The tornado outbreak of May 23, 2008

79 tornadoesKansas, Wyoming, Colorado and 2 more states

79 tornadoes touched down across 5 states between 4:02 PM and 12:11 AM the next day CDT, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger, and 2 people were killed. The 14th-most tornadoes of any day since 1950.

Watch the day unfold

Tornado outbreak · May 23, 2008

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 79 that day

Strongest so far—

Killed—in tornadoes so far

The day’s milestones

Tornado pathsWider and brighter with the rating; EF3 and stronger glow

On the groundEach grows from its logged touchdown time

Counties crossedLit as a tornado reaches them, brighter for EF3 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: 79; 14th of 12,998 tornado days since 1950
EF3 or stronger: 7; 1 rated EF4 or EF5
Killed: 2; Along all the paths
Injured: 6; Along all the paths
Path miles: 469; All the paths end to end
First and last: 4:02 PM to 12:11 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 23, 2008

4:02 PM	EF0	Gove County KS	0.5	25	0	0
4:13 PM	EF1	Laramie County WY	2.7	100	0	0
4:20 PM	EF0	Gove County KS	4.5	400	0	0
4:26 PM	EF0	Platte County WY	20.5	50	0	0
4:29 PM	EF0	Finney County KS	1.5	75	0	0
4:33 PM	EF0	Weld County CO	0.1	25	0	0
4:34 PM	EF1	Gove County, Sheridan County KS	5.0	200	0	0
4:35 PM	EF2	Gove County, Sheridan County KS	14.0	1,760	0	0
5:01 PM	EF1	Lane County KS	8.1	1,220	0	0
5:09 PM	EF0	Laramie County WY	2.3	75	0	0
5:10 PM	EF1	Graham County KS	14.0	400	0	0
5:13 PM	EF1	Lane County KS	1.0	150	0	0
5:15 PM	EF0	Lane County KS	3.2	75	0	0
5:22 PM	EF0	Lane County KS	1.7	50	0	0
5:24 PM	EF0	Gray County KS	0.7	100	0	0
5:35 PM	EF1	Lane County KS	4.4	150	0	0
5:35 PM	EF0	Gove County KS	5.0	100	0	0
5:45 PM	EF0	Lane County KS	1.3	50	0	0
6:10 PM	EF4	Gove County KS	11.4	1,320	0	2
6:25 PM	EF0	Finney County, Hodgeman County and 2 more KS	5.7	75	0	0
6:26 PM	EF1	Goshen County WY	24.4	75	0	0
6:33 PM	EF0	Cheyenne County CO	0.5	25	0	0
6:37 PM	EF0	Clark County KS	2.1	100	0	0
6:52 PM	EF0	Ness County KS	1.6	60	0	0
6:52 PM	EF0	Sheridan County KS	4.0	750	0	0
6:58 PM	EF0	Ness County KS	3.6	100	0	0
7:00 PM	EF1	Weld County CO	0.1	50	0	0
7:01 PM	EF0	Clark County KS	2.5	100	0	0
7:05 PM	EF0	Wichita County KS	0.5	25	0	0
7:07 PM	EF2	Ness County KS	11.8	1,410	0	0
7:10 PM	EF0	Kimball County NE	2.9	50	0	0
7:15 PM	EF0	Sheridan County KS	6.1	350	0	0
7:25 PM	EF2	Ness County KS	1.1	75	0	0
7:25 PM	EF3	Clark County, Kiowa County KS	20.9	3,170	0	0
7:29 PM	EF3	Ness County, Trego County KS	9.0	715	0	0
7:42 PM	EF1	Clark County KS	7.1	600	0	0
7:43 PM	EF1	Clark County KS	1.1	100	0	0
7:49 PM	EF1	Trego County KS	8.1	900	0	0
7:58 PM	EF2	Trego County KS	9.0	1,760	0	0
8:03 PM	EF3	Harper County OK	5.0	1,100	0	0
8:11 PM	EF0	Kiowa County KS	1.2	75	0	0
8:17 PM	EF2	Trego County KS	8.2	250	0	0
8:17 PM	EF0	Kiowa County KS	1.2	175	0	0
8:28 PM	EF1	Ellis County KS	2.2	150	0	1
8:34 PM	EF0	Kiowa County KS	0.5	20	0	0
8:35 PM	EF0	Kiowa County KS	1.6	75	0	0
8:40 PM	EF0	Ellis County KS	5.6	150	0	0
8:44 PM	EF1	Trego County, Ellis County KS	5.5	200	0	0
8:56 PM	EF0	Kiowa County KS	1.0	50	0	0
8:58 PM	EF0	Harper County, Clark County OK, KS	9.1	125	0	0
8:59 PM	EF3	Woods County, Comanche County OK, KS	11.0	980	0	0
9:07 PM	EF1	Trego County, Ellis County KS	6.4	300	0	0
9:08 PM	EF1	Ellis County, Rooks County KS	4.3	450	0	0
9:08 PM	EF0	Kiowa County, Edwards County and 1 more KS	6.4	125	0	0
9:16 PM	EF0	Ellis County KS	0.8	50	0	0
9:16 PM	EF3	Edwards County, Pratt County and 1 more KS	18.2	1,935	0	1
9:22 PM	EF0	Barber County KS	4.6	150	0	0
9:26 PM	EF0	Clark County, Comanche County KS	4.5	100	0	0
9:26 PM	EF1	Ford County KS	6.1	150	0	0
9:30 PM	EF1	Comanche County KS	6.0	300	0	0
9:41 PM	EF0	Barber County KS	4.0	100	0	0
9:44 PM	EF0	Stafford County KS	5.3	75	0	0
9:45 PM	EF1	Rooks County KS	6.2	100	0	0
9:45 PM	EF0	Comanche County KS	4.3	300	0	0
9:52 PM	EF2	Comanche County, Kiowa County KS	13.5	1,600	0	0
10:03 PM	EF0	Stafford County KS	8.9	100	0	0
10:08 PM	EF2	Barber County KS	6.9	250	0	0
10:11 PM	EF0	Kiowa County KS	3.6	125	0	0
10:12 PM	EF2	Ford County, Edwards County KS	17.2	950	0	0
10:12 PM	EF1	Clark County KS	10.0	150	0	0
10:15 PM	EF1	Barber County, Pratt County KS	12.8	150	0	0
10:17 PM	EF0	Barber County, Pratt County KS	3.3	100	0	0
10:24 PM	EF3	Pratt County KS	21.9	1,430	2	2
10:30 PM	EF1	Barton County KS	0.4	75	0	0
10:38 PM	EF0	Barton County KS	0.8	75	0	0
10:41 PM	EF2	Edwards County KS	5.4	125	0	0
11:04 PM	EF0	Pratt County KS	4.0	75	0	0
11:10 PM	EF1	Reno County KS	6.4	125	0	0
12:11 AM	EF0	Reno County KS	0.5	50	0	0

By state

Tornadoes by state, May 23, 2008

Kansas	68	5	2
Wyoming	4	0	0
Colorado	3	0	0
Oklahoma	3	2	0
Nebraska	1	0	0

Tornadoes in 2008 · 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.