The severe wind outbreak of September 7, 2012
333 wind reportsArkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and 14 more states
333 damaging wind reports across 17 states between 2:00 AM and 12:52 AM the next day CDT, 36 of them 65 knots (75 mph) or stronger; the strongest measured gust was 85 mph in Pope County, AR. 89 hail reports and 1 tornado the same day.
Watch the day unfoldSevere wind day · September 7, 2012
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
- 333
- on Friday, September 7, 2012
- 75 mph or more
- 36
- 2 of 86 mph (75 knots) or more
- Strongest measured gust
- 85 mph
- 74 knots, Pope County, AR
- Measured
- 29
- reports with an instrument reading; the rest are estimates from damage
- Killed by wind
- 4
- 2 injured
- Counties reporting
- 180
- in 17 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.
| 3:20 PM | Nowata County OK | 100 mph | Estimated |
| 3:15 PM | Nowata County OK | 92 mph | Estimated |
| 6:37 PM | Pope County AR | 85 mph | Measured |
| 3:20 PM | Nowata County OK | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 3:20 PM | Nowata County OK | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 3:30 PM | Nowata County OK | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 3:53 PM | Craig County OK | 84 mph | Measured |
| 5:29 PM | Washington County AR | 81 mph | Measured |
| 3:45 PM | Rogers County OK | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:54 PM | Rogers County OK | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:55 PM | Ottawa County OK | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:58 PM | Ottawa County OK | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:28 PM | Washington County AR | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:45 PM | Madison County AR | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:55 PM | Carroll County AR | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 6:15 PM | Le Flore County OK | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 6:25 PM | Le Flore County OK | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:50 PM | Independence County AR | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:10 PM | Montgomery County KS | 78 mph | Measured |
| 3:56 PM | Oklahoma County OK | 76 mph | Measured |
| 3:07 PM | Nowata County OK | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 4:04 PM | Ottawa County OK | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 4:07 PM | Ottawa County OK | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 4:10 PM | Ottawa County OK | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 4:20 PM | Ottawa County OK | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 4:30 PM | Ottawa County OK | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 4:30 PM | Craig County OK | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 5:42 PM | Madison County AR | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 5:55 PM | Madison County AR | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 6:06 PM | Sequoyah County OK | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 6:10 PM | Madison County AR | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 6:30 PM | Sebastian County AR | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 6:45 PM | Franklin County AR | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 6:55 PM | Franklin County AR | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 7:50 PM | Independence County AR | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 8:03 PM | Independence County AR | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 3:26 PM | Crawford County KS | 70 mph | Measured |
| 4:46 PM | Crawford County KS | 70 mph | Measured |
| 4:50 PM | Greene County MO | 70 mph | Measured |
| 10:02 PM | Daviess County KY | 70 mph | Measured |
| 2:09 PM | Benton County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 2:28 PM | Allen County KS | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 2:52 PM | Montgomery County KS | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:15 PM | Nowata County OK | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:20 PM | Oklahoma County OK | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:23 PM | Crawford County KS | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:25 PM | Lincoln County OK | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:30 PM | Washington County OK | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:48 PM | Nowata County OK | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:25 PM | Delaware County OK | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:30 PM | Greene County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:47 PM | Polk County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:15 PM | McIntosh County OK | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:30 PM | Washington County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:53 PM | Haskell County OK | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:15 PM | Broward County FL | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:25 PM | Pope County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:30 PM | Pope County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:35 PM | Sebastian County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:45 PM | Johnson County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:47 PM | Johnson County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:55 PM | Searcy County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:15 PM | Williamson County IL | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:34 PM | Hendricks County IN | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:43 PM | Stone County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:50 PM | Independence County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:54 PM | Independence County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:54 PM | Independence County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:54 PM | Independence County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 8:58 PM | Vanderburgh County IN | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 8:59 PM | Vanderburgh County IN | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 9:00 PM | Vanderburgh County IN | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 9:13 PM | Vanderburgh County IN | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 9:19 PM | Warrick County IN | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 9:30 PM | Lauderdale County TN | 69 mph | Measured |
| 9:25 PM | Orange County IN | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 9:52 PM | Tipton County TN | 68 mph | Measured |
| 9:40 PM | Spencer County IN | 67 mph | Measured |
| 10:15 PM | Jennings County IN | 67 mph | Measured |
| 3:20 AM | Louisa County IA | 66 mph | Estimated |
| 2:55 PM | Montgomery County KS | 64 mph | Measured |
| 7:55 PM | Independence County AR | 64 mph | Measured |
| 1:34 PM | Lyon County KS | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 1:34 PM | Lyon County KS | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 1:34 PM | Lyon County KS | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:00 PM | Coffey County KS | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:10 PM | Coffey County KS | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:25 PM | Anderson County KS | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 3:06 PM | Montgomery County KS | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 3:23 PM | Butler County KS | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 3:30 PM | Labette County KS | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 3:45 PM | Rogers County OK | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 3:55 PM | Barton County MO | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 3:58 PM | Ottawa County OK | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:11 PM | Greene County IL | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:15 PM | Monroe County IL | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:33 PM | Cole County MO | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:00 PM | Cherokee County OK | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:10 PM | St. Charles County MO | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:15 PM | Reynolds County MO | 64 mph | Estimated |
By state
| Arkansas | 73 | 85 mph |
| Missouri | 65 | 70 mph |
| Oklahoma | 38 | 84 mph |
| Indiana | 36 | 67 mph |
| Kansas | 32 | 78 mph |
| Illinois | 23 | 61 mph |
| Kentucky | 23 | 70 mph |
| Ohio | 14 | — |
| Tennessee | 11 | 69 mph |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | — |
| Iowa | 4 | 60 mph |
| New York | 3 | — |
| Florida | 2 | — |
| Arizona | 1 | — |
| Georgia | 1 | — |
| Massachusetts | 1 | — |
| Mississippi | 1 | — |
| New Jersey | 0 | — |
Counties with the most wind reports
- Greene CountyMO · 10 reports
- Independence CountyAR · 9 reports
- Nowata CountyOK · 9 reports
- Ottawa CountyOK · 9 reports
- Webster CountyMO · 7 reports
- Washington CountyAR · 6 reports
- Lyon CountyKS · 5 reports
- Vanderburgh CountyIN · 5 reports
- Coffey CountyKS · 5 reports
- Crawford CountyKS · 5 reports
Hail and tornadoes that day
89 hail reports, 6 of 2 inches or more; 1 tornado.
| 3:15 PM | Nowata County OK | 2.75 |
| 3:55 PM | Boone County MO | 2.75 |
| 6:37 PM | Pope County AR | 2.75 |
| 3:00 PM | Sedgwick County KS | 2.50 |
| 4:52 PM | Warren County MO | 2.50 |
| 2:52 PM | Montgomery County KS | 2.00 |
| 1:28 AM | Boone County IA | 1.75 |
| 2:57 PM | Sedgwick County KS | 1.75 |
| 3:20 PM | Nowata County OK | 1.75 |
| 3:43 PM | Lincoln County MO | 1.75 |
| 3:47 PM | Boone County MO | 1.75 |
| 3:54 PM | Adair County MO | 1.75 |
| 4:41 PM | Cole County MO | 1.75 |
| 6:30 PM | Pope County AR | 1.75 |
| 7:12 PM | Hardin County IL | 1.75 |
| 1:44 AM | Boone County IA | 1.50 |
| 3:55 AM | Iowa County IA | 1.50 |
| 3:45 PM | Howard County MO | 1.50 |
| 3:50 PM | Cooper County MO | 1.50 |
| 4:01 PM | Boone County MO | 1.50 |
| 2:25 PM | Marion County OH | 1.25 |
| 2:53 PM | Vermilion County IL | 1.25 |
| 3:12 PM | Baxter County AR | 1.25 |
| 2:00 AM | Boone County IA | 1.00 |
| 2:12 AM | Johnson County IA | 1.00 |
| 3:05 AM | Webster County IA | 1.00 |
| 3:21 AM | Jasper County IA | 1.00 |
| 3:29 AM | Jasper County IA | 1.00 |
| 4:03 AM | Iowa County IA | 1.00 |
| 4:17 AM | Keokuk County IA | 1.00 |
| 9:20 AM | Tazewell County IL | 1.00 |
| 12:35 PM | Madison County IN | 1.00 |
| 2:04 PM | Coffey County KS | 1.00 |
| 2:08 PM | Champaign County IL | 1.00 |
| 2:25 PM | Anderson County KS | 1.00 |
| 2:45 PM | Baxter County AR | 1.00 |
| 2:50 PM | Sedgwick County KS | 1.00 |
| 2:53 PM | Preble County OH | 1.00 |
| 2:58 PM | Sedgwick County KS | 1.00 |
| 3:00 PM | Sedgwick County KS | 1.00 |
| 3:32 PM | Bergen County NJ | 1.00 |
| 3:36 PM | Summit County OH | 1.00 |
| 3:39 PM | Boone County MO | 1.00 |
| 3:43 PM | Washington County MO | 1.00 |
| 3:50 PM | Howard County MO | 1.00 |
| 3:50 PM | Medina County OH | 1.00 |
| 3:57 PM | Ozark County MO | 1.00 |
| 4:37 PM | Cole County MO | 1.00 |
| 4:55 PM | Mahoning County OH | 1.00 |
| 5:10 PM | St. Louis County MO | 1.00 |
- EF0 tornado11:36 PM CDT
2012 · 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.