Wednesday’s wind storm reaches historic level, per Storm Prediction Center

The number of hurricane-force wind gusts exceeds the number seen during the 2012 derecho

1 dead as Midwest storm brings hurricane-force wind gusts

ROANOKE, Va. – One storm system produced everything from snow squalls to tornadoes, wind damage to a dust storm and wildfires across the Plains and Upper Midwest Wednesday.

Storm reports continue to be tallied by the Storm Prediction Center, but the results are already staggering.

Recommended Videos



The Storm Prediction Center confirmed that Wednesday’s wind storm produced the most hurricane-force wind gusts on record since at least 2004. As of 10:40 a.m. Thursday, there were 55 wind gusts that exceeded 74 miles per hour.

Compare that to the derecho of 2012, when there were 37 such gusts. (That’s not to minimize the impact that derecho had on our area. It’s just to show the scope of this storm.)

Wednesday's wind gusts reach a historic level, according to NOAA's SPC

This storm will likely be called a derecho, because of its size/swath of damage. A derecho is a wind storm that produces damage along a path of at least 400 miles.

What constitutes as a derecho

This storm is not expected to have a direct impact on our weather. Make sure to read Justin McKee’s forecast article from Thursday morning.


About the Author:

Meteorologist Chris Michaels is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Certified Broadcaster, forecasting weather conditions in southwest Virginia on WSLS 10 News from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays on Virginia Today.