Severe Weather Possible from the Central Plains to the Northeast; Building Heat in the West; Fire Weather Concerns for the Southwest

Severe thunderstorms will be possible from the central Plains to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Monday. Hazardous heat will linger across the southern U.S. and build across the West through mid-week. Hot and dry conditions will fuel fire weather concerns for Interior Alaska and the Four Corners region through Monday. Read More >

Note: The original news item was issued in June 2005, but was last edited in May 2026.

For the first time since official records began in 1950, no tornadoes were reported in the state of Oklahoma in the month of May 2005.

Prior to 2005, the record lowest number of reported tornadoes in May was two, in 1988.

Up until 2005, May was the only month of the year that always had at least one tornado. Every other month has two or more years with no tornadoes in the records.

The most tornadoes ever recorded in May occurred in 2019, when 105 tornadoes were reported. The previous high total for May occurred in 2010, when 91 tornadoes were documented.

May typically marks the peak of tornado season in Oklahoma. During the period from 1950 to 2025, an average of 24 tornadoes have been reported in the month of May. May typically brings about 41 percent of the year's annual average tornado total of 59.

Other years with low May totals include:

May 1988 - 2
May 2012 - 3
May 1958 - 4
May 1967 - 4
May 2006 - 4
May 2009 - 4
May 2014 - 4
May 2026 - 2

The months of May in 1952, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1978, and 1987 each saw only five tornadoes.

An average of 42 tornadoes occur for the 5-month period from January through May.

The most tornadoes ever recorded during the January through May time frame occurred in 1999, when 116 tornadoes were tallied.

The lowest January-May totals include:

January-May 1988 - 7
January-May 2014 - 8
January-May 1958 - 10
January-May 1989 - 10

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Severe Weather Possible from the Central Plains to the Northeast; Building Heat in the West; Fire Weather Concerns for the Southwest

No Oklahoma Tornadoes in May 2005