May-June 2017 managed a national count of 9.6% of all 885 available stations, well below the median of more than 13% during the preceding decade, which was a result of a highly significant upward trend of 3.0% per century since 1901 (p=99.99%). Highest regional totals were found in the Ohio Valley (17.3%; 19th highest) and the Northeast (14.3%; 27th highest). The Ohio Valley tally is supported by a strong upward trend of 6% per century (p>99.9%), while the upward trend in the Northeast fails to reach even the 90% significance level. In contrast, the Southwest confirmed its marginally significant DOWNWARD trend (p=94%) with a total of 2.9% (23rd lowest). Two other regions came in under 5%: the Northern Rockies (3.5%, tied for 7th lowest, in fact, the lowest since 1958) and the Pacific Northwest (3.8%, 32nd lowest). The dry spring in this region set the stage for the subsequent Northern Plains drought and severe fire season.

Five "Billion-Dollar Disasters" ( https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/events) include an extreme hailstorm in Denver (May 10th) that caused record-breaking damages of $2.2B (a record for Colorado), luckily without fatalities, Midwestern severe weather (three events in June, also no fatalities), and flooding in Missouri and Arkansas that took 20 lives without leaving much of a footprint in regional extreme tallies.