May 2016 Summary

Leading up to this month 2016 had been a relatively quiet year for severe weather. In May, Mother Nature woke up and sent several rounds of storms our way.

May 1: Low pressure moving up the Ohio Valley pulled a cold front through the region, sparking severe thunderstorms. Golf ball sized hail struck Charlestown, Indiana. Trees were blown down and there was some light structural damage from Charlestown east and southeast into northern Kentucky and the Blue Grass.

May 7: A cluster of thunderstorms developed north of St Louis and raced southeast, bringing strong, damaging winds to southern Indiana and the Louisville metro.

May 10: A complex storm system brought the Ohio Valley its most significant severe weather outbreak of the year so far, with widespread wind damage and large hail. Hail two inches in diameter damaged car windshields and house siding in Mackville, KY (Washington County). The system also brought the area's first two tornadoes of 2016. An EF1 hit four buildings near Rosetta in Breckinridge County. An EF2 was on the ground for 8.6 miles between Hartford and Olaton in Ohio County, damaging trees and buildings.

May 11: Another day of severe storms with hail and wind. A microburst caused hurricane force winds to roar through a small section of downtown Louisville, resulting in roof damage. Flash flooding was a problem in Logan and Simpson counties.

May 12: An isolated storm produced golf ball sized hail between Bonnieville and Hammonville in Hart County.

May 26: Hail, high winds, and flash flooding once again affected central Kentucky as storms developed along an outflow boundary from earlier convection.

May 29: A few trees were blown down by a small storm over Lewisport in Hancock County.

	Average Temperature	Departure from Normal	Rainfall	Departure from Normal
Bowling Green	65.7°	-0.7°	7.24"	+1.98"
Frankfort	63.2°	-0.7°	4.49"	-0.08"
Lexington	63.0°	-1.2°	6.49"	+1.59"
Louisville Bowman	64.8°	-1.5°	5.04"	+0.20"
Louisville International	66.0°	-1.1°	4.56"	-0.39"

Records

10th: Record rainfall of 1.23" at Frankfort
17th: Record cold high of 55° at Louisville

Hartford, Kentucky on the 11th. Photo: Lisa Westerfield