Central Derecho and Tornadoes

Losses, 2024 dollars

$1.3 billion

Losses at the time

$861 million

Deaths

7

The losses and deaths are NCEI’s, counting everything the disaster did. The episodes below are only what the Weather Service filed in its Storm Events record, which counts damage differently and often not at all, so the two never add up and are shown apart.

• Damaging Wind in Iowa, May 5, 2009$1,000 · 54 kt wind · 1 eventThunderstorms formed primarily over the north half of Iowa during the afternoon and evening hours. Many of the storms produced small hail and gusty winds, however they were below severe levels for the most part.
• Hail in Texas, May 5, 2009$40,000 · 4 in hail · 10 eventsIsolated severe storms developed west of the DFW Metroplex in an unstable convective environment. These storms produced large hail up to softball size.
• Lightning Strike in North Carolina, May 5, 2009$20,000 · 1 eventLightning struck a home in Columbus County.
• Hail in Nebraska, May 5, 20091.25 in hail · 1 eventModestly unstable air that was in place over eastern Nebraska during the afternoon and evening of May 5th helped fuel thunderstorm development from central into northeast Nebraska.
• Damaging Wind in Montana, May 5, 200959 kt wind · 1 eventAn upper trough caused some multicellular thundershowers.
• Flash Flood in Virginia, May 5 to 6, 20091 eventIsolated thunderstorm produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding across portions of Suffolk.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Mississippi, May 5 to 6, 2009$640,000 · EF1 · 31 eventsA stationary front was located across southern portions of the Midsouth during the overnight hours of May 5th continuing into May 6, 2009. Numerous showers and thunderstorms developed along the front.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, May 6, 2009$565,000 · EF1 · 8 eventsA stationary front was located across southern portions of the Midsouth during the overnight hours of May 5th continuing into May 6, 2009. Numerous showers and thunderstorms developed along the front.
• Hail in South Dakota, May 6, 20091 in hail · 2 eventsA thunderstorm produced large hail near Hurley in Turner County of southeast South Dakota during the predawn hours on May 6th.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Oklahoma, May 6, 20091.25 in hail · 8 eventsMoisture streamed northward over a warm front that was in place south of the Red River into northern Texas.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 6, 2009$165,000 · 61 kt wind · 12 eventsA severe squall line moved out of Oklahoma and marched across the northeastern counties of north Texas; mainly north and east of Dallas. Wind damage was common with this line of severe storms.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Alabama, May 6, 2009$1.4 million · EF2 · 30 eventsStrong thunderstorms erupted around Midnight on the 6th in northwest Alabama and tracked across portions of north Alabama.
• Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, May 6, 2009$312,000 · 65 kt wind · 3 eventsDuring the afternoon and evening of the 5th, as well as the morning and afternoon of the 6th, an outbreak of severe storms and a few tornadoes occurred across the ArkLaMiss region. There were a number of reports of hail, wind damage, and a few tornadoes across the region.
• Hail in Nebraska, May 6, 20091 in hail · 1 eventA thunderstorm produced large hail in Dixon County of extreme northeast Nebraska on the early morning of may 5th.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Alabama, May 6, 2009$1.6 million · EF1 · 25 eventsAn upper level disturbance and a nearby stationary front combined to produce numerous severe thunderstorms across Central Alabama, that included damaging winds, large hail, and several tornadoes.
• Hail in Minnesota, May 6, 20091 in hail · 1 eventA thunderstorm produced large hail near Worthington in southwest Minnesota on the morning of May 6th.
• Flash Flood in Tennessee, May 6, 20091 eventA stationary front was located across southern portions of the Midsouth during the overnight hours of May 5th continuing into May 6, 2009. Numerous showers and thunderstorms developed along the front. Some of the thunderstorms produced isolated flash flooding.
• Flash Flood in Arkansas, May 6, 20091 eventShowers and thunderstorms produced locally heavy rainfall across portions of southwest Arkansas during the morning hours of May 6th. These storms developed along a weak frontal boundary and produced flash flooding in Sevier County, Arkansas.
• Hail in Iowa, May 6, 20091.75 in hail · 16 eventsThunderstorms produced large hail in much of northwest Iowa during the late morning and afternoon of May 6th.
• Flash Flood in Texas, May 6, 20091 eventShowers and thunderstorms produced locally heavy rainfall across portions of Northeast Texas during the morning hours of May 6th. These storms developed along a weak frontal boundary and produced flash flooding in a few counties of Northeast Texas.
• Hail and Lightning Strike in North Carolina, May 6, 2009$50,000 · 1 in hail · 4 eventsThunderstorms developed along a stationary front, producing a few reports of large hail over the western Piedmont of North Carolina.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, May 6, 20091.75 in hail · 13 eventsThunderstorms developed along a stationary front. A few became severe, producing damaging winds and large hail.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 6, 2009$30,000 · 1 in hail · 8 eventsAfternoon heating helped to overcome a weakly capped environment as convection developed along remnants of a MCS and along a stationary surface boundary across central North Carolina.
• Hail in Illinois, May 6, 20090.75 in hail · 1 eventHail mostly the size of a pea with some hailstones up to three-quarters of an inch in diameter fell about 1 mile north of Deer Grove, IL around 3:10 pm May 6.
• Hail and Heavy Rain in Iowa, May 6, 2009$56,000 · 1.75 in hail · 4 eventsA weak cold front moved southeast through a weakly unstable airmass over the state. Temperatures were in the low to mid 70s ahead of the front with dew points in the mid 50s.
• Hail in Alabama, May 6, 20090.88 in hail · 1 eventA severe thunderstorm produced nickel sized hail around Grove Hill.
• Hail in Iowa, May 6, 20090.75 in hail · 1 eventHail three-quarters of an inch in diameter fell about 5 miles south southwest of Muscatine, IA around 3:39 pm May 6.
• Hail in Georgia, May 6, 20091 in hail · 4 eventsA strong upper level trough and an afternoon seabreeze promoted strong uplift and the development of thunderstorms in a highly unstable environment over southeast Georgia.
• Hail in Iowa, May 6, 20092.75 in hail · 5 eventsAn upper level disturbance that tracked across the northern plains pushed a wind shift across western Iowa during the late afternoon of May 6th.
• Hail and Lightning Strike in Illinois, May 6, 2009$50,000 · 0.88 in hail · 2 eventsThunderstorms produced small hail across parts of north central Illinois and one report of nickel size hail during the afternoon of May 6th.
• Lightning Strike in Minnesota, May 6, 20091 death · 1 injured · 1 eventSeveral thunderstorms developed across the St. Cloud area the afternoon of May 6th. An individual was working in his backyard at the time one of the thunderstorms moved through and was struck by lightning.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 6, 2009$3,000 · 1.75 in hail · 7 eventsScattered severe thunderstorms along a frontal boundary produced large hail and damaging winds across portions of south central and southeast Virginia.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, May 6, 2009$4,000 · 55 kt wind · 5 eventsA strong upper level trough and an afternoon seabreeze promoted strong uplift and the development of thunderstorms in a highly unstable environment over southeast South Carolina.
• Hail in Wisconsin, May 6, 20090.88 in hail · 1 eventThunderstorms that developed in an unstable air mass produced nickel size hail at Wild Wolf Campground near White Lake.
• Hail in Wisconsin, May 6, 20090.75 in hail · 1 eventA few thunderstorms were triggered by an upper level disturbance during the afternoon of May 6. A storm spotter reported hail up to the size of dimes.
• Hail in Minnesota, May 6, 20091 in hail · 3 eventsA cold front moved across central and southern Minnesota Wednesday afternoon May 6th. Scattered thunderstorms developed along this frontal boundary late in the day and produced isolated severe hail.
• Hail in South Carolina, May 6, 20090.75 in hail · 1 eventIsolated severe storms moved through the eastern Midlands and produced some large hail.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Minnesota, May 6, 2009$8,000 · 1 in hail · 6 eventsCold temperatures aloft combined with afternoon heating to produce a couple of pulse severe thunderstorms with large hail. Decaying storms were able to produce brief strong to severe outflow winds.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Oregon, May 6, 2009$156,000 · EF1 · 5 eventsAn upper level trough combined with an approaching cold front and daytime heating produced severe thunderstorms. A brief tornado was observed near Adams in Umatilla County also near Wallowa in Wallowa County.
• Tornado and Damaging Wind in Washington, May 6, 2009$30,000 · EF1 · 3 eventsA strong thunderstorm with rotation first spawned a funnel cloud and then a tornado, which briefly touched down just northeast of Davenport. The funnel cloud was spotted 16 miles northwest of Odessa, followed by a weak tornado eight miles north-northeast of Davenport.
• Tornadoes in Virginia, May 6, 2009$10,000 · EF0 · 2 eventsA west to east frontal boundary was set up across southern Virginia during the afternoon and evening of May 6th. This allowed the winds to vary in direction from the ground up, setting up an environment conducive for supercell development.
• Flash Flooding in Virginia, May 6 to 7, 20093 eventsA low pressure system over the Ohio Valley produced showers and thunderstorms over the mid-Atlantic. With saturated ground, early morning heavy rain produced flooding across portions of northern Virginia.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, May 6 to 7, 20091 in hail · 4 eventsUpper trough aided destabilization across Southeast Tennessee during the overnight period with decent shear from speed maximum. Convection was multi-cellular in nature and produced mostly wind damage with limited severe hail.
• Flash Flood in Virginia, May 6 to 7, 20091 eventHeavy rain in a short amount of time, produced flash flooding of a tributary that flows into Powder Mill Creek shortly after midnight on May 7th. This flooded School Board Road, with 12 to 18 inches of water running across it.
• Flash Flooding and Flood in Pennsylvania, May 7, 20094 eventsThe combination of thunderstorms with heavy rain and moist soil conditions caused flash flooding of smaller creeks and eventually flooding of a larger creek in Montgomery County.
• Damaging Wind in South Dakota, May 7, 200951 kt wind · 1 eventA thunderstorm produced a 59 mph wind gust at the Philip Airport.
• Flash Flooding in Alabama, May 7, 20091 death · $7.4 million · 5 eventsA slow moving area of thunderstorms brought considerable flash flooding to several counties in central and southeast Alabama.
• Damaging Wind in Maryland, May 7, 200950 kt wind · 1 eventStrong to locally severe thunderstorms preceded a cold front and moved through Maryland during the afternoon of the 7th.
• Damaging Wind in New Jersey, May 7, 200950 kt wind · 1 eventStrong to locally severe thunderstorms preceding a cold front moved through central and southern New Jersey during the afternoon of the 7th.
• Damaging Wind in Delaware, May 7, 200950 kt wind · 1 eventStrong to locally severe thunderstorms preceding a cold front moved through Delaware during the afternoon of the 7th.
• Hail in Virginia, May 7, 20091.75 in hail · 1 eventA cold front triggered showers and thunderstorms on the afternoon of the 7th. There was enough instability ahead of the front for an isolated severe thunderstorm that contained large hail.
• Hail in Michigan, May 7, 20090.88 in hail · 4 eventsA low pressure trough moving through a moist and unstable airmass produced strong thunderstorms over central Upper Michigan on the afternoon of the 7th. A few of these storms dropped large hail over portions of Alger and Schoolcraft counties.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 7, 20091 in hail · 9 eventsScattered severe thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon and into the early evening, as a shortwave trough aloft interacted with a moist and unstable atmosphere. Hail to the size of quarters and isolated wind damage were reported with these severe storms.
• Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 7, 200950 kt wind · 1 eventThunderstorms moved across parts of north central Illinois during the afternoon of May 7th producing strong winds.
• Tornadoes and Hail in North Carolina, May 7, 2009$10,000 · EF0 · 13 eventsA frontal boundary was stalled across central North Carolina during the afternoon of May 7th 2009. Scattered thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon and early evening hours as an upper level impulse moved across.
• Hail in Iowa, May 7, 2009$5,000 · 1.25 in hail · 2 eventsA weak frontal boundary extended nearly east-west across southern Iowa during the afternoon of the 7th. The boundary separated dry air to the north from more humid and unstable air to the south.
• Hail in Georgia, May 7, 20090.75 in hail · 1 eventThe upper atmospheric and surface pattern across the southeastern U.S. persisted. A negatively tilted upper trough persisted across the mid-south and southeast U.S.
• Flash Flood and Hail in Mississippi, May 7, 2009$40,000 · 0.75 in hail · 2 eventsScattered thunderstorms developed across the north and eastern portions of the area during the afternoon of the 7th.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 7, 2009$50,000 · 1.75 in hail · 16 eventsA slow-moving cold front triggered thunderstorms across western Illinois during the late afternoon of May 7th.
• Hail in Michigan, May 7, 20091.75 in hail · 3 eventsAn isolated supercell developed over the thumb region.
• Hail in Ohio, May 7, 20090.75 in hail · 1 eventAn area of low pressure moved across the region on May 7th. Showers and thunderstorms developed in association with this low.
• Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 7, 2009$14,000 · 50 kt wind · 7 eventsScattered severe thunderstorms in advance of a cold front produced damaging winds across portions of southeast Virginia.
• Damaging Wind in Idaho, May 7, 2009$60,000 · 50 kt wind · 1 eventA cold upper level trough of low pressure brought convective showers with gusty winds and embedded thunderstorms to the northern Rockies. One storm near Orofino, Idaho caused damage to trees and power lines, and backed up traffic on Highway 12.
• Tornado and Hail in Missouri, May 7, 2009$250 · EF0 · 8 eventsSevere thunderstorms with large hail were observed over portions of the area. The activity was generated by a cold front and upper level storm system, in the late afternoon and evening hours of May 7, 2009.
• Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 7, 2009$7,000 · 52 kt wind · 5 eventsScattered severe thunderstorms in advance of a cold front produced damaging winds across portions of northeast North Carolina.
• Hail in Indiana, May 7, 20090.88 in hail · 1 eventThunderstorms moved into western Indiana from central Illinois along a weak warm front. There was a threat of damaging wind and hail but only an isolated report of hail occurred.
• Flash Flood in Alabama, May 7 to 8, 2009$75,000 · 1 eventA slow moving thunderstorm produced 7 to 9 inches of rain that flooded numerous roads and several homes in southern Choctaw county.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 7, 20091.25 in hail · 7 eventsA frontal boundary moved through the region, triggering showers and thunderstorms. Numerous reports of large hail and some isolated wind damage was reported.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Missouri, May 7 to 8, 20091 in hail · 11 eventsA frontal boundary moved through the region, triggering showers and thunderstorms. Numerous reports of large hail and some isolated wind damage was reported.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, May 7 to 8, 2009$23,000 · 1.75 in hail · 14 eventsLater.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 7 to 8, 2009$178,000 · 2 in hail · 11 eventsScattered thunderstorms persisted through the early morning hours along an axis of increasing moisture and confluence associated with a west-southwesterly low level jet. The activity was located on the southern fringe of a moderately strong east-west mid-level jet.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, May 8, 20091 in hail · 19 eventsLate night thunderstorms developed as a cold front and strong upper system moved across the area.
• Damaging Wind in Missouri, May 8, 2009$5,000 · 50 kt wind · 1 eventScattered thunderstorms persisted through the early morning hours along an axis of increasing moisture and confluence associated with a west-southwesterly low level jet. The activity was located on the southern fringe of a moderately strong east-west mid-level jet.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, May 8, 20091 injured · $210,000 · 2 in hail · 4 eventsScattered thunderstorms persisted through the early morning hours along an axis of increasing moisture and confluence associated with a west-southwesterly low level jet. The activity was located on the southern fringe of a moderately strong east-west mid-level jet.
• Flash Flooding and Flooding in Kansas, May 8, 20091 death · 1 injured · $33 million · 1.25 in hail · 60 eventsA complex of thunderstorms moved southeast out of Northwest Kansas into Central and South Central Kansas during the early morning hours of May 8th, 2009.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 8, 20092 deaths · 17 injured · $90,000 · EF3 · 27 eventsA long-lived bow echo that had produced widespread wind damage over southern Illinois moved east into Kentucky during the late morning hours.
• Tornado and Hail in Tennessee, May 8, 2009$210,000 · EF1 · 10 eventsA warm front was positioned across central Kentucky during the early morning hours in association with a strong low pressure center over eastern Missouri.
• Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 8, 20094 eventsTraining thunderstorms developed along a nearly stationary surface boundary during the overnight hours of the 7th into the 8th of May. An exceptionally moist airmass in place made thunderstorms efficient rain producers.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Kentucky, May 8 to 9, 2009$127,000 · 2 in hail · 50 eventsA line of strong to severe thunderstorms moved across eastern Kentucky beginning late in the afternoon of May 8th lasting through the overnight hours. These storms produced large hail, damaging winds, and flash flooding.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Tennessee, May 8, 2009$1,000 · 55 kt wind · 12 eventsA well organized damaging comma head/bow echo system with strong shear and weak to moderate instability plowed into the Southern Appalachian region producing predominantly severe wind gusts with limited reports of large hail.
• Tornado and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, May 8, 2009$253,000 · EF0 · 11 eventsSevere thunderstorms moved across portions of eastern Kentucky on the morning of May 8th; leaving in there wake downed trees and power lines and leaving thousands of people without power.
• Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 8, 2009$32,000 · 70 kt wind · 7 eventsSevere thunderstorms occurred across northeast Oklahoma during the morning hours of the 8th.
• Damaging Winds in Kansas, May 8, 2009$9.0 million · 78 kt wind · 2 eventsAn intense squall line impacted extreme southeast Kansas and the Missouri Ozarks with mainly damaging winds. However, 21 tornadoes developed over southern Missouri while some large hail was observed. Due to the straight line nature of the winds, damage was widespread and intense.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Missouri, May 8, 20091 death · 9 injured · $106 million · EF3 · 57 eventsAn intense squall line impacted extreme southeast Kansas and the Missouri Ozarks with mainly damaging winds. However, 19 tornadoes along with large hail was also observed. Due to the straight line nature of the winds, damage was widespread and intense.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Missouri, May 8, 2009EF1 · 23 eventsA large mesoscale convective system moved east across southern Missouri and southern Illinois causing widespread wind damage, as well as hail and a few tornadoes.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, May 8, 200961 kt wind · 3 eventsA few severe thunderstorms occurred across Carroll county in the northwest corner of Arkansas during the early morning hours of the 8th.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, May 8, 2009$10,000 · 1.5 in hail · 8 eventsScattered severe stroms produced large hail and damaging winds over the North Carolina mountains.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Arkansas, May 8 to 10, 2009$234,000 · 1 in hail · 31 eventsActive weather continued from May 8th through the 11th as another cold front arrived from the Plains and stalled in or near the region.
• Damaging Wind in North Carolina, May 8, 200955 kt wind · 1 eventA well organized damaging comma head/bow echo system with strong shear and weak to moderate instability plowed into the Southern Appalachian region producing predominantly severe wind gusts with limited reports of large hail.
• Tornado and Damaging Winds in Missouri, May 8, 20092 deaths · $62 million · EF0 · 10 eventsA mature, very intense derecho moved rapidly east along a stationary front across the Mid Mississippi Valley into the Lower Ohio Valley.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Arkansas, May 8 to 9, 200952 kt wind · 9 eventsA low pressure system moved northeast out of the Southern Plains. A MCS developed in association with the low and tracked across Northeast Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel and Northwest Tennessee.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Illinois, May 8, 20091.5 in hail · 5 eventsA large mesoscale convective system moved east across southern Missouri and southern Illinois causing widespread wind damage, as well as hail and a few tornadoes.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Illinois, May 8, 20091 death · 29 injured · $286 million · EF1 · 21 eventsA mature, very intense derecho moved rapidly east along a stationary front across the Mid Mississippi Valley into the Lower Ohio Valley.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Missouri, May 8 to 9, 2009$50,000 · 61 kt wind · 8 eventsA low pressure system moved northeast out of the Southern Plains May 8th into the early morning hours of May 9th, 2009. A MCS developed in association with the low and tracked across Northeast Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel and Northwest Tennessee.
• Flash Flood and Debris Flow in Puerto Rico, May 8, 20095 eventsA broad trough extending from the Central Caribbean to the north of Hispaniola combined with a southeast wind and favorable upper level conditions and produced numerous showers with thunderstorms which caused heavy rain across the San Juan metropolitan area, as well over western…
• Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, May 8, 2009$78,000 · 78 kt wind · 8 eventsA mature, very intense derecho moved rapidly east along a stationary front across the Mid Mississippi Valley into the Lower Ohio Valley. Winds along the bowing portion of the derecho weakened significantly before entering western Kentucky.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in South Carolina, May 8, 200950 kt wind · 2 eventsThunderstorms produced a little severe weather over parts of western South Carolina.
• Damaging Wind and Heavy Rain in Indiana, May 8, 200952 kt wind · 2 eventsWhile more widespread severe weather occurred south of the the Ohio River on May 8th, some thunderstorms across southern Indiana produced gusty winds with one report of damage in Perry County.
• Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Indiana, May 8, 2009$15,000 · 4 eventsA mature, very intense derecho moved rapidly east along a stationary front across the Mid Mississippi Valley into the Lower Ohio Valley. Winds along the bowing portion of the derecho weakened significantly before entering southwest Indiana.
• Tornado in Iowa, May 8, 2009EF0 · 1 eventA thunderstorm produced a brief tornado which was observed moving over plowed fields.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in South Carolina, May 8, 20091 in hail · 6 eventsScattered severe thunderstorms moved across the eastern Midlands and over to the coast.
• Hail in New York, May 8, 2009$5,000 · 0.75 in hail · 1 eventThunderstorms developed in warm, humid conditions. One of these thunderstorms produced three-quarter inch hail in Wolcott, Wayne County.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Tennessee, May 8, 2009$110,000 · EF2 · 18 eventsA highly organized mesoscale convective vorticity maximum with strong low to mid tropospheric flow coupled with moderate instability resulted in the development of discrete supercellular thunderstorms.
• Hail in Georgia, May 8, 20090.88 in hail · 1 eventThe pattern of early May continued, namely a series of weak short waves moving through a broad trough across the eastern half of the U.S. and a stationary front draped from the Tennessee Valley southwest into Texas.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, May 8, 2009$1,000 · 1 in hail · 3 eventsA strong upper air system moved into the central U.S. The upper system closed off as it moved into eastern South Dakota by evening. The freezing level was in the 10,000 to 10,500 foot range in the morning with colder air moving in during the day.
• Flash Flood and Hail in Texas, May 8 to 9, 2009$317,000 · 4 in hail · 46 eventsSevere thunderstorms producing large hail erupted during the afternoon hours in a highly unstable environment along a dryline west of Fort Worth. These storms eventually merged into an HP supercell that produced hail up to the size of softballs.
• Damaging Winds in Iowa, May 8, 2009$50,000 · 60 kt wind · 4 eventsA cold front moved across parts of eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois during the evening of May 8th sparking some showers and thunderstorms.|Some of the storms were severe, producing wind gusts over 58 mph, quarter-sized hail, and a tornado.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 8, 2009$250,000 · 1.75 in hail · 15 eventsA large supercell formed off of a dryline across Brown County. As the storm back built to the south, storm chasers and law enforcement officials observed and reported widespread wind damage and hail up to golfball size.
• Tornado and Hail in Illinois, May 8, 2009$2,000 · EF0 · 4 eventsA cold front moved across parts of eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois during the evening of May 8th sparking some showers and thunderstorms.|Some of the storms were severe, producing wind gusts over 58 mph, quarter-sized hail, and a tornado.
• Tornado and Flood in Virginia, May 8 to 9, 2009$30,000 · EF0 · 3 eventsA large thunderstorm complex moved from eastern Kentucky into West Virginia during the late afternoon on the 8th. In the wake of that feature, a strong upper air disturbance helped refire convection over southern Kentucky.
• Hail in Ohio, May 8, 20090.88 in hail · 1 eventA warm front lifted into northern Ohio causing showers and thunderstorms to develop.
• Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 8, 2009EF2 · 5 eventsA highly organized mesoscale convective vorticity maximum with strong low to mid tropospheric flow coupled with moderate instability resulted in the development of discrete supercellular thunderstorms.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 8, 2009$14,000 · 1.5 in hail · 5 eventsA thunderstorm complex over Kentucky and Tennessee moved east into the area during the evening of May 8th. Two supercells moved across southwest Virginia bringing damaging winds and hail up to the size of ping pongs.
• Damaging Wind in West Virginia, May 8, 2009$5,000 · 55 kt wind · 1 eventA thunderstorm complex over Kentucky and Tennessee moved east into the area during the evening of May 8th. One storm brought damaging winds to the southwestern portion of Mercer County.
• Hail in Oklahoma, May 8 to 9, 2009$75,000 · 3 in hail · 11 eventsSevere thunderstorms occurred across eastern Oklahoma from the late evening hours of the 8th into the early morning hours of the 9th.
• Flash Flood in Texas, May 8, 20091 eventThunderstorms with very heavy rainfall produced flash flooding in Brownwood.
• Flash Flooding in West Virginia, May 8 to 9, 2009$63,000 · 7 eventsAn area of showers and thunderstorms converged on southeast West Virginia during the evening of the 8th, and lasting through the 9th, along a frontal boundary. Heavier downpours with up to 2 inches of rain in a short amount of time caused flash flooding over portions of the area.
• Flash Flooding and Flooding in Kentucky, May 8 to 9, 2009$1.2 million · 11 eventsSome of the worst flooding that residents of Owsley, Breathitt, Floyd, Magoffin and Pike counties could remember took place on May 9th, 2009. A series of severe supercell thunderstorms that moved repeatedly over the same areas were the culprit of the disastrous flooding.
• Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 8, 2009$65,000 · 61 kt wind · 1 eventA broken line of thunderstorms developed across Iowa in advance of an upper-level disturbance during the evening of May 8th. The storms tracked eastward and brushed through north-central Illinois toward midnight.
• Tornadoes in North Carolina, May 8, 20096 injured · $205,000 · EF2 · 2 eventsA thunderstorm complex over Kentucky and Tennessee moved east into the area during the evening of May 8th. The storm environment was such that storms would have rotation due to strong wind shear, and a low level boundary in place.
• Flash Flooding in Missouri, May 8 to 9, 2009$150,000 · 2 eventsA band of thunderstorms became stationary from west to east across the Ozark foothills. The storms were fed by a rather strong west-southwest low level jet up to 40 knots.
• Flash Flooding and Flood in Kentucky, May 8 to 10, 2009$245,000 · 8 eventsA band of thunderstorms became stationary from west to east across the southern portion of western Kentucky. The storms were fed by a rather strong west-southwest low level jet up to 40 knots.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Tennessee, May 9, 2009$30,000 · 1 in hail · 8 eventsA low pressure system moved northeast out of the Southern Plains during May 8th into the early morning of May 9th, 2009. A MCS developed in association with the low and tracked across Northeast Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel and Northwest Tennessee.
• Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, May 9, 2009$1.2 million · 69 kt wind · 13 eventsA strong cold front that had moved into the mid state the night before continued to move southeastward through the mid state during the early morning hours on May 9th.
• Flash Flooding and Flood in Kentucky, May 9, 20091 death · 6 eventsScattered thunderstorms brought heavy rainfall to south central Kentucky on May 9th. This area was already rain soaked from recent heavy rains and many streams and low lying areas began to flood.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, May 9 to 10, 2009$209,000 · 1.75 in hail · 29 eventsSevere high precipitation supercells developed across north central |Texas the evening of May 8th and moved slowly eastward just south of the Red River during the pre dawn hours of May 9th.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, May 9, 2009$279,000 · 1 in hail · 16 eventsDuring the late afternoon and evening of the 9th, severe storms occurred across the ArkLaMiss region. There were some reports of hail up to golf ball sized, and wind damage across the central and northern portions of the region.
• Hail in Oklahoma, May 9, 20090.75 in hail · 2 eventsLocalized severe thunderstorms occurred over Choctaw County during the midday hours of the 9th.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, May 9, 2009$35,000 · 1 in hail · 4 eventsStrong thunderstorms accompanied the passage of a cold front during the afternoon hours. The thunderstorms produced hail up to one inch in diameter in Wayne county and strong winds that downed trees and power lines in Jefferson and Lewis counties.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 9, 2009$7,000 · 50 kt wind · 16 eventsA cold front moved through western North Carolina during the evening hours. The front was preceded by several severe thunderstorms.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Oklahoma, May 9 to 10, 2009$250,000 · 53 kt wind · 6 eventsBy the afternoon of May 9th through May 10th, the atmosphere became very unstable across the region and storms produced large hail and damaging thunderstorm wind gusts across northeast Texas, southeast Oklahoma and southwest Arkansas.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in New York, May 9, 2009$15,000 · 1 in hail · 4 eventsOn May 9th, a surface low and cold front moved from the Great Lakes across northern New York and Vermont, along a stationary boundary draped across the Adirondacks and central Vermont.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, May 9 to 10, 2009$223,000 · EF0 · 27 eventsBy the afternoon of May 9th through May 10th, the atmosphere became very unstable across the region and storms produced large hail and damaging thunderstorm wind gusts across northeast Texas, southeast Oklahoma and southwest Arkansas.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, May 9, 2009$7,000 · 50 kt wind · 5 eventsA strong cold front approached from the west late Saturday afternoon, preceded and accompanied by scattered to numerous thunderstorms, some of which became locally severe.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in New Hampshire, May 9, 200950 kt wind · 14 eventsA shortwave moving out of eastern New York into northern New England produced a moderate to strong mid level jet and good height falls over moderately unstable lower layers. Good speed and some directional shear resulted in rotating cells which evolved into bows and lines.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, May 9, 20091 in hail · 5 eventsShowers and thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and evening in a warm airmass ahead of an approaching cold front. Isolated thunderstorms that developed produced reports of damaging winds and large hail.
• Tornado and Hail in Vermont, May 9, 2009$175,000 · EF1 · 10 eventsOn May 9th, a surface low and cold front moved from the Great Lakes across northern New York and Vermont, along a stationary boundary draped across the Adirondacks and central Vermont.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 9, 200958 kt wind · 27 eventsA cluster of storms developed across central North Carolina downstream of a shortwave trough located over eastern Tennessee. The severe storms produced widespread wind damage with only one report of severe hail.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, May 9, 2009$250 · 50 kt wind · 3 eventsA few afternoon thunderstorms reached severe limits and produced marginally severe hail.
• Damaging Wind in Louisiana, May 9, 200953 kt wind · 1 eventIsolated severe thunderstorms developed just south of the Arkansas state line in a moderately unstable airmass across north central Louisiana. These thunderstorms developed along a residual outflow boundary and produced strong damaging wind gusts in Union Parish, Louisiana.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Louisiana, May 9, 20092 injured · $11,000 · 1.75 in hail · 3 eventsDuring the late afternoon and evening of the 9th, severe storms occurred across the ArkLaMiss region. There were some reports of hail up to golf ball sized, and wind damage across the central and northern portions of the region.
• Damaging Wind in South Carolina, May 9, 2009$1,000 · 50 kt wind · 1 eventA thunderstorm produced an isolated area of wind damage during the evening hours over Upstate South Carolina. Severe weather was more widespread over North Carolina this day.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Arkansas, May 9, 200950 kt wind · 2 eventsDuring the late afternoon and evening of the 9th, severe storms occurred across the ArkLaMiss region. There were some reports of hail up to golf ball sized, and wind damage across the central and northern portions of the region.
• Hail in Virginia, May 9, 20090.75 in hail · 1 eventA cold front slid south across the area during the afternoon of May 9th. Strong thunderstorms formed ahead of this front, but only one became severe over Charlotte County, Virginia. This storm produced penny sized hail.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, May 9, 2009$29,000 · 52 kt wind · 9 eventsA strong cold front moved through Southern New England, combining with strong shear and marginal instability to produce showers and thunderstorms across the area. These thunderstorms produced some small hail and severe winds, downing trees and branches.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 9, 2009$18,000 · 1 in hail · 19 eventsScattered severe thunderstorms in advance of a cold front produced large hail and damaging winds across portions of central and southeast Virginia.
• Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, May 9, 200950 kt wind · 3 eventsA strong cold front approached from the west late Saturday afternoon, preceded and accompanied by scattered to numerous thunderstorms, some of which became locally severe.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, May 9, 2009$4,000 · 1.75 in hail · 4 eventsScattered severe thunderstorms in advance of a cold front produced large hail and damaging winds across portions of the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore.
• Damaging Winds in Maine, May 9, 200950 kt wind · 4 eventsA shortwave moving out of eastern New York into northern New England produced a moderate to strong mid level jet and good height falls over moderately unstable lower layers. Good speed and some directional shear resulted in rotating cells which evolved into bows and lines.
• Damaging Wind in New Jersey, May 9, 200952 kt wind · 1 eventAn approaching cold front helped trigger some strong thunderstorms across southern New Jersey during the evening of the 9th.
• Flash Flood in Texas, May 9, 20091 eventIsolated convection developed along a stationary boundary near the Big Bend region of Texas. Due to the weak mid to upper level flow, slow moving storms produced very heavy rainfall and flash flooding near the southern extent of the Big Bend National Park.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Alabama, May 9 to 10, 2009$94,000 · 50 kt wind · 8 eventsA cold front moving through the southeastern states caused several strong to severe thunderstorms in central Alabama, with large hail and damaging winds.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, May 9, 20091 in hail · 2 eventsShowers and Thunderstorms developed over the Burro Mountains in Northeast Mexico and moved north over Val Verde County. The thunderstorms increased in strength as they moved north.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Oklahoma, May 9 to 10, 20091 in hail · 5 eventsA few severe thunderstorms occurred across far southeast Oklahoma during the overnight hours of the 9th and 10th. Flash flooding|followed for the morning and early afternoon hours.
• Hail in Oklahoma, May 10, 20091.75 in hail · 5 eventsA warm front located over south Texas lifted north toward Oklahoma, but remained south of the Red River by early afternoon. Warm and moist air lifted above the front, with showers and thunderstorms developing over the southern half of Oklahoma.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Louisiana, May 10, 2009$701 million · 1.75 in hail · 13 eventsDuring the afternoon and evening of the 10th, a small outbreak of severe storms occurred across the ArkLaMiss region. There were a number of reports of hail, wind damage, and a few tornadoes across the region. One of the strongest storms moved across Sharkey county.
• Damaging Wind in Montana, May 10, 200950 kt wind · 1 eventMulticellular thunderstorms were in the area. One produced a quick severe gust. No damages were reported.
• Damaging Wind in Georgia, May 10, 2009$2,000 · 55 kt wind · 1 eventA backdoor cold front stalled over southeast Georgia during the afternoon hours. A seabreeze pushed inland and met the stalled boundary during the late afternoon and evening hours producing strong thunderstorms in an unstable environment.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, May 10, 2009$5,000 · 1 in hail · 16 eventsA backdoor cold front stalled over southeast South Carolina during the afternoon hours. A seabreeze pushed inland and met the stalled boundary during the late afternoon and evening hours producing strong thunderstorms in an unstable environment.
• Tornado in Louisiana, May 10, 2009EF0 · 1 eventWidespread showers and thunderstorms, some producing strong and damaging |wind gusts, along with large hail, continued into the predawn hours |across southeast Oklahoma, northeast Texas as well as southwest |Arkansas.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, May 10, 2009$863,000 · 1.75 in hail · 20 eventsA cold front continued to drift slowly southward through the state and had finally drifted into central Georgia by May 10th. Weak disturbances embedded in west to southwest flow aloft within a mean eastern U.S.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, May 10, 2009$14,000 · 1.75 in hail · 12 eventsScattered severe thunderstorms over the eastern half of the Midlands produced some large hail and wind damage.
• Tornado and Hail in Mississippi, May 10, 20091 death · 3 injured · $398,000 · EF1 · 27 eventsDuring the afternoon and evening of the 10th, a small outbreak of severe storms occurred across the ArkLaMiss region. There were a number of reports of hail, wind damage, and a few tornadoes across the region. One of the strongest storms moved across Sharkey county.
• Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Louisiana, May 10 to 11, 2009$43,000 · 54 kt wind · 15 eventsStrong to severe thunderstorms once again developed across the region on May 11th. Flash flooding was once again noted across the middle Red River valley of northeast Texas, southeast Oklahoma and southwest Arkansas where additional rainfall of 3 to 6 inches were common.

Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 2009Tornadoes in 2009

NOAA NCEI, U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2025), https://doi.org/10.25921/stkw-7w73, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.