Central and Eastern Severe Weather
One of the severe storm disasters on NOAA’s billion-dollar list: $1.7 billion in losses at 2024 prices ($1.4 billion at the time) and 5 deaths.
What the offices filed during it
The 150 most significant severe storm episodes filed in these dates, colored by kind.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Losses, 2024 dollars
- $1.7 billion
- Losses at the time
- $1.4 billion
- Deaths
- 5
The losses and deaths are NCEI’s, counting everything the disaster did. The episodes below are only what the Weather Service filed in its Storm Events record, which counts damage differently and often not at all, so the two never add up and are shown apart.
By state, as filed
| State | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 62 | 0 | 0 | $49 million |
| Connecticut | 64 | 2 | 3 | $1.0 million |
| Pennsylvania | 170 | 0 | 1 | $944,000 |
| New York | 107 | 3 | 1 | $918,000 |
| Texas | 177 | 0 | 0 | $895,000 |
| Illinois | 52 | 0 | 0 | $647,000 |
| Kentucky | 14 | 0 | 0 | $151,000 |
| New Jersey | 33 | 0 | 3 | $122,000 |
| Mississippi | 11 | 0 | 0 | $114,000 |
| Ohio | 39 | 0 | 0 | $81,000 |
| Virginia | 107 | 0 | 0 | $72,000 |
| Oklahoma | 66 | 0 | 0 | $60,000 |
| West Virginia | 45 | 0 | 0 | $43,000 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 0 | 0 | $30,000 |
| Tennessee | 7 | 0 | 1 | $14,000 |
| Rhode Island | 2 | 0 | 0 | $11,000 |
| Louisiana | 3 | 0 | 0 | $10,000 |
| Florida | 11 | 1 | 2 | $8,000 |
| Georgia | 5 | 0 | 0 | $1,000 |
| Colorado | 25 | 0 | 0 | $500 |
| Kansas | 150 | 0 | 0 | |
| Missouri | 49 | 0 | 0 | |
| Indiana | 25 | 0 | 0 | |
| Iowa | 20 | 0 | 0 | |
| Arkansas | 16 | 0 | 0 | |
| South Dakota | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wyoming | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Alabama | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Montana | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Idaho | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| South Carolina | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| North Carolina | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| North Dakota | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Utah | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Episode by episode
- Hail in Texas, May 11, 2018A rather unusual event to say the least. An ongoing large wild fire in eastern Armstrong County, TX called the Mallard Fire caused a large pyrocumulus cloud to form.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, May 12, 2018Showers and thunderstorms developed along a stalled frontal boundary that was situated over the upper Ohio Valley. Strong to severe storms resulted in several reports of downed trees and hail in southwestern Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio.
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, May 12, 2018Numerous showers and thunderstorms developed south of a stalled frontal boundary that was draped from NW to SE across Pennsylvania. Several of these storms produced wind damage and/or large hail, primarily along and south of the Route 22 corridor.
- Damaging Wind in Georgia, May 12, 2018A very moist and moderately unstable atmosphere combined with strong daytime heating resulted in an isolated thunderstorm producing strong wind gusts.
- Hail in Ohio, May 12, 2018Showers and thunderstorms developed along a stalled frontal boundary that was situated over the upper Ohio Valley. Strong to severe storms resulted in several reports of downed trees and hail in southwestern Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Ohio, May 12, 2018Showers and thunderstorms developed along a stationary boundary during the mid to late afternoon hours.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in West Virginia, May 12, 2018Showers and thunderstorms developed along a stalled frontal boundary that was situated over the upper Ohio Valley. Strong to severe storms resulted in several reports of downed trees and hail in southwestern Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio.
- Hail in Georgia, May 12, 2018Daytime heating and a weak upper impulse resulted in a few strong thunderstorms.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 12 to 17, 2018As a surface front oscillated north and south across the middle and upper Ohio River Valley, showers and thunderstorms developed in a high instability atmosphere on the afternoons of the 12th through 15th. Some of these storms became strong to severe.
- Damaging Wind in Idaho, May 12, 2018A 61 mph wind gust at Rover ARL site.
- Damaging Wind in South Carolina, May 12, 2018A trough produced a strong thunderstorm in Darlington.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, May 12, 2018Low pressure tracked along a boundary and passed through the area on the 12th. Warm and humid air on the southern side of the boundary led to an unstable atmosphere. Some storms became severe.
- Hail in Pennsylvania, May 12, 2018Severe thunderstorms moved across portions of southeastern Pennsylvania with hail and wind damage reported.
- Hail in Virginia, May 12, 2018Low pressure tracked along a boundary and passed through the area on the 12th. Warm and humid air on the southern side of the boundary led to an unstable atmosphere. An isolated thunderstorm became severe.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, May 12, 2018Severe thunderstorms moved across portions of eastern Maryland with hail and wind damage reported.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, May 12 to 13, 2018Scattered severe thunderstorms along a frontal boundary produced damaging winds and large hail across portions of the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore.
- Hail in Illinois, May 12, 2018A nearly stalled boundary produced thunderstorms with one severe event reported of large hail the size of pennies.
- Hail in Iowa, May 13 to 14, 2018A lingering boundary continued to plague the area as it waffled across southern Iowa and northern Missouri. Prior to the evening/overnight convection, lingering convection from the previous night moved out of Nebraska and into Iowa during the morning hours of the 13th.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, May 13 to 14, 2018A nearly stationary boundary combined with heating resulting in an area of thunderstorms with several storms becoming severe. Large hail and a couple of damaging winds reports were received.
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, May 13, 2018Wavering boundary continued to pose problems on the afternoon of the 13th. Storms produced mainly wind damage.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 13, 2018Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms developed along a stationary frontal boundary draped across north-central Illinois during the afternoon of May 13th. The strongest cells produced hail as large as half dollars.
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, May 13, 2018Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed south of a stalled frontal boundary that was draped from NW to SE across southwestern Pennsylvania. A small line of storms formed over the Pittsburgh area and pushed SE across Somerset and Bedford County.
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, May 13, 2018An EF1 tornado was confirmed in Gray, Somerset County, by a NWS storm survey. Maximum wind speeds were estimated at 90 mph, with a path length of one-half to three-quarters of a mile and a maximum path width of 100 yards.
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, May 13, 2018An EF1 tornado was confirmed near Kantner in Somerset County by a NWS storm survey. Maximum wind speeds were estimated at 100-110 mph, with a path length of one-quarter of a mile and a maximum path width of 100 yards.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, May 13, 2018A positive tilted upper level trough digging into southern Nevada developed a 80-100 kt jet downstream of its axis.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 13, 2018A few showers and thunderstorms developed near a stationary front. Some storms became severe due to an unstable atmosphere.
- Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 13, 2018Strong to severe thunderstorms moved across parts of east central Illinois during the afternoon of May 13th.
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, May 13, 2018An EF0 tornado was confirmed near Buffalo Mills in Bedford County by a NWS storm survey. Maximum wind speeds were estimated at 80 mph, with a path length of one-quarter of a mile and a maximum path width of approximately 100 yards.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 13, 2018A positive tilted upper level trough digging into southern Nevada developed a 80-100 kt jet downstream of its axis.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Kansas, May 13, 2018A cold front and dry line intersection was the initial focus for thunderstorms during the late afternoon. The atmosphere had become very unstable during the day.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 13, 2018Wavering boundary continued to pose problems on the afternoon of the 13th. Storms produced mainly wind damage.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Texas, May 13, 2018On the afternoon of the 13th, a dryline moved east to the Interstate-27 corridor. By the early evening, thunderstorms continually redeveloped around Hall and Motley Counties.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 13, 2018Scattered thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon and evening hours along a stationary boundary situated across southern Ohio.
- Hail in Maryland, May 13, 2018A few showers and thunderstorms developed near a stationary front. Some storms became severe due to an unstable atmosphere.
- Hail in West Virginia, May 13, 2018A few showers and thunderstorms developed near a stationary front. Some storms became severe due to an unstable atmosphere.
- Damaging Wind in West Virginia, May 13, 2018Wavering boundary continued to pose problems on the afternoon of the 13th. Storms produced mainly wind damage.
- Hail in Colorado, May 13, 2018A severe thunderstorm produced hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter near Elizabeth in Elbert County. Late in the evening, a strong thunderstorm passed across Denver International Airport.
- Damaging Wind and High Wind in Oklahoma, May 13, 2018Strong winds developed as part of a wake low behind showers and storms in western Oklahoma late on the 13th.
- Hail in Kansas, May 13, 2018A weakening thunderstorm briefly produced severe hail on this Sunday evening. Shortly after 6 PM CST, a short line segment of storms formed southwest of Hayes.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 13 to 15, 2018Severe thunderstorms developed along and ahead of a quasi-stationary front that was draped across the area. One long-lived supercell produced a brief tornado northwest of Ark City before exiting into Oklahoma and becoming stationary.
- Tornado and Hail in Florida, May 14, 2018An upper level low over the eastern Gulf of Mexico allowed brought abundant tropical moisture to the region. With all of this moisture scattered showers and thunderstorms developed along sea breeze and outflow boundaries.
- Lightning Strike in Wisconsin, May 14, 2018A home was struck by lightning in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood early in the morning causing a fire. Moderate damage occurred to the home.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Indiana, May 14, 2018Quasi-stationary front was draped over Ohio Valley with multiple MCV’s crossing the region in fast westerly flow aloft. 1500-2000 J/kg CAPE exsisted with steep midlevel lapse rates in EML and mid/upper 60s dewpoints.
- Damaging Wind in Indiana, May 14, 2018Strong to severe thunderstorms moved across parts of northwest Indiana during the morning hours of May 14th.
- Tornadoes in Florida, May 14, 2018The interaction between a strengthening low pressure system in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Bermuda High caused south winds to develop across the Florida peninsula. These winds brought a surge of moisture from the Caribbean across the state of Florida.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Pennsylvania, May 14, 2018A stationary front continued to linger in the vicinity of the Mason-Dixon Line. A marked temperature contrast existed across the front, with values in the 50s over northwestern Pennsylvania and numbers well into the 80s over northern West Virginia.
- Flash Flood and Hail in West Virginia, May 14, 2018A stationary front continued to linger in the vicinity of the Mason-Dixon Line. A marked temperature contrast existed across the front, with values in the 50s over northwestern Pennsylvania and numbers well into the 80s over northern West Virginia.
- Hail in Colorado, May 14, 2018Severe thunderstorm produced large hail up to quarter size across Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties. Plow trucks were dispatched to the The Pinery in Douglas County to clean up after the storm. The hail was several inches deep on the roadways and stranded vehicles.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Missouri, May 14, 2018During the early afternoon hours on May 14, scattered thunderstorms moved through the area, with a few of these storms producing some marginally severe wind and hail.
- Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, May 14, 2018A frontal boundary was draped NW to SE across central Pennsylvania on May 14, 2018, with southwestern Pennsylvania located in the warm sector.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 14, 2018Low pressure passed through the area on the 14th. The low tracked along a boundary that separated warm and humid air to the south and west from cooler marine air to the north and east.
- Hail in South Dakota, May 14, 2018A thunderstorm produce nickel sized hail in the Hayward area.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Wyoming, May 14, 2018Thunderstorms produced large hail and torrential rainfall across portions of Albany and Laramie counties.
- Hail and Heavy Rain in Missouri, May 14 to 17, 2018Several rounds of severe thunderstorms impacted the Ozarks Region with large hail, damaging wind gusts, and heavy rainfall.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, May 14 to 15, 2018As a surface front oscillated north and south across central and northern West Virginia, showers and thunderstorms developed in a high instability atmosphere on the afternoons of the 14th and 15th. Some of these storms became strong to severe.
- Hail in Kansas, May 14, 2018Scattered supercell thunderstorms produced several reports of large hail across the Topeka CWA.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, May 14, 2018Low pressure passed through the area on the 14th. The low tracked along a boundary that separated warm and humid air to the south and west from cooler marine air to the north and east.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, May 14, 2018There was an upper low over the Great Basin, and an upper level disturbance moved over West Texas. A dryline was also present across the Permian Basin. Great moisture and instability were in place across the area.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Missouri, May 14, 2018An MCV moved across northern Missouri and thunderstorms developed ahead of it. There were numerous reports of damaging winds with these storms.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, May 14 to 17, 2018Dryline interacting with plenty of instability and wind shear resulted in the development of supercells. These storms produced several reports of damaging winds, large hail and flash flooding across West Central Texas from May 14 through May 17.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 14, 2018For a second consecutive evening, severe thunderstorms affected the extreme southeastern Texas Panhandle. Thunderstorms again formed during the late afternoon over the Rolling Plains east of a dryline.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 14, 2018Strong to severe thunderstorms moved across parts of northeast Illinois during the afternoon of May 14th.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 14, 2018A complex of multi-cell thunderstorms developed in the southeastern Texas Panhandle and moved east eventually forming a line of thunderstorms. SBCAPE of near 4000 J/kg along with wind shear of around 30 kts supported thunderstorm development.
- Hail in Illinois, May 14, 2018A frontal boundary produced thunderstorms with one severe event reported of large hail.
- Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 14, 2018As an MCV moved across northern Missouri, thunderstorms developed ahead of it. There were numerous reports of damaging winds with these storms.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Colorado, May 14, 2018In the late afternoon a supercell thunderstorm, with a history of producing large hail, moved southeast across parts of Kit Carson and Cheyenne counties. Hail up to baseball size was reported south of Vona. The highest wind gust reported was 75 MPH north of Cheyenne Wells.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Virginia, May 14, 2018A surging warm front spread moderate to heavy rain across the region. Dry conditions prior to the event served to limit the amount of flooding, but 1.5-2 inches of rain was enough to cause some street flooding in more urbanized areas.
- Damaging Wind in North Carolina, May 14, 2018A lone thunderstorm developed generating a wind gust that knocked down a few trees across a small part of Southwest North Carolina.
- Hail in Kansas, May 14, 2018Isolated severe storms produced large hail.
- Hail in Virginia, May 14, 2018Afternoon storms were developing along an outflow boundary situated from about Pittsburgh, PA to Columbus, OH. The main cluster of storms would travel southeast from that area, entering the Virginia Piedmont in the evening.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 14, 2018Scattered severe thunderstorms associated with a trough of low pressure produced damaging winds and large hail across portions of central and eastern Virginia.
- Damaging Wind in District of Columbia, May 14, 2018Low pressure passed through the area on the 14th. The low tracked along a boundary that separated warm and humid air to the south and west from cooler marine air to the north and east.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 14, 2018Evening storms on the 14th formed off a dryline and cold front. These storms quickly formed into a line and moved southeast across Oklahoma and western north Texas. A few non-thunderstorm wind gusts came out of a wake low behind the line of storms.
- Damaging Winds in Maryland, May 14, 2018Low pressure passed through the area on the 14th. The low tracked along a boundary that separated warm and humid air to the south and west from cooler marine air to the north and east.
- Hail in Kansas, May 14, 2018A supercell, with a history of producing significant hail in East Central Colorado, moved into West Central Kansas. The storm produced even larger hail as it continued southeast. The largest hail reported was teacup size at Weskan.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 14, 2018A stationary frontal boundary draped across north-central Illinois triggered isolated strong to severe thunderstorms during the evening of May 14th. Most of the storms were confined to locations along and north of a Lacon to Chenoa line.
- Hail in Indiana, May 14, 2018Strong thunderstorms moved across parts of northwest Indiana during the afternoon of May 14th.
- Hail in Wisconsin, May 14, 2018A strong thunderstorm developed near a warm front and produced nickel size hail.
- Hail in Iowa, May 14, 2018A stalled out boundary continued to linger across southern Iowa and northern Missouri for the third day/event in a row.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, May 14, 2018With an approaching short wave trough, elevated thunderstorms developed north of a stationary boundary during the evening hours.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 14, 2018A couple of linear bands of thunderstorms produced isolated large hail and damaging wind gusts. The storms occurred in the warm and moist air south of a stationary front that extended from central Illinois to a low pressure center over the Plains.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 14 to 15, 2018Thunderstorms developed across southeastern Kansas during the evening of the 14th along a nearly stationary frontal boundary. The storms moved southeast across portions of northeastern Oklahoma during the late evening.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 14 to 15, 2018A cold front passed through the area. Warm and humid conditions led to an unstable atmosphere ahead of the boundary, and that caused a few storms to become severe.
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, May 15, 2018A cold front moved east across northern Ohio during the morning hours of May 15th. An area of showers and thunderstorms developed in advance of the front. One of the thunderstorms became severe in Wayne County causing some damage.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 15, 2018Shortwave passage along a sagging boundary resulted in showers and thunderstorms across the region on the 15th. With plenty of instability and unidirectional shear, the primary threat was damaging wind although there were several hail reports as well.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, May 15, 2018Shortwave passage along a sagging boundary resulted in showers and thunderstorms across the region on the 15th. With plenty of instability and unidirectional shear, the primary threat was damaging wind although there were several hail reports as well.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Oklahoma, May 15, 2018An area of storms moved out of Kansas into northwest Oklahoma early on the 15th, then marched southeastward through the afternoon.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, May 15, 2018A line of severe thunderstorms developed ahead of an approaching cold front during the afternoon of May 15, 2018. This line progresses southeastward across central Pennsylvania, producing widespread wind damage and isolated large hail.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 15, 2018Scattered thunderstorms developed along a slow moving frontal boundary.
- Tornado and Hail in Pennsylvania, May 15, 2018An intense cold front move through central New York and northeast Pennsylvania during the afternoon of the 15th. This front produced a major squall line which eventually evolved into a derecho with estimated wind speeds of up to 115 mph in Wayne County, Pennsylvania.
- Damaging Winds in Florida, May 15, 2018A persistent upper level low over the NE Gulf of Mexico increased diurnal instability with enhanced a few storms that developed along the sea breezes as they drifted inland.
- Tornadoes and Hail in New York, May 15, 2018Severe thunderstorms impacted portions of the eastern Catskills, Mid-Hudson Valley, and Taconics during the afternoon of May 15th.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, May 15, 2018An intense cold front move through central New York and northeast Pennsylvania during the afternoon of the 15th. This front produced a major squall line which eventually evolved into a derecho with estimated wind speeds of up to 115 mph in Wayne County, Pennsylvania.
- Hail in Virginia, May 15, 2018A very moist and unstable environment set the stage for convection during the afternoon hours.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Connecticut, May 15, 2018Severe thunderstorms impacted portions of Litchfield County during the afternoon of May 15th. A supercell thunderstorm crossed northern portions of the county, resulting in hail up to two inches in diameter, two confirmed tornadoes, and straight-line wind damage.
- Hail in Massachusetts, May 15, 2018A severe thunderstorm impacted southern Berkshire County during the afternoon of May 15th, resulting in quarter-size hail.
- Flash Flood in Virginia, May 15, 2018An isolated storm dropped 1.5 to 2 inches of rain a few hours producing flash flooding along portions of Brush Creek.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Kentucky, May 15, 2018Slow moving thunderstorms developed this afternoon ahead of an upper level disturbance, bringing moisture from the Gulf of Mexico into eastern Kentucky. Isolated wind damage occurred in Laurel County as one storm initially grew very strong.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, May 15, 2018A cold front over the Great Lakes moved through Southern New England during the late afternoon and early night of May 15th. The air mass over Connecticut was very warm and humid, and as the cold front moved into this air it generated numerous thunderstorms.
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, May 15, 2018Severe thunderstorms moved across portions of northern New Jersey with hail and wind damage reported.
- Flash Flood and Flood in Pennsylvania, May 15 to 17, 2018Heavy rain lead to urban and small stream flooding across portions of southeast Pennsylvania.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in New York, May 15, 2018An approaching cold front triggered numerous severe thunderstorms over southeastern New York. These storms produced 3 tornadoes in the Lower Hudson Valley, as well as microbursts and macroburts.
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, May 15, 2018An EF1 tornado was confirmed near Enola, Cumberland County, by a NWS storm survey. Maximum wind speeds were estimated at 90 mph, with a path length of approximately 200 yards and a maximum path width of 40 yards.
- Damaging Winds in New Jersey, May 15, 2018An approaching cold front triggered numerous severe thunderstorms over northeastern New Jersey.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Connecticut, May 15, 2018An approaching cold front triggered numerous severe thunderstorms over southern Connecticut. These storms produced 2 tornadoes in the Lower Hudson Valley, as well as microbursts and macroburts.
- Damaging Winds in New Jersey, May 15, 2018Severe thunderstorms moved across portions of northern New Jersey with hail and wind damage reported.
- Tornado and Hail in Illinois, May 15, 2018A stationary frontal boundary extending across south-central Illinois provided the focus for thunderstorm development during the afternoon and evening of May 15th. One supercell formed in Christian County and produced an EF-0 tornado east of Palmer.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 15, 2018Scattered thunderstorms formed along a stationary boundary just west of the forecast area. Some storms became strong to severe as they moved into western and central parts of the region on May 15.
- Hail in North Dakota, May 15, 2018Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and early evening of May 5 over southern North Dakota ahead of a deepening low pressure system. One thunderstorm became severe over Sioux County and produced one inch diameter hail.
- Hail in Utah, May 15, 2018Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed over Utah on May 15, and large hail was observed with one storm.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Arkansas, May 15 to 16, 2018A couple severe storms moved across central Arkansas during the afternoon hours on the 15th. Mainly trees were blown down with this event.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, May 15 to 17, 2018Showers and thunderstorms developed each day in a warm, moist, and unstable air mass. Some of these storms produced damaging wind gusts and hail.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 15, 2018On the afternoon of the 15th, a cold front pushed into the southern South Plains initially developing thunderstorms in the Permian Basin.
- Damaging Wind in West Virginia, May 15, 2018A very moist and unstable environment set the stage for convection during the afternoon hours.
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, May 15, 2018Showers and thunderstorms developed a warm, moist, and unstable air mass. Some of these storms produced damaging wind gusts and a funnel cloud.
- Damaging Wind in Mississippi, May 15, 2018An unstable atmosphere allowed for a few pop-up storms with one that reached severe limits across northern Mississippi during the afternoon of May 15.
- Damaging Winds in Rhode Island, May 15, 2018A cold front over the Great Lakes moved through Southern New England during the late afternoon and early night of May 15th. The air mass over Rhode Island was very warm and humid, and as the cold front moved into this air it generated numerous thunderstorms.
- Damaging Winds in Tennessee, May 15, 2018A couple severe thunderstorms formed producing strong wind gusts that downed a few trees in Central East Tennessee.
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in Alabama, May 15, 2018An upper low over the northern Gulf of Mexico brought deep Gulf moisture northward into Central Alabama. A zone of surface convergence extended from northeast Alabama southwest across the Birmingham Metro area.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, May 15, 2018A cold front passed through the area. Warm and humid conditions led to an unstable atmosphere ahead of the boundary, and that caused a few storms to become severe.
- Hail in Missouri, May 15, 2018As a weak cold front moved southeast across the forecast area, showers and thunderstorms developed. Some of the storms produced large hail.
- Hail in Alabama, May 15, 2018An isolated thunderstorm produced hail during the late afternoon.
- Hail in Texas, May 15, 2018An outflow boundary was generated by convection from the previous night over the northeast Permian Basin. A dryline was also making its way east across the Permian Basin. Air destabilized behind and along the outflow boundary resulting in storms.
- Hail in Colorado, May 15, 2018Severe thunderstorms moving across portions of El Paso county, generated hail up to the size of quarters during the afternoon of the 15th over and near Colorado Springs and also near Monument.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 15, 2018Thunderstorms developed along a prefrontal trough in North Central Texas and moved southward into South Central Texas. Some of these storms produced large hail and damaging wind gusts.
- Tornadoes in Illinois, May 15, 2018As a weak cold front moved southeast across the forecast area, showers and thunderstorms developed. One of the storms produced a landspout tornado.
- Hail in Colorado, May 15, 2018A severe thunderstorm produced large hail, from quarter to golfball size near Atwood and Sterling.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in West Virginia, May 15, 2018Shortwave passage along a sagging boundary resulted in showers and thunderstorms across the region on the 15th. With plenty of instability and unidirectional shear, the primary threat was damaging wind although there were several hail reports as well.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Maryland, May 15 to 17, 2018A cold front slowly sagged southward through Pennsylvania during the afternoon hours of May 15th. A line of storms spread ahead of this front, causing a widespread 1-3 inches of rain across North Central and Northeast Maryland.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 15, 2018A developing strong 850-500 hPa zonal flow displaced well to the south of an anti-cyclonic feature in the northwest CONUS helped to develop convection across the region.
- Hail in Oklahoma, May 15, 2018A developing strong 850-500 hPa zonal flow displaced well to the south of an anti-cyclonic feature in the northwest CONUS helped to develop convection across the region.
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, May 15, 2018An unstable atmosphere allowed for a few pop-up storms with one that reached severe limits across west Tennessee during the evening hours of May 15.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Kentucky, May 16, 2018Slow moving thunderstorms produced localized flash flooding during the early morning hours and then again during the afternoon hours.
- Flash Flood in Georgia, May 16, 2018Isolated flash flooding occurred as a result of a line of thunderstorms stretching from the Atlanta metro area into the Florida panhandle.
- Lightning Strike in Florida, May 16, 2018Abundant tropical moisture across the region associated with an upper level low pressure system allowed for widespread showers and thunderstorms to develop. One of these storms produced deadly lightning at a farm in Broward County.
- Lightning Strike in Tennessee, May 16, 2018Widely scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours on May 16, with a report of damage and one minor injury due to lightning in Clay County.
- Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 16, 2018An upper trough that had been in place for a couple days with temperatures in the low to mid 80s continued to produce showers with heavy rainfall.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Tennessee, May 16, 2018An unstable airmass coupled with a weak frontal boundary produced a couple of severe thunderstorms across portions of west Tennessee during the afternoon hours of May 16th.
- Hail in Arkansas, May 16, 2018Thunderstorms developed into northwestern Arkansas from eastern Oklahoma during the afternoon of the 16th. The strongest storm produced hail up to penny size.
- Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 16, 2018A slow moving line of thunderstorms developed from mid to late this afternoon across central Kentucky. As this line progressed east into the Bluegrass region of eastern Kentucky, these storms increased in coverage as rainfall rates increased.
- Damaging Winds in Florida, May 16, 2018A persistent upper level low across the NE Gulf of Mexico began to lift NE with a lobe of strong mid level energy overspreading the area from west to east.
- Hail in Oklahoma, May 16, 2018A few supercell thunderstorms were able to develop in this both weak CAPE and moderate shear environment.
- Hail in Louisiana, May 16, 2018Low level moisture combined with an upper level disturbance produced scattered showers and storms over South Central Louisiana. One storm became severe.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, May 16, 2018As a low pressure center aloft tracked northward from the Great Basin and toward the northern Rockies, scattered thunderstorms developed via daytime heating over the higher terrain of north-central and southwest Montana by late morning and early afternoon of May 16th, 2018.
- Hail in Alabama, May 16, 2018An isolated thunderstorm produced hail during the late afternoon.
- Lightning Strike in Mississippi, May 16, 2018An unstable airmass contributed to scattered thunderstorms across portions of north Mississippi during the late afternoon hours of May 16th.
- Hail in South Dakota, May 16, 2018A supercell thunderstorm developed near Spearfish and Belle Fourche, then moved southeast along the foothills to near Rapid City before weakening. Hail ping-pong ball size fell with the storm, with the largest hail in the Tilford and Piedmont areas.
- Hail in Texas, May 16, 2018An upper level ridge was over the region with hot temperatures across West Texas. A dryline along with outflow boundaries from previous storms were present across the area. Very good moisture and instability were in place.
- Hail in Texas, May 16, 2018A few supercell thunderstorms were able to develop in this both weak CAPE and moderate shear environment.
- Hail in South Dakota, May 16, 2018A thunderstorm briefly became severe in the Tilford area, producing hail to ping-pong ball size.
More
Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 2018Tornadoes in 2018
Sources
NOAA NCEI, U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2025), https://doi.org/10.25921/stkw-7w73, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.