Weatherwatch: May2024

A stable jet-stream configuration (Western trough and Eastern ridge), combined with generous moisture contributions from elevated sea-surface temperatures in the Atlantic Basin, fueled almost daily showers and thunderstorms in the central and eastern US. Tornadoes were reported somewhere in the cont...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Weatherwise 2024-09, Vol.77 (5), p.46
Main Authors: Rippey, Brad, Thoman, Richard, Stuefer, Martin, Moore, Blake, Grimes, Jason, Hartl, Lea, Halverson, Jeffrey B
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Fatalities
Hail
Mortality
Sea surface temperature
Severe weather
Surface temperature
Thunderstorms
Tornadoes
Weather forecasting
Wind damage
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Summary:A stable jet-stream configuration (Western trough and Eastern ridge), combined with generous moisture contributions from elevated sea-surface temperatures in the Atlantic Basin, fueled almost daily showers and thunderstorms in the central and eastern US. Tornadoes were reported somewhere in the continental US each day during the month, except May 15 and 18, while there were more than 3,800 May reports of thunderstorm-induced wind damage and well over 1,800 observations of hail at least one inch in diameter. The nation's preliminary monthly count of 571 tornadoes nearly matched the highest May total on record; 573 twisters were documented in May 2003. The month's most frenetic periods of severe weather included May 6-9 and 19-28, with major outbreaks occurring on the night of May 8-9 from the Ozark Plateau to the Carolinas, and on May 26-27 from the middle MS Valley to the mid-Atlantic. Tragically, 10 individual tornadoes--on May 6, 8, 13, 21, 25, and 26--resulted in 25 fatalities across eight states. On May 25, a thunderstorm over Cooke County, TX, spawned the nation's deadliest tornado (seven fatalities) since Mar 31, 2023, when nine individuals perished in McNairy County, TN.
ISSN:0043-1672
1940-1310
DOI:10.1080/00431672.2024.2381431