Every tornado, hurricane, flood, blizzard, heat wave, record, earthquake, eruption, tsunami, wildfire and geomagnetic storm on record for May 20, 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.
Volcanoes
Between 19 May and 21 October 1883, the volcanic island of Krakatoa began erupting, lasting more than five months. On 27 August, the island had its most significant eruption, which destroyed over 70% of the island and its surrounding archipelago, the island collapsing into a caldera.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Southwestern, Syria. It killed 30,000 people and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage. It caused a tsunami.
Tsunamis
A tsunami with a source recorded as earthquake and landslide struck Southwestern Syria. It killed 30,000 people and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage.
Tornadoes
An F5 tornado touched down in Franklin, Miami, Johnson counties, Kansas and tracked 69.4 miles, 440 yards wide at its widest, killing 44 and injuring 207.
Tornadoes
An EF5 tornado touched down in Cleveland, McClain counties, Oklahoma and tracked 13.85 miles, 1,900 yards wide at its widest, killing 24 and injuring 212.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck NW, Honshu, Japan. It killed 2,100 people, destroyed 9,100 houses and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage. It caused a tsunami.
Tsunamis
A tsunami with a source recorded as earthquake and landslide struck NW. Honshu Island, Japan. It killed 2,100 people, destroyed 9,100 houses and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck Torbet-I-Kheydarly, Iran. It killed 1,070 people and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
Tornadoes
A tornado outbreak occurred during the afternoon and evening hours of the 20th. Several tornadoes occurred from central Oklahoma down through south central Oklahoma near the Red River.
Tornadoes
An F4 tornado touched down in Ellis, Rooks, Osborne counties, Kansas and tracked 65.3 miles, 800 yards wide at its widest, killing 9 and injuring 65. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Codell, KS.
Tornadoes
An F4 tornado touched down in Grayson, Bryan counties, Texas and tracked 11.9 miles, 1,200 yards wide at its widest, killing 9 and injuring 52. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: TX to Kemp, OK.
Heat and drought
From mid-May to mid-June 2019, the republics of India and Pakistan had a severe heat wave. It was one of the hottest and longest heat waves in the subcontinent since the two countries began recording weather reports.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
156 on May 20, oldest first.
An F2 tornado touched down in Grant County, Indiana, killing 1 and injuring 16. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Marion, IN.
An F4 tornado touched down in Boone, Audrain counties, Missouri and tracked 34.9 miles, 300 yards wide at its widest, killing 4 and injuring 35. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SE Sturgeon to Laddonia, MO.
An F3 tornado touched down in Decatur County, Kansas and tracked 7.5 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: N Allison, KS.
S. tornadoes.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
An F3 tornado touched down in Kay, Cowley counties, Oklahoma and tracked 15.6 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: E Newkirk, OK.
An F3 tornado touched down in Benton County, Arkansas and tracked 11.3 miles, 80 yards wide at its widest, killing 5 and injuring 11. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Tontitown/W Springfield/E Elm Spring/SE Rogers, AR.
An F3 tornado touched down in Stone, Christian counties, Missouri and tracked 21.2 miles, killing 1 and injuring 20. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Ponce de Leon/S Ozark to NW Bruner, MO.
An F3 tornado touched down in Saline County, Kansas and tracked 8.1 miles, killing 1. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: E Salina/SE Mentor, KS.
An F3 tornado touched down in Elk, Greenwood counties, Kansas and tracked 3.5 miles, 70 yards wide at its widest, injuring 9. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: N Severy, KS.
An F3 tornado touched down in Saline County, Kansas and tracked 9 miles, killing 2 and injuring 7. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: E Assaria/E Mentor, KS.
An F3 tornado touched down in Deaf Smith County, Texas, killing 2 and injuring 3. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SW Herford/Summerfield, TX.
An F2 tornado touched down in McPherson, Saline counties, Kansas and tracked 5.5 miles, killing 2 and injuring 7. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: E Assaria, KS.
An F4 tornado touched down in Garvin County, Oklahoma and tracked 12.2 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 3 and injuring 20. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: McCarty, OK.
An F2 tornado touched down in Clay County, Kansas and tracked 6.6 miles, killing 1 and injuring 3. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SE Broughton/NE Wakefield, KS.
An F4 tornado touched down in Grayson, Bryan counties, Texas and tracked 11.9 miles, 1,200 yards wide at its widest, killing 9 and injuring 52. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: TX to Kemp, OK.
An F3 tornado touched down in Yuma County, Colorado and tracked 7.2 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, injuring 20. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Yuma, CO.
An F2 tornado touched down in Anderson, Henderson, Cherokee counties, Texas and tracked 20.5 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 2 and injuring 14. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Frankston/Flint, TX.
An F3 tornado touched down in Furnas County, Nebraska and tracked 4.9 miles, injuring 4. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SE Wilsonville, NE.
An F3 tornado touched down in Furnas County, Nebraska and tracked 19.9 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, injuring 2. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Wilsonville, NE.
An F3 tornado touched down in Ellis, Rooks counties, Kansas and tracked 25.2 miles, 1,000 yards wide at its widest. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: W Codell/E Plainville, KS.
An F4 tornado touched down in Ellis, Rooks, Osborne counties, Kansas and tracked 65.3 miles, 800 yards wide at its widest, killing 9 and injuring 65. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Codell, KS.
An F3 tornado touched down in Logan County, Kansas and tracked 12 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SE Russell Springs/S Oakley, KS.
An F3 tornado touched down in Trego County, Kansas and tracked 3 miles, 800 yards wide at its widest. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SE WaKeeney, KS.
An F3 tornado touched down in Berks County, Pennsylvania and 15 yards wide at its widest, injuring 35. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Reading, PA.
An F2 tornado touched down in Dale County, Alabama and tracked 5.9 miles, 75 yards wide at its widest, killing 3. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: E Midland City, AL.
An F2 tornado touched down in Essex, Richmond counties, Virginia and tracked 8.1 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 3 and injuring 2. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Farnham, VA.
An F3 tornado touched down in Coke County, Texas and tracked 7.2 miles, 300 yards wide at its widest, injuring 2. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: W Bronte, TX.
An F3 tornado touched down in Wayne, Lenoir counties, North Carolina and tracked 24.9 miles, 150 yards wide at its widest, killing 2 and injuring 50. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Seven Springs to Grifton, NC.
An F4 tornado touched down in Blaine County, Oklahoma and tracked 15.3 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 7. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Etna, OK.
An F4 tornado touched down in Saline, Dickinson counties, Kansas and tracked 25.2 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 5. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SE Gypsum to NE Solomon, KS.
29 tornadoes were recorded on May 20, 1949, in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, 2 of them rated violent (F4 or EF4 and above). They killed 5 people.
An F3 tornado touched down in Ellis County, Oklahoma and 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 1. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Catesby, OK.
An F3 tornado touched down in Lyon, Wabaunsee counties, Kansas and tracked 30.7 miles, 300 yards wide at its widest, injuring 3. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: NW Emporia to E Eskridge, KS.
An F3 tornado touched down in Cheyenne County, Kansas, injuring 2. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: E Bird City, KS.
An F3 tornado touched down in Yuma, Cheyenne, Dundy counties, Colorado and tracked 30.2 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, injuring 1. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Wray, CO to Cheyenne County, KS to Haigler, NE.
An F3 tornado touched down in Yuma, Cheyenne, Dundy counties, Colorado and tracked 39.7 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, injuring 1. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Wray, CO to Cheyenne County, KS to Benkelman, NE.
An F3 tornado touched down in Scott, Lane counties, Kansas and tracked 24.8 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Scott City to Healy, KS.
An F3 tornado touched down in Lane County, Kansas and tracked 11.1 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Healy to NW Shields, KS.
An F3 tornado touched down in Dickinson, Geary, Riley counties, Kansas and tracked 29.6 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Hope to N Junction City, KS.
An F3 tornado touched down in Woodward, Woods counties, Oklahoma and tracked 30.4 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: W Waynoka to Hopeton, OK.
An F2 tornado touched down in Alfalfa, Grant counties, Oklahoma and tracked 25.7 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 27. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Yewed/Nash, OK.
An F2 tornado touched down in Beaver County, Oklahoma and tracked 17.3 miles, killing 1. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Balko/Beaver, OK.
From May 20–22, 1949, a large-scale tornado outbreak affected portions of the continental United States, killing several dozen people and injuring hundreds more. Generating at least 66 tornadoes, the severe weather event produced 51 or more significant—F2 or stronger—tornadoes, half a dozen of which were retroactively rated F4 by tornado expert Thomas P.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
An F3 tornado touched down in Kearny, Finney counties, Kansas and tracked 12.8 miles, 900 yards wide at its widest.
An F3 tornado touched down in Rawlins County, Kansas and tracked 0.1 miles, 10 yards wide at its widest.
An F3 tornado touched down in Story, Hardin, Butler counties, Iowa and tracked 116.1 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 1.
An F3 tornado touched down in Linn, Jones counties, Iowa and tracked 38.6 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, injuring 7.
An F5 tornado touched down in Franklin, Miami, Johnson counties, Kansas and tracked 69.4 miles, 440 yards wide at its widest, killing 44 and injuring 207.
35 tornadoes were recorded on May 20, 1957, in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Missouri, Oklahoma, 2 of them rated violent (F4 or EF4 and above). They killed 44 people.
An F4 tornado touched down in Cloud, Republic, Washington counties, Kansas and tracked 44.6 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest.
An F3 tornado touched down in Mayes, Delaware counties, Oklahoma and tracked 20.4 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, injuring 1.
An F3 tornado touched down in Cloud County, Kansas and tracked 6.1 miles, 10 yards wide at its widest.
An F3 tornado touched down in Franklin County, Kansas and tracked 5.6 miles, 10 yards wide at its widest.
In the evening hours of May 20, 1957, a large, long-tracked and deadly tornado moved through portions of eastern Kansas and western Missouri, killing forty-four people and injuring over five hundred. The tornado is the deadliest to strike the Kansas City metropolitan area, and was the deadliest worldwide in 1957.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
An F4 tornado touched down in Wayne County, Iowa and tracked 17.2 miles, 440 yards wide at its widest, injuring 5.
An F3 tornado touched down in Cheshire, Hillsborough counties, New Hampshire and tracked 14 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest.
An F3 tornado touched down in Brown County, South Dakota and tracked 3.8 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest.
An F3 tornado touched down in LaMoure, Barnes counties, North Dakota and tracked 17.3 miles, 10 yards wide at its widest.
An F3 tornado touched down in Jackson County, Oklahoma and tracked 10.4 miles, 880 yards wide at its widest, injuring 3.
An F3 tornado touched down in Tillman County, Oklahoma and tracked 1.5 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest.
An F3 tornado touched down in Oklahoma, Logan counties, Oklahoma and tracked 9.9 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest.
26 tornadoes were recorded on May 20, 1977, in Texas, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma.
An F3 tornado touched down in Dillon County, South Carolina and tracked 10.7 miles, 517 yards wide at its widest, injuring 26.
29 tornadoes were recorded on May 20, 1983, in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana. They killed 5 people.
An F3 tornado touched down in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana and tracked 2 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest.
An F3 tornado touched down in Cameron Parish, Louisiana and tracked 5 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest.
An F2 tornado touched down in Jefferson County, Texas and tracked 3 miles, 167 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 9.
An F2 tornado touched down in Harris County, Texas and tracked 12 miles, 333 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 7.
An F2 tornado touched down in Harris County, Texas and tracked 7 miles, 333 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 5.
An F2 tornado touched down in Harris County, Texas and tracked 4 miles, 333 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 2.
An F1 tornado touched down in Washington County, Texas and tracked 1 miles, 167 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 4.
An F3 tornado touched down in Cameron Parish, Louisiana and tracked 3 miles, 150 yards wide at its widest.
33 tornadoes were recorded on May 20, 2001, in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Missouri.
This tornado started in Hughes County and entered McIntosh county 7 miles northwest of Hanna. The tornado lifted 5 miles north of Hanna.
Severe thunderstorms affected most of central and eastern Oklahoma on the 20th. More than a dozen tornadoes were confirmed, with four occurring in the Norman Forecast Area. See Tulsa storm data for information on eastern Oklahoma tornadoes.
Severe thunderstorm winds blew the roof off several houses and blew down numerous trees.
The thunderstorm that supported a tornado at approximately 1500 PST also brought very large hail and locally heavy rain to areas to the north and north-northeast of Madera and the tornado track area.
A NWS storm survey concluded a tornado touched down in the Mollie community. An areal survey showed that the tornado tracked NNE and crossed several county roads, farm fields, and wooded areas.
An active and very unstable northwest flow continued across the southeast United States as the polar vortex remained very strong in the northeast United States.
A potent mid May storm system, and weak surface front, brought widespread showers and thunderstorms to the area. Many of these storms reached severe limits and produced large hail and damaging winds. A lone tornado also touched down in Jones County and caused minor damage.
A shortwave trough moved east through the Southern Plains during the early afternoon hours and aided in the initation of supercell thunderstorms along a cold front located just northwest of the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex.
A warm, humid air mass over Arkansas, a stalled front to the northwest of the area, and the periodic passage of low pressure aloft, brought rounds of thunderstorms to Arkansas from the 20th through the morning of the 24th.
An upper level area of low pressure moved across the southern plains and interacted with a dryline to produce severe thunderstorms on successive days. The severe weather was over the eastern part of the forecast area.
An EF5 tornado touched down in Cleveland, McClain counties, Oklahoma and tracked 13.85 miles, 1,900 yards wide at its widest, killing 24 and injuring 212.
A tornado outbreak occurred during the afternoon and evening hours of the 20th. Several tornadoes occurred from central Oklahoma down through south central Oklahoma near the Red River.
The 2013 Moore tornado was a large and extremely violent EF5 tornado that ravaged Moore, Oklahoma, and adjacent areas on the afternoon of May 20, 2013, with peak winds estimated at 200–210 mph (320–340 km/h), killing 24 people and injuring 212 others. The tornado was part of a larger outbreak from a slow-moving weather system that had produced several other tornadoes across the Great Plains over the previous two days, including five that had struck portions of Central Oklahoma the day prior on…
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
36 tornadoes were recorded on May 20, 2013, in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Missouri, Colorado, Arkansas, Illinois, 1 of them rated violent (F4 or EF4 and above). They killed 24 people.
An otherwise beautiful mid-May afternoon gave way to another devastating tornado to the cities of Newcastle and Moore on this day in 2013. This tornado came one day after tornadoes ravaged other portions of central Oklahoma. A supercell storm developed over the northern portions of Newcastle and quickly became tornadic. This storm produced damage on the north side of Newcastle, then intensified and moved eastward through the city of Moore. The tornado reached EF5 strength, destroying two occupied elementary schools and damaging or destroying more than 1500 homes and businesses. Twenty-four people lost their lives and more than 300 were injured. Property losses approaching $1.5 billion have been estimated for this tornado, making it the costliest tornado in Oklahoma history, surpassing the May 3, 1999 storm.
From the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.
Severe thunderstorms developed along a nearly stationary frontal boundary over central Oklahoma during the early afternoon hours of the 20th.
Severe thunderstorms developed along a nearly stationary frontal boundary over central Oklahoma during the early afternoon hours of the 20th.
A line of severe storms moved through the region. There were numerous reports of large hail and damaging winds, as well as a couple of tornadoes and flash flooding.
Scattered thunderstorms developed over west central and north central Indiana Saturday evening along a northward-moving warm front. A couple of the storms became severe with numerous wall clouds and funnel clouds.
Multiple rounds of storms producing heavy rainfall, severe winds, hail and tornadoes moved across the Missouri Ozarks from May 20th and into the early morning hours of May 24th as upper level disturbances interacted with a slow moving but powerful storm system over the central…
An EF3 tornado touched down in Ector, Midland counties, Texas and tracked 5.8 miles, 225 yards wide at its widest.
An extremely unstable environment led to widespread severe weather across Texas and Oklahoma on the 20th into the morning of the 21st.
39 tornadoes were recorded on May 20, 2019, in Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Florida.
Widespread severe storms affected Oklahoma and northwest Texas on this date in 2019. Along with several tornadoes across the region, an observation site in Marshall, Oklahoma recorded a severe wind gust of 94 mph.
From the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.
A strong upper level storm system moved into the Southern Plains from the Rockies on the 20th and 21st.
From May 20–23, 2019, a significant and deadly tornado outbreak took place across the Central Plains. Coming just days after a previous outbreak in the same general regions, approximately 114 tornadoes touched down over the course of the outbreak.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
An upper level trough was over the Great Basin during the morning hours and moved over the Rocky Mountains during the day. Upper level disturbances moved over West Texas along the edge of this upper trough.
Multiple rounds of storms producing heavy rainfall, severe winds, hail and tornadoes moved across Southeastern Kansas and into the Missouri Ozarks from May 20th through May 22th as upper level disturbances interacted with a slow moving but powerful storm system over the Central…
The afternoon of the 20th was the beginning of an extended period of several weeks of severe weather for the South Plains and Rolling Plains of West Texas. A high risk of severe weather was issued by the Storm Prediction Center in the morning for the afternoon of the 20th.
An expansive surface low pressure area and plentiful moisture shifted into eastern Montana and directed multiple and persistent severe thunderstorms from south to north through the region from mid-afternoon through then late night hours of the 20th.
An EF3 tornado touched down in Otsego, Antrim counties, Michigan and tracked 17.54 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, killing 2 and injuring 44.
Multiple thunderstorms tracked across northern Michigan during the afternoon, including a supercell thunderstorm that produced the EF-3 tornado that hit the town of Gaylord along with very large hail in other parts of the area.
23 km) through portions of Antrim and Otsego counties in Michigan, United States, directly impacting the city of Gaylord. 175 million in damages, becoming the first EF3 tornado to occur in Michigan in over a decade, and the first tornado to strike Gaylord since reliable records began in 1950.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A couple rounds of thunderstorms brings severe hail and wind to portions of south central Nebraska during the evening of May 20th and into the early morning hours of May 21st.
An outbreak of tornadoes, large hail, wind damage and flash flooding occurred during the afternoon and evening of the 20th. Fourteen tornadoes occurred in north Alabama, including 1 EF-0, 10 EF-1, 2 EF-2, and 1 EF-U (unknown) which was a waterspout on Wheeler Lake.
39 tornadoes were recorded on May 20, 2025, in Missouri, Texas, Illinois, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia.
Multiple rounds of thunderstorms impacted Middle Tennessee on May 20, 2025. The first round of thunderstorms was a decaying mesoscale convective system (MCS) that produced damaging winds which downed a few trees.
A loosely organized line of thunderstorms and supercells moved into northwest Georgia during the late evening hours of the 20th. Strong outflow interactions required numerous tornado warnings with multiple reports of winds over 60mph.
A squall line pushed eastward overnight across the warm sector of a low pressure system in Iowa. A surging portion of the line produced wind damage in Cape Girardeau County, including the formation of a brief tornado in northern portions of the city of Cape Girardeau.
2 on May 20, oldest first.
Hurricane Adrian crossed the coast near San Lorenzo, Valle Department, Honduras as a depression, 20 kt, central pressure 1007 mb. Hurricane Adrian was an early season hurricane which took an unusual southwest to northeast track, bringing it closer to El Salvador than any other hurricane since reliable records began in 1949. The first storm of the 2005 Pacific hurricane season, Adrian developed on May 17, just two days after the official start of the season, several hundred miles south-southeast of Mexico.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Hurricane Yutu reached its peak of 130 kt (150 mph) with a central pressure of 926 mb, a category 4 storm.
21 on May 20, oldest first.
Very large hail fell from severe thunderstorms over the Oklahoma City metropolitan area on May 20, 1990. The northern and western parts of the city were the hardest hit, as hail up to grapefruit-size pounded the area. The hail broke windows and damaged roofs, resulting in about $50 million in damage. Heavy rain made matters worse. Severe flash flooding hampered cleanup efforts after five to seven inches of rain fell.
From the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.
Powerful afternoon thunderstorms produced winds that fell ten inch tree limbs and dumped torrential rains as they moved east from the Franklin area to Hebron. Rain amounts of 1 to 2 inches in 20 minutes were common. U.S.
A pattern change at the end of April brought a series of heavy rain producing systems to Eastern Iowa and Northern Illinois over the first 10 days of the month. Area rivers responded with the Iowa River going above flood stage starting on the 10th.
A pattern change at the end of April brought a series of heavy rain producing systems to Eastern Iowa and Northern Illinois over the first 10 days of the month. Area rivers responded with the Iowa River going above flood stage starting on the 10th.
Slow moving thunderstorms dumped three to four inches of rain in less than an hour on parts of Ontario county. The Town of Naples was hardest hit. Many roads were washed out. Others were covered with up to three feet of debris and gravel and were impassable.
Severe weather round #2 on May 20th featured damaging straight-line winds, large hail (up to golfball size), and flash flooding as several short lines or clusters of thunderstorms moved across south-central and southeast Wisconsin.
A tree and a power line was blown down.
An upper level disturbance and associated surface frontal system, moving across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, caused numerous thunderstorms across Central Alabama over a two day period. Many of the storms produced damaging winds, large hail, and locally heavy rainfall.
A Pacific low moved into the four corners region on the 17th and migrated northeast into the Dakotas through the 22nd, bringing another round of heavy precipitation aided by a tap of Gulf of Mexico moisture.
Only 12-24 hours after significant rainfall drenched eastern sections of South Central Nebraska resulting in considerable lowland flooding and closure of several county roads, another round of heavy rain-producing storms flared up mainly between 2 PM and 9 PM CDT on Friday the…
Slow moving thunderstorms produced excessive runoff across portions of Vermont, resulting in localized flash flooding.
A vertically stacked low pressure system brought persistent rain across eastern North Dakota. The most rain, four to six inches, fell across portions of Pembina, Cavalier, and Walsh counties. The highest amount, nine inches, fell near Walhalla.
The approach of an upper level low pressure system and associated cold front triggered thunderstorms in Arkansas, beginning on the evening of the 20th and continuing for much of the day on the 21st. A few of the storms became severe, while others produced heavy rain.
Scattered severe thunderstorms developed across northern Illinois producing mainly large hail with a few sporadic areas of wind damage. One storm in particular became quite intense as a right-moving supercell that tracked across the western and southern suburbs of Chicago.
A cold front moved slowly south into the state during the day on the 20th. The flow was quite light with overall weak dynamics associated with the system. The atmosphere became unstable by afternoon with around 2000 J/kg of CAPE available.
Warm temperatures and extreme snow melt and ice jams caused flooding of the Sagavanirktok (Sag) River for portions of the Dalton Highway and northward to the Deadhorse airport.|Several construction pads south of the airport were flooded on the west side of the highway.
The Cache La Poudre and South Platte River rose above flood stage producing a prolonged period of minor to moderate lowland flooding. Numerous county roads along the rivers remain closed due to floodwaters.
A persistently active weather pattern, consisting of a deep trough over the western U. S. and ridging along the Gulf Coast and southeastern U. S., set the stage for numerous rounds of rainfall across the Southern Plains from May 18th through the end of the month.
Thunderstorms across the region resulted in hazardous conditions developing in area slot canyons and typically dry washes. The Buckskin Gulch slot canyon had a flood wave develop, with subsequent fatalities associated with the flood.
PLEASE NOTE, for tornadoes, please see separate Storm Data entry for May 21st. Multiple rounds of thunderstorms brought torrential rainfall, damaging winds, hail and destructive tornadoes to the state.
The 2025 New South Wales floods were a significant flooding event that impacted the New South Wales coast in May 2025, particularly the Mid North Coast and parts of the Hunter Valley region, including the towns of Taree, Wingham, Kempsey, Nambucca Heads, Sawtell, Dorrigo, Port Macquarie, and Coffs Harbour.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
18 on May 20, oldest first.
A thunderstorm moving from the southern portion of Fayette County northward downed trees and caused power outages. One tree fell onto a mobile home on the north side of the city of Fayette killing a 36-year-old man and injuring three other people in the mobile home at the time.
Intense winds developed as a vigorous cold front, accompanied by a line of thunderstorms, spilled over the Cheyenne Ridge and moved rapidly across the Urban Corridor and Northeast Plains. Peak wind gusts to 83 mph (72 kts) downed trees and power lines.
As the thunderstorm complex that damaged homes and trees in Llano and Burnet Counties continued eastward, it began to take the shape of a bow echo. The resulting thunderstorm winds were measured at between 50 and 60 knots, with estimates of gusts at times near 80 knots.
Severe thunderstorms containing hail and damaging winds raked the western and central Oklahoma panhandle during the late evening hours.
A house lost half of its roof.
Hail damage to area agriculture was substantial during the course of this inclement weather day in the Central and Southern San Joaquin Valley.
While no verifiable severe storm events occurred in Tulare County, significant damage was caused by large amounts of small hail and locally heavy thundershowers at a time of year when many stone and citrus fruits are vulnerable.
A NWS Storm Survey concluded that downburst winds up to 90 mph caused two air conditioning units to fall through the Loris Community Hospital's roof. Nearby buildings, trees, and automobiles were also damaged.
The Gordon County 911 Center reported penny-sized hail.
The Towns County 911 Center reported half-dollar-sized hail in the Scataway and Hightower Road area of northeast Towns county, near Titus. The hail was reported to have covered the ground.
Numerous thunderstorms developed across central North Carolina when a cold front and associated shortwave trough moved through central North Carolina during strong daytime heating.
A trough of low pressure and a series of upper level disturbances moved into an unstable airmass across southern South Carolina and southeast Georgia, resulting in the development of numerous well organized thunderstorms.
A short wave mid level trough was lingering over the southeast region. A piece of energy traveled over the area during peak heating and this instability and forcing combined with adequate mean layer moisture and forcing from the sea breezes spawned scattered afternoon and…
A vigorous upper-level disturbance interacting with a cold front triggered strong to severe thunderstorms west of the Mississippi River during the afternoon of May 20th.
Severe thunderstorms erupted for a second straight day across the South Plains. A large upper level low over the western United States allowed for low level moisture to remain in the region under low level southeasterly flow.
A canoe with three people aboard capsized on Tuscarora Lake within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness at around 2PM the afternoon of the 20th.
At 7 AM EST the morning of the 20th, a strong low pressure center was situated over the NE/IA border, with a warm frontextended SEward across IL, SW IN, and KY and beginning to stall out a bit.
1 on May 20, oldest first.
A 53-year-old skier from Boulder was buried and killed in a medium-sized wet slab avalanche at Arapahoe Basin. The avalanche occurred in an area known as the First Alley, immediately below the roll on the west side of the Pallavicini Run.
5 on May 20, oldest first.
A record setting heat wave resulted in the one death and the injury of three others from heat related ailments as they walked north through the mountainous region of San Diego County.
A New York man died while hiking in the Big Bend National Park on the afternoon of May 20th. The tourist set out on a hike alone in the north-central portions of the park around 10:00 AM CST.
A strong high pressure ridge across Arizona caused extreme heat across the desert Southwest. The heat was extreme from May 20, 2005 until May 26, 2005, with the hottest days being May 20th thru 23rd.
Heat in the latter half of the month proved to be fatal across the Phoenix metropolitan area. Temperatures rose into the upper 90s to around 100 as high pressure aloft built into the Southwest.
From mid-May to mid-June 2019, the republics of India and Pakistan had a severe heat wave. It was one of the hottest and longest heat waves in the subcontinent since the two countries began recording weather reports.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
1 on May 20, oldest first.
Record cold morning lows in the upper 20s severely damaged the grape crop in Lake and northern Ashtabula counties. Around 60 percent of the chardonnay grape crop was destroyed by the late season freeze.
32 on May 20, oldest first.
The Goose Lake Fire was discovered on May 20, 1992, in Washington, and burned 1,719 acres.
The Sunnyslope Fire was discovered on May 20, 1992, in Washington, and burned 1,033 acres; the cause was recorded as debris and open burning.
The Whiskey Fire was discovered on May 20, 1993, in New Mexico, and burned 1,848 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Overlook Fire was discovered on May 20, 1996, in California, and burned 2,220 acres; the cause was recorded as debris and open burning.
The Hot Spring Fire started on May 20, 1999, in Arizona, and burned 4,735 acres.
The West Mesa Fire was discovered on May 20, 1999, in Otero County, New Mexico, and burned 1,200 acres; the cause was recorded as arson/incendiarism.
Lightning sparked a wildfire near Deckers. Extremely dry conditions and very strong winds the following day allowed the fire to consume 3,860 acres before it could be contained. Thirteen structures were destroyed, including 4 homes.
The Bullock Fire was discovered on May 20, 2002, in Pima County, Arizona, and burned 30,600 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Bucktail Fire was discovered on May 20, 2002, in Montrose County, Colorado, and burned 2,244 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Unnamed Fire was discovered on May 20, 2002, in Montrose County, Colorado, and burned 1,409 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Levi Fire was discovered on May 20, 2006, in Mora County, New Mexico, and burned 8,992 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Bippus Church Fire was discovered on May 20, 2006, in Deaf Smith County, Texas, and burned 4,888 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Van Meyer Fire was discovered on May 20, 2006, in Hartley County, Texas, and burned 2,500 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Jackson Draw Fire was discovered on May 20, 2006, in De Baca County, New Mexico, and burned 1,040 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Unnamed Fire was discovered on May 20, 2006, in Union County, New Mexico, and burned 1,000 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Frye Mesa Fire was discovered on May 20, 2008, in Graham County, Arizona, and burned 3,094 acres; the cause was recorded as debris and open burning.
The Avocado Fire was discovered on May 20, 2008, in Fresno County, California, and burned 1,100 acres; the cause was recorded as power generation/transmission/distribution.
A warm frontal passage on the 20th pushed record heat and very dry conditions across Upper Michigan. This warm front combined with wind gusts up to 50 mph to spark two large wildfires in the afternoon across Marquette and Baraga Counties.
The Mckinley Fire was discovered on May 20, 2010, in Riverside County, California, and burned 1,000 acres; the cause was recorded as equipment and vehicle use.
Lightning strikes from a line of thunderstorms ignited The Duck Lake Wildfire 14 miles north of Newberry and the Pine Creek North Wildfire in the Seney National Wildlife Refuge on the evening of the 20th.
A human caused fire started out just north of Slide Rock State Park on May 20 just before 4 PM during Red Flag Conditions. The fire quickly spread north up the canyon and northwest up the side of the canyon. A type I Incident Management Team was called in to fight the fire.
The Slide Fire was reported on May 20, 2014, in Coconino County, Arizona, and burned 21,227 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Oak Tree Fire was reported on May 20, 2015, in Pima County, Arizona, and burned 2,023 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Juniper Fire was reported on May 20, 2016, in Gila County, Arizona, and burned 30,641 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Campfire Fire was reported on May 20, 2017, in Broward County, Florida, and burned 21,000 acres.
The Gate Fire was reported on May 20, 2017, in San Diego County, California, and burned 2,056 acres.
The Cherry Canyon Fire was reported on May 20, 2020, in Las Animas County, Colorado, and burned 11,828 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Johnson Fire was a wildfire that started in Gila National Forest near Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument and the town of Silver City, New Mexico on May 20, 2021. The fire burned 88,918 acres (35,984 ha) and was fully contained on July 23, 2021.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Johnson Fire was reported on May 20, 2021, in Catron County, New Mexico, and burned 94,732 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Wilson Creek Fire was reported on May 20, 2021, in Lincoln County, Nevada, and burned 1,614 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Biggs Fire was reported on May 20, 2022, in Lincoln County, New Mexico, and burned 7,111 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Dillon Creek Fire was reported on May 20, 2023, in Klamath County, Oregon, and burned 3,119 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
14 on May 20, oldest first.
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Southwestern, Syria. It killed 30,000 people and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage. It caused a tsunami.
An earthquake struck Croatia, Balkans NW.
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Shanxi Province, China. It did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
An earthquake struck N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia. It caused a tsunami.
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck NW, Honshu, Japan. It killed 2,100 people, destroyed 9,100 houses and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage. It caused a tsunami.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck Sierra Leone.
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Northern, Chile. It caused a tsunami.
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck Torbet-I-Kheydarly, Iran. It killed 1,070 people and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Hualien, Taiwan. It killed 1 person and injured 5.
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Nakura, Juba, Maya, Uganda, South Sudan. It killed 31 people.
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Peshawar, Kohat, Shakkar Khel, Pakistan. It killed 6 people, injured 100 and destroyed 400 houses.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Mirandola, Emilia Romagna, Italy. It killed 7 people, injured 50 and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage.
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Sant'Agostino, Italy.
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia. It caused a tsunami.
5 on May 20, oldest first.
Gamkonora, Indonesia erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 5. It killed many people (about 101 to 1,000). The eruption caused a tsunami.
Vesuvius, Italy erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3. It killed 2 people.
Between 19 May and 21 October 1883, the volcanic island of Krakatoa began erupting, lasting more than five months. On 27 August, the island had its most significant eruption, which destroyed over 70% of the island and its surrounding archipelago, the island collapsing into a caldera.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Pelee, Martinique erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 4. It destroyed 20 houses. The eruption caused a tsunami.
Soufriere Hills, Montserrat erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3. The eruption caused a tsunami.
9 on May 20, oldest first.
A tsunami with a source recorded as earthquake and landslide struck Southwestern Syria. It killed 30,000 people and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage.
A tsunami struck Takada, Japan.
A tsunami with a source recorded as earthquake and landslide struck NW. Honshu Island, Japan. It killed 2,100 people, destroyed 9,100 houses and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage.
A tsunami struck Horn Island [ayer Island], Jakarta, Indonesia.
A tsunami with a source recorded as volcano struck Mount Pelee, Martinique, with a maximum water height of 4 meters. It destroyed 20 houses.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Northern Chile.
A tsunami with a source recorded as landslide struck Deep Cove, New Zealand.
A tsunami with a source recorded as volcano struck Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat, with a maximum water height of 1 meters.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, with a maximum water height of 0.14 meters.
9 on May 20, oldest first.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began May 20, 1935, reached Kp 5 and lasted 3 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 17; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 60 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began May 20, 1946, reached Kp 5 and lasted 3 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 11; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 60 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm began May 20, 1956, reached Kp 6+ and lasted 12 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 39; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 53 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm began May 20, 1981, reached Kp 6+ and lasted 15 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 43; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 53 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began May 20, 1983, reached Kp 5 and lasted 3 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 11; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 60 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm began May 20, 1984, reached Kp 6 and lasted 60 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 45; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 55 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began May 20, 2005, reached Kp 5 and lasted 3 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 23; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 60 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began May 20, 2021, reached Kp 5+ and lasted 3 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 24; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 58 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm began May 20, 2023, reached Kp 6- and lasted 6 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 32; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 57 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
2 on May 20, oldest first.
A flooding disaster that cost $3.7 billion in 2024 dollars and killed 5, on NOAA’s billion-dollar list. It lasted from May 20, 2019 to June 14, 2019.
A severe storm disaster that cost $1.9 billion in 2024 dollars and killed 2, on NOAA’s billion-dollar list. It lasted from May 20, 2020 to May 23, 2020.
1 on May 20, oldest first.
A rancher was struck and instantly killed by lightning northwest of Tres Piedras. The man and his 13 year old son were mending fence on open range and took shelter from a thunderstorm under isolated, but separate trees. The son was not injured.
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.