May 1
In 1946, a heavy, wet snow caused power outages throughout northern Utah as more than 14 inches fell along some benches. Two boy scout troops stranded near Mueller Park in Davis County were rescued by jeep posses. In 1995, severe storms produced 3/4 inch diameter hail in Orem and Pleasant Grove along with 81 mph winds.
May 2
In 1985, winds in Weber County were clocked at 72 mph. In Riverdale, a barn and roof were damaged at the Southern Pacific Depot. In 1987, a large waterspout formed over the south end of Utah Lake. It churned up the water for several minutes and lasted for 15 to 20 minutes. It was well-photographed by the public.
May 3
In 1982, a tornado was reported north of Milford, for the second time in less than 2 months. In 1993, strong microburst winds occurred as a cold front passed through Utah. Stansbury Park had a gust to 69 mph while Kearns had a gust to 62 mph. In 2003, a 3-day storm began in which snow totals ended up as high as 17 inches in the Uintas.
May 4
In 1961, a tornado hit Green River, Utah. In 1984, Corn Creek Dam in Kanosh gave way, flooding 9 homes. In 1993, strong winds up to 74 mph lashed Delta. Also, a tornado formed in Erda, Tooele County. It destroyed the movie screen at the Motor Vu Drive-In Theater as it was twisted in the air. In 1999, Brighton had 14 inches of snow.
May 5
In 1964, Pleasant Grove had 8 inches of snow. In 1992, an early monsoon came to southern Utah. Lightning caused a power outage in St. George for 2 hours. In 1993, a tornado was spotted by a pilot flying around in Uintah County. In 1999, a tornado touched down near Dutch John, Daggett County, causing debris to fly 300 feet into the air.
May 6
In 1969, winds over 70 mph blew over trailer trucks and truck campers near Farmington. In 1981, a tornado hit Newton, Cache County. It moved northeast at 30 mph. It lifted water out of a ditch to a height of 7 feet and toppled some fence posts. In 1995, Silver Lake-Brighton received a foot of snow.
May 7
In 1925, heavy hail cut a path one mile wide and about 7 miles long, damaging alfalfa and sugar beets and killing young chickens in Newton, Cache County. In 1975, one to two feet of snow fell across the Wasatch Mountains. In 2003, a funnel cloud was spotted near Fruitland while marble-sized hail came down on Woodland.
May 8
In 1990, Moab was hit with 80-mph winds. In 1992, thunderstorms produced hail 3 to 4 inches deep near Scofield Reservoir. The snow plows were called out. In 1998, a tornado in West Valley City damaged some trailers. In 2003, hail was reported at Dugway and Manti. Also, a cloudburst flooded Ogden with 1 inch of rain in 90 minutes.
May 9
In 1968, winds up to 82 mph hit Wendover, causing over $100,000 in damage to several buildings. In 1985, high winds over the Great Salt Lake caused severe damage to the Salt Air Resort. In 1990, the fruit growing industry took a big hit as temperatures dipped into the teens and 20s.
May 10
In 1966, a tornado was on the ground near Ferron. In 1984, a landslide in Salina destroyed $750,000 worth of Utah Power transmitters. In 1985, heavy rain in Provo caused considerable flooding in the downtown area damaging several businesses. In 1987, winds gusted to 67 mph at Trenton, Cache County.
May 11
In 1957, hail and thunderstorms killed 6,000 turkeys and badly damaged alfalfa and fruit crops in Juab County. In 1983, a snowstorm dumped up to 6 inches of snow in the Salt Lake Valley with the airport there logging 1.44 inches of precipitation. In 1989, a tornado descended on a runway at Hill Air Force Base.
May 12
In 1902, a hailstorm in Wayne County stripped leaves from trees and cut down alfalfa fields. In 1995, snow piled up to 5 inches in Tooele and 3 inches in Davis County. In 2001, a record warm day was followed by dry thunderstorms which sparked power outages in Provo
May 13
In 1984, flooding and mudslides caused havoc across Utah. I-15 in Juab County was closed while Provo Canyon was blocked. One man was killed by a debris flow in Carbon County. In 1992, thunderstorms dumped nearly 1 inch of rain in Lapoint, Uintah County. In 2001, a 10-year old boy was drowned in a flash flood in Washington County.
May 14
In 1961, a lightning-caused fire in Park City damaged 16 rooms at a motel in Park City. In 1976, winds up to 81 mph lifted the roof off a Spanish Fork home. In 1984, one man was killed in Tooele County when he was buried by a mudslide. In Provo, several blocks along 300 south were turned into a canal.
May 15
In 1955, Spanish Fork received 6 inches of snow. In 1993, hail accumulated to a depth of 3 inches in parts of San Juan County. In 1995, lightning struck a cottonwood tree in Goshen, setting fire to and destroying a 75-year old cabin in a remote canyon.
May 16
In 1952, canyon winds along the Wasatch Front caused $1,000,000 in damage to property. n 1993, a weather spotter near Kanab reported 0.75 inches of rain in 5 minutes along with hail that piled up 2 inches deep. In 2000, strong winds overturned 2 semi-trucks on I-80 near Grantsville.
May 17
In 1949, a flash flood resulted from heavy rains atop Ben Lomond Peak. The flood cut 10 to 20 foot deep gullies in fields and orchards along Highway 91 between Willard and Liberty. In 1993, Carbon County was hit by nearly 2 inches of rain in a downpour.
May 18
In 1949, St. George experienced flooding as a result of 1.02 inches of rain. In 1977, an inch of rain fell in Salt Lake City and Ogden. In 1991, strong winds produced gusts to 67 mph in Vernal and 60 mph at Monticello. In 1983, heavy rains caused flooding in the Cache Valley.
May 19
In 1957, strong winds in Weber County flattened a barn, blew the roof off a house toppled trees and blew down utility poles. Also, torrents of rain produced 1.4 inches of rain in Brigham City and 1.08 inches in Salt Lake City. In 2003, record cold hit the state with Randolph at 14 degrees and Logan at 26 degrees.
May 20
In 1951, heavy rain in Delta washed out trees, send boulders roaring down streets and poured a wall of mud and water 6 feet high over a highway for several hours. In 1975, one of the worst May snowstorms ever dumped 21 inches of snow on Fillmore and 20 inches at Delta. A foot of snow also shut down Payson and Santaquin.
May 21
In 1986, northwesterly winds gusted to 86 mph at Lakeside and 80 mph in Orem. The winds blowing over the Great Salt Lake deposited several inches of water on Interstate 80. In 1998, a tornado caused minor damage in West Point, Davis County. Another funnel cloud touched down in Roy. It picked up 2 trampolines and blew them 100 feet.
May 22
In 1968, one of several funnel clouds touched the ground near Dugway. In 1986, a waterspout underneath a thunderstorm was spotted by a Utah County Sheriff over Utah Lake In 1995, severe thunderstorms in Box Elder County produced 1-inch diameter hail near Thiokol. In some areas, smaller hail piled up to 6 inches deep.
May 23
In 1947, hail up to 2 inches in diameter wreaked havoc in Blanding. Considerable damage was done to roofs while more than 50 percent of the fruit crop was destroyed. In 1957, Ogden had 5 inches of hail accumulate. In 1970, winds up to 100-mph in Davis County injured 35 people, overturned airplanes and damaged hundreds of homes.
May 24
In 2000, a girl in Midvale was struck and killed by lightning. Six others were injured. Also, a tornado near Gunnison caused mud and rocks to hit cars and power lines to arc. In 2003, a tornado touched down between Richfield and Aurora in Sevier Count, damaging a roof on a business. In 2003, one boy drowned in wind-whipped Utah Lake.
May 25
In 1961, a strong whirlwind in Salt Lake City lifted a woman and carried her 30 feet. In 1975, the apricot crop was wiped out in northern Utah as temperatures dipped into the mid 20s. In 1992, a Memorial Day storm lashed the state with heavy rain, lightning and large hail. In 2000, a tornado touched down in Holladay, causing $100,000 in damage.
May 26
In 1924, a strong hailstorm lasted 45 minutes at La Sal in San Juan County, breaking windows and beating down crops. In 1977, winds up to 65 mph caused major damage at the Flaming Gorge marina, tossing boats out of the water. In 1994, a thunderstorm produced a wind gust to 73 mph in Provo. In 1998, a waterspout occurred over Bear Lake.
May 27
In 1941, a tornado caused considerable damage in Woods Cross. In 1975, a cloudburst in St. George dropped 1 inch of rain in 15 minutes. In 1994, widespread severe weather hit northern Utah. Winds over 60 mph were common and a wheelbarrow in Herriman, which contained 40 pounds of "stuff" was tossed 30 feet.
May 28
In 1918, a violent hailstorm hit Brigham City, destroying the cherry, apricot, peach and strawberry crops. In 1983, a two-year old boy drowned after he fell into a rain-swollen creek in Tooele County. In 1989, Salt Lake City was hit with a wind gust of 69 mph. In 1996, a tornado touched down in an open field southeast of Delta.
May 29
In 1896, heavy rains flooded much of Salt Lake City's west side. In 1918, Morgan received 3 inches of hail. In 1983, flooding continued across much of Utah as a result of snowmelt. Many roads were closed including parts of U.S. Highway 89 as well as many canyon roads. In 1999, lightning killed 2 people and injured 3 in central Utah.
May 30
In 1939, a cloudburst in Spanish Fork Canyon caused considerable damage to homes in Thistle. The nearby highway was covered with 5 feet of mud in places. In 1983, a mudslide in Farmington destroyed 6 homes and damaged 25 others. Many streets in Utah and Salt Lake Counties were transformed into rivers with sandbag boundaries.
May 31
In 1984, one man was killed by lightning in Mapleton. In 1994, severe weather moved across the state from south to north. Winds of 121 mph hit Provo. Hundreds of large trees were uprooted in the city and many buildings sustained major damage. Provo City activated its Emergency Operating Center due to the severity of the storm. JUNE