The severe wind outbreak of May 21, 2013
322 wind reportsKentucky, Texas, Tennessee and 18 more states
322 damaging wind reports across 21 states between 1:10 AM and 12:25 AM the next day CDT, 2 of them 65 knots (75 mph) or stronger; the strongest measured gust was 77 mph in Caddo County, OK. 151 hail reports and 2 tornadoes the same day.
Watch the day unfoldSevere wind day · May 21, 2013
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
- 322
- on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
- 75 mph or more
- 2
- 0 of 86 mph (75 knots) or more
- Strongest measured gust
- 77 mph
- 67 knots, Caddo County, OK
- Measured
- 17
- reports with an instrument reading; the rest are estimates from damage
- Killed by wind
- 0
- 1 injured
- Counties reporting
- 188
- in 21 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.
| 5:17 AM | Caddo County OK | 77 mph | Measured |
| 1:09 PM | Rutherford County TN | 76 mph | Measured |
| 1:38 PM | Denton County TX | 72 mph | Measured |
| 2:50 AM | Alexander County IL | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:26 AM | Caddo County OK | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 2:25 PM | Grayson County TX | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:24 PM | Lamar County TX | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:30 PM | Lamar County TX | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:37 PM | Henderson County TX | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 12:52 PM | Sumner County TN | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 1:15 PM | Smith County TN | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 1:33 PM | Smith County TN | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 1:43 PM | Jackson County TN | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 1:48 PM | Clay County TN | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 2:02 PM | Jackson County TN | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 2:27 PM | Newberry County SC | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 2:43 PM | Dallas County TX | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 3:45 PM | Pulaski County KY | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 3:45 PM | Hunt County TX | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 3:45 PM | Pulaski County KY | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 3:50 PM | Berkshire County MA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 4:00 PM | Columbia County NY | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 5:05 PM | Menifee County KY | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 5:15 PM | Perry County KY | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 9:10 PM | Chicot County AR | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 9:48 PM | Chicot County AR | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 10:06 PM | Franklin Parish LA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 10:55 PM | Warren County MS | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 2:33 PM | Collin County TX | 68 mph | Measured |
| 8:30 PM | Tallahatchie County MS | 67 mph | Measured |
| 7:00 AM | Castro County TX | 64 mph | Measured |
| 1:10 AM | Fountain County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 1:19 AM | Clay County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 1:25 AM | Montgomery County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 1:47 AM | Owen County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:00 AM | Hendricks County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:00 AM | Carroll County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:00 AM | Hendricks County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:02 AM | Monroe County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:05 AM | Boone County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:05 AM | Morgan County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:05 AM | Hendricks County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:07 AM | Carroll County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:14 AM | Hamilton County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:20 AM | Hamilton County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:20 AM | Hamilton County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:20 AM | Marion County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:30 AM | Tipton County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:57 AM | Delaware County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 3:02 AM | Rush County IN | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:20 AM | Caddo County OK | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:49 AM | Caddo County OK | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:33 PM | Collin County TX | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:33 PM | Collin County TX | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:33 PM | Collin County TX | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:49 PM | Collin County TX | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 2:50 PM | Grayson County TX | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 3:25 PM | Lamar County TX | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 4:45 PM | Bell County TX | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:07 PM | Bowie County TX | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 5:18 PM | Bowie County TX | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 9:05 PM | Houston County TX | 64 mph | Estimated |
| 1:14 PM | Wise County TX | 63 mph | Measured |
| 2:31 PM | Bowie County TX | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 2:52 PM | Aiken County SC | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:00 PM | Wayne County KY | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:18 PM | Newberry County SC | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:40 PM | McCreary County KY | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:45 PM | McCreary County KY | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:48 PM | McCreary County KY | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 3:53 PM | McCreary County KY | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 4:30 PM | Sevier County AR | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 4:30 PM | Clay County KY | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 4:45 PM | Camp County TX | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 4:55 PM | Camp County TX | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 5:05 PM | Bowie County TX | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 5:05 PM | Harlan County KY | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 5:05 PM | Wood County TX | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 5:15 PM | Perry County KY | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 5:30 PM | St. Lawrence County NY | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 5:45 PM | Harrison County TX | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 6:00 PM | Johnson County KY | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 6:00 PM | Gregg County TX | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 8:30 PM | Lincoln Parish LA | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 8:45 PM | Winn Parish LA | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 9:00 PM | Jackson Parish LA | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 10:10 PM | Grant Parish LA | 63 mph | Estimated |
| 2:30 AM | Hamilton County IN | 62 mph | Measured |
| 1:45 PM | Denton County TX | 62 mph | Measured |
| 4:55 PM | Wood County TX | 62 mph | Measured |
| 3:00 PM | Collin County TX | 62 mph | Estimated |
| 5:20 PM | Sevier County AR | 62 mph | Estimated |
| 6:10 PM | Smith County TX | 62 mph | Estimated |
| 6:15 PM | Lafayette County AR | 62 mph | Estimated |
| 6:30 PM | Harrison County TX | 62 mph | Estimated |
| 6:45 PM | Cherokee County TX | 62 mph | Estimated |
| 6:48 PM | Bossier Parish LA | 62 mph | Estimated |
| 7:00 PM | Panola County TX | 62 mph | Estimated |
| 7:15 PM | Caddo Parish LA | 62 mph | Estimated |
| 7:20 PM | Webster Parish LA | 62 mph | Estimated |
By state
| Kentucky | 61 | — |
| Texas | 48 | 72 mph |
| Tennessee | 39 | 76 mph |
| New York | 34 | — |
| Indiana | 29 | 62 mph |
| Louisiana | 26 | — |
| Mississippi | 21 | 67 mph |
| Arkansas | 14 | 60 mph |
| West Virginia | 13 | 60 mph |
| South Carolina | 7 | — |
| Oklahoma | 5 | 77 mph |
| Georgia | 4 | — |
| Michigan | 4 | — |
| Connecticut | 3 | — |
| North Carolina | 3 | — |
| New Hampshire | 3 | — |
| Vermont | 3 | — |
| Massachusetts | 2 | 59 mph |
| Missouri | 1 | 60 mph |
| Illinois | 1 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | — |
Counties with the most wind reports
- Pulaski CountyKY · 8 reports
- McCreary CountyKY · 6 reports
- Collin CountyTX · 6 reports
- Hamilton CountyIN · 5 reports
- Lincoln CountyWV · 5 reports
- Putnam CountyTN · 5 reports
- Owsley CountyKY · 5 reports
- Caddo CountyOK · 4 reports
- Perry CountyKY · 4 reports
- Herkimer CountyNY · 4 reports
Hail and tornadoes that day
151 hail reports, 5 of 2 inches or more; 2 tornadoes.
| 2:28 PM | Columbia County NY | 2.50 |
| 11:45 AM | Ontario County NY | 2.00 |
| 2:25 PM | Columbia County NY | 2.00 |
| 2:30 PM | Columbia County NY | 2.00 |
| 7:20 PM | Bradley County AR | 2.00 |
| 5:46 AM | Grady County OK | 1.75 |
| 7:35 AM | Lamb County TX | 1.75 |
| 8:10 AM | Hale County TX | 1.75 |
| 10:00 AM | Greer County OK | 1.75 |
| 10:16 AM | Kiowa County OK | 1.75 |
| 10:19 AM | Kiowa County OK | 1.75 |
| 11:14 AM | Caddo County OK | 1.75 |
| 11:20 AM | Caddo County OK | 1.75 |
| 11:45 AM | Ontario County NY | 1.75 |
| 12:00 PM | Ontario County NY | 1.75 |
| 12:24 PM | Seneca County NY | 1.75 |
| 12:24 PM | Seneca County NY | 1.75 |
| 2:58 PM | Monroe County NY | 1.75 |
| 3:55 PM | Livingston County NY | 1.75 |
| 4:45 PM | Ontario County NY | 1.75 |
| 5:25 PM | Columbia County NY | 1.75 |
| 5:57 PM | Litchfield County CT | 1.75 |
| 7:41 PM | Madison County TX | 1.75 |
| 11:40 AM | Canadian County OK | 1.50 |
| 3:07 PM | Monroe County NY | 1.50 |
| 4:15 PM | Herkimer County NY | 1.50 |
| 5:30 PM | Burke County NC | 1.50 |
| 7:11 PM | Hamilton County NY | 1.50 |
| 7:35 PM | Hamilton County NY | 1.50 |
| 10:17 AM | Greer County OK | 1.25 |
| 2:39 PM | Columbia County NY | 1.25 |
| 3:00 PM | Madison County NY | 1.25 |
| 5:28 PM | Cayuga County NY | 1.25 |
| 6:15 PM | Cheshire County NH | 1.25 |
| 7:08 PM | Robertson County TX | 1.25 |
| 4:00 AM | McClain County OK | 1.00 |
| 5:25 AM | Caddo County OK | 1.00 |
| 9:53 AM | Greer County OK | 1.00 |
| 11:45 AM | Seneca County NY | 1.00 |
| 12:13 PM | Seneca County NY | 1.00 |
| 12:15 PM | Stephens County TX | 1.00 |
| 1:09 PM | Wilson County TN | 1.00 |
| 1:50 PM | Cabarrus County NC | 1.00 |
| 2:15 PM | Albany County NY | 1.00 |
| 2:17 PM | Rensselaer County NY | 1.00 |
| 2:17 PM | Wayne County NY | 1.00 |
| 2:19 PM | Columbia County NY | 1.00 |
| 2:20 PM | Rensselaer County NY | 1.00 |
| 2:22 PM | Aiken County SC | 1.00 |
| 2:23 PM | Rensselaer County NY | 1.00 |
- EF0 tornado1:29 AM CDT
- EF0 tornado1:34 AM CDT
2013 · 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.