Every tornado, hurricane, flood, blizzard, heat wave, record, earthquake, eruption, tsunami, wildfire and geomagnetic storm on record for May 30, 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.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Quetta, Pakistan. With the tsunami it caused, it killed 60,000 people and did $25 million in damage.
Tsunamis
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Quetta, Pakistan. It killed 60,000 people and did $25 million in damage.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Badakhshan, Takhar, Afghanistan. It killed 4,700 people and did $10 million in damage.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Srinagar, Kashmir, India. It killed 3,000 people and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage.
Tornadoes
An F4 tornado touched down in Brown County, Texas and tracked 3.6 miles, 300 yards wide at its widest, killing 34 and injuring 70. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Zephyr, TX.
Tornadoes
An F4 tornado touched down in Carter, Wayne, Bollinger counties, Missouri and tracked 50 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 18 and injuring 200. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Dongola, MO.
Tornadoes
An F4 tornado touched down in Riley, Marshall, Nemaha counties, Kansas and tracked 92.5 miles, 800 yards wide at its widest, killing 18 and injuring 60. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SW Randolph/Irving/NW Frankfort/NW Axtell/S Cincinnati/, KS/Dawson Mills, NE.
Tornadoes
An F4 tornado touched down in Texas, Dent, Crawford counties, Missouri and tracked 108 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 10 and injuring 100. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Mineral Point, MO.
Tornadoes
An F4 tornado touched down in Wright, Texas, Phelps counties, Missouri and tracked 55 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 10 and injuring 20. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Hazelton, MO.
Tornadoes
An F4 tornado touched down in Hanson, McCook counties, South Dakota and tracked 14 miles, 1,150 yards wide at its widest, killing 6 and injuring 150.
Billion-dollar disasters
A severe storm disaster that cost $2.2 billion in 2024 dollars and killed 20, on NOAA’s billion-dollar list. It lasted from May 30, 1998 to June 2, 1998.
Tornadoes
An F4 tornado touched down in Madison, Platte, Stanton counties, Nebraska and tracked 29.9 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 6 and injuring 23.
138 on May 30, oldest first.
An unrated tornado touched down in Fulton County, New York, killing 1. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Johnstown, NY.
An unrated tornado touched down in Armstrong, Clarion, Jefferson counties, Pennsylvania and tracked 32.1 miles, 600 yards wide at its widest, killing 7 and injuring 30. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Adams/Maysville/S Brookville, PA.
An unrated tornado touched down in Bradford, Tioga counties, Pennsylvania and tracked 5 miles, killing 1 and injuring 10. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Waverly, NY.
An F4 tornado touched down in Riley, Marshall, Nemaha counties, Kansas and tracked 92.5 miles, 800 yards wide at its widest, killing 18 and injuring 60. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SW Randolph/Irving/NW Frankfort/NW Axtell/S Cincinnati/, KS/Dawson Mills, NE.
An F4 tornado touched down in Lincoln, Saline, Ottawa counties, Kansas and tracked 41.1 miles, 600 yards wide at its widest, killing 4 and injuring 30. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: NE Lincoln Co./NW Saline Co./W Minneapolis/SE Delphos/SW Aurora, KS.
An F4 tornado touched down in Cass, Jackson, Ray counties, Missouri and tracked 52.3 miles, 300 yards wide at its widest, killing 4 and injuring 25. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: NW West Line/SE Raymore/SE Lee's Summit/E Blue Springs/Buckner, MO.
An F4 tornado touched down in Lincoln County, Kansas and tracked 20.9 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 10. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Westfall/Milo, KS.
An F4 tornado touched down in Riley, Pottawatomie counties, Kansas and tracked 15.4 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 4. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: NW Wild Cat/E Stockdale/NW Manhattan, KS.
An F2 tornado touched down in Marshall County, Kansas and tracked 2.8 miles, 800 yards wide at its widest, killing 5 and injuring 20. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Irving, KS.
An F3 tornado touched down in Clay, Riley counties, Kansas and tracked 15.9 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 3. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Wakefield, KS.
An F3 tornado touched down in Appanoose County, Iowa and tracked 2.6 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, killing 1. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Cincinnati, IA.
An F3 tornado touched down in Jewell, Cloud counties, Kansas and tracked 20.1 miles, 300 yards wide at its widest, injuring 10. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SE Jewell/Jamestown/Yuma/N Concordia, KS.
An F2 tornado touched down in Republic County, Kansas and tracked 10.1 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 2. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SW Bellville, KS.
An F2 tornado touched down in Berkeley, Washington counties, West Virginia and tracked 4.7 miles, 70 yards wide at its widest, killing 2 and injuring 2. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Falling Waters, WV to Washington County, MD.
An F2 tornado touched down in Montgomery County, Kansas, killing 2 and injuring 6. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: NE Independence, KS.
An F3 tornado touched down in Mills, Pottawattamie counties, Iowa and tracked 8.4 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 8. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: N Glenwood/N Mineola, IA.
An F3 tornado touched down in Cedar, Dixon, Union counties, Nebraska and tracked 30 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, injuring 6. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: W Laurel, NE/Elk Point, SD.
An F3 tornado touched down in Adair County, Iowa and tracked 9.6 miles, 300 yards wide at its widest, injuring 6. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SE Berea/N Fontanelle/Prussia Township, IA.
An F3 tornado touched down in Woodbury, Plymouth counties, Iowa and tracked 11.4 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: W Moville to N Kingsley, IA.
An F2 tornado touched down in Holt, Atchison counties, Missouri and tracked 11.6 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 7. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: NW Corning/Atchison, MO.
An F4 tornado touched down in Brown County, Texas and tracked 3.6 miles, 300 yards wide at its widest, killing 34 and injuring 70. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Zephyr, TX.
An F2 tornado touched down in Berkeley County, West Virginia, killing 2. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Falling Waters, WV.
An F4 tornado touched down in Carter, Wayne, Bollinger counties, Missouri and tracked 50 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 18 and injuring 200. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Dongola, MO.
An F4 tornado touched down in Texas, Dent, Crawford counties, Missouri and tracked 108 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 10 and injuring 100. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Mineral Point, MO.
An F4 tornado touched down in Wright, Texas, Phelps counties, Missouri and tracked 55 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 10 and injuring 20. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Hazelton, MO.
An F3 tornado touched down in Carter, Butler, Wayne counties, Missouri and tracked 51.1 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 8 and injuring 10. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Taskee/NW Hendrickson/S Chaonia/ENE Arab, MO.
An F3 tornado touched down in Reynolds, Iron, Saint Francois counties, Missouri and tracked 27.9 miles, 300 yards wide at its widest, killing 7 and injuring 25. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Graniteville/S Bismarck/Elvins/Flat River, MO.
An F3 tornado touched down in Stoddard, Scott counties, Missouri and tracked 31.1 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, killing 6 and injuring 25. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: W Acorn Ridge/Zeta/Ardeola/Oran, MO.
An F3 tornado touched down in Dunklin County, Missouri and tracked 3 miles, killing 2 and injuring 4. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Hornersville, MO.
An F3 tornado touched down in Sainte Genevieve, Randolph counties, Missouri and tracked 12.9 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 4. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: N Ozora, MO/Fort Gage, IL.
An F2 tornado touched down in Madison County, Missouri and tracked 5 miles, killing 3 and injuring 5. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SE Fredericktown, MO.
An F3 tornado touched down in Clay, Fillmore counties, Nebraska and tracked 25.2 miles, 500 yards wide at its widest, injuring 4. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SW Fairfield/SE Clay Center/S Sutton/Bixby, NE.
An F3 tornado touched down in Osceola, Dickinson, Jackson counties, Iowa and tracked 19.9 miles, 600 yards wide at its widest. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: W Lake Park, IA to Jackson County, MN.
An F2 tornado touched down in Webster Parish, Louisiana, killing 2 and injuring 8. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Nine Forks/ESE Minden, LA.
An F3 tornado touched down in Norton County, Kansas and tracked 8.9 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, injuring 4. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SW Dellvale to NW Norton, KS.
An F4 tornado touched down in Madison, Platte, Stanton counties, Nebraska and tracked 29.9 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 6 and injuring 23.
An F3 tornado touched down in Benson County, North Dakota and tracked 10.7 miles, 10 yards wide at its widest.
An F3 tornado touched down in Yankton County, South Dakota and tracked 0.1 miles, 10 yards wide at its widest.
An F2 tornado touched down in Knox, Cedar counties, Nebraska and tracked 26.8 miles, 10 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 2.
An F4 tornado touched down in Custer, Valley counties, Nebraska and tracked 48.1 miles, 10 yards wide at its widest.
An F3 tornado touched down in Custer, Valley counties, Nebraska and tracked 48.1 miles, 10 yards wide at its widest.
An F3 tornado touched down in Custer, Valley counties, Nebraska and tracked 48.1 miles, 10 yards wide at its widest.
An F3 tornado touched down in McCulloch County, Texas and tracked 3.6 miles, 500 yards wide at its widest.
An F1 tornado touched down in Creek County, Oklahoma and tracked 0.1 miles, 33 yards wide at its widest, killing 2 and injuring 1.
An F1 tornado touched down in Porter County, Indiana and tracked 0.1 miles, 10 yards wide at its widest, killing 1.
An F3 tornado touched down in Clayton, Grant counties, Iowa and tracked 34 miles, 1,500 yards wide at its widest, killing 2 and injuring 27.
An F4 tornado touched down in Hardin, Grundy counties, Iowa and tracked 11 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, injuring 3.
Severe thunderstorms raked west-central and northern Wisconsin with violent damaging winds up to 61 mph, hail up to tennis ball-size, and two tornadoes.
An F3 tornado touched down in Washington County, Colorado and tracked 0.5 miles, 1,320 yards wide at its widest.
27 tornadoes were recorded on May 30, 1996, in Texas, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico.
A large tornado estimated to be 1/2 mile wide in diameter caused approximately $300,000 damage to a farmstead near Elba as it destroyed several grain silos, storage sheds and vehicles. Only the home on the farm was spared.
Twin tornadoes developed 5 miles southwest of Fort Morgan. Although one of the twisters dissipated quickly; the other caused substantial damage to a farmstead. A teenager trapped in the home was uninjured when he took shelter in the basement.
An F4 tornado touched down in Hanson, McCook counties, South Dakota and tracked 14 miles, 1,150 yards wide at its widest, killing 6 and injuring 150.
A large and strengthening tornado destroyed buildings and other property on five farms and also destroyed trees and power lines before crossing the eastern edge of Hanson County.
On the evening of May 30, 1998, a large, destructive and extremely violent tornado tore across Hanson and McCook Counties, in the southeastern part of the state of South Dakota. It particularly devastated the small city of Spencer, and was part of the historic late-May tornado outbreak and derecho that swept across the northern United States and southern Canada.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Late-May 1998 tornado outbreak and derecho was a historic tornado outbreak and derecho that began on the afternoon of May 30 and extended throughout May 31, 1998, across a large portion of the northern half of the United States and southern Ontario from southeastern Montana east and southeastward to the Atlantic Ocean. The initial tornado outbreak, including the devastating Spencer tornado, hit southeast South Dakota on the evening of May 30.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Trees and power lines down.
A very unstable airmass was over Iowa. In spite of the instability, the atmosphere was capped by very warm air aloft. Temperatures at the 700 mb level were between 12 degrees C and 14 degrees C. As a result, thunderstorms had a difficult time forming.
A series of thunderstorms roared across the area late on May 30 and early on the 31st, causing about $1.8 million dollars in damage and injuring two people.
A tornado spawned by the same storm which produced the Spencer tornado damaged farms, crops, trees, and power lines in southern McCook County.
A tornado damaged trees and power lines.
A cold front moving southeast across south-central Nebraska spawned scattered severe thunderstorms. Dime size to golf ball sized hail was reported across the area. A tornado touched down north of Lexington and moved toward town.
An explosive situation became established over Iowa and the central U.S. during the day on the 30th. A nearly stationary front extended from Wisconsin, southwest through the northwest corner of Iowa, and into northern Kansas.
A tornado briefly touched down in a field. No damage or injuries were reported.
81 tornadoes were recorded on May 30, 2004, in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota and more. They killed 2 people.
An F3 tornado touched down in Crawford County, Indiana and tracked 15 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 11.
On 30 May 2004, a warm front was draped across far southern portions of Indiana in the morning, as part of an unseasonably strong cyclone centered in Minnesota.
An F3 tornado touched down in Miami County, Indiana and tracked 4.5 miles, 360 yards wide at its widest, injuring 1.
Large limbs were blown down. A funnel cloud was also spotted.
On the afternoon of May 30th, a warm front was draped across eastern Kentucky. With extremely moist and unstable air, this boundary helped spark the beginning of a most unusual event for eastern Kentucky, and for that matter, for the country.
Thunderstorm winds knocked down several trees. One tree on a tent at a camp site resulting in one fatality.
An F1 tornado touched down in Saint Louis County, Missouri and tracked 2 miles, 50 yards wide at its widest, killing 1.
Two trees were knocked down.
NWS storm survey found a tornado with a path length near four and one half miles and just less than one quarter mile wide at its greatest width.
A tornado formed near I-170 and Frost Avenue in Berkeley causing F1 damage to the roof of a business and several apartment buildings. On Frost Avenue, a 15 inch branch from an elm tree fell on a SUV killing the driver.
Several power lines and large tree limbs were blown down.
Widespread damaging winds raked southwest Indiana. Embedded short-lived tornadoes and intense downbursts caused pockets of severe damage. The single most destructive event was an F-2 tornado that struck Newburgh, Indiana.
Widespread damaging winds raked all of southern Illinois. The storms were in the form of short lines or bows as they moved through Jefferson, Perry, and Jackson Counties, including Mount Vernon and Carbondale. A couple of tornadoes were spawned in those areas.
A couple of trees were blown down.
A few supercell thunderstorms tracked across western Kentucky during the early afternoon. Each thunderstorm showed distinct rotation and produced at least one tornado.
Several large tree limbs were blown down.
A warm front moved through through the area earlier in the day allowing for warm temperatures over central Indiana. Severe storms formed in advance of a cold front that moved through later at night. These storms contained hail and damaging thunderstorm winds.
A cold front trailing an area of low pressure over the central Great Lakes moved into western Ohio during the late evening hours of May 30th. Showers and thunderstorms developed in advance of this front and moved across northern Ohio during the early morning hours of May 31st.
A moderately unstable, sheared environment was in place across northern Indiana ahead of a cold front. The atmosphere remained capped until the late afternoon and evening hours, when storms began to develop rapidly.
Severe thunderstorms developed ahead of a strong cold front during the afternoon hours of the 30th. These storms produced damaging wind gusts and large hail, as well as few tornadoes. The heavy rains produced by many of the storms produced flooding in some areas.
The evening hours of Memorial Day 2011 featured the most widespread damaging wind event of the spring severe weather season across South Central Nebraska, as a narrow, intense line of storms marched from west to east across the entire area.
An impressive set up for severe weather occurred on the evening of the 30th. A surface low set up near Fargo with a warm front extending out to its east. Meanwhile, a cold front extended to the south, down into central Nebraska.
A powerful low pressure system moved across western and north central Nebraska on Memorial Day. Thunderstorms developed along a cold front extending across central Nebraska.
An impressive set up for severe weather occurred on the evening of the 30th. A surface low set up near Fargo with a warm front extending out to its east. Meanwhile, a cold front extended to the south, down into central Nebraska.
Tropical Depression Beryl tracked northeast just offshore of the North Carolina coast on May 30th 2012. Beryl produced widespread heavy rain across the region with some flooding. One tornado also touched down in Carteret county damaging many homes.
The approach of low pressure aloft triggered numerous thunderstorms from the 30th into the early morning hours of the 31st. Tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and flash flooding occurred. The flooding killed six people, and the tornadoes killed one.
A slow moving trough across the central portions of the country helped develop several rounds of severe thunderstorms and flash flooding across the Missouri Ozarks.
29 tornadoes were recorded on May 30, 2013, in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri. They killed 1 people.
An EF1 tornado touched down in Grant County, Arkansas and tracked 0.36 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, killing 1.
A complex of storms that had been over portions of eastern Oklahoma during the early morning hours intensified during the late morning and afternoon resulting in isolated reports of large hail and damaging wind.
An mesoscale convective system developed over Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas and pushed across Northeast Arkansas into West Tennessee during the early morning hours of May 31, 2013. A few severe storms produced damaging winds and flash flooding.
With a low pressure system centered to the southwest of New Mexico and an anomalously moist air mass being transported into the state, the stage was set for another round of showers and thunderstorms across the area on May 30, 2021.
An EF3 tornado touched down in Deuel County, South Dakota and tracked 13.31 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest.
37 tornadoes were recorded on May 30, 2022, in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota.
A potent low-pressure system impacted the region during the afternoon and evening hours of May 30th. A larger scale Derecho tracked from far southeastern South Dakota, through much of western through northcentral Minnesota.
A strong synoptic cyclone swinging into the Northern Plains set the stage for a late Spring severe weather outbreak on May 30th. Discrete and semi-discrete supercells developed during the afternoon ahead of an arcing cold front and a nearby surface low.
There was barely a break between the exit of the earlier morning severe convection, and development of the next round during the later morning and early afternoon on May 30th across southeast South Dakota.
Storms redeveloped in the late morning, with supercell characteristics across eastern South Dakota producing up to one inch diameter hail and winds of 70 mph, in addition to 6 confirmed tornadoes, one of which was rated EF3.
An EF3 tornado touched down in Midland, Upton counties, Texas and tracked 5.34 miles, 250 yards wide at its widest.
A dryline would set up and become focused near the Texas/New Mexico state line south into the Lower Trans Pecos during the afternoon. At the same time, a southwestward advancing outflow boundary generated by a convective system east of the region would interact with the dryline.
An EF2 tornado touched down in Washington, Boyle counties, Kentucky and tracked 5.51 miles, 450 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 14.
During the morning hours on May 30th, an upper-level shortwave trough and an associated surface low pressure system moved across the Ohio and Tennessee valleys.
3 on May 30, oldest first.
An unnamed storm crossed the coast as a tropical storm, 35 kt.
Tropical Storm Amanda and Tropical Storm Cristobal were two related, consecutive tropical cyclones that affected Central America, southern Mexico, the Central United States, and Canada in late May and early June 2020. The first tropical cyclone formed in the East Pacific and was named Amanda.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Hurricane Agatha crossed the coast near Crucecita, Oaxaca, Mexico as a category 2 hurricane, 90 kt (105 mph), central pressure 971 mb. It killed 9 people in all, by the National Hurricane Center’s count.
16 on May 30, oldest first.
Very heavy rain occurred over the northern slopes of Puerto Rico during the afternoon. Doppler Radar indicated around three inches or rain over parts of the northwest Puerto Rico.
The flash flooding in Mingo, Logan, and Wyoming Counties became part of the federal disaster area. Additional flooding, but on a more localized scale, would occur in the disaster area in early June. Around 500 National Guard troops were used in the flood cleanup and recovery.
Law enforcement reported trees down on U.S. Highway 70 just west of Camden.
One house was damaged. Some trees were blown down.
Numerous trees were downed.
A 37 year old man was killed when lightning struck a tree he was using for a shelter at the Oakview Links Golf Course. A 33 year old man was injured in the same strike and was transported to a hospital in Memphis.
A convective system which moved through Oklahoma arrived in north Texas around daybreak on the 30th. Numerous reports of large hail and wind damage were recieved as well as flash flooding.
Thunderstorms developed during the middle and late afternoon hours of May 30th across east central Illinois and continued into the evening hours. These thunderstorms produced large hail, heavy rain and flooding along with some wind damage.
A mesoscale convective system (MCS) began impacting the delta region of Mississippi around mid day on the 30th moving southeast across the region through the afternoon and into the evening hours.
The months of May in 2013, 2015, and 2019 were relatively cool and wet for much of Oklahoma and western north Texas. For Oklahoma City, the temperature never reached 90 degrees during the month in those years, and OKC usually sees at least three 90-degree days in May. The top three wettest months of May in OKC are, in order, 2015, 2013, and 2019. Rainfall totals range from 19.48 inches to 12.49 inches. May 2015 is the wettest May on record for the state of Oklahoma. For Wichita Falls, Texas, these years have also been on the cool and wet side, especially in 2015, the wettest May on record with 17 inches of rain.
From the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.
Moisture from the remnants of tropical storm Bonnie moved northward into the region and interacted with a frontal boundary over the region. This resulted in several rounds of heavy rain on the night of the 29th and the early morning of the 30th.
Persistent high flows along the Mississippi River caused a section of State Highway 82 to wash out south of De Soto. A person driving east from Lansing, Iowa unknowingly drove into the washed out area and drowned when the vehicle became submerged in the water.
Upslope winds on the east side of the Blue Ridge just north of an approaching warm front aided in producing torrential rainfall and catastrophic flooding in parts of Central Virginia. Rainfall amounts of 4-10 inches occurred north and west of Charlottesville.
Heavy rainfall on the afternoon of May 30th caused a debris flow into a home that later contributed to a fatal gas explosion that killed two people.
Multiple rounds of thunderstorms brings isolated, but significant, heavy rainfall to portions of Howard County from May 30th into the 31st. The initial bout of strong thunderstorms and heavy rainfall developed during the early morning hours of May 30th.
Another complex of thunderstorms moved southeast through North and Central Texas during the day on May 30, producing scattered wind damage and severe hail along with some flash flooding.
16 on May 30, oldest first.
Winds from nearby thunderstorms overturned a small powerboat with six passengers on board. A young girl drowned. (F07O)
Many cars damaged at automobile lots. Roof, siding and shed damage.
Winds gusted to nearly 80 mph, knocking down trees and power lines as well as damaging several farms.Especially hard hit was the Mt Hope area where roofs were blown off and a tree was driven through the side of a house. On a farm near Potosi, a barn collapsed, killing a horse.
Television weathercasters from the Amarillo area estimated 80 mph wind gusts near town. The wind blew down power lines, trees, and large tree limbs.
Four soldiers on Fort Carson were struck by lightning. Three were taken to area hospitals, treated and released. The other remained in a coma for three weeks, and died of his injuries on June 20th.
Scattered severe storms pounded the Big Country with hail up to the size of baseballs. The hardest hit area was across the east side of Abilene near Abilene Christian University, where significant damage was reported.
An intense late May low pressure dropped southeast across northern Minnesota into southern Wisconsin during the afternoon hours. The low took on the characteristics of an Alberta Clipper as it dropped to around 993 mb during the afternoon hours.
Isolated severe thunderstorms produced large hail and one lightning fatality.
Scattered severe thunderstorms develop across southwest Nebraska to the north of a stationary front.
Prolific hail-producing severe thunderstorms broke out over Central and South-Central Kansas.
Through much of the day on this Wednesday, strong to severe thunderstorms primarily producing marginally severe hail affected southern portions of South Central Nebraska between Interstate 80 and the Kansas border.
Strong to severe thunderstorms moved across parts of northern Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours of May 30th.
A few isolated damaging wind gusts occurred with bands of northeastward moving thunderstorms. Weak to moderate instability and deep, unidirectional southwesterly flow aloft helped to maintain the storms.
A major severe weather event by Pacific Northwest standards occurred over central and northeast Oregon and southeast Washington on May 30th. A powerful upper level storm system moved across the area during the afternoon and evening helping to trigger severe thunderstorms.
A very warm and moist air mass moved northward from north-central Oregon into eastern Washington on May 30th. With an afternoon of convective heating, there were numerous strong to severe thunderstorms developing and moving across the state during the late afternoon hours.
6 on May 30, oldest first.
The temperature rose to a toasty 104 degrees in Oklahoma City late in the afternoon of May 30, 1985. This was the hottest May temperature ever recorded in the city.
From the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.
A 35 year old man died from heat stress in Chicago. High temperatures reached the lower 90s on May 28th and 29th and near 90 on May 30th.
High temperatures reached the upper 80s to near 90 on May 30th. Dewpoints climbed into the middle to upper 60s. Eight people suffered heat related illinesses at the North Avenue Beach in Chicago, four of them were taken to area hospitals.
The first heat related death of 2011 occurred in Philadelphia on the 30th as a 67-year-old man succumbed to the heat. The high temperature at the Philadelphia International Airport was 93 degrees on the 30th, the highest temperature to date in 2011.
A heat wave developed as a large upper level high pressure system strengthened over the region producing unseasonably hot weather. High temperatures reached the lower to mid 90s. Numerous heat illnesses were reported at a Huntsville 5 and 10K running event on the 30th.
A subtropical ridge of high pressure situated to the south boosted temperatures above normal for the end of the month. According to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, three heat-associated fatalities occurred during this time.
41 on May 30, oldest first.
The Aguanga Fire started on May 30, 1984, in California, and burned 5,561 acres.
The Buffalo Fire started on May 30, 1984, in Nevada, and burned 2,070 acres.
The Vernita Br Fire started on May 30, 1984, in Washington, and burned 1,997 acres.
The Nscription Fire started on May 30, 1986, in California, and burned 4,708 acres.
The Timber Fire started on May 30, 1993, in Alaska, and burned 29,761 acres.
The Santa Claus Fire was discovered on May 30, 1993, in Arizona, and burned 1,780 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Breckenridge Fire was discovered on May 30, 1994, in California, and burned 3,100 acres; the cause was recorded as arson/incendiarism.
The Ciblo Creek Fire was discovered on May 30, 1998, in Texas, and burned 55,375 acres.
The Witch Fire was discovered on May 30, 2002, in Arizona, and burned 1,600 acres; the cause was recorded as equipment and vehicle use.
The Lonesome Beaver Fire was discovered on May 30, 2003, in Garfield County, Utah, and burned 4,406 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Chapman Creek Fire was discovered on May 30, 2005, in Alaska, and burned 172,321 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Charlie Fire was discovered on May 30, 2006, in Highlands County, Florida, and burned 4,200 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The lightning caused Pioneer Fire started on May 30 near Globe Arizona and burned through ponderosa pine, manzanita, and oak brush vegetation in steep, rough terrain. The fire threatened multi-million dollar communication towers in the Pinal Mountains.
The Willow Fire was discovered on May 30, 2009, in Catron County, New Mexico, and burned 9,000 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Skeleton Fire was discovered on May 30, 2009, in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, and burned 8,591 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Grouse Fire was discovered on May 30, 2009, in California, and burned 3,007 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Pioneer Fire was discovered on May 30, 2009, in Gila County, Arizona, and burned 1,633 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Delta Complex (Big Swede) Fire was discovered on May 30, 2010, in Alaska, and burned 4,000 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The York Fire was discovered on May 30, 2010, in Jeff Davis County, Texas, and burned 3,520 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Murphy Complex was discovered on May 30, 2011, in Arizona, and burned 68,079 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Hastings Fire was discovered on May 30, 2011, in Alaska, and burned 23,123 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Purgatoire Fire was discovered on May 30, 2011, in Las Animas County, Colorado, and burned 6,140 acres.
The Espanola Fire was discovered on May 30, 2011, in Flagler County, Florida, and burned 5,136 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Tatalina River Fire was discovered on May 30, 2011, in Alaska, and burned 3,268 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Chitanana Fire was discovered on May 30, 2011, in Alaska, and burned 3,051 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Montezuma Fire was discovered on May 30, 2012, in Pima County, Arizona, and burned 1,663 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Mississippi Fire was discovered on May 30, 2013, in Alaska, and burned 67,338 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Powerhouse Fire was discovered on May 30, 2013, in Los Angeles County, California, and burned 30,274 acres; the cause was recorded as power generation/transmission/distribution.
The Doestock Creek Fire was discovered on May 30, 2013, in Alaska, and burned 29,099 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Tres Lagunas Fire was discovered on May 30, 2013, in San Miguel County, New Mexico, and burned 10,219 acres; the cause was recorded as power generation/transmission/distribution.
The Pence Fire was reported on May 30, 2017, in Owyhee County, Idaho, and burned 3,047 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Mile Marker 166 Fire was reported on May 30, 2017, in Uintah County, Utah, and burned 2,423 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Crater Hill Fire was reported on May 30, 2017, in Polk County, Florida, and burned 2,200 acres.
The Coldwater Fire was reported on May 30, 2019, in Coconino County, Arizona, and burned 16,790 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The White Wing Fire was reported on May 30, 2019, in Maricopa County, Arizona, and burned 2,704 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Ingakslugwat Hills Fire was reported on May 30, 2020, in Kusilvak County, Alaska, and burned 54,099 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Sawtooth Fire was reported on May 30, 2020, in Pinal County, Arizona, and burned 24,729 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Manokinak River Fire was reported on May 30, 2020, in Kusilvak County, Alaska, and burned 12,133 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Ibapah Fire was reported on May 30, 2020, in Elko County, Nevada, and burned 7,154 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
The Tabby Canyon Fire was reported on May 30, 2020, in Tooele County, Utah, and burned 6,849 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Browns Fire was reported on May 30, 2020, in Owyhee County, Idaho, and burned 2,401 acres; the cause was recorded as natural.
19 on May 30, oldest first.
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck El Salvador. It did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
An earthquake struck Lake Erie (Great Lakes), Canada. It caused a tsunami.
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Lohughar, India.
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Srinagar, Kashmir, India. It killed 3,000 people and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage.
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea.
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Mendoza, Argentina. It killed 31 people and injured 65.
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Quetta, Pakistan. With the tsunami it caused, it killed 60,000 people and did $25 million in damage.
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck Sumbawa Island, Indonesia. It killed 22 people and did $4.2 million in damage.
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Moyabamba-Riojo, Peru. It killed 200 people, injured 8,130 and did $1 million in damage.
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Bucharest, Braila, Brasov, Romania. It killed 14 people, injured 700 and did $23.7 million in damage.
2 Mw that struck the Romanian county of Vrancea, on two consecutive days. Severe damage in the Bucharest-Brăila-Brașov area was reported and dozens of casualties in Romania and neighbouring Moldova, Ukraine and Bulgaria.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Badakhshan, Takhar, Afghanistan. It killed 4,700 people and did $10 million in damage.
5 and a maximum modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). At the time, the Afghan Civil War was underway; the affected area was controlled by the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Sanriku, Japan. It caused a tsunami.
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck Sakhalin, Yuzhno, Sakhalinsk, Russia.
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Yingjiang, Yunnan Province, China. It injured 45, destroyed 3,390 houses and did $2 million in damage.
6 mi). The shaking of the earthquake was observed almost all over Japan, as it was one of the largest deep-focus earthquakes recorded worldwide.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Bonin Islands [chichijima Island], Japan. It injured 12.
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck San Salvador, El Salvador. It killed 1 person and injured 1.
1 on May 30, oldest first.
Kilauea, United States erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 0. The eruption caused a tsunami.
3 on May 30, oldest first.
A tsunami struck Lake Erie, Canada, with a maximum water height of 2.74 meters. It injured 1.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Quetta, Pakistan. It killed 60,000 people and did $25 million in damage.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Sanriku, Japan, with a maximum water height of 0.01 meters.
2 on May 30, oldest first.
A G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm began May 30, 1949, reached Kp 7- and lasted 12 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 36; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 52 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm began May 30, 1967, reached Kp 7 and lasted 21 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 43; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 50 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
1 on May 30, oldest first.
A severe storm disaster that cost $2.2 billion in 2024 dollars and killed 20, on NOAA’s billion-dollar list. It lasted from May 30, 1998 to June 2, 1998.
7 on May 30, oldest first.
Numerous strong rip currents occurred along the coast of Volusia County. Beach safety personnel reported 140 people were rescued from the water on May 30 and 31.
Fire destroyed more than 4,000 tons of peanuts after lightning struck a warehouse at the Locke Farm Center in Shellman.
A man was struck and killed by lightning near Rattlesnake Island on Lake Sam Rayburn. He was struck in the temple.
A 25 year old male was transported to the hospital and later died after being pulled from the water during the afternoon hours behind the Legacy by the Sea Resort, located near the 15000 block of Front Beach Road. Strong rip currents were in the area with single red flags flying.
A male was killed in the surf zone. The cause was unknown.
A 52 year old woman drowned in rip current near Horace Caldwell Pier in Port Aransas.
Marine layer clouds brought drizzle and dense fog to the Cajon Pass on the morning of May 30th. Dense fog reduced visibilities on Interstate 15, and a 30-vehicle crash occurred on Interstate 15 South. 21 people were injured in this incident.
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.