National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

After an intensely stormy April, May was closer to normal for late spring, with just a couple of significant severe weather events. 

On the 10th super cells erupted over the Blue Grass and dropped baseball sized hail on the Kentucky counties of Harrison, Nicholas, and Bourbon.

An upper level low pressure system settled in to the region during the middle part of the month and brought some very cool weather.  Frankfort set records for cold daily high temperatures three days in a row from the 16th to the 18th with highs only in the lower and middle 50s.

The final severe weather event of the spring took place on the evening of the 25th.  A severe squall line brought tornadoes, up to EF-2 strength, to Dubois, Orange, and Washington Counties in southern Indiana.  Fortunately there were no injuries or fatalities.

Frankfort's 4th wettest May on record

May 3:  record precipitation of 3.05" set at Frankfort, record precipitation of 1.81" set at Lexington
May 5:  record low of 32 set at Frankfort, record low of 33 tied at Lexington
May 16:  record cold high of 54 set at Frankfort
May 17:  record cold high of 51 set at Frankfort, record cold high of 50 set at Lexington, record cold high of 55 set at Louisville
May 18:  record cold high of 56 set at Frankfort
May 23:  record precipitation of 1.41" set at Lexington
May 30:  record high of 94 tied at Louisville
May 31:  record high of 94 tied at Louisville

US 231 wends its way through flooded fields in Dubois County on May 3.  Photo by Dubois County Flight Services.