The severe wind outbreak of July 4, 2003
404 wind reportsOhio, Michigan, Minnesota and 16 more states
404 damaging wind reports across 19 states between 1:00 AM and 12:53 AM the next day CDT, 11 of them 65 knots (75 mph) or stronger. 113 hail reports and 3 tornadoes the same day.
Watch the day unfoldSevere wind day · July 4, 2003
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
- 404
- 77th of 15,807 days with wind reports since 1955
- 75 mph or more
- 11
- 0 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
- 3
- 7 injured
- Counties reporting
- 249
- in 19 states
Hour by hour
Damaging wind reports in each hour, Central Daylight Time.
The strongest winds
The 100 strongest reports with a speed. Measured gusts come from an instrument; estimated speeds are judged from damage.
| 12:45 AM | Grundy County IA | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 7:45 PM | Todd County SD | 82 mph | Estimated |
| 5:41 PM | Miami County IN | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 6:10 PM | Jackson County SD | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 6:20 PM | Jackson County SD | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 1:03 AM | Pope County MN | 78 mph | Estimated |
| 1:00 AM | Stevens County MN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 1:15 AM | Pope County MN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 1:40 PM | Trumbull County OH | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 4:30 PM | Collier County FL | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 9:10 PM | Davison County SD | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 9:45 AM | Barry County MI | 71 mph | Estimated |
| 2:52 AM | Bremer County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:33 AM | Buchanan County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:20 PM | Custer County SD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:40 PM | Pennington County SD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:53 PM | Bennett County SD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 9:24 PM | Davison County SD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 9:30 PM | Hanson County SD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 10:30 PM | McCook County SD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 10:39 PM | Minnehaha County SD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 12:15 AM | Crawford County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 12:15 AM | Crawford County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 1:15 AM | Douglas County MN | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 1:45 AM | Stearns County MN | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 4:20 AM | St. Croix County WI | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 7:10 AM | Milwaukee County WI | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 9:50 AM | Kalamazoo County MI | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 1:30 PM | Bedford County VA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 6:30 PM | Tipton County IN | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 7:10 AM | Calumet County WI | 67 mph | Estimated |
| 1:18 AM | Swift County MN | 66 mph | Estimated |
| 2:34 AM | Butler County IA | 66 mph | Estimated |
| 2:50 AM | Howard County IA | 66 mph | Estimated |
| 4:18 AM | La Crosse County WI | 66 mph | Estimated |
| 10:38 PM | Minnehaha County SD | 66 mph | Estimated |
| 1:50 AM | Wright County IA | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:30 AM | Floyd County IA | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 3:20 AM | Dakota County MN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 6:00 AM | Jefferson County WI | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 7:07 AM | Outagamie County WI | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 7:17 AM | Dane County WI | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 7:25 AM | Milwaukee County WI | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 7:40 AM | Waukesha County WI | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 12:04 PM | Oakland County MI | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 12:20 PM | Oakland County MI | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 12:26 PM | Wayne County MI | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:45 PM | Howard County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 6:27 PM | Madison County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 12:53 AM | Grundy County IA | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 1:10 AM | Martin County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 1:15 AM | Chippewa County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 1:30 AM | Stearns County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 1:30 AM | Winnebago County IA | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 1:32 AM | Stearns County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 1:35 AM | Stearns County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 1:50 AM | Kandiyohi County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 1:50 AM | Kandiyohi County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 2:05 AM | Redwood County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 2:20 AM | Freeborn County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 2:25 AM | Mitchell County IA | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 2:45 AM | Wright County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 2:50 AM | Wright County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 2:52 AM | Chickasaw County IA | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:05 AM | Carver County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:10 AM | Sherburne County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:10 AM | Olmsted County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:10 AM | Hennepin County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:18 AM | Winneshiek County IA | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:20 AM | Anoka County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:24 AM | Fayette County IA | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:30 AM | Fayette County IA | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:40 AM | Allamakee County IA | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:50 AM | Washington County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 4:05 AM | Houston County MN | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 4:15 AM | La Crosse County WI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 4:18 AM | La Crosse County WI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 4:20 AM | St. Croix County WI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 4:40 AM | Richland County WI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 5:10 AM | Juneau County WI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 6:30 AM | Adams County WI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 6:50 AM | Waukesha County WI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 11:30 AM | Washtenaw County MI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 11:35 AM | Genesee County MI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 11:40 AM | Washtenaw County MI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 11:50 AM | Saginaw County MI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 12:04 PM | Monroe County MI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 12:21 PM | Wayne County MI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 12:50 PM | Macomb County MI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 2:25 PM | Broome County NY | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:30 PM | Butler County PA | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:45 PM | Lawrence County PA | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:46 PM | Alpena County MI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:50 PM | Tuscarawas County OH | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 4:25 PM | Iosco County MI | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 6:30 PM | Mercer County OH | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 12:00 AM | Thurston County NE | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 2:55 AM | Dodge County MN | 62 mph | Estimated |
| 3:15 AM | Winneshiek County IA | 62 mph | Estimated |
| 3:30 AM | Winona County MN | 62 mph | Estimated |
By state
| Ohio | 75 | — |
| Michigan | 71 | — |
| Minnesota | 66 | — |
| Indiana | 43 | — |
| Iowa | 39 | — |
| Wisconsin | 35 | — |
| South Dakota | 32 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 17 | — |
| New York | 5 | — |
| West Virginia | 4 | — |
| Florida | 3 | — |
| Illinois | 3 | — |
| Maryland | 3 | — |
| Nebraska | 2 | — |
| Kentucky | 2 | — |
| South Carolina | 1 | — |
| Georgia | 1 | — |
| North Carolina | 1 | — |
| Virginia | 1 | — |
| North Dakota | 0 | — |
Counties with the most wind reports
- Washtenaw CountyMI · 9 reports
- Oakland CountyMI · 8 reports
- St. Clair CountyMI · 6 reports
- Wayne CountyMI · 6 reports
- Macomb CountyMI · 5 reports
- La Crosse CountyWI · 5 reports
- Hillsdale CountyMI · 4 reports
- Pope CountyMN · 4 reports
- Winnebago CountyIA · 4 reports
- Minnehaha CountySD · 4 reports
Hail and tornadoes that day
113 hail reports, 2 of 2 inches or more; 3 tornadoes.
| 12:15 AM | Haakon County SD | 2.75 |
| 9:06 PM | Sanborn County SD | 2.00 |
| 3:25 PM | Meade County SD | 1.75 |
| 3:30 PM | Lexington County SC | 1.75 |
| 3:30 PM | Edgefield County SC | 1.75 |
| 3:45 PM | Jasper County IN | 1.75 |
| 5:21 PM | Jackson County SD | 1.75 |
| 5:30 PM | Jackson County SD | 1.75 |
| 5:40 PM | Jackson County SD | 1.75 |
| 6:15 PM | Adams County IN | 1.75 |
| 6:26 PM | Todd County SD | 1.75 |
| 8:42 PM | Aurora County SD | 1.75 |
| 9:29 PM | Davison County SD | 1.75 |
| 10:09 PM | McCook County SD | 1.75 |
| 10:13 PM | McCook County SD | 1.75 |
| 10:33 PM | Woodbury County IA | 1.75 |
| 10:50 PM | Sac County IA | 1.75 |
| 11:15 PM | Calhoun County IA | 1.75 |
| 2:15 PM | Aiken County SC | 1.50 |
| 5:29 PM | Kosciusko County IN | 1.50 |
| 6:18 PM | Adams County IN | 1.50 |
| 3:43 PM | Meade County SD | 1.25 |
| 10:30 PM | Woodbury County IA | 1.25 |
| 12:00 AM | Thurston County NE | 1.25 |
| 4:44 AM | Grant County WI | 1.00 |
| 1:10 PM | Wayne County MI | 1.00 |
| 3:55 PM | Lawrence County PA | 1.00 |
| 5:14 PM | Allen County IN | 1.00 |
| 5:19 PM | Allen County IN | 1.00 |
| 5:28 PM | Kosciusko County IN | 1.00 |
| 5:28 PM | Allen County IN | 1.00 |
| 6:12 PM | Todd County SD | 1.00 |
| 6:22 PM | Allegheny County PA | 1.00 |
| 8:00 PM | Hand County SD | 1.00 |
| 9:15 PM | Cherry County NE | 1.00 |
| 9:30 PM | Sanborn County SD | 1.00 |
| 10:19 PM | McCook County SD | 1.00 |
| 10:20 PM | Wayne County NE | 1.00 |
| 10:31 PM | Minnehaha County SD | 1.00 |
| 10:50 PM | Thurston County NE | 1.00 |
| 10:55 PM | Thurston County NE | 1.00 |
| 10:55 PM | Humboldt County IA | 1.00 |
| 11:00 PM | Thurston County NE | 1.00 |
| 11:30 PM | Thurston County NE | 1.00 |
| 11:40 PM | Monona County IA | 1.00 |
| 12:24 AM | Meade County SD | 1.00 |
| 12:30 AM | Perkins County SD | 1.00 |
| 12:50 AM | Haakon County SD | 1.00 |
| 1:30 AM | Corson County SD | 0.88 |
| 2:05 AM | Dewey County SD | 0.88 |
- F0 tornado2:08 AM CDT
- F1 tornado5:39 PM CDT
- F0 tornado5:47 PM CDT
2003 · 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.