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Tornadoes of 2020

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Tornadoes of 2020
A chart of the 2020 United States tornado count estimated from the number of preliminary reports
TimespanJanuary 3 - ongoing
Maximum rated tornadoEF4 tornado
Tornadoes in U.S.361
Damage (U.S.)>$4.4 billion total economic losses
Fatalities (U.S.)69
Fatalities (worldwide)69

This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2020. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Bangladesh, and Eastern India, but can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, Asia, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. Tornadic events are often accompanied by other forms of severe weather, including strong thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail.

There have been 259 preliminary filtered reports of tornadoes in the United States in 2020;[1] however, 361 have been confirmed. Worldwide, 69 tornado-related deaths have been confirmed, all in the United States.

Events

Template:Tornadoes of 2020/Deadly

See also: List of United States tornadoes from January to March 2020

United States yearly total

Confirmed tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita rating
EFU EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5 Total
7 110 174 54 13 3 0 361


January

See also: List of United States tornadoes from January to March 2020 § January

There were 90 tornadoes reported in the United States in January, of which 87 were confirmed. Overall, January was an active month, with over twice the national average of 35 tornadoes.

January 3 (South Africa)

On January 3, severe thunderstorms developed over the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. One thunderstorm developed into a supercell which produced an EF3 tornado that caused significant damage to a farm, destroyed the houses of seven families, and destroyed about 200 hectares (500 acres) of pine forest.[2]

January 10–11

Main article: Tornado outbreak of January 10–11, 2020
EFU EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
0 25 41 13 0 0 0
High-end EF2 damage to a house near Carrollton, Alabama.

On January 10, the Storm Prediction Center issues a moderate risk of severe weather for much of the Southern United States, including a 15% hatched risk of tornadoes. A squall line of severe thunderstorms with numerous embedded circulations and semi-discrete supercell structures moved from Texas and Oklahoma to the East Coast, producing numerous tornadoes. A high-end EF2 tornado near Carrollton, Alabama destroyed multiple homes and mobile homes, and resulted in three fatalities.[3] Three people were fatally injured when a long-tracked EF2 tornado destroyed two mobile homes south of Haughton, Louisiana,[4] and an EF1 tornado killed one person near Nacogdoches, Texas when a large tree fell onto a mobile home.[5][6] An EF2 tornado struck Rome, Mississippi, causing significant damage and destroying the local post office. An EF2 tornado also struck Union Grove, Alabama, significantly damaging a school building in the community. Another school also sustained major damage near Kershaw, South Carolina, as a result of another EF2 tornado. Overall, this outbreak produced a total of 79 tornadoes, and resulted in 7 fatalities. Total damage from the event reached $1.1 billion according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.[7]

February

See also: List of United States tornadoes from January to March 2020 § February

There were 51 tornadoes reported in the United States in February, of which 42 were confirmed. February was also an active month, besting the national average of 29 tornadoes.

February 5–7

EFU EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
1 9 21 6 0 0 0
Main article: Tornado outbreak of February 5–7, 2020
EF2 damage to a house near Kannapolis, North Carolina.

Beginning on February 5, a moderate tornado outbreak affected the Deep South and Eastern United States. On the first day of the outbreak, an EF2 tornado caused significant tree and outbuilding damage near Pickens, Mississippi, and injured four people. A long-tracked EF2 tornado touched down near Bay Springs, Mississippi and passed though the town of Enterprise, downing numerous trees and power poles. This tornado tore large sections of roofing off of multiple homes in rural areas as well. On February 6, one person was killed in Marengo County, Alabama when an EF1 tornado destroyed a mobile home near Demopolis.[8][9] An EF2 tornado also touched down near Kannapolis, North Carolina, to the north of Charlotte. No injuries were reported, though multiple homes were damaged, including one that lost its roof and some exterior walls.[10][11][12] Another EF2 downed metal truss transmission towers near Kings Mountain, and an EF1 tornado caused damage in the southern suburbs of Charlotte.[13][14][15] A high-end EF1 tornado moved directly through Spartanburg, South Carolina as well, causing considerable damage to homes and businesses.[14] On February 7, five tornadoes touched down in Maryland, including an EF1 that struck Westminster and Manchester, causing moderate damage. An EF0 tornado also caused minor damage in Leesburg, Virginia. Along with the tornadic storms, a widespread amount of flooding has also occurred throughout the southern states. Total economic losses from the event exceeded $925 million. Overall, this outbreak produced a total of 37 tornadoes, and resulted in one fatality.[16]

March

See also: List of United States tornadoes from January to March 2020 § March

There were 106 tornadoes reported in the United States in March, of which 77 were confirmed. Although March was slightly below average in number of tornadoes, the series of severe weather outbreaks and tornadoes throughout March inflicted widespread damage across the country. Combined economic losses reached approximately $2.4 billion.[17]

March 2–3

Main article: Tornado outbreak of March 2–3, 2020
A home near Cookeville, destroyed by an EF4 tornado on March 3.
EFU EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
0 5 3 4 1 1 0

Nashville, Tennessee was directly struck by a tornado of EF3 strength just after 12:30 a.m. CDT on March 3. Major structural damage was reported as the tornado moved through downtown and into Wilson County to the east. Additional tornadoes were reported in Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Three tornadoes killed 26 people in Benton, Davidson, Putnam and Wilson counties, including two in East Nashville. The majority of the deaths occurred in Putnam County, where a violent EF4 tornado touched down near Baxter shortly before 2:00 a.m. and moved into western Cookeville. Many homes and other buildings were completely leveled along a narrow path, with several swept clean from their foundations.[18][19] A lone supercell was responsible for all nine of the tornadoes in Tennessee as it moved from near Dyersburg in West Tennessee to near Knoxville in East Tennessee.[18]

March 18–19

EFU EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
0 5 11 5 0 0 0

During the evenings of March 18 and 19, rounds of severe storms impacted a large area from West Texas to Ohio, spawning several tornadoes. On March 18, an intense supercell thunderstorm spawned numerous weak tornadoes as it tracked through Jack, Stephens, Wise, and Young counties in Texas.[20] Overnight, an EF2 tornado damaged a farm southwest of Merkel, Texas, and another EF2 debarked trees and damaged a home nearby (these two tracks may have been the same tornado).[21] The thunderstorm responsible for those tornadoes went on to produce an EF1 and an EF2 tornado that damaged a large building and over 100 cars northeast of Abilene.[21]

On March 19, a large portion of the southern Great Plains was in line for severe storms.[22] During the afternoon, a squall line with several embedded supercells formed from Oklahoma to Indiana, producing tornadoes in Oklahoma, Illinois, and Arkansas.[23][24][25] A large EF2 tornado touched down near Everton, Arkansas, removing the top floor from one house and tossing an exercise bike into the side window of a Chevy suburban.[25] Three EF1 tornadoes touched down in Arkansas, one of which caused damage between Gassville and Mountain Home, destroying one home and tearing the roof off of another.[25] One person was injured in Illinois,[24] and another in Arkansas.[25]

March 28–29

EFU EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
3 3 11 2 1 0 0

An EF3 tornado struck the city of Jonesboro, Arkansas, while being streamed live on local news stations, producing major damage and causing 22 injuries.[26][27][28][29] Damage from Jonesboro shows numerous cars lofted and mangled in a shopping mall parking lot, with missile debris embedded into the ground. A train was also derailed, while the municipal airport sustained major damage, with hangars demolished and at least one plane flipped.[30] The same storm that produced this tornado also produced two EF1 tornadoes, one before and one after it moved over Jonesboro.[31][29] Into the evening, numerous weak tornadoes touched down in Iowa and Illinois, and another in southwest Wisconsin.[28] An EF2 tornado was on the ground for 17 miles southwest of Henderson, Kentucky, destroying a barn and damaging dozens of homes and outbuildings.[32] Another EF2 touched down concurrently in Newburgh, Indiana, removing portions of roofs or walls on five homes and damaging several others. Two people were injured.[33]

Early in the morning of March 29, the same storm system produced an EF0 tornado that mainly damaged trees near Sparta, Tennessee.[34]

March 30–31

EFU EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
2 9 3 1 0 0 0

On the evening of March 30, isolated supercells developed across Texas and Oklahoma, producing two weak tornadoes. One of these was given an EFU rating, and the other, which was a landspout or non-mesocylonic tornado, was given an EF0 rating.[35] On March 31, multiple supercells and embedded mesocyclones formed along and just ahead of a convective line, with 15 preliminary tornado reports in the southeastern United States.[36] An EF2 tornado caused significant damage in Eufaula, Alabama,[37][38] and several weaker ones were reported in southeast Mississippi, southern Alabama, and northern Florida.[39][38] Another tornado was caught on video around 2:30 p.m. PDT in Washington state.[36]

April

See also: List of United States tornadoes in April 2020

There have been 162 tornadoes confirmed in the United States in April.

April 7–9

EFU EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
0 20 10 1 0 0 0

Several tornadoes touched down across Ohio and Pennsylvania late on April 7 and into the early morning of April 8. Later in the afternoon on April 8, an EF0 tornado briefly touched down west-southwest of Jonesboro, Arkansas near the town of Cash, followed by an EF2 tornado in the vicinity of Weiner and Harrisburg, Arkansas in Poinsett County.[40][41] In Harrisburg, one home was completely leveled by the tornado, and several homes nearby were also badly damaged as well.[42] Numerous homes were heavily damaged and two people were injured in Harrisburg.[43] More tornadoes, mainly weak and short-lived, occurred across Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio.

April 12–13

EFU EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
0 29 67 21 12 2 0
Main article: 2020 Easter tornado outbreak

From the late morning of April 12 through the early morning of April 13, a major tornado outbreak unfolded across the Southeastern United States, with over 100 tornadoes touching down over two days. This event was well forecasted, with the Storm Prediction Center issuing severe weather outlooks as early as five days before the outbreak. At 10:40 a.m. CDT on April 12, a Particularly Dangerous Situation Tornado Watch was issued by the Storm Prediction Center across northeast Louisiana, southeast Arkansas, and central and northern Mississippi.[44] At 11:44 a.m. CDT, a tornado emergency was issued for Monroe, Louisiana as an EF3 tornado moved through the city limits causing significant damage to more than 200 homes, as well as the Monroe Regional Airport.[45][46][47] At 3:30 p.m. CDT, two back-to-back supercells began to produce three intense long-tracked tornadoes, including two rated EF4, that would move across southern Mississippi, prompting the National Weather Service in Jackson, Mississippi to issue multiple tornado emergencies for numerous towns including Prentiss, Bassfield, Collins, and Soso. At 4:40 p.m. CDT, a second PDS watch was issued affecting extreme southeast Mississippi and most of Alabama, including the cities of Mobile, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, and Birmingham.[48] As the system progressed northeastward into the nighttime hours, another tornado emergency was issued, this time at 11:28 p.m. EDT for the towns of Ooltewah and Collegedale as a deadly EF3 tornado struck the eastern suburbs of Chattanooga, Tennessee, killing three and injuring 19.[49][50]

On April 13, the storms that formed the day before congealed into a strong squall line as they advanced into eastern Georgia and the Carolinas. At 6:55 a.m. EDT, an embedded supercell within a QLCS prompted yet another tornado emergency as Walterboro, South Carolina took a direct hit from a confirmed tornado.[51] [52] Eight EF3 tornadoes occurred on day two of the outbreak, including six in South Carolina that resulted in a combined eight deaths, most notably the 3/4-mile wide EF3 in Hampton County that took the lives of five people near the towns of Estill and Nixville.[53]

With 38 fatalities reported, it is the deadliest outbreak since March 2–3, 2012.[54]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Annual Severe Weather Report Summary 2020". Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  2. ^ "Media Release: Panbult tornado (Mpumalanga) on the 3rd of January 2020". Twitter. South African Weather Service. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  3. ^ "Three people killed in Pickens Co. tornado". WBRC. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  4. ^ Enfinger, Emily. "87-year-old dies from injuries from Haughton tornado". Shreveport Times. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  5. ^ Brackett, Ron; Wesner Childs, Jan. "Tornadoes, Severe Storms Kill 8; More Than 300,000 Lose Power". weather.com. The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  6. ^ NWS Damage Survey for January 10 Burleson County Tornado Event (Report). January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  7. ^ "Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters: Events". National Centers for Environmental Information. 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  8. ^ NWS Damage Survey for 02/06/2020 Tornado Event (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  9. ^ NWS Damage Survey for 02/05/2020 - 02/06/2020 Tornado Event - Update #1 (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  10. ^ "Tornado touches down in Kannapolis". WBTV. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  11. ^ "Confirmed tornado damages homes in the Kannapolis area". WCNC. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  12. ^ Tornado rips roof off home in Kannapolis, North Carolina, retrieved 2020-02-06
  13. ^ Walker, Shavonne (2020-02-08). "As flooding, damage lingers, 3 rescued from Third Creek, weather service confirms tornadoes in Rowan". Salisbury Post. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  14. ^ a b Myers, Jason (2020-02-07). "NWS confirms EF-1 tornado near Pineville". WBTV. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  15. ^ "EF-1 tornado confirmed near Albemarle". WCNC-TV. 2020-02-07. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  16. ^ Global Catastrophe Recap: February 2020 (PDF) (Report). Aon. March 9, 2020. p. 4. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  17. ^ Matt Sheehan (April 14, 2020). "Separate billion-dollar events mark active month for US tornadoes: Aon". Reinsurance News. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  18. ^ a b March 2-3, 2020 Tornadoes and Severe Weather (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. March 5, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  19. ^ "21 killed, 221 hospitalized after tornadoes rip through Nashville, surrounding areas". ABC Action News. March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  20. ^ NWS Damage Survey For 3/18/2020 Tornado Event - Update #2 (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  21. ^ a b NWS Damage Survey For 3/19/2020 Tornado Event - Update #1 (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  22. ^ Mark Darrow (March 19, 2020). "Mar 19, 2020 0100 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook". Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  23. ^ NWS Damage Survey For 3/19/2020 Tornado Event (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  24. ^ a b NWS Damage Survey For 3/19/2020 Tornado Event (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  25. ^ a b c d NWS Damage Survey For 3/19/2020 Tornadoes Update #2 (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. March 21, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  26. ^ "Tornado flattens buildings in Jonesboro, Arkansas, as severe weather moves across the Midwest, Lower Mississippi River Valley". CNN. CNN. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  27. ^ "Damage Reported in Northeastern Arkansas as Tornado Strikes Jonesboro". Weather.com. The Weather Channel. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  28. ^ a b "Today's Storm Reports (20200328 1200 UTC - 20200329 1159 UTC) (Print Version)". NOAA. NOAA. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  29. ^ a b NWS Damage Survey For 03/28/20 Tornado Event (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. March 29, 2020. Retrieved March 29, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  30. ^ Zoellner, Danielle. "Tornado rips through Arkansas town, injuring six people". The Independent. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  31. ^ NWS Damage Survey For 03/28/20 Tornado Event (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. March 29, 2020. Retrieved March 29, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  32. ^ NWS Damage Survey For 03/28/20 Henderson County KY Tornado Event (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. March 29, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  33. ^ NWS Damage Survey For 03/28/20 Newburgh Indiana Tornado Event (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. March 29, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  34. ^ NWS Damage Survey For 03/29/20 Tornado Event (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. March 31, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  35. ^ NWS Damage Survey For 03/30/20 Tornado Event (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. March 31, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  36. ^ a b "SPC Storm reports for03/31/20". Storm Prediction. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  37. ^ Fuentes, Carmen (March 31, 2020). "Eufaula tornado runs through neighborhood". WTVY. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  38. ^ a b NWS Damage Survey For 03/31/20 Tornado Event (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. April 1, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  39. ^ NWS Damage Survey For 03/31/20 Tornado Event (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. April 3, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  40. ^ https://twitter.com/nwsmemphis/status/1248334194377232384?s=21
  41. ^ https://media.arkansasonline.com/img/photos/2020/04/09/storm1_t800.jpg?90232451fbcadccc64a17de7521d859a8f88077d
  42. ^ https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2020/apr/09/forecasters-tornado-touched-down-overnight-northwe/#.Xo9c00N8lmQ.twitter
  43. ^ https://twitter.com/kwoodallTV/status/1248076374084124673?s=19
  44. ^ "PDS Watch 106".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  45. ^ "Magnolia Reporter".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  46. ^ "Tornado Emergency for Monroe Louisiana and Northeast Ouachita Parish". Iowa Environmental Mesonet. National Weather Service Forecast Office in Shreveport, Louisiana. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  47. ^ "Steve Caparotta of WAFB on Twitter".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  48. ^ "Storm Prediction Center - PDS Watch 110".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  49. ^ https://twitter.com/NWSMorristown/status/1249735208460419073?s=20
  50. ^ "NWS Morristown Damage Survey".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  51. ^ "NWS Charleston SC on Twitter".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  52. ^ https://twitter.com/StuOstro/status/1250057470669721602
  53. ^ "NWS Charleston Damage Survey".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  54. ^ "At Least 34 People Have Died After a Tornado Outbreak Ravaged the South". TIME USA. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
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