Midwest Weekly Highlights - May 18-24, 2004

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Severe Weather in the Midwest

The week of May 18 to 24 was one of the more violent May weeks in recent memory in the Midwest. A strong frontal boundary was draped across the Midwest all week (Figure 1, NWS). Outbreaks of violent weather occurred frequently, even several times during one day in some places. Along the boundary totals of more than five inches of rain were recorded over very large areas (Figure 2), leading to local and regional river flooding. Almost half of the Midwest was more than 300% of normal for the weekly precipitation (Figure 3). This boundary even shows up clearly in the temperature departures for the week (Figure 4), with temperatures 6-8°F above normal to the south of the front, and 6-8°F to the north.