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The severe wind outbreak of May 13, 2002

339 wind reportsNorth Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and 11 more states

339 damaging wind reports across 14 states between 1:15 AM and 9:20 PM CDT, 8 of them 65 knots (75 mph) or stronger. 25 hail reports and 7 tornadoes the same day.

Watch the day unfold

Severe wind day · May 13, 2002

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.

About this replay
Central time—Historical replay — logged report times
Wind reports—of 339 that day
Strongest gust—measured, so far
Largest hail—so far

The day in numbers

Wind reports
339
on Monday, May 13, 2002
75 mph or more
8
1 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
2
3 injured
Counties reporting
267
in 14 states

Hour by hour

Damaging wind reports in each hour, Central Daylight Time.

Wind reports per hour, May 13, 2002 1 AM: 1 2 AM: 1 3 AM: 0 4 AM: 5 5 AM: 8 6 AM: 5 7 AM: 9 8 AM: 11 9 AM: 10 10 AM: 12 11 AM: 11 Noon: 8 1 PM: 26 2 PM: 24 3 PM: 23 4 PM: 32 5 PM: 39 6 PM: 30 7 PM: 44 44 8 PM: 34 9 PM: 6 1 AM4 AM7 AM10 AM1 PM4 PM7 PM

The strongest winds

The 100 strongest reports with a speed. Measured gusts come from an instrument; estimated speeds are judged from damage.

Strongest wind reports, May 13, 2002
11:45 AMAllen County KY92 mph80Estimated0
2:25 PMHoward County MD75 mph65Estimated0
5:52 PMKershaw County SC75 mph65Estimated0
5:56 PMRichland County SC75 mph65Estimated0
7:10 PMFlorence County SC75 mph65Estimated0
7:45 PMMarion County SC75 mph65Estimated0
8:15 PMBladen County NC75 mph65Estimated0
8:25 PMColumbus County NC75 mph65Estimated0
8:20 PMDuplin County NC70 mph61Estimated0
9:45 AMGrayson County KY69 mph60Estimated0
10:55 AMMontgomery County VA69 mph60Estimated0
11:20 AMMonroe County KY69 mph60Estimated0
11:45 AMMadison County AL69 mph60Estimated0
1:49 PMMurray County GA69 mph60Estimated0
5:00 PMYork County SC69 mph60Estimated1
5:05 PMMecklenburg County NC69 mph60Estimated0
5:07 PMNewberry County SC69 mph60Estimated0
5:36 PMLexington County SC69 mph60Estimated0
5:43 PMRichmond County GA69 mph60Estimated0
6:28 PMLee County SC69 mph60Estimated0
7:02 PMDarlington County SC69 mph60Estimated0
7:30 PMFlorence County SC69 mph60Estimated0
7:58 PMRobeson County NC69 mph60Estimated0
8:07 PMRobeson County NC69 mph60Estimated0
3:30 PMCecil County MD64 mph56Estimated0
4:30 PMLincoln County NC64 mph56Estimated0
8:21 PMSussex County DE64 mph56Estimated0
11:57 AMMarshall County AL63 mph55Estimated0
2:22 PMSwain County NC63 mph55Estimated0
3:30 PMRutherford County NC63 mph55Estimated0
3:30 PMAnderson County SC63 mph55Estimated0
3:50 PMAnderson County SC63 mph55Estimated0
4:00 PMCleveland County NC63 mph55Estimated0
4:00 PMCleveland County NC63 mph55Estimated0
4:04 PMSpartanburg County SC63 mph55Estimated0
4:14 PMLaurens County SC63 mph55Estimated0
4:15 PMAbbeville County SC63 mph55Estimated0
4:25 PMSpartanburg County SC63 mph55Estimated0
4:30 PMGaston County NC63 mph55Estimated0
4:35 PMMecklenburg County NC63 mph55Estimated0
4:35 PMDavie County NC63 mph55Estimated0
4:40 PMYork County SC63 mph55Estimated0
4:45 PMRowan County NC63 mph55Estimated0
4:45 PMGaston County NC63 mph55Estimated0
4:45 PMGreenwood County SC63 mph55Estimated0
4:45 PMGreenwood County SC63 mph55Estimated0
5:06 PMMcCormick County SC63 mph55Estimated0
5:10 PMCabarrus County NC63 mph55Estimated0
5:15 PMOcean County NJ63 mph55Estimated0
8:30 PMBladen County NC63 mph55Estimated0
8:08 PMWicomico County MD62 mph54Estimated0
3:40 PMNew Castle County DE60 mph52Estimated0
3:45 PMSalem County NJ60 mph52Estimated0
4:00 PMMontgomery County PA60 mph52Estimated0
4:10 PMNew Castle County DE60 mph52Estimated0
4:20 PMGloucester County NJ60 mph52Estimated0
5:03 PMRowan County NC60 mph52Estimated0
5:20 PMMecklenburg County NC60 mph52Estimated0
7:30 PMSouthampton County VA60 mph52Estimated0
7:55 PMGreene County NC60 mph52Estimated0
8:12 PMChesapeake VA60 mph52Estimated0
8:20 PMPitt County NC60 mph52Estimated0
8:30 PMChester County PA60 mph52Estimated0
8:35 PMBeaufort County NC60 mph52Estimated0
8:40 PMWashington County NC60 mph52Estimated0
8:50 PMLenoir County NC60 mph52Estimated0
8:56 PMCraven County NC60 mph52Estimated0
1:25 PMOwsley County KY59 mph51Estimated0
3:18 PMOconee County SC59 mph51Estimated0
4:30 PMGreenwood County SC59 mph51Estimated0
4:25 AMSumner County TN58 mph50Estimated0
4:30 AMDavidson County TN58 mph50Estimated0
4:35 AMWilson County TN58 mph50Estimated0
4:45 AMTrousdale County TN58 mph50Estimated0
4:55 AMHickman County TN58 mph50Estimated0
5:00 AMSmith County TN58 mph50Estimated0
5:00 AMDickson County TN58 mph50Estimated0
5:15 AMJackson County TN58 mph50Estimated0
5:20 AMClay County TN58 mph50Estimated0
5:35 AMPutnam County TN58 mph50Estimated0
5:35 AMOverton County TN58 mph50Estimated0
5:45 AMPickett County TN58 mph50Estimated0
6:05 AMFentress County TN58 mph50Estimated0
6:15 AMCannon County TN58 mph50Estimated0
9:20 AMMontgomery County TN58 mph50Estimated0
10:22 AMDavidson County TN58 mph50Estimated0
10:28 AMWilliamson County TN58 mph50Estimated0
10:30 AMDavidson County TN58 mph50Estimated0
10:40 AMWilson County TN58 mph50Estimated0
10:52 AMWilson County TN58 mph50Estimated0
11:30 AMMadison County AL58 mph50Estimated0
11:40 AMMoore County TN58 mph50Estimated0
11:40 AMCoffee County TN58 mph50Estimated0
12:10 PMJackson County AL58 mph50Estimated0
1:45 PMGraham County NC58 mph50Estimated0
2:15 PMJackson County NC58 mph50Estimated0
2:30 PMMacon County NC58 mph50Estimated0
3:00 PMBuncombe County NC58 mph50Estimated0
3:08 PMKent County MD58 mph50Estimated0
3:15 PMFranklin County GA58 mph50Estimated0

By state

Severe weather reports by state, May 13, 2002
North Carolina78—11.75
Virginia76—10.75
Tennessee48—10.75
Georgia36—31.00
South Carolina31—61.75
Maryland22—51.75
Kentucky15—0—
West Virginia11—0—
Pennsylvania9—20.75
New Jersey4—31.75
Alabama4—0—
Delaware3—0—
Illinois1—10.88
Mississippi1—0—
Iowa0—21.00

Counties with the most wind reports

Hail and tornadoes that day

25 hail reports, 0 of 2 inches or more; 7 tornadoes.

Largest hail, May 13, 2002
2:50 PMBaltimore County MD1.75
3:20 PMCecil County MD1.75
4:10 PMCherokee County SC1.75
5:15 PMOcean County NJ1.75
8:18 PMMartin County NC1.75
2:35 PMBaltimore MD1.00
2:55 PMDeKalb County GA1.00
3:00 PMHarford County MD1.00
4:07 PMJones County IA1.00
4:36 PMCherokee County SC1.00
4:55 PMBurlington County NJ1.00
5:00 PMYork County SC1.00
2:40 PMFulton County GA0.88
7:00 PMPeoria County IL0.88
3:05 AMHenry County TN0.75
1:40 PMBerks County PA0.75
2:10 PMCherokee County GA0.75
2:20 PMBerks County PA0.75
3:00 PMAlexandria VA0.75
3:05 PMHarford County MD0.75
3:24 PMPickens County SC0.75
4:08 PMGreenville County SC0.75
4:30 PMCamden County NJ0.75
4:55 PMScott County IA0.75
5:30 PMFairfield County SC0.75
  • F0 tornado5:31 AM CDT
  • F1 tornado3:20 PM CDT
  • F1 tornado3:20 PM CDT
  • F1 tornado7:50 PM CDT
  • F1 tornado8:10 PM CDT
  • F0 tornado8:25 PM CDT
  • F0 tornado8:25 PM CDT

2002 · On this date in other years · The biggest severe wind days

  1. 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.
  2. Reporting has grown with population, spotter networks and the internet, so counts from different decades are not directly comparable.
  3. 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.