17-21 May 2004

Water in the Earth System will return for Fall 2004 with new Water News and Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 30 August 2004. All the current online homepage products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

• Hurricane Awareness Week -- With the beginning of the official 2004 hurricane season for the North Atlantic Basin beginning on 1 June, this upcoming week (16-22 May) has been declared National Hurricane Awareness Week. The National Hurricane Center maintains a hurricane awareness website that provides information and educational material for the various hurricane hazards to include storm surge, high winds, tornadoes and flooding. (A Spanish version of this website is also available.) Several Gulf Coast and Middle Atlantic States, to include will also conduct statewide Hurricane Awareness Weeks during this upcoming week. Since the 2004 hurricane season began in the eastern North Pacific basin on Sunday (15 May), Hawaii will also observe Hurricane Awareness Week. Check the Hurricane Awareness Calendar.
• North American Safe Boating Week -- Commencing this coming Saturday, the week of 22-28 May has been declared North American Safe Boating Week. Check the Safe Boating Week site maintained by the Safe Boating Council.
• Global and US Hazards/Climate Extremes-- A review and analysis of the global impacts of various weather-related events, including drought, floods and storms during the current month. [NCDC]
• Global Water News Watch -- Other water news sources can be obtained through the SAHRA Project at the University of Arizona [SAHRA Project]
• Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

• 17–21 May 1887...An early season tropical storm raked Cuba and The Bahamas. (The Weather Doctor)
• 17 May 1980...Thunderstorms dumped 16 inches of rain in a 24-hour period at Lake Charles, LA. (Intellicast)
• 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. Miraculously, he survived! (The Weather Channel)
• 17 May 1988...Thunderstorms produced large hail and damaging winds over the Carolinas during the afternoon and evening. A "thunderstorm of a lifetime" in northern Spartanburg County, SC produced hail for forty-five minutes, leaving some places knee-deep in hail. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 17 May 1997...Two inches of snow fell at Herman, MI, marking the last measurable snow for the 1996-1997 snow season. The 384.0 inches for this just concluded snow season broke a state snowfall record that was set the previous 1995-1996 season of 347.0 inches. The average snowfall at Herman is 239.7 inches. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 18 May 1950...As many as 100,000 people were evacuated in Winnipeg, MB as the Red River crested at 30.3 feet above normal water level. Floodwaters damaged 5,000 homes and buildings. (The Weather Doctor)
• 18 May 1980... Mount St. Helens in Washington State erupted, ejecting smoke and ash to a height of 63,000 feet. The smoke plume rose to a height of 80,000 feet. The earth was covered with heavy ash to the immediate northeast and visibility was reduced to less than one mile for a downwind distance of 400 miles. Five deaths were caused and over 2000 people were evacuated due to mudslides and flooding when the snowpack melted. Small particles in the cloud reached the East Coast in 3 days and circled the world in 19 days. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
• 18 May 1990...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)
• 19 May 1257...On St. Dunstan's Day, a tornado traveled from Windsor to St Albans in England and was described as a "marvellous sore tempest of weather, the air being darkened on every side from the four corners thereof, and withal chanced such a thunder as few the like had been heard." (The Weather Doctor)
• 19 May 1955...Lake Maloya, NM received 11.28 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a state record. (The Weather Channel)
• 19 May 1984...Texas received heavy rain from thunderstorms, with 4.22 inches falling on Beaumont in 6 hours and Port Arthur receiving over 6 inches of rain in about 8 hours. (Intellicast)
• 19 May 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 Guadalupe County. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 19 May 1988...Severe thunderstorms in southwest Texas produced hail as large as tennis balls around Midland, with the hail accumulating up to a foot deep. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 19 May 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)
• 20 May 1729...A waterspout moved on land at Bexhill, Sussex, England to become a tornado. The tornado leveled many buildings along its path of destruction, 12 miles long and on average 380 yards wide. (The Weather Doctor)
• 20 May 1999...A devastating cyclone, packing winds of up to 170 mph and a high storm surge, struck the Sindh Province in southern Pakistan. Some 600 villages were devastated and more than 400 people killed. (The Weather Doctor)
• 20 May 1990...Nearly 13 inches of rain fell in just 9 hours at Hot Springs, AR. A wall of water 4 to 6 feet high roared though the city. Cars, many occupied, were seen floating down Central Avenue. 85 people had to be rescued from flooded cars and buildings.(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary) (Intellicast)
• 21 May 1990...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)
• 21 May 1991...With eight inches of rain in six hours, Liberal, KS experienced the worst flooding in 45 years. Some residents had to be rescued by boat in this community located on the relatively flat terrain of the Plains. Fish (mainly catfish) were caught on city streets. (Accord's Weather Calendar)
• 22 May 1876...Denver, CO was drenched with 6.53 inches of rain in 24 hours, an all-time record for that location. (The Weather Channel)
• 22-24 May 1948...A rare early season hurricane struck the island of Hispaniola, killing an estimated 80 people. (The Weather Doctor)
• 22 May 1983...The Pearl River was 10 feet over flood stage at Carthage, MS due to heavy rains. This was the second worst flood in history for Carthage. (Intellicast)
• 22 May 1998...A massive hailstorm pounded northeast Colorado, to include Greeley, Fort Morgan and Brush, along with 140,000 acres of crops that were destroyed. Damage was estimated at 3.3 million dollars. Snowplows removed up to 18 inches of hail from roads as some cars were stuck in the hail. A woman was hurt at home by hail coming through a window. (Accord's Weather Calendar)
• 23 May 1991...Thunderstorms in the Denver, CO metropolitan area produced large hail up to golfball size. An estimated 5000 homes and 8000 cars received considerable damage. Hail accumulated to a depth of 6 inches in Aurora. (Intellicast)
• 23-24 May 1908...Between 4 to 8 inches of rain fell on the already saturated ground in the upper Trinity and Brazos River basins of north Texas. Record floods were reported at Grande Prairie (30.6 feet), Dallas (52.6 feet) and Rosser (38.0 feet). Three people drowned in Fort Worth and eight in Dallas. (Accord's Weather Calendar)

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Prepared by AMS WES Central Staff and Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
ã Copyright, 2004, The American Meteorological Society.