988...Thunderstorms in the Mississippi Valley spawned a total of 57
tornadoes, including 24 in Wisconsin, and a record 22 tornadoes
in one day in Iowa. Fortunately, not a single person was killed
in the Mother's Day tornado outbreak.
In 1965...a major tornado outbreak struck central and eastern Nebraska and
South Dakota. Four people were killed in Nebraska in an F4 tornado. An F5
tornado hit southern South Dakota. A late season snowstorm hit parts of
the Nebraska panhandle while the tornadoes were on the ground farther east.
Some places received as much as 4 inches of snow.

May 9, 1927
Poplar Bluff Missouri was devastated by a tornado. Ninety-eight people
were killed and 300 were injured. Thirty-one business and residential
blocks were destroyed in the city. Strong Arkansas was leveled
by a tornado with 24 people killed.
IN 1971...A tornado moved slowly east-northeast from 9 miles southwest to
10 miles north-northeast of Kinsley KS. A home was torn apart
and barns were destroyed.
IN 1996...In western Kansas hail and wind cut a path 2 miles wide along
highway 96 across all of Lane county. Hail was piled 6 inches
deep and was visible for several days. Property damage across
the county was more than 2.5 million dollars. Siding was
extensively damaged on many homes, roofs were damaged, and trees
had the bark stripped off. Eight power poles were broken along
highway 96.
IN 1996...In western Kansas, an 8 mile wide area of hail and wind moved
across Ness county along and near highway 96. Golf ball size
hail and 80 mph winds were produced by a vicious thunderstorm
that moved all the way from Scott county during the late evening
hours. Damage across the county topped 1 million dollars.

May 10, 1905
A deadly tornado struck the town of Snyder OK killing 87
persons. The tornado leveled 100 homes in Snyder, and destroyed
many others. The large and violent tornado killed a total of 97
persons along its 40 mile path across southwestern Oklahoma.
The roar of the tornado could reportedly be heard up to twelve
miles away.
IN 1942...A tornado skipped east northeast from 6 miles north of Sublette
to northeast of Dodge City. What was probably a small tornado
destroyed barns and damaged homes on at least eight farms. The
two mile long section of the track at the northwest edge of Dodge
City was the most damaging. The north wing of a building at
Saint Mary's of the Plains Academy, 2 miles northeast of Dodge
City, was destroyed, and several other buildings were unroofed.
Damage was $80,000.

May 11, 1953
A tornado hit Waco TX killing 114 persons and burying some
downtown streets under five feet of fallen bricks.
IN 1970...A very powerful tornado struck the city of Lubbock Texas killing
26 persons, injuring more than 500 others, and causing 135
million dollars damage. It was the most destructive tornado of
record up until that time. A second tornado killed two other
persons in Lubbock, and the two tornadoes damaged or destroyed
nearly a quarter of the city.

May 12, 1934
A dust storm darkened skies from Oklahoma to the Atlantic Coast.
IN 1972...A cloudburst dumped 16 inches of rain north of New Braunfels TX
sending a thirty foot wall of water down Blueders Creek into the
Comal and Guadalupe Rivers washing away people, houses and
automobiles. The flood claimed 18 lives and caused more than
twenty million dollars damage.

May 13, 1966
The low of 25 degrees established the record low for the month
of May at Garden City.
IN 1981...A tornado 450 yards in width destroyed ninety percent of Emberson
Texas. People did not see a tornado, but rather a wall of
debris. Homes were leveled, a man in a bathtub was hurled a
quarter of a mile, and a 1500 pound recreational vehicle was
hurled 500 yards. Miraculously no deaths occurred in the
tornado.

May 14, 1898
A severe thunderstorm, with some hailstones up to 9.5 inches in
circumference, pounded a four mile wide path across Kansas City
Missouri. South facing windows were broken in nearly every house
in the central and eastern parts of the city, and several persons
were injured.
IN 1953...The low of 28 degrees established the record low for the month
of May at Liberal.

May 15, 1949
A violent tornado moved through Amarillo TX. The tornado
tracked through the Amarillo airport and damaged or destroyed 45
aircraft. 7 people were killed and 82 were injured. Damage was
set at 4.8 million dollars.
IN 1991...There were 16 tornadoes on the ground for short periods of time,
all within 10 miles of Garden City. No damage was reported.
In west central Kansas five small tornadoes formed in Wichita
and western Scott counties within a few minutes of each other.
These tornadoes were fairly weak.
IN 1995...Strong to severe thunderstorms moved across southwest Kansas
during the evening hours. A tornado developed near Charleston
with three minor injuries reported when a modular home was
destroyed. There was other damage to several barns, sheds,
implements, trees, fences, and five pivot sprinklers. About
5 miles north of Charleston and Ingalls strong thunderstorm
winds gusting to over 100 mph snapped off 150 power poles and 40
pivot sprinklers were damaged or destroyed, along with trees and
fences.

May 16, 1874
The Mill Creek disaster occurred west of Northhampton MA. Dam
slippage resulted in a flash flood which claimed 143 lives, and
caused a million dollars property damage.
IN 1991...A tornado moved northeast from the southwest corner of Hodgeman
county, 23 miles southwest of Jetmore. This large tornado did
considerable damage to two farmsteads. A garage, a barn, a shed
and two abandoned farm houses were completely destroyed. A
total of two people were injured.

May 17, 1896
A tornado tracked 100 miles through Northeastern Kansas and
extreme Southeastern Nebraska. Seneca, Oneida, Sabetha, and
Reserve KS sustained severe damage. While passing through
Reserve the tornado was 2 miles wide. 25 were killed and 200
were injured.

May 18, 1902
A tornado struck the town of Goliad Texas killing 114 people. No
US tornado disaster of similar magnitude has ever occurred
farther south than this event.
IN 1980...In the state of Washington, Mount Saint Helens erupted spewing
ash and smoke sixty three thousand feet into the air. Heavy ash
covered the ground to the immediate northwest, and small
particles were carried to the Atlantic Coast.
IN 2013...An EF4 tornado in Pawnee county near Rozel did damage to a
home along U.S. Highway 156. The roof and walls were blown away of
this well constructed house. There were 2 people inside who escaped
injury when they took shelter. Several large tanks were carried a long
distance. The Doppler on Wheels that was observing the tornado had near
surface measured wind speeds of 165 to 185 mph.

May 19, 1990
Thunderstorms deluged Hot Springs Arkansas with thirteen inches of rain
in nine hours resulting in a devastating flood. Two waves of water,
four to six feet deep, swept down Central Avenue flooding stores and the
famous bathhouses on Bathhouse Row. Water released from Lake Hamilton
devastated the area between it and Remmel Dam. The 500 foot Carpenter
Dam Bridge across Lake Catherine was completely washed away, as were
cabins and mobile homes near the lake, many of which flowed right over
the top of the Remmel Dam.

May 20, 1903
In Southwest Kansas, a tornado moved northeast, then east at
Ashland and near Lexington. About 55 homes were damaged at
Ashland. Barns were destroyed on two farms that were struck.
IN 1916...A tornado struck the town of Codell, KS. Another tornado struck
the town the next year, and a third tornado hit again the
following year.
IN 1918...In western Kansas a large tornado moved northeast from 10 miles
southeast of Wakeeney. Over 200 head of cattle were killed and
many others were injured. Farm machinery was carried
considerable distances, and many farm buildings were swept away.
Damage was $100,000.
IN 1949...Eight or more tornadoes were involved along an 85 mile long track
across the counties of Gray, Ford, Hodgeman and Pawnee.
Newspapers in the area used headlines such as Tornado army
attacks Kansas to describe the record breaking number of
tornadoes, at least 40 that hit the central and western part of
the state. No people were killed, but hundreds of animals were.
Four funnels were seen moving northeast about 6 miles northwest
of Dodge City. A tornado moved northeast from 7 miles southwest of Coldwater
KS, just missing that town, and ending at Wilmore. The "huge
rotating column" sent the entire town of Coldwater running to
storm cellars. Most of the $200,000 damage was at Wilmore, as
the entire town was torn apart.
IN 1951...A tornado moved east-northeast near Scott City KS. A large barn
was destroyed south of Scott City. The tornado struck five
farms.
IN 1957...A tornado touched down to the southwest of Kansas City and
traveled a distance of 71 miles cutting a swath of near total
destruction through the southeastern suburbs of Ruskin Heights
and Hickman Mills. The tornado claimed the lives of 45 persons,
and left hundreds homeless. It was the worst weather disaster
of record for Kansas City.

May 21, 1903
A tornado moved north from 15 miles southwest of Dodge City,
lifting 12 miles west of town. Homes and barns were destroyed.
Eight people were injured.
IN 1991...Stationary thunderstorms dumped 8 inches of rain in 6 hours on
Liberal Kansas, causing the worst flood in 45 years. More than
35 homes were damaged and many people had to be temporarily
relocated. The Red Cross provided assistance and some residents
could only be reached by boat. Special pumping equipment was
brought in to remove the water. Fish, mostly catfish, were being
caught in the streets. The flood waters remained until 1 pm on
the 23rd.

May 22, 1903
A tornado moved north-northeast from 3 miles north of the Ford
county line, passing 2 miles west of Dodge City. A dozen barns
and four homes were destroyed on at least 10 farms.
A tornado moved north-northeast, passing 15 miles west of
Kinsley KS. A woman was killed when her home, probably in
Hodgeman county, was picked up, then "dashed to the ground into
kindling." The tornado was reportedly seen to "bounce" over the
prairie. Over 200 cattle were killed by tornadoes this day.
IN 1933...A tornado moved north northeast from 7 miles south southwest of
Liberal Kansas, through the city. This tornado also struck in
the total darkness of a depression era dust storm. It masked
this entire western Kansas outbreak. It destroyed the business
district and the northwest residential area. At least 165 homes
and 44 businesses were badly damaged or destroyed. Four people were
killed and 150 injured. Damage was $750,000.
IN 1951...Heavy rains produced one of the worst flood disasters during the
early morning hours in Hays Kansas. Six people were killed.
Heavy rains fell earlier in the month and this also contributed
to the flooding. 1951 ended up as the wettest year for Hays
with 43.34 inches of precipitation recorded. For May and June,
20.42 inches of rain was recorded at the Kansas State University
Agricultural Research Center just south of Hays.
IN 1987...A powerful tornado virtually wiped the small southwest Texas
community of Saragosa off the map. The twister destroyed 85
percent of the structures in the town killing 35 persons and
injuring 121 others in the town. The tornado hurled trucks and
autos through adobe and wood-frame homes, with some vehicles
blown 500 feet.
IN 1993...Two to four inches of rain was reported in the Garden City area.
Some streets and intersections in the Garden City area were
flooded.
IN 1995...Strong to severe thunderstorms moved across southwest Kansas
during the late afternoon and evening hours. Hail the size of
cantaloupes were reported in Preston, 7 miles northeast of
Pratt. In Kinsley, hail smashed numerous building and vehicle
windows. A hospital had to be evacuated when broken windows
allowed heavy rain to flood the facilities. In Stafford county,
Rattlsnake Creek was flooding from torrential rain of up to 11
inches.

May 23, 1953
The temperature at Hollis Oklahoma soared from a morning low of 70
degrees to an afternoon high of 110 degrees to establish a state
record for the month of May.

May 24, 1930
A tornado touched down near the town of Pratt KS and traveled at
the incredibly slow speed of just 5 mph.
IN 1990...Four tornadoes carved a 109 mile path across central Kansas. The
third of the four tornadoes blew 88 cars of a 125 car train off
the track, stacking them three to four cars high in some cases.
It also injured six persons who were trying to escape in
vehicles. A woman was sucked out of a truck and said that at one
time she was airborne, trying to run but her feet wouldn't touch
the ground. She also saw a live deer flying through the air.
IN 1991...Gusty thunderstorm winds damaged some trees and hail dented cars
in Cimarron KS.

May 25, 1955
Two tornadoes struck the town of Blackwell Oklahoma within a few
minutes time during the late evening. The tornadoes killed 18
persons and injured more than 500 others. Early the next morning
a tornado virtually obliterated the small community of Udall
Kansas killing 80 persons and injuring 270 persons. More than
half the persons in the community were killed or injured by the
tornado.
IN 2012...Nine tornadoes did damage in Rush County. A satellite
tornado moved through La Crosse and did extensive damage to trees
and some buildings. There were three campers that were completely
destroyed. There were no injuries or fatalities.

May 26, 1917
A tornado touched down near Louisiana MO about noon and remained
on the ground for a distance of 293 miles, finally lifting seven
hours and twenty minutes later in eastern Jenning County IN.
The twister cut a swath of destruction two and a half miles wide
through Mattoon IL. There were 101 persons killed in the
tornado, including 53 at Mattoon, and 38 at Charleston IL.
IN 1954...A tornado moved southeast on the north side of Syracuse KS. Two
homes were unroofed, and a second story was sheared off on
another home. A total of 19 homes were damaged.
IN 1984...Thunderstorms during the late evening and early morning hours
produced 6 to 13 inches of rain at Tulsa OK in six hours.
Flooding claimed 14 lives and caused 90 million dollars property
damage. 4600 cars, 743 houses, and 387 apartments were destroyed
or severely damaged in the flood.
IN 1996...Severe weather developed across southwest Kansas during the
afternoon hours. In Stevens and Seward counties, a tornado did
some damage to trees, grain bins, irrigation sprinklers and a
few farm buildings. A tornado traveled from 11 miles north of Liberal
to 6 miles south of Sublette. Along the way, 2 irrigation sprinklers
were destroyed, fertilizer tanks were carried over 1 mile, 2 houses
were damaged, a fence was destroyed, trees were uprooted, hay
bales were tossed, a 30 foot radio tower was blown down, wheat
plants were pulled up, farm buildings were heavily damaged and
flood irriagation pipe were scattered about.
A thunderstorm that produced a tornado in Seward and Haskell
counties, spun up an even bigger tornado farther into Haskell
and Gray counties. The tornado took a few trees in Haskell
county. In Gray county, 34 irrigation sprinkler systems were
damaged or destroyed, power poles were snapped, 2 houses were
damaged, a barn was destroyed, a truck was overturned and flood
irrigation pipe were tossed like match sticks. In fact, one
witness reported the 30 foot pieces of pipe were 4 or 5 hundred
feet in the air. In addition, 3 inch high corn plants were
completely removed leaving the field bare. Several people video
taping the tornado were chased by the tornado, only to take
shelter under a bridge. The tornado passed about 1/2 mile east
of them while they watched 5 inch diameter hail pound the
ground.

May 27, 1896
A massive tornado struck St Louis MO killing 306 persons and
causing thirteen million dollars damge. The tornado path was
short, but cut across a densely populated area. The tornado was
the most destructive of record in the U.S. up until that time.
It pierced a five-eighths inch thick iron sheet with a two by
four inch pine plank.
IN 1997...A tornado devastated the small town of Jarrell TX killing 27
people. Nearly 300 head of cattle were killed with many of them
tossed for over a quarter of a mile.
IN 2001...The first of three hail storms in a six day period hit Dodge
City. Severe weather also occurred across Southwestern Kansas
with several reports of 80 to 100 mph winds. 270 pivot
irrigation sprinklers were damaged or destroyed across
southwestern Kansas. In addition, hail storms moved through
Dodge City on the 29th and the 1st of June. All three storms
produced at least golf ball sized hail resulting in lots of roof
damage.

May 28, 1987
Thunderstorms produced torrential rains in Oklahoma and northern
Texas. Lake Altus OK was deluged with nine inches of rain. Up to
eight inches drenched northern Texas, and baseball size hail was
reported north of Seminole and at Knickerbocker. Ten to 13 inch
rains soaked central Oklahoma the last five days of May resulting
in an estimated 65 million dollars damage, and forcing several
thousand persons to evacuate their homes, many by boat or helicopter.

May 29, 1951
A massive hailstorm struck from Wallace to Kearny Counties in
Kansas, causing $6 million worth of damage to crops.
IN 1997
A rainstorm dumped 1.66 inches of rain over a 45 minute time span
in Dodge City. A young boy wound up in the drainage ditch in the
13 hundred block of 10th Avenue and floated down to West Park
Street before he was pulled out by Ford County and Dodge City
firefighters. Also, four cars and a truck got tangled up
together at the mouth of the drainage located at the corner of
Third avenue and Vine Street.
IN 2011...The high of 106 degrees established the record high for
the month of May at Dodge City.

May 30, 1879
A major outbreak of severe weather occurred in Kansas and
western Missouri. In Kansas, tornadoes killed 18 persons at
Delphos, and 30 persons at Irving. Two tornadoes struck the
town of Irving within a few minutes time virtually wiping the
small Kansas community off the map.
IN 1978...A tornado skipped east-southeast from 5 miles northwest of
Garden City to 12 miles northwest of Dodge City. This tornado
damaged homes, outbuildings and irrigation systems on 15 farms.
IN 1990...Thunderstorms produced heavy rain in southwestern Kansas in the
late afternoon and again around midnight. The result was a total
of 6 inches of rain from Garden City to Ford to Kinsley.

May 31, 1889
The Johnstown disaster occurred, the worst flood tragedy in U.S.
history. Heavy rains collapsed the South Fork Dam sending a
thirty foot wall of water rushing down the already flooded
Conemaugh Valley. The wall of water, traveling as fast as 22
feet per second, swept away all structures, objects and people.
2100 persons perished in the flood.
IN 1941...Thunderstorms deluged Burlington KS with 12.59 inches of rain to
establish a 24 hour rainfall record for the state.	

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From http://www.weatherforyou.com/weather_history/cday.php?m=5&d=1   
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Weather History
For Sunday, May 1, 2016
1854 - The Connecticut River reached a level of nearly twenty-nine feet at Hartford (the highest level of record up until that time). The record height was reached in the midst of a great New England flood which followed sixty-six hours of steady rain. (David Ludlum)
1935 - Snow, ice and sleet brought winter back to parts of southeast Minnesota. Minneapolis received three inches of snow to tie their May record which was established in 1892. (1st-2nd) (The Weather Channel)
1954 - The temperature at Polebridge MT dipped to 5 degrees below zero to esablish a state record for the month of May. (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Thunderstorms produced large hail and heavy rain in Texas. Baseball size hail pounded Dublin, and 3.75 inches of rain soaked Brady. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1988 - Strong southerly winds ahead of a cold front crossing the Rocky Mountain Region gusted to 90 mph at Lamar CO. High winds created blinding dust storms in eastern Colorado, closing roads around Limon. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Thunderstorms produced heavy rain in the southeastern U.S. Rainfall totals of 1.84 inches at Charlotte NC and 2.86 inches at Atlanta GA were records for the date. Strong thunderstorm winds uprooted trees in Twiggs County GA. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from northern Alabama to North Carolina. There were sixty-three reports of large hail or damaging winds, with hail four inches in diameter reported near Cartersville GA. Ten cities in the southeastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date as readings warmed into the 90s. Jacksonville FL reported a record high of 96 degrees. Late night thunderstorms over central Texas produced up to ten inches of rain in southern Kimble County and northern Edwards County. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 

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Weather History
For Monday, May 2, 2016
1899 - A storm buried Havre, MT, under 24.8 inches of snow, an all-time record for that location. The water equivalent of 2.48 inches was a record 24 hour total for the month of May. (The Weather Channel)
1920 - A swarm of tornadoes in Rogers, Mayes and Cherokee Counties in Oklahoma killed 64 persons. (David Ludlum)
1929 - Virginia's worst tornado disaster occurred. Six tornadoes, two of which were west of the Blue Mountains, killed 22 people. Twelve children and a teacher were killed at Rye Cove, in Scott County. Four schools were destroyed by the storms. (The Weather Channel)
1983 - Severe thunderstorms spawned twenty tornadoes across Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York State. The tornadoes caused five deaths. (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Thunderstorms in the Lower Mississippi Valley produced golf ball size hail in northern Louisiana, and wind gusts to 77 mph at Lake Providence LA. Thunderstorms in Arkansas produced 4.20 inches of rain at Arkadelphia and 4.00 inches at Bismarck. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1988 - A powerful storm produced snow and high winds in the Central Rockies and the Central High Plains Region. Snowfall totals in Colorado ranged up to 12 inches at Strasburg, and winds in southeastern Colorado gusted to 87 mph at Lamar. Snow and high winds created blizzard conditions in eastern Colorado and southeastern Wyoming. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Thunderstorms developing to the north of a warm front produced severe weather in Oklahoma and Texas. There were 93 reports of severe weather. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 80 mph at Beattie, and baseball size hail was reported at Ranger and Breckenridge. Juneau AK reported a record high temperature of 72 degrees while Honolulu equalled their record low for the month of May with a reading of 60 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Fourteen cities in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina reported record high temperatures for the date as readings soared into the 90s. Tampa FL reported a record high of 97 degrees, and Fort Stewart GA was the hot spot in the nation with a reading of 100 degrees.
1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from northeastern Texas to western Arkansas during the evening and early nighttime hours. Thunderstorms spawned a tornado which injured thirteen persons at Paris TX, and produced baseball size hail at Rio Vista TX. Thunderstorm rains of four to seven inches caused flash flooding in west central Arkansas, southern and eastern Oklahoma, and northern Texas. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)  
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Weather History
For Tuesday, May 3, 2016
1978 - Persistent thunderstorms caused widespread flooding in southeastern Louisiana and extreme southeastern Mississippi. Rainfall totals of ten to thirteen and a half inches were reported around New Orleans causing the worst flooding in thirty years. The water depth reached three to four feet in several hundred homes, and total property damage was estimated at one hundred million dollars. (David Ludlum)
1987 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Softball size hail was reported at Center Point TX, and a tornado caused three million dollars damage near Satanta KS. Heavy snow blanketed the foothills of eastern Colorado, with 18 inches reported at Divide. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1988 - Thunderstorms brought much needed rains to the drought- stricken central U.S. Evening thunderstorms produced large hail in North Carolina. Baseball size hail was reported west of Mooresville NC. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the Southern and Central Plains Region. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 72 mph at Graford TX, and baseball size hail was reported at Graham TX and Lake Kemp TX. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - A stubborn late season storm slowly crawled across southern Colorado the first three days of the month producing heavy snow from the San Juan Mountains to the southeast plains. The storm produced up to three feet of snow in the higher elevations of southern Colorado, and 18 to 22 inches of snow along the eastern slopes of the Central Mountains of New Mexico. Pueblo CO reported a record 10.6 inches of snow for the month as a result of the storm, and a record total for the winter season of 69.6 inches. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1999 - On May 3, 1999, an unusual confluence of atmospheric conditions in Oklahoma spawned dozens of tornadoes that swept across the state in an hours-long parade of destruction. Thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed, and 19 counties became disaster areas. The worst toll was in human lives: 44 dead, including three children. Hundreds more were injured.(http://newsok.com/may3)  
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Weather History
For Wednesday, May 4, 2016
1812 - A storm produced snow from Philadelphia to Maine. A foot of snow fell near Keene NH, and in Massachusetts, nine inches fell at Waltham, located near Boston. (David Ludlum)
1917 - A late season snowstorm in northwest Texas produced up to eight inches of snow in Potter County and Armstrong County. (David Ludlum)
1922 - Austin, TX, was hit twice by tornadoes which struck within thirty minutes of each other. Twelve persons were killed in the tornadoes. (The Weather Channel)
1977 - A tornado 500 yards in width struck Pleasant Hill, MO, severely damaging the high school and grade school. Only minor injuries were reported among the more than 1000 teaches and students due to excellent warnings and prior tornado drills. (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the southeastern U.S., with South Carolina hardest hit. Thunderstorm winds toppled trees seventy feet high in Spartanburg County SC, and knocked homes off their foundations near Bishopville SC. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1988 - Thunderstorms produced large hail in North Carolina, but brought welcome rains to much of the rest of the eastern U.S. Residents of New England finally saw sunshine after about a week of clouds and rain. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the Southern Plains Region and the Lower Mississippi Valley. Thunderstorms spawned fifteen tornadoes, and there were 340 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Hail three inches in diameter, and 9.39 inches of rain, resulted in more than 130 million dollars damage at Monroe LA. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 100 mph at Epps LA and Fort Worth TX. A thunderstorm north of Mineral Wells TX produced high winds which unroofed a nightclub, turning it into a "topless club." (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from the Lower Ohio Valley to Virginia and the Carolinas. A tornado at Augusta Springs VA killed two people and injured ten others, and another tornado caused 1.7 million dollars damage at Colonial Heights VA. Temp-eratures soared into the 90s in northern California. The high of 98 degrees in downtown Sacramento was their hottest reading of record for so early in the season. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 
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Weather History
For Thursday, May 5, 2016
1917 - The same storm which a day earlier produced eight inches of snow in the Texas panhandle, produced a foot of snow at Denver CO, their heaviest snow of record for the month of May. (David Ludlum)
1930 - The temperature at College Park, VA, soared from 43 degrees to 93 degrees to begin an exceptional heat wave. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders - 1987)
1987 - Unseasonably hot weather prevailed in the western U.S. A dozen cities in California reported record high temperatures for the date. Afternoon highs of 93 degrees at San Francisco, 98 degrees at San Jose, 100 degrees at Sacramento, and 101 degrees at Redding, were the warmest of record for so early in the season. The high of 94 degrees at Medford OR was also the warmest of record for so early in the season. (The National Weather Summary)
1987 - Parts of the western U.S. were in the midst of a blistering May heat wave. The reading of 100 degrees in Downtown Sacramento CA was their earliest of record. Sacramento CA established daily record highs on nine of eleven days between the 4th and the 14th. (The Weather Channel)
1988 - A stubborn low pressure system continued to drench the eastern U.S. with rain. Thunderstorms again produced large hail in North Carolina. (The National Weather Summary)
1989 - Thunderstorms swept across Georgia and the Carolinas during the late afternoon and evening hours spawning seventeen tornadoes. A tornado at Toccoa GA injured 15 persons, and a tornado at Chesnee SC killed two persons and injured 35 others. Five tornadoes in North Carolina accounted for five deaths, 88 injuries, and sixty million dollars damage. Thunderstorms also produced baseball size hail at Lake Murray SC, and wind gusts to 78 mph at Brooklyn MD. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - A strong Pacific cold front moving rapidly inland caused weather conditions at the east end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Washington State to quickly change from sunny and calm to westerly winds of 60 mph and ten-foot waves. Three recreational fishing boats capsized in heavy seas off Port Angeles resulting in five deaths. In California, temperatures soared above 90 degrees across much of the state. The high of 101 degrees in downtown Los Angeles was eight degrees hotter than their previous record for the date. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)  
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Weather History
For Friday, May 6, 2016
1933 - Charleston, SC, was deluged with 10.57 inches of rain, an all- time 24 hour record for that location. (The Weather Channel)
1975 - A massive tornado hit Omaha, NE, killing three persons, injuring 133 others, and causing 150 million dollars damage. The tornado struck during the late afternoon moving northeastward through the industrial and residential areas of west central Omaha, and lifting over the northern section of the city. The twister, which cut a swath ten miles long and as much as a quarter of a mile wide, was the mostly costly in U.S. history up til that time. (David Ludlum)
1987 - Eighteen cities in California and Oregon reported record high temperatures for the date. Highs of 91 degrees at Portland OR, 101 degrees at Medford OR, and 104 degrees at Sacramento CA, were the warmest of record for so early in the season. (The National Weather Summary)
1988 - A major storm brought high winds to the western half of the country. A wind gust of 74 mph at Pueblo CO broke their May record established just four days earlier, and winds in the Arapahoe Ski Basin area of Colorado reached 85 mph. In North Dakota, the high winds reduced visibilities to near zero in blowing dust closing many roads. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Sixteen cities in the north central U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date. Morning lows of 17 at Bismarck ND and 26 at Minneapolis MN were the coldest of record for so late in the season. A reading of 43 degrees at the start of the Kentucky Derby was the coldest in 115 years of records. Light snow was reported in the Upper Midwest, with an inch reported at Chicago IL. (The National Weather Summary)
1990 - Snow and high winds prevailed behind a Pacific cold front crossing the northwestern U.S. Wind gusts above 50 mph were reported in southeastern Idaho, and heavy snow blanketed the Cascade Mountains of Washington State, with twelve inches reported at Stampede Pass. (The National Weather Summary) 
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Weather History
For Saturday, May 7, 2016
1840 - A powerful tornado wrecked many boats at the Natchez Landing in Mississippi, then plowed through the city on the bluff. The tornado killed 317 persons, and caused a million dollars damage. The force of the storm caused houses to burst open. The tornado was the most deadly and destructive in early American history. (David Ludlum)
1964 - The temperature at White Mountain 2, located in California, dipped to 15 degrees below zero to set a record for May for the continental U.S. (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Thirty-one cities in the western U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. Highs of 93 degrees at Portland OR and San Jose CA were the warmest of record for so early in the season. The high of 92 degrees at Quillayute WA was a record for the month of May. The temperature at Sacramento CA hit 105 degrees. (The National Weather Summary)
1988 - A powerful storm in the north central U.S. produced up to three feet of snow in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming and the mountains of south central Montana. Up to five inches of rain drenched central Montana in less than 24 hours, and flash flooding in Wyoming caused a million dollars damage. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1989 - Thirty-two cities in the central and eastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, and 24 hour snowfall totals of 7.2 inches at Buffalo NY and 10.7 inches at Rochester NY were records for the month of May. While northerly winds ushered unseasonably cold air into the eastern U.S., temperatures warmed rapidly in the Great Plains Region, reaching the 90s in Kansas. The temperature at Manhattan KS soared from a low of 30 degrees to a high of 88 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Gale force winds lashed the northern and central Pacific coast. A wind gust of 52 mph at Eureka CA established a record for the month of May. Strong winds over northeastern Colorado, associated with a fast moving Pacific cold front, gusted to 63 mph at Peetz. Snow developed over the northwest mountains of Wyoming late in the day, and Yellowstone National Park was whitened with 6 to 14 inches. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)  
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Weather History
For Sunday, May 8, 2016
1784 - A deadly hailstorm in South Carolina hit the town of Winnsborough. The hailstones, measuring as much as nine inches in circumference, killed several persons, and a great number of sheep, lambs and birds. (David Ludlum)
1803 - A freak spring storm produced heavy snow from southern Indiana to New England. The storm made sleighing possible in Massachusetts, but also ruined shade trees in Philadelphia. (David Ludlum)
1981 - The Dallas/Fort Worth area experienced its worst hailstorm of record as baseball to grapefruit size hail, accompanied by 100 mph winds, caused nearly 200 million dollars damage. Hail accumulated eight inches deep at Cedar Hill TX. (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Twenty-eight cities in the northwestern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. The record high of 95 degrees at Redding CA was their fifth in a row, and the record high of 102 degrees at Hanover WA was just one degree shy of their record for May. (The National Weather Summary)
1988 - Thunderstorms in the Mississippi Valley spawned a total of 57 tornadoes, including 24 in Wisconsin, and a record 22 tornadoes in one day in Iowa. There were also more than 200 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Baseball size hail was reported at Terre Bonne Mo. At Rockford IL one person was temporarily trapped inside a portable toilet toppled by thunderstorm winds gusting to 80 mph. Fortuntely, not a single person was killed in the "Mother's Day" tornado outbreak. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Twenty-one cities in the eastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date. Lows of 28 degrees at Asheville NC and 31 degrees at Greer SC were records for May. (The National Weather Summary)
1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather in northwestern and north central Kansas during the evening and night. Thunderstorms produced hail three inches in diameter at Brewster, and wind gusts to 92 mph south of Wakeeney. Thunderstorms over northwest Iowa deluged the town of Boone with five inches of rain flooding basements and leaving some areas under four feet of water. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) /////
Weather History
For Monday, May 9, 2016
1966 - Record snows fell in the northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, including 3.1 inches at Pittsburgh PA and 5.4 inches at Youngstown OH. Snow also extended across parts of New York State, with eight inches reported in the southern Adirondacks. (The Weather Channel)
1977 - A late season snowstorm hit parts of Pennsylvania, New York State, and southern and central New England. Heavier snowfall totals included 27 inches at Slide Mountain NY and 20 inches at Norwalk CT. At Boston it was the first May snow in 107 years of records. The heavy wet snow caused extensive damage to trees and power lines. The homes of half a million persons were without power following the storm. (9th-10th) (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
1985 - Lightning struck some trees about 150 yards away from a home in Alabama, and followed the driveway to the home. The charge went through the house and burned all the electrical outlets, ruined appliances, and blasted a hole in the concrete floor of the basement. (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Unseasonably warm weather spread from the Pacific Northwest to the Upper Mississippi Valley. Fifteen cities reported record high temperatures for the date. It was the fourth day of record warmth for Eugene OR and Salem OR. (The National Weather Summary)
1988 - A massive cyclone in the central U.S. produced severe thunderstorms from eastern Texas to the Upper Ohio Valley. A strong (F-3) tornado ripped through Middleboro KY causing more than 22 million dollars damage. Thunderstorms in east central Texas produced hail three and a half inches in diameter at Groesbeck, and near Fairfield. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front in the south central U.S. produced golf ball size hail and wind gusts to 62 mph at Mira LA, and during the morning hours drenched Stuttgart AR with five inches of rain. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the central U.S. during the evening hours, mainly from southeastern Missouri to southwestern Indiana. Severe thunderstorms spawned four tornadoes, including two strong (F-2) tornadoes in southern Illinois. Strong thunderstorm winds gusted to 85 mph at Orient IL, and to 100 mph at West Salem. Thunderstorms drenched northeastern Illinois with up to 4.50 inches of rain. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 
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Weather History
For Tuesday, May 10, 2016
1905 - A deadly tornado hit the town of Snyder, OK, killing 87 persons. The tornado leveled 100 homes in Snyder, and destroyed many others. The large and violent tornado killed a total of 97 persons along its 40 miles path across southwestern Oklahoma. Its roar could reportedly be heard up to twelve miles away. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
1966 - Morning lows of 21 degrees at Bloomington-Normal and Aurora, IL, established a state record for the month of May. (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Summer-like "Father's Day" type weather prevailed in the north central and western U.S. for "Mother's Day", as seventeen cities reported record high temperatures for the date. Jamestown ND soared to a record high of 96 degrees. Thunderstorms along the Central Gulf Coast deluged Lillian AL with 14.5 inches of rain, and nearby Perdido Key FL with 12.8 inches of rain. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1988 - Thunderstorms produced hail and high winds over the Atlantic Coast Region and the Gulf Coast States marking the end of a five day episode of severe weather associated with a cyclone tracking out of the Great Basin into southeastern Canada. (The National Weather Summary)
1989 - Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front crossing the Plateau Region produced wind gusts to 75 mph at Butte MT, and gusts to 77 mph at Choteau MT. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - A spring storm produced heavy snow in Upper Michigan and eastern Wiscosin. Totals ranged up to 12 inches at Marquette MI, with eight inches reported at Muskego WI and Hartford WI. The heavy wet snow, and winds gusting to 35 mph, damaged or destroyed thousands of trees, and downed numerous power lines. Total damage from the storm was more than four million dollars. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary) /////
Weather History
For Wednesday, May 11, 2016
1953 - A tornado hit Waco, TX, killing 114 persons and burying some downtown streets under five feet of fallen bricks. (The Weather Channel)
1966 - The 1.6 inch snow at Chicago, IL, was their latest measurable snow of record. Previously the record was 3.7 inches on the 1st and 2nd of May set in 1940. (The Weather Channel)
1970 - A very powerful tornado struck the city of Lubbock, TX, killing 26 persons, injuring more than 500 others, and causing 135 million dollars damage. It was the most destructive tornado of record up until that time, and came on the 17th anniversary of the twister which struck Waco TX killing 114 persons. A second tornado killed two others persons in Lubbock, and the two tornadoes damaged or destroyed nearly a quarter of the city. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Early morning thunderstorms produced up to four inches of rain in southern Texas, with flooding reported from Maverick County to Eagle Pass. Evening thunderstorms in northern Illinois produced golf ball size hail and wind gusts to 70 mph. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1988 - Unseasonably warm weather prevailed in the southwestern U.S. Reno, NV, reported a record high of 89 degrees. (The National Weather Summary)
1989 - Afternoon and evening thunderstorms produced severe weather in the High Plains Region. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 71 mph at Gillette WY, and baseball size hail was reported at Pecos TX and Fort Stockton TX. Fort Stockton TX was deluged with 7.75 inches of rain in less than two hours. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Unseasonably cold weather followed in the wake of a spring storm in the north central U.S. Seven cities reported record low temperatures for the date, including Madison WI with a reading of 29 degrees. Thunderstorms produced severe weather in Kansas, Oklahoma and the northern half of Texas. Severe thunderstorms spawned four tornadoes in Texas, and produced high winds which overturned four mobile homes northwest of Abilene TX injuring ten persons. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
2005 - Strong thunderstorms affected parts of the U.S. Great Plains. In the Hastings, Nebraska area, significant severe weather occurred, including very large hail, damaging winds and widespread flooding. Radar estimated rainfall accumulation locally exceeded 10 inches. 
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Weather History
For Thursday, May 12, 2016
1934 - A dust storm darkened skies from Oklahoma to the Atlantic coast. (David Ludlum)
1971 - Duststorms suddenly reduced visibilities to near zero on Interstate Highway 10 near Casa Grande AZ. Chain reaction accidents involving cars and trucks resulted, killing seven persons. (The Weather Channel)
1972 - In Texas, A cloudburst dumped sixteen inches of rain north of New Braunfels sending a thirty foot wall of water down Blueders Creek into the Comal and Guadalupe Rivers washing away people, houses and automobiles. The flood claimed 18 lives and caused more than twenty million dollars damage. (The Weather Channel)
1982 - A late season snowstorm struck the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies. The storm produced 46 inches of snow at Coal Creek Canyon, located near Boulder. (David Ludlum)
1987 - A heat wave persisted in central California. Afternoon highs of 100 degrees at Fresno CA and 102 degrees at Sacramento CA were records for the date. (The National Weather Summary)
1988 - Unseasonably warm weather prevailed in the western U.S. Eight cities reported record high temperatures for the date, including Pendleton OR with a high of 92 degrees and Phoenix AZ with a reading of 106 degrees. (The National Weather Summary)
1989 - Showers and thunderstorms associated with a low pressure system stalled over New York State drenched Portland ME with 4.50 inches of rain in 24 hours. Rains of 5 to 7 inches soaked the state of Maine over a four day period causing 1.3 million dollars damage. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from eastern Texas and the Central Gulf Coast States into Missouri and Illinois. Thunderstorms spawned six tornadoes, including one which injured four persons at Doloroso MS. Thunderstorms also produced hail three inches in diameter west of Vicksburg MS, and wind gusts to 83 mph in southern Illinois, north of Vevay Park and at the Coles County Airport. High winds and heavy rain caused 1.6 million dollars crop damage in Calhoun County IL, and in southeastern Louisiana, Saint Joseph was deluged with eight inches of rain. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 
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Weather History
For Friday, May 13, 2016
1930 - A man was killed when caught in an open field during a hailstorm northwest of Lubbock TX. It was the first, and perhaps the only, authentic death by hail in U.S. weather records. (David Ludlum)
1981 - A tornado 450 yards in width destroyed ninety percent of Emberson TX. People did not see a tornado, but rather a wall of debris. Homes were leveled, a man in a bathtub was hurled a quarter of a mile, and a 1500 pound recreational vehicle was hurled 500 yards. Miraculously no deaths occurred in the tornado. (The Weather Channel)
1987 - A cold front brought an end to the early season warm spell in the north central U.S., but not before the temperature at Sioux City IA soared to a record warm 95 degrees. Strong southwesterly winds ahead of the cold front gusted to 52 mph at Marais MI. Evening thunderstorms produced golf ball size hail at Rockford MN, and wind gusts to 75 mph at Belmond IA. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1988 - Strong winds along a cold front ushering cold air into the northwestern U.S. gusted to 69 mph at Myton UT. Temperatures warmed into the 80s ahead of the cold front, as far north as Montana. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Thunderstorms developing along a warm front produced severe weather in the Southern Plains Region during the afternoon and night. A thunderstorm at Killeen TX produced wind gusts to 95 mph damaging 200 helicopters at Fort Hood causing nearly 500 million dollars damage. Another thunderstorm produced softball size hail at Hodges TX. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front spawned ten tornadoes from eastern Wyoming to northern Kansas, including seven in western Nebraska. Thunderstorms forming ahead of a cold front in the eastern U.S. spawned five tornadoes from northeastern North Carolina to southern Pennsylvania. Thunderstorms over southeast Louisiana deluged the New Orleans area with four to eight inches of rain between 7 AM and Noon. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 
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Weather History
For Saturday, May 14, 2016
1896 - The mercury plunged to 10 degrees below zero at Climax, CO. It was the lowest reading of record for the U.S. during the month of May. (David Ludlum)
1898 - A severe thunderstorm, with some hailstones up to 9.5 inches in circumference, pounded a four mile wide path across Kansas City MO. South-facing windows were broken in nearly every house in central and eastern parts of the city, and several persons were injured. An even larger hailstone was thought to have been found, but it turned out to be a chunk of ice tossed out the window of a building by a prankster. (The Kansas City Weather Almanac) (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Seven cities across the western U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date as unseasonably hot weather made a comeback. The record high of 103 degrees at Sacramento CA was their ninth in eleven days, and also marked a record seven days of 100 degree heat for the month. Their previous record was two days of 100 degree heat in May. (The National Weather Summary)
1988 - Sunny and dry weather prevailed across the nation. Temperatures warmed into the 80s and lower 90s in the Great Plains Region and the Mississippi Valley. (The National Weather Summary)
1989 - Thunderstorms developing along a stationary front produced severe weather in south central Texas and the Southern High Plains Region during the afternoon and evening hours. Thunderstorms produced softball size hail at Spearman and Hitchcock, TX. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front produced severe weather from northwest Texas to western Missouri. Severe thunderstorms spawned seventeen tornadoes, including nine in Texas. Four tornadoes in Texas injured a total of nine persons. Thunderstorms in Texas also produced hail four inches in diameter at Shamrock, and hail four and a half inches in diameter near Guthrie. Thunderstorms over northeastern Kansas produced more than seven inches of rain in Chautauqua County between 9 PM and midnight. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary) 
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Weather History
For Sunday, May 15, 2016
1834 - The Northern Atlantic Coast States were in the midst of their greatest May snowstorm of record. The hills around Newbury, VT, were covered with two to three feet of snow. (David Ludlum)
1968 - A tornado touched down southwest of Anchorage, AK. It was the second of just three tornadoes reported in Alaska since 1950. (The Weather Channel)
1972 - The worst ice jam flooding of memory for long-time residents took place along the Kuskokwim River and Yukon River in Alaska. It was the first time since 1890 that the two rivers "flowed as one". The towns of Oscarville and Napaskiak were completely inundated. (15th-31st) (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Unseasonably warm weather returned to the north central U.S. Seven cities reported record high temperatures for the date, including Janestown, ND, with a reading of 96 degrees. Thunderstorms in Utah produced five inches of rain south of Bicknell. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1988 - Thunderstorms in Oklahoma produced wind gusts to 80 mph in Oklahoma County, and baseball size hail at Pawnee. Hail piled up to a depth of 18 inches south of Pawnee. Hail damage in Oklahoma was estimated at close to 25 million dollars. Thunderstorms in the Upper Midwest produced golf ball size hail around Cleveland, OH, and wind gusts to 83 mph at Angola, IN. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1989 - Thunderstorms developing along and north of a stationary front produced severe weather in the south central U.S. Thunderstorms spawned eleven tornadoes, and there were 145 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Softball size hail caused 2.1 million dollars damage at Sherman, TX. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from the Central Plains Region and Oklahoma to Indiana and western Kentucky. Thunderstorms spawned fifteen tornadoes, including seven in Oklahoma, and there were 165 reports of large hail or damaging winds. A tornado killed one person, injured a dozen others, and caused four million dollars damage at Stillwater, OK. Another tornado injured eight persons at Foyil, OK. Thunderstorms in Oklahoma also produced wind gusts to 92 mph at Oologah Lake, and softball size hail at Canton and north of Oakwood. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 
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Weather History
For Monday, May 16, 2016
1874 - The Mill Creek disaster occurred west of Northhampton MA. Dam slippage resulted in a flash flood which claimed 143 lives, and caused a million dollars property damage. (David Ludlum)
1924 - The temperature at Blitzen OR soared to 108 degrees to set a state record for the month of May. The record was later tied at Pelton Dam on the 31st of May in 1986. (The Weather Channel)
1952 - High winds in the Wasatch Canyon of Utah struck Ogden and Brigham City. Winds at Hill Air Force Base gusted to 92 mph. (The Weather Channel)
1987 - It was a summer-like day as thunderstorms abounded across the nation. Thunderstorms in Texas drenched Guadelupe County with more than three inches of rain resulting in flash flooding. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1988 - Afternoon and evening thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front produced severe weather from Florida to New York State. Unseasonably warm weather prevailed in the north central U.S. Havre, MT, reported a record high of 95 degrees. (The National Weather Summary)
1989 - Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front produced severe weather in the south central U.S. Thunderstorms spawned twenty tornadoes, and there were 180 reports of large hail and damaging winds. A tornado at Cleburne, TX, caused 30 million dollars damage. A violent (F-4) tornado touched down near Brackettville, TX, and a strong (F-3) tornado killed one person and injured 28 others at Jarrell, TX. Thunderstorms also produced softball size hail at Shamrock, TX. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from eastern Oklahoma and northeastern Texas to the Upper Ohio Valley. Thunderstorms spawned seventeen tornadoes, including a twister which killed one person and injured another north of Corning, AR. There were 128 reports of large hail or damaging winds. Strong thunderstorm winds killed one person and injured six others at Folsomville, IN, and injured another five persons in southeastern Hardin County KY. In Arkansas, baseball size hail was reported near Fouke and near El Dorado. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 
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Weather History
For Wednesday, May 18, 2016
1825 - A tornado (said to have crossed all of the state of Ohio) smashed into the log cabin settlement of Burlington, northeast of Columbus. (David Ludlum)
1960 - Salt Lake City UT received an inch of snow. It marked their latest measurable snowfall of record. (The Weather Channel)
1980 - Mount Saint Helens (in Washington State) erupted spewing ash and smoke sixty-three thousand feet into the air. Heavy ash covered the ground to the immediate northwest, and small particles were carried to the Atlantic coast. (David Ludlum)
1987 - Thunderstorms in Kansas, developing along a cold front, spawned tornadoes at Emporia and Toledo, produced wind gusts to 65 mph at Fort Scott, and produced golf ball size hail in the Kansas City area. Unseasonably hot weather prevailed ahead of the cold front. Pomona NJ reported a record high of 93 degrees, and Altus, OK, hit 100 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1988 - Low pressure anchored over eastern Virginia kept showers and thunderstorms over the Middle Atlantic Coast Region. Flash flooding was reported in Pennsylvania. Up to five inches of rain drenched Franklin County PA in 24 hours. (The National Weather Summary)
1989 - Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front produced severe weather from the Central Gulf Coast States to the Lower Missouri Valley during the day and evening. Thunderstorms spawned sixteen tornadoes, and there were 74 reports of large hail and damaging winds. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the central U.S. spawning a sixteen tornadoes, including a dozen in Nebraska. Thunderstorms also produced hail four inches in diameter at Perryton TX, wind gusts to 84 mph at Ellis KS, and high winds which caused nearly two million dollars damage at Sutherland NE. Thunderstorms deluged Sioux City IA with up to eight inches of rain, resulting in a record flood crest on Perry Creek and at least 4.5 million dollars damage. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 
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Weather History
For Thursday, May 19, 2016
1780 - The infamous "dark day" in New England tradition. At noon it was nearly as dark as night. Chickens went to roost, and many persons were fearful of divine wrath. The phenomena was caused by forest fires to the west of New England. (David Ludlum)
1955 - Lake Maloya NM received 11.28 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a state record. (The Weather Channel)
1975 - Thunderstorms produced golf ball size hail and wind gusts to 110 mph in Minnesota, between Fridley and Hugo. Fifty persons were injured. The hail and high winds destroyed fifty mobile homes, and a dozen aircraft, and also destroyed a third of the Brighton Elementary School. (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Thunderstorms in Texas produced thirteen inches of rain northwest of Lavernia. The heavy rain, along with golf ball size hail, destroyed eighty percent of the crops in the area, while high winds toppled trees. Golf ball size hail was also reported south of Dallas and around San Antonio. Up to eight inches of rain drenched Guadelupe County. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1988 - Severe thunderstorms in southwest Texas produced hail as large as tennis balls around Midland, with the hail accumulating up to a foot deep. Showers and thunderstorms in the Middle Atlantic Coast Region produced 3.5 inches of rain near Schuylkill PA. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front spawned ten tornadoes from Illinois to Tennessee during the afternoon and night. Snow, wind and cold prevailed in the Northern Plateau Region and the Northern Rockies. Dixie, ID, was blanketed with nine inches of snow, winds gusted to 87 mph at Choteau MT, and the temperature at Crater Lake, OR, dipped to 11 degrees. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1990 - Thunderstorms deluged Hot Springs AR with thirteen inches of rain in nine hours resulting in a devastating flood. Two waves of water, four to six feet deep, swept down Central Avenue flooding stores and the famous bathhouses on Bathhouse Row. Water released from Lake Hamilton devastated the area between it and Remmel Dam. The 500 foot Carpenter Dam Bridge across Lake Catherine was completely washed away, as were cabins and mobile homes near the lake, many of which flowed right over the top of Remmel Dam. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 
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Weather History
For Friday, May 20, 2016
1894 - A record late snow of two to eight inches whitened parts of central and eastern Kentucky. Lexington KY received six inches of snow. (The Weather Channel)
1916 - A tornado struck the town of Codell, KS. A tornado struck the town on the same day the following year (1917), and a third tornado hit Cordell on May 20th in 1918. (The Weather Channel)
1957 - A tornado touched down to the southwest of Kansas City and traveled a distance of seventy-one miles cutting a swath of near total destruction through the southeastern suburbs of Ruskin Heights and Hickman Mills. The tornado claimed the lives of forty-five persons, and left hundreds homeless. It was the worst weather disaster of record for Kansas City. About all that remained of one house was a small table and a fish bowl atop, with the fish still swimming about inside the bowl, rather unconcerned. (The Kansas City Weather Almanac)
1987 - Thunderstorms in southern Texas produced grapefruit size hail, near the town of Dilley ("by dilly"), and produced wind gusts to 73 mph at Lake Amistad. The large hail broke windows, killed small animals, and damaged watermelon. Thunderstorms developing along a warm front produced severe weather from Indiana to the Dakotas. Thunderstorms produced baseball size hail at Denver IA, and wind gusts to 80 mph in southern Henry County IL. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1988 - Thunderstorms in the south central U.S. produced wind gusts to 70 mph at Omaha, NE, and wind gusts to 80 mph at Midland and Dallas, TX. Temperatures in California soared into the 90s and above 100 degrees. San Jose CA reported a record high of 97 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Pre-dawn thunderstorms produced large hail in eastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas. Later in the morning thunderstorms in North Carolina produced dime size hail at Hanging Dog. Thunderstorms also produced severe weather from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Central Plains Region later that day and night, with baseball size hail reported around Lawn, Novice and Eola TX. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather across the southeastern quarter of the nation through the day and night. Severe thunderstorms spawned six tornadoes, including one which injured two persons at Algoma, MS, and another which injured nine persons at Rogersville, MO. There were 119 reports of large hail or damaging winds. Thunderstorms produced baseball size hail at Houston MO and damaging winds which killed one person at Toccoa GA. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary) 
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Weather History
For Saturday, May 21, 2016
1860 - A swarm of tornadoes occurred in the Ohio Valley. Tornadoes struck the cities of Louisville, KY, Cincinnati, OH, Chillicothe, OH, and Marietta, OH, causing a million dollars damage. (David Ludlum)
1895 - The temperature at Norwalk, OH, dipped to 19 degrees to set a state record for the month of May. (The Weather Channel)
1896 - The mercury soared to 124 degrees at Salton, CA, to establish a U.S. record for May. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders - 1987)
1980 - The temperature at Williston ND reached 102 degrees to set a record for May, and the next day the mercury hit 106 degrees. (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Severe thunderstorms, developing along a sharp cold front crossing the central U.S., produced 60 mph winds and golf ball size hail at Sedalia, MO, and drenched Hagerstown, IN, with six inches of rain in one hour. Temperatures soared into the 90s ahead of the cold front. Paducah, KY, hit 94 degrees for the second day in a row. Light snow blanketed Montana, with three inches reported at Butte. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1988 - Severe thunderstorms swept across southern Louisiana during the morning hours spawning six tornadoes, and producing wind gusts to 88 mph at Jennings. Thunderstorms also produced five inches of rain in two hours at Lake Charles, causing local flooding. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Thunderstorms moving southeastward across the Central Plains Region into Oklahoma and Arkansas produced severe weather through the day and night. Thunderstorms spawned just four tornadoes, but there were 243 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Baseball size hail was reported at Augusta, KS, and thunderstorm winds gusted to 98 mph at Johnson, KS. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather across the southeastern U.S. for the second day in a row. Severe thunderstorms spawned five tornadoes, including one which injured a person at Richmond KY. There were eighty-seven reports of large hail or damaging winds, with hail three inches in diameter reported at Austin TX. Thunderstorms produced up to five inches of rain in Macon County GA, and heavy rains left nearly eight feet of water over roads near Stepstone KY. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 
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Weather History
For Sunday, May 22, 2016
1876 - Denver CO was drenched with 6.53 inches of rain in 24 hours, an all-time record for that location. (The Weather Channel)
1911 - The temperature at Lewiston ME soared to 101 degrees. It was the hottest temperature ever recorded in New England during the month of May. (David Ludlum)
1987 - A powerful tornado virtually wiped the small southwest Texas community of Saragosa off the map. The twister destroyed eighty- five percent of the structures in the town killing thirty persons and injuring 121 others in the town of population 183. The tornado hurled trucks and autos through adobe and wood- frame homes, with some vehicles blown 500 feet. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1988 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather over the Central Gulf Coast States. Tennis ball size hail was reported at Ripley MS. Showers and thunderstorms in southern Missouri produced 3.20 inches of rain at Springfield to easily surpass their rainfall record for the date. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Unseasonably hot weather continued in southern Texas and parts of the southwestern U.S. Seven cities reported record high temperatures for the date, including El Paso TX with a reading of 100 degrees. Presidio TX was the hot spot in the nation with a high of 111 degrees. (The National Weather Summary)
1990 - Late afternoon and evening thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front in the north central U.S. produced severe weather from northwestern Kansas to central Minnesota and southeastern North Dakota. There were twenty-nine reports of damaging winds, or dime to golf ball size hail. Strong thunderstorm winds gusted to 69 mph at Alexandria, MN. Showers and thunderstorms over eastern North Carolina soaked Wilmington with 2.91 inches of rain, which established a record for the date. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 
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Weather History
For Monday, May 23, 2016
1882 - An unusual late season snow blanketed eastern Iowa, with four to six inches reported around Washington. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
1953 - The temperature at Hollis OK soared from a morning low of 70 degrees to an afternoon high of 110 degrees to establish a state record for the month of May. (The Weather Channel)
1987 - It was a busy day for thunderstorms in the central U.S. Thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 65 mph at Shreveport LA and golf ball size hail at Marfa, TX. Hobart, OK, received 3.55 inches of rain in the morning, and another 4.03 inches of rain that evening. Thunderstorms in Nebraska produced 8.5 inches of rain in two hours north of Potter, and 7.5 inches of rain in ninety minutes north of Minatare. Thunderstorms in Colorado produced five inches of hail at Greeley. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1988 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather across much of the eastern U.S. Golf ball size hail was reported in Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Ohio. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1989 - Severe thunderstorms developing along a cold front resulted in 98 reports of large hail and damaging winds in the Northern Plains and Upper Mississippi Valley. Golf ball size hail caused a million dollars damage around Buffalo City, WI, baseball size hail was reported at Northfield and Randolph, MN, and thunderstorm winds gusted to 95 mph at Dunkerton, IA. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Unseasonably hot weather continued in the south central U.S. Pueblo, CO, equalled their May record with a high of 98 degrees, and the high of 106 degrees at Midland, TX, marked a record six straight days of 100 degree heat. (The National Weather Summary)
1990 - A cold front crossing the western U.S. produced snow over parts of Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho and Utah, with five inches reported at Austin NV, and four inches at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. Strong winds behind the cold front sharply reduced visibilities in blowing dust over central California, and two multi-vehicle accidents resulted in one death and eighteen injuries. In northern Idaho, a cloud-burst washed tons of topsoil, and rocks as large as footballs, into the valley town of Culdesac. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 
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Weather History
For Tuesday, May 24, 2016
1894 - Six inches of snow blanketed Kentucky. Just four days earlier as much as ten inches of snow had fallen across Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. Six days earlier a violent storm had wrecked nine ships on Lake Michigan. (David Ludlum)
1930 - A tornado touched down near the town of Pratt, KS, and traveled at the incredibly slow speed of just 5 mph. (The Weather Channel)
1940 - Hail fell near Ada OK to a depth of six to eight inches, and rainfall runoff left drifts of hail up to five feet high. (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Severe thunderstorms in southwest Texas spawned a couple of tornadoes near Silverton, and produced golf ball size hail east of the town of Happy. Thunderstorms also produced large hail and damaging winds in Louisiana and Texas. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1988 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the southeastern U.S. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 88 mph at Columbia, NC. Baseball size hail was reported near Tifton GA. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front produced severe weather across the Upper Midwest through the day and night. Thunderstorms spawned 30 tornadoes, and there were 158 reports of large hail and damaging winds. A strong (F-3) tornado caused five million dollars damage at Corning, IA, and a powerful (F-4) tornado caused five million dollars damage at Traer, IA. Thunderstorm winds gusting to 88 mph killed one person and injured five others at Stephensville, WI. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Severe thunderstorms spawned two dozen tornadoes from Montana to Oklahoma. Four tornadoes carved a 109-mile path across central Kansas. The third of the four tornadoes blew 88 cars of an 125-car train off the track, stacking them three to four cars high in some cases, and the fourth tornado caused 3.9 million dollars damage. The third tornado injured six persons who were trying to escape in vehicles. A woman was "sucked out" of a truck and said that at one time she was "airborne, trying to run but my feet wouldn't touch the ground". She also saw a live deer "flying through theair". (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 
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Weather History
For Wednesday, May 25, 2016
1917 - A tornado ripped through southeast Kansas, traveling 65 mph. The average speed was a record for any tornado. (The Weather Channel)
1955 - Two tornadoes struck the town of Blackwell, OK, within a few minutes time during the late evening. The tornadoes killed 18 persons and injured more than 500 others. Early the next morning a tornado virtually obliterated the small community of Udall KS killing 80 persons and injuring 270 persons. More than half the persons in the community were killed or injured by the tornado. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Thunderstorms spawned fifteen tornadoes in West Texas. One thunderstorm spawned a powerful tornado near Gruver, TX, along with golf ball size hail and 75 mph winds. A man on a boat on Lake Bistineau in northwest Louisiana was struck and killed by lightning, while the other three persons in the boat were unharmed. The man reportedly stood up in the boat and asked to be struck by lightning. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1988 - Unseasonably cool weather prevailed in the Upper Midwest. Marquette, MI, reported a record low of 26 degrees. Thunderstorms in the north central U.S. produced wind gusts to 62 mph at Idaho Falls, ID, and produced 4 inches of rain in less than four hours in northern Buffalo County. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Thunderstorms developing ahead of a strong cold front produced severe weather from Oklahoma to Ohio through the day and night. Thunderstorms spawned nine tornadoes, and there were 155 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Hail three and a half inches in diameter was reported at Dittmer, MO, and thunderstorm winds gusting to 90 MPH caused twenty million dollars damage at Rockville IN. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Evening thunderstorms spawned four tornadoes in Kansas and Missouri, and there were three dozen reports of large hail or damaging winds. Thunderstorms produced hail two inches in diameter at Cole Camp, and wind gusts to 72 mph at Rosebud. Heavy thunderstorm rains produced flash flooding in central Missouri. Flood waters swept through Washington State Park southwest of Saint Louis, and nearly one hundred persons had to be rescued from water as much as twenty feet deep. The flood waters swept away a number of vehicles, some were carried as much as four miles away. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 
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Weather History
For Thursday, May 26, 2016
1771 - A famous Virginia flood occurred as heavy rains in the mountains brought all rivers in the state to record high levels. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders - 1987)
1917 - A tornado touched down near Louisiana MO about noon and remained on the ground for a distance of 293 miles, finally lifting seven hours and twenty minutes later in eastern Jennings County, IN. The twister cut a swath of destruction two and a half miles wide through Mattoon, IL. There were 101 persons killed in the tornado, including 53 at Mattoon, and 38 at Charleston IL. Damage from the storm totalled 2.5 million dollars. (David Ludlum)
1984 - Thunderstorms during the late evening and early morning hours produced 6 to 13 inches of rain at Tulsa OK in six hours (8.63 inches at the airport). Flooding claimed fourteen lives and caused 90 million dollars property damage. 4600 cars, 743 houses, and 387 apartments were destroyed or severely damage in the flood. (Storm Data) (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Thunderstorms in southwest Iowa spawned five tornadoes and produced up to ten inches of rain. Seven inches of rain at Red Oak forced evacuation of nearly 100 persons from the town. Record flooding took place in southwest Iowa the last twelve days of May as up to 17 inches of rain drenched the area. Total damage to crops and property was estimated at 16 million dollars. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1988 - There was "frost on the roses" in the Upper Ohio Valley and the Central Appalachian Mountain Region. Thirteen cities reported record low temperatures for the date, including Youngstown OH with a reading of 30 degrees. Evening thunderstorms in North Dakota produced wind gusts to 75 mph at Jamestown. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1989 - Thunderstorms in produced large hail in eastern Oklahoma during the pre-dawn hours, and again during the evening and night. Hail two inches in diameter was reported near Prague, and thunderstorm winds gusted to 70 mph near Kenefic. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from eastern Colorado to western Arkansas and northeastern Texas. Severe thunderstorms spawned three tornadoes, and there were eighty-eight reports of large hail or damaging winnds. Evening thunderstorms over central Oklahoma spawned strong tornadoes east of Hinton and east of Binger, produced hail three inches in diameter at Minco, and produced wind gusts to 85 mph at Blanchard. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary) 
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Weather History
For Friday, May 27, 2016
1896 - A massive tornado struck Saint Louis, MO, killing 306 persons and causing thirteen million dollars damage. The tornado path was short, but cut across a densely populated area. It touched down six miles west of Eads Bridge in Saint Louis and widened to a mile as it crossed into East Saint Louis. The tornado was the most destructive of record in the U.S. up until that time. It pierced a five-eighths inch thick iron sheet with a two by four inch pine plank. A brilliant display of lightning accompanied the storm. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Severe thunderstorms in West Texas produced baseball size hail at Crane, hail up to three and a half inches in diameter at Post, and grapefruit size hail south of Midland. Five days of flooding commenced in Oklahoma. Thunderstorms produced 7 to 9 inches of rain in central Oklahoma. Oklahoma City reported 4.33 inches of rain in six hours. Up to six inches of rain caused flooding in north central Texas. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1988 - Sunny and warm weather prevailed across much of the nation to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. Afternoon thunderstorms in southern Florida caused the mercury at Miami to dip to a record low reading of 69 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Unseasonably hot weather prevailed in the southeastern U.S. Ten cities reported record high temperatures for the date as readings soared into the 90s. Lakeland, FL, reported a record high of 99 degrees, and Biloxi, MS, reported a temperature of 90 degrees along with a relative humidity of 75 percent. (The National Weather Summary)
1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from north central Texas to the Central Gulf Coast Region. Severe thunderstorms spawned four tornadoes, and there were eighty-one reports of large hail or damaging winds. Late afternoon thunderstorms over southeast Louisiana produced high winds which injured twenty-seven persons at an outdoor music concert in Baton Rouge, and high winds which gusted to 78 mph at the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary) 
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Weather History
For Saturday, May 28, 2016
1877 - A "terrific" two day long sandstorm (sand) blasted Yuma, AZ. (28th-29th) (The Weather Channel)
1942 - The latest snowstorm of record for the state of Iowa left ten inches at LeMars, eight inches at Cherokee, and 7.5 inches at Waukon. Afternoon highs were in the lower 30s in parts of northwestern Iowa. (The Weather Channel)
1947 - A storm produced heavy snow across Wisconsin, with ten inches reported at Gay Mills. The snow damaged fruit and other trees, and downed power lines. The storm was followed by the coldest weather of the month for much of the High Plains Region and Missouri Valley. Williston ND reported a low of 21 degrees the morning of the 28th, and the next morning Cheyenne WY reported a morning low of 16 above zero. (David Ludlum)
1987 - Thunderstorms produced torrential rains in Oklahoma and northern Texas. Lake Altus, OK, was deluged with nine inches of rain. Up to eight inches drenched northern Texas, and baseball size hail was reported north of Seminole and at Knickerbocker. Ten to 13 inch rains soaked central Oklahoma the last five days of May resulting in an estimated 65 million dollars damage, and forcing several thousand persons to evacuate their homes, many by boat or helicopter. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1988 - A sharp cold front began to usher cold, wet and windy weather into the western U.S. Thunderstorms in the Great Plains Region produced wind gusts to 80 mph near Brookings, SD. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1989 - Unseasonably hot weather continued in Florida. Five cities reported record high temperatures for the date. The record high of 98 degrees at Lakeland, FL, was their fifth in a row. Thunderstorms produced severe weather in Florida late in the day, with golf ball size hail reported at Kissimmee. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Two to five inches of rain over southeastern Ohio on the 28th and 29th capped an exceptionally wet month of May, and triggered widespread flooding. Flooding which resulted claimed three lives, and caused millions of dollars damage. Numerous roads in southeast Ohio were flooded and impassable, and many other roads were blocked by landslides. (Storm Data) 
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Weather History
For Sunday, May 29, 2016
1951 - A massive hailstorm, from Wallace to Kearney County in Kansas, caused six million dollars damage to crops. (David Ludlum)
1953 - A tornado, 600 yards wide at times, killed two persons on its 20 mile path from southwest of Fort Rice ND into Emmons County. Nearly every building in Fort Rice was damaged. The Catholic church was leveled, with some pews jammed four feet into the ground. (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Thunderstorms in West Texas produced softball size hail at Lamesa, and hail up to twelve inches deep east of Dimmitt. Thunderstorms also spawned seven tornadoes in West Texas, including one which injured three persons at Wolfforth. Thunderstorms deluged the Texas Hill Country with up to eleven inches of rain. Severe flooding along the Medino, Hondo, Seco, Sabinal and Frio rivers caused more than fifty million dollars damage. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1988 - A powerful cold front brought snow and high winds to parts of the western U.S. Austin, NV, was blanketed with ten inches of snow, and winds gusted to 75 mph at the Mojave Airport in California. Strong southerly winds and unseasonably warm weather prevailed in the north central U.S. Glasgow, MT, equalled their record for the month of May with a high of 102 degrees. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1989 - Wintry weather gripped parts of the northwestern U.S. for the second day in a row. Great Falls, MT, was blanketed with 12 inches of snow, which pushed their total for the winter season to a record 117.4 inches. Six inches of snow whitened the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Afternoon and evening thunderstorms produced severe weather from north central Colorado to the northern half of Texas. Severe thunderstorms spawned four tornadoes, and there were seventy reports of large hail or damaging winds. Midday thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 90 mph at Hobart, OK, and produced up to three and a half inches of rain in eastern Colorado in four hours. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 
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Weather History
For Monday, May 30, 2016
1879 - A major outbreak of severe weather occurred in Kansas and western Missouri. In Kansas, tornadoes killed eighteen persons at Delphos, and thirty persons at Irving. Two tornadoes struck the town of Irving within a few minutes time virtually wiping the small Kansas community off the map. The second tornado was perhaps two miles wide, and exhibited multiple vortices. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
1948 - A railroad bed acting as a dam gave way during a flood along the Columbia River destroying the town of Vanport, OR. The nearly 19,000 residents escaped with little more than the clothes on their backs. (David Ludlum)
1948 - Twenty carloads of glass were needed in Denver, CO, to replace that destroyed by a severe hailstorm. (The Weather Channel)
1987 - Unseasonably warm weather prevailed across the eastern U.S. Eighteen cities, from Virginia to Ohio and Michigan, reported record high temperatures for the date. Afternoon highs of 97 degrees at Baltimore, MD, and Washington, DC, and 98 degrees at Newark, NJ, were records for the date. (The National Weather Summary)
1988 - Memorial Day heralded heavy snow in some of the mountains and higher passes of Wyoming, closing roads in Yellowstone Park. McDonald Pass, MT, was blanketed with eight inches of snow, while the temperature at Miles City, MT, soared to 94 degrees. A "supercell" thunderstorm in west Texas produced baseball size hail in Bailey and Lamb counties, and up to five inches of rain in less than an hour. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from the Upper Mississippi Valley to the Upper Ohio Valley during the day. A powerful (F-4) tornado injured three persons and caused a million dollars damage at New Providence, IA. Baseball size hail was reported at Blue Earth, MN. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990 - Thunderstorms developing along a warm front spawned fourteen tornadoes in northeastern Texas during the late afternoon and evening hours. The thunderstorms also produced baseball size hail near Marshall, wind gusts to 77 mph at Commerce, and up to five inches of rain. Thunderstorms over southwestern Kansas produced up to six inches of rain. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 
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Weather History
For Tuesday, May 31, 2016
1889 - The Johnstown disaster occurred, the worst flood tragedy in U.S. history. Heavy rains collapsed the South Fork Dam sending a thirty foot wall of water rushing down the already flooded Conemaugh Valley. The wall of water, traveling as fast as twenty-two feet per second, swept away all structures, objects and people. 2100 persons perished in the flood. (David Ludlum)
1941 - Thunderstorms deluged Burlington KS with 12.59 inches of rain to establish a 24 hour rainfall record for the state. (The Weather Channel)
1985 - Severe thuunderstorms spawned forty-one tornadoes across the Lower Great Lakes Region and southeastern Ontario which killed 74 persons. (Storm Data)
1987 - Thunderstorms in New England produced wind gusts up to 90 mph at Worcester, MA, and Northboro, MA, and hail an inch and a half in diameter at Williston, VT. Unseasonably hot weather prevailed in the northeastern U.S. The afternoon high of 94 degrees at Portland, ME, was a record for the month of May. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1988 - Hot and humid weather prevailed in the eastern U.S. Thirteen cities reported record high temperatures for the date. Cape Hatteras, NC, reported their first ninety degree day in May in 115 years of records. "Dust buster" thunderstorms in northwest Texas drenched Amarillo with more than three inches of rain. (The National Weather Summary)
1989 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather and torrential rains in northern Indiana, northern Ohio and southern Lower Michigan. Saint John IND was drenched with four inches of rain in two hours, and Woodland MI was deluged with two inches in twenty minutes. Pittsburgh PA reported a record 6.55 inches of rain for the month of May, with measurable rain reported on twenty-five days during the month. (The National Weather Summary)
1990 - Afternoon and evening thunderstorms developing along a warm front produced severe weather from northwest Texas to southeastern Louisiana. The thunderstorms spawned sixteen tornadoes, including thirteen in northwest Texas. One tornado hit the town of Spearman, TX, causing more than a million dollars damage, and seven other tornadoes were reported within twenty-five miles of Spearman. Thunderstorms over northwest Texas also produced baseball size hail at Monahans, and wind gusts to 80 mph at Paducah. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 
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