The severe wind outbreak of January 11, 2020
689 wind reportsAlabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and 15 more states
689 damaging wind reports across 18 states between 12:03 AM and 11:57 PM CST, 55 of them 65 knots (75 mph) or stronger; the strongest measured gust was 79 mph in Tunica County, MS. 2 hail reports and 63 tornadoes the same day. The 10th-most wind reports of any day since 1955.
Watch the day unfoldSevere wind day · January 11, 2020
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
- 689
- 10th of 15,807 days with wind reports since 1955
- 75 mph or more
- 55
- 15 of 86 mph (75 knots) or more
- Strongest measured gust
- 79 mph
- 69 knots, Tunica County, MS
- Measured
- 23
- reports with an instrument reading; the rest are estimates from damage
- Killed by wind
- 1
- 14 injured
- Counties reporting
- 398
- in 18 states
Hour by hour
Damaging wind reports in each hour, Central Standard Time.
The strongest winds
The 100 strongest reports with a speed. Measured gusts come from an instrument; estimated speeds are judged from damage.
| 1:07 AM | Bossier Parish LA | 105 mph | Estimated |
| 1:07 AM | Bossier Parish LA | 100 mph | Estimated |
| 4:59 AM | DeSoto County MS | 100 mph | Estimated |
| 5:45 AM | Lafayette Parish LA | 100 mph | Estimated |
| 7:35 AM | Christian County KY | 100 mph | Estimated |
| 12:29 PM | Clark County KY | 98 mph | Estimated |
| 1:48 AM | Bienville Parish LA | 96 mph | Estimated |
| 2:53 AM | Drew County AR | 96 mph | Estimated |
| 12:36 PM | Madison County KY | 92 mph | Estimated |
| 12:40 AM | Wayne County MO | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 12:51 AM | Lonoke County AR | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 3:34 AM | Chicot County AR | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 4:46 AM | Quitman County MS | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 1:24 PM | Marshall County AL | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 12:36 PM | Madison County KY | 86 mph | Estimated |
| 2:27 AM | Union Parish LA | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 11:13 AM | Clay County TN | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 12:19 AM | Panola County TX | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 12:39 AM | Grant County AR | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 12:44 AM | Caddo Parish LA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 12:50 AM | Butler County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 1:25 AM | Bossier Parish LA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 1:40 AM | Webster Parish LA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 2:30 AM | Union Parish LA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 2:45 AM | Union Parish LA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:20 AM | Tunica County MS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:27 AM | Tallahatchie County MS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:40 AM | Quitman County MS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:16 AM | Christian County KY | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 11:01 AM | Monroe County KY | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 12:24 PM | Madison County KY | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:55 PM | Claiborne County TN | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:55 PM | Claiborne County TN | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:56 PM | Claiborne County TN | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 6:34 PM | Smyth County VA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:37 AM | Tunica County MS | 79 mph | Measured |
| 5:00 PM | Sevier County TN | 79 mph | Measured |
| 12:35 AM | Harrison County TX | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 12:44 AM | Caddo Parish LA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 1:20 AM | Caddo Parish LA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 3:25 AM | Union Parish LA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 6:44 AM | Carroll County TN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 10:12 AM | Monroe County KY | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 11:30 AM | Overton County TN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 12:24 PM | Madison County KY | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 12:25 PM | Madison County KY | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 2:20 PM | Marion County TN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 3:00 PM | Cleburne County AL | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 3:20 PM | McMinn County TN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 3:31 PM | Morgan County TN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 3:35 PM | Roane County TN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 3:50 PM | Monroe County TN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 4:15 PM | Campbell County TN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 7:04 PM | Oconee County SC | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 11:00 PM | Darlington County SC | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 1:55 AM | Monroe County AR | 74 mph | Measured |
| 3:00 AM | Drew County AR | 71 mph | Measured |
| 2:01 AM | Jackson County IL | 70 mph | Measured |
| 12:03 AM | Nacogdoches County TX | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 12:05 AM | Harrison County TX | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 12:07 AM | Rusk County TX | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 12:35 AM | Marion County TX | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 12:36 AM | Greene County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 12:40 AM | Panola County TX | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 12:49 AM | White County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 1:02 AM | Dallas County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 1:07 AM | De Soto Parish LA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 1:09 AM | Jefferson County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 1:10 AM | Caddo Parish LA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 1:19 AM | De Soto Parish LA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 1:20 AM | Jefferson County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 1:25 AM | De Soto Parish LA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 1:28 AM | Jefferson County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 1:40 AM | De Soto Parish LA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 2:19 AM | St. Francis County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 2:30 AM | Cross County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 2:45 AM | Union Parish LA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:05 AM | Arkansas County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:10 AM | Mississippi County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:40 AM | Phillips County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:47 AM | Grant Parish LA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:55 AM | Lee County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:15 AM | Dyer County TN | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:38 AM | Tate County MS | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:40 AM | Obion County TN | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:45 AM | Grant Parish LA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:49 AM | DeSoto County MS | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:55 AM | Panola County MS | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:00 AM | Fayette County TN | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:30 AM | Lafayette County MS | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:43 AM | Marshall County KY | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:50 AM | Marshall County KY | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:55 AM | Weakley County TN | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:00 AM | Union County MS | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:09 AM | Calhoun County MS | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:10 AM | Weakley County TN | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:42 AM | Carroll County TN | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:11 AM | Stewart County TN | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:29 AM | Perry County TN | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:56 AM | Dickson County TN | 70 mph | Estimated |
By state
| Alabama | 146 | 64 mph |
| Mississippi | 108 | 79 mph |
| Tennessee | 85 | 79 mph |
| Georgia | 57 | 61 mph |
| North Carolina | 42 | — |
| Louisiana | 41 | 66 mph |
| Kentucky | 40 | 64 mph |
| Arkansas | 35 | 74 mph |
| Virginia | 35 | 60 mph |
| South Carolina | 30 | 47 mph |
| Texas | 21 | 69 mph |
| West Virginia | 16 | 63 mph |
| Florida | 13 | — |
| Ohio | 6 | — |
| Indiana | 5 | — |
| Missouri | 5 | — |
| Illinois | 2 | 70 mph |
| Maryland | 2 | — |
Counties with the most wind reports
- Coffee CountyAL · 15 reports
- Dickson CountyTN · 10 reports
- Jackson CountyAL · 8 reports
- Clarke CountyAL · 8 reports
- Clarke CountyMS · 8 reports
- Dale CountyAL · 7 reports
- Talladega CountyAL · 6 reports
- Madison CountyKY · 6 reports
- DeSoto CountyMS · 6 reports
- Houston CountyAL · 6 reports
Hail and tornadoes that day
2 hail reports, 0 of 2 inches or more; 63 tornadoes.
| 1:12 AM | Caddo Parish LA | 0.88 |
| 2:40 PM | Elmore County AL | 0.75 |
The tornado outbreak of January 11, 2020: 63 tornadoes, each with its touchdown time and path.
2020 · 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.