On This Day: May 16

Tornado Talk Summary

Per the Storm Prediction Center, there were 25 tornadoes on May 16, 1999, nearly half in the state of Iowa. The strongest tornadoes of the day were rated F3. The first formed at 14:45 Local Time in Harrison County, IA. The second formed at 15:16 Local Time also in Harrison County, IA! We will be highlighting both twisters in this summary. Read the full summary here

SIGTOR Spotlight

Highlighting a Tornado Before 1950
from Significant Tornadoes by Thomas Grazulis!

May 16, 1899: Grazulis documents a tornado passing from three miles NW of Greeley, IA to NW of Colesburg. Rating given was F4. Four deaths occurred in Clayton County. Two people were killed in one family. “Four men were caught in the open one mile from Colesburg, and two of them were killed as they looked for shelter. A tombstone of some kind was reportedly carried for two miles.”

Twister From The 2000s

On this day in 2017, a high-end EF3 tornado tracked for 27 miles through parts of Pawnee and Barton Counties in KS. Two people were injured. Homes were damaged or destroyed, and trees were debarked. Source. 

A house that was leveled. Photo via NWS Wichita.
A flipped car, photo via NWS Wichita.

Weather Rewind

Tornado and Other Weather Events From On This Day

On this day in 1983, a blizzard dumped up to 12″ of snow and brought wind gusts up to 50 mph across parts of Colorado.  Source

Pieces of the Past

A Look Back Through The Ages!  On This Day In History! 

Sources:  onthisday.com, thisdayinmusic.com & Britannica

Historical Event

On this day in 1920: Joan of Arc (Jeanne D’arc) canonized a saint. Check out more historical events at onthisday.com

Famous Birthday

Janet Jackson was born on May 16, 1966, in Gary, Indiana, U.S.  She is a singer and actress whose increasingly mature version of dance-pop music made her one of the most popular recording artists of the 1980s and ’90s. Source:  Britannica

Film & TV

On this day in 1948: CBS news correspondent George Polk’s body is found in Greece. Get more daily history at onthisday.com

Music Trivia

On this day in 1965: Driving away from a gig at the Civic Hall in Long Beach, the limo taking The Rolling Stones back to their hotel was besieged by fans who caved in the roof by standing on it. The band attempted to hold the roof up while their chauffeur drove off with bodies falling onto the road..  Get into the groove with more music trivia at thecurrent.org

Photo of the Day

A very large and violent tornado passes by the town of Elmer, Oklahoma on May 16, 2015. Along the path, several patches of trees were debarked and several metal buildings were destroyed. Homes and outbuildings also sustained minor-moderate damage. Though this tornado was only rated EF3, the radar presentation and video evidence suggests that this was a very violent tornado. Radar snapshot from GRAnalyst, courtesy of Gio Rizzotti.

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