Blog Article
May 21, 2026 Severe Weather Recap: Giant Hail & Floods
A complete weather recap of May 21, 2026. See the confirmed reports of 4.5-inch hail in Colorado, tornado reports in Nebraska, and Texas flash flooding.
A Wild Thursday: Softball Hail and Gulf Coast Floods
Y'all, yesterday was a busy one. The atmosphere threw a little bit of everything at us on May 21. We started with freezing temperatures up north and ended with massive hail, a few tornadoes, and serious flash flooding down south.
Let me walk you through exactly what happened and how it stacked up against our forecast.
The High Plains Overachieved
We talked yesterday about a Level 2 Slight Risk for severe storms in the Southern High Plains. The forecast called for large hail, maybe up to two inches. Well, the atmosphere decided to show off.
Storm chasers and spotters reported softball-sized hail near Thurman, Colorado. That is 4.5 inches across. It caused some significant vehicle damage. When you get hail that big in late May, you know the updrafts in those storms are absolutely screaming.
We also saw five tornado reports across the region. Three of those happened right around Thurman, Colorado, with one lasting about four minutes. Up in Nebraska, an emergency manager and an NWS employee reported two quick tornadoes near Kimball. Thankfully, these were mostly brief spin-ups over open country.
Flooding Hit Hard Down South
Our previous forecast also hammered hard on the flash flood threat for the Gulf Coast. We said storms would line up and drop inches of rain in a hurry. That part of the forecast was spot on, and the impacts were severe.
Down in Alice, Texas, first responders had to perform a high-severity water rescue for a driver trapped in a submerged vehicle. Over in Louisiana, the National Weather Service issued Flash Flood Warnings for Franklin, Madison, and Tensas Parishes after radar indicated 4 to 7 inches of rain fell in a very short window.
It was not just the Deep South dealing with water. Up in Missouri, the 102 River at Rosendale spiked to 19.3 feet, pushing right up against historical record levels.
A Morning Freeze
While the Plains and South dealt with severe weather, the Upper Great Lakes woke up to winter. Freeze Warnings verified across Upper Michigan and Northern Wisconsin. Baraga, Michigan, dropped all the way down to 24 degrees. That is a hard freeze for late May.
What Comes Next
The severe threat is not over. For today, May 22, the Storm Prediction Center has another Level 2 Slight Risk up for the Southern High Plains, including Lubbock and Amarillo. The main threats are again large hail and damaging winds up to 60 mph.
But the biggest concern heading into the weekend is the water. The Weather Prediction Center has a Slight Risk for excessive rainfall today over the Upper Ohio Valley. By Saturday, that Slight Risk shifts right back down to eastern Texas and western Louisiana. The ground down there is already soaked. It will not take much more rain to cause major problems.
Bottom Line
Yesterday proved that hail can easily outpace the forecast if the ingredients line up just right. It also showed exactly why we take flash flood threats so seriously. If you live in Texas or Louisiana, you need to watch the radar closely this weekend. Do not drive through flooded roads.