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Storm reports for May 21, 2011

NOAA recorded 283 hail reports, 36 wind reports and 18 tornado reports in 13 states on May 21, 2011.

in 13 states
337
Storm reports
About 2 miles from Topeka, KS
5.25 in
Largest hail
About 37 miles from Killeen, TX
70 mph
Highest gust
Highest rating EF3, about 40 miles from Topeka, KS
18
Tornado reports
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center

Hail, inches

  • 0.75
  • 1
  • 1.5
  • 2
  • 2.5
  • 3+

Dots: reports.

  • Wind report
  • Tornado and its path

Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center, final severe weather database (from NOAA's Storm Data). Report day: 12:00 UTC on May 21, 2011 to 12:00 UTC the next day. Times are Central.

Select a dot or a path for the report.

What happened

Hail measured at 5.25 inches fell on the west side of Topeka, Kansas, at about 4:57 p.m. CST on May 21, 2011, with numerous reports of baseball-size hail in and around the city.1 That evening, 8 tornadoes touched down across northeast Kansas, including at least 2 brief touchdowns in Topeka.2 The strongest, an EF3 with winds estimated at 140 mph, hit Reading in Lyon County. It swept a one-story home off its foundation, tore away or badly damaged the second floors of several two-story homes and threw a mobile home 50 yards.2 The tornado killed 1 person and injured 5 in Reading. NOAA's Storm Events Database lists $2.28 million in property damage from it in Lyon County.2

In Nebraska, hail up to 3 inches fell for several minutes in York, where the database lists $1 million in property damage.3 In central Texas, a hailstone measured at 5 inches across fell at the Burnet airport that evening.4 Grapefruit-size hail fell about 7 miles north of Kempner in Lampasas County, and stones from 2 to just over 3 inches fell in Topsey in Coryell County.5,6

Sources

  1. 1. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Storm Events Database: Event 309245, hail, Shawnee County, Kansas
  2. 2. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Storm Events Database: Event 295476, tornado, Lyon County, Kansas
  3. 3. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Storm Events Database: Event 308254, hail, York County, Nebraska
  4. 4. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Storm Events Database: Event 298216, hail, Burnet County, Texas
  5. 5. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Storm Events Database: Event 310478, hail, Lampasas County, Texas
  6. 6. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Storm Events Database: Event 310490, hail, Coryell County, Texas

Reports by hour

Hail283, most at 6 PM

Wind36, most at 8 PM

Tornado18, most at 6 PM

Reports per hour, Central time. Each row has its own scale.

Every report

Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center.

TimeRatingWherePath
4:24 PMEF0About 34 miles from Killeen, TX0.02 mi long, 25 yd wide
6:16 PMEF0About 7 miles from Topeka, KS1.2 mi long, 150 yd wide
6:35 PMEF0About 3 miles from Topeka, KS2.03 mi long, 50 yd wide
6:36 PMEF0About 16 miles from Minneapolis, MN0.2 mi long, 25 yd wide
6:57 PMEF0Near 39.92, -95.27, KS0.27 mi long, 50 yd wide
7:00 PMEF0About 53 miles from Norman, OK0.2 mi long, 30 yd wide
7:20 PMEF0About 16 miles from Topeka, KS1.94 mi long, 50 yd wide
7:30 PMEF0Near 40.00, -94.92, MO1.22 mi long, 60 yd wide
7:39 PMEF1About 55 miles from Norman, OK7.2 mi long, 880 yd wide
8:18 PMEF0About 41 miles from Norman, OK1 mi long, 50 yd wide
8:29 PMEF0About 42 miles from Norman, OK1 mi long, 50 yd wide
8:41 PMEF1About 42 miles from Norman, OK3.3 mi long, 150 yd wide
Show all 18 tornado reports
TimeRatingWherePath
8:50 PMEF1About 48 miles from Topeka, KS6.05 mi long, 150 yd wide
9:00 PMEF0About 11 miles from Georgetown, TX1.59 mi long, 30 yd wide
9:10 PMEF3About 40 miles from Topeka, KS10.11 mi long, 700 yd wide
9:20 PMEF0About 36 miles from Topeka, KS1.39 mi long, 50 yd wide
10:41 PMEF0About 30 miles from Topeka, KS0.05 mi long, 25 yd wide
10:43 PMEF1About 33 miles from Topeka, KS2.89 mi long, 100 yd wide

By state

StateReportsHailWindTornado
Kansas11410149
Minnesota514821
Texas403622
Nebraska353410
Missouri312551
Iowa241590
South Dakota12840
Oklahoma9405
Tennessee8080
Arkansas5500
New York5410
North Dakota2200
Louisiana1100

Cities with reports nearby

Reports within 15 miles of the center of each city we track.

CityLargest hailHighest gustTornado reports
Topeka, KS5.25 in70 mph2
Killeen, TX2.5 inNone0
Omaha, NE1.75 inNone0
Kansas City, MO0.75 inNone0
Minneapolis, MN0.75 inNone0
Shreveport, LA0.75 inNone0
Sioux Falls, SD0.75 in64 mph0
Des Moines, IANone66 mph0
Georgetown, TXNone58 mph1
Nashville, TNNone63 mph0

Reports are what observers recorded near a location, not a complete record of every storm. They don’t describe conditions at any building.