The severe wind outbreak of May 26, 2011

401 wind reportsPennsylvania, New York, Georgia and 16 more states

401 damaging wind reports across 19 states between 1:00 AM and 12:20 AM the next day CDT, 10 of them 65 knots (75 mph) or stronger; the strongest measured gust was 79 mph in Orleans Parish, LA. 400 hail reports and 15 tornadoes the same day.

Watch the day unfold

Severe wind day · May 26, 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.

About this replay

Central time—Historical replay — logged report times

Wind reports—of 401 that day

Strongest gust—measured, so far

Largest hail—so far

The day’s milestones

Wind reportsLarger and brighter with speed; filled when measured, a ring when estimated

Hail and tornadoesHail reports as diamonds; the day's tornado paths in green

Counties reportingLit at their first report, brighter with a 65-knot gust or 2-inch hail

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database (wind, hail and tornado reports with their logged times and places). Each report is a damage or measurement report, not a separate storm; several can describe one gust front. Tornado paths are drawn at a typical forward speed of 35 mph. Times are Central Daylight Time.

The day in numbers

Wind reports: 401; 81st of 15,807 days with wind reports since 1955
75 mph or more: 10; 1 of 86 mph (75 knots) or more
Strongest measured gust: 79 mph; 69 knots, Orleans Parish, LA
Measured: 23; reports with an instrument reading; the rest are estimates from damage
Killed by wind: 2; 10 injured
Counties reporting: 215; 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.

Strongest wind reports, May 26, 2011

3:25 PM	Monongalia County WV	92 mph	80	Estimated	0
6:20 PM	Dauphin County PA	85 mph	74	Estimated	0
5:35 PM	Frederick County VA	81 mph	70	Estimated	0
6:35 PM	Lycoming County PA	81 mph	70	Estimated	0
6:45 PM	Tioga County PA	81 mph	70	Estimated	0
6:55 PM	Tioga County PA	81 mph	70	Estimated	0
7:10 PM	Tioga County PA	81 mph	70	Estimated	0
8:36 PM	Orleans Parish LA	79 mph	69	Measured	0
5:10 PM	Lamoille County VT	75 mph	65	Estimated	0
6:05 PM	Washington County VT	75 mph	65	Estimated	0
1:50 AM	Jackson County TX	70 mph	61	Measured	0
2:18 AM	Jackson County TX	70 mph	61	Estimated	0
1:46 PM	Wayne County MS	70 mph	61	Estimated	0
5:13 PM	Franklin County PA	70 mph	61	Estimated	0
10:25 PM	Augusta County VA	70 mph	61	Estimated	0
1:20 PM	Clarke County AL	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
5:15 PM	Lamoille County VT	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
6:05 PM	Washington County VT	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
6:15 PM	Washington County VT	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
6:15 PM	Washington County VT	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
6:49 PM	Elbert County GA	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
7:15 PM	Essex County VT	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
7:15 PM	Essex County VT	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
7:20 PM	Spartanburg County SC	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
7:38 PM	Tioga County NY	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
7:55 PM	Broome County NY	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
8:30 PM	Wilkes County NC	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
8:38 PM	York County SC	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
8:50 PM	Delaware County NY	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
8:53 PM	Gaston County NC	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
9:00 PM	Delaware County NY	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
9:00 PM	Delaware County NY	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
9:20 PM	Sullivan County NY	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
9:50 PM	Fulton County NY	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
10:17 PM	Stokes County NC	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
10:55 PM	Henry County VA	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
11:10 PM	Franklin County VA	69 mph	60	Estimated	0
1:13 AM	Delaware County OH	68 mph	59	Measured	0
8:04 PM	Broome County NY	68 mph	59	Measured	0
9:10 PM	Mecklenburg County NC	67 mph	58	Measured	0
1:21 PM	DeKalb County AL	67 mph	58	Estimated	0
1:07 AM	Delaware County OH	64 mph	56	Measured	0
6:05 PM	Cumberland County PA	64 mph	56	Measured	0
8:00 PM	Tioga County NY	64 mph	56	Measured	0
3:33 PM	Allegany County MD	64 mph	56	Estimated	0
3:53 PM	Morgan County WV	64 mph	56	Estimated	0
7:50 PM	Berks County PA	64 mph	56	Estimated	0
11:10 PM	Hardy County WV	64 mph	56	Estimated	0
9:18 PM	Orange County NY	63 mph	55	Measured	0
1:00 AM	Rutherford County TN	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
1:05 AM	DeKalb County TN	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
1:05 AM	Coffee County TN	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
1:10 AM	Jackson County TN	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
1:15 AM	Warren County TN	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
1:15 AM	Putnam County TN	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
1:25 AM	Putnam County TN	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
1:30 AM	Putnam County TN	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
1:43 AM	Wayne County KY	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
1:50 AM	Cannon County TN	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
2:03 AM	Fentress County TN	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
2:43 AM	Laurel County KY	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
3:00 AM	Matagorda County TX	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
8:55 AM	Coffee County TN	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
9:23 AM	Warren County TN	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
2:20 PM	Cayuga County NY	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
2:53 PM	Jackson County MS	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
4:42 PM	Jefferson County TN	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
4:50 PM	Franklin County VT	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
5:15 PM	Lamoille County VT	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
6:06 PM	Anderson County SC	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
6:54 PM	Rutherford County NC	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
7:15 PM	Abbeville County SC	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
7:41 PM	McCormick County SC	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
7:45 PM	McCormick County SC	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
8:11 PM	Union County SC	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
9:06 PM	Newberry County SC	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
9:33 PM	Alleghany County VA	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
9:56 PM	Davie County NC	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
9:58 PM	Schenectady County NY	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
10:05 PM	Saratoga County NY	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
10:24 PM	Barnwell County SC	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
10:28 PM	Aiken County SC	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
10:49 PM	Aiken County SC	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
11:30 PM	Bedford County VA	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
12:20 AM	Wilson County TN	63 mph	55	Estimated	0
8:03 PM	Carbon County PA	62 mph	54	Measured	0
6:34 AM	Laurel County KY	61 mph	53	Measured	0
7:26 PM	Mercer County WV	61 mph	53	Measured	0
5:17 PM	Fulton County GA	61 mph	53	Estimated	2
8:00 PM	Berks County PA	61 mph	53	Estimated	0
1:05 AM	Franklin County OH	60 mph	52	Measured	0
2:36 AM	Victoria County TX	60 mph	52	Measured	0
4:53 PM	Franklin County PA	60 mph	52	Measured	0
4:56 PM	Chittenden County VT	60 mph	52	Measured	0
8:19 PM	Monroe County PA	60 mph	52	Measured	0
1:48 AM	Wayne County KY	60 mph	52	Estimated	0
1:53 AM	Wayne County KY	60 mph	52	Estimated	0
2:03 AM	Pulaski County KY	60 mph	52	Estimated	0
2:03 AM	Pulaski County KY	60 mph	52	Estimated	0
2:13 AM	Pulaski County KY	60 mph	52	Estimated	0

By state

Severe weather reports by state, May 26, 2011

Pennsylvania	87	64 mph	44	3.00
New York	71	68 mph	55	2.00
Georgia	38	—	36	4.25
Tennessee	32	—	26	2.00
Vermont	27	60 mph	53	2.50
Alabama	24	—	26	1.75
North Carolina	21	67 mph	18	1.75
West Virginia	16	61 mph	30	2.00
South Carolina	16	—	8	1.00
Kentucky	16	61 mph	1	1.00
Virginia	15	—	30	1.75
Ohio	8	68 mph	6	1.00
Massachusetts	7	—	1	0.88
New Hampshire	6	—	8	1.50
Texas	5	70 mph	7	2.50
Maryland	3	—	36	2.75
Louisiana	3	79 mph	7	1.75
Mississippi	3	—	6	2.00
New Jersey	3	—	1	1.50
Maine	0	—	1	1.00

Counties with the most wind reports

Chemung CountyNY · 10 reports
Berkshire CountyMA · 7 reports
Cumberland CountyPA · 7 reports
Tioga CountyNY · 6 reports
Washington CountyVT · 6 reports
Broome CountyNY · 6 reports
Franklin CountyPA · 5 reports
Berks CountyPA · 5 reports
Rensselaer CountyNY · 4 reports
Columbia CountyNY · 4 reports

Hail and tornadoes that day

400 hail reports, 23 of 2 inches or more; 15 tornadoes.

Largest hail, May 26, 2011

1:47 PM	Fannin County GA	4.25
6:06 PM	Carbon County PA	3.00
1:10 PM	Gilmer County GA	2.75
3:55 PM	Allegany County MD	2.75
4:05 PM	Washington County MD	2.75
1:50 AM	Jackson County TX	2.50
3:16 PM	Union County GA	2.50
3:58 PM	Allegany County MD	2.50
5:50 PM	Washington County VT	2.50
3:57 PM	Allegany County MD	2.25
3:57 PM	Allegany County MD	2.25
1:35 PM	Forrest County MS	2.00
2:00 PM	Hamilton County TN	2.00
3:35 PM	Greenbrier County WV	2.00
3:58 PM	Allegany County MD	2.00
4:00 PM	Cortland County NY	2.00
4:00 PM	Allegany County MD	2.00
4:02 PM	Allegany County MD	2.00
4:03 PM	Allegany County MD	2.00
4:04 PM	Allegany County MD	2.00
4:30 PM	Fulton County PA	2.00
6:15 PM	Washington County VT	2.00
8:00 PM	Broome County NY	2.00
1:18 AM	Chambers County TX	1.75
2:50 AM	Matagorda County TX	1.75
3:50 AM	Goliad County TX	1.75
12:40 PM	Jackson County MS	1.75
1:00 PM	DeKalb County AL	1.75
1:16 PM	DeKalb County AL	1.75
1:30 PM	Blount County TN	1.75
1:35 PM	Cherokee County AL	1.75
2:11 PM	Union County GA	1.75
2:20 PM	McMinn County TN	1.75
2:25 PM	Fannin County GA	1.75
2:58 PM	Coosa County AL	1.75
3:01 PM	Summers County WV	1.75
3:10 PM	Summers County WV	1.75
3:15 PM	Greenbrier County WV	1.75
3:16 PM	Monroe County WV	1.75
3:20 PM	Monroe County WV	1.75
3:26 PM	Hamilton County NY	1.75
3:55 PM	Allegany County MD	1.75
4:02 PM	Allegany County MD	1.75
4:02 PM	Allegany County MD	1.75
4:03 PM	Allegany County MD	1.75
4:03 PM	Allegany County MD	1.75
4:07 PM	Washington County TN	1.75
4:11 PM	Northumberland County PA	1.75
4:15 PM	Washington County MD	1.75
4:15 PM	Etowah County AL	1.75

EF0 tornado1:00 AM CDT
EF0 tornado3:23 PM CDT
EF0 tornado3:35 PM CDT
EF1 tornado3:40 PM CDT
EF3 tornado4:40 PM CDT
EF1 tornado5:10 PM CDT
EF1 tornado6:00 PM CDT
EF1 tornado6:10 PM CDT
EF1 tornado6:20 PM CDT
EF1 tornado6:25 PM CDT
EF1 tornado6:26 PM CDT
EF0 tornado6:38 PM CDT
EF0 tornado7:05 PM CDT
EF1 tornado7:20 PM CDT
EF0 tornado8:52 PM 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.