The tornado outbreak of May 29, 2004

78 tornadoesKansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and 5 more states

78 tornadoes touched down across 8 states between 4:21 PM and 12:33 AM the next day CDT, 5 of them rated F3 or stronger, and 3 people were killed. The 16th-most tornadoes of any day since 1950.

Watch the day unfold

Tornado outbreak · May 29, 2004

How the day unfolded

Every tornado recorded that day, at its logged touchdown time and along its path, with the counties it crossed.

About this replay

Central time—Historical replay — logged touchdown times

Tornadoes—of 78 that day

Strongest so far—

Killed—in tornadoes so far

The day’s milestones

Tornado pathsWider and brighter with the rating; F3 and stronger glow

On the groundEach grows from its logged touchdown time

Counties crossedLit as a tornado reaches them, brighter for F3 or stronger

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database (touchdown times, ratings, start and end points) and Storm Events Database (segment paths and times for the notable tornadoes that have record pages). SPC logs the touchdown time only; other paths are drawn at a typical forward speed of 35 mph. Times are Central Daylight Time.

The day in numbers

Tornadoes: 78; 16th of 12,998 tornado days since 1950
F3 or stronger: 5; 1 rated F4 or F5
Killed: 3; Along all the paths
Injured: 7; Along all the paths
Path miles: 206; All the paths end to end
First and last: 4:21 PM to 12:33 AM the next day; Touchdowns, Central Daylight Time

Hour by hour

Tornadoes touching down in each hour, Central Daylight Time.

Every tornado

In order of touchdown. One has a record page, linked from the rating.

Tornadoes of May 29, 2004

4:21 PM	F0	Lincoln County NE	1.0	20	0	0
4:30 PM	F1	Lincoln County NE	1.0	40	0	0
4:43 PM	F0	Mitchell County KS	0.1	50	0	0
4:55 PM	F0	Custer County NE	0.2	10	0	0
4:55 PM	F0	Custer County NE	0.1	10	0	0
4:55 PM	F0	Lincoln County NE	0.2	10	0	0
5:04 PM	F0	Lincoln County NE	0.1	10	0	0
5:06 PM	F0	Custer County NE	0.2	20	0	0
5:08 PM	F0	McIntosh County ND	0.0	20	0	0
5:10 PM	F0	Dawson County NE	0.1	50	0	0
5:14 PM	F1	McIntosh County ND	3.0	60	0	0
5:25 PM	F0	Custer County NE	0.1	10	0	0
5:30 PM	F0	Thayer County NE	0.1	50	0	0
5:30 PM	F0	Holt County NE	0.1	10	0	0
5:33 PM	F0	Holt County NE	0.1	10	0	0
5:33 PM	F0	Holt County NE	0.2	10	0	0
5:53 PM	F0	Loup County NE	0.1	10	0	0
5:57 PM	F1	Cloud County KS	4.0	200	0	0
6:08 PM	F0	Brown County SD	0.1	10	0	0
6:11 PM	F2	Cloud County KS	5.0	200	0	0
6:20 PM	F1	Republic County KS	1.0	100	0	0
6:22 PM	F0	Brown County SD	0.3	30	0	0
6:23 PM	F0	Edmunds County SD	1.5	30	0	0
6:25 PM	F1	Cloud County KS	2.0	100	0	0
6:28 PM	F1	Republic County KS	3.5	200	0	0
6:29 PM	F0	Custer County OK	6.0	200	0	0
6:30 PM	F3	Buchanan County, Platte County MO	7.0	400	0	0
6:35 PM	F0	Edmunds County SD	1.5	30	0	0
6:45 PM	F0	Republic County KS	0.5	50	0	0
7:17 PM	F0	Harper County KS	0.5	40	0	0
7:17 PM	F2	Blaine County, Canadian County and 1 more OK	19.7	1,760	0	0
7:20 PM	F0	Republic County KS	1.0	50	0	0
7:20 PM	F0	Republic County KS	1.0	50	0	0
7:25 PM	F1	Harper County KS	6.0	75	0	0
7:28 PM	F0	Marshall County KS	1.0	75	0	0
7:30 PM	F0	Gage County NE	0.1	50	0	0
7:35 PM	F0	Clinton County MO	1.0	75	0	0
7:36 PM	F0	Republic County KS	1.0	75	0	0
7:39 PM	F0	Leflore County MS	2.0	50	0	0
7:43 PM	F2	Harper County KS	8.0	500	0	0
7:50 PM	F0	Republic County KS	1.0	50	0	0
7:56 PM	F1	Republic County KS	0.5	100	0	0
8:00 PM	F0	Harper County KS	0.5	40	0	0
8:04 PM	F1	Canadian County OK	4.5	50	0	0
8:05 PM	F0	Buchanan County MO	0.2	50	0	0
8:09 PM	F0	Republic County KS	0.2	50	0	0
8:10 PM	F1	Marshall County KS	1.0	75	0	0
8:13 PM	F0	Pawnee County NE	0.2	100	0	0
8:14 PM	F1	Canadian County OK	2.0	20	0	0
8:15 PM	F0	Lincoln County NE	0.1	20	0	0
8:19 PM	F1	Harper County KS	2.5	440	0	0
8:22 PM	F0	Canadian County OK	0.1	20	0	0
8:25 PM	F0	Republic County KS	1.0	50	0	0
8:28 PM	F1	Sumner County KS	6.0	500	0	0
8:30 PM	F1	Hickman County KY	5.4	100	0	0
8:32 PM	F0	Republic County KS	0.5	50	0	0
8:32 PM	F0	Sumner County KS	1.0	60	0	0
8:35 PM	F0	Washington County KS	1.0	50	0	0
8:40 PM	F1	Clinton County, DeKalb County MO	20.0	150	0	0
8:42 PM	F3	Sumner County KS	2.5	600	0	1
8:45 PM	F1	Canadian County OK	1.0	50	0	0
8:52 PM	F3	Sumner County KS	2.5	500	0	0
8:55 PM	F1	Sumner County KS	3.5	150	0	0
9:04 PM	F2	Oklahoma County OK	4.6	100	0	0
9:06 PM	F0	Clay County SD	0.1	50	0	0
9:40 PM	F2	DeKalb County MO	5.0	100	0	0
10:01 PM	F1	Logan County OK	0.3	50	0	0
10:15 PM	F0	DeKalb County MO	1.0	50	0	0
10:17 PM	F0	Logan County OK	4.0	100	0	0
10:27 PM	F1	Lincoln County OK	2.5	300	0	0
10:30 PM	F4	DeKalb County, Daviess County and 1 more MO	22.0	800	3	6
10:40 PM	F0	DeKalb County MO	1.0	50	0	0
11:18 PM	F0	Daviess County, Harrison County MO	6.0	100	0	0
11:18 PM	F3	Creek County OK	7.5	700	0	0
11:33 PM	F1	Creek County OK	4.6	425	0	0
11:46 PM	F0	Grundy County, Mercer County MO	4.0	100	0	0
12:12 AM	F1	Creek County OK	5.4	200	0	0
12:33 AM	F0	Creek County OK	0.1	75	0	0

By state

Tornadoes by state, May 29, 2004

Kansas	28	2	0
Nebraska	17	0	0
Oklahoma	14	1	0
Missouri	10	2	3
South Dakota	5	0	0
North Dakota	2	0	0
Kentucky	1	0	0
Mississippi	1	0	0

Tornadoes in 2004 · On this date in other years · The biggest outbreak days

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025. A day is SPC’s calendar date in Central Standard Time; an outbreak day here has 40 or more tornadoes, or 6 or more rated F3/EF3 or stronger.