NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

MAY 2004

1st-8th...A line of thunderstorms crossed southeastern Texas into Louisiana on
Saturday, bringing 65 mph wind gusts, hail and heavy downpours. Smaller,
scattered showers developed across the southeast. The storms in the central
region brought nearly four inches of rain to Conroe, Texas, and lesser amounts
elsewhere, along with lightning hail the size of golf balls. In the East,
scattered showers and thunderstorms were reported across the Carolinas,
Georgia, and southern Virginia. Further north, showers and thunderstorms
crossed parts of Pennsylvania and New York, with light rain across the eastern
Great Lakes. Cloudy skies and scattered showers also crossed the Midwest and
Great Plains.
Patchy dense fog and some low coastal clouds affected southern California,
Washington and Oregon, but otherwise the West basked under mostly sunny skies.
Rainy and cool weather dominated the East on Monday, with heavy rain over
Florida. Rain showers also doused the northern Plains. It was sunny and dry
elsewhere, with triple-digit heat in California. In the East, the rain
stretched from New England through the Carolinas and into Florida, where
showers and thunderstorms were reported. Skies over the Great Lakes and south
through the Gulf Coast were generally sunny. Showers also moved over Minnesota
and the Dakotas, most of it light. The western Plains were sunny to partly
cloudy. In the West, sunny skies and some hot conditions prevailed. Santee, CA,
reported 100(F by midday. Scattered showers were reported in northern Montana.
Light to moderate showers hit the Northeast, Northwest and some central states
Wednesday, but most of the nation was clear and dry. A low-pressure system in
the central United States dropped showers from the Mississippi River valley to
the western Great Lakes and Northern Plains. By midday, the heaviest rain had
fallen in Minnesota and North Dakota; Wheaton, MN, received 0.36 inches. Other
central portions of the nation were fair and dry. Light to moderate rain fell
in the Northeast, with particularly heavy activity in eastern New York and
parts of Vermont. The rest of the East remained in an area of high pressure
with fair skies and dry weather. Most of the West was clear and dry, with
temperatures in the Southwest already in the upper 80s and 90s by midday.
Clouds and drizzle were reported in the Pacific Northwest.
Rainy and windy weather pounded the Midwest on Friday. Rain showers also were
reported in the Plains, Texas and the Pacific Northwest. The rest of the nation
enjoyed clear skies. In the East, a cold front moving over the Great Lakes
generated mostly cloudy skies and scattered showers and thunderstorms. The
strongest activity was reported over Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. In Muscatine,
Iowa, 70 mph winds peeled back roofing, destroyed a camper, barns and grain
bins and flipped two semitrailers on a highway during the early morning hours.
By Friday afternoon, the storm activity had moved east into Indiana, Ohio and
Pennsylvania. A few pockets of light rain were reported in the northern Plains,
southern Texas and in the Northwest. Otherwise, clear skies dominated
most of the nation.

9th-15th...Scattered thunderstorms stretched Monday from the Gulf Coast into
Kentucky, and from Kansas to Iowa. The West was most sunny. Most of the eastern
United States saw partly cloudy skies, with warm and muggy conditions in the
morning that spawned thunderstorms. The southern Plains were partly cloudy,
with thunderstorms in parts of Texas. The northern Plains were dry and sunny.
In the West, sunny and warm conditions prevailed, although some light showers
moved across California, Oregon and Nevada, where wind gusted to 55 mph. Cloudy
skies spread over the Northwest.
Slow-moving thunderstorms dumped rain on the southern Mississippi River basin
Wednesday, and snow fell in North Dakota. The cluster of thunderstorms that hit
Arkansas, Louisiana and western Mississippi dropped so much rain in places that
some roadways were flooded. Baton Rouge, LA, had more than 3 inches of rain by
midday, and Alexandria, LA, had 3.63 inches. Thunderstorms also developed in
the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama and Florida, and from West Virginia through New
York. The storms were not severe, but they brought localized heavy rain showers
and 30 mph wind gusts. The rest of the East was mostly sunny and humid.
Late-season snow fell in Bismarck, ND, and up to 4 inches of snow fell in the
extreme north-central part of the state. The precipitation came from a storm
system that produced thunderstorms and rain in parts of Minnesota, Iowa and
Kansas. A few light rain showers were scattered over the West, which for the
most part saw below-normal temperatures and mostly cloudy skies. California,
the Southwest and West Texas, however, were sunny and warmer.
Showers and thunderstorms Friday stretched from Michigan to Louisiana. Clear
skies were reported in much of the West. Rainfall amounts throughout the Gulf
Coast states and Tennessee Valley ranged from half an inch to more than 2
inches; Patterson, LA, received 2.59 inches by midday. Farther north, showers
and thunderstorms rumbled through Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan.
Those states received up to an inch of rain. Some shower activity was reported
in parts of Kansas, Missouri and Iowa as well, but rainfall in Texas decreased
by midday. The rest of the central portion of the nation was cloudy and cool.
In the West, clear skies and dry conditions dominated. A few scattered and
light showers moved through the Pacific Northwest and into Colorado, Idaho and
Montana.

16th-22nd...Scattered showers and thunderstorms erupted over the Southeast and
portions of the Plains states Monday, while cool and cloudy conditions
prevailed from the Great Lakes to the Northeast. A few light showers also were
reported in the West. Temperatures were in the 50s Monday morning under partly
to mostly cloudy skies over the Great Lakes, mid-Atlantic states, Ohio Valley
and Northeast. Farther south, patchy fog developed across the Carolinas and the
Southeast. By midday, scattered showers and thunderstorms developed across much
of the southern Appalachians, Ohio Valley, lower Mississippi River Valley and
Southeast. Alexandria, La., reported 1.22 inches of rain. Mostly cloudy skies
were reported over much of the Plains; showers and thunderstorms dominated the
morning hours in Kansas, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan. Wyoming and Idaho
reported some showers, but it was dry in much of the West.
Showers and thunderstorms stretched Wednesday from Kansas to Maryland, and
rainy and overcast conditions dominated the Pacific Northwest and northern
Plains. It was dry on the West Coast. In the East, a stalled storm front
triggered showers and thunderstorms across a wide area, with the heaviest rain
over eastern Kansas and Missouri; Kansas City, MO, reported nearly 4 inches of
rain by midday. Widely scattered showers and a few thunderstorms also plagued
the Northeast during the early morning hours. Mild and hazy conditions
stretched across the Tennessee River Valley, Carolinas, Southeast and southern
states. In the Great Lakes, cool and dry conditions prevailed, while scattered
rain developed over the northern Plains in Montana, the Dakotas and Wyoming. It
was mild and muggy in the central and southern Plains states. In the West,
overcast and showery conditions prevailed in the Pacific Northwest and northern
Rockies. The West Coast was dry.
Thunderstorms rumbled across Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania on Friday.
Large areas of rain and a few strong thunderstorms also pounded the northern
Plains and upper Midwest. In the East, sun and dry conditions prevailed, with
only a few thunderstorms lingering across a front that stretched from Chicago
to
Boston. A line of thunderstorms and gusty winds tore through Ohio, Pennsylvania
and West Virginia on Friday morning. In the central third of the country, large
areas of rain, with some thunderstorms, also were reported throughout the
northern Plains and upper Midwest. Rain moved from Minnesota and Iowa into
Wisconsin and over Lake Michigan. Up to an inch of rain was reported. Scattered
thundershowers also were reported in the Dakotas. In the West, mostly cloudy
and rainy weather were reported in Montana, Idaho and the Northwest. It was
sunny through the central and southern Rockies, the Southwest and in
California.

23rd-29th...Rain and thunderstorms were scattered Monday in much of the nation,
producing flash floods and wind gusts up to 60 mph in portions of the East.
Some areas of central New York sustained flooding and hail, with damaging wind
in Maine. Showers and thunderstorms also dotted the Ohio Valley and Tennessee
Valley regions. Conditions were hot and muggy in the southern states.
Temperatures reached into the high 70s and 80s in the mid-Atlantic, Ohio Valley
and Tennessee Valley regions, with readings in the low 90s elsewhere in the
Southeast. In the nation's midsection, low pressure brought heavy storms to the
Northern Plains. Hail up to 2 inches in diameter fell in the Dakotas, with
frequent lightning strikes, strong wind gusts and possible tornadoes in the
region. The Central Plains and Southern Plains were warm and muggy, with
temperatures in the 80s. In the West, conditions were dry and cool. Parts of
Idaho received heavy rain and hail. Skies were partly cloudy and conditions
fair elsewhere in the region. Temperatures ranged from the high 40s to the 80s.

Much of the nation was under cloudy skies Wednesday, as scattered showers and
thunderstorms swept across the East and the country's midsection, and light
rain doused parts of the West. A cold front stretched from western New York and
cut across the Ohio Valley, triggering strong to severe thunderstorms over
southern Indiana, southern Illinois, southern Ohio, portions of West Virginia,
and northern Kentucky. The storm brought hail to the size of golf balls, wind
gusts up to 70 mph. Further south, however, partly sunny skies with warm and
humid
conditions prevailed. Mostly cloudy skies and scattered showers and
thunderstorms were seen in portions of Oklahoma, northern Arkansas and the
southern half of Missouri. North Dakota and Minnesota were dry but skies were
cloudy. In the West, light rains swept across Arizona and New Mexico. Parts of
the Rockies and the Pacific Northwest also saw light showers.
Scattered rain and thunderstorms continued in the East on Friday, with water
swamping parking lots and fallen trees closing roads in Kentucky. A cold front,
meanwhile, shook up the West. The showers across much of the East Coast sprang
from a low-pressure system over upstate New York. Thunderstorms trailed from
New England into the Deep South. A line of storms also moved through the Ohio
and Lower Missouri River valleys. Heavy rain and winds were reported in parts
of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Up to 4 feet of water
flooded a grocery store parking lot in Stanton, KY, and fallen trees closed
roads in eastern Kentucky. Heavy rain fell in central California, while the
Northwest saw scattered rain showers and even mountain snows. In the nation's
midsection, isolated showers dampened Nebraska and Kansas, but most of the
Northern, Central, and Southern Plains stayed sunny and clear.
Bands of showers and thunderstorms spread across wide sections of the eastern
half of the nation Monday, pouring heavy rain on parts of the South and
Appalachians. Stormy weather stretched across the Gulf states and through the
Appalachians to the mid Atlantic region during the morning. Southern West
Virginia got up to 4.25 inches of rain, causing flash flooding and mud slides.
Mississippi measured as much as 5 inches of rain and had scattered wind damage.

By afternoon, storms and heavy rain remained across the South, extending along
a line from Louisiana to southern Georgia and the northern edge of Florida.
Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon from the eastern Dakotas
and eastern Nebraska through Iowa and Minnesota into Wisconsin, northern
Illinois and parts of Michigan. Rain fell across New York state, New Jersey,
parts of Pennsylvania and southern sections of the New England states. To the
west, isolated showers were scattered across Montana, northeastern Wyoming, and
western sections of South Dakota and Nebraska.