Tornadoes
1953F5 tornado, McLennan County, Texas
An F5 tornado touched down in McLennan County, Texas and tracked 20.9 miles, 583 yards wide at its widest, killing 114 and injuring 597.
- Rating
- F5
- Deaths
- 114
- Injuries
- 597
- Path
- 20.9 mi
- Width
- 583 yd
Every tornado, hurricane, flood, blizzard, heat wave, record, earthquake, eruption, tsunami, wildfire and geomagnetic storm on record for May 11, in any year, each linked to its full record.
Every event with a place, colored by kind. Tap one to open its record.
By deaths, damage and strength together, across every archive.
Tornadoes
An F5 tornado touched down in McLennan County, Texas and tracked 20.9 miles, 583 yards wide at its widest, killing 114 and injuring 597.
Tornadoes
An F5 tornado touched down in Lubbock County, Texas and tracked 8.4 miles, 1,333 yards wide at its widest, killing 26 and injuring 500.
Tornadoes
An F4 tornado touched down in Tom Green County, Texas and tracked 9.9 miles, 880 yards wide at its widest, killing 13 and injuring 159.
Tornadoes
Tornadoes
Billion-dollar disasters
A flooding disaster that cost $2.5 billion in 2024 dollars and killed 13, on NOAA’s billion-dollar list. It lasted from May 11, 1990 to May 19, 1990.
Tornadoes
An F4 tornado touched down in Martin County, Texas and tracked 10.4 miles, 800 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 14. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Lenorah, TX.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Lorca, Spain. It killed 10 people, injured 324 and did $260.2 million in damage.
Tornadoes
An F4 tornado touched down in Mason County, Texas and tracked 7 miles, 1,400 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 6.
Volcanoes
Marapi, Indonesia erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2. It killed 67 people, left 20 missing, injured 33, destroyed 521 houses and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
Tornadoes
An EF4 tornado touched down in McIntosh County, Georgia and tracked 11 miles, 700 yards wide at its widest, injuring 9.
Billion-dollar disasters
A severe storm disaster that cost $2.9 billion in 2024 dollars and killed 1, on NOAA’s billion-dollar list. It lasted from May 11, 2022 to May 12, 2022.
126 on May 11, oldest first.
An unrated tornado touched down in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania and tracked 1.6 miles, killing 1 and injuring 15. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Philadelphia, PA.
An F2 tornado touched down in Chesterfield, City of Richmond counties, Virginia and tracked 9.4 miles, 35 yards wide at its widest, killing 2 and injuring 1. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Richmond, VA.
An F3 tornado touched down in Lamar County, Texas and tracked 8 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 3. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: NW Paris/NE Paris, TX.
An F3 tornado touched down in Tillman, Kiowa counties, Oklahoma and tracked 14.6 miles, 1,000 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 1. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: E Tipton/NW Manitou, OK.
An F3 tornado touched down in York County, Nebraska and tracked 1 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: W Bradshaw, NE.
An F2 tornado touched down in Dallas County, Alabama and tracked 15.6 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 20. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Cahaba/Selma/Burnsville, AL.
An F4 tornado touched down in Martin County, Texas and tracked 10.4 miles, 800 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 14. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Lenorah, TX.
An F3 tornado touched down in Blaine County, Oklahoma and tracked 15.9 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, injuring 5. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: W Watonga to S Okeene, OK.
An F3 tornado touched down in Hardeman, Jackson, Harmon counties, Texas and tracked 13.9 miles, 800 yards wide at its widest, injuring 3. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Hardeman County, TX to W Eldorado, OK.
An F3 tornado touched down in Hardeman, Harmon counties, Texas and tracked 15.7 miles. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Garden Valley, TX to N Gould, OK.
An F3 tornado touched down in Greer County, Oklahoma and tracked 6.6 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: E Reed, OK.
An F3 tornado touched down in Berrien County, Georgia and tracked 4.3 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, injuring 10.
An F5 tornado touched down in McLennan County, Texas and tracked 20.9 miles, 583 yards wide at its widest, killing 114 and injuring 597.
An F4 tornado touched down in Tom Green County, Texas and tracked 9.9 miles, 880 yards wide at its widest, killing 13 and injuring 159.
On the afternoon of May 11, 1953, a powerful and deadly tornado directly struck the city of Waco, Texas, killing 114 people and injuring 597 more. The tornado was the deadliest to hit Texas since 1900, with the same amount of fatalities but more injuries than the 1902 Goliad, Texas, tornado.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
An F3 tornado touched down in Washington County, Kansas and tracked 5.4 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest.
An F3 tornado touched down in Shawnee, Jefferson counties, Kansas and tracked 9.9 miles, 660 yards wide at its widest.
An F5 tornado touched down in Lubbock County, Texas and tracked 8.4 miles, 1,333 yards wide at its widest, killing 26 and injuring 500.
During the evening hours of May 11, 1970, an extremely violent multiple-vortex tornado struck a large portion of the city of Lubbock, located in the state of Texas, United States. The incident resulted in 26 fatalities and an estimated $250 million in damage.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
An F3 tornado touched down in Livingston County, Michigan and tracked 0.9 miles, 60 yards wide at its widest, killing 1.
An F3 tornado touched down in Hill County, Texas and tracked 7.2 miles, 10 yards wide at its widest.
An F3 tornado touched down in Jackson County, Oklahoma and tracked 10 miles, 700 yards wide at its widest, killing 2 and injuring 18.
An F3 tornado touched down in Jackson County, Oklahoma and tracked 4 miles, 350 yards wide at its widest, injuring 41.
An F3 tornado touched down in Kiowa County, Oklahoma and tracked 7 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest.
An F3 tornado touched down in Hall County, Texas and tracked 15 miles, 40 yards wide at its widest.
36 tornadoes were recorded on May 11, 1982, in Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska. They killed 2 people.
May of 1982 was one of the worst months for severe weather in Oklahoma history. The second of three severe weather episodes came on May 11th and 12th. On the 11th, severe thunderstorms produced 18 tornadoes across the western part of the state. One tornado touched down southeast of Altus and moved across Altus Air Force Base. In Altus, almost every roof in town was damaged by large hail. At the base, 70 buildings were damaged or destroyed, 30 airplanes were damaged, and 6,000 vehicles suffered hail or tornado damage. Overall, two people were killed, 60 others injured, and the total damage from this particular storm was more than $200 million.
From the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.
An F3 tornado touched down in Meade County, South Dakota and tracked 2 miles, 500 yards wide at its widest, injuring 20.
An F4 tornado touched down in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma and tracked 10 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, injuring 3.
An F3 tornado touched down in Coal County, Oklahoma and tracked 12 miles, 150 yards wide at its widest, injuring 1.
35 tornadoes were recorded on May 11, 1992, in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, 1 of them rated violent (F4 or EF4 and above).
Wind-driven golf ball-size hail did considerable window and roof damage in southeast Erath County at Three Way.
Ping-Pong ball-size hail reported in the town of Butner.
Severe Thunderstorms rumbled across much of south-central Nebraska through the evening hours. A brief tornado passed northwest of Gilead damaging a shed, irrigation pipe and some fence. The majority of reports were large hail.
An F4 tornado touched down in Mason County, Texas and tracked 7 miles, 1,400 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 6.
An F3 tornado touched down in Gillespie County, Texas and tracked 3.5 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest.
A series of supercell thunderstorms ripped across the Heartland and Northwest Hill Country on the afternoon of the 11th. Three tornadoes would touch down, including a devastating F4 tornado north of Loyal Valley in eastern Mason County.
During the afternoon hours of May 11, 1999, a violent and destructive multiple-vortex tornado struck areas around the community of Loyal Valley in Texas, killing one person. The tornado, rated a high-end F4 on the Fujita scale, caused extreme damage along its relatively short path.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The tornado was preceded by strong, gusty winds, very heavy rainfall and finally, large hail. Severe winds in advance of the tornado took a roof off the High School in Harper and laid it on the ground on the opposite side of the building.
Summary of events for May 11 1999:Numerous severe thunderstorms formed along a slow-moving north-south cold front across eastern Oklahoma on the afternoon and evening of May 11.
An F3 tornado touched down in Black Hawk, Buchanan counties, Iowa and tracked 18.6 miles, 210 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 25.
The seasons first tornado outbreak took place during the late afternoon and early evening hours of the 11th. During the day, very strong warm air advection took place.
Thunderstorms that developed explosively in eastern Kansas tracked into western Missouri.
Thunderstorms developed rapidly south of a cold front in eastern Kansas, and then tracked eastward.
Strong warm air advection, responsible for triggering severe thunderstorms during the morning, essentially led to a strong capping inversion during the afternoon over Eastern Iowa.
No details provided.
An F3 tornado touched down in McLean County, Kentucky and tracked 1.8 miles, 80 yards wide at its widest, injuring 2.
An F3 tornado touched down in Williamson County, Tennessee and tracked 1 miles, 300 yards wide at its widest, injuring 1.
Two trees were blown on to houses. One tree was blown on to a car. Numerous other trees were downed in the area. Signs were bent on Buford Road.
An F3 tornado touched down in Rutherford County, Tennessee and tracked 1 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest.
An F2 tornado touched down in Mercer County, Kentucky and tracked 7 miles, 300 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 8.
There was damage to the roofs of homes and businesses. Several businesses had their signs damaged as well. The Davidson County tornado started about 5.3 miles northeast of downtown Nashville near Riverwood Drive.
One home was destroyed, and one home was severely damaged. A mobile home disintegrated, with the frame found one quarter mile away. Several barns or sheds were destroyed. Two vehicles were rolled. Numerous trees were uprooted, and some were blown some distance.
Strong thunderstorms moved across the Genesee Valley, Western Finger Lakes and eastern Lake Ontario region during the afternoon hours. The thunderstorm winds, estimated to 65 mph, downed trees in Stafford, Spencerport, and Oswego. Power lines were downed in Adams.
60 knot wind gust produced by microburst.
Though well predicted, the severe weather and flooding on the night of May 11 was even worse than imagined.
The tornado touched down in the Brushy Creek area southeast of Maywood uprooting and breaking numerous trees. The tornado then moved northwest approximately a mile into a farmstead where it broke power lines, destroyed grain bins, and tossed irrigation pipe.
Contact was made briefly in pasture of native grass.
An EF4 tornado touched down in McIntosh County, Georgia and tracked 11 miles, 700 yards wide at its widest, injuring 9.
42 tornadoes were recorded on May 11, 2008, in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, 1 of them rated violent (F4 or EF4 and above). They killed 2 people.
An EF3 tornado touched down in Toombs, Tattnall counties, Georgia and tracked 7.32 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, injuring 2.
An EF2 tornado touched down in Laurens County, Georgia and tracked 13.79 miles, 250 yards wide at its widest, killing 2 and injuring 2.
An EF3 tornado touched down in Treutlen, Montgomery counties, Georgia and tracked 7.66 miles, 150 yards wide at its widest.
Scattered severe thunderstorms produced damaging winds, large hail and one tornado across portions of northeast North Carolina.
Numerous thunderstorms developed near the coast of eastern North Carolina during the late afternoon and evening hours ahead of a cold front.
A strong cold front moving across the area brought severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and large hail to portions of Eastern Kentucky during the morning hours of May 11th. Numerous reports of downed trees and power lines were received.
A warm front lifted northward through southern South Carolina and southeast Georgia during the morning, with a strong cold front then sweeping through the area during the evening. This resulted in several rounds of severe weather across the region.
Several supercells moved through the midlands and produced large hail and a few tornadoes, all of which were in rural areas causing no structural damage.
Squall lines with embedded bow echoes formed near a cold front. The front was associated with a deep surface low pressure in the Midwest and a strong upper level trough.
A very warm and humid airmass was in place over Iowa on the 11th. During the previous two days, strong capping was in place across the state. A cold front began to move into the state on the 11th as upper level heights and temperatures began to fall.
Scattered thunderstorms developed along a dryline during the early afternoon hours. These storms consolidated into a couple of linear mesoscale convective systems that produced wind damage mainly north of the Interstate 20 corridor.
An upper level low over western Kansas combined with a cold front moved into the region and produced severe thunderstorms. Numerous severe storms and a few supercells produced very large hail and high wind gusts as the front moved through the region.
Thunderstorms developed along the dry line in western and central Oklahoma during the afternoon of May 11th. This activity moved eastward into eastern Oklahoma during the afternoon and evening. Widespread damaging winds and isolated tornadoes occurred with this activity.
After a rather quiet start to the severe weather season in South Central Nebraska, things changed in a hurry during the early to mid afternoon hours on this Wednesday as a line of severe thunderstorms marched from southwest to northeast across much of the area, but primarily…
An EF3 tornado touched down in Clay, Fillmore counties, Nebraska and tracked 20.21 miles, 1,300 yards wide at its widest.
An EF3 tornado touched down in Fillmore, York, Seward counties, Nebraska and tracked 19.14 miles, 2,640 yards wide at its widest.
36 tornadoes were recorded on May 11, 2014, in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota.
One long-tracked supercell thunderstorm, and several other shorter-lived storms spawned tornadoes across eastern Nebraska during the late afternoon and evening hours of May 11th.
Thunderstorms in the late afternoon and early evening of May 11th produced large hail and damaging winds in northwest Iowa, as well as two tornadoes which caused damage. The severe weather occurred in Cherokee, O'Brien, and Sioux Counties.
Low pressure over Kansas moved northeast during the afternoon of the 11th into the morning of the 12th. By dawn on the 12th, the low was over northeast Kansas. A cold frontal boundary extended northeast from the low into northwest Iowa.
A strong jet streak moved out across the plains and helped lift a very unstable airmass in place. Storms were along the dry line and also discrete cells ahead of the dry line.
As a warm front lifted north through the forecast area, thunderstorms developed. Some of the storms became severe with numerous reports of large hail, some damaging winds and an EF2 tornado that occurred near Bourbon and Sullivan Missouri during the evening.
Showers and thunderstorms developed over Eastcentral Texas and Southeast Oklahoma during the afternoon hours of May 11th, ahead of a positive tilt upper trough that shifted east across Northern Oklahoma and Southern Kansas.
A Mesoscale Convective Complex moved across southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi during the early morning hours of the 11th. Unstable air in the wake of this system allowed the redevelopment of thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours.
Scattered severe thunderstorms in advance of a frontal boundary produced damaging winds, heavy rain, and one tornado across portions of central and southeast Virginia.
A lone thunderstorm in the morning uprooted numerous trees in parts of Polk County. More widespread thunderstorms in afternoon produced multiple reports of funnel clouds, hail and wind damage. Two brief tornadoes were also reported.
A cluster of early morning storms developed on the nose of steeper mid-level lapse rates and marginally strong elevated wind shear across far southeast South Dakota. Multicell convection produced spotty large hail moving into southwest Minnesota.
A cluster of storms produced large hail stones west of Granite Falls, near Olivia, and northeast toward the northwest suburbs of the Twin Cities. Most of these storms were elevated but had a steep lapse rate to generate large hail, up to 2 inches in diameter at times.
33 tornadoes were recorded on May 11, 2023, in Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas.
A deepening upper/low pressure system slowly approached portions of the Central Plains on the 11th.
A supercell thunderstorm riding along a warm front produced a couple of tornadoes as well as straight-line wind damage over western Maryland.
A warm front pushed a swath of light to moderate showers across the Upper Ohio Valley during the morning and midday hours of May 11th.
A warm front pushed a swath of light to moderate showers across the Upper Ohio Valley during the morning and midday hours of May 11th.
14 on May 11, oldest first.
Heavy rain of 2 to 4 inches with some amounts nearing 5 inches fell across a large part of the six county area mainly on the evening of the 11th. This round of heavy rain only exacerbated the already extensive flooding occurring from many years of above normal precipitation.
Considerable street flooding with apartments evacuated due to flooding.
On May 10th and 11th a deepening low pressure center moved northeast from the plains into eastern Upper Michigan. By the time the precipitation ended during the afternoon on 12th, Herman in Baraga Countyhad received an impressive 4.88 inches of rain.
A potent storm system crossed the region May 12th. Warm and moist air filtered in ahead of the system, bringing widespread showers and thunderstorms with heavy rain.
Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon producing severe hail and damaging winds. The storms eventually congealed into a line of thunderstorms that produced heavy rain and flooding.
Clinton County Illinois had received about 5 inches of rain since May 9th. Numerous creeks and rivers were flooding, including Sugar Creek south southwest of Damiansville, IL.
Deep tropical moisture pooled ahead of a dissipating late season front across the ranchlands, and combined with an impulse of jet stream energy during the afternoon and evening hours of May 11th.
A frontal boundary stalled north of the South Texas region during the morning hours on May 11th. Scattered thunderstorms developed in the afternoon over the Brush Country. A supercell thunderstorm was nearly stationary over southern Duval County for several hours.
The proximity of a mid-upper level trough and a surface shortwave trough with abundant moisture provided favorable environmental conditions for the development of thunderstorms and widespread showers over the region.
An above average snow pack in the mountains drained by the Pend Oreille and Clark Fork River basins melted at an accelerated rate during the month of May.
Ice Jams formed along the Susitna River during the spring breakup, which resulted in flooding along the river northeast of Talkeetna.
After a cold front stalled across the ArkLaMiss region the day before, the remnant stationary front served as a focus for the development of widespread showers and thunderstorms on May 11th.
Isolated convection developed during the afternoon hours, with a lone supercell thunderstorm producing flash flooding in slot canyons across Goblin Valley, while other thunderstorms produced wind damage over northern Utah.
Isolated severe storms resulted in several reports of large hail and isolated wind damage in the form of downed trees and limbs.
12 on May 11, oldest first.
A strong cold front swept across eastern New York on the afternoon of May 11 resulting in severe thunderstorms across parts of the area.
An Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) developed southwest of Iowa during the evening of the 10th and lifted northeast across the state during the morning of the 11th. Though no severe weather was associated with the MCS, high winds developed following its passage.
A strong cold front extending south from an area of low pressure over the northern Great Lakes moved into Northwest Ohio during the morning hours and as far east as Pennsylvania by late afternoon.
A low pressure system over central Illinois intensified rapidly during the early morning hours of May 11. Winds gusts ranged from 45 to 55 mph across the region. There were widespread reports of tree and power line damage.
A tight pressure gradient behind a strong, departing cold front caused winds to increase to around 20 mph with gusts between 35 and 40 mph across northern Alabama.
A stationary surface frontal boundary was draped near the North Carolina-South Carolina border during the morning.
Scattered severe thunderstorms, which formed over northern Texas and moved northeast through southern and central Oklahoma, produced a fairly wide swath of strong and damaging winds on this day in 2011. Several locations near and east of Ardmore, Oklahoma City, and Newkirk saw thunderstorm associated wind gusts in excess of 60 mph.
From the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.
Showers and thunderstorms developed ahead of a pre-frontal trough that was pivoting across the region. With modest instability and shear, several storms produced damaging winds, bringing trees down across eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
A strong area of low pressure lifted over the Great Basin and caused the pressure gradient to tighten over western Colorado. The presence of a strong jet aloft and deep mixing resulted in widespread wind gusts of 40 to 55 mph.
A line of storms moved across portions of southeast Minnesota during the morning of May 11th. These storms produced large hail that fell across parts of Dodge, Olmsted and Wabasha Counties.
A compact weather system moved through the region on Thursday May 11th and brought a round of severe storms during the late morning and afternoon hours. Most of the events were damaging winds but there were a few instances of hail and one tornado in SE Arkansas.
1 on May 11, oldest first.
A surface low tracked across northern South Dakota, southeast North Dakota, and into northern Minnesota. A strong thermal gradient set up across eastern ND and the northwest quarter of MN.
5 on May 11, oldest first.
A non-U.S. resident, the victim was found outside.
The first widespread 100 degree temperatures of the season occurred across Southeast Arizona on May 13th and 14th. High temperatures in many of the deserts west of Tucson approached 105F. NWS Tucson issued heat advisories advising the public of the unusually hot May temperatures.
An infant died in a hot car in Lake Havasu City.
One person died in Las Vegas of heat-related causes.
Temperatures in Southeastern Arizona were 6 to 12 degrees above normal with Minor to Moderate HeatRisk. The Pima County Medical Examiner found that heat was the cause of death for two individuals in Ajo and Sells.
32 on May 11, oldest first.
The 1887 Cape Cod wildfires were a series of wildfires that burned across Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in May 1887. At least six distinct fires erupted on May 11, driven by abnormally warm and dry conditions.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Margaret 4 Fire started on May 11, 1989, in Texas, and burned 1,360 acres.
The Unnamed Fire started on May 11, 1994, in Idaho, and burned 8,378 acres.
The Unnamed Fire started on May 11, 1994, in Montana, and burned 1,799 acres.
The Unit 1 Fire was discovered on May 11, 1995, in Louisiana, and burned 2,800 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Unit 2 Fire was discovered on May 11, 1995, in Louisiana, and burned 1,185 acres.
The Unnamed Fire was discovered on May 11, 1995, in Volusia County, Florida, and burned 1,100 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Hidden Creek Fire was discovered on May 11, 1996, in Alaska, and burned 5,200 acres; the cause was recorded as smoking.
The Kazakof Bay Fire was discovered on May 11, 1996, in Alaska, and burned 1,200 acres; the cause was recorded as smoking.
The Cogswell Point Fire was discovered on May 11, 1997, in Kane County, Utah, and burned 4,383 acres.
The Unnamed Fire was discovered on May 11, 1998, in Hawaii County, Hawaii, and burned 1,700 acres.
The Scottable Fire was discovered on May 11, 2000, in New Mexico, and burned 16,034 acres; the cause was recorded as power generation/transmission/distribution.
The Manuelitas Fire was discovered on May 11, 2000, in San Miguel County, New Mexico, and burned 1,410 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Unnamed Fire was discovered on May 11, 2001, in McIntosh County, Georgia, and burned 3,482 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Bouquet Fire was discovered on May 11, 2002, in California, and burned 5,200 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Rec Area Command Fire was discovered on May 11, 2002, in Broward County, Florida, and burned 4,000 acres; the cause was recorded as equipment and vehicle use.
The River Bottom Fire was discovered on May 11, 2004, in South Dakota, and burned 1,200 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
A stationary front across Alabama and Georgia combined with high pressure over the Florida Keys to produce hot and breezy west winds across East Central Florida. On May 11th winds gusted from 30 to 40 mph and high temperatures were in the 90s.
The Salt Plant Fire was discovered on May 11, 2011, in Terry County, Texas, and burned 5,000 acres; the cause was recorded as smoking.
The Plant X Fire was discovered on May 11, 2011, in Lamb County, Texas, and burned 1,200 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Elwood Fire was discovered on May 11, 2012, in Arizona, and burned 1,600 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Double Diamond Wildfire began around 1520CST in Hutchinson county about two miles northwest of Fritch near the Harbor Bay area of Lake Meredith National Recreational Area.
The Signal Fire was reported on May 11, 2014, in Grant County, New Mexico, and burned 5,484 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Double Diamond Fire was reported on May 11, 2014, in Hutchinson County, Texas, and burned 2,202 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Viewpoint Fire was reported on May 11, 2018, in Yavapai County, Arizona, and burned 5,600 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Dog Fire was reported on May 11, 2021, in Culberson County, Texas, and burned 1,959 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Coastal Fire began on May 11th, with the cause currently unknown. Up to 20 homes were destroyed as the fire burned into Laguna Niguel, each of which were valued between $2-5 million. Evacuation orders and care shelters were set up, with no injuries or fatalities reported.
The Laguna 24 Fire was reported on May 11, 2024, in Kleberg County, Texas, and burned 11,377 acres.
The month of May began with overall dry conditions across the county. Green up had not occurred yet following the winter allowing fire weather conditions to increase during the first two weeks of the month.
The Camp House Fire was reported on May 11, 2025, in St. Louis County, Minnesota, and burned 12,071 acres.
The Coyote Fire was reported on May 11, 2025, in Apache County, Arizona, and burned 1,280 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
At around 11:30 AM MST on the 11th, a new wildfire named the Jones Fire broke out just southeast of Downtown Wickenburg along a riverbed near a Ford Dealership. The fire was able to spread along a riverbed, jumping U.S.
17 on May 11, oldest first.
An earthquake struck Baghdad, Iraq. It killed many people (about 101 to 1,000).
An earthquake struck Cyprus. It killed many people (about 101 to 1,000) and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage. It caused a tsunami.
In 1624 the city of Fez in northern Morocco was devastated by a major earthquake between three and four in the morning of 11 May. 0 Mw and a maximum felt intensity of VIII–IX on the MSK scale.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Oaxaca,zanaguia,san Francisco Ozolotepec, Mexico. It killed 24 people, injured 20 and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage. It caused a tsunami.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Turkey. It killed some people (about 51 to 100).
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Yunnan Province, China. It killed 21 people.
An earthquake struck Garmsar,kerand,bankuh, Iran. It killed 20 people and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Arequipa,moquegua,tacna,torata,quellaveco, Peru. It killed 1 person and injured 66.
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Southern Mexico. It killed 4 people. It caused a tsunami.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck Abruzzo, S Central, Italy. It killed 3 people and injured 63.
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Lorca, Spain. It killed 10 people, injured 324 and did $260.2 million in damage.
1 Mw earthquake that occurred 18:47 CEST on 11 May 2011, near the town of Lorca, causing significant localized damage in the Region of Murcia, Spain, and panic among locals, and displacing many from their homes. 4 foreshock at 17:05, that inflicted substantial damage to many older structures in the area, including the historical Espolón Tower of Lorca Castle, the Hermitage of San Clemente and the Convent of Virgen de Las Huertas.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck Kamrup, Guwahati, Assam, India. It injured 2.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Bashagard, Hormozgan, Iran. It killed 2 people and injured 20.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck Tibet (Xizang Province), China. It injured 60.
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Ardabil, Iran, Azerbaijan. It injured 20.
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck Shiraz, Iran. It injured 2 and destroyed 3 houses.
3 on May 11, oldest first.
Katla, Iceland erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 5.
Karangetang, Indonesia erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 1. It killed 6 people and injured 1.
Marapi, Indonesia erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2. It killed 67 people, left 20 missing, injured 33, destroyed 521 houses and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
5 on May 11, oldest first.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Cyprus Island. It killed many people (about 101 to 1,000) and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Puerto Angel, Mexico. It killed 24 people, injured 20 and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
A tsunami struck Gold Coast, Togo, with a maximum water height of 5 meters.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake struck S. Mexico, with a maximum water height of 0.81 meters. It killed 4 people.
A tsunami with a source recorded as landslide struck Agulhas Bank, South Africa, with a maximum water height of 0.29 meters.
5 on May 11, oldest first.
A G5 (extreme) geomagnetic storm began May 11, 1938, reached Kp 9- and lasted 18 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 103; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 42 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm began May 11, 1946, reached Kp 7- and lasted 9 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 41; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 52 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G4 (severe) geomagnetic storm began May 11, 1959, reached Kp 8+ and lasted 24 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 108; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 43 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm began May 11, 1960, reached Kp 7- and lasted 6 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 42; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 52 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm began May 11, 2002, reached Kp 7- and lasted 12 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 49; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 52 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
3 on May 11, oldest first.
A flooding disaster that cost $2.5 billion in 2024 dollars and killed 13, on NOAA’s billion-dollar list. It lasted from May 11, 1990 to May 19, 1990.
A severe storm disaster that cost $2.9 billion in 2024 dollars and killed 1, on NOAA’s billion-dollar list. It lasted from May 11, 2022 to May 12, 2022.
A severe storm disaster that cost $1.1 billion in 2024 dollars and killed 1, on NOAA’s billion-dollar list. It lasted from May 11, 2024 to May 13, 2024.
6 on May 11, oldest first.
Three people were swimming along an unguarded beach when they were caught in a rip current. Two of the swimmers were able to make it safely ashore but the third one drowned. The 15 year old males body was not found until two days later.
A man drowned in a rip current at an unguarded section of beach near Collins Avenue and 50th Street.
A 30 year old man died after being struck by lightning at Barrio Islote in the Arecibo municipality.
A man was caught in a rip current off the coast of Oak Island.
A swimmer drowned within strong rip currents affecting the upper Texas coast.
There was a rip current drowning near a jetty.
Gathered from this site’s archives: the tornado record (NOAA SPC, and Grazulis before 1950), IBTrACS and the National Hurricane Center, NOAA NCEI’s Storm Events Database, Regional Snowfall Index, billion-dollar disasters list, State Climate Extremes Committee and hazard databases, USGS, NIFC, GFZ Potsdam’s Kp index (CC BY 4.0), the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, and Wikidata (CC0), with article leads from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0, each credited where it appears. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.