Mid-May Severe Weather and Dust Storms
During mid-May 2026, several weather systems brought many rounds of severe thunderstorms to the Central U.S. Strong winds from these systems also kicked up multiple blowing dust and dust storms events.
On May 14, a strong mid-latitude cyclone brought severe weather to the central and southern Plains. Near the low of the system in the U.S. northern Plains and south-central Canada, high winds kicked up a dust storm across several states and provinces, limiting visibility and affecting traffic in those areas.
In the Southern Plains, lightning from the thunderstorms ignited numerous wildfires across parts of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas. These fires grew quickly in size, with some burning tens of thousands of acres, including the Hunggate Fire, Sharpe Fire, and the Meade Lake Complex.
Three straight days of enhanced risks for severe weather were in effect for parts of the Central Plains from May 15 to May 17. These continuous rounds of storms for this region resulted in many reports of damaging winds, large hail, and several tornadoes, including an EF3 tornado in Nebraska.
On May 18, the severe weather threat was upgraded to a moderate risk, which is a level 4 out of 5 on the Storm Prediction Center’s (SPC) severe risk categories. Ahead of the thunderstorms that day, the SPC also issued a particularly dangerous situation (PDS) tornado watch for parts of Kansas and Nebraska. That afternoon and evening saw an outbreak of severe thunderstorms and supercells across the Great Plains. Strong winds across the Southern Plains also helped fuel the growth of burning fires in the region, as well as initiate more plumes of blowing dust.
While the severe threat was lessened in the following few days, severe and tornadic thunderstorms from the Central U.S. to the East Coast have continued to fire up each day as of May 21, 2026.
For more information on severe weather, visit the Storm Prediction Center. For information on active wildfires, visit the Watch Duty website.
Satellite imagery of this event:
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