Weather History: May 20th

Weather History Archive

Weather History – May 20th

Local and Regional Events:

May 20, 1965:

A tornado hit north of Frederick. A barn and all outbuildings were destroyed on one farm. Windows exploded outward at the house. The tornado was estimated to be on the ground for about 5 miles.

May 20, 1974:

Softball size hail fell in Kennebec, in Lyman County, breaking many windows in the schools and other buildings.

U.S.A and Global Events for May 20th:

1894: A record late snow of two to eight inches whitened parts of central and eastern Kentucky. Lexington received six inches of snow, and Springfield Kentucky received 5 inches.

1916: In three consecutive years, a tornado passed near or through the town of Codell, Kansas. The tornado on this day was an estimated F2. The likely F3 tornado in 1917 passed two miles west of town. Finally, an estimated F4 tornado moved through Codell on May 20th, 1918. This tornado killed 9 and injured at least 65 others. Click HERE for more information.

1957: A tornado touched down to the southwest of Kansas City and traveled a distance of seventy-one miles, cutting a swath of near destruction through the southeastern suburbs of Ruskin Heights and Hickman Mills. The tornado claimed the lives of forty-five persons and left hundreds homeless. It was the worst weather disaster on record for Kansas City. About all that remained of one house were a small table and a fishbowl atop, with the fish still swimming about inside the bowl. A canceled check from Hickman Hills was found in Ottumwa, Iowa, 165 miles away. Pilots reported debris at an altitude of 30,000 feet. Click HERE for more information from the NWS Office in Kansas City.

[TORNADO FUNNEL CLOUD] This tornado was shot north of Spring Hill, Kansas in 1957. After killing four people in Spring Hill the tornado headed northeast devastating the community of Ruskin Heights, now part of south Kansas City, Mo. The picture was made by the Rev. Robert Alexander, pastor of the Spring Hill Methodist Church.

1983: A bow echo passed through the Houston area during the early morning hours on May 20th. The storm system caused 11 fatalities. The bow echo produced four downburst swaths and eight tornadoes. 

The images above are courtesy of Storm Data. 

2013: Several supercell thunderstorms developed during the early afternoon of May 20th along with a dry line in central Oklahoma. One of these storms developed near Chickasha and rapidly intensified, producing a tornado which touched down at 2:56 PM CDT on the west side of Newcastle. The tornado became violent within minutes, then tracked east-northeastward across the city of Moore and parts of south Oklahoma City for about 40 minutes before finally dissipating near Lake Stanley Draper. The tornado caused catastrophic damage in these areas and was given a maximum rating of EF-5. The tornado claimed 24 lives, injured scores of people, and caused billions of dollars in damage. Click HERE for more information from the NWS Office in Norman, Oklahoma. Click HERE for more information from TornadoTalk.com, and HERE from USTornadoes. 

Click HERE for a 5 minute YouTube video of the tornado by Charles Cook.