NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

MAY 2019
1-4: Rainfall intensified from the central and southern Plains into the middle Mississippi Valley. On May 2, the Mississippi River achieved a record-high crest at Rock Island, IL, edging a July 1993 standard by less than an inch (0.07 foot).
Precipitation fell nearly everywhere east of the Rockies, with totals reaching 2 to 4 inches or more in a large area stretching northeastward from central and eastern sections of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas into Illinois and environs. Late-season snow
fell in the central Rockies and neighboring areas, while mostly dry weather accompanied a warming trend in California and the Northwest.

5-11: Drenching rains across the central and southern Plains, as well as the western and central Gulf Coast regions, sparked flooding. Weekly rainfall totaled 2 to 6 inches or more in numerous locations on the Plains from Kansas to Texas, and in the Gulf
Coast States from Texas to Mississippi. A broader area from the Plains eastward, excluding the northernmost Plains, also received significant rainfall. Some late-season snow accompanied the cool spell. On May 5, Havre, MT, reported a daily-record
snowfall of 2.5 inches. Later, Duluth, MN, received 10.6 inches of snow on May 8-9. Duluth’s 8.3-inch total on the 8th represented its snowiest day on record in May, surpassing 5.5 inches on May 10, 1902. In addition, Duluth’s May snowfall record
was broken; this year’s sum of 10.9 inches has already surpassed the May 1954 standard of 8.1 inches. Snow also blanketed the central and southern Rockies, where 18.0 inches fell in a 24-hour period on May 8-9 near Angel Fire, NM. From May 8-10,
Alamosa, CO, measured 4.8 inches of snow. Elsewhere in the Southwest, out-of-season precipitation resulted in daily-record totals for May 9 in Flagstaff, AZ (0.94 inch), and Las Vegas, NV (0.45 inch). Las Vegas also collected a daily-record sum (0.26
inch) on May 10, along with Sandberg, CA (0.60 inch). On the 11th in Arizona, Tucson’s 1.10-inch rainfall marked its second wettest day on record in May, behind only 1.34 inches on May 15, 1931. Farther east, repeated rounds of heavy rain struck
parts of the Plains and South. On May 7, as much as 8 to 10 inches of rain drenched Fort Bend County, TX. Sugar Land, TX, officially received 7.82 inches on the 7th, and 10.50 inches from May 7-11. During the same 5-day period, League City, TX,
collected 9.07 inches. Houston’s Hobby Airport received daily-record totals (3.38 and 3.36 inches, respectively) on May 7 and 9. Daily-record totals ranged from 2 to 4 inches or more in many other communities, including Chanute, KS (4.69 inches on
May 6); Crossville, TN (3.51 inches on May 11); Jackson, MS (3.43 inches on May 9); Alexandria, LA (3.25 inches on May 8); San Angelo, TX (2.68 inches on May 7); Texarkana, AR (2.67 inches on May 8); and Gainesville, FL (2.13 inches on May 5). In the
aftermath of the heavy rain, the Chikaskia River near Blackwell, OK, achieved its second-highest level on record (5.48 feet above flood stage on May 9), behind only 6.36 feet above flood stage on September 14, 2008. In Kansas, the Walnut River at
Winfield and Arkansas City rose to its highest level since November 1998; the river crested on May 8 in the former location, 18.84 feet above flood stage, and the following day in the latter location, 10.52 feet above flood stage. As the cold core of a
storm system moved overhead late in the week, maximum temperatures failed to top the 50-degree mark in Amarillo, TX (48°F on May 10), and Lincoln, IL (50°F on May 11).

12-18: Out-of-season storminess accompanied the surge of cool air into California, with significant precipitation—including high-elevation snow—occurring across the northern half of the state. Unseasonably showery weather also affected many other
areas of the western U.S., particularly from the Pacific Northwest to the northern Rockies. A brief period of drier weather allowed many rivers in the upper and middle Mississippi Valley to continue falling. On May 16, the Mississippi River at
Burlington, IA, finally fell below the major flood stage of 18 feet. The 62 days (March 16 – May 16) that the Burlington gauge experienced major flooding shattered the June-August 1993 record of 41 days. Farther east, early week rainfall soaked the
Mid-Atlantic States and southern New England. In Pennsylvania, record-setting rainfall totals for May 12 included 1.66 inches in Williamsport and 1.46 inches in Allentown. Cool, showery Northeastern conditions lingered for several days, as maximum
temperatures failed to reach the 50-degree mark from May 12-14 in Binghamton, NY (46, 41, and 44°F). Mount Washington, NH, New England’s highest peak, received 2.9 inches of snow on May 13-14. Meanwhile, heavy precipitation developed in northern
California, starting on May 15. Mount Shasta, CA, received 3.25 inches on May 15-16. Rain reached southern California by the 16th, when daily-record totals included 0.90 inch in Santa Barbara and 0.67 inch in Camarillo. California’s Central Valley
also received notable rainfall, with 0.76 inch falling in Fresno on May 16. Toward week’s end, heavy showers developed across the Plains and upper Midwest. Record-setting rainfall totals for May 18 reached 2.18 inches in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, and 2.
02 inches in Cedar Rapids, IA.

19-25: Historic flooding developed along the Arkansas River and its tributaries in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, following repeated rounds of heavy rain that totaled 4 to 12 inches. A much broader area of the Plains and Midwest received at least 2 to
4 inches or rain, limiting fieldwork and sparking varying degrees of flooding. In addition, severe thunderstorms and isolated tornadoes resulted in local wind damage. High-elevation snow fell from the Sierra Nevada to the central Rockies, with
accumulations briefly affecting the central High Plains. Daily-record rainfall totals topped 2 inches in many locations, including Marquette, MI (2.46 inches on May 19); Valentine, NE (2.17 inches on May 21); and Dubuque, IA (2.12 inches on May 24). In
Missouri, daily-record rainfall totals were observed on May 20 and 23 in Joplin (3.84 and 3.20 inches, respectively) and Springfield (2.33 and 4.29 inches, respectively). U.S. corn planting, 58 percent complete by May 26, remained at a record-slow pace (
previously, 67 percent in 1995). Meanwhile, U.S. soybean planting—29 percent complete—was proceeding at the slowest pace since May 26, 1995, when 27 percent of the intended acreage had been sown. Wetness extended across much of the West, where many
daily precipitation records were established. Record-setting totals for May 19 included 0.97 inch in Burns, OR; 0.84 inch in Sacramento, CA; and 0.63 inch in Idaho Falls, ID. Snow accompanied some of the Western precipitation, with accumulations
reaching the High Plains. Colorado Springs, CO, netted 4.9 inches of snow on May 20-21, while Cheyenne, WY, received 9.9 inches from May 19-21. Elsewhere in Wyoming, May 18-22 snowfall totaled 5.2 inches in Riverton and 4.4 inches in Casper. Ely, NV,
collected 1.0 inch of snow on May 21-22. Farther east, month-to-date rainfall through May 25 climbed above a foot in locations such as Chanute, KS (16.91 inches, or 377 percent of normal); Joplin, MO (13.29 inches, or 288 percent); and Oklahoma City, OK
(12.12 inches, or 330 percent). The Arkansas River at Ponca City, OK, achieved a record crest on May 24, climbing 5.26 feet above flood stage. The previous record in Ponca City, 3.11 feet above flood stage, had been set on May 14, 1993. Farther
downstream, the Arkansas River at Van Buren, AR, surged more than 2 feet above the April 1945 record, cresting 18.26 feet above flood stage on May 28. Showery weather persisted through week’s end, when daily-record totals for May 25 included 1.58
inches in Oklahoma City, OK, and 0.57 inch in Omak, WA. Among the week’s most consequential tornadoes were a pair of EF3 twisters, one of which stayed on the ground for nearly 20 miles on May 22 in and near Jefferson City, MO, and the other of which
carved a 2.2-mile path on May 25 near El Reno, OK, resulting in two fatalities.

26-31: Runoff from earlier rainfall pushed the middle Mississippi River to its second-highest level on record, behind 1993. Meanwhile, a record-setting crest on the Arkansas River surged through eastern Oklahoma and into western Arkansas, where high-
water marks from 1943 and 1945 were eclipsed. At the same time, showers and thunderstorms persisted for much of the week across large sections of the Plains, Midwest, and Northeast. The Mississippi River between Quincy, IL, and Louisiana, MO, crested 12
to 15 feet above flood stage on June 1 or 2. Those levels were previously exceeded only by the high-water marks established in July 1993. North of Quincy, the Mississippi River at Gregory Landing, MO, rose 11.97 feet above flood stage on June 2 to
reach the third-highest level on record, behind 13.49 feet on July 9, 1993, and 12.60 feet on June 18, 2008. Meanwhile, the Arkansas River crest coursed through eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas in late May and early June. Van Buren, AR,
experienced a crest 18.79 feet above flood stage on June 1, toppling the April 1945 high-water mark by 2.69 feet. The Arkansas River at Dardanelle, AR, crested 13.91 feet above flood stage on May 30, eclipsing the May 1943 record by 1.81 feet. During
the last few days of May, daily-record totals topped 2 inches in locations such as Rochester, MN (3.33 inches on May 27); North Little Rock, AR (2.96 inches on May 29); and Paducah, KY (2.56 inches on May 29). Memorial Day, May 27, was particularly wet
in Wyoming, where daily-record totals included 1.65 inches in Cheyenne, 1.63 inches in Riverton, 1.52 inches in Sheridan, and 1.50 inches in Buffalo. The following day on the Plains, record-setting amounts for May 28 reached 1.81 inches in East Rapid
City, SD, and 1.29 inches in Sidney, NE. In Colorado, 24-hour snowfall totals on May 27-28 included 2.8 inches in Silverton and 1.9 inches in Ouray. Heavy showers also soaked the Great Lakes region, with daily-record totals occurring in Pittsburgh, PA (
1.93 inches on May 29); Lansing, MI (1.92 inches on June 1); and South Bend, IN (1.77 inches on May 27). Even California experienced unusually heavy rain, with Hanford receiving 0.74 inch on May 26 and Palomar Mountain reporting 0.41 inch on May 27.
Finally, the period from May 17-29 was exceptionally stormy, with a preliminary U.S. tally of more than 400 tornadoes—at least eight each day—during the 13-day period. One of the week’s most impressive tornadoes, an EF4 with estimated winds near
170 mph—struck Montgomery County, OH, on May 27, tearing a path 19 miles long and up to 0.6 mile wide through Dayton and environs during a 31-minute rampage from 10:41 to 11:12 EDT.

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