The tornado outbreak of May 24, 2011

48 tornadoesOklahoma, Kansas, Texas and 3 more states

48 tornadoes touched down across 6 states between 2:35 PM and 12:25 AM the next day CDT, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger, and 18 people were killed.

Watch the day unfold

Tornado outbreak · May 24, 2011

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 48 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: 48; 79th of 12,998 tornado days since 1950
EF3 or stronger: 7; 4 rated EF4 or EF5
Killed: 18; 63rd-deadliest tornado day since 1950
Injured: 375; Along all the paths
Path miles: 352; All the paths end to end
First and last: 2:35 PM to 12:25 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. 4 have a record page, linked from the rating.

Tornadoes of May 24, 2011

2:35 PM	EF0	Haskell County KS	0.5	50	0	0
3:10 PM	EF0	Prowers County CO	0.2	75	0	0
3:20 PM	EF3	Dewey County, Blaine County and 1 more OK	13.2	880	1	2
3:31 PM	EF3	Caddo County OK	8.6	800	0	0
3:34 PM	EF0	Gray County KS	0.4	50	0	0
3:45 PM	EF0	Finney County KS	0.3	50	0	0
3:47 PM	EF0	Major County OK	0.7	80	0	0
3:50 PM	EF5	Canadian County, Kingfisher County and 1 more OK	63.1	1,760	9	181
3:55 PM	EF0	Russell County VA	4.2	50	0	0
4:37 PM	EF0	Canadian County OK	1.5	50	0	0
4:52 PM	EF2	Stafford County, Barton County KS	11.8	500	2	1
5:06 PM	EF4	Grady County, McClain County and 1 more OK	33.3	880	1	48
5:09 PM	EF1	Barton County KS	5.1	75	0	1
5:20 PM	EF0	Rush County KS	0.6	75	0	0
5:26 PM	EF4	Grady County, McClain County OK	23.1	880	0	61
5:35 PM	EF0	Rush County KS	6.2	1,200	0	0
5:45 PM	EF0	McClain County OK	0.7	50	0	0
5:46 PM	EF0	Montague County TX	0.0	30	0	0
5:50 PM	EF2	Payne County OK	10.4	880	0	18
6:01 PM	EF1	Pawnee County KS	4.7	200	0	0
6:02 PM	EF1	McClain County OK	0.5	40	0	0
6:27 PM	EF0	Rush County KS	1.3	150	0	0
6:36 PM	EF2	Pottawatomie County OK	2.0	50	0	32
6:40 PM	EF0	Montague County TX	0.0	30	0	0
6:44 PM	EF1	Osage County OK	2.8	440	0	0
6:49 PM	EF2	Osage County OK	17.0	750	0	0
7:11 PM	EF0	Barton County KS	0.4	50	0	0
7:22 PM	EF0	Barton County KS	3.4	50	0	0
7:30 PM	EF1	Johnston County OK	5.5	1,200	0	0
7:34 PM	EF0	Cooke County TX	1.6	100	0	0
7:38 PM	EF0	Wise County TX	0.0	30	0	0
7:38 PM	EF0	Parker County TX	0.4	40	0	0
7:45 PM	EF0	Tarrant County TX	1.7	50	0	0
7:50 PM	EF0	Ellsworth County KS	0.5	50	0	0
7:51 PM	EF2	Denton County TX	1.5	220	0	0
8:23 PM	EF1	Dallas County TX	1.4	500	0	0
8:42 PM	EF2	Muskogee County, Wagoner County OK	10.2	400	0	0
9:13 PM	EF2	Wagoner County OK	4.4	450	0	0
9:48 PM	EF1	Delaware County OK	7.0	150	0	0
9:48 PM	EF0	Dallas County TX	0.0	30	0	0
9:50 PM	EF1	Latimer County OK	2.5	300	0	0
10:06 PM	EF1	Delaware County OK	6.0	150	0	0
10:14 PM	EF0	Le Flore County OK	1.5	100	0	0
10:43 PM	EF0	Kaufman County TX	0.0	20	0	0
10:44 PM	EF2	Le Flore County OK	12.0	1,760	0	0
11:37 PM	EF1	Sequoyah County, Crawford County OK, AR	5.2	800	0	0
11:53 PM	EF4	Franklin County, Logan County and 1 more AR	45.7	2,200	4	27
12:25 AM	EF3	Johnson County, Pope County AR	29.0	1,430	1	4

By state

Tornadoes by state, May 24, 2011

Oklahoma	22	5	11
Kansas	12	0	2
Texas	10	0	0
Arkansas	2	2	5
Colorado	1	0	0
Virginia	1	0	0

Tornadoes in 2011 · 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.