The severe wind outbreak of May 15, 2018
370 wind reportsPennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and 17 more states
370 damaging wind reports across 20 states between 9:50 AM and 11:54 PM CDT, 45 of them 65 knots (75 mph) or stronger; the strongest measured gust was 81 mph in Tom Green County, TX. 153 hail reports and 12 tornadoes the same day.
Watch the day unfoldSevere wind day · May 15, 2018
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
- 370
- on Tuesday, May 15, 2018
- 75 mph or more
- 45
- 14 of 86 mph (75 knots) or more
- Strongest measured gust
- 81 mph
- 70 knots, Tom Green County, TX
- Measured
- 38
- reports with an instrument reading; the rest are estimates from damage
- Killed by wind
- 4
- 7 injured
- Counties reporting
- 130
- in 20 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.
| 2:15 PM | Wayne County PA | 115 mph | Estimated |
| 2:05 PM | Wayne County PA | 110 mph | Estimated |
| 3:18 PM | Dutchess County NY | 105 mph | Estimated |
| 3:16 PM | Orange County NY | 100 mph | Estimated |
| 3:44 PM | Fairfield County CT | 100 mph | Estimated |
| 11:58 AM | Cameron County PA | 96 mph | Estimated |
| 2:20 PM | Sullivan County NY | 96 mph | Estimated |
| 11:56 AM | Elk County PA | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 1:55 PM | Northumberland County PA | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 1:57 PM | Northumberland County PA | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 2:00 PM | Montour County PA | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 5:45 PM | Washington County OH | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 8:20 PM | Blanco County TX | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 3:34 PM | Dutchess County NY | 86 mph | Estimated |
| 2:00 PM | Columbia County PA | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 2:04 PM | Columbia County PA | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 6:15 PM | Tom Green County TX | 81 mph | Measured |
| 1:55 PM | Montour County PA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 1:59 PM | Montour County PA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 2:00 PM | Columbia County PA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:12 PM | Orange County NY | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:12 PM | Orange County NY | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:12 PM | Orange County NY | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:15 PM | Orange County NY | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:15 PM | Orange County NY | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:17 PM | Orange County NY | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:41 PM | Westchester County NY | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:43 PM | Fairfield County CT | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:44 PM | Litchfield County CT | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:45 PM | Fairfield County CT | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:00 PM | Fairfield County CT | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:05 PM | New Haven County CT | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:06 PM | Passaic County NJ | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:14 PM | New Haven County CT | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:14 PM | New Haven County CT | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:17 PM | Moultrie County IL | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:21 PM | New York County NY | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:40 PM | Windham County CT | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:49 PM | Sterling County TX | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 6:21 PM | Burnet County TX | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:20 PM | Dutchess County NY | 78 mph | Measured |
| 3:17 PM | Cumberland County PA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 4:30 PM | Sterling County TX | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 6:27 PM | Tom Green County TX | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 7:33 PM | Concho County TX | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 4:43 PM | Sterling County TX | 72 mph | Measured |
| 11:30 PM | Jackson County OK | 72 mph | Measured |
| 8:20 PM | Castro County TX | 70 mph | Measured |
| 12:00 PM | Cameron County PA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 12:30 PM | Grady County OK | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 1:41 PM | Union County PA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 2:08 PM | Columbia County PA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:12 PM | Orange County NY | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:12 PM | Orange County NY | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:16 PM | Orange County NY | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:17 PM | Orange County NY | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:25 PM | Orange County NY | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:25 PM | Orange County NY | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:36 PM | Putnam County NY | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:40 PM | Orange County NY | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:43 PM | Fairfield County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:45 PM | Fairfield County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:45 PM | Bergen County NJ | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:45 PM | Rockland County NY | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:45 PM | Fairfield County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:45 PM | Essex County NJ | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:45 PM | Fairfield County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:46 PM | Fairfield County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:47 PM | Fairfield County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:49 PM | Bergen County NJ | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:50 PM | Fairfield County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:52 PM | Essex County NJ | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:53 PM | Bergen County NJ | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:55 PM | Fairfield County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:55 PM | Bergen County NJ | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:55 PM | Bergen County NJ | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:55 PM | Moultrie County IL | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:56 PM | New Haven County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:00 PM | Bergen County NJ | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:00 PM | Passaic County NJ | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:00 PM | New Haven County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:00 PM | Fairfield County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:00 PM | Bergen County NJ | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:02 PM | New Haven County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:02 PM | New Haven County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:08 PM | Bergen County NJ | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:11 PM | Bergen County NJ | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:12 PM | New Haven County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:15 PM | New Haven County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:15 PM | Fairfield County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:15 PM | Moultrie County IL | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:16 PM | New Haven County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:17 PM | Moultrie County IL | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:18 PM | New Haven County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:20 PM | New Haven County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:20 PM | New York County NY | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:20 PM | Fairfield County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:25 PM | Queens County NY | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:25 PM | Middlesex County CT | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:25 PM | Union County NJ | 70 mph | Estimated |
By state
| Pennsylvania | 88 | 68 mph |
| New York | 76 | 78 mph |
| Connecticut | 55 | — |
| Texas | 41 | 81 mph |
| New Jersey | 33 | 66 mph |
| Oklahoma | 13 | 72 mph |
| Ohio | 13 | — |
| Virginia | 10 | — |
| Illinois | 9 | — |
| West Virginia | 8 | — |
| Arkansas | 6 | — |
| Mississippi | 4 | — |
| Maryland | 3 | — |
| Tennessee | 3 | — |
| Florida | 2 | — |
| Rhode Island | 2 | — |
| Kentucky | 1 | — |
| Massachusetts | 1 | — |
| Alabama | 1 | — |
| Louisiana | 1 | — |
| Colorado | 0 | — |
| Kansas | 0 | — |
| Missouri | 0 | — |
| North Dakota | 0 | — |
| New Mexico | 0 | — |
| Utah | 0 | — |
Counties with the most wind reports
- Orange CountyNY · 21 reports
- Bergen CountyNJ · 20 reports
- Fairfield CountyCT · 18 reports
- New Haven CountyCT · 16 reports
- Dutchess CountyNY · 11 reports
- Pulaski CountyAR · 6 reports
- Rockingham CountyVA · 6 reports
- Rockland CountyNY · 6 reports
- Westchester CountyNY · 6 reports
- Windham CountyCT · 6 reports
Hail and tornadoes that day
153 hail reports, 13 of 2 inches or more; 12 tornadoes.
| 1:43 PM | Columbia County NY | 2.75 |
| 1:46 PM | Susquehanna County PA | 2.75 |
| 6:05 PM | Crosby County TX | 2.75 |
| 3:00 PM | Hartford County CT | 2.50 |
| 6:25 PM | Frederick County MD | 2.50 |
| 1:46 PM | Columbia County NY | 2.00 |
| 1:49 PM | Columbia County NY | 2.00 |
| 1:50 PM | Sullivan County NY | 2.00 |
| 1:51 PM | Columbia County NY | 2.00 |
| 2:06 PM | Columbia County NY | 2.00 |
| 2:41 PM | Litchfield County CT | 2.00 |
| 5:07 PM | Sterling County TX | 2.00 |
| 11:04 PM | Roberts County TX | 2.00 |
| 11:36 AM | Clarion County PA | 1.75 |
| 1:26 PM | Ulster County NY | 1.75 |
| 1:39 PM | Ulster County NY | 1.75 |
| 1:47 PM | Columbia County NY | 1.75 |
| 2:00 PM | Sullivan County NY | 1.75 |
| 2:00 PM | Sullivan County NY | 1.75 |
| 2:57 PM | Litchfield County CT | 1.75 |
| 4:05 PM | Moultrie County IL | 1.75 |
| 4:10 PM | Hamilton County TX | 1.75 |
| 4:25 PM | Lynn County TX | 1.75 |
| 4:49 PM | Garza County TX | 1.75 |
| 5:46 PM | Frederick County MD | 1.75 |
| 6:00 PM | Scurry County TX | 1.75 |
| 6:19 PM | Hale County TX | 1.75 |
| 7:22 PM | Deaf Smith County TX | 1.75 |
| 7:35 PM | Floyd County TX | 1.75 |
| 7:46 PM | Deaf Smith County TX | 1.75 |
| 8:15 PM | Briscoe County TX | 1.75 |
| 11:14 PM | Logan County CO | 1.75 |
| 1:37 PM | Ulster County NY | 1.50 |
| 1:50 PM | Columbia County NY | 1.50 |
| 2:19 PM | Columbia County NY | 1.50 |
| 3:10 PM | Hampden County MA | 1.50 |
| 5:20 PM | Lampasas County TX | 1.50 |
| 6:03 PM | Lubbock County TX | 1.50 |
| 6:25 PM | Lubbock County TX | 1.50 |
| 6:30 PM | Montague County TX | 1.50 |
| 7:08 PM | Deaf Smith County TX | 1.50 |
| 8:11 PM | Castro County TX | 1.50 |
| 9:32 PM | Kerr County TX | 1.50 |
| 12:07 PM | Indiana County PA | 1.25 |
| 1:20 PM | Cambria County PA | 1.25 |
| 5:57 PM | Carroll County MD | 1.25 |
| 6:26 PM | Wetzel County WV | 1.25 |
| 7:00 PM | Frederick County MD | 1.25 |
| 7:22 PM | Deaf Smith County TX | 1.25 |
| 7:30 PM | Hale County TX | 1.25 |
- EF1 tornado1:29 PM CDT
- EF1 tornado2:05 PM CDT
- EF1 tornado2:44 PM CDT
- EFU tornado2:52 PM CDT
- EF1 tornado3:15 PM CDT
- EF0 tornado3:16 PM CDT · 1 killed
- EF2 tornado3:29 PM CDT
- EF1 tornado3:32 PM CDT
- EF1 tornado3:53 PM CDT
- EF1 tornado4:01 PM CDT
- EF0 tornado4:37 PM CDT
- EF0 tornado6:21 PM CDT
2018 · 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.