May 27 -29 Weather History

[Mid-Atlantic Weather Station (MAWS) Mailing List]

(compiled through about 1990, various sources)

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                ...HISTORICAL WEATHER FACTS FOR MAY 27TH...
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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.

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. 

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.

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.  

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.

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                ...HISTORICAL WEATHER FACTS FOR MAY 28TH...
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1942...   The latest snowstorm of record for the state of Iowa left
          10 inches at LeMars, 8 inches at Cherokee, and 7.5 inches
          at Waukon.  Afternoon highs were in the lower 30s in
          parts of northwestern Iowa.

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.

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. 

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
          Brokkings SD. 

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. 

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 southeastern Ohio were
          flooded and impassable, and many other roads were blocked
          by landslides. 

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                ...HISTORICAL WEATHER FACTS FOR MAY 29TH...
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1877...   A "terrific" two day long sandstorm blasted Yuma AZ.
          (28th-29th) 

1951...   A massive hailstorm, from Wallace to Kearney County in
          Kansas, caused six million dollars damage to crops.

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.

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 11 inches of rain.  Severe flooding along the
          Medino, Hondo, Seco, Sabinal and Frio rivers caused more
          than fifty million dollars damage.

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.

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.          

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.

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