Storm reports for May 17, 2005

IndependentNot affiliated with NOAA or the National Weather Service. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Data through November 6, 2026. Methodology

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Other storms on May 17 →

On May 17, 2005, 61 hail, 11 damaging-wind and 3 tornado reports were logged across 10 states. The largest hail reported was 1.75″ (golf ball size) in Chatham County, GA.

Storm day runs 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. Eastern (12:00–12:00 UTC), the convention the Storm Prediction Center uses. Radar hail estimates start October 2019.

Storm reports by state

Cities with hail reported within 5 miles

Hail reports (61)

Damage, injuries and deaths

National Weather Service offices recorded about $130,000 in property damage, $202,000 in crop damage, 1 injury and 1 death from hail, thunderstorm wind and tornadoes across the US on this storm day (76 events in 10 states). Injuries and deaths are those the events caused directly.

What the National Weather Service wrote

• Chatham County, GA (near Savannah) · Thunderstorm wind 52 mph · 1 death · 1 injury
  “1 fatality, 1 injury. High winds knocked tree down on car near the intersection of Eisenhower Drive and Waters Avenue.”
• Blaine County, NE (near Purdum) · Thunderstorm wind 60 mph · $2,000
  “Thunderstorm winds tore numerous shingles off of a house at a farmstead.”
• Spokane County, WA (near Four Lakes) · Hail 1.00″
  “On the evening of May 17th, a line of thunderstorms moved across Spokane County. One severe storm dropped up to one inch in diameter hail in a very narrow swath from Four Lakes to just east of Airway Heights. Only one thousand dollars was estimated for crop damage.”
• Barnwell County, SC (near Elko) · Hail 1.00″
  “Elko Grocery reported quarter size hail.”
• Aiken County, SC (near Wagener) · Hail 0.75″
  “Water Wheel Grocery reported penny size hail.”
• Orangeburg County, SC (near Orangeburg) · Hail 0.75″
  “Public reported penny size hail at outdoor equipment facility on hwy 178.”

Event narratives from NWS Storm Data, shortened. Up to six per day, chosen by deaths, injuries, damage and size.

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Storm Events Database, as entered by National Weather Service offices; data through July 31, 2026. Damage is in dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation.

Guides: What radar-estimated hail (MESH) is and isn't · Storm reports: preliminary vs final