The severe wind outbreak of July 29, 2023
591 wind reportsVirginia, Missouri, Maryland and 26 more states
591 damaging wind reports across 29 states between 1:05 AM and 12:44 AM the next day CDT, 23 of them 65 knots (75 mph) or stronger; the strongest measured gust was 84 mph in District of Columbia County, DC. 21 hail reports and 8 tornadoes the same day. The 14th-most wind reports of any day since 1955.
Watch the day unfoldSevere wind day · July 29, 2023
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
- 591
- 14th of 15,807 days with wind reports since 1955
- 75 mph or more
- 23
- 2 of 86 mph (75 knots) or more
- Strongest measured gust
- 84 mph
- 73 knots, District of Columbia County, DC
- Measured
- 83
- reports with an instrument reading; the rest are estimates from damage
- Killed by wind
- 2
- 6 injured
- Counties reporting
- 283
- in 29 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.
| 2:52 PM | Sullivan County PA | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 4:05 PM | Spotsylvania County VA | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 3:20 PM | Montgomery County MD | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 3:30 PM | District of Columbia County DC | 84 mph | Measured |
| 4:35 AM | Valley County NE | 81 mph | Measured |
| 8:10 AM | Saline County NE | 81 mph | Measured |
| 6:04 PM | Dorchester County MD | 81 mph | Measured |
| 3:30 PM | Arlington County VA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:50 PM | Anne Arundel County MD | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:00 PM | Alexandria VA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:50 PM | Wilson County TN | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 4:55 PM | Charles County MD | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:10 PM | St. Mary's County MD | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 3:50 PM | St. Louis County MO | 79 mph | Measured |
| 7:48 PM | McKenzie County ND | 79 mph | Measured |
| 7:54 AM | Jefferson County NE | 78 mph | Measured |
| 10:16 PM | Pima County AZ | 76 mph | Measured |
| 4:35 AM | Custer County NE | 75 mph | Measured |
| 2:20 PM | Montgomery County MO | 75 mph | Measured |
| 2:51 PM | Sullivan County PA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 3:25 PM | Montgomery County MD | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 4:42 PM | Surry County NC | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 6:10 PM | Wayne County IL | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 5:40 AM | Phelps County NE | 72 mph | Measured |
| 10:40 AM | Platte County MO | 72 mph | Measured |
| 4:22 AM | Cherry County NE | 71 mph | Measured |
| 11:01 AM | DeKalb County MO | 71 mph | Measured |
| 12:44 AM | Jackson County SD | 71 mph | Measured |
| 2:08 PM | Montgomery County MO | 70 mph | Measured |
| 4:24 PM | Queen Anne's County MD | 70 mph | Measured |
| 4:24 PM | Queen Anne's County MD | 70 mph | Measured |
| 1:40 AM | Fall River County SD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:30 AM | Cherry County NE | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:38 AM | Custer County NE | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:38 AM | Custer County NE | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:50 AM | Howard County NE | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:30 AM | Fillmore County NE | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:35 AM | Saline County NE | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:45 AM | Saline County NE | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:48 AM | Saline County NE | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 8:07 AM | Gage County NE | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 8:17 AM | Gage County NE | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 11:36 AM | Daviess County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 12:55 PM | Chariton County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 1:10 PM | Randolph County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 1:23 PM | Boone County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 2:30 PM | Osage County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 2:40 PM | Warren County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 2:45 PM | Gasconade County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 2:53 PM | Franklin County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 2:55 PM | Lincoln County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:05 PM | Montgomery County MD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:10 PM | Gasconade County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:10 PM | Lincoln County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:25 PM | Fairfax County VA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:25 PM | Howard County MD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:40 PM | St. Louis County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:40 PM | District of Columbia County DC | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:45 PM | Harford County MD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:50 PM | Prince William County VA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:50 PM | Fairfax County VA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:55 PM | St. Louis County MO | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:10 PM | Prince William County VA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:30 PM | Charles County MD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:35 PM | Madison County IL | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:40 PM | Charles County MD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:55 PM | Charles County MD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:00 PM | Charles County MD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:39 PM | Williamson County IL | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 5:50 PM | Fayette County IL | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:20 PM | St. Mary's County MD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 9:00 PM | Sharp County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 9:30 PM | Lawrence County AR | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 10:10 PM | Meade County SD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 11:38 PM | Pennington County SD | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:05 PM | Montgomery County MD | 69 mph | Measured |
| 8:25 PM | St. Mary's County MD | 69 mph | Measured |
| 4:15 PM | Wythe County VA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 4:17 PM | Bedford County VA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 4:49 PM | Bedford County VA | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 5:50 PM | Yadkin County NC | 69 mph | Estimated |
| 4:07 AM | Custer County NE | 68 mph | Measured |
| 8:21 AM | Gage County NE | 68 mph | Measured |
| 2:50 PM | Warren County MO | 68 mph | Measured |
| 1:05 AM | Kosciusko County IN | 67 mph | Measured |
| 8:39 AM | Pawnee County NE | 67 mph | Estimated |
| 8:00 AM | Saline County NE | 66 mph | Measured |
| 8:19 AM | Gage County NE | 66 mph | Measured |
| 4:30 PM | Queen Anne's County MD | 66 mph | Measured |
| 4:30 PM | Queen Anne's County MD | 66 mph | Measured |
| 4:35 PM | St. Clair County IL | 66 mph | Measured |
| 3:35 AM | Thomas County NE | 64 mph | Measured |
| 6:42 AM | Hamilton County NE | 64 mph | Measured |
| 8:00 AM | Jefferson County NE | 64 mph | Measured |
| 11:02 AM | Richardson County NE | 64 mph | Measured |
| 12:52 PM | Chariton County MO | 64 mph | Measured |
| 4:50 PM | Kent County MD | 64 mph | Measured |
| 6:32 PM | Nassau County NY | 64 mph | Measured |
| 7:34 PM | Suffolk County NY | 64 mph | Measured |
| 10:35 AM | Buchanan County MO | 64 mph | Estimated |
By state
| Virginia | 92 | 60 mph |
| Missouri | 68 | 79 mph |
| Maryland | 65 | 81 mph |
| Ohio | 48 | 62 mph |
| Nebraska | 45 | 81 mph |
| Kentucky | 41 | 62 mph |
| North Carolina | 33 | — |
| New York | 30 | 64 mph |
| Illinois | 28 | 66 mph |
| Tennessee | 25 | — |
| Indiana | 24 | 67 mph |
| New Jersey | 20 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 12 | — |
| Georgia | 10 | — |
| Connecticut | 9 | — |
| Massachusetts | 9 | — |
| Delaware | 8 | 58 mph |
| South Dakota | 5 | 71 mph |
| Arkansas | 4 | — |
| South Carolina | 3 | — |
| North Dakota | 2 | 79 mph |
| District of Columbia | 2 | 84 mph |
| Rhode Island | 2 | 62 mph |
| Montana | 1 | 61 mph |
| Arizona | 1 | 76 mph |
| Colorado | 1 | 60 mph |
| Florida | 1 | — |
| Kansas | 1 | — |
| West Virginia | 1 | — |
| New Hampshire | 0 | — |
| Wyoming | 0 | — |
Counties with the most wind reports
- Fairfax CountyVA · 13 reports
- Chesterfield CountyVA · 10 reports
- Suffolk CountyNY · 10 reports
- Montgomery CountyNY · 10 reports
- Montgomery CountyMD · 10 reports
- Kent CountyMD · 8 reports
- Talbot CountyMD · 8 reports
- Perry CountyKY · 8 reports
- Allen CountyIN · 7 reports
- Prince William CountyVA · 7 reports
Hail and tornadoes that day
21 hail reports, 0 of 2 inches or more; 8 tornadoes.
| 7:54 PM | Cascade County MT | 1.75 |
| 8:16 PM | Dunn County ND | 1.75 |
| 9:14 PM | Dunn County ND | 1.75 |
| 12:40 PM | Carroll County NH | 1.25 |
| 1:16 PM | Hillsborough County NH | 1.25 |
| 9:22 PM | Perkins County SD | 1.25 |
| 10:11 PM | Meade County SD | 1.25 |
| 10:13 PM | Fergus County MT | 1.25 |
| 11:38 PM | Pennington County SD | 1.25 |
| 1:00 AM | Crook County WY | 1.00 |
| 1:40 AM | Fall River County SD | 1.00 |
| 3:31 AM | Logan County NE | 1.00 |
| 3:55 AM | Loup County NE | 1.00 |
| 5:14 PM | Haywood County NC | 1.00 |
| 7:30 PM | Golden Valley County ND | 1.00 |
| 7:48 PM | McKenzie County ND | 1.00 |
| 9:49 PM | Meade County SD | 1.00 |
| 10:15 PM | Fergus County MT | 1.00 |
| 11:15 PM | Pennington County SD | 1.00 |
| 12:00 AM | Petroleum County MT | 1.00 |
| 1:45 AM | Allen County IN | 0.75 |
- EF0 tornado1:19 AM CDT
- EF0 tornado1:26 AM CDT
- EF1 tornado1:53 AM CDT
- EF1 tornado3:58 AM CDT
- EF1 tornado6:53 AM CDT
- EF1 tornado8:18 AM CDT
- EFU tornado6:30 PM CDT
- EF1 tornado7:17 PM CDT
2023 · 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.