The severe wind outbreak of December 15, 2021
589 wind reportsIowa, Nebraska, Kansas and 6 more states
589 damaging wind reports across 9 states between 4:34 AM and 11:17 PM CST, 170 of them 65 knots (75 mph) or stronger; the strongest measured gust was 99 mph in Saunders County, NE. 28 hail reports and 125 tornadoes the same day. The 16th-most wind reports of any day since 1955.
Watch the day unfoldSevere wind day · December 15, 2021
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
- 589
- 16th of 15,807 days with wind reports since 1955
- 75 mph or more
- 170
- 24 of 86 mph (75 knots) or more
- Strongest measured gust
- 99 mph
- 86 knots, Saunders County, NE
- Measured
- 196
- reports with an instrument reading; the rest are estimates from damage
- Killed by wind
- 2
- 0 injured
- Counties reporting
- 206
- in 9 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.
| 5:02 PM | Cherokee County IA | 100 mph | Estimated |
| 5:02 PM | Cherokee County IA | 100 mph | Estimated |
| 3:51 PM | Saunders County NE | 99 mph | Measured |
| 5:11 PM | Jefferson County KS | 99 mph | Estimated |
| 4:40 PM | Plymouth County IA | 96 mph | Estimated |
| 4:53 PM | Cherokee County IA | 96 mph | Estimated |
| 4:56 PM | Cherokee County IA | 96 mph | Estimated |
| 3:56 PM | Geary County KS | 94 mph | Estimated |
| 4:40 PM | Plymouth County IA | 94 mph | Estimated |
| 3:30 PM | Lancaster County NE | 93 mph | Measured |
| 3:44 PM | Lancaster County NE | 92 mph | Measured |
| 1:39 PM | Buffalo County NE | 92 mph | Estimated |
| 4:21 PM | Pottawattamie County IA | 92 mph | Estimated |
| 3:49 PM | Cass County NE | 90 mph | Measured |
| 6:50 AM | Taos County NM | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 4:39 PM | Plymouth County IA | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 4:51 PM | Atchison County MO | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 4:51 PM | Atchison County MO | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 5:02 PM | Cherokee County IA | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 5:03 PM | Cherokee County IA | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 5:11 PM | Audubon County IA | 87 mph | Measured |
| 5:14 PM | Clay County IA | 87 mph | Estimated |
| 3:35 PM | Gage County NE | 86 mph | Measured |
| 4:30 PM | Nemaha County NE | 86 mph | Estimated |
| 2:07 PM | Hall County NE | 85 mph | Measured |
| 2:40 PM | Russell County KS | 85 mph | Measured |
| 3:00 PM | Clay County KS | 85 mph | Measured |
| 8:04 PM | Wabasha County MN | 85 mph | Measured |
| 2:11 PM | Hamilton County NE | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 2:49 PM | Polk County NE | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 2:50 PM | Platte County NE | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 2:52 PM | Platte County NE | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 3:47 PM | Geary County KS | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 3:49 PM | Geary County KS | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 3:57 PM | Saunders County NE | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 4:29 PM | Pottawattamie County IA | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 4:34 PM | Woodbury County IA | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 4:41 PM | Plymouth County IA | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 4:46 PM | Cherokee County IA | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 7:06 PM | Putnam County MO | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 2:29 PM | Fillmore County NE | 84 mph | Measured |
| 3:15 PM | Butler County NE | 84 mph | Measured |
| 7:45 PM | Fillmore County MN | 84 mph | Measured |
| 7:55 PM | Fillmore County MN | 84 mph | Measured |
| 2:28 PM | Republic County KS | 84 mph | Estimated |
| 2:25 PM | Thayer County NE | 83 mph | Measured |
| 6:53 PM | Cerro Gordo County IA | 83 mph | Measured |
| 7:33 PM | Mower County MN | 83 mph | Measured |
| 4:38 PM | Plymouth County IA | 83 mph | Estimated |
| 4:39 PM | Plymouth County IA | 83 mph | Estimated |
| 4:41 PM | Plymouth County IA | 83 mph | Estimated |
| 2:54 PM | Saline County KS | 82 mph | Measured |
| 4:23 PM | Woodbury County IA | 82 mph | Measured |
| 7:54 PM | Wapello County IA | 82 mph | Measured |
| 6:57 PM | Floyd County IA | 82 mph | Estimated |
| 7:03 PM | Floyd County IA | 82 mph | Estimated |
| 12:55 PM | Phillips County KS | 81 mph | Measured |
| 12:59 PM | Harlan County NE | 81 mph | Measured |
| 1:00 PM | Rooks County KS | 81 mph | Measured |
| 3:00 PM | Jefferson County NE | 81 mph | Measured |
| 3:57 PM | Pawnee County NE | 81 mph | Measured |
| 4:22 PM | Sarpy County NE | 81 mph | Measured |
| 4:38 PM | Pottawattamie County IA | 81 mph | Measured |
| 4:55 PM | Crawford County IA | 81 mph | Measured |
| 10:39 PM | Marshall County IA | 81 mph | Measured |
| 2:10 PM | Hall County NE | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 2:23 PM | Clay County NE | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 2:25 PM | Clay County NE | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 2:40 PM | Thayer County NE | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:35 PM | Colfax County NE | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:46 PM | Otoe County NE | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:55 PM | Riley County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:58 PM | Riley County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:59 PM | Pottawatomie County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:08 PM | Morris County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:27 PM | Atchison County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:28 PM | Woodbury County IA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:41 PM | Douglas County NE | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:44 PM | Douglas County NE | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:45 PM | Jackson County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:55 PM | Lyon County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:56 PM | Cherokee County IA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:04 PM | Lyon County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:15 PM | Adair County IA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:15 PM | Jefferson County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:17 PM | Jefferson County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:18 PM | Jefferson County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:20 PM | Jefferson County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:23 PM | Clay County IA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:30 PM | Clay County IA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:45 PM | Douglas County KS | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:49 PM | Dallas County IA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 6:06 PM | Clinton County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 6:29 PM | Clay County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:24 PM | Putnam County MO | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 8:30 PM | Benton County IA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 2:36 PM | Fillmore County NE | 79 mph | Measured |
| 4:36 PM | Pottawattamie County IA | 79 mph | Measured |
| 4:28 PM | Woodbury County IA | 79 mph | Estimated |
| 4:31 PM | Woodbury County IA | 79 mph | Estimated |
By state
Counties with the most wind reports
- Winona CountyMN · 17 reports
- Fillmore CountyMN · 14 reports
- Mower CountyMN · 14 reports
- Olmsted CountyMN · 11 reports
- Woodbury CountyIA · 10 reports
- Plymouth CountyIA · 10 reports
- Pottawattamie CountyIA · 10 reports
- Thayer CountyNE · 10 reports
- Clay CountyNE · 9 reports
- Fillmore CountyNE · 9 reports
Hail and tornadoes that day
28 hail reports, 4 of 2 inches or more; 125 tornadoes.
| 4:47 PM | Lyon County KS | 4.00 |
| 4:51 PM | Lyon County KS | 2.50 |
| 5:00 PM | Lyon County KS | 2.00 |
| 5:20 PM | Osage County KS | 2.00 |
| 2:25 PM | Hamilton County NE | 1.75 |
| 4:53 PM | Lyon County KS | 1.75 |
| 5:17 PM | Nodaway County MO | 1.75 |
| 5:20 PM | Osage County KS | 1.75 |
| 5:22 PM | Osage County KS | 1.75 |
| 6:30 PM | Montgomery County KS | 1.50 |
| 3:04 PM | Platte County NE | 1.25 |
| 3:05 PM | Platte County NE | 1.25 |
| 8:30 PM | La Crosse County WI | 1.25 |
| 1:56 PM | Adams County NE | 1.00 |
| 2:07 PM | Hall County NE | 1.00 |
| 4:49 PM | Lyon County KS | 1.00 |
| 4:52 PM | Lyon County KS | 1.00 |
| 5:23 PM | Carroll County IA | 1.00 |
| 5:24 PM | Franklin County KS | 1.00 |
| 5:52 PM | Johnson County KS | 1.00 |
| 6:10 PM | Platte County MO | 1.00 |
| 6:32 PM | Franklin County IA | 1.00 |
| 7:06 PM | Floyd County IA | 1.00 |
| 1:58 PM | Adams County NE | 0.88 |
| 12:10 PM | Sheridan County KS | 0.75 |
| 2:13 PM | Howard County NE | 0.75 |
| 6:20 PM | Jackson County MO | 0.75 |
| 8:24 PM | Winona County MN | 0.75 |
The tornado outbreak of December 15, 2021: 125 tornadoes, each with its touchdown time and path.
2021 · 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.