–22 17 dead/5 missing. AP. “Storms leave floods…” Daily Record, Roswell, 5-9-1984, p. 23.

–19 UPI. “Rain finally lets up in flood-stricken East.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. 5-10-1984, p5.

–18 Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Rain Stops, Southern Rivers Still Rise.” 5-9-1984, p. 12.

–17 AP. “Flood death toll up to 17.” News-Herald, Panama City FL. 5-10-1984, p. 1.[1]

–16 Blanchard tally of State and DC breakouts below.[2]

–16 NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 5, May 1984.

–16 Plus 5 missing. AP. “Floods Spread in Appalachia and the Deep South.” NYT, 5-9-1984.

–16 UPI (Cathy Lewandowski). “Tornadoes, thunderstorms move east.” 5-9-1984.

District of Columbia (1)[3]

–4 Potomac River at Brookmont Dam, Little Falls, May 5. 3^rd Infantry Regiment soldiers.[4]

–1 UPI. “Rain finally lets up in flood-stricken East.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. 5-10-1984, p5.[5]

–1 Washington Post (Anderson, Fishman, Alma). “1 Drowns, 4 Missing In Potomac.” 5-6-1984.[6]

Kentucky (7)

— 7 May 7-10. Linked to flooding. NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 5, May 1984, p. 26.[7]

–2 Adair County. Drowning; driver of car tried to drive across flooded stream.

–1 Fayette County, Boone Creek. Drowning; Winchester man while canoeing.

–1 Pike County, Beefhide. Drowning; female, found downstream of her home.[8]

–1 Pike County, Tug Fork Creek. Drowning; female swept away at home.[9]

–1 Spencer County, Little Beech Creek. Drowning; man removing debris from bridge.[10]

— 7 UPI. “Rain finally lets up in flood-stricken East.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. 5-10-1984, p.5.

— 5 UPI (Cathy Lewandowski). “Tornadoes, thunderstorms move east.” 5-9-1984.

Louisiana (1)

— 3 UPI (Cathy Lewandowski). “Tornadoes, thunderstorms move east.” 5-9-1984.[11]

— 1 Caddo, Bossier and Webster Parishes. May 7 Severe Thunderstorm. Male; lightning.[12]

Maryland (1)

— 1 Hurlock area, May 8, F1 tornado, 17:05 EST. Building picked up, dropped; male inside.[13]

— 1 Hurlock, Eastern Shore tornado, May 8. UPI. “Tornadoes, thunderstorms…” 5-9-1984.

New Jersey (1)

–1 May 8 downburst. “A Moorestown woman…killed when a tree came…down on her car.”[14]

–1 May 8 tornado. Tree fell on car. UPI. “Tornadoes, thunderstorms move east.” 5-9-1984.

Ohio (2)

— 2 UPI (Cathy Lewandowski). “Tornadoes, thunderstorms move east.” 5-9-1984.[15]

South Carolina (1)

— 1 Orangeburg area, May 6. Drowning; male when his van overturned on flooded highway.[16]

Tennessee (3)

–3 UPI (Cathy Lewandowski). “Tornadoes, thunderstorms move east.” 5-9-1984.

–3 NCDC/NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 5, May 1984, p. 43.

–1 Nashville, Davidson Co., May 6. Drowning, female, 85; car stalled under RR underpass.[17]

–1 McKenzie, Carroll County, May 6. City worker drowned; male.[18]

–1 Waverly, Humphreys County, Richland Creek, May 6. Drowning, male, 22; ATV.[19]

Virginia (1)

— 1 State. UPI (Cathy Lewandowski). “Tornadoes, thunderstorms move east.” 5-9-1984.

— 1 Newport News, May 8. Man hit by tree felled by high wind from thunderstorm. NCDC.[20]

West Virginia (1)

— 1 Mingo Co., May 6. Drowning; attempting to cross rapidly rising Tug Fork River in canoe.[21]

Deaths by Cause (where noted):

Drowning (12) (7 in KY, 1 in SC, 3 in TN, 1 in WV.)

Lightning ( 1)

Tornadoes ( 2) (NJ death described by press as a tornado, a downburst by NCDC.)

High Wind/Tree fall ( 1) (VA)

Not noted ( 5) (One in DC, two in Louisiana and two in Ohio.)

Narrative Information

NCDC on Kentucky: “Tremendous flood damage as well as tornado and severe thunderstorms occurred on May 6^th and 7^th. Dozens of counties were declared disaster areas and sought federal help due to the flooding….

May “7-10…Severe Flooding. Millions of dollars worth of damage was reported due to flooding over southeast Kentucky. 7 deaths were linked to the floods that affected most of Kentucky’s counties. There was as much damage as the Kentucky flooding of 1977 and 1957. Roads and bridges were washed out over almost all of the State….” (NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 5, May 1984, pp. 25-26.)

NCDC on New Jersey Downburst, 18:47-1910, EST, May 8: “A storm with strong winds, lightning and torrential rains belted several New Jersey communities. The storm packed winds up o 71 mph, which was reported at McGuire AFB. The violent wind turned a C-141 180 degrees on the ground at the base. The storm ripped off portions of the roofs of a nursing home and two houses in Salem County. It damaged the roof of a hospital, and knocked down trees and utility poles across southern New Jersey. The forceful winds cut a path eight miles long and about a half-mile wide across Salem County, just north of the city of Salem. Winds had increased from 8 mph to 35-40 mph in three minutes. Minor injuries were reported among the 45 people evacuated from the Salem County Nursing and Convalescent Home. A Moorestown woman was killed when a tree came crashing down on her car.” (NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 5, May 1984, p. 32.)

NCDC on Tennessee, May 6-8: “The state of Tennessee was battered by thunderstorm after thunderstorm in a three day period from Sunday the 6^th through Tuesday the 8^th. The weather was a combination of tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and heavy rains. The weather came on top of a week of fairly wet weather. The wet sail allowed trees to topple easily. The saturated sil also allowed added heavy rains to runoff quickly creating flooding and flash flooding. Lakes were filled to overflowing and most streams in East and Middle Tennessee were out of their banks. Damage to crops and cropland was significant…” (NCDC/NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 5, May 1984, p. 41.)

NCDC on Virginia Thunderstorms, May 8: “A major thunderstorm outbreak occurred ahead of a cold front that extended from the eastern Great Lakes t the Gulf of Mexico during the afternoon of the 8^th. Warm, moist unstable air covered the coastal plains area. Temperatures climbed rapidly into the 80s to near 90 across the eastern half of the state, increasing the instability of the air. Severe thunderstorms developed across central Virginia by 1500EST, and moved to the coast by evening. Several major areas of severe thunderstorms occurred. One developed in Orange County and moved east across the Potomac River into Maryland, causing considerable straight-line wind damage. Also, waterspouts were spawned over the Potomac River. A second huge thunderstorm complex formed in south central Virginia and moved eastward across the state, spawning at least 3 tornadoes that struck areas including the cities of Petersburg and Hopewell. This area of thunderstorms caused widespread, straight-line wind damage to trees, power lines, mobile homes and barns from the central counties to the coast.” (NCDC/NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 5, May 1984, p. 50.)

NCDC on West Virginia Flooding, May 7-9: “Moderate to heavy rainfall (2 to 2.5 inches), which fell over southern West Virginia during th evening of May 6^th and the morning of May 7^th, caused widespread small stream flooding and river flooding throughout Mingo, Logan, Wyoming, and McDowell Counties by daybreak on May 7^th. As the rainfall moved into the main stream beds of the Tug Fork and Guyandotte Rivers, a major flood resulted. At Williamson this was the second greatest flood ever recorded, cresting at 45.05 feet (flood stage is 27 feet). Water topped a 44 foot floodwall at Williamson. One drowning occurred when a couple attempted to cross the rapidly rising Tug Fork River in a canoe on May 6^th in Mingo County. The canoe overturned and one of the occupants was drowned. The other swam to safety. Total flood dame in West Virginia was estimated by the State government to be 22.9 million dollars.” (NCDC/NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 5, May 1984, p. 51.)

Sources

American Whitewater. Accident Database. “Accident #273.” Accessed 2-10-2017 at: https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Accident/detail/accidentid/273/

Associated Press. “2 dozen twisters, water 8 feet deep paralyze Southeast.” The Joplin Globe, MO. 5-8-1984, 2A. Accessed 2-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/us/missouri/joplin/joplin-globe/1984/05-08/page-2?tag

Associated Press. “Flood death toll up to 17.” News-Herald, Panama City FL. 5-10-1984, p. 1. Accessed 2-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/us/florida/panama-city/panama-city-news-herald/1984/05-10?tag

Associated Press. “Floods Spread in Appalachia and the Deep South.” New York Times, 5-9-1984. Accessed 2-9-2017 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/09/us/floods-spread-in-appalachia-and-the-deep-south.html

Associated Press. “Southeast pounded by thunderstorms, hail, high winds.” The New Mexican, Santa Fe, 5-7-1984, A-4. Accessed 2-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/us/new-mexico/santa-fe/santa-fe-new-mexican/1984/05-07/page-22?tag

Associated Press. “Storms leave floods, destruction behind.” Daily Record, Roswell, 5-9-1984, p. 23. Accessed 2-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/us/new-mexico/roswell/roswell-daily-record/1984/05-09/page-22?tag

Associated Press. “Storms rake Southeast.” Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, 5-7-1984, p. 2, Section 1. Accessed 2-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/us/wisconsin/madison/madison-wisconsin-state-journal/1984/05-07/page-2?tag

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 5, May 1984, 55 pages. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce. Accessed 2-2-2017 at: https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-8B7938E7-D085-41B5-BD86-32B4E38F0536.pdf

Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Rain Stops, Southern Rivers Still Rise.” 5-9-1984, p. 12. Accessed 2-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/us/indiana/logansport/logansport-pharos-tribune/1984/05-09/page-12?tag

United Press International. “Rain finally lets up in flood-stricken East.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. 5-10-1984, p. 5. Accessed 2-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/us/california/ukiah/ukiah-daily-journal/1984/05-10/page-5?tag

United Press International (Cathy Lewandowski). “Tornadoes, thunderstorms move east.” 5-9-1984. Accessed 2-7-2017 at: http://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/05/09/Tornadoes-thunderstorms-move-east/7341452923200/

Washington Post (John Ward Anderson, Charles Fishman, and Alma). “1 Drowns, 4 Missing In Potomac.” 5-6-1984. Accessed 2-10-2017 at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/05/06/1-drowns-4-missing-in-potomac/16a3a010-d0ab-42c8-8717-9c0a98341dbc/?utm_term=.f3795a8032d4

[1] Notes, additionally, five missing.

[2] We note generalized press accounts showing higher death tolls, but only include what we can substantiate.

[3] We show in order to indicate awareness of this reporting, but do not include in our tally. The 3^rd Infantry Regiment rafting deaths were on the 5^th. It is not clear that these were storm or flooding related deaths. The NCDC does not note a District of Columbia weather-related death during May 6-10.

[4] American Whitewater. Accident Database. “Accident #273.”

[5] Also notes one death each in Maryland and Virginia, thus this is not a duplication of one of those.

[6] We note this even though there were four fatalities as eventually determined, in order to indicate our speculation that the one DC death reported in the UPI on May 10 may have been a reference to this early report of a drowning death. We have found no other references to storm or flood-related deaths in DC during this time-frame. The victim, and four other men from the Army’s 3^rd Infantry regiment stationed at Fort Myer, had gone out on an inflatable rafting trip on the Potomac River. However the Potomac was swollen by recent heavy rainfall and the river stage reached 6.35 feet at Little Falls. The article notes that “Levels above 5 feet are considered unsafe for recreational activities.” Article notes that the raft went past signs warning people to stay away from a dam down river, “no matter what the river stage.” The raft went over the dam, was caught in an eddy preventing it from going further down river, and eventually capsized.

[7] The breakout of “Flood Related Deaths” specifically notes six deaths. The 7^th the NCDC notes, is not specified.

[8] This and the next entry bear resemblance. In that only six of seven noted deaths are identified, it may be that this is a double entry, worded somewhat differently.

[9] “She was trying to retrieve property from the home when the water rose rapidly.” An AP story identified the victim as Gail Collins, citing Pike County Coroner, who noted she apparently was swept out of her home by raging floodwaters.” (AP. “2 dozen twisters, water 8 feet deep paralyze Southeast.” The Joplin Globe, MO. 5-8-1984, 2A.)

[10] “He had stopped his truck to remove debris from the bridge when he slipped into the flooded river…as high as the bridge at the time.” Notes he was from Mt. Eden.

[11] While we note a UPI reference to three LA deaths, we can substantiate only one. There are not details in the UPI article — dates of death, cause of death, location, etc. Thus, we do not use in our tally.

[12] NCDC/NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 5, May 1984, p. 27.

[13] NCDC/NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 5, May 1984, p. 28.

[14] NCDC/NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 5, May 1984, p. 32. [See narrative information section for description.]

[15] We have looked through a number of Ohio papers and coverage of the storms, flooding, and tornadoes mostly in the East and find no mention of any storm-related deaths in Ohio. Neither does the NCDC mention such deaths.

[16] NCDC/NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 5, May 1984, p. 40. AP also notes one SC drowning death. (Associated Press. “2 dozen twisters, water 8 feet deep paralyze Southeast.” The Joplin Globe, MO. 5-8-1984, 2A.)

[17] “Police believe she stayed in the car in an attempt to restart it, but the water rose quickly to a depth of 5 feet, submerging the car and drowning the woman. Rainfall at the airport totaled 2.06 inches between 1 and 2 pm cst with a full day total of 3.5 inches.” An AP article has the death on U.S. 70 near Nashville. (Associated Press. “Storms rake Southeast.” Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, 5-7-1984, p. 2, Section 1.) Another AP article identifies the victim as Euyla M. Chrisman, 85. (Associated Press. “Southeast pounded by thunderstorms, hail, high winds.” The New Mexican, Santa Fe, 5-7-1984, A-4.)

[18] “Heavy rains caused drainage ditches to run full. A City of McKenzie worker was killed when he slipped into a swift-flowing drainage ditch and was carried through a 200-foot culvert. A second employee received minor injuries when he tried to rescue his co-worker. The workers were trying to clear debris from a culvert.”

[19] “Heavy rains caused flash flooding on Trace Creek in Waverly….A 22-year-old man was drowned when his all-terrain-type vehicle was swept into Richland Creek. The man was crossing the creek when the raging water picked him and the vehicle up and washed them downstream…”

[20] NCDC/NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 5, May 1984, p. 51.

[21] NCDC/NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 5, May 1984, p. 51.

1984 — May 6-10, Severe storms, flooding/12 deaths, tornadoes, SE, esp. KY/7, TN/3 — 16