The severe wind outbreak of May 19, 1996
94 wind reportsWisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and Iowa
94 damaging wind reports across 4 states between 1:00 AM and 9:18 PM CDT, 44 of them 65 knots (75 mph) or stronger. 25 hail reports and 2 tornadoes the same day.
Watch the day unfoldSevere wind day · May 19, 1996
How the day unfolded
Every damaging wind report of the day at its logged time, with the day's hail reports and tornadoes, and the counties they reached.
The day in numbers
- Wind reports
- 94
- on Sunday, May 19, 1996
- 75 mph or more
- 44
- 18 of 86 mph (75 knots) or more
- Strongest measured gust
- —
- No measured gust reported
- Measured
- 0
- reports with an instrument reading; the rest are estimates from damage
- Killed by wind
- 0
- 3 injured
- Counties reporting
- 60
- in 4 states
Hour by hour
Damaging wind reports in each hour, Central Daylight Time.
The strongest winds
The 81 strongest reports with a speed. Measured gusts come from an instrument; estimated speeds are judged from damage.
| 1:38 AM | Waseca County MN | 99 mph | Estimated |
| 1:00 AM | Jackson County MN | 98 mph | Estimated |
| 1:45 AM | Washington County MN | 98 mph | Estimated |
| 1:55 AM | St. Croix County WI | 98 mph | Estimated |
| 2:05 AM | Olmsted County MN | 92 mph | Estimated |
| 2:39 AM | Buffalo County WI | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 2:45 AM | Buffalo County WI | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 3:05 AM | Trempealeau County WI | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 3:25 AM | Jackson County WI | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 3:30 AM | Taylor County WI | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 1:10 AM | Dodge County MN | 86 mph | Estimated |
| 1:35 AM | Faribault County MN | 86 mph | Estimated |
| 2:00 AM | Pierce County WI | 86 mph | Estimated |
| 2:00 AM | Dodge County MN | 86 mph | Estimated |
| 2:30 AM | Pepin County WI | 86 mph | Estimated |
| 2:30 AM | Wabasha County MN | 86 mph | Estimated |
| 3:10 AM | Trempealeau County WI | 86 mph | Estimated |
| 3:40 AM | Clark County WI | 86 mph | Estimated |
| 1:00 AM | Faribault County MN | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 1:00 AM | Scott County MN | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 1:00 AM | Sibley County MN | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 1:01 AM | Dakota County MN | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 1:08 AM | Scott County MN | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 1:45 AM | Washington County MN | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 1:55 AM | Steele County MN | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 2:05 AM | St. Croix County WI | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 2:05 AM | Olmsted County MN | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 2:05 AM | Olmsted County MN | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 2:10 AM | Dunn County WI | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 2:15 AM | Dunn County WI | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 2:15 AM | St. Croix County WI | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 2:45 AM | Pepin County WI | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:10 AM | Trempealeau County WI | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 2:35 PM | Wood County WI | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:00 AM | Eau Claire County WI | 77 mph | Estimated |
| 1:40 AM | Freeborn County MN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 1:45 AM | Goodhue County MN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 1:45 AM | Washington County MN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 2:00 AM | Freeborn County MN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 2:15 AM | Goodhue County MN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 2:20 AM | Goodhue County MN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 3:00 AM | Chippewa County WI | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 3:10 AM | Chippewa County WI | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 6:05 PM | Black Hawk County IA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 3:35 AM | Monroe County WI | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 1:10 AM | Dodge County MN | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 1:15 AM | Martin County MN | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 1:25 AM | Blue Earth County MN | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 2:05 AM | Polk County WI | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 2:16 AM | Washburn County WI | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 2:30 AM | Barron County WI | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 2:50 AM | Chippewa County WI | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 3:10 AM | Trempealeau County WI | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 3:25 AM | Eau Claire County WI | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 6:53 PM | Antrim County MI | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 7:05 PM | Otsego County MI | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 7:30 PM | Montmorency County MI | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 8:00 PM | Alpena County MI | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 1:15 AM | Martin County MN | 68 mph | Estimated |
| 1:20 AM | Hennepin County MN | 68 mph | Estimated |
| 1:30 AM | Kossuth County IA | 68 mph | Estimated |
| 7:01 PM | Tama County IA | 66 mph | Estimated |
| 1:10 AM | Scott County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 1:30 AM | Anoka County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 1:55 AM | Polk County WI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 4:07 AM | Juneau County WI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 6:35 PM | Antrim County MI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 7:54 PM | Roscommon County MI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 9:18 PM | Alcona County MI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 1:31 AM | Ramsey County MN | 62 mph | Estimated |
| 1:00 AM | Rusk County WI | 60 mph | Estimated |
| 1:05 AM | St. Croix County WI | 60 mph | Estimated |
| 3:22 AM | La Crosse County WI | 60 mph | Estimated |
| 4:00 PM | Oconto County WI | 60 mph | Estimated |
| 4:20 PM | Door County WI | 60 mph | Estimated |
| 6:16 PM | Marshall County IA | 60 mph | Estimated |
| 8:15 PM | Roscommon County MI | 60 mph | Estimated |
| 1:05 AM | Carver County MN | 58 mph | Estimated |
| 3:23 AM | La Crosse County WI | 58 mph | Estimated |
| 3:45 AM | Price County WI | 58 mph | Estimated |
| 7:23 PM | Tama County IA | 58 mph | Estimated |
By state
Counties with the most wind reports
- Trempealeau CountyWI · 4 reports
- St. Croix CountyWI · 4 reports
- Olmsted CountyMN · 3 reports
- Scott CountyMN · 3 reports
- Chippewa CountyWI · 3 reports
- Washington CountyMN · 3 reports
- Goodhue CountyMN · 3 reports
- Dodge CountyMN · 3 reports
- Tama CountyIA · 2 reports
- Faribault CountyMN · 2 reports
Hail and tornadoes that day
25 hail reports, 0 of 2 inches or more; 2 tornadoes.
| 2:40 AM | Vilas County WI | 1.75 |
| 2:00 PM | Langlade County WI | 1.75 |
| 1:45 AM | Washington County MN | 1.50 |
| 1:45 AM | Washington County MN | 1.00 |
| 1:46 AM | Kewaunee County WI | 1.00 |
| 3:30 AM | Clare County MI | 1.00 |
| 4:55 AM | Ogemaw County MI | 1.00 |
| 5:40 AM | Huron County MI | 1.00 |
| 2:20 PM | Menominee County WI | 1.00 |
| 3:50 PM | Door County WI | 1.00 |
| 5:10 PM | Black Hawk County IA | 1.00 |
| 7:40 PM | Baker County FL | 1.00 |
| 8:21 PM | Ogemaw County MI | 1.00 |
| 2:15 AM | Mason County MI | 0.75 |
| 2:30 AM | Wabasha County MN | 0.75 |
| 2:31 AM | Washburn County WI | 0.75 |
| 2:39 AM | Buffalo County WI | 0.75 |
| 2:50 AM | Osceola County MI | 0.75 |
| 5:25 PM | Red Lake County MN | 0.75 |
| 5:35 PM | Red Lake County MN | 0.75 |
| 6:21 PM | Black Hawk County IA | 0.75 |
| 7:23 PM | Montmorency County MI | 0.75 |
| 7:25 PM | Koochiching County MN | 0.75 |
| 7:39 PM | Koochiching County MN | 0.75 |
| 9:20 PM | Ogemaw County MI | 0.75 |
- F0 tornado6:30 PM CDT
- F1 tornado12:00 AM CDT
1996 · On this date in other years · The biggest severe wind days
- A report is a single damage or measurement report to the National Weather Service. Several reports can describe one gust front, so reports are not storms.
- Reporting has grown with population, spotter networks and the internet, so counts from different decades are not directly comparable.
- Thunderstorm wind reports start at 50 knots (58 mph). SPC began flagging measured against estimated speeds in 2006; earlier reports are shown as estimated.
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1955 to 2025. A day is SPC’s calendar date in Central Standard Time; a severe wind day here has 300 or more damaging wind reports, or 15 or more of 75 knots (86 mph) or more.