The severe wind outbreak of April 5, 2011
398 wind reportsSouth Carolina, Georgia, Florida and 6 more states
398 damaging wind reports across 9 states between 1:00 AM and 1:00 PM CDT, 22 of them 65 knots (75 mph) or stronger; the strongest measured gust was 75 mph in Lexington County, SC. 10 hail reports and 3 tornadoes the same day.
Watch the day unfoldSevere wind day · April 5, 2011
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
- 398
- 84th of 15,807 days with wind reports since 1955
- 75 mph or more
- 22
- 5 of 86 mph (75 knots) or more
- Strongest measured gust
- 75 mph
- 65 knots, Lexington County, SC
- Measured
- 28
- reports with an instrument reading; the rest are estimates from damage
- Killed by wind
- 1
- 3 injured
- Counties reporting
- 225
- in 9 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.
| 2:00 AM | Edgefield County SC | 98 mph | Estimated |
| 2:25 AM | Burke County GA | 98 mph | Estimated |
| 3:10 AM | Richland County SC | 98 mph | Estimated |
| 3:20 AM | Richland County SC | 92 mph | Estimated |
| 4:50 AM | Dixie County FL | 86 mph | Estimated |
| 4:49 AM | Florence County SC | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 1:00 AM | Henry County VA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 2:55 AM | Lexington County SC | 75 mph | Measured |
| 3:59 AM | Taylor County FL | 75 mph | Measured |
| 1:30 AM | McDuffie County GA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 1:50 AM | Saluda County SC | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 1:50 AM | Columbia County GA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 1:55 AM | Columbia County GA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 2:07 AM | Richmond County GA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 2:11 AM | Saluda County SC | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 2:15 AM | Richmond County GA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 2:20 AM | Aiken County SC | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 2:58 AM | Bulloch County GA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 3:15 AM | Lexington County SC | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 3:20 AM | Kershaw County SC | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 3:40 AM | Barnwell County SC | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 4:52 AM | Florence County SC | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 1:09 AM | Roanoke County VA | 74 mph | Measured |
| 2:10 AM | Caswell County NC | 72 mph | Measured |
| 6:10 AM | Brunswick County NC | 70 mph | Measured |
| 1:25 AM | Pittsylvania County VA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:01 AM | Calvert County MD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:01 AM | Calvert County MD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:07 AM | Calvert County MD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:51 AM | Florence County SC | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 1:00 AM | Lincoln County GA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 1:02 AM | Cabarrus County NC | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 1:18 AM | Bay County FL | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 1:23 AM | Lancaster County SC | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 1:26 AM | Lancaster County SC | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 1:30 AM | Lancaster County SC | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 2:07 AM | Tift County GA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 2:10 AM | Gadsden County FL | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 2:15 AM | Thomas County GA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 2:20 AM | Irwin County GA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 2:44 AM | Cook County GA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 2:53 AM | Lexington County SC | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 2:55 AM | Bulloch County GA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 3:10 AM | Fairfield County SC | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 3:32 AM | Calhoun County SC | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 3:44 AM | Orangeburg County SC | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 3:53 AM | Bamberg County SC | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 3:53 AM | Effingham County GA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 3:56 AM | Hampton County SC | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 4:25 AM | Lee County SC | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 5:05 AM | Dixie County FL | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 5:05 AM | Dixie County FL | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 9:59 AM | Greene County NC | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 4:52 AM | Florence County SC | 68 mph | Estimated |
| 10:00 AM | Middlesex County VA | 67 mph | Measured |
| 2:40 AM | Richland County SC | 66 mph | Measured |
| 4:10 AM | Anne Arundel County MD | 66 mph | Measured |
| 3:16 AM | Spotsylvania County VA | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 3:29 AM | Montgomery County MD | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 3:33 AM | King George County VA | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 3:39 AM | Charles County MD | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 3:42 AM | Prince George's County MD | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 3:44 AM | Charles County MD | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 3:45 AM | Marlboro County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:00 AM | Darlington County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:00 AM | Marlboro County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:03 AM | Calvert County MD | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:04 AM | Marlboro County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:04 AM | Marlboro County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:05 AM | Calvert County MD | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:08 AM | Baltimore County MD | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:10 AM | Anne Arundel County MD | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:35 AM | Marlboro County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:35 AM | Marlboro County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:40 AM | Florence County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:45 AM | Florence County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:50 AM | Florence County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:50 AM | Florence County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:50 AM | Florence County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:50 AM | Chester County PA | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:52 AM | Florence County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:52 AM | Florence County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:52 AM | Florence County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:56 AM | Darlington County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:05 AM | Dillon County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:05 AM | Marion County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:05 AM | Marion County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:05 AM | Marion County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:05 AM | Marion County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:05 AM | Dillon County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:08 AM | Marion County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:08 AM | Marion County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:10 AM | Georgetown County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:10 AM | Robeson County NC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:10 AM | Robeson County NC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:11 AM | Marion County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:12 AM | Marion County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:13 AM | Marion County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:13 AM | Marion County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:15 AM | Georgetown County SC | 64 mph | Estimated |
By state
| South Carolina | 84 | 75 mph |
| Georgia | 77 | 63 mph |
| Florida | 73 | 75 mph |
| North Carolina | 72 | 72 mph |
| Virginia | 67 | 74 mph |
| Maryland | 19 | 66 mph |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 61 mph |
| Delaware | 1 | — |
| New Jersey | 1 | — |
Counties with the most wind reports
- Florence CountySC · 13 reports
- Marion CountySC · 12 reports
- Dixie CountyFL · 10 reports
- Alachua CountyFL · 7 reports
- Horry CountySC · 7 reports
- Robeson CountyNC · 6 reports
- Calvert CountyMD · 6 reports
- Marlboro CountySC · 6 reports
- Georgetown CountySC · 5 reports
- Wayne CountyGA · 4 reports
Hail and tornadoes that day
10 hail reports, 0 of 2 inches or more; 3 tornadoes.
| 1:02 AM | Mecklenburg County NC | 1.00 |
| 1:20 AM | Greenwood County SC | 1.00 |
| 2:15 AM | Irwin County GA | 1.00 |
| 6:00 AM | Duval County FL | 1.00 |
| 7:02 AM | Marion County FL | 1.00 |
| 1:55 AM | Laurens County GA | 0.88 |
| 5:30 AM | Horry County SC | 0.88 |
| 6:18 AM | Duplin County NC | 0.88 |
| 7:30 AM | Carteret County NC | 0.75 |
| 1:40 PM | Miami-Dade County FL | 0.75 |
- EF2 tornado1:39 AM CDT · 1 killed
- EF0 tornado3:48 AM CDT
- EF0 tornado3:55 AM CDT
2011 · 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.