The severe wind outbreak of May 8, 2009
207 wind reportsKansas, Missouri, Kentucky and 11 more states
207 damaging wind reports across 14 states between 1:45 AM and 12:55 AM the next day CDT, 69 of them 65 knots (75 mph) or stronger; the strongest measured gust was 76 mph in St. Francois County, MO. 152 hail reports and 46 tornadoes the same day.
Watch the day unfoldSevere wind day · May 8, 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.
The day in numbers
- Wind reports
- 207
- on Friday, May 8, 2009
- 75 mph or more
- 69
- 20 of 86 mph (75 knots) or more
- Strongest measured gust
- 76 mph
- 66 knots, St. Francois County, MO
- Measured
- 16
- reports with an instrument reading; the rest are estimates from damage
- Killed by wind
- 4
- 16 injured
- Counties reporting
- 140
- in 14 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.
| 12:52 PM | Jackson County IL | 106 mph | Estimated |
| 12:15 PM | Bollinger County MO | 105 mph | Estimated |
| 5:51 AM | Wilson County KS | 100 mph | Estimated |
| 6:20 AM | Montgomery County KS | 100 mph | Estimated |
| 11:00 AM | Reynolds County MO | 100 mph | Estimated |
| 11:00 AM | Iron County MO | 100 mph | Estimated |
| 1:15 PM | Williamson County IL | 100 mph | Estimated |
| 5:37 AM | Greenwood County KS | 92 mph | Estimated |
| 3:35 AM | Marshall County KY | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 6:20 AM | Wilson County KS | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 6:40 AM | Cherokee County KS | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 7:03 AM | Jasper County MO | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 7:53 AM | Christian County MO | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 7:54 AM | Greene County MO | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 8:05 AM | Polk County MO | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 10:15 AM | Ripley County MO | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 11:50 AM | Madison County MO | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 12:15 PM | Graves County KY | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 1:30 PM | Saline County IL | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 6:45 PM | Grainger County TN | 86 mph | Estimated |
| 6:40 AM | Crawford County KS | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 7:30 AM | Lawrence County MO | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 7:30 AM | Barry County MO | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 7:38 AM | Dade County MO | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 8:25 AM | Dallas County MO | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 8:29 AM | Webster County MO | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 8:51 AM | Wright County MO | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 9:16 AM | Texas County MO | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 12:20 PM | Perry County MO | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 1:15 PM | Franklin County IL | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 4:10 PM | Madison County KY | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 8:15 PM | Brown County TX | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 8:30 PM | Brown County TX | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 3:00 AM | Massac County IL | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:10 AM | Livingston County KY | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:50 AM | Clark County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:00 AM | Harvey County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:05 AM | Harvey County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:48 AM | Butler County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:07 AM | Butler County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:55 AM | Elk County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 6:40 AM | Labette County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 6:45 AM | Labette County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:03 AM | Newton County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:03 AM | Barton County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:04 AM | Ottawa County OK | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:50 AM | Cedar County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:53 AM | Stone County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 8:10 AM | Taney County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 8:30 AM | Douglas County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 8:41 AM | Ozark County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 8:53 AM | Laclede County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 9:16 AM | Howell County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 9:20 AM | Pulaski County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 9:40 AM | Shannon County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 9:40 AM | Oregon County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 9:42 AM | Dent County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 12:25 PM | Cape Girardeau County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:00 PM | Madison County KY | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:08 PM | Madison County KY | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:10 PM | Madison County KY | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 9:45 PM | San Saba County TX | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 11:50 PM | Grayson County TX | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 11:45 AM | St. Francois County MO | 76 mph | Measured |
| 7:10 AM | Ottawa County OK | 75 mph | Measured |
| 9:05 AM | Baxter County AR | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 11:30 AM | Union County IL | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 12:40 PM | Union County IL | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 4:12 PM | Garrard County KY | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 2:36 AM | Barton County KS | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:00 AM | Allen County KS | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:04 AM | Butler County KS | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:04 AM | Butler County KS | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:40 AM | Washington County OK | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:48 AM | Neosho County KS | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:05 AM | Ottawa County OK | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:05 AM | Ottawa County OK | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 8:20 AM | Carroll County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 9:58 AM | Sharp County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 10:50 AM | Butler County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 1:00 PM | Perry County IL | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:10 PM | Metcalfe County KY | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:10 PM | Metcalfe County KY | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:15 PM | Eastland County TX | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:48 PM | Rock Island County IL | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 9:55 PM | Love County OK | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 10:05 PM | Love County OK | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 10:05 PM | Love County OK | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 10:30 PM | Marshall County IL | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 11:35 PM | Grayson County TX | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 12:06 AM | Dunklin County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:56 AM | Labette County KS | 69 mph | Measured |
| 7:15 PM | Washington County IA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 8:10 PM | Sullivan County TN | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 8:45 PM | Norton VA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 9:35 PM | Russell County VA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 9:50 PM | Smyth County VA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 2:23 AM | Finney County KS | 67 mph | Estimated |
| 5:09 AM | Butler County KS | 64 mph | Measured |
| 6:48 AM | Neosho County KS | 64 mph | Measured |
By state
Counties with the most wind reports
- Butler CountyKS · 7 reports
- Labette CountyKS · 7 reports
- Fulton CountyAR · 4 reports
- Sedgwick CountyKS · 4 reports
- Pawnee CountyKS · 4 reports
- Ottawa CountyOK · 4 reports
- Grayson CountyTX · 4 reports
- Madison CountyKY · 4 reports
- Neosho CountyKS · 3 reports
- Baxter CountyAR · 3 reports
Hail and tornadoes that day
152 hail reports, 18 of 2 inches or more; 46 tornadoes.
| 7:20 PM | Eastland County TX | 4.00 |
| 11:00 PM | Sequoyah County OK | 3.00 |
| 11:23 PM | Sequoyah County OK | 3.00 |
| 9:34 AM | Washington County MO | 2.75 |
| 6:03 PM | Stephens County TX | 2.75 |
| 6:29 PM | Stephens County TX | 2.75 |
| 8:33 PM | Montague County TX | 2.75 |
| 11:53 PM | Grayson County TX | 2.75 |
| 7:34 PM | Comanche County TX | 2.50 |
| 8:40 PM | Montague County TX | 2.50 |
| 10:40 PM | Sequoyah County OK | 2.50 |
| 2:09 AM | Crittenden County KY | 2.00 |
| 3:21 PM | McCreary County KY | 2.00 |
| 3:41 PM | McCreary County KY | 2.00 |
| 8:08 PM | Carter County OK | 2.00 |
| 8:20 PM | Montague County TX | 2.00 |
| 9:55 PM | Montague County TX | 2.00 |
| 11:50 PM | Grayson County TX | 2.00 |
| 2:24 AM | Johnson County IL | 1.75 |
| 7:58 AM | Gasconade County MO | 1.75 |
| 11:39 AM | Williamson County IL | 1.75 |
| 3:31 PM | McCreary County KY | 1.75 |
| 3:41 PM | McCreary County KY | 1.75 |
| 4:06 PM | Fentress County TN | 1.75 |
| 5:28 PM | Stephens County TX | 1.75 |
| 5:55 PM | Stephens County TX | 1.75 |
| 5:56 PM | Eastland County TX | 1.75 |
| 6:59 PM | Eastland County TX | 1.75 |
| 7:39 PM | Jefferson County OK | 1.75 |
| 7:40 PM | Brown County TX | 1.75 |
| 7:47 PM | Brown County TX | 1.75 |
| 7:50 PM | Brown County TX | 1.75 |
| 8:02 PM | Brown County TX | 1.75 |
| 8:10 PM | Buchanan County VA | 1.75 |
| 9:46 PM | McCulloch County TX | 1.75 |
| 10:22 PM | McCulloch County TX | 1.75 |
| 11:26 PM | Grayson County TX | 1.75 |
| 12:10 AM | Grayson County TX | 1.75 |
| 12:25 AM | Grayson County TX | 1.75 |
| 1:11 AM | Saline County IL | 1.50 |
| 10:50 AM | Randolph County IL | 1.50 |
| 6:28 PM | Jackson County NC | 1.50 |
| 7:59 PM | Montague County TX | 1.50 |
| 8:04 PM | Montague County TX | 1.50 |
| 8:32 PM | Montague County TX | 1.50 |
| 9:50 PM | Montague County TX | 1.50 |
| 9:50 PM | Smyth County VA | 1.50 |
| 10:08 PM | McIntosh County OK | 1.50 |
| 1:44 AM | Wichita County KS | 1.25 |
| 1:50 AM | Wichita County KS | 1.25 |
The tornado outbreak of May 8, 2009: 46 tornadoes, each with its touchdown time and path.
2009 · 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.