The severe wind outbreak of May 21, 2024
403 wind reportsIowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and 12 more states
403 damaging wind reports across 15 states between 1:38 AM and 12:05 AM the next day CDT, 74 of them 65 knots (75 mph) or stronger; the strongest measured gust was 100 mph in Benton County, IA. 158 hail reports and 43 tornadoes the same day.
Watch the day unfoldSevere wind day · May 21, 2024
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
- 403
- 78th of 15,807 days with wind reports since 1955
- 75 mph or more
- 74
- 14 of 86 mph (75 knots) or more
- Strongest measured gust
- 100 mph
- 87 knots, Benton County, IA
- Measured
- 55
- reports with an instrument reading; the rest are estimates from damage
- Killed by wind
- 0
- 0 injured
- Counties reporting
- 161
- in 15 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.
| 6:55 PM | Benton County IA | 100 mph | Measured |
| 7:56 PM | Lafayette County WI | 100 mph | Estimated |
| 7:17 PM | Clinton County IA | 98 mph | Estimated |
| 5:05 AM | Colfax County NE | 96 mph | Estimated |
| 5:25 AM | Dodge County NE | 93 mph | Estimated |
| 7:54 PM | Dubuque County IA | 92 mph | Measured |
| 5:00 AM | Platte County NE | 90 mph | Measured |
| 6:20 PM | Buchanan County IA | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 7:02 PM | Cedar County IA | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 7:13 PM | Clinton County IA | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 7:30 PM | Jackson County IA | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 7:36 PM | Muskogee County OK | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 7:53 PM | Lafayette County WI | 90 mph | Estimated |
| 7:05 PM | Cedar County IA | 86 mph | Measured |
| 5:06 AM | Butler County NE | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 2:26 PM | Buena Vista County IA | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 2:30 PM | Buena Vista County IA | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 2:34 PM | Buena Vista County IA | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 7:00 PM | Cedar County IA | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 7:12 PM | Eau Claire County WI | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 7:25 PM | Jackson County IA | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 7:44 PM | Jackson County IA | 85 mph | Estimated |
| 6:52 PM | Benton County IA | 81 mph | Measured |
| 5:39 AM | Wayne County NE | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 5:35 PM | Mower County MN | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 6:52 PM | Muscatine County IA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 6:52 PM | Buchanan County IA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 6:55 PM | Benton County IA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:02 PM | Cedar County IA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:05 PM | Cedar County IA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:10 PM | Eau Claire County WI | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:14 PM | Clinton County IA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:18 PM | Jones County IA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:25 PM | Jackson County IA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:38 PM | Dubuque County IA | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:42 PM | Jo Daviess County IL | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:47 PM | Muskogee County OK | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:54 PM | Jo Daviess County IL | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:58 PM | Jo Daviess County IL | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 8:47 PM | Macoupin County IL | 81 mph | Estimated |
| 7:59 AM | Adair County IA | 79 mph | Measured |
| 3:15 PM | Carroll County IA | 77 mph | Measured |
| 6:38 PM | Dubuque County IA | 77 mph | Measured |
| 6:54 PM | Grant County WI | 75 mph | Measured |
| 5:36 AM | Saunders County NE | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 6:24 AM | Woodbury County IA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 2:27 PM | Buena Vista County IA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 5:15 PM | Mitchell County IA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 5:23 PM | Dodge County MN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 5:25 PM | Mower County MN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 5:30 PM | Floyd County IA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 5:39 PM | Fillmore County MN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 6:30 PM | Houston County MN | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 6:30 PM | Trempealeau County WI | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 6:39 PM | Dubuque County IA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 6:42 PM | Fayette County IA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 6:44 PM | Vernon County WI | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 6:51 PM | Cedar County IA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 7:03 PM | Monroe County WI | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 7:10 PM | Whiteside County IL | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 7:10 PM | Jo Daviess County IL | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 7:10 PM | Clark County WI | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 7:15 PM | Pike County MO | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 7:16 PM | Jones County IA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 7:25 PM | Linn County IA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 7:25 PM | Clinton County IA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 7:26 PM | St. Charles County MO | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 7:28 PM | Columbia County WI | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 7:29 PM | Lincoln County MO | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 7:32 PM | Jackson County IA | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 7:58 PM | Grant County WI | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 8:05 PM | Juneau County WI | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 8:27 PM | Stephenson County IL | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 8:55 PM | Jo Daviess County IL | 75 mph | Estimated |
| 4:54 AM | Polk County NE | 74 mph | Measured |
| 9:36 PM | Dane County WI | 74 mph | Measured |
| 5:57 PM | Fillmore County MN | 72 mph | Measured |
| 7:25 PM | Jackson County IA | 72 mph | Measured |
| 6:19 AM | Woodbury County IA | 71 mph | Measured |
| 5:09 PM | Jasper County IA | 71 mph | Measured |
| 5:12 PM | Jasper County IA | 71 mph | Measured |
| 3:06 AM | Black Hawk County IA | 70 mph | Measured |
| 3:55 PM | Kossuth County IA | 70 mph | Measured |
| 6:52 PM | Muscatine County IA | 70 mph | Measured |
| 7:37 PM | Wood County WI | 70 mph | Measured |
| 1:50 AM | Franklin County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 2:38 AM | Frontier County NE | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:15 AM | Black Hawk County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 6:45 AM | Buchanan County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 7:19 AM | Cass County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 8:20 AM | Adair County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 8:30 AM | Adair County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 8:42 AM | Dallas County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:15 PM | Carroll County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:50 PM | Webster County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 3:53 PM | Guthrie County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:19 PM | Hancock County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:25 PM | Dallas County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:29 PM | Polk County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
| 4:32 PM | Warren County IA | 70 mph | Estimated |
By state
Counties with the most wind reports
- Dane CountyWI · 22 reports
- Polk CountyIA · 11 reports
- Cedar CountyIA · 9 reports
- Jo Daviess CountyIL · 8 reports
- Washington CountyNY · 8 reports
- Jackson CountyIA · 8 reports
- Jasper CountyIA · 7 reports
- Iowa CountyWI · 7 reports
- Champaign CountyIL · 6 reports
- Muscatine CountyIA · 6 reports
Hail and tornadoes that day
158 hail reports, 19 of 2 inches or more; 43 tornadoes.
| 5:55 PM | Tulsa County OK | 3.00 |
| 8:01 PM | Coleman County TX | 3.00 |
| 1:17 AM | Hitchcock County NE | 2.50 |
| 5:57 PM | Tulsa County OK | 2.50 |
| 8:23 PM | Brown County TX | 2.50 |
| 1:38 PM | Cass County NE | 2.25 |
| 1:15 AM | Hitchcock County NE | 2.00 |
| 11:20 AM | Marion County IA | 2.00 |
| 11:20 AM | Marion County IA | 2.00 |
| 12:30 PM | Dodge County NE | 2.00 |
| 1:17 PM | Otoe County NE | 2.00 |
| 5:35 PM | Creek County OK | 2.00 |
| 5:37 PM | Creek County OK | 2.00 |
| 5:41 PM | Tulsa County OK | 2.00 |
| 5:49 PM | Tulsa County OK | 2.00 |
| 5:55 PM | Tulsa County OK | 2.00 |
| 5:56 PM | Tulsa County OK | 2.00 |
| 6:00 PM | Tulsa County OK | 2.00 |
| 11:13 PM | Madison County MO | 2.00 |
| 5:27 AM | Douglas County NE | 1.75 |
| 6:06 AM | Pottawattamie County IA | 1.75 |
| 11:39 AM | Mahaska County IA | 1.75 |
| 12:30 PM | Saunders County NE | 1.75 |
| 3:59 PM | Hill County TX | 1.75 |
| 4:00 PM | Grant County WI | 1.75 |
| 5:25 PM | Rogers County OK | 1.75 |
| 5:27 PM | Tulsa County OK | 1.75 |
| 5:31 PM | Creek County OK | 1.75 |
| 5:32 PM | Creek County OK | 1.75 |
| 5:34 PM | Creek County OK | 1.75 |
| 5:41 PM | Tulsa County OK | 1.75 |
| 5:41 PM | Tulsa County OK | 1.75 |
| 5:48 PM | Tulsa County OK | 1.75 |
| 5:48 PM | Tulsa County OK | 1.75 |
| 5:49 PM | Tulsa County OK | 1.75 |
| 5:50 PM | Tulsa County OK | 1.75 |
| 5:55 PM | Tulsa County OK | 1.75 |
| 6:02 PM | Jones County IA | 1.75 |
| 6:21 PM | Iowa County WI | 1.75 |
| 6:46 PM | Cedar County IA | 1.75 |
| 7:55 PM | Cedar County IA | 1.75 |
| 7:55 PM | Coleman County TX | 1.75 |
| 8:15 PM | Brown County TX | 1.75 |
| 1:50 AM | Chisago County MN | 1.50 |
| 5:57 AM | Douglas County NE | 1.50 |
| 12:43 PM | Dane County WI | 1.50 |
| 2:40 PM | Miami-Dade County FL | 1.50 |
| 5:20 PM | Tulsa County OK | 1.50 |
| 5:35 PM | Rogers County OK | 1.50 |
| 5:35 PM | Tulsa County OK | 1.50 |
The tornado outbreak of May 21, 2024: 43 tornadoes, each with its touchdown time and path.
2024 · 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.