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The severe wind outbreak of February 11, 2009

447 wind reportsKentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee and 14 more states

447 damaging wind reports across 17 states between 12:00 AM and 9:14 PM CST, 16 of them 65 knots (75 mph) or stronger; the strongest measured gust was 85 mph in Kanawha County, WV. 12 hail reports and 5 tornadoes the same day.

Watch the day unfold

Severe wind day · February 11, 2009

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 447 that day
Strongest gust—measured, so far
Largest hail—so far

The day in numbers

Wind reports
447
57th of 15,807 days with wind reports since 1955
75 mph or more
16
6 of 86 mph (75 knots) or more
Strongest measured gust
85 mph
74 knots, Kanawha County, WV
Measured
36
reports with an instrument reading; the rest are estimates from damage
Killed by wind
1
3 injured
Counties reporting
295
in 17 states

Hour by hour

Damaging wind reports in each hour, Central Standard Time.

Wind reports per hour, February 11, 2009 Midnight: 18 1 AM: 22 2 AM: 17 3 AM: 4 4 AM: 0 5 AM: 0 6 AM: 0 7 AM: 0 8 AM: 0 9 AM: 0 10 AM: 4 11 AM: 17 Noon: 27 1 PM: 20 2 PM: 40 3 PM: 51 4 PM: 68 68 5 PM: 55 6 PM: 57 7 PM: 34 8 PM: 12 9 PM: 1 Midnight3 AM6 AM9 AMNoon3 PM6 PM9 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, February 11, 2009
6:53 PMAllegheny County PA92 mph80Estimated0
6:47 PMFayette County PA87 mph76Estimated0
2:45 AMWhite County AR86 mph75Estimated0
11:00 AMWayne County TN86 mph75Estimated0
11:10 AMLawrence County TN86 mph75Estimated0
12:05 PMRutherford County TN86 mph75Estimated0
5:17 PMKanawha County WV85 mph74Measured0
1:45 AMConway County AR81 mph70Estimated0
1:50 AMVan Buren County AR81 mph70Estimated0
5:20 PMMcDowell County WV81 mph70Estimated1
7:30 PMIndiana County PA81 mph70Estimated0
2:00 AMVan Buren County AR75 mph65Estimated0
10:31 AMColbert County AL75 mph65Estimated0
12:40 PMBedford County TN75 mph65Estimated0
3:58 PMTrimble County KY75 mph65Estimated0
4:50 PMKnox County OH75 mph65Estimated0
5:14 PMWood County WV72 mph63Measured0
12:55 PMSumner County TN71 mph62Estimated0
1:40 PMOverton County TN71 mph62Estimated0
2:45 PMRoane County TN71 mph62Estimated0
2:55 PMAnderson County TN71 mph62Estimated0
3:00 PMMcMinn County TN71 mph62Estimated0
3:35 PMBlount County TN71 mph62Estimated0
4:00 PMMartin County KY71 mph62Estimated0
4:47 PMWise County VA71 mph62Estimated0
5:05 PMRussell County VA71 mph62Estimated0
5:24 PMFayette County OH70 mph61Measured0
12:08 AMFranklin County AR70 mph61Estimated0
12:50 PMSmith County TN70 mph61Estimated0
1:45 PMLincoln County KY70 mph61Estimated0
2:18 PMGarrard County KY70 mph61Estimated0
2:35 PMClark County KY70 mph61Estimated0
2:35 PMMadison County KY70 mph61Estimated0
3:00 PMHarrison County IN70 mph61Estimated0
3:36 PMJefferson County IN70 mph61Estimated0
5:35 PMMonroe County OH70 mph61Estimated0
6:30 PMBarbour County WV70 mph61Estimated0
6:30 PMGreenbrier County WV70 mph61Estimated0
6:29 PMRandolph County WV69 mph60Measured0
2:00 AMVan Buren County AR69 mph60Estimated0
3:35 AMAshley County AR69 mph60Estimated0
10:53 AMHickman County TN69 mph60Estimated0
11:00 AMWayne County TN69 mph60Estimated0
11:50 AMMarshall County TN69 mph60Estimated0
12:00 PMSumner County TN69 mph60Estimated0
12:30 PMMadison County AL69 mph60Estimated0
12:35 PMMadison County AL69 mph60Estimated0
12:35 PMMadison County AL69 mph60Estimated0
12:55 PMCannon County TN69 mph60Estimated0
1:10 PMClay County TN69 mph60Estimated0
1:30 PMPutnam County TN69 mph60Estimated0
1:40 PMGrundy County TN69 mph60Estimated0
1:48 PMSequatchie County TN69 mph60Estimated0
2:10 PMLincoln County KY69 mph60Estimated0
2:25 PMWhitley County KY69 mph60Estimated0
2:26 PMMorgan County TN69 mph60Estimated0
2:55 PMRoane County TN69 mph60Estimated0
3:25 PMUnion County TN69 mph60Estimated0
3:30 PMMonroe County TN69 mph60Estimated0
3:30 PMLoudon County TN69 mph60Estimated0
3:45 PMGreenup County KY69 mph60Estimated0
3:45 PMVigo County IN69 mph60Estimated0
4:02 PMLee County VA69 mph60Estimated0
4:02 PMSevier County TN69 mph60Estimated0
4:15 PMGreene County TN69 mph60Estimated0
4:17 PMHamblen County TN69 mph60Estimated0
4:32 PMScott County VA69 mph60Estimated0
5:28 PMCarter County TN69 mph60Estimated0
5:30 PMWashington County VA69 mph60Estimated0
5:37 PMSmyth County VA69 mph60Estimated0
12:20 PMWarren County KY68 mph59Measured0
12:20 PMWarren County KY68 mph59Measured0
6:18 PMMercer County WV68 mph59Measured0
5:07 PMClinton County OH67 mph58Measured0
6:09 PMCuyahoga County OH67 mph58Measured0
2:26 PMMorgan County TN67 mph58Estimated0
2:30 PMHamilton County TN67 mph58Estimated0
2:43 PMLaurel County KY67 mph58Estimated0
3:00 PMRoane County TN67 mph58Estimated0
3:37 PMMonroe County TN67 mph58Estimated0
3:50 PMGrainger County TN67 mph58Estimated0
3:54 PMJohnson County KY67 mph58Estimated0
4:30 PMHawkins County TN67 mph58Estimated0
4:49 PMRussell County VA67 mph58Estimated0
4:50 PMWise County VA67 mph58Estimated0
12:09 PMWarren County KY66 mph57Measured0
4:28 PMFranklin County OH66 mph57Measured0
4:33 PMFranklin County OH66 mph57Measured0
5:57 PMRitchie County WV66 mph57Measured0
7:05 PMBath County VA66 mph57Measured0
12:00 AMRusk County TX66 mph57Estimated0
12:25 AMNacogdoches County TX66 mph57Estimated0
12:40 PMMacon County TN66 mph57Estimated0
1:30 PMWhite County TN66 mph57Estimated0
11:30 AMDickson County TN64 mph56Measured0
4:33 PMDelaware County OH64 mph56Measured0
5:10 PMClinton County OH64 mph56Measured0
5:17 PMMason County WV64 mph56Measured0
12:25 AMPanola County TX64 mph56Estimated0
2:01 AMColumbia County AR64 mph56Estimated0

By state

Severe weather reports by state, February 11, 2009
Kentucky8468 mph20.75
West Virginia7385 mph10.88
Tennessee6364 mph10.75
Ohio5570 mph10.75
Virginia3466 mph10.75
Arkansas28—0—
Pennsylvania19—0—
Louisiana17—10.75
Georgia17—0—
Texas1659 mph21.00
Indiana1260 mph0—
North Carolina8—0—
Alabama7—0—
South Carolina758 mph0—
Maryland4—0—
Illinois2—10.75
New York1—0—
Kansas0—20.88

Counties with the most wind reports

Hail and tornadoes that day

12 hail reports, 0 of 2 inches or more; 5 tornadoes.

Largest hail, February 11, 2009
12:25 AMNacogdoches County TX1.00
3:15 AMComanche County KS0.88
6:25 PMRandolph County WV0.88
12:41 AMPanola County TX0.75
1:00 AMCaddo Parish LA0.75
2:29 AMComanche County KS0.75
1:48 PMCrawford County IL0.75
2:00 PMCumberland County TN0.75
4:18 PMBoone County KY0.75
4:21 PMHamilton County OH0.75
4:24 PMBoone County KY0.75
8:00 PMFrederick County VA0.75
  • EF1 tornado1:04 AM CST
  • EF1 tornado2:03 PM CST
  • EF1 tornado2:30 PM CST
  • EF0 tornado4:59 PM CST
  • EF0 tornado5:05 PM CST

2009 · 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.