List of United States tornadoes in May 2008

In May 2008, various weather forecast offices of the National Weather Service confirmed 462 tornadoes in the United States. At the time, this was the third most active May on record for tornado activity in the country, only behind 2003 and 2004. Based on the long-term 1991–2020 average, an average May records 268 tornadoes in the United States. The brunt of activity was focused across three significant events, including a tornado outbreak from May 1–2 and tornado outbreak sequences encompassing May 7–11 and May 22–27. The most intense tornado of the month was an EF5 tornado that affected areas near Parkersburg, Iowa. It was the first such tornado in Iowa since June 13, 1976. In all, tornado activity across the United States in May 2008 resulted in 44 deaths and 683 injuries. The monetary cost of the May 22–27 tornado activity alone cost $4.2 billion (2008 USD).

Daily statistics There were 597 tornadoes reported in the United States in the month of May, of which 462 were confirmed. + Daily statistics of tornadoes during May 2008 DateTotalEnhanced Fujita scale ratingDeathsInjuriesDamage EF0  EF1  EF2  EF3  EF4  EF5  May 1 28 20 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 May 2 34 8 17 7 2 0 0 6 45 May 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 May 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 May 5 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 May 6 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 May 7 10 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 May 8 27 11 10 5 2 0 0 1 7 May 9 4 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 May 10 34 13 16 3 1 1 0 22375 May 11 44 14 14 13 2 1 0 2 33 May 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 May 13 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 May 14 12 10 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 May 15 14 6 7 1 0 0 0 0 3 May 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 May 17 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 May 18 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 May 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 May 20 6 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 May 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 May 22 28 16 8 3 1 0 0 1 81 May 23 79 41 22 9 6 1 0 2 6 > May 24 23 18 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 > May 25 31 22 6 0 2 0 1 10 92 May 26 7 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 May 27 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 May 28 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 May 29 37 18 13 4 2 0 0 0 0 May 30 19 8 8 3 0 0 0 0 34 May 31 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Total434243137 55 19 3 144683>

List of confirmed tornadoes May 1 event

May 2 event

May 3 event

May 5 event + List of confirmed tornadoes – Monday, May 5, 2008EF#LocationCounty / ParishStateStart Coord.Time (UTC)Path lengthMax widthSummary EF0ENE of ImperialPecosTX22:25–22:27A brief tornado was reported by a trained spotter and relayed by local media. No damage was reported. EF0W of CraneCraneTX22:59–23:02A trained relayed a report of a tornado to law enforcement. No damage was reported.

May 6 event + List of confirmed tornadoes – Monday, May 5, 2008EF#LocationCounty / ParishStateStart Coord.Time (UTC)Path lengthMax widthSummary EF0SE of CongressYavapaiAZ20:15–20:16A trained spotter reported a brief tornado touchdown with no damage. EF0SW of MaywoodFrontierNE23:30A brief tornado over open rangeland caused no damage. EF0NNW of Wellman to W of BrownfieldTerryTX23:45–23:46A supercell thunderstorm interacted with an outflow boundary and produced this short-lived and weak tornado over open country that was documented by a research meteorologist. No damage was reported.

May 7 event

May 8 event

May 9 event

May 10 event

May 11 event

May 13 event + List of confirmed tornadoes – Tuesday, May 13, 2008EF#LocationCounty / ParishStateCoord.Time (UTC)Path lengthMax widthSummary EF0SE of MindenminesBartonMD01:27–01:28Trained spotters observed a brief tornado near a surface mining pit; no damage occurred.

May 14 event + List of confirmed tornadoes – Wednesday, May 14, 2008EF#LocationCounty / ParishStateCoord.Time (UTC)Path lengthMax widthSummary EF0SE of BurnetBurnetTX10:10–10:12A brief tornado tracked through predominantly wooded areas, damaging numerous trees. One mobile home had minor damage from airborne debris. EF1ESE of Pleasant GroveRuskTX14:30–14:40West of County Road 1798, a manufactured home was lifted from its foundation when wind got underneath it and thrown back down resulting in its destruction. Debris was strewn up to away. Farther along the tornado's path, a barn, shed, and outbuilding were destroyed or severely damaged. Numerous trees and power poles were snapped or uprooted. EF0NE of Denver CityYoakumTX20:15–20:16Motorists reported a tornado from U.S. Highway 82/380. While no damage was observed, Doppler radar imagery corroborated that a tornado likely occurred. EF0N of LubbockLubbockTX21:02–21:03A brief tornado severely damaged the roof of a metal warehouse and shattered car windows. EF0W of WestbrookMitchellTX22:05–22:10Local law enforcement observed a tornado over open fields. EF0W of EdleonaNolanTX22:35–22:38A trained spotter reported a brief tornado. EF0S of SweetwaterNolanTX22:53–22:55A storm spotter reported a brief tornado. EF0N of MelvinMcCullochTX23:07–23:10A brief tornado was reported just outside the city limits of Melvin. EF0W of BradyMcCullochTX23:16–23:19A brief tornado tracked along the southeast shores of the Brady Creek Reservoir. Storage buildings, a marina, and many trees were damaged. EF0SW of LampasasBurnetTX01:25A brief tornado uprooted trees. EF0SW of DublinErathTX01:30–01:31A storm spotter observed a brief tornado. EF1NW of WinnsboroFranklinTX05:50–06:00A bookend tornado formed along the north side of a straight-line wind event, impacting the north side of Winnsboro. One mobile home sustained minor damage.

May 15 event + List of confirmed tornadoes – Thursday, May 15, 2008EF#LocationCounty / ParishStateCoord.Time (UTC)Path lengthMax widthSummary EF0SE of BunaJasperTX09:00–09:10A brief tornado downed trees and tore the roof from a barn. EF1WSW of DeridderBeauregardLA09:15–09:22A tied-down mobile home was destroyed, a barn lost its roof, and one home had shingles blown off. Two people suffered minor injuries. Multiple trees were downed along the tornado's path. EF0S of DeridderBeauregardLA09:25–09:26A brief tornado uprooted trees. EF0SW of GueydanVermilionLA11:12–11:13A brief tornado destroyed a barn and uprooted trees. EF2N of Leroy to SW of LafayetteVermilion, LafayetteLA11:15–11:28In Vermilion Parish, a mobile home was destroyed and another was shifted from its block foundation. After moving into Lafayette Parish, the tornado intensified and severely damaged a permanent home. The structure had its roof torn off and thrown into a neighboring home, causing significant damage to that structure. Several other homes suffered minor damage. Many trees were snapped or uprooted. EF0Southwestern LafayetteLafayetteLA11:35–11:36A brief tornado downed trees and blew shingles off the roofs of a few homes. EF0SW of AbbevilleVermilionLA11:35–11:41A brief tornado downed trees and a few homes sustained minor damage EF1Downtown LafayetteLafayetteLA11:40–11:42A tornado touched down in the Oil Center District of Lafayette, causing significant damage to the roofs of buildings in the Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center. Debris from these structures impacted nearby buildings, breaking many windows. Many trees were downed, some of which fell on cars. Total damage reached an estimated $3 million. EF1Breaux BridgeSt. MartinLA11:55–12:00A tornado touched down just north of Beaux Bridge (just northeast of Lafayette) and moved south through the city. Several large warehouses were damaged near a Wal-Mart. After crossing Highway 94, the tornado destroyed a business and caused damage to homes and an apartment complex as it tracked across Beaux Bridge. Near its dissipation point, a home was shifted from its foundation, injuring the sole occupant. Total damage reached an estimated $1.5 million. EF1SW of FolsomSt. TammanyLA14:00–14:12A large metal building was severely damaged while several other structures had minor roof damage. Many trees were snapped or uprooted. EF1ENE of EnonWashingtonLA14:20–14:26This tornado occurred within a broader region of straight-line winds. Damage was primarily confined to large trees being snapped in half, though one structure was heavily damaged. EF1ESE of Purvis to Camp ShelbyLamar, ForrestMS15:05–15:24This longer tracked tornado touched down near Interstate 59, tracked toward U.S. Route 49, and subsequently dissipated near Camp Shelby. Many trees were snapped or uprooted in the touchdown area, with homes and outbuildings damaged by the falling debris. One mobile home was destroyed by a fallen tree. Within Camp Shelby, trees downed by the tornado fell onto base structures and vehicles. Total damage reached an estimated $1.21 million. EF1W of Camp ShelbyForrestMS15:15–15:17This tornado existed simultaneously with the preceding Camp Shelby tornado, tracking just to its south. Damage was primarily limited to downed trees, with only one church suffering roof damage. EF0WNW of Paul to ENE of SouthConecuh, CovingtonAL17:17–17:38This weak tornado tracked through predominantly rural areas of Conecuh County, with damaged limited to trees. Within Covington County, the tornado damaged a home near Red Level and four others near South. A volunteer fire department was damaged in the latter community.

May 17 event + List of confirmed tornadoes – Saturday, May 17, 2008EF#LocationCounty / ParishStateCoord.Time (UTC)Path lengthMax widthSummary EF0NW of CamdenOneidaNY22:50–22:52A brief tornado touched down near the Fish Creek, where it caused a barn to collapse. A nearby home had siding ripped off and large branches were broken off trees. A trailer on the property was thrown and debris was scattered up to away.

May 18 event + List of confirmed tornadoes – Sunday, May 18, 2008EF#LocationCounty / ParishStateCoord.Time (UTC)Path lengthMax widthSummary EF0SE of Benton SpringsPolkTN00:25A weak tornado damaged trees within the Cherokee National Forest.

May 20 event + List of confirmed tornadoes – Tuesday, May 20, 2008EF#LocationCounty / ParishStateCoord.Time (UTC)Path lengthMax widthSummary EF1S of Govan to NE of EhrhardtBambergSC21:07–21:20This large tornado caused notable damage to three homes and two mobile homes and destroyed an outbuilding. Numerous trees and a few power lines were downed along its path. EF0NNW of CollinsvilleDeKalbAL21:48–21:50A brief tornado snapped multiple trees and left convergent grass patterns along its path. EF0NW of DavisboroWashingtonGA22:20–22:21A brief tornado downed multiple trees. EF1LebanonCherokeeGA22:35–22:421 indirect death – A very large tornado touched down in and tracked through the city of Lebanon, causing extensive damage. The Falton Lakes Mobile Home Park was particularly hard-hit. Throughout the tornadoes path, 60 homes were destroyed (35 site-built and 25 mobile) while 1,014 other homes suffered damage (391 of which were major). Twenty school district buildings and ten businesses were also damaged. Total damage from the tornado reached $46 million. More than a week after the tornado, two trees damaged by the storm fell on cars, killing one person and injuring another. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency for Cherokee County following the tornado. Perdue made an appeal for federal aid to FEMA on May 28; however, it was denied on July 23. EF0ENE of Vidette to SW of WaynesboroBurkeGA23:41–23:55A weak tornado damaged many trees and a few power lines along its path. Fallen trees caused damage to an outbuilding and an abandoned church. EF0WSW of EurekaHancock, WashingtonGA01:00–01:08This tornado tracked through predominantly rural areas, leaving behind damage to only one barn and hundreds of trees damaged hundreds of trees.

May 22 to May 27 events

A total of 173 tornadoes were confirmed during this multi-day tornado outbreak. Three of the tornadoes touched down in Canada.

May 28 event