Midwest Tornadoes and Severe Weather

Losses, 2024 dollars

$4.4 billion

Losses at the time

$3.0 billion

Deaths

13

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 Montana, May 20, 200852 kt wind · 1 eventSevere thunderstorms developed along the Rocky Mountain Front during the late afternoon/early evening hours of the 20th. Wind gusts to 60 mph were reported.
• Hail in Colorado, May 20, 20080.75 in hail · 1 eventA severe thunderstorm produced hail up to the size of pennies.
• Damaging Wind in Montana, May 20, 200858 kt wind · 1 eventSevere thunderstorms developed over southwest Montana during the early evening hours of the 20th. Wind gusts in excess of 60 mph were reported.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, May 20, 20081 in hail · 5 eventsA cold front was located across southern Virginia during the afternoon. An east-west oriented squall line developed just ahead of the cold|front and slowly worked its way south to the North Carolina/South Carolina border by late evening.
• Damaging Wind in Montana, May 20, 200857 kt wind · 1 eventA thunderstorm moved through Livingston and produced a 66 mph wind gust at the airport.
• Damaging Winds in Wyoming, May 20, 200864 kt wind · 4 eventsSevere thunderstorms rumbled across portions of southwest and central Wyoming during the evening hours. Damaging wind gusts in excess of 60 mph were recorded with the storms.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, May 21, 20081.75 in hail · 24 eventsA cluster of pre-frontal storms first began to impact southeast Georgia before dawn which produced widespread wind damage.
• Hail in Wyoming, May 21, 20081.5 in hail · 6 eventsAn approaching upper level low and vigorous cold front helped to spawn severe thunderstorms across parts of central and northern Wyoming.
• Flash Flood and Hail in California, May 21 to 22, 20081.1 in hail · 5 eventsA cold and unseasonable upper level low pressure system brought strong winds, strong thunderstorms and flash flooding to Southern California.
• Hail in Georgia, May 21, 20081.75 in hail · 4 eventsA back door cold front dropped southward into a sufficiently unstable air mass, and this resulted in the development of a few thunderstorms across southeast Georgia.
• Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, May 21, 20081 injured · $25,000 · 1 eventA lightning strike ingnited a roof fire in Dolington Manor in Lower Makefield Township on the late afternoon of the 21st. The fire quickly spread into the home's attio and second floor and destroyed the upper levels. Heavy fire damage occurred.
• Hail in Florida, May 21, 20080.75 in hail · 1 eventScattered severe storms developed across much of Southeast Georgia during the afternoon and evening of May 21st as an upper level short wave trough traversed a very unstable low level airmass where a quasi-stationary surface lingered near the Florida-Georgia state line.
• Hail in Colorado, May 21, 2008$4,000 · 1.75 in hail · 20 eventsIsolated thunderstorms developed over eastern Colorado and produced generally quarter to half dollar size hail though a few reports of golf ball size hail were received.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Georgia, May 21, 20081.75 in hail · 4 eventsA late afternoon severe thunderstorm produced strong winds and large hail from just west of Valdosta to just south of Lake Park.
• Damaging Wind in Virginia, May 21, 200850 kt wind · 1 eventScattered showers and thunderstorms developed in the wake of a cold front as an upper low pressure system intensified on May 21st. One of these storms was severe, producing damaging winds in Loudoun County.
• Hail in Colorado, May 21, 20081 in hail · 3 eventsSevere thunderstorms produced hail up to the size of quarters.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Colorado, May 21, 20081 injured · 1 in hail · 16 eventsSevere thunderstorm brought large hail and damaging winds to the Northeast Plains of Colorado. Large hail up to one inch in diameter was observed in Washington County. Strong thunderstorm winds to around 75 mph also caused damage.
• Hail in Wyoming, May 21, 20080.88 in hail · 1 eventA severe thunderstorm produced some nickel sized hail over western Platte county.
• Hail in Texas, May 21, 20080.75 in hail · 1 eventA weak upper low getting pushed ENE out of Mexico caused severe storms to fire along the Rio Grande Plains.
• Damaging Winds in Nebraska, May 21, 2008$6,000 · 63 kt wind · 3 eventsThunderstorms in the southern Nebraska Panhandle caused wind damage in Deuel and southern Garden Counties as they moved east.
• Damaging Winds in Texas, May 21, 20082 injured · $350,000 · 62 kt wind · 4 eventsShowers and thunderstorms developed within a very dry airmass over the western and central South Plains of west Texas during the evening hours of the 21st.
• Hail in Texas, May 21, 20080.75 in hail · 1 eventA severe thunderstorm produced penny sized hail in Cotulla.
• Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 22, 2008$250,000 · 3 eventsThunderstorms developed on the nose of the low level jet overnight the 21st into the morning of the 22nd. The extremely moist airmass in place lead to efficiant rainfall producing thunderstorms.
• Hail in Mississippi, May 22, 2008$2,000 · 0.88 in hail · 1 eventA warm front lifted north during the morning of May 22, 2008. Showers and thunderstorms developed along the front. Some storms became severe producing large hail.
• Hail in Tennessee, May 22, 2008$3,000 · 0.88 in hail · 2 eventsA warm front lifted north during the morning of May 22, 2008. Showers and thunderstorms developed along the front. Some storms became severe producing large hail.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Mississippi, May 22, 2008$58,000 · 60 kt wind · 14 eventsOur region saw numerous showers and thunderstorms develop during the afternoon hours on May 22nd and push south to north across the area. Scattered storms became severe and produced a mix of hail, damaging winds and locally heavy rainfall.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Louisiana, May 22, 2008$365,000 · 50 kt wind · 7 eventsAn upper level disturbance over southwest Louisiana resulted in thunderstorms that produced large hail and dumped 4 to 6 inches of rain around the Lafayette area.
• Damaging Winds in New Mexico, May 22, 2008$8,000 · 59 kt wind · 4 eventsCold air aloft associated with a large upper low over the Great Basin provided sufficient instability to create severe thunderstorms across central New Mexico.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Colorado, May 22, 20081 death · 79 injured · $147 million · EF3 · 36 eventsA powerful tornado swept north-northwestward across Weld County, carving a path of destruction, nearly 39 miles in length. The tornado, up to one-mile wide at times, initially touched down northeast of Platteville and finally lifted 6 miles west-northwest of Wellington.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, May 22, 2008$5,000 · 50 kt wind · 4 eventsIn response to an upper level disturbance, severe storms developed across southeast Texas, producing large hail and damaging winds.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, May 22, 20081 death · 2 injured · $90,000 · 50 kt wind · 13 eventsA warm front advancing from Louisiana into Arkansas triggered thunderstorms in central and southern Arkansas on the afternoon and evening of the 22nd.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Wyoming, May 22, 20081 injured · $320,000 · EF2 · 13 eventsSevere thunderstorms moved generally north northwest over parts of far southeast Wyoming producing a few tornadoes as well as hail and some flooding. The most significant tornado tracked across southeastern Albany county into northern and eastern parts of the city of Laramie.
• Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Louisiana, May 22, 2008$2,000 · 50 kt wind · 4 eventsIsolated strong to severe thunderstorms that produced heavy rain developed in a moist and unstable atmosphere as an upper level disturbance moved across the Gulf Coast region.
• Hail in California, May 22, 20080.75 in hail · 1 eventA severe thunderstorm produced 0.75 inch diameter hail in Murrieta. No reports of damage were received.
• Flash Flooding in California, May 22, 2008$655,000 · 3 eventsA line of strong thunderstorms formed along the Santa Ana Mountains and produced intense rainfall over the Santiago Burn area. Doppler radar estimated 1.00-1.25 inches of rainfall between 11:30 AM and Noon.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 22 to 23, 2008EF1 · 53 eventsJet streak dynamics associated with an anonymously strong upper level low in the rockies interacted with increasing low level moisture to produced widespread severe thunderstorms. The first tornadoes of the season occurred on this afternoon.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 22 to 23, 2008$4.5 million · EF2 · 45 eventsA series of intense supercell thunderstorms moved north across the area during the afternoon and early evening hours. Long-track tornadoes, flash flooding, large hail and damaging winds were reported across much of northwest Kansas into extreme southern Nebraska.
• Flash Flooding in California, May 22, 2008$5,000 · 3 eventsHeavy rain from thunderstorms over portions of the Poomacha and Witch Creek Burn Areas caused flash flooding along several roads. It appears that this event was more of a typical flash flood event and less of a debris flow event.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 22, 20081 injured · $1.0 million · 87 kt wind · 7 eventsA northward moving warm front across northeast Texas...southwest Arkansas as well as northern Louisiana encountered a very unstable airmass across the region. An upper level disturbance moved northeast from central Texas during the afternoon and evening hours of May 22nd.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Louisiana, May 22, 2008$13,000 · 55 kt wind · 6 eventsOur region saw numerous showers and thunderstorms develop during the afternoon hours on May 22nd and push south to north across the area. Scattered storms became severe and produced a mix of hail, damaging winds and locally heavy rainfall.
• Hail in Texas, May 22, 20080.75 in hail · 1 eventA severe thunderstorm developed along the dryline over Hall County during the late afternoon hours of the 22nd. This storm was at the southern extent of a widespread Southern Plains severe weather episode which impacted the Texas Panhandle, western Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado.
• Hail in Texas, May 22, 20082.5 in hail · 13 eventsSevere thunderstorms across the eastern Texas Panhandle during the late afternoon and early evening hours produced large hail. However...no damage or injuries were reported.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Louisiana, May 22, 200852 kt wind · 2 eventsA northward moving warm front across northeast Texas...southwest Arkansas as well as northern Louisiana encountered a very unstable airmass across the region. An upper level disturbance moved northeast from central Texas during the afternoon and evening hours of May 22nd.
• Tornado and Hail in Nebraska, May 22, 2008$350,000 · EF1 · 2 eventsSouthern Nebraska was on the fringe of the major tornado event in NW Kansas on this day. One long-track tornado moved across most of Decatur county Kansas before entering Red Willow county and producing damage. An isolated hail report was also received.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, May 22, 2008$2.0 million · 87 kt wind · 7 eventsA northward moving warm front across northeast Texas...southwest Arkansas as well as northern Louisiana encountered a very unstable airmass across the region. An upper level disturbance moved northeast from central Texas during the afternoon and evening hours of May 22nd.
• Tornado and Hail in Nebraska, May 22, 2008EF0 · 3 eventsThunderstorms developed in southwestern Nebraska north of a stationary front. A few of these thunderstorms became severe and contained large hail and a brief tornado.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 22 to 23, 2008$32,000 · 2.75 in hail · 43 eventsA dry line set up over the eastern panhandles during the afternoon, with dew point temperatures in the middle to upper 60s east of the boundary. Afternoon heating and lift from an upper level disturbance allowed for thunderstorms to develop east of the dry line.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flood in California, May 22, 20081 injured · $855,000 · EF2 · 6 eventsA thunderstorm developed near Redlands around 3:30 PM and quickly became severe as it moved south-southwest toward Moreno Valley along the Elsinore Convergence Zone. This storm produced large swaths of hail, flash flooding, and at least four tornadoes.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, May 22, 2008$2.4 million · 1.75 in hail · 15 eventsA large upper level trough located over the western U.S. was ejecting pieces of energy out over the Central Plains. Ahead of this trough at the surface, low pressure developed over eastern Colorado, helping to push a warm front north into the region.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Kansas, May 22 to 23, 2008$1.9 million · 1.75 in hail · 10 eventsA large upper level trough located over the western U.S. was ejecting pieces of energy out over the Central Plains. Ahead of this trough at the surface, low pressure developed over eastern Colorado, helping to push a warm front north into the forecast area.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, May 22 to 23, 2008$47,000 · 1.75 in hail · 15 eventsStrong to severe thunderstorms affected portions of Central and South-Central Kansas from the late evening hours of May 22nd through the early morning hours of May 23rd.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 22 to 23, 20082 deaths · 4 injured · $210,000 · EF3 · 108 eventsAn anonymously strong upper level system allowed everything to come together at the surface to produced what is perhaps the biggest tornado outbreak to ever occur in the Dodge City CWA! Fifty-five tornadoes were documented during that afternoon and evening! Some of the tornadoes…
• Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, May 23 to 24, 2008$80,000 · 55 kt wind · 8 eventsAn area of thunderstorms, a few severe, rolled out of northern Kansas and into southeast Nebraska during the late evening hours of May 23rd and the early morning hours of May 24th.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Nebraska, May 23, 2008$4.6 million · 1.75 in hail · 17 eventsLarge upper level trough over the western U.S. continued to eject energy out over the Central Plains, with a surface low remaining anchored over eastern Colorado with a stationary boundary draped east through the region.
• Lightning Strike in Iowa, May 23, 2008$10,000 · 1 eventThunderstorms moved into Iowa from the west during the early morning hours of the 23rd. Though the thunderstorms were not severe, a considerable amount of lightning occurred with the storms. Lightning struck a house in Urbandale around 4 AM CDT.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 23, 2008$2.8 million · EF1 · 9 eventsLarge upper level trough over the western U.S. continued to eject energy out over the Central Plains, with a surface low remaining anchored over eastern Colorado with a stationary boundary draped east through the region.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 23, 20082 injured · $4.7 million · EF4 · 35 eventsIntense supercell thunderstorms moved north across the region during the afternoon and evening hours producing 10 tornadoes, including an F4 tornado just SW of Quinter. Extremely heavy rainfall also resulted in flooding in many areas.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Nebraska, May 23, 2008$235,000 · 1 in hail · 10 eventsA low pressure center that stalled over northeast Colorado and the associated warm front across northern Kansas resulted in showers and thunderstorms into southwest Nebraska May 23, 2008.
• Hail in Nebraska, May 23, 20080.88 in hail · 2 eventsWarm and moist air riding over a warm front in Kansas caused thunderstorms, a few severe, to move into far southeast Nebraska during the late morning hours of May 23rd. The storms produced marginally severe size hail.
• Hail in Kansas, May 23, 20080.75 in hail · 1 eventThunderstorms again developed across portions of central and north central Kansas the morning of the 23rd, and lingered through around 10am CST. A single report of hail the size of pennies was received by the office with the most impressive of the otherwise weak storms.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Florida, May 23, 200851 kt wind · 4 eventsThunderstorms develop across Broward County producing hail and wind damage.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Tennessee, May 23, 2008$1,000 · 1.75 in hail · 2 eventsA few reports of hail and strong winds were reported to the NWS.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Wyoming, May 23, 2008$10,000 · EF1 · 8 eventsFor a second day in a row severe thunderstorms moved across parts of far southeastern Wyoming and produced hail and some tornadoes. The tornadoes remained generally over open country.
• Hail in South Carolina, May 23, 20080.75 in hail · 1 eventA band of showers and thunderstorms developed along a differential heating boundary and interacted with the lake breeze off of Lake Moultrie to produce a brief pulse severe thunderstorm.
• Hail in Oklahoma, May 23, 20082.75 in hail · 14 eventsSevere thunderstorms produced large hail across the eastern Oklahoma Panhandle during the evening hours. No damage or injuries were reported.
• Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Colorado, May 23, 2008EF1 · 4 eventsAn outflow boundary moving produced several small landspouts or gustnadoes along its leading edge as it moved across Weld County. One tornado knocked down power lines and snapped a fence. In addition, some stock trailers were overturned.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, May 23, 20082.75 in hail · 13 eventsSevere thunderstorms moved across the northeastern and eastern Texas Panhandle during the evening hours producing large hail and strong thunderstorm wind gusts. No damage or injuries were reported.
• Tornado in Colorado, May 23, 2008EF0 · 1 eventA brief tornado developed near the KS-CO border. It remained over open country with no known damage.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 23, 2008$30,000 · EF3 · 16 eventsThunderstorms developed during the afternoon ahead of a dry line that was located near the Texas panhandle and Oklahoma border. The thunderstorms quickly became supercells as they moved toward southwest Kansas.
• Tornado and Hail in Nebraska, May 23, 2008EF0 · 2 eventsA few severe thunderstorms moved across portions of Kimball and Morrill counties and produced a brief tornado as well as some large hail.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 23 to 24, 20081 injured · $200,000 · EF1 · 22 eventsStrong to severe thunderstorms affected portions of mainly central and south-central Kansas from the late evening hours of the 23rd into the early morning hours of the 24th.
• Damaging Winds in Florida, May 23, 2008$3,000 · 66 kt wind · 3 eventsThunderstorms forming on the Florida east coast sea breeze produced wind gust damage in Brevard County.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, May 23 to 24, 20081 death · 3 injured · 1.25 in hail · 9 eventsA line of severe thunderstorms moved into north central Kansas early the morning of the 24th. Hail to the size of half dollars fell, and winds to 70 mph were reported across the region. Minor damage was reported, mainly to tree limbs, power lines, and some structures.
• Damaging Wind in Kansas, May 24, 200850 kt wind · 1 eventA cluster of nocturnal storms impacted extreme southeast Kansas and portions of southwest Missouri. Marginally severe weather occurred as mainly damaging wind gusts were observed.
• Damaging Winds in Missouri, May 24, 2008$50,000 · 60 kt wind · 7 eventsA cluster of nocturnal storms impacted extreme southeast Kansas and portions of southwest Missouri. Marginally severe weather occurred as mainly damaging wind gusts were observed.
• Damaging Wind and High Wind in Iowa, May 24, 2008$3,000 · 53 kt wind · 2 eventsA large upper level low pressure was located over the southwest U.S. This system produced a considerable amount of severe weather to the southwest of Iowa. A line of severe thunderstorms raced across Kansas and Nebraska and entered Iowa during the predawn hours.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, May 24, 2008$1.3 million · 1 in hail · 13 eventsA weak back door type cold front was moving southwest through north and central Georgia. A deep upper trough was located along the east coast with an active northwest flow continuing into the southeast United States.
• Hail in South Dakota, May 24, 20081.75 in hail · 3 eventsSevere thunderstorms quickly developed across Mellette and Todd Counties early in the afternoon and produced hail to golf ball size.
• Flash Flood and Hail in Florida, May 24, 20081.75 in hail · 8 eventsA shortwave moved across South Florida during the afternoon hours allowing multiple severe thunderstorms to develop across southeast Florida.
• Hail and Lightning Strike in Arkansas, May 24, 2008$10,000 · 0.88 in hail · 4 eventsIsolated severe storms popped up during the afternoon of the 24th.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 24, 2008$35,000 · EF2 · 17 eventsAn outflow boundary from overnight thunderstorms was located over parts of northern Oklahoma, roughly from southern Alfalfa county to northern Lincoln county.
• Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, May 24, 2008EF0 · 9 eventsSevere storms developed across Haakon and Ziebach Counties during the afternoon. Large hail fell and three small tornadoes briefly touched down in northeastern Ziebach County.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, May 24 to 25, 2008$659,000 · 1.75 in hail · 14 eventsScattered thunderstorms developed across the northern portion of the area on May 24th and 25th. A few of these storms became severe and produced a mix of hail and wind damage across the north.
• Damaging Wind in Tennessee, May 24, 2008$2,000 · 50 kt wind · 1 eventA stationary front remained over the Midsouth during the evening hours of May 24, 2008. Showers and thunderstorms developed along the front. Some storms became severe with large hail and damaging winds.
• Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, May 24 to 25, 2008EF0 · 27 eventsA strong upper level low lifting across the region combined with high low level moisture, strong deep layer shear, and strong low level winds resulted in several supercell thunderstorms across the region.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in South Dakota, May 24, 2008$22,000 · 1 in hail · 5 eventsA severe thunderstorm moved across southern and eastern Perkins County, producing hail to quarter size and wind damage near Meadow.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, May 24, 20082 injured · $779,000 · 1.75 in hail · 13 eventsA cold front pushed southward through southern South Carolina and southeast Georgia and interacted with the sea breeze to produce scattered severe thunderstorms.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, May 24, 2008$18,000 · 1 in hail · 12 eventsA stationary front remained over the Midsouth during the evening hours of May 24, 2008. Showers and thunderstorms developed along the front. Some storms became severe with large hail and damaging winds.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Georgia, May 24, 20081.75 in hail · 2 eventsA passing upper level short wave trough and sea breezes induced a few severe thunderstorms over Southeast Georgia during the late afternoon and early evening when surface based instability was high.
• Flash Flood and Hail in Texas, May 24, 20081 in hail · 4 eventsDryline thunderstorms moved into western portions of the Big Country and produced hail up to the size of quarters south of Sweetwater.
• Hail in Texas, May 24, 20081.75 in hail · 1 eventActivity during this event was restricted to the western Low Rolling Plains. Thunderstorms began developing southwestward along the dryline which reached just into the forecast area.
• Hail in Nebraska, May 24, 20080.75 in hail · 1 eventA narrow line of thunderstorms developed along a dry line over the western sections of northeast Nebraska during the mid afternoon hours of May 24th. A few storms managed to produce wall clouds and some rotation.
• Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, May 24, 2008$235,000 · EF1 · 13 eventsIn the late afternoon of May 24th, Tornado Watch 352 was issued in anticipation of severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes developing along and ahead of a strong closed upper level low and associated surface low and cold frontal boundary over southern North Dakota.
• Tornado and Hail in North Dakota, May 24, 2008EF0 · 4 eventsThunderstorms with embedded supercells formed near the upper level jet and moved into southeast North Dakota.
• Hail in Texas, May 24, 20081 in hail · 2 eventsStrong to severe thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and moved east into northern Texas. The thunderstorms congealed into a line as they moved east, with large hail reported in Knox and Wichita counties. No damage was reported.
• Hail in Oregon, May 24, 20080.75 in hail · 1 eventAn unstable airmass with southerly flow moved over the forecast area, and many thunderstorms developed in the evening hours. Some of these storms became severe, and produced hail and lightning.
• Hail in Washington, May 24, 20080.75 in hail · 2 eventsAn unstable airmass with southerly flow moved over the forecast area, and many thunderstorms developed in the evening hours. Some of these storms became severe, and produced hail and lightning.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, May 24 to 25, 20081.75 in hail · 24 eventsStrong to severe thunderstorms developed across north-central Oklahoma and south-central Kansas from the evening hours of May 24th through the early morning hours of the 25th, ahead of a strong dryline draped across the central and southern plains.
• Damaging Wind in Kansas, May 25, 200861 kt wind · 1 eventA weakening thunderstorm in Lyon County produced a heat burst and attendant strong winds that caused damage south of the city of Emporia. The measured temperature at the Emporia Airport (KEMP) increased by 20 degrees between 4:44am and 5:11am from 71 to 91 degrees fahrenheit.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 25, 2008EF1 · 33 eventsYet another day of severe thunderstorms including hail and tornadoes occurred across the area. The strong upper level low that had helped produce severe weather for several days prior was moving slowly into the area.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, May 25, 20082 deaths · 20 injured · $26 million · EF3 · 96 eventsA cold front was the catalyst for numerous reports of severe weather on this date.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Illinois, May 25 to 26, 2008$62,000 · 1.75 in hail · 29 eventsA warm front moving north triggered slow moving severe thunderstorms across the area. The storms produced wind and hail damage and localized flash flooding.
• Damaging Wind in Iowa, May 25, 200852 kt wind · 1 eventA strong low level jet and a warm front lifted northward across the region and triggered a few severe thunderstorms in portions of eastern Iowa and western Illinois during the morning hours of May 25, 2008.
• Hail in Illinois, May 25, 20081 in hail · 4 eventsA strong low level jet and a warm front lifted northward across the region and triggered a few severe thunderstorms in portions of eastern Iowa and western Illinois during the morning hours of May 25, 2008.
• Hail and Lightning Strike in Wisconsin, May 25, 2008$200,000 · 0.88 in hail · 7 eventsThunderstorms developed across portions of northwest Wisconsin ahead of a complex frontal boundary. Some storms became severe in the late afternoon and produced large hail.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Missouri, May 25 to 26, 2008$154,000 · 1.75 in hail · 27 eventsA warm front lifting north triggered slow moving severe thunderstorms across the area. The storms produced wind and hail damage and localized flash flooding.
• Hail in Illinois, May 25, 20081 in hail · 1 eventA single thunderstorm moved across northern Illinois during the early afternoon of May 25th, before dissipating near Lake Michigan. This storm produced large hail.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 25, 2008$630,000 · EF0 · 83 eventsSevere thunderstorms producing large hail...damaging winds...and a few tornadoes moved across the western and central Texas Panhandle during the afternoon and evening hours. No injuries were reported.
• Hail in Oklahoma, May 25, 20080.88 in hail · 1 eventAn isolated severe thunderstorm occurred during the early afternoon hours of the 25th.
• Hail in Kansas, May 25, 20083.5 in hail · 11 eventsSupercell thunderstorms produced up to tea cup size hail over portions of northwest Kansas.
• Tornado and Hail in Wisconsin, May 25, 2008$250,000 · EF0 · 23 eventsA strengthening upper level jet, in excess of 90 knots, contributed to the develop of elevated thunderstorms ahead of a warm front that moved across Wisconsin.
• Hail in Alabama, May 25, 20081 in hail · 1 eventQuarter size hail fell from a thunderstorm near Foley.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 25, 2008$65,000 · 75 kt wind · 6 eventsSouthwest upper level flow was in place over west Texas and southeast New Mexico in advance of a broad upper level trough located over the western United states. Meanwhile, an upper level ridge of high pressure was centered across Louisiana.
• Flash Flood and Hail in Arkansas, May 25, 2008$1,000 · 1 in hail · 10 eventsSevere thunderstorms occurred across northwest Arkansas during the afternoon and evening hours of the 25th.
• Hail in Minnesota, May 25, 20081.75 in hail · 8 eventsA trough or dry line moved through northwest Minnesota, firing up several severe thunderstorms.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, May 25, 20089 deaths · 70 injured · $102 million · EF5 · 115 eventsA very intense upper low was located over the southwest U.S. and lifted northeast during the weekend of the 24th into the morning of the 26th.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Kansas, May 25 to 26, 2008$33,000 · EF0 · 32 eventsA subtle upper level disturbance interacted with a frontal boundary and unstable airmass to produce numerous strong to severe thunderstorms across much of central and south-central Kansas, as well as portions of southeast Kansas from the afternoon hours of the 25th through the…
• Hail and Damaging Wind in New Mexico, May 25, 20081 in hail · 2 eventsSouthwest upper level flow was in place over west Texas and southeast New Mexico in advance of a broad upper level trough located over the western United states. Meanwhile, an upper level ridge of high pressure was centered across Louisiana.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Missouri, May 25, 2008$40,000 · 1.75 in hail · 14 eventsSingle cell thunderstorms developed over southwest Missouri in response to the approach of an mesoscale convective vortex. Large hail, damaging winds, and a localized area of flash flooding occurred.
• Hail in Michigan, May 25, 20082.5 in hail · 6 eventsSevere thunderstorms produced large hail over portions of south central Upper Michigan on the 25th.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Kansas, May 25, 2008$1.2 million · 1 in hail · 5 eventsAn upper level low pressure system and accompanying surface low crossing the Northern Plains pushed a cold front into north-central Kansas by mid afternoon on the 25th.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Iowa, May 25, 2008$25,000 · 2.5 in hail · 12 eventsA cold front moved across northern Iowa during the late afternoon and evening hours on May 25, triggering severe thunderstorms ahead of it.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Wisconsin, May 25, 2008$200,000 · EF0 · 44 eventsA cold front was the catalyst for numerous reports of severe weather on this date.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Nebraska, May 25, 2008$335,000 · 1.25 in hail · 6 eventsAn upper level low pressure system and accompanying surface low crossing the Northern Plains pushed a cold front through a good portion of south-central Nebraska by mid afternoon on the 25th.
• Hail in Mississippi, May 25, 20081 in hail · 1 eventIsolated strong to severe thunderstorms developed in a moist and unstable atmosphere.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, May 25, 20081 in hail · 5 eventsSevere thunderstorms developed along a trough stretching through north central Kansas during the late afternoon hours of the 25th. These storms congealed into a non-severe MCS that tracked across the rest of northeast Kansas.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 25, 2008$133,000 · 1 in hail · 6 eventsSevere thunderstorms produced large hail and wind damage across the central and eastern Oklahoma Panhandle during the early evening hours. No injuries were reported.
• Tornado and Hail in Illinois, May 25, 2008$32,000 · EF0 · 10 eventsMost of the severe weather reports accompanied a supercell thunderstorm that formed along a warm front and tracked southeast across the Murphysboro and Carbondale areas.
• Tornado and Hail in Minnesota, May 25, 2008EF0 · 4 eventsThunderstorms developed near a warm front situated along the Canadian border, while a cold front extended southward through central Minnesota. Some storms became severe in the late afternoon and produced large hail.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Iowa, May 25 to 26, 20084 injured · $2.8 million · EF3 · 46 eventsHeavy rain-producing showers and thunderstorms moved across much of eastern Iowa and northwest and west central Illinois from the evening of May 25th to the early morning of May 26th. Some of the stronger storms also produced tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, May 25, 20081.75 in hail · 10 eventsOn the 25th, weakening storms in the Plains left behind a mesoscale convective vortex. Cool air with this system aloft moved over much warmer and more humid conditions near the ground. Thunderstorms were triggered in the northern counties during the heat of the afternoon.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, May 25, 2008$115,000 · 1 in hail · 5 eventsScattered severe storms affected south-central Wisconsin wiht large hail and powerful downburst winds gusting to around 56 knots (65 mph).
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, May 25, 20081.25 in hail · 21 eventsA thunderstorm complex developed along a dry line/weak cool front just southwest of the region during the late afternoon hours of May 25th.
• Tornado in North Dakota, May 25, 2008EF0 · 1 eventA trough or dry line moved through extreme northeast North Dakota, which produced a brief tornado touchdown.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, May 25, 2008$147,000 · 1 in hail · 18 eventsA cold front moved across southwest and central Wisconsin during the the evening hours on May 25. Severe thunderstorms developed ahead of the front and produced hail up to the size of quarters, along with damaging winds estimated as high as 70 to 75 mph.
• Damaging Winds in Iowa, May 25, 200855 kt wind · 6 eventsA thunderstorm complex developed along a dry line/weak cool front just southwest of the region during the late afternoon hours of May 25th.
• Flash Flood and Flooding in Iowa, May 25, 2008$80,000 · 4 eventsA cold front moved across northern Iowa during the late afternoon and evening of May 25. Ahead of the front, slow moving thunderstorms produced excessive rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches, which caused flash flooding in southern sections of Fayette and Clayton County.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 25 to 26, 2008$65,000 · 1.75 in hail · 9 eventsHeavy rain-producing showers and thunderstorms moved across much of northwest and west central Illinois from mid-evening of May 25th into the early morning hours of May 26th. Some of the stronger storms also produced damaging winds and large hail.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Missouri, May 25, 20081.75 in hail · 3 eventsIsolated severe thunderstorms, produced several reports of severe weather across the area, on May 25, 2008.
• Damaging Winds in Arkansas, May 25, 2008$3,000 · 50 kt wind · 2 eventsAn upper level disturbance moved into East Arkansas during the late evening hours of May 25, 2008. Showers and thunderstorms developed in association with the disturbance. Some storms became severe and produced damaging winds.
• Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 25 to 26, 2008$38,000 · 61 kt wind · 4 eventsA couple storm complexes impacted portions of central Illinois during the evening hours of the 25th and the early morning hours of the 26th. These storm complexes produced spotty wind damage.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, May 25 to 26, 20081 in hail · 5 eventsAnother round of thunderstorms developed over eastern New Mexico during the afternoon hours. The thunderstorms finally made it into western and northwest Oklahoma by late evening, and continued east and northeast through the early morning hours.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Illinois, May 25 to 26, 2008$50,000 · 55 kt wind · 4 eventsThunderstorms developed over western Illinois during the early morning hours of May 26th and moved across parts of north central Illinois and caused some wind damage.
• Flash Flood in Missouri, May 26, 2008$8,000 · 1 eventHeavy rain occurred as persistent southerly winds brought very moist air northward across a warm front over the mid-Mississippi Valley.
• Flash Flood and Hail in Oklahoma, May 26, 20080.88 in hail · 4 eventsSevere thunderstorms occurred over northeast Oklahoma during the morning hours of the 26th.
• Flash Flooding and Flooding in Kansas, May 26 to 27, 2008$255,000 · 2 in hail · 70 eventsAnother severe weather episode moved across the forecast area producing widespread flooding and hail across most of the counties served. A few high wind events were also noted.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Tennessee, May 26 to 27, 20081 injured · $744,000 · 1.25 in hail · 19 eventsAn outflow boundary from a large thunderstorm complex set off showers and thunderstorms over the Midsouth during the afternoon and evening hours of May 26, 2008. Some of the activity lingered into the morning hours of May 27th.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 26, 2008$90,000 · EF0 · 58 eventsSevere thunderstorms moved across the eastern half of the Texas Panhandle during the late afternoon and evening hours. These storms produced large hail...strong winds...and isolated brief tornadoes.
• Tornado and Flash Flood in Texas, May 26, 2008$20,000 · EF0 · 12 eventsA continuing day of convection along the dryline ensued across southern portions of the forecast area. Increasing southeast winds assisted in boosting low level moisture across the region. Moderate shear and above normal moisture led to the development of severe storms.
• Damaging Winds in Tennessee, May 26, 2008$7,000 · 55 kt wind · 4 eventsMainly straight line wind damage was reported to the NWS.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Alabama, May 26, 2008$10,000 · 1 in hail · 3 eventsA prefrontal trough moved into a moist and unstable air mass over northern Alabama, resulting in scattered wind damage, large hail and isolated flash flooding.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 26 to 27, 2008$65,000 · EF1 · 51 eventsThe final severe weather outbreak produced from the slow moving upper level disturbance produced hail and a few tornadoes.
• Flash Flood and Hail in Oklahoma, May 26 to 27, 2008$24,000 · 4.25 in hail · 27 eventsDuring the morning hours of the 26th, a cold front moved into southwest Kansas, with a dry line extending south of the front into the eastern Texas panhandle. An outflow boundary was located from central Kansas, south into north-central and northeastern Oklahoma.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Mississippi, May 26 to 27, 2008$8,000 · 50 kt wind · 6 eventsAn outflow boundary from a large thunderstorm complex set off showers and thunderstorms over the Midsouth during the afternoon and evening hours of May 26, 2008. Some of the activity lingered into the morning hours of May 27th.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Arkansas, May 26, 200861 kt wind · 3 eventsIsolated severe thunderstorms occurred during the afternoon of the 26th.
• Damaging Wind in Tennessee, May 26, 2008$2,000 · 56 kt wind · 1 eventA prefrontal trough pushed into a moist and unstable air mass in Southern Middle Tennessee producing isolated damaging wind.
• Flash Flood and Hail in Mississippi, May 26 to 27, 2008$5.0 million · 1 in hail · 13 eventsAn early summer type pattern developed across the region briefly and brought scattered afternoon thunderstorms to the area. A few of these became severe and brought some damaging winds and a little small hail.
• Hail in Oklahoma, May 26, 20081.75 in hail · 7 eventsSevere thunderstorms moved across the eastern Oklahoma Panhandle during the late afternoon and early evening hours producing large hail. No damage or injuries were reported.
• Damaging Wind in Colorado, May 26, 200852 kt wind · 1 eventA severe thunderstorm wind gust occurred at the Craig-Moffat County Airport.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, May 26, 2008$46,000 · 50 kt wind · 3 eventsAn outflow boundary from a large thunderstorm complex set off showers and thunderstorms over the Midsouth during the afternoon and evening hours of May 26, 2008. Some of the activity lingered into the morning hours of May 27th.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, May 26, 20081 in hail · 7 eventsHigh pressure began building to the west of the region on the 26th. This created a northwest wind flow aloft, with a front slowly riding the flow into Arkansas.
• Damaging Wind in Alabama, May 26, 2008$2,000 · 1 eventLate afternoon thunderstorms caused isolated wind damage.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Alabama, May 26 to 27, 20081 death · $54,000 · 1 in hail · 27 eventsOn the morning of June 27th, strong to severe thunderstorms formed along multiple pre-frontal boundaries ahead of a slow moving cold front over northern Tennessee.
• Hail in Oklahoma, May 26, 2008$50,000 · 1.75 in hail · 3 eventsIsolated severe thunderstorms occurred to the west and northwest of Tulsa on the evening of the 26th.
• Flash Flood in Kansas, May 26, 20081 eventThunderstorms developed along a nearly stationary boundary during the early morning hours of the 26th, and persisted for several hours. The city of Manahattan was hit particularly hard by the heavy rain.
• Damaging Wind in Arkansas, May 26, 200852 kt wind · 1 eventAn outflow boundary from the previous mornings convection served as a focus for late afternoon and evening thunderstorm activity across portions of southwest Arkansas. An isolated thunderstorm developed across northern Howard County and produced strong and damaging wind gusts.
• Hail in Kansas, May 26 to 29, 20081 in hail · 4 eventsIsolated severe thunderstorms produced marginally severe hail in Trego and Scott counties.
• Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Arkansas, May 27, 200850 kt wind · 3 eventsScattered severe storms produced damaging winds and spotty flash flooding across northern and central Arkansas early on the 27th.
• Flash Flooding in Oklahoma, May 27, 2008$5,000 · 7 eventsFlash flooding occurred during the morning of the 27th across northeast Oklahoma.
• Flash Flood in Arkansas, May 27, 20081 eventHeavy rain caused flooding in Fort Smith.
• Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 27, 2008$102,000 · 50 kt wind · 7 eventsInreasing large-scale lift and instability brought showers and thunderstorms to north Texas. Flash flooding was the result.
• Damaging Winds in Texas, May 27, 200855 kt wind · 10 eventsA mesoscale convective system which developed during the early morning hours of May 27th across central Oklahoma moved southeast during the morning and produced widespread wind damage across northeast Texas, southwest Arkansas and northwest Louisiana.
• Hail in Massachusetts, May 27, 20080.88 in hail · 1 eventThe passage of a strong cold front during the early afternoon hours of Tuesday May 27th was preceded and accompanied by isolated strong to severe thunderstorms.
• Tornado and Flash Flood in Illinois, May 27, 2008EF0 · 2 eventsA landspout tornado developed over Richland County, 5 miles south southeast of Olney. The tornado briefly touched down in a field. No damage was reported. In addition, heavy rains caused flash flooding southeast of Olney.
• Flash Flood and Heavy Rain in Missouri, May 27, 20082 eventsA cold front moved slowly south across the region, triggering some thunderstorms with heavy rain.
• Hail in California, May 27, 20080.75 in hail · 1 eventScattered thunderstorms brought locally heavy rainfall and hail to the region.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in New York, May 27, 200850 kt wind · 2 eventsA cold front crossed the Tri-State on the 27th producing isolated severe weather across Orange and Westchester Counties.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Indiana, May 27, 2008$84,000 · EF0 · 12 eventsA series of storms moved across central Indiana producing heavy rainfall and a tornado.
• Flash Flood in Illinois, May 27, 20081 eventAfter a day of about two inches of rain, more thunderstorms formed over Bond County dropping another two inches of rain and causing flash flooding.
• Damaging Wind in Arkansas, May 27, 200853 kt wind · 1 eventA mesoscale convective system which developed during the early morning hours of May 27th across central Oklahoma moved southeast during the morning and produced widespread wind damage across northeast Texas, southwest Arkansas and northwest Louisiana.
• Damaging Winds in Louisiana, May 27, 200853 kt wind · 2 eventsA mesoscale convective system which developed during the early morning hours of May 27th across central Oklahoma moved southeast during the morning and produced widespread wind damage across northeast Texas, southwest Arkansas and northwest Louisiana.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Texas, May 27, 2008$40,000 · EF0 · 17 eventsThe last of a three day active severe weather period occurred across much of west Texas. The dryline retreated overnight and once again became active in regards to thunderstorm development.
• Hail in New Jersey, May 27, 20080.75 in hail · 1 eventA cold front approached and then moved through during the afternoon and evening hours of the 27th. Scattered thunderstorms developed as a result of a warm and moist air mass ahead of the cold front.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 27, 2008$78,000 · 1.75 in hail · 16 eventsSeveral outflow boundaries were located over western and southwest Oklahoma. Strong instability developed near these boundaries by mid to late afternoon, with widespread showers and thunderstorms developing.
• Hail in Nevada, May 27, 20081 death · 2 injured · $5,000 · 0.25 in hail · 1 eventScattered thunderstorms brought locally heavy rainfall and hail to the region.
• Damaging Winds in Texas, May 27, 2008$40,000 · 54 kt wind · 8 eventsSevere thunderstorms developed along the southern edge of a large northeastern Texas mesoscale convective complex as it expanded southward.
• Flash Flood and Hail in Texas, May 27 to 28, 2008$510,000 · 1.75 in hail · 19 eventsScattered thunderstorms erupted along a stalled frontal boundary over the central South Plains of west Texas during the afternoon hours of the 27th. Many of these storms, initially supercells, produced large hail and damaging winds.
• Damaging Wind in New Jersey, May 27, 200850 kt wind · 1 eventA cold front crossed the Tri-State on the 27th producing isolated severe weather across Essex County.
• Flash Flooding in Illinois, May 27, 20082 eventsA cold front moved slowly southward across the region, triggering some thunderstorms with heavy rain.
• Flash Flooding in Indiana, May 27, 2008$5,000 · 2 eventsA cold front moved slowly south across the region, triggering some thunderstorms with heavy rain.
• Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, May 27, 200850 kt wind · 1 eventSeveral broken lines of thunderstorms formed during the afternoon hours across Central Pennsylvania as a cold front moved southeastward across the Commonwealth. The thunderstorms intensified across the Lower Susquehanna Valley and produced damaging winds in Lebanon County.
• Flash Flood in Alabama, May 27, 2008$15,000 · 1 eventHeavy rain associated with thunderstorms caused isolated flooding in eastern Alabama.
• Hail in Texas, May 27, 20080.88 in hail · 1 eventThunderstorms developed near and along several boundaries that were left over from previous nights convection. A few of the thunderstorms became severe, although they moved over mainly rural areas of western north Texas.
• Damaging Winds in Louisiana, May 27 to 28, 2008$50,000 · 70 kt wind · 2 eventsScattered to numerous thunderstorms developed across the region on May 27 and 28th. Nearly all storms were non severe, but two managed to become strong enough to produce damaging winds. Most of the storms during this time produced locally heavy rainfall.
• Flash Flood in Connecticut, May 27, 2008$600,000 · 1 eventStrong thunderstorms in advance of a cold front crossed the tri-state area on May 27th producing isolated flash flooding in New Haven County.
• Flash Flood in New York, May 27, 20081 eventStrong thunderstorms in advance of a cold front crossed the tri-state area on May 27th producing isolated flash flooding in Suffolk County.
• Flash Flooding in Mississippi, May 28, 2008$2.2 million · 4 eventsA few clusters of slow moving thunderstorms evolved across central Mississippi during the morning hours of May 28th. Some localized areas from Yazoo County, across Madison County into Extreme northern Rankin County saw 4 to 6 inches of rain.
• Hail in Idaho, May 28, 20081 in hail · 3 eventsLarge hail recorded in southeast Idaho.
• Hail in Idaho, May 28, 20081 in hail · 1 eventAn upper low rotating several shortwaves through the Intermountain West aided in strong to severe thunderstorms across parts of Southwest Idaho.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Georgia, May 28, 2008$1,000 · 0.75 in hail · 3 eventsA strong cold front was moving south from the Tennessee Valley into the southeast United States. A large area of cold high pressure was spreading south behind the front from the Ohio Valley into the southeast United States.
• Tornado and Hail in Wyoming, May 28, 20081 injured · $10,000 · EF0 · 4 eventsSevere thunderstorms generated over the northwest mountains and moved northeast across nearby valleys and basins.
• Hail in Idaho, May 28, 20081 in hail · 1 eventA severe thunderstorm dumped a significant accumulation of hail eight miles southwest of Deary.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in New Mexico, May 28, 2008$36,000 · EF0 · 24 eventsA warm unstable airmass and a strongly sheared environment resulted in supercell thunderstorms across parts of New Mexico.
• Hail in Texas, May 28, 20081 in hail · 2 eventsA dryline within a favorably sheared environment triggered severe thunderstorms in northern Hudspeth County in far west Texas. Penny to quarter size hail fell from these storms.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in New Mexico, May 28, 2008$2.9 million · 2.5 in hail · 5 eventsA high precipitation supercell split over the Holloman AFB area, with the left moving cell tracking northeastward into Tularosa and the right moving cell eastward into Alamogordo.
• Flash Flooding in Washington, May 28, 20082 eventsBrief heavy rain led to flash flooding near Pullman and 14 miles east of Pomeroy. Five to six miles north to northeast of Pullman, flooding was observed on Estes and Old Ambion roads.
• Hail in Colorado, May 28, 20081 in hail · 3 eventsSevere thunderstorms...generating hail up to the size of quarters occurred over portions of Costilla...Rio Grande and Prowers Counties.
• Flash Flood in Idaho, May 28, 2008$50,000 · 1 eventA thunderstorm produced intense rainfall in the Mill Creek watershed which produced three large debris slides.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in South Carolina, May 28, 200850 kt wind · 3 eventsA cold front pushed into an unstable air mass across southern South Carolina and when combined with the sea breeze, resulted in the development of a few strong to severe thunderstorms.
• Damaging Wind in Montana, May 28, 200852 kt wind · 1 eventThunderstorms developed over Cascade county late in the afternoon on the 28th. Wind gusts to 60 mph were reported.

Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 2008Tornadoes in 2008

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.