List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
Appearance
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These are some notable tornadoes, tornado outbreaks, and tornado outbreak sequences that have occurred in North America.
- The listing is U.S.-centric, with greater and more consistent information available for U.S. tornadoes. Some North American outbreaks affecting the U.S. may only include tornado information from the U.S.
- Exact death and injury counts are not possible, especially for large events and events before 1950.
- Prior to 1950 in the United States, only significant tornadoes are listed for the number of tornadoes in outbreaks.
- Due to increasing detection, particularly in the U.S., numbers of counted tornadoes have increased markedly in recent decades although number of actual tornadoes and counted significant tornadoes has not. In older events, the number of tornadoes officially counted is likely underestimated.
- Historical context: Much of the tornado activity in the American Midwestern area is relatively unknown and significantly under-reported prior to the middle of the 1800s as few people lived there to record the yearly activity outside of Native Americans whom did not keep much, if any written records. The American government did not acquire the Midwestern states area until the 1803 Louisiana Purchase from the French government. The Louisiana Purchase area included major tornado activity areas of north Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, and lower Minnesota. Large groups of settlers and pioneers only began populating there as the American government began organizing this acquired territory during the 1820-1860s. The other areas east of the Mississippi River and west of the original thirteen colonies that have more frequent tornado activity of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama didn't begin having larger groups of settlers populating these areas until the earlier 1800s. As these areas began being more populated, existing tornado activity there became more known and reported through newspaper and telegraph.
United States
1643-1859
List of United States tornado outbreaks – Pre-1900 | |||||||
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Outbreak | Dates | Region | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes | ||
Lynn and Hampton, Massachusetts tornado | July 5, 1643 | Massachusetts | - | 1 fatality | Potential earliest recorded U.S. tornado and fatality. Event was recorded by Massachusetts Bay Colony governor John Winthrop. "There arose a sudden gust at N.W. so violent for half an hour as it blew down multitudes of trees. It lifted up their meeting house at Newbury, the people being in it. It darkened the air with dust, yet through God's great mercy it did no hurt, but only killed one Indian with the fall of a tree. It was straight between Linne [Lynn] and Hampton."[1] | ||
Rehoboth, Massachusetts tornado | August 1671 | Massachusetts | - | 0 fatalities | Earliest confirmed U.S. tornado. | ||
Cambridge, Massachusetts tornado | July 8, 1680 | Massachusetts | - | 1 fatality | Earliest confirmed U.S. tornado with a fatality. | ||
1761 Charleston, South Carolina tornado | May 4, 1761 | Charleston, South Carolina | >2 | 8 fatalities | Earliest recorded U.S. tornado with multiple fatalities. A large tornado temporarily emptied the Ashley River and sank five warships lying offshore | ||
Four-State Tornado Swarm | August 15, 1787 | New England | ≥5 | 2 fatalities | First recorded U.S tornado outbreak. | ||
1811 Charleston, South Carolina tornado | September 10, 1811 | Charleston, South Carolina | - | 20 fatalities | Associated with the 1811 hurricane that hit Charleston, SC.[2] | ||
1814 Washington, D.C. tornado | August 25, 1814 | Washington, D.C. | - | c. 30 fatalities | Killed several British soldiers occupying the city. The British subsequently abandoned the city. | ||
September 1821 New England tornado outbreak | Sep 9, 1821 | New England | >5 | 8 fatalities | One of the most destructive New England outbreaks ever documented. Produced a deadly multiple-vortex tornado in New Hampshire. | ||
1835 New Brunswick, New Jersey tornado | June 19, 1835 | Mid-Atlantic | - | 5 fatalities | Deadliest tornado in New Jersey history. | ||
Great Natchez Tornado | May 7, 1840 | Southeastern United States | >1 | 317+ fatalities, 109+ injuries | Second-deadliest tornado in U.S. history | ||
September 1845 New York outbreak | September 20, 1845 | New York, Vermont | >5 | – | Multiple long-track tornadoes crossed upstate New York | ||
August 1851 Waltham, Medford, and West Cambridge tornado | August 22, 1851 | Waltham, Medford, West Cambridge Massachusetts | 1 | - | The center of Arlington, MA was devastated by a strong tornado.[3][4] |
1860s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – Pre-1900 | |||||||
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Outbreak | Dates | Region | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes | ||
June 1860 Mid-Mississippi Valley tornado outbreak | June 3, 1860 | Middle Mississippi Valley | – | ≥148 fatalities, ≥409 injuries | Very violent outbreak. Produced a deadly tornado or tornado family that struck Camanche, Iowa. (7 violent, 6 killer) | ||
1865 Viroqua, Wisconsin tornado | June 28, 1865 | Viroqua, Wisconsin | >1 | ≥22 fatalities | One of Wisconsin's first killer tornadoes. Also one of the first documentations of a multiple-vortex tornado. |
1870s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – Pre-1900 | |||||||
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Outbreak | Dates | Region | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes | ||
1871 St. Louis tornado | March 8, 1871 | Middle Mississippi Valley | ≥1 | 9 fatalities, 60 injuries | Estimated F3 tornado killed nine people in St. Louis. | ||
May 1873 Midwest tornado outbreak | May 22, 1873 | Midwestern United States | ≥7 | 18 fatalities, ≥ 93 injuries | At least three tornadoes recorded | ||
March 1875 Southeast tornado outbreak | March 19–20, 1875 | Southeastern United States | ≥19 | ≥96 fatalities, ≥367 injuries | Outbreak produced seven estimated F4 tornadoes. The worst of the damage and most of the fatalities took place in Georgia. (15 significant, 7 violent, 12 killer) | ||
May 1875 Southeast tornado outbreak | May 1, 1875 | Southeastern United States | – | 58 fatalities, 195 injuries | Included several long-tracked, (estimated) F3 tornado families. (1 violent, 7 killer) | ||
1878 Wallingford tornado | August 9, 1878 | Connecticut | – | 34 fatalities, ≥70 injuries | Deadliest tornado in Connecticut history. Estimated to have been an F4. | ||
May 1879 Central Plains tornado outbreak | May 29–30, 1879 | Central Great Plains | – | ≥36 fatalities, ≥186 injuries | (≥15 significant, 6 violent, ≥9 killer) |
1880s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – Pre-1900 | |||||||
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Outbreak | Dates | Region | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes | ||
April 1880 tornado outbreak | April 18, 1880 | Mississippi Valley – Great Plains | ≥22 | ≥165 fatalities, ≥511 injuries | 99 people killed in and near Springfield and Marshfield, Missouri. Three long-tracked F4s in Missouri. (>22 significant, 5 violent, 14 killer) | ||
1880 West Prairie–Christian County tornado | April 24, 1880 | West Prairie–Christian County, IL | 1 | 6 fatalities | Many "well built" homes were leveled and farms vanished. Its victims (both people and cattle) were reportedly carried up to half a mile. This is the earliest estimated F5 that can be verified in the U.S. according to Grazulis. (The 1953 Waco tornado is the earliest officially rated - see below.) The F5 rating is widely accepted. | ||
June 1881 tornado outbreak | June 11–12, 1881 | Great Plains – Midwest | ≥11 | 20 fatalities, ≥141 injuries | Produced five violent tornadoes across three states, one of which was an F4 that destroyed the community of Floral, Kansas. Another F4 that hit near Hopkins, Missouri, may have been an F5. (11 significant, 5 violent, 7 killer) | ||
1881 Minnesota tornado outbreak | July 15–16, 1881 | Minnesota | ≥ 6 | 24 fatalities, ≥123 injuries | Produced a destructive F4 (possibly F5) tornado in New Ulm, Minnesota, along with other killer tornadoes in rural areas, including one that killed four people. (6 significant, 2 violent, 2 killer) | ||
1882 Grinnell tornado | June 17, 1882 | Grinnell, Iowa | 1 | 65 fatalities | 16 farms were blown away and the town of Grinnell was devastated, as well as the Grinnell College campus. Debris was carried 100 mi (160 km). Estimated F5. Caused 68 fatalities according to Grazulis. | ||
April 1883 Southeast tornado outbreak | April 22–23, 1883 | Southeastern United States | – | ≥109 fatalities, ≥755 injuries | Produced several killer F3+ tornadoes in Mississippi and Georgia. (17 significant, 3 violent, 13 killer) | ||
May 1883 tornado outbreak | May 18, 1883 | Middle-Lower Mississippi Valley | – | ≥64 fatalities, ≥386 injuries | One of the most intense outbreaks ever to hit Illinois, where five F4s struck. (≥21 significant, 6 violent, 16 killer) | ||
1883 Rochester tornado | August 21, 1883 | Rochester, Minnesota | 1 | 37 fatalities, 200+ injured | Estimated F5 tornado led to the formation of the Mayo Clinic.[5] | ||
1884 Enigma tornado outbreak | February 19–20, 1884 | Central – Eastern United States | >51 | >178 fatalities, ≥1056 injuries | Among largest known outbreaks ever recorded. Produced violent and killer tornadoes across a large portion of the Southeastern United States, killing well over 170 people. Long-track F4 tornado moved through Alabama and Georgia, killing 30 people. Another F4—the deadliest in North Carolina history—hit Rockingham, North Carolina, and killed 23. (≥37 significant, 4 violent, ≥27 killer) | ||
1884 March tornado outbreak | March 24–25, 1884 | Southeastern United States – Ohio Valley | >29 | 32 fatalities | (29 significant, 11 killer) | ||
1884 Oakville tornado | April 1, 1884 | Oakville, Indiana | 1 | 8 fatalities | Among contemporary meteorologists, this was considered one of the most intense tornadoes observed up to that time. Parts of Oakville "vanished," with house debris scattered for miles. Estimated F5. | ||
1884 Howard, South Dakota tornado | August 28, 1884 | Howard, South Dakota | 1 | 4 fatalities, 2 injuries | One of the oldest known tornado photographs.[1][6] | ||
April 1885 tornado outbreak | April 1885 | Texas | - | 60 fatalities, 4 injuries | One tornado struck Waco. | ||
1885 Philadelphia/Camden tornado | August 3, 1885 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Camden, New Jersey | - | ≥7 fatalities, ≥8-10 injuries | An estimated F3 tornado devastated Philadelphia and its New Jersey suburb of Camden. A ferry boat and steamboat on the Delaware River were damaged and numerous homes, factories, shops, and other buildings were damaged or destroyed. At least 200 were left homeless by the storm.[7] | ||
1886 Sauk Rapids tornado | April 14, 1886 | Central Minnesota | 1 | 72 fatalities, 200+ injuries | Deadliest tornado in Minnesota history. Estimated to have been an F4. | ||
1887 Grand Forks tornado | June 16, 1887 | Grand Forks North Dakota | - | At the time, Fargo, North Dakota was believed to be the northern limit of potential tornado activity by the United States Signal Service. Grand Forks is located another 75 miles north of Fargo in North Dakota. The tornado there lead a rethinking of the potential northern boundary of tornado activity in the United States at the time.[8] |
1890s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – Pre-1900 | |||||||
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Outbreak | Dates | Region | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes | ||
1890 St. Louis tornado outbreak | January 12, 1890 | Middle Mississippi Valley | – | 16 fatalities, 91 injuries | (≥1 violent, 3 killer) | ||
March 1890 middle Mississippi Valley tornado outbreak | March 27, 1890 | Middle Mississippi Valley | – | ≥146 fatalities, ≥847 injuries | Deadly tornado outbreak killed at least 146 people across the Midwest. An F4 that struck downtown Louisville killed 76 people alone. Four other F4s, including a long-tracked tornado family that killed 21 people in southern Indiana and northern Kentucky. (≥24 significant, 6 violent, 16 killer) | ||
1890 Lawrence tornado | July 26, 1890 | Lawrence, Massachusetts | – | 8 fatalities, 63 injuries | Touched down shortly after 9am, estimated F3 strength. Path 11 mi (18 km) long through the city. | ||
1890 Wilkes-Barre tornado | August 19, 1890 | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | 1 | 16 fatalities, 50 injuries | It's believed that the tornado touched down west of Nanticoke as an estimated F0. The storm intensified as it traveled northeast towards the City of Wilkes-Barre. After 5:00 pm, it tore through the heart of Wilkes-Barre as an estimated F3. The tornado killed 16 people, injured 50, damaged or destroyed 260 buildings, and cost at least $240,000 (in 1890 money). The tornado then traveled east and ended in a heavily wooded region just outside the city.[9] | ||
1892 Southern Minnesota tornado | June 15, 1892 | Minnesota | – | 12 fatalities, 72 injuries | Entire farms were obliterated, and house timbers were embedded into the ground 3 mi (4.8 km) away from the foundations. Estimated to have been F5 intensity. | ||
1893 Willow Springs tornado | May 22, 1893 | Willow Springs, Wisconsin | – | 3 fatalities | Two farm complexes were completely swept away. Estimated to be an F5. | ||
1893 Pomeroy tornado | July 6, 1893 | Pomeroy, Iowa | – | 71 fatalities | Grass was scoured from the ground, and a metal bridge was torn from its supports. A well pump and 40 feet (12 m) of pipe were pulled out of the ground. Estimated to be an F5. | ||
1894 Upper Mississippi Valley tornado outbreak | September 21–22, 1894 | Upper Mississippi Valley | – | >63 fatalities, >253 injuries | Included a long-tracked F4 tornado family in Wisconsin and Iowa. In Kossuth County Iowa (five farms and a home were swept away, leaving little trace) and Wisconsin. (>9 significant, 4 violent, 5 killer) | ||
1895 Kansas-Iowa tornado outbreak | May 1–3, 1895 | Central-Northern Great Plains | – | >18–35 fatalities, >67 injuries | Seven people killed in schools in Ireton-Hull, Iowa. In Harvey County Kansas on May 1, an estimated F5 hit where farms "entirely vanished," with debris carried for miles. In Sioux County Iowa on May 3, an estimated F5 hit where farms "entirely vanished," with debris carried for miles. (2 F5s, 3 killer) | ||
1895, Queens New York | July 13, 1895 | Queens, New York | – | 1 fatality | Forty others were injured, seven homes were demolished and at least 25 others damaged, and monuments and tombstones in Cypress Hills and Bayside cemeteries were uprooted by a cyclone that touched down near Cypress Hills and moved through the neighborhoods of Woodhaven, Union Course, and Ozone Park.[10] | ||
May 1896 tornado outbreak sequence | May 15–28, 1896 | Upper Mississippi Valley – Great Lakes (Ontario) | – | ≥484 fatalities, >2,000 injuries | The deadliest tornado outbreak sequence in American history. Killer tornadoes touched down from Texas to Pennsylvania. Produced at least three F5 tornadoes and several F4s, including an F4 that killed at least 255 people and injured 1,236 in the St. Louis area. In Sherman Texas on May 15, one of the most intense tornadoes of the 19th century according to Grazulis struck. "Extraordinary" damage occurred to farms and 20 homes that were completely obliterated and swept away. An iron-beam bridge was torn apart and scattered, with one of the beams deeply embedded into the ground. Trees were reduced to debarked stumps, and grass was scoured from lawns in town as well. Several headstones at a cemetery were shattered or thrown up to 250 yards through the air, and a trunk lid from Sherman was found 35 miles away. Reliable reports said that numerous bodies were carried hundreds of yards, and that multiple deaths occurred in 17 different families; seven deaths were in one family alone. In Seneca Kansas on May 17, an opera house was swept away along with some farms. Entire farms were reportedly swept clean of debris, leaving the areas "bare as the prairie. In Ortonville-Oakwood Michigan on May 25th, houses and farms were leveled and swept away, with debris carried up to 12 mi (19 km) away. Trees were completely debarked, with even small twigs stripped bare in some cases. (>38 significant, 3 F5, 9 violent, ≥22 killer) | ||
1898 Fort Smith, Arkansas tornado | January 11, 1898 | Lower Mississippi Valley | – | ≥56 fatalities, ≥119 injuries | Devastating F4 tornado struck Fort Smith. In Marathon County, Wisconsin on May 18th, an estimated F5 tornado flattened 12 farms. (1 violent, 2 killer) | ||
May 1898 Mississippi Valley tornado outbreaks | May 17–18, 1898 | Middle-Upper Mississippi Valley | – | 55 fatalities, ≥380 injuries | In Salix, Iowa on June 11th, an estimated F5 tornado struck and impacted several farms. (5 violent, 10 killer) | ||
1899 New Richmond tornado | June 11–12, 1899 | Upper Midwest | – | ≥117 fatalities, ≥203 injuries | Devastating (Estimated) F5 destroyed the town of New Richmond, Wisconsin. Deadliest Wisconsin tornado on record, ninth deadliest in US history. |
1900s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – 1900-1909 | |||||||
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Outbreak | Dates | Region | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes | ||
1900 Plains tornado outbreak | May 5–6, 1900 | Nebraska-Texas-Missouri | – | ≥3 fatalities, ≥16 injuries | May 6 named "day of the cyclones" by the press. (≥19 significant, 2 killer) | ||
1902 Goliad, Texas tornado | May 18, 1902 | South Central U.S. | – | 114 fatalities, ≥279 injuries | Tied with the Waco tornado as deadliest in Texas history. Estimated F4 tornado. | ||
1902 Trenton, New Jersey Cyclone | August 10, 1902 | Trenton, New Jersey | – | 2 injuries | A destructive tornado, estimated to have been at F1 or F2 strength, tore through Trenton, New Jersey on a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) path. Walls or roofs were torn off of 100 homes and wagons and outhouses were tossed like toys. Heavy rain in the city also collapsed a bridge. Due to limited knowledge of tornadoes at the time, the tornado was considered to be a "cyclone."[11][12] | ||
1904 Moundville, Alabama tornado | January 22, 1904 | Hale/Tuscaloosa Counties, Alabama | 1 | 36 fatalities, 150 injuries | A violent F4 tornado struck Moundville, Alabama just after midnight, destroying all but one store in the business district along with a number of homes, railroad depots, freight cars, farm buildings and a hotel. Damage was also reported northeast of Moundville in the towns of Hull, Phifer, Maxwell, and Tidewater.[13] | ||
1904 Chappaqua tornado | July 16, 1904 | New York | 1 | 2 fatalities, 6 injuries | An estimated F3 tornado struck upstate New York. | ||
1904 St. Louis tornado | August 19, 1904 | Missouri – Illinois | 1 | 3 fatalities, ≥10 injuries | Heavy damage in downtown St. Louis. | ||
1904 Upper Midwest tornado outbreak | August 20, 1904 | Minnesota – South Dakota — Wisconsin | ≥8 | 14 fatalities, ≥100 injuries | Severe damage throughout the Twin Cities. | ||
1905 Snyder, Oklahoma tornado | May 10, 1905 | Oklahoma | ≥1 | 97 fatalities, ≥150 injuries | An estimated F5 tornado largely destroyed Snyder, Oklahoma. | ||
1908 Dixie tornado outbreak | April 23–25, 1908 | Southeastern United States | – | 324 fatalities, ≥1,720 injuries | Tied with the 2011 Super Outbreak for fourth-deadliest US tornado outbreak. Produced numerous violent tornadoes in the Southern United States and Great Plains, including an F5 tornado in Nebraska. One long-track tornado killed 143 people alone in Louisiana and Mississippi. See, e.g., Wilmer, Louisiana. (≥34 significant, ≥6 violent, ≥13 killer) | ||
Late-April 1909 tornado outbreak | April 29 – May 1, 1909 | Mississippi – Tennessee Valley | – | ≥165 fatalities, ≥696 injuries | Produced numerous killer tornadoes across the Southern United States. Two tornadoes in Mississippi and Alabama killed 29 each. (≥35 significant, ≥4 violent, ≥23 killer) |
1910s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – 1910-1919 | |||||||
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Outbreak | Dates | Region | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes | ||
Tornado outbreak of November 11, 1911 | November 11, 1911 | Midwestern United States | ≥9 | 13 fatalities, 117 injuries | Outbreak was produced by a large and dynamic storm system. F4 struck Janesville, Wisconsin, and killed nine people. Other killer tornadoes occurred in Illinois and Michigan. (9 significant, 1 violent, 3 killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 20–22, 1912 | April 20–22, 1912 | Southern-Central Great Plains – Middle Mississippi Valley – Southeastern United States | – | ≥56 fatalities, injuries | Numerous violent tornadoes in North Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, including what is now the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. (≥30 significant, 9 violent, ≥19 killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 27–29, 1912 | April 27–29, 1912 | Southern-Central Great Plains – Red River basin – Ark-La-Miss region | – | ≥45 fatalities, 167 injuries | Violent tornadoes struck portions of the Great Plains, mainly in Oklahoma. (25 significant, 8 violent, 15 killer) | ||
Regina Cyclone | June 30, 1912 | Saskatchewan, Canada – Canadian Prairies – | 1 | 28 fatalities, hundreds injured | Deadliest tornado in Canada, F4 left 2,500 people homeless. | ||
Mid-March 1913 tornado outbreak | March 13–14, 1913 | Southeastern United States – Middle Mississippi Valley | – | 78 fatalities, ≥492 injuries | Produced deadly, long-tracked F3+ tornadoes in Tennessee. (20 significant, 3 violent, 16 killer) | ||
March 1913 tornado outbreak sequence | March 20–23, 1913 | Southeastern United States – Central Great Plains – Middle Mississippi Valley | – | ≥ 241 fatalities, ≥ 1,535 injuries | Produced the devastating Omaha tornado (103 deaths), among several other violent and deadly tornadoes in Nebraska. Other violent tornadoes killed numerous people in Alabama and one in Terre Haute, Indiana, killed 21. (19 significant, 7 violent, 15 killer) | ||
June 1916 tornado outbreak | June 5–6, 1916 | Mississippi Valley – Southern U.S. | – | 112 fatalities, 741 injuries | Produced numerous killer tornadoes in Arkansas, including one that killed 25 people. An F3 killed 13 people in the northern suburbs of Jackson, Mississippi. (35 significant, 1 violent, 23 killer) | ||
February 1917 Southeast tornado outbreak | February 23, 1917 | Southeastern United States | – | 17 fatalities, 81 injuries | Six strong tornadoes touched down across the South. (≥6 significant, ≥3 killer) | ||
March 1917 tornado outbreak | March 23, 1917 | Ohio Valley | >9 | 47 fatalities, 311 injuries | F4 tornado devastated New Albany, Indiana. Destroyed two schools and a wood shop. At least 300 homes were destroyed, some swept away. (≥9 significant, 1 violent, 2 killer) | ||
May–June 1917 tornado outbreak sequence | May 25 – June 1, 1917 | Central – Southeastern United States | ≥ 73 | >382 fatalities | One of the deadliest tornado outbreak sequences in US history. An F5 killed 23 people in Kansas. One tornado family in Illinois killed 101 people alone. A long-track tornado killed 67 people, mostly in Kentucky. (63 significant, 15 violent, 35 killer) | ||
May 1918 tornado outbreak sequence | May 18–21, 1918 | Central-Northern Great Plains – Upper Midwest | – | 44 fatalities, 340 injuries | (≥34 significant, 5 violent, 13 killer) | ||
1918 Tyler tornado | August 21, 1918 | Tyler, Minnesota | – | 36 killed, 225 injured | F4 tornado killed 36 people in and near Tyler. | ||
March 1919 tornado outbreak | March 14–16, 1919 | Central United States | – | 53 fatalities, 219 injuries | (4 violent, 18 killer) | ||
April 1919 tornado outbreak | April 8–9, 1919 | Southern Great Plains | – | 92 fatalities, 412 injuries | Unusual nocturnal outbreak produced numerous violent, large, long-tracked tornadoes in East Texas. (4 violent, 10 killer) | ||
1919 Fergus Falls tornado | June 22, 1919 | Fergus Falls, Minnesota | – | 57 fatalities, 200 injured | F5 tornado leveled many homes in Fergus Falls, killing 57 people. 35 of the deaths were at the three story Grand Hotel, which was completely destroyed. |
1920s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – 1920-1929 | |||||||
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Outbreak | Dates | Region | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes | ||
1920 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak | March 28, 1920 | Midwest – Southeast | – | ≥380 fatalities, ≥1215 injuries | First and deadliest of the Palm Sunday outbreaks; one of the deadliest outbreaks in US history. Tornadoes devastated the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, including parts of the Chicago metropolitan area. Other long-track killer tornadoes tore across the Southern states. Official death toll is uncertain and may be considerably higher than what is listed. (32 significant, 8 violent, 19 killer) | ||
April 1920 tornado outbreak | April 19–21, 1920 | Southeastern United States | – | 224 fatalities, 1374 injuries | Several violent, long-track tornadoes touched down across the South, killing numerous people. Mississippi and Alabama were the hardest hit, with multiple tornadoes producing double-digit death tolls, including one that killed 88 people alone. (14 significant, 7 violent, 9 killer) | ||
April 1921 tornado outbreak | April 15–16, 1921 | Southern U.S. | – | 90 fatalities, 676 injuries | Violent, long-tracked tornado killed 59 people in Texas and Arkansas. (34 significant, 1 violent, 17 killer) | ||
1922 Austin twin tornadoes | May 4, 1922 | Texas | 2 | 13 fatalities, 50 injuries | (Deadliest tornadoes in Austin history) (1 violent, 2 killer) | ||
April 1923 tornado outbreak sequence | April 4, 1923 | High Plains | - | 14 fatalities, 68 injuries | (2 violent, 4 killer) | ||
May 1923 Great Plains tornado outbreak | May 2, 1923 | Great Plains | 4 | 17 fatalities, 68 injuries | (1 violent, 4 killer) | ||
April 1924 tornado outbreak | April 30, 1924 | Southeastern United States | – | 110 fatalities, 1133 injuries | Long-tracked tornado family killed seven people at a school in Horrell Hill, South Carolina. Multiple violent killer tornadoes struck the Carolinas and Georgia. (28 significant, 2 violent, 16 killer) | ||
1924 Lorain–Sandusky tornado | June 28, 1924 | Eastern Great Lakes | – | 90 fatalities, 349 injuries | Deadliest tornado in Ohio history, estimated to have been an F4. (6 significant, 1 violent, 4 killer) | ||
Tri-State Tornado | March 18, 1925 | Middle Mississippi – Ohio Valley | ≥ | ≥747 fatalities, ≥2298 injuries | Part of a deadly outbreak, including the deadliest and longest-tracked tornado in US history. A massive F5 tornado traveled 219 mi (352 km) across the three states of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, killing 695 people. Third-costliest US tornado ever. Other violent tornadoes hit Kentucky and Tennessee, including a long-tracked F4 that killed 38 people. (≥9 significant, 3 violent, 8 killer) | ||
1926 La Plata, Maryland tornado outbreak | November 9, 1926 | Mid-Atlantic | – | 17 fatalities, 65 injuries | 17 people killed at schools in La Plata. An F4 tornado also hit the area on April 28, 2002. | ||
Late-November 1926 tornado outbreak | November 25–26, 1926 | South | – | 107 fatalities, 451 injuries | Deadliest November tornado outbreak in the US, produced several long-tracked, strong, killer tornadoes. (27 significant, 2 violent, 18 killer) | ||
1927 Rocksprings, Texas tornado | April 12, 1927 | Southern Great Plains | – | 74 fatalities, 205 injuries | A large F5 tornado struck Rocksprings, Texas, destroying 235 of 247 buildings in town. (1 violent, 1 killer) | ||
April 1927 Southern Plains-Midwest tornado outbreak | April 18–19, 1927 | Southern Great Plains – Midwest | – | ≥46 fatalities, ≥235 injuries | (16 significant, 3 violent, 5 killer) | ||
May 1927 tornado outbreak | May 8–9, 1927 | Great Plains – Mississippi Valley | 22 | 217 fatalities, 1156 injuries | One of the most prolific outbreaks in US history. A long-tracked F5 on May 7 in Kansas killed 10 people and injured 300. Other deadly tornadoes hit Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas including an F4 on May 9 that devastated Poplar Bluff, Missouri, killing 98 people. (32 significant, 8 violent, 17 killer) | ||
1927 St. Louis tornado outbreak | September 29, 1927 | Middle-Lower Mississippi Valley | – | 82 fatalities, 620 injuries | Produced a devastating tornado that struck St. Louis and killed 79 people. Estimated to have been an F3, but may have been an F4. (11 significant, 3 killer) | ||
September 1928 Upper Plains-Midwest tornado outbreak | September 13–14, 1928 | Upper Great Plains – Midwest | – | 23 fatalities, 197 injuries | Most intense September outbreak in US history. Several violent tornadoes, including one F4 that hit Rockford, Illinois. (15 significant, 3 violent, 3 killer) | ||
January 1929 Mid-Mississippi Valley tornado outbreak | January 18, 1929 | Middle Mississippi Valley | – | 10 fatalities, 46 injuries | (7 significant, 5 killer) | ||
1929 Slocum, Texas-Statesboro, Georgia tornado outbreaks | April 24–25, 1929 | Great Plains – Midwest – Southeast | – | 63 fatalities, 567 injuries | (15 significant, 4 violent, 7 killer) | ||
1929 Rye Cove, Virginia tornado outbreak | May 1–2, 1929 | Southern – Eastern United States | – | 44 fatalities, 349 injuries | 13 people killed at school in Rye Cove, Virginia. (17 significant, 10 killer) |
1930s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – 1930-1939 | |||||||
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Outbreak | Dates | Region | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes | ||
May 1930 tornado outbreak sequence | May 1–2 & 5–6, 1930 | Great Plains – Mississippi Valley | – | 94 fatalities, 520 injuries | Very intense and prolific outbreak sequence including a deadly F4 tornado in Frost, Texas, which resulted in 41 fatalities. (51 significant, 11 violent, 15 killer) | ||
November 1930 Southern Plains tornado outbreak | November 19, 1930 | Southern Great Plains | – | 24 fatalities, 162 injuries | Morning F4 tornado kills 23 people in Bethany, Oklahoma. (8 significant, 1 violent, 2 killer) | ||
1932 Deep South tornado outbreak | March 21–22, 1932 | Southeastern United States | – | ≥330 fatalities, 2145 injuries | One of the most intense outbreaks in US history, produced 10 violent tornadoes. Third-deadliest continuous tornado outbreak in US history. Hundreds of people were killed by violent tornadoes across the Southern United States. Deadliest Alabama outbreak with 268 fatalities. (36 significant, 10 violent, 27 killer) | ||
March 1933 Nashville tornado outbreak | March 14, 1933 | Tennessee Valley | – | 44 fatalities, 461 injuries | Destructive F3 tornado through downtown Nashville, killing 11 people. Other tornadoes touched down across the Ohio Valley, including an F4 that killed 12. (≥5 significant, 1 violent, ≥4 killer) | ||
Late-March 1933 tornado outbreak | March 30–31, 1933 | Southeast | – | 87 fatalities, 620 injuries | (30 significant, 1 violent, 16 killer) | ||
Early-May 1933 tornado outbreak sequence | May 4–10, 1933 | South | 128 fatalities | Produced an F4 that struck Tompkinsville, Kentucky, and killed 36 people. Another F4 struck rural Tennessee and killed 35. Numerous other killer tornadoes touched down across the Southern United States. (27 significant, 3 violent, 10 killer) | |||
1936 Cordele-Greensboro tornado outbreak | April 1–2, 1936 | Southeast | – | 45 fatalities, 568 injuries | Produced multiple killer tornadoes in Georgia and the Carolinas. An F4 tornado in Cordele, Georgia, killed 23 people. (8 significant, 3 violent, 10 killer) | ||
1936 Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak | April 5–6, 1936 | Southeastern United States | 17 | 454 fatalities, 2498 injuries | Second-deadliest continuous tornado outbreak in US history. Several strong and deadly tornadoes were observed across the South. Two of the individual tornadoes killed well over 200 people each. (12 significant, 3 violent, 11 killer) | ||
1938 Bakerville, Missouri tornado outbreak | March 15, 1938 | Mississippi Valley | – | 24 fatalities, 200 injuries | (14 significant, 2 violent, 6 killer) | ||
Late-March 1938 tornado outbreak | March 30–31, 1938 | Southern Plains – Mississippi Valley | – | 40 fatalities, 548 injuries | An F3 tornado in South Pekin, Illinois destroyed the town and killed 9. Remains Central Illinois' deadliest tornado after 75 years, (26 significant, 3 violent, 9 killer) | ||
1938 Oshkosh, Nebraska tornado outbreak | April 26, 1938 | Great Plains | – | 6 fatalities, 39 injuries | F5 near Oshkosh killed three students at a leveled school. Several other strong tornadoes were observed that day, killing three others. (9 significant, 2 violent, 2 killer) | ||
1938 Charleston, South Carolina tornadoes | September 29, 1938 | South Carolina | – | 32 fatalities, 100 injuries | (2 killers) | ||
April 1939 tornado outbreak sequence | April 14–17, 1939 | Great Plains – Mississippi Valley | – | 57 fatalities, 316 injuries | Included a long-tracked F5 tornado family on April 14 in Oklahoma and Kansas that killed seven people. (25 significant, 3 violent, 11 killer) |
1940s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – 1940-1949 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outbreak | Dates | Region | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes | ||
February 1942 tornado outbreak | February 5–6, 1942 | Southeast | – | 22 fatalities, 330 injuries | (22 significant, 9 killer) | ||
March 1942 tornado outbreak | March 16, 1942 | Central – Southern U.S. | – | 148 fatalities, ≥1284 injuries | Produced a deadly tornado family in Mississippi that killed 63 people. An F5 struck Lacon, Illinois, killing eight people. A long-tracked F4 killed 15 people in Tennessee. (25 significant, 7 violent, 18 killer) | ||
April–May 1942 tornado outbreak sequence | April 27–30 & May 2, 1942 | Great Plains | – | 123 fatalities, ≥839 injuries | Included six F4s that devastated northeast Oklahoma and southeast Kansas on May 2. (20 significant, 11 violent, 17 killer) | ||
January 1944 Oklahoma tornado outbreak | January 26. 1944 | Southern Great Plains | – | 2 fatalities, 40 injuries | (8 significant, 2 killer) | ||
1944 South Dakota–Minnesota tornado outbreak | June 17, 1944 | South Dakota, Minnesota | – | 13 fatalities, ≥80 injuries | An F5 tornado killed eight people in South Dakota and dissipated in Minnesota. Farms south of Wilmot, South Dakota were destroyed with no debris left behind. Two other deadly tornadoes, rated F3 and F4 by Grazulis, struck elsewhere in South Dakota. Official records only list windstorms even though well-defined funnels were sighted. (6 significant, 2 violent, 3 killer)[14] | ||
1944 Appalachians tornado outbreak | June 22–23, 1944 | Great Lakes – Mid-Atlantic | – | 163 fatalities, ≥1044 injuries | 100 died in a single tornado in West Virginia, the deadliest in the state's history. Other deadly tornadoes were observed in Pennsylvania and Maryland. First of two violent outbreaks in Pennsylvania, the other occurring on May 31, 1985, with an F5 tornado hitting Wheatland, Pennsylvania. (≥7 significant, 3 violent, ≥6 killer) | ||
April 1945 tornado outbreak | April 12, 1945 | Southern Great Plains – Mississippi Valley | – | 128 fatalities, 1001 injuries | A large and deadly F5 struck Antlers, Oklahoma, killing at least 67 people. (17 significant, 5 violent, 10 killer). | ||
1945 Jamestown Tornado | June 10, 1945 | Jamestown, New York, | - | 0 deaths, 14 injured | A tornado touched down in Jamestown at 9:30 pm, with many factory buildings losing their roofs and in some cases even their top floors, and causing significant damage to hundreds of homes. $85M in damage (2019 dollars). | ||
1946 Windsor–Tecumseh tornado | June 17, 1946 | River Rouge, Michigan, Windsor, Ontario | – | 17 dead, dozens injured | Third-deadliest tornado in Canadian history, formed in River Rouge, Michigan. May have been an F5. | ||
January 1947 tornado outbreak | January 29–30, 1947 | Mississippi Valley – Southeast | – | 8 fatalities, 155 injuries | (15 significant, 1 violent, 5 killer) | ||
1947 Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornadoes | April 9–10, 1947 | Southern Great Plains | – | 181 fatalities, 980 injuries | Deadly tornado family devastated multiple towns in Texas and Oklahoma, producing F5 damage. Entire communities were either partly or totally swept away in both states. (≥8 significant, ≥2 violent, ≥1 killer) | ||
1947 New Year's Eve tornado outbreak | December 31, 1947 | Southern U.S. | – | 20 fatalities, 256 injuries | (7 significant, 1 violent, 3 killer) | ||
1948 Alton-Bunker Hill-Gillespie tornado outbreak | March 18–19, 1948 | Great Plains – Middle Mississippi Valley | – | 43 fatalities, ≥566 injuries | Early-morning F4 killed 33 people in Illinois. (25 significant, 3 violent, 5 killer) | ||
1948 Tinker Air Force Base tornadoes | March 20 & 25, 1948 | Oklahoma City | – | First successful tornado prediction in history by Maj. Ernest J. Fawbush and Capt. Robert C. Miller who were on duty at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.[1] | |||
Late-March 1948 tornado outbreak | March 25–27, 1948 | Central United States | – | 37 fatalities, 321 injuries | (19 significant, 3 violent, 5 killer) |
1950s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – 1950-1959 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outbreak | Dates | Region | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes | ||
February 1950 tornado outbreak | February 11–13, 1950 | Lower-Middle Mississippi Valley | 19 | 45 fatalities, 201 injuries | A tornado outbreak produced several long–tracked, deadly tornadoes that touched down in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Arkansas. (14 significant, 1 violent, 8 killer)[15] | ||
Tornado outbreak of March 26–27, 1950 | March 26-27, 1950 | Mississippi Valley | 16 | 1 fatality, 52 injuries | Destructive outbreak produced two F3 tornadoes in Arkansas and a fatal F2 tornado in Mississippi. An F2 tornado also struck Downtown Little Rock, Arkansas while twin F2 tornadoes damaged Downtown Jackson, Mississippi. (12 significant, 1 killer)[16] | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 28–29, 1950 | April 28-29, 1950 | Great Plains - Mississippi Valley | 7 | 11 fatalities, 38 injuries | Several destructive tornadoes touched down with all three F3+ tornadoes being killers. (5 significant, 2 violent, 3 killer)[17] | ||
Tornado outbreak of June 19, 1951 | June 19, 1951 | Midwest | 5 | 1 fatality, 20 injuries | Small, but destructive outbreak spawned a violent, long-tracked F4 tornado in Minnesota with all casualties coming from this storm. (2 significant, 1 violent killer)[18][19] | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of June 25–27, 1951 | June 25-27, 1952 | Great Plains - Midwest - Northeastern United States | 13 | 6 fatalities, 161 injuries | An F4 tornado killed five and injured 100 in WaKeeney, Kansas while F3 tornadoes killed one and injured 50 in Illinois. (7 significant, 1 violent, 2 killer)[20] | ||
Great Lakes tornadoes of September 26, 1951 | September 26, 1951 | Wisconsin - Michigan | 3 | 8 fatalities, 15 injuries | A destructive series of three tornadoes touched down, all of which caused major damage, injuries and fatalities. (3 significant killers, 2 violent killers)[21] | ||
Tornado outbreak of February 13, 1952 | February 13, 1952 | Southeastern United States | 15 | 5 fatalities, 102 injuries | Destructive outbreak hit the Southeast with three killer F3+ tornadoes occurring in Alabama and Tennessee. (8 significant, 1 violent, 3 killer)[22] | ||
Tornado outbreak of Leap Day 1952 | February 29, 1952 | Southeastern United States | 8 | 5 fatalities, 336 injuries | Highly unusual outbreak where the weakest tornado ended up being the most catastrophic when an F1 tornado killed three and injured 166 in Belfast, Tennessee. An F4 tornado also killed two and injured 150 in Fayetteville, Tennessee while an F3 tornado injured 12 in Fort Payne, Alabama. (7 significant, 1 violent, 2 killer)[23] | ||
March 1952 Southern United States tornado outbreak | March 21–22, 1952 | Lower-Middle Mississippi Valley | 31 | 209 fatalities, 1,212 injuries | Fourth-most violent outbreak in U.S. since 1950 with 11 F4 tornadoes, most intense ever in Arkansas. F4 tornadoes that struck Judsonia and Cotton Plant killed a total of 79 people. Other F4 tornadoes struck Tennessee and Northern Mississippi. First time the word "tornado" was used during a public television weather broadcast. Done by Oklahoma City WKY-TV's weatherman Harry Volkman. Tornado had been a banned word by the FCC at the time. (28 significant, 11 violent, 20 killer)[1][24] | ||
Tornado outbreak of June 23–24, 1952 | June 23-24, 1952 | Great Plains - Midwest | 7 | 2 fatalities, 35 injuries | Several intense tornadoes touched down with an F4 tornado in Iowa and a fatal F3 tornado in Wisconsin. The Minneapolis metro was struck by long-tracked F2 tornadoes on both outbreak days with the second one moving directly through Downtown. (5 significant, 1 violent, 1 killer)[25] | ||
Mid–March 1953 tornado outbreak | March 12-15, 1953 | Great Plains, Mississippi Valley, Southeast | 23[26] | 21 fatalities, 72 injuries | Produced a devastating F4 tornado that killed 17 in Western North Texas as well as multiple strong tornadoes in Arkansas. (18 significant, 1 violent, 4 killer) | ||
April–May 1953 tornado outbreak sequence | April 28–May 2, 1953 | Southeast | 24[27][28][29][30][31] | 36 fatalities, 361 injuries | Produced five deadly F4 tornadoes across four states, including one that killed 18 on Robins Air Force Base. (15 significant, 5 violent, 7 killer) | ||
1953 Waco tornado outbreak | May 9–11, 1953 | Southern-Central Great Plains / Upper Mississippi Valley | 33[32][33] | 144 fatalities, 895 injuries | Produced an F5 tornado in Waco, Texas, killing 114 people. Tied for deadliest tornado in Texas history and eleventh deadliest in United States. Other deadly tornadoes struck Hebron, Nebraska, and San Angelo, Texas. (17 significant, 5 violent, 6 killer) | ||
1953 Sarnia tornado outbreak | May 20-21, 1953 | Midwest, Ontario | 3[32] | 8 fatalities, ≥75 injuries | Two F3 tornadoes and an F4 tornado touched down over a two-day period, causing catastrophic damage and several fatalities. (3 significant, 1 violent, 2 killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak of May 29, 1953 | May 29, 1953 | Great Plains | 9[32] | 2 fatalities, 22 injuries | F5 tornado caused catastrophic damage in Fort Rice, North Dakota, although the rating is disputed. (6 significant, 1 violent killer) | ||
Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence | June 7–9, 1953 | Central Great Plains – Great Lakes – New England | 50 | 247 fatalities, 2,562 injuries | Numerous tornadoes struck the Great Plains and Midwestern United States. The Flint-Beecher F5 produced the last 100+ death toll for a single tornado in US history until the 2011 Joplin tornado. An F4 tornado that struck Worcester, Massachusetts killed 94 people and may have reached F5 status as well. (26 significant, 6 violent, 7 killer)[34] | ||
1953 tornadoes of Anita, Iowa | June 27, 1953 | North Dakota, Iowa | 5 | 1 fatality, 5 injures | Violent F5 tornado obliterated farms east of Anita, Iowa. (3 significant, 1 violent killer)[35] | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of Early-December 1953 | December 1-6, 1953 | Southeast United States | 19 | 49 fatalities, 404 injuries | Destructive outbreak sequence produced two violent tornadoes, including an F5 tornado that struck Downtown Vicksburg, Mississippi. It is one of only two official December F5 tornadoes in US history, although the rating is disputed. (15 significant, 2 violent, 3 killer)[36] | ||
April–May 1954 tornado outbreak sequence | April 25–May 3, 1954 | Great Plains – Midwest – Mississippi Valley | 100 | 4 fatalities, 167 injuries | One of the largest tornado outbreak sequences at the time. (50 significant, 3 violent, 2 killer)[37] | ||
May–June 1954 tornado outbreak sequence | May 30–June 3, 1954 | Great Plains – Eastern United States | 39 | 9 fatalities, 65 injuries | Produced a catastrophic F4 tornado in Kalamazoo, Nebraska, killing six, and injuring 23. F3 tornadoes also caused casualties in the Wichita Falls, Texas metropolitan area. (22 significant, 1 violent, 4 killer)[37] | ||
Tornado outbreak of December 5, 1954 | December 5, 1954 | Georgia, Alabama | 14 | 2 fatalities, 125 injuries | Multiple long-tracked F2-F3 tornadoes touched down. An F2 tornado also hit the Atlanta metro. (10 significant, 2 killer)[37] | ||
Tornado outbreak of February 1, 1955 | February 1, 1955 | Tennessee | 2–4 | 23 fatalities, 166 injuries (unofficial) | An F3 tornado killed 20 people in and near Commerce, Mississippi, most of them at a plantation school, and destroyed 45 homes. An F2 tornado destroyed another school between Lewisberg and Olive Branch, Mississippi, killing 3 others. A survey team declared that these events were not tornadoes, despite the fact that the funnels were sighted and heavy debris was carried long distances. As a result, they are not listed as tornadoes in official records.[38] Official records list two tornadoes as striking southern Tennessee,[39] but Grazulis states that one of these was likely a downburst.[38] (2–3 significant, 2 killer) | ||
1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak | May 25–26, 1955 | Great Plains – Midwest – Mississippi Valley | 46 | 102 fatalities, 593 injuries | One of the deadliest Plains outbreaks on record. An F5 tornado struck Blackwell, Oklahoma, killing 20 people. Another F5 from the same storm struck Udall, Kansas, killing 80. (17 significant, 3 violent killer)[40] | ||
November 15–16, 1955 tornado outbreak | November 15-16, 1955 | Mississippi, Ohio Valleys | 18 | 1 fatality, 35 injuries | Multiple strong tornadoes touched down, including a deadly, long-tracked F3 tornado in Arkansas and a destructive F2 tornado in Downtown Indianapolis. (10 significant, 1 killer)[41] | ||
February 14–18, 1956 tornado outbreak | February 14-18, 1956 | Southeast | 16 | 2 fatalities, 64 injuries | A large, early season outbreak caused numerous casualties.(10 significant, 2 killer)[42] | ||
February 24–25, 1956 tornado outbreak | February 24–25, 1956 | Central United States | 23[43][44] | 6 fatalities, 47 injuries | The St. Louis metro was hit by a violent and deadly F4 tornado. An F2 tornado also hit the Cincinnati metro.(14 significant, 1 violent killers) | ||
April 1956 tornado outbreak | April 2-3, 1956 | Central United States | 47 | 38 fatalities, 638 injuries | An F5 tornado struck the suburbs of Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 3, killing 17 people. Other significant tornadoes struck Oklahoma and Kansas on April 2 and the Great Lakes region on April 3. (33 significant, 6 violent, 8 killer)[45] | ||
1956 McDonald Chapel tornado | April 14-15, 1956 | Southern Great Plains – Great Lakes – Southeastern United States | 5 | 25 fatalities, 200 injuries | F4 tornado struck the Birmingham suburbs on April 15, killing 25 people. (2 significant, 1 violent killer)[45] | ||
May 12–14, 1956 tornado outbreak sequence | May 12-14, 1956 | Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Texas | 19 | 4 fatalities, 162 injuries | Five separate outbreaks hit five separate states. Two F4 tornadoes caused major damage in Flint, Michigan and the Southern suburbs of Detroit. (11 significant, 2 violent, 2 killer)[46] | ||
Early-April 1957 tornado outbreak sequence | April 2-5, 1957 | Great Plains, Midwest, Southeastern United States | 72 | 21 fatalities, 338 injuries | A widely photographed and filmed F3 tornado struck Dallas and killed 10 people. Other deadly tornadoes struck Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Georgia. (33 significant, 2 violent, 8 killer)[47] | ||
April 1957 Southeastern United States tornado outbreak | April 8, 1957 | Alabama – Georgia – North Carolina – South Carolina – Tennessee – Nebraska – Virginia | 19 | 7 fatalities, 223 injuries | Produced several destructive tornadoes across the South. The town of Jefferson, South Carolina was devastated by an F4 tornado family. (16 significant, 2 violent, 3 killer)[47] | ||
April 18–27, 1957 tornado outbreak sequence | April 18-27, 1957 | Great Plains, Mississippi Valley, Great Lakes | 117 | 2 fatalities, 33 injuries | Long-lived outbreak sequence produced numerous significant tornadoes. April 21 featured two violent F4 tornadoes, one of which hit Lubbock, Texas, that took unusual paths to the north-northwest. (42 significant, 4 violent, 2 killer)[47] | ||
May 12–17, 1957 tornado outbreak sequence | May 12-17, 1957 | Great Plains, Midwest, Southeast | 50 | 23 fatalities, 105 injuries | F4 tornado struck Silverton, Texas. (15 significant, 1 violent, 3 killer)[48] | ||
May 1957 Central Plains tornado outbreak sequence | May 19–21, 1957 | California – Central Great Plains – Middle-Upper Mississippi Valley | 57 | 59 fatalities, 341 injuries | Produced numerous tornadoes across the Great Plains states, including an F5 tornado that ripped through several Kansas City suburbs and killed 44 people. Other deadly tornadoes touched down in Missouri. (29 significant, 4 violent, 3 killer)[48] | ||
Late-May 1957 tornado outbreak | May 24–25, 1957 | New Mexico and southern Great Plains | 45 | 4 fatalities, 10 injuries | Produced several strong tornadoes across the southern Great Plains. An F3 tornado caused severe damage in Olton, Texas, and an F4 tornado killed four people near Lawton, Oklahoma. (12 significant, 1 violent killer)[48] | ||
June 20–23, 1957 tornado outbreak sequence | June 20-23, 1957 | Great Plains, Midwest | 23 | ≥11 fatalities, 105 injuries | Outbreak sequence produced what may have been one of the most intense F5 tornadoes in US history that killed 10 people in Fargo, North Dakota. An additional fatality occurred in South Dakota from an F2 tornado. (7 significant, 1 violent, 2 killer)[49] | ||
Tornado outbreak of November 7–8, 1957 | November 7–8, 1957 | Southeastern United States | 20 | 14 fatalities, 199 injuries | Intense outbreak spawned a rare, southwest-moving F4 tornado that killed one in Orange, Texas. (12 significant, 1 violent, 6 killer)[50] | ||
Mid-November 1957 tornado outbreak | November 16-19, 1957 | Southeastern United States, Northeastern United States | 32 | 10 fatalities, 84 injuries | Alabama took the brunt of this outbreak as both killer F4 tornadoes and eight of the 10 deaths from the outbreak occurred in this state alone. The other deadly tornado was in Mississippi. (15 significant, 2 violent, 4 killer)[50][51] | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of December 18–20, 1957 | December 18-20, 1957 | Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama | 37 | 19 fatalities, 291 injuries | One the most intense December outbreaks in the Contiguous United States and the most intense Illinois tornado outbreak in any month. An F4 tornado struck Mt. Vernon, Illinois, an F5 tornado obliterated Sunfield, Illinois and a long-tracked F4 struck several towns hit by the 1925 Tri-State tornado. An additional F4 tornado hit Arkansas. (29 significant, 4 violent, 6 killer)[52] | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 15, 1958 | April 15, 1958 | Florida and Georgia | 5 | 36 injuries | Produced one of only two known F4 tornadoes in Florida, although the rating is disputed. (3 significant, 1 violent)[53] | ||
Tornado outbreak of June 4, 1958 | June 4, 1958 | Great Plains – Upper Midwest | 10 | 28 fatalities, 133 injuries | Produced a series of strong and destructive tornadoes in Wisconsin, including an F5 twister that devastated the town of Colfax, although the rating is disputed. (6 significant, 3 violent killers)[54] | ||
Tornado outbreak of November 1958 | November 13-17, 1958 | Great Plains, Mississippi Valley | 43 | 37 injuries[55] | Produced several destructive tornadoes during the period with 34 of the 43 tornadoes touching down on the final day of the outbreak. (25 significant) | ||
St. Louis tornado outbreak of February 1959 | February 9-10, 1959 | Great Plains, Midwest, Southeast | 17 | 21 fatalities, 358 injuries | Produced a devastating F4 tornado that obliterated Northwestern Downtown St. Louis as well as an F3 tornado that heavily damaged an occupied school in Southern Highland County, Ohio. (7 significant, 1 violent killer)[56] | ||
Tornado outbreak of March 31–April 2, 1959 | March 31-April 2, 1959 | Great Plains - Midwest - Southeast | 17 | 7 fatalities, 83 injuries | An F4 tornado killed six in Texas and an F2 tornado killed one in Florida. (9 significant, 1 violent, 2 killer)[57] | ||
Tornado outbreak of May 4–6, 1959 | May 4-6, 1959 | Great Plains, Midwest | 50 | 2 injuries | A total of 46 tornadoes touched down on May 4. (15 significant)[57] | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 8–12, 1959 | May 8-12, 1959 | Great Plains, Mississippi Valley, Eastern United States | 60 | 7 fatalities, 34 injuries | Outbreak produced F4 tornadoes in Oklahoma and Iowa. Tornadoes also struck the St. Louis suburbs as well as both Northeast Austin and Downtown Green Bay. (29 significant, 2 violent, 1 killer)[57] | ||
Tornado outbreak of May 20–21, 1959 | May 20-21, 1959 | Great Plains, Southeastern United States | 15 | 5 injuries | An F4 tornado injured five in Wayne County, Iowa. (4 significant, 1 violent)[57] | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of Late-September 1959 | September 26-29, 1959 | Great Plains – Mississippi Valley | 36 | 2 fatalities, 47 injuries | Included two violent F4 tornadoes as well as the first F2 tornado ever in Idaho. Tornadoes also struck the suburbs of both Chicago and Milwaukee. (15 significant, 2 violent, 2 killer)[57] | ||
Hurricane Gracie | September 29-30, 1959 | Southeastern United States | 6 | 12 fatalities, 13 injuries | September 30 produced two deadly F3 tornadoes that killed one and 11 in Virginia respectfully. (3 significant, 2 killer)[57] | ||
Tornado outbreak of October 2–4, 1959 | October 2-4, 1959 | Great Plains | 10 | 7 injuries | Tornado outbreak struck mostly the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, causing heavy damage. (2 significant)[57] |
1960s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – 1960-1969 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outbreak | Dates | Region | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 28–30, 1960 | April 28–30, 1960 | Great Plains - Midwest - Mississippi Valley | 19 | 3 fatalities, 79 injuries | Tornado outbreak tore through Oklahoma City metropolitan area including one F3 tornado that tore the city, injuring 57. The three deaths came from a separate F2 tornado. (13 significant, 1 killer)[58] | ||
May 1960 tornado outbreak sequence | May 4–6, 1960 | Southern Great Plains - Southern United States - Midwest | 66 | 33 fatalities, 302 injuries | Produced numerous violent and killer tornadoes, especially in Oklahoma. An F5 tornado killed five people and produced extreme damage near Prague and Iron Post. An F4 tornado struck Wilburton and killed 16. (41 significant, 5 violent, 8 killer)[59] | ||
Tornado outbreak of February 24−25, 1961 | February 24-25, 1961 | Southeastern United States | 14 | 11 injuries | Strong F2 tornadoes moved through multiple towns and cities across the Southeast. (7 significant)[60] | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of April 23–30, 1961 | April 23-30, 1961 | Midwest - Mississippi Valley - Northeastern United States - Great Plains - South Texas | 30 | 3 fatalities, 38 injuries | The most prolific days were April 23 and 25, when multiple long-tracked, large, and strong to violent tornadoes touched down, including five that traveled over 50 miles (80 km). An F3 tornado killed one in Iowa, an F4 tornado injured seven in Indiana and Ohio, and an F2 tornado killed two in Ohio. Strong F2 and F3 tornadoes also impacted Delaware, Corpus Christi, and the Northwestern Oklahoma City suburbs during the other outbreak days. (18 significant, 1 violent, 2 killer)[61] | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 3–9, 1961 | May 3–9, 1961 | Great Plains - Mississippi Valley - Midwest - Northeastern - Mid-Atlantic - Southeastern United States | 73 | 23 fatalities, 126 injuries | Outbreak produced many destructive and deadly tornadoes across a large swath of the country. This included an F2 tornado caused heavy damage in St. Petersburg, Florida and an F4 tornado that killed 16 in Le Flore County, Oklahoma. (40 significant, 2 violent, 5 killer)[62] | ||
Hurricane Carla tornado outbreak | September 10–13, 1961 | Southern U.S. | 22 | 14 fatalities, 337 injuries | Produced several strong tornadoes, including a killer F4 tornado that hit Galveston, Texas. (15 significant, 1 violent, 3 killer)[63] | ||
Tornado outbreak of March 30–31, 1962 | March 30-31, 1962 | Southeastern United States | 11 | 17 fatalities, 105 injuries | A catastrophic F3 tornado destroyed the northwest side of Milton, Florida, killing 17 people and injuring 100. Five other injuries occurred from other tornadoes as well. (4 significant, 1 killer)[64] | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 14–June 1, 1962 | May 14-June 1, 1962 | United States | 198 | 3 fatalities, 168 injuries | A very active stretch of severe weather produced almost 200 tornadoes. It was part of a period where at least one tornado touched down everyday between May 14 and June 25. Devastating F3 tornadoes struck Mitchell, South Dakota and the northern suburbs of Waterbury, Connecticut, causing severe damage and dozens of casualties. (66 significant, 4 violent, 3 killer)[65][66] | ||
Tornado outbreak of March 10–12, 1963 | March 10-12, 1963 | Southeastern United States | 18 | 6 fatalities, 38 injuries | A very destructive outbreak of tornadoes hit the Southeast. Both F4 tornadoes were killers along with two F2 tornadoes. (14 significant, 2 violent, 4 killer)[67][68] | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 17, 1963 | April 17, 1963 | Illinois - Indiana - Missouri - Michigan | 6 | 2 fatalities, 71 injuries | Very intense localized outbreak produced a long-tracked, killer F4 tornado that hit Bourbonnais, Illinois. (4 significant, 1 violent, 2 killer)[69] | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 28–30, 1963 | April 28-30, 1963 | Midwest - Mississippi Valley - Southeastern United States | 37 | 13 fatalities, 72 injuries | Multiple large and destructive tornadoes touched down with killer F2-F4 tornadoes occurring in four states. Additionally, an F2 tornado in Florida had a track of 61 miles (98 km). (24 significant, 1 violent, 5 killer)[69][51] | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence April 2–8, 1964 | April 2–8, 1964 | Great Plains - Southern United States - Midwest | 33 | 7 fatalities, 119 injuries | The Wichita Falls, Texas tornado of April 3 was rated F5. First tornado ever captured on live television. First of two violent tornadoes to hit Wichita Falls, the other—an F4 tornado that killed 42—occurring on April 10, 1979. (13 significant, 1 violent killer)[70] | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence April 12–14, 1964 | April 12–14, 1964 | Midwest - Ozarks | 23 | 7 fatalities, 75 injuries | Killer outbreak of tornadoes hit the Kansas City metropolitan area as well as areas to the north and south. Both F4 tornadoes were killers. (11 significant, 2 violent, 5 killer)[70] | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 1964 | May 4–8, 1964 | Great Plains - Midwest | 73 | 15 fatalities, 383 injuries | Large outbreak produced multiple strong-to-violent tornadoes, including a long–tracked F5 tornado killed four in Iowa and an F4 tornado that struck Metro Detroit in Macomb County, before continuing into Lambton County in Ontario, killing 11. (45 significant, 3 violent, 2 killer)[71] | ||
Hurricane Hilda tornado outbreak | October 3-4, 1964 | Southeastern United States | 12 | 22 fatalities, 172 injuries | Four states were hit by tornadoes produced by Hurricane Hilda, including a violent F4 tornado that caused catastrophic destruction in Larose, Louisiana. (8 significant, 1 violent killer)[72] | ||
1964 Hurricane Isbell tornado outbreak | October 14, 1964 | South Florida | 9 | 48 injuries | Hurricane Isbell generated one of the most prolific tornado outbreaks ever recorded in South Florida as nine short-lived, but destructive tornadoes hit the state. (4 significant)[72] | ||
Tornado outbreak of Christmas 1964 | December 24-26, 1964 | Southeastern United States | 14 | 2 fatalities, 28 injuries | Destructive tornado outbreak occurred during the Christmas holiday. One long-tracked F3 tornado killed two and injured 16 in Georgia. (8 significant, 1 killer)[73] | ||
February 1965 South Florida tornado outbreak | February 23, 1965 | South Florida | 4 | 8 injuries | Four destructive tornadoes hit South Florida, including an F2 tornado in Fort Myers as well as an F3 tornado that hit Fort Lauderdale. (2 significant)[74] | ||
Tornado outbreak of March 16–18, 1965 | March 16–18, 1965 | Great Plains - Southeastern United States - Midwest | 24 | 2 fatalities, 129 injuries | Very destructive tornado outbreak caused major damage in multiple states. An F4 tornado tracked 82.7 miles (133.1 km) through Oklahoma and Kansas while a deadly F3 tornado killed two and injured 85 in North Carolina. (11 significant, 1 violent, 1 killer)[75] | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of April 7–9, 1965 | April 7-9, 1965 | Midwest - California - Great Lakes - Southeastern United States | 19 | 16 injuries | Destructive outbreak sequence struck the US right before the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak.(11 significant)[76] | ||
Palm Sunday tornado outbreak sequence of April 10–12, 1965 | April 10–12, 1965 | Central United States | 55 | 266 fatalities, 3,662 injuries | One catastrophic F4 tornado killed six and injured 200 in Conway, Arkansas before the main outbreak occurred the next day. It is among the most intense outbreaks ever recorded. Numerous violent and long-track tornadoes, some possibly reaching F5 intensity, tore across the Great Lakes states, killing hundreds of people. Two violent F4 tornadoes hit Dunlap, Indiana, killing 51 people there. Two F4 tornadoes with parallel paths in Michigan killed 44 people. Deadly tornadoes also impacted the Cleveland and Toledo areas. National Weather Service adopts standard broadcast language of tornado watch and tornado warning to use for public warnings of tornadoes following the aftermath of this storm. (38 significant, 18 violent, 22 killer)[1][77][78] | ||
Early May 1965 tornado outbreak | May 5–8, 1965 | Great Plains - Midwestern United States | 77 | 17 fatalities, 772 injuries | Included the 1965 Twin Cities tornado outbreak, in which a series of violent tornadoes struck the Twin Cities metro area on May 6, devastating Fridley and Golden Valley. A violent outbreak occurred on May 8 in Nebraska and South Dakota, including a massive F5 tornado in Tripp County and two long-tracked F4 tornadoes, one of which almost obliterated Primrose, killing four people. (37 significant, 9 violent, 5 killer)[79] | ||
Late-May 1965 tornado outbreak | May 25–26, 1965 | Great Plains - Mississippi Valley | 36 | 22 injuries | Produced multiple strong tornadoes in the Great Plains, including an F3 tornado near Pratt, Kansas. (9 significant)[79][51] | ||
Tornado outbreak of March 3–4, 1966 | March 3-4, 1966 | Louisiana – Mississippi – Alabama – North Carolina | 4 | 58 fatalities, 521 injuries | Outbreak produced the Candlestick Park tornado, which was an extremely violent F5 tornado or tornado family that killed 58 people and traveled 202.5 mi (325.9 km) across Mississippi and Alabama. It is one of the longest such paths on record and one of only four official F5 tornadoes to hit Mississippi. Three additional F1 tornadoes also touched down. (1 violent killer)[80] | ||
1966 Tampa tornado family | April 4, 1966 | Central Florida | 2 | 11 fatalities, 530 injuries | Third-deadliest tornado event in Florida, behind those of February 2, 2007, and February 22–23, 1998. Produced at least two long-tracked tornadoes, including one of only two F4 tornadoes in Florida history, killing 11 people. Affected major urban areas in Tampa and Greater Orlando, but crossed the entire state as well. (2 significant, 1 violent killer) | ||
June 1966 tornado outbreak sequence | June 3–12, 1966 | Kansas – Illinois | 57 | 18 fatalities, 543 injuries | Outbreak sequence produced a series of tornadoes across the Great Plains states. An F5 tornado devastated downtown Topeka, Kansas, killing 16 people and disproving myths about the city's being protected. A large F3 tornado also hit Manhattan, Kansas. (23 significant, 3 violent, 3 killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak of Mid–October 1966 | October 14-15, 1966 | Midwest | 23 | 6 fatalities, 225 injuries | Unusually intense October outbreak spawned a deadly F5 tornado in Belmond, Iowa, although the rating is disputed. (15 significant, 1 violent killer) [81] | ||
Los Angeles tornadoes of November 7, 1966 | November 7, 1966 | Southern California | 4 | 10 injuries | Extremely rare series of strong tornadoes struck Southern California with two F2 tornadoes striking Los Angeles.(3 significant)[82] | ||
1967 St. Louis tornado outbreak | January 24, 1967 | Midwest | 30 | 7 fatalities, 268 injuries | One of the most intense January outbreaks ever documented. F3+ tornadoes occurred as far north as Wisconsin. An F4 tornado killed three in the St. Louis suburbs, paralleling the paths of earlier tornadoes in 1896 and 1927. Two students were killed at a high school in Orrick, Missouri. (23 significant, 2 violent, 4 killer)[83] | ||
1967 Oak Lawn tornado outbreak | April 21, 1967 | Midwest | 45 | 58 fatalities, 1,118 injuries | One of the most intense outbreaks to hit the Chicago metropolitan area. An F4 tornado devastated Belvidere, Illinois, killing 13 people in a school (one of the highest such tolls in US history). Another very destructive F4 hit Oak Lawn, killing 33 people in rush-hour traffic. Other violent tornadoes touched down in Missouri and Michigan. (25 significant, 5 violent, 3 killer)[51] | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of April 30–May 2, 1967 | April 30-May 2, 1967 | Midwest - Southern United States | 38 | 13 fatalities, 90 injuries | Three-day outbreak sequence started in the Midwest, where only one tornado was rated below F2 strength in Minnesota. The towns of Albert Lea and Waseca were devastated by deadly F4 tornadoes. Another outbreak of destructive outbreak of tornadoes hit the South during the second and third outbreak days. (29 significant, 4 violent, 3 killer) | ||
Hurricane Beulah | September 18–24, 1967 | Texas | 120 | 5 fatalities, 41 injuries | One of the largest tropical cyclone-related tornado outbreaks ever recorded. Produced several strong tornadoes, some of which were deadly. Also set the record for most tornadoes in one state within a 24-hour period. (14 significant, 2 killer)[84] | ||
Tornado outbreak of December 1–3, 1967 | December 1-3, 1967 | Southeastern United States | 8 | 2 fatalities, 14 injuries | Active December produced three outbreaks with this being the first one. An F4 tornado killed two in Mississippi. (6 significant, 1 violent killer) [85] | ||
Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 1967 | December 10-11, 1967 | Southeastern United States - Midwest | 22 | 2 fatalities, 103 injuries | Active December produced three outbreaks with this being the second one. F2 and F3 tornadoes in Florida both killed one and injured 50. (12 significant, 2 killer)[51][86] | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of December 17–21, 1967 | December 17-21, 1967 | Hawaii - Southwestern United States - Midwest - Southeastern United States | 30 | 6 fatalities, 110 injuries | Active December produced three outbreaks with this one being the third and most severe of them. An F2 tornado killed two in Alabama, an F4 tornado killed three in Missouri and another F2 tornado killed one in Mississippi. (19 significant, 1 violent, 3 killer)[87] | ||
1968 Wheelersburg, Ohio tornado outbreak | April 23, 1968 | Ohio Valley | 14 | 14 fatalities | Outbreak produced several violent and killer tornadoes across the Ohio Valley, including two F4 tornadoes—one possibly reaching F5 intentsiy. An F5 tornado struck Wheelersburg and Gallipolis as well. The F5 rating is, however, disputed by some sources. (9 significant, 3 violent killer) | ||
May 1968 tornado outbreak | May 15–16, 1968 | Mississippi Valley | 46 | 74 fatalities | Two F5 tornadoes struck Iowa on the same day, killing 18 people. Two deadly F4 tornadoes struck Arkansas, including one that killed 35 people in Jonesboro. (21 significant, 4 violent, 8 killer) | ||
1968 Tracy tornado | June 13, 1968 | Minnesota | 1 | 9 fatalities | Powerful but narrow F5 tornado killed nine people and injured 150 in Tracy, Minnesota. | ||
1969 Hazlehurst, Mississippi tornado outbreak | January 23, 1969 | Southeastern United States | 3 | 32 fatalities | Devastating pre-dawn F4 tornado hit Hazlehurst and other towns, killing 32 people on a long path across southern Mississippi. (2 significant, 1 violent killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of June 1969 | June 21–26, 1969 | Midwestern United States | 63 | 7 fatalities, 169 injuries | Significant tornadoes struck the Midwest for six consecutive days. An F3 tornado caused major damage in Salina, Kansas, injuring 60 people. Two F4 tornadoes struck western Missouri, killing 6 people and injuring 77. (24 significant, 3 violent, 3 killer) | ||
1969 Minnesota tornado outbreak | August 6, 1969 | Minnesota | 13 | 15 fatalities, 109 injuries | Mid-summer outbreak produced several destructive tornadoes in Minnesota. An F4 tornado killed 12 people near Outing. (11 significant, 1 violent, 3 killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of August 8-10, 1969 | August 8-10, 1969 | Indiana – Ohio | 21 | 4 fatalities, 257 injuries | F3 tornado killed 4 in the Cincinnati suburbs. Other strong tornadoes occurred in Indiana and Virginia. (8 significant, 1 killer) |
1970s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – 1970-1979 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outbreak | Dates | Region | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of April 17–19, 1970 | April 17–19, 1970 | Southern Great Plains | 15 | 23 fatalities | Produced multiple violent, long-tracked tornadoes in the Llano Estacado and the Texas Panhandle. (7 significant, 4 violent, 3 killer) | ||
1970 Lubbock tornado | May 11, 1970 | West Texas | 6 | 26 fatalities | A violent F5 tornado struck Downtown Lubbock, killing 26 people. Studies of this tornado led to the formation of the Fujita scale. | ||
June 10–16, 1970 tornado outbreak sequence | June 10–16, 1970 | Central United States | 82 | 3 fatalities | 82 tornadoes touched down across the Great Plains and Midwest. The outbreak sequence featured a long–tracked F3 tornado that struck Springdale, Arkansas and an F4 tornado near Bynumville, Missouri. One tornado near Macon, Missouri, featured an oddity where a welcome mat made an imprint on the side of a house. (26 significant, 1 violent, 3 killer) | ||
February 1971 Mississippi Delta tornado outbreak | February 21, 1971 | Southern Mississippi Valley | 19 | 123 fatalities | Deadly outbreak produced multiple long-track, violent tornadoes across Mississippi Delta region, including the only known F5 in Louisiana history. One of the tornadoes traveled 202 mi (325 km) across northern and central Mississippi, destroying several entire communities and killing 58 people, including 21 alone in Pugh City, which was entirely destroyed and never rebuilt. Additionally, the F5 Louisiana tornado continued into Mississippi and killed 21 people in Inverness, a large section of which was also destroyed. (13 significant, 3 violent, 5 killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak of December 1971 | December 14–15, 1971 | Great Plains - Midwest - Mississippi Valley | 40 | 2 fatalities, 119 injuries | Multiple tornadoes pummeled Dallas-Fort Worth and Springfield, Missouri metropolitan areas during the massive outbreak. One long-tracked F2 tornado on December 14 passed through the Western suburbs of Springfield, Missouri, killing one and injuring 22. (19 significant, 2 killer)[51] | ||
1972 Portland–Vancouver tornadoes | April 5, 1972 | Oregon - Washington | 4 | 6 fatalities, 301 injuries | The most intense outbreak ever recorded in the Pacific Northwest. An F3 tornado struck Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington, becoming the deadliest West Coast tornado event ever documented. (4 significant, 1 killer)[88] | ||
Hurricane Agnes tornado outbreak | June 18–19, 1972 | Florida and Georgia | 30 | 7 fatalities, ≥ 140 injuries | Third-deadliest tropical cyclone-related outbreak in the U.S. since 1900 and is the largest Florida tornado outbreak with 28 tornadoes in state. (12 significant, 2 killer) | ||
Waukegan - North Chicago tornado outbreak of 1972 | September 28-30, 1972 | Midwest - Southeastern United States | 12 | 27 injuries | F4 tornado hit the Chicago suburbs, destroying military barracks. Rating disputed. (6 significant, 1 violent)[89] | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of April 19–21, 1973 | April 19-21, 1973 | Southern United States - Midwest | 68 | 2 fatalities, 106 injuries | Large outbreak sequence produced multiple destructive tornadoes. An F3 tornado killed one in Arkansas and an F4 tornado killed another in Missouri. (38 significant, 3 violent, 2 killer)[90] | ||
Tornado outbreak of May 6–8, 1973 | May 6-8, 1973 | Great Plains - Midwest - Southeastern United States | 47 | 2 fatalities, 41 injuries | Destructive outbreak sequence spawned a violent F5 tornado in Texas, a damaging F3 tornado in Missouri, and a deadly F2 tornado in Alabama. (23 significant, 1 violent, 1 killer)[91] | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 22–31, 1973 | May 22-31, 1973 | Great Plains - Midwest - Southern United States - Hawaii | 145 | 24 fatalities, 820 injuries | A massive and destructive 8-day period of tornadoes occurred. All four F4 tornado were killers, including a well-documemted F4 tornado that killed two and injured four in Union City, Oklahoma. Combined, the F4 tornadoes killed 17 and injured 517 alone. (55 significant, 4 violent, 9 killer)[92] | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 1–2, 1974 | April 1–2, 1974 | Southern U.S. – Mississippi Valley | 23 | 4 fatalities | Outbreak ended only 17 hours before Super Outbreak began in the same areas. (10 significant, 3 violent, 4 killer) | ||
1974 Super Outbreak | April 3–4, 1974 | Eastern United States – Ontario | 170 | 315 fatalities | The second-largest and most violent tornado outbreak ever documented. At least 50 of them were killers. Violent and deadly tornadoes, several of which were long lived, touched down over a wide area from Alabama to Indiana, affecting major population areas including Louisville, Cincinnati, and Huntsville. A violent F5 destroyed Brandenburg, Kentucky, and killed 31, and another F5 destroyed a large section of Xenia, Ohio, killing 32. Three F5s occurred in Alabama, including one of the strongest tornadoes on record, a long-tracked F5 that obliterated a large section of Guin, killing 28 people, 20 of them in Guin alone. Additionally, two other powerful F5s devastated the town of Tanner a half hour apart and killed total of 50 people. Numerous other violent, killer, long-tracked tornadoes occurred from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast, including an extremely long-tracked F4 that traveled almost 110 mi (180 km) and killed 18 people in northern Indiana. Strong, deadly tornadoes occurred as far north as Ontario as well. Outbreak produced 30 violent tornadoes, 23 F4s and seven F5s, with at least 66 more of significant strength. | ||
June 1974 Great Plains tornado outbreak | June 8, 1974 | Southern Great Plains | 39 | 22 fatalities | Several significant tornadoes occurred over the southern Great Plains, including two violent, killer F4 tornadoes that hit Oklahoma and Kansas. One of the tornadoes struck Drumright in Oklahoma, killing 14 people, while the other killed six in and near Emporia, Kansas. Other strong, F3 tornadoes affected the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metropolitan areas. (22 significant, 2 violent, 3 killer) | ||
Great Storm of 1975 | January 9–12, 1975 | Southeastern United States | 45 | 12 fatalities | January outbreak produced a violent F4 that killed nine people in McComb, Mississippi. An F3 east of Birmingham, Alabama, destroyed numerous homes and killed one person. (16 significant, 1 violent, 4 killer) | ||
1975 Omaha tornado outbreak | May 6, 1975 | Northern Great Plains | 36 | 3 fatalities | Omaha F4 killed three people and was one of the costliest tornado disasters in US history. Another F4 destroyed the town of Magnet, Nebraska. (19 significant, 2 violent, 1 killer) | ||
1975 Canton, Illinois tornado | July 23, 1975 | Illinois | 2 | 2 fatalities | High-end F3 destroyed downtown Canton, Illinois. (2 significant, 1 killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak of March 20–21, 1976 | March 20–21, 1976 | Mississippi Valley | 66 | 3 fatalities | (18 significant, 3 violent, 3 killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak of March 26, 1976 | March 26, 1976 | Great Plains - Midwest - Mississippi Valley | 17 | 4 fatalities, 89 injuries | Killer F4 and F5 (rating disputed) tornadoes occurred in Oklahoma with a killer F3 tornado in Missouri. Other damaging tornadoes also touched down as well. (9 significant, 2 violent, 3 killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 1977 | April 4-5, 1977 | Southeastern United States | 21 | 24 fatalities, 200 injuries | Violent F5 tornado struck the Smithfield area in northern Birmingham, Alabama, sweeping away many homes and killing 22 people. Outbreak extended from Mississippi to North Carolina, with several strong tornadoes documented. The storm system also caused the crash of Southern Airways Flight 242, which killed 72 and injured 22. | ||
1978 Clearwater, Florida tornado outbreak | May 4, 1978 | Florida and South Carolina | 13 | 3 fatalities | F3 struck an elementary school in Clearwater, Florida, killing three students. An F2 struck Gainesville, Florida (2 significant, 1 killer) | ||
1979 Red River Valley tornado outbreak | April 10–11, 1979 | Southern Great Plains – Southeastern United States | 59 | 56 fatalities | Deadly outbreak produced multiple killer tornadoes across the southern Great Plains states, including a famous, devastating, F4 wedge that killed 42 people in Wichita Falls, Texas. Another deadly F4 occurred in Vernon, Texas. (31 significant, 2 violent, 5 killer) | ||
Windsor Locks, Connecticut tornado | October 3, 1979 | New England | 1 | 3 fatalities | Rare New England and October F4, one of the costliest tornadoes in US history. |
1980s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – 1980-1989 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outbreak | Dates | Region | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes | ||
April 1980 Central United States tornado outbreak | April 7–8, 1980 | Central United States | 59 | 3 fatalities | Many strong tornadoes touched down, including an F3 that struck Round Rock, Texas, killing 1. (31 significant, 2 killer) | ||
1980 Kalamazoo tornado | May 13, 1980 | Michigan | 1 | 5 fatalities | F3 struck downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan, killing 5 people. | ||
1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak | June 2–3, 1980 | Central – Eastern United States | 29 | 6 fatalities | Grand Island, Nebraska, was devastated by a series of damaging tornadoes. Best known for forming three rare anticyclonic tornadoes in one system. Outbreak produced violent tornadoes as far east as Pennsylvania. (16 significant, 3 violent, 4 killer) | ||
Hurricane Allen | August 8-11, 1980 | Mexico – Texas | 29 | 0 fatalities | Costliest tropical cyclone-related tornado in history struck the Austin area. | ||
1981 West Bend tornado | April 4, 1981 | Wisconsin | 1 | 3 fatalities | One of the strongest anticyclonic tornadoes on record, rated F4. | ||
Tornado outbreak of May 22–23, 1981 | May 22–23, 1981 | Great Plains | 43 | 0 fatalities | Multiple strong tornadoes touched down across the Great Plains. Spawned the Cordell and Binger, Oklahoma, tornadoes, the latter of which was a violent F4. (14 significant, 1 violent) | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 2–3, 1982 | April 2–3, 1982 | Southern Plains – Mississippi Valley | 61 | 29 fatalities | Produced an F5 tornado near Broken Bow, Oklahoma, though the rating is disputed. An F4 tornado also struck Paris, Texas, and another occurred in Arkansas. (24 significant, 4 violent, 10 killer) | ||
May 1982 tornado outbreak | May 11–12, 1982 | Texas – Oklahoma | 70 | 3 fatalities | Produced killer tornadoes in Texas and Oklahoma. (17 significant, 2 killer) | ||
Marion, Illinois tornado outbreak | May 29, 1982 | Illinois | 7 | 10 fatalities | Produced an F4 that killed 10 people in Marion, Illinois. (3 significant, 1 violent killer) | ||
Early-December 1982 tornado outbreak | December 2–3, 1982 | Lower-Middle Mississippi Valley | 43 | 4 fatalities | (16 significant, 2 killer) | ||
1982 Christmas tornado outbreak | December 23–25, 1982 | Central – Southeastern United States | 43 | 3 fatalities | (18 significant, 3 killer) | ||
March 1983 South Florida tornadoes | March 17, 1983 | Southern Florida | 2 | 0 fatalities | Produced an unusually long-lived tornado across the Everglades and urban Broward County, Florida. An F1 tornado also hit Collier County. Other tornadoes may have occurred across southern Florida as well. (2 tornadoes, 1 significant, 3 unconfirmed) | ||
Early-May 1983 tornado outbreak | May 1–2, 1983 | Mississippi Valley – Great Lakes | 63 | 7 fatalities, 110+ injured | Affected 11 states with $200 million in damage, Ohio and western New York hardest hit. (27 significant, 5 killer) | ||
Mid-May 1983 tornado outbreak | May 18–20, 1983 | Southeastern United States | 48 | 6 fatalities | (10 significant, 6 killer) | ||
December 6, 1983 Selma tornado | December 6, 1983 | Alabama | 1 | 1 fatality, 19 injuries | Rated F3. | ||
1984 Carolinas tornado outbreak | March 28, 1984 | Carolinas | 24 | 57 fatalities, 1200+ injuries | Long-lived supercell tracked near the center of a low pressure center and generated 13 tornadoes, 11 of which were F3 or F4 in strength. Two F4s left damage paths more than 2 mi (3.2 km) wide. Worst tornado outbreak ever recorded in the Carolinas. Winnsboro and Bennettsville, South Carolina, along with Red Springs and Greenville, North Carolina, were devastated. (19 significant, 7 violent, 10 killer) | ||
1984 Philipp-Water Valley, Mississippi tornado outbreak | April 21, 1984 | Southeastern United States | 7 | 15 fatalities | Produced a multiple-vortex F3 with an unusual V-shaped path that struck Water Valley, Mississippi, killing 15. (3 significant, 1 killer) | ||
1984 Morris, Oklahoma tornado outbreak | April 26–27, 1984 | Great Plains – Mississippi Valley | 47 | 16 fatalities | Produced many strong to violent tornadoes, especially in Oklahoma and Wisconsin. (20 significant, 8 killer) | ||
1984 Mannford-New Prue, Oklahoma tornado outbreak | April 29, 1984 | Central United States | 42 | 1 fatality | New Prue was devastated by an F4, killing 1. (4 significant, 1 violent killer) | ||
May 1984 tornado outbreak | May 2–3, 1984 | Southeastern United States | 60 | 5 fatalities | (15 significant, 1 killer) | ||
1984 Barneveld tornado outbreak | June 7–8, 1984 | Central United States | 45 | 13 fatalities | Numerous strong tornadoes touched down across the northern Plains states. Late-night F5 killed nine people in Barneveld, Wisconsin. Long-track F4 killed three in Missouri. (29 significant, 2 violent, 3 killer) | ||
1985 United States–Canada tornado outbreak | May 31, 1985 | U.S. – Canadian Eastern Great Lakes | 44 | 90 fatalities | Unusual tornado outbreak was among the most intense recorded, the largest such outbreak in the region. Violent tornadoes devastated towns in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario. Long-track tornado produced F5 damage in Ohio and Pennsylvania, killing 18. Two F4s occurred in Canada, including one that killed eight people in Barrie, Ontario. (28 significant, 9 violent, 12 killer) | ||
Hurricane Danny | August 1985 | Southeastern United States | 39 | 1 fatalities | Produced an F3 that struck Waco, Texas. (13 significant, 1 killer) | ||
March 10-12, 1986 tornado outbreak | March 10-12, 1986 | Central – Southeastern United States | 41 | 17 fatalities | High-end F2 tornado struck Lexington, Kentucky. (24 significant, 1 violent, ≥7 killer) | ||
July 1986 tornado outbreak | July 1986 | Minnesota | 36 | 2 fatalities | Produced F4 tornado struck Minnesota. An F2 which hit the Twin Cities suburbs of Brooklyn Park and Fridley on July 18, 1986, was carried live on KARE-TV and became a media sensation. This twister caused limited damage and no deaths. | ||
1987 Saragosa, Texas tornado | May 22, 1987 | West Texas | 3 | 30 fatalities | Brief but violent F4 tornado devastated the small town of Saragosa, killing 30 people. | ||
Teton–Yellowstone tornado | July 21, 1987 | Wyoming | 1 | 0 fatalities | Rare high-altitude F4 tore through parts of Yellowstone National Park, flattening acres of forest. | ||
1987 Arklatex tornado outbreak | November 15–16, 1987 | Southeastern United States | 50 | 12 fatalities | Produced a series of strong tornadoes across Oklahoma, Texas, and Mississippi. (18 significant, 6 killer) | ||
1987 West Memphis, Arkansas tornado | December 14, 1987 | Arkansas – Tennessee | 1 | 6 dead, 100 injured | Rated F3. | ||
May 1988 tornado outbreak | May 8, 1988 | Midwest | 57 | 0 fatalities | (8 significant) | ||
Hurricane Gilbert | September 16–17, 1988 | Central – North America | 41 | 1 fatalities | Produced several tornadoes in Texas. (2 significant, 1 killer) | ||
1988 Raleigh tornado outbreak | November 28, 1988 | North Carolina | 7 | 4 fatalities | Produced a long-track F4 that struck Raleigh, North Carolina, killing four people. A few other less significant tornadoes occurred as well. (3 significant, 1 violent killer) | ||
May 1989 tornado outbreak | May 5, 1989 | Mid-Atlantic – Southeast U.S. | 16 | 7 fatalities | Produced three killer F4s in the Carolinas. The Charlotte, Winston–Salem, and Durham, North Carolina, areas all sustained major impacts. (9 significant, 3 violent killer) | ||
1989 Northeastern United States tornado outbreak | July 10, 1989 | Northeastern United States | 17 | 0 fatalities, 142 injured | One of the most intense tornado events to ever impact the New England region. Destructive tornadoes touched down in New York and Connecticut, including a violent F4 that devastated Hamden, Connecticut. (6 significant, 2 violent) | ||
November 1989 tornado outbreak | November 15–16, 1989 | Southeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States | 40 | 21 fatalities | Produced a deadly F4 that struck Huntsville, Alabama, at rush hour. Strong tornadoes touched down as far north as Quebec. (10 significant, 1 violent killer) |
1990s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – 1990-1999 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outbreak | Dates | Region | Tornadoes | Casualties | |||
March 1990 Central United States tornado outbreak | March 11–13, 1990 | Central United States | 64 | 2 fatalities | The most violent March outbreak and the most intense Great Plains outbreak to occur so early in the year. Produced two powerful F5 tornadoes near Hesston and Goessel, Kansas. A long-tracked F4 tornado, possibly a family of tornadoes, occurred near Red Cloud, Nebraska. (27 significant, 4 violent, 2 killer) | ||
June 1990 Lower Ohio Valley tornado outbreak | June 2–3, 1990 | Central United States | 66 | 9 fatalities | Outbreak produced many strong to violent tornadoes across the Ohio Valley. An F4 tornado devastated Petersburg, Indiana, killing six people. Another very long lived F4 tornado was on the ground for 106 miles across Illinois and Indiana. A late night F4 tornado impacted the northern sections of the Cincinnati metro as well. (27 significant, 7 violent, 4 killer) | ||
1990 Plainfield tornado | August 28, 1990 | Northeastern Illinois | 13 | 29 fatalities | Produced some of the most intense vegetation scouring ever documented. Strongest August tornado, though only rated F5 based on corn damage. F4 damage occurred to buildings in Plainfield, Illinois, killing 29 people. Was part of a small outbreak that also produced strong tornadoes in Ontario and New York. (4 significant, 1 violent killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 26, 1991 | April 26–27, 1991 | Central-Southern Great Plains | 58 | 21 fatalities | One of the most intense Plains outbreaks on record, produced five violent tornadoes in Oklahoma and Kansas. A very violent F5 tornado killed 17 people in the Wichita metropolitan area at Andover, Kansas, destroying an entire mobile-home park. A long-tracked F4 tornado near Red Rock, Oklahoma, produced Doppler-indicated winds into the F5 range. Three other F4 tornadoes occurred in Kansas and Oklahoma. (32 significant, 6 violent, 5 killer) | ||
May 1991 Central Plains tornado outbreak | May 16, 1991 | Central Great Plains | 46 | 0 fatalities | (4 significant) | ||
Mid-June 1992 tornado outbreak | June 14–18, 1992 | Central United States | 170 | 1 fatality | Large outbreak produced many strong to violent tornadoes, mainly across the Northern Plains states. A large F5 tornado devastated the town of Chandler, Minnesota, killing one person. (27 significant, 4 violent, 1 killer) | ||
November 1992 tornado outbreak | November 21–23, 1992 | Southern – Eastern United States | 95 | 26 fatalities | The most intense and largest November outbreak on record in U.S. history. Produced strong tornadoes from Texas to North Carolina and into the Ohio Valley, including a long-track F4 tornado that impacted Brandon, Mississippi, and killed 12 people. A series of destructive tornadoes (including one rated F4) devastated the Houston metro area as well. (43 significant, 5 violent, 9 killer) | ||
1993 Catoosa, Oklahoma tornado outbreak | April 24, 1993 | Oklahoma | 13 | 7 fatalities | A rain-wrapped F4 tornado killed seven people in the suburbs of Tulsa, and a destructive F3 tornado paralleled its path. (4 significant, 1 violent killer) | ||
1993 Virginia tornado outbreak | August 6, 1993 | Virginia | 24 | 4 fatalities | Largest tornado outbreak in Virginia history. Produced a violent F4 tornado that struck downtown Petersburg, Virginia and killed four people. (4 significant, 1 violent killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak of August 8–9, 1993 | August 8–9, 1993 | Northern Plains | 7 | 2 fatalities | Small outbreak that resulted in two fatalities in Minnesota. (1 significant, 1 killer) | ||
1994 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak | March 27, 1994 | Southeastern United States | 29 | 40 fatalities | Produced multiple violent tornadoes across the Southeastern U.S., including one that killed 20 people in a church near Piedmont, Alabama. Last of the three famous Palm Sunday outbreaks. (2 violent, 13 significant, 5 killer) | ||
April 1994 tornado outbreak | April 25–27, 1994 | Southern Great Plains – Midwest | 101 | 6 fatalities | Large and widespread outbreak. An F4 tornado devastated the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Texas, killing 3 people there. Another F4 tornado that struck West Lafayette, Indiana killed three as well. (12 significant, 2 violent killer) | ||
June 1994 tornado outbreak | June 26–27, 1994 | – | 62 | 2 fatalities | (11 significant, 2 killer) | ||
1994 Thanksgiving Weekend tornado outbreak | November 27, 1994 | Southeastern United States | 19 | 6 fatalities | Produced several strong tornadoes across the South. (32 significant, 6 violent, 5 killer) | ||
May 1995 tornado outbreak sequence | May 5–27, 1995 | Central United States | 351 | 13 fatalities | Very large outbreak sequence produced many strong to violent tornadoes. An F4 tornado struck Harvest, Alabama, and killed one person, and another F4 tornado struck Ethridge, Tennessee, and killed three. A tornado rated F3 killed three people and caused major damage in the Ardmore, Oklahoma area. The outbreak sequence produced an F0 tornado that downed several trees at the National Arboretum in Washington D.C.. (57 significant, 8 violent, 6 killer) | ||
1995 Great Barrington tornado | May 29, 1995 | Massachusetts | 2 | 3 fatalities | Strong tornado caused three fatalities in a vehicle that was thrown near Great Barrington, Massachusetts. (2 significant, 1 violent killer) | ||
March 6, 1996, Selma, Alabama tornado | March 6 | Alabama | 1 | 4 fatalities, 40 injuries | Rated as an F3. | ||
April 1996 tornado outbreak sequence | April 19–22, 1996 | Texas – Arkansas – Illinois – Indiana – Ontario | 117 | 6 fatalities | Large outbreak sequence. Multiple towns in Illinois sustained major damage, with one death occurring in Ogden. An F3-rated tornado devastated downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas, killing 2. Two F3 tornadoes also caused severe damage in Ontario. (29 significant, 4 killer) | ||
May 1996 Kentucky tornado outbreak | May 28, 1996 | Kentucky | 11 | 0 fatalities | Produced a long-track F4 tornado near Louisville. (3 significant, 1 violent) | ||
1996 Oakfield tornado | July 18, 1996 | Wisconsin | 12 | 1 fatality | F5 tornado. Was part of a small mid-Summer outbreak that occurred in Wisconsin. An F2 tornado killed one person in Marytown, Wisconsin. (2 significant, 1 violent, 1 killer) | ||
Late-October 1996 tornado outbreak | October 26, 1996 | West North Central States | 26 | 11 injuries | Unusual late-season outbreak in Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska. Homes were destroyed near Lobster Lake, Minnesota and Albany, Minnesota. (5 significant) | ||
January 1997 tornado outbreak | January 23-25, 1997 | Deep South | 16 | 1 fatality | Tornadoes touched down across several states in the Southern United States. An F4 destroyed homes in and near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. An F2 tornado killed one person in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (10 significant, 1 violent, 1 killer) | ||
March 1997 tornado outbreak | February 28-March 1, 1997 | Mississippi Valley – Ohio Valley | 56 | 26 fatalities | Many strong tornadoes touched down across the south, especially in Arkansas. Produced a devastating F4 tornado that began near Benton and struck Shannon Hills, Arkansas, killing 15 people along the path. An F4 tornado struck Arkadelphia, killing six. (16 significant, 3 violent, 5 killer) | ||
1997 Miami tornado | May 12, 1997 | Miami, Florida | 1 | 0 fatalities | Widely photographed F1 tornado struck downtown Miami, Florida. | ||
1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak | May 27, 1997 | Texas | 20 | 28 fatalities | Produced a remarkably violent, deadly F5 tornado in Jarrell, Texas. Based on the damage, it may have been the strongest tornado ever recorded (though no mobile radar measurements were taken to confirm this). An F4 devastated neighborhoods near Lake Travis, and an F3 tornado caused major damage in Cedar Park. (8 significant, 2 violent killer) | ||
1997 Southeast Michigan tornado outbreak | July 1–3, 1997 | Southeast Michigan – Southwestern Ontario | 52 | 2 fatalities (+5 non-tornadic) | An F2 tornado passed through some Detroit neighborhoods, the suburbs of Hamtramck, and Highland Park. One also touched down near Windsor, Ontario, site of an F3 tornado in the 1974 Super Outbreak. F3 tornadoes caused major damage near Clio and Thetford Center, with a fatality occurring at the latter of the two locations. Other strong tornadoes touched down in Minnesota and New England. (13 significant, 2 killer) | ||
1998 Kissimmee tornado outbreak | February 22–23, 1998 | Florida | 11 | 42 fatalities | Deadliest and most destructive Florida outbreak on record. The outbreak produced three F3 tornadoes, including a long-tracked tornado near Kissimmee that was initially rated F4. Nighttime occurrence made the death toll high. (5 significant, 4 killer) | ||
1998 Gainesville-Stoneville tornado outbreak | March 20, 1998 | Georgia to Virginia | 12 | 14 fatalities | An early-morning F3 tornado passed near Gainesville, Georgia, and killed 12 people. Another F3 tornado struck Mayodan and Stoneville, North Carolina, killing two. (4 significant, 2 killer) | ||
1998 Comfrey – St. Peter tornado outbreak | March 29, 1998 | Southern Minnesota | 16 | 2 fatalities, 36 injuries | Earliest tornado outbreak in Minnesota history. A long-track F4-rated wedge struck Comfrey, Minnesota, killing one person. An F3 tornado struck St. Peter, Minnesota, causing another fatality. Le Center, Minnesota sustained major damage from a large F2 tornado. (7 significant, 1 violent, 2 killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 6–9, 1998 | April 6–9, 1998 | Metropolitan area of Birmingham, Alabama; also Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee | 62 | 41 fatalities | Produced a violent nighttime F5 tornado that moved through several suburbs of Birmingham, Alabama, killing 32 people. Other killer tornadoes touched down in Georgia. (10 significant, 1 violent, 5 killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 15–16, 1998 | April 15–16, 1998 | Southeastern United States | 63 | 12 fatalities | F3 tornado passed through downtown Nashville, killing one person. Numerous other strong tornadoes occurred across the South, including an extremely violent one rated F5 near Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. An F4 tornado devastated the town of Manila, Arkansas, killing two. (21 significant, 4 violent, 7 killer) | ||
Late-May 1998 tornado outbreak and derecho | May 30–31, 1998 | South Dakota, Great Lakes, New York, Pennsylvania | 60 | 7 fatalities (+6 non-tornadic) | Large and dynamic outbreak produced many strong tornadoes, some of which were embedded in an extremely intense derecho. A large F4 wedge tornado devastated Spencer, South Dakota, killing six. Produced an unusually intense outbreak of tornadoes across Pennsylvania and New York, with multiple F2 and F3-rated tornadoes. (4 significant, 1 violent, 2 killer) | ||
1998 Eastern tornado outbreak | June 2, 1998 | NY to SC | 49 | 2 fatalities, 80 injuries | Unusually severe outbreak affected mainly the northeastern states just days after a similar outbreak affected roughly the same region (see previous event). Produced a large F4 tornado that struck Frostburg, Maryland. Caused $42M in damage. (10 significant, 1 violent, 1 killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak of June 13, 1998 | June 13, 1998 | Central United States, North Carolina, Wyoming | 45 | 26 injuries | Tornadoes affected six different states, with Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma receiving most of the tornadoes. A tornado struck downtown Sabetha, Kansas, and a series of tornadoes struck the North Oklahoma City area. (3 significant) | ||
Upper Great Lakes severe weather outbreak of August 23, 1998 | August 23, 1998 | Wisconsin, Michigan | 3 | 1 fatality (non-tornadic) | Spawned the F3 Door County tornado, the eighth costliest in Wisconsin history. (1 significant) | ||
1998 Lynbrook tornado | September 7, 1998 | Long Island, New York | 1 | 1 fatality | Occurred during the Labor Day derecho event. | ||
Hurricane Georges tornado outbreak | September 24–30, 1998 | Southern US | 47 | 36 injuries | Produced many tornadoes. Most were weak, though an F2 tornado caused major damage in the Live Oak, Florida area. (1 significant) | ||
1998 Oklahoma tornado outbreak | October 4, 1998 | Oklahoma | 19 | 5 injuries | A late-year autumn outbreak, it was the largest October tornado outbreak in Oklahoma history. (8 significant) | ||
Tornado outbreak of January 17–18, 1999 | January 17–18, 1999 | Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi | 24 | 8 fatalities | Strong and deadly tornadoes touched down in Tennessee, including an F3 and an F4 tornado that struck Jackson, killing six. A similar but even larger outbreak occurred just days later (see next event). (6 significant, 1 violent, 3 killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak of January 21–23, 1999 | January 21–23, 1999 | Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi | 127 | 9 fatalities | Largest January outbreak on record. An F3 tornado passed near downtown Little Rock, Arkansas, killing three. A tornado rated F3 devastated Beebe, Arkansas, killing two. Other strong tornadoes struck Tennessee and Mississippi. (23 significant, 1 violent, 5 killer) | ||
Easter weekend 1999 tornado outbreak | April 2–3, 1999 | Southern Plains | 17 | 7 fatalities | Small but intense outbreak produced several strong tornadoes. An F4 tornado devastated Benton, Louisiana, killing seven. The town of Logansport, Louisiana was severely damaged by an F3 tornado. (4 significant, 1 violent killer) | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 8–9, 1999 | April 8–9, 1999 | Ohio Valley/Midwest | 54 | 6 fatalities | Produced an F4 tornado that moved through the Cincinnati suburbs, killing 4. Two F4 tornadoes also touched down in Iowa. (15 significant, 3 violent, 3 killer) | ||
1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak | May 2–8, 1999 | Southern Great Plains | 152 | 46 fatalities, 665 injuries | Produced one of the strongest documented tornadoes, an F5-rated tornado in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area with Doppler winds remotely sensed at 301 mph (484 km/h) near Bridge Creek, among the highest winds known to have occurred near the Earth's surface. First tornado to incur $1 billion in (non-normalized) damages. Other violent tornadoes occurred, including those near Mulhall, Oklahoma, and Wichita, Kansas. (≥20 significant, ≥4 violent, ≥5 killer) | ||
1999 Salt Lake City tornado | August 11, 1999 | Utah | 1 | 1 fatality | An F2 tornado hit downtown Salt Lake City, causing the second known fatality in a Utah tornado. |
2000s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – 2000-2009 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outbreak | Dates | Region | Tornadoes | Fatalities | Notes | ||
2000 Southwest Georgia tornado outbreak | February 13–14, 2000 | Georgia | 17 | 18 | Produced a series of strong and deadly tornadoes that struck areas in and around Camilla, Meigs, and Omega, Georgia. Weaker tornadoes impacted other states. | ||
2000 Fort Worth tornado | March 28, 2000 | U.S. South | 10 | 2 | Small outbreak produced an F3 that hit downtown Fort Worth, Texas, severely damaging skyscrapers and killing two. Another F3 caused major damage in Arlington and Grand Prairie. | ||
2000 Easter Sunday tornado outbreak | April 23, 2000 | Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas | 33 | 0 | |||
2000 Brady, Nebraska tornado | May 17, 2000 | Nebraska | 1 | 0 | Highly photographed F3 passed near Brady, Nebraska. | ||
2000 Granite Falls tornado | July 25, 2000 | Granite Falls, Minnesota | 1 | 1 | F4 struck Granite Falls, causing major damage and killing one person. | ||
Tornado outbreak of December 2000 | December 16, 2000 | Southern United States | 24 | 12 | Small outbreak produced an F4 that struck Tuscaloosa, Alabama, killing 11. An F3 devastated Coats Bend, Alabama, and an F2 caused major damage and 1 fatality in Geneva, Alabama. | ||
Tornado outbreak of February 24–25, 2001 | February 24–25, 2001 | Southern United States | 25 | 7 | An F2 killed one person near Union, Arkansas. An F3 caused major damage near Reed, Arkansas, and another long-tracked F3 devastated multiple towns in Mississippi and killed 6 people in Pontotoc. | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 10–11, 2001 | April 10–11, 2001 | Great Plains Midwest | 79 | 4 | Widespread outbreak produced numerous tornadoes, some strong. F2 caused major damage in the town of Agency, Iowa, and killed two people. Other tornado-related fatalities occurred in Missouri and Oklahoma. Outbreak produced one of the worst hailstorms ever documented. | ||
Tornado outbreak of June 13, 2001 | June 13, 2001 | Central Plains | 36 | 0 | Outbreak of mostly weak tornadoes, though a few were strong. An F3 tornado caused major damage near Parkers Prairie, Minnesota, along with a large F2 near Brainerd. An F4 completely destroyed a farmstead near Ruby, Nebraska. | ||
Tornado outbreak of June 18, 2001 | June 18, 2001 | Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin | 5 | 3 | An F3 tornado killed three people in Siren, Wisconsin, and caused an estimated US$10 million in damage. | ||
2001 Myrtle Beach tornadoes | July 6, 2001 | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | 2 | 0 | Two tornadoes of F1 and F2 strength passed through the area, resulting in severe damage. | ||
Tornado outbreak of September 24, 2001 | September 24, 2001 | Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania | 9 | 2 | Multiple-vortex F3 tornado passed through the University of Maryland campus and multiple DC suburbs, killing two people. An F4 also occurred near Rixeyville, Virginia. Other weaker tornadoes were observed as well, including an F1 that struck Washington DC. | ||
Tornado outbreak of October 9, 2001 | October 9, 2001 | Great Plains | 30 | 0 | Unusual October outbreak in the Great Plains produced multiple strong tornadoes in Nebraska and Oklahoma. A large F3 devastated the town of Cordell, Oklahoma. | ||
Tornado outbreak of October 24, 2001 | October 24, 2001 | Central United States | 25 | 2 | Most of the tornadoes in this outbreak were embedded in a squall line. An F3 hit Crumstown, Indiana, killing one. An F2 near LaPorte, Indiana caused a fatality as well. | ||
Tornado outbreak of November 23–24, 2001 | November 23–24, 2001 | Southeast U.S. | 67 | 13 | One of the strongest November outbreaks ever recorded. Produced three F4s, including one that struck Madison, Mississippi, killing 2. An F3 struck Wilmot, Arkansas, killing 3. | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 27–28, 2002 | April 27–28, 2002 | Midwest to Mid-Atlantic U.S. | 49 | 6 | Produced several strong tornadoes across the Midwest, including an F3 that caused major damage in Dongola, Illinois and killed one person. Also produced a few strong tornadoes in Maryland, including an F4 that devastated the town of La Plata and killed three. | ||
September 2002 Indiana tornado outbreak | September 20, 2002 | Indiana, Ohio | 8 | 0 | A very long-tracked F3 tornado touched down near Elletsville, Indiana, destroying many homes and businesses in the town of Martinsville, which caused 127 injuries. An F2 injured 2 people when striking Washington, Indiana, along with another F2 that caused one injury near Wadesville, Indiana. | ||
2002 Veterans Day Weekend tornado outbreak | November 9–11, 2002 | Southeastern United States – Ohio Valley | 83 | 36 | Very large and deadly outbreak produced multiple killer tornadoes across the Ohio Valley and Southeastern United States. A violent F4 hit Van Wert, Ohio, killing four people. Deadly F3 also hit Mossy Grove, Tennessee, killing seven. Two long-track F3s moved across northern Alabama, killing 11 people. | ||
Tornado outbreak of March 17–20, 2003 | March 17–20, 2003 | Great Plains – Southern United States | 28 | 7 | Camilla, Georgia, was devastated by an F3 for the second time in 4 years, killing 4. An F2 killed 2 people near Bridgeboro, Georgia. Many other weaker tornadoes touched down as well. | ||
May 2003 tornado outbreak sequence | May 3–11, 2003 | Great Plains - Southern United States | 401 | 42 | Large series of strong to violent tornadoes across the Great Plains and South. Two F4s struck the Kansas City metropolitan area, including one that killed two. In Missouri, the towns of Pierce City, Stockton, and Carl Junction were devastated by killer tornadoes. An F4 destroyed Franklin, Kansas, killing four, and another F4 struck downtown Jackson, Tennessee, killing eleven. A large F4 also caused major damage in southeastern Oklahoma City with additional damage in nearby areas. | ||
2003 South Dakota tornado outbreak | June 21–24, 2003 | South Dakota | 125 | 2 | Tied U.S. record for most tornadoes in one state during a 24-hour period, with 67 tornadoes in South Dakota on the 24th. Produced a violent F4 that literally wiped Manchester, South Dakota off the map. In Nebraska, an F4 killed one person near Coleridge, and an F2 caused another fatality in Deshler. An F2 also caused major damage in Buffalo Lake, Minnesota . | ||
Derecho and tornado outbreak of July 21, 2003 | July 21, 2003 | Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont | 22 | 0 | $48M in damage. Tornadoes occurred in supercells embedded in a very intense "Super-Derecho" event, which at times took on a tropical cyclone-like appearance. An F3 leveled a farm near Ellisburg, Pennsylvania, and two F2s occurred in upstate New York. | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 20, 2004 | April 20, 2004 | Illinois – Indiana | 31 | 8 | Unexpected outbreak produced an F3 that struck the Illinois towns of Granville and Utica, with 8 fatalities at the latter of the two locations. Many other weaker tornadoes touched down as well. | ||
May 2004 tornado outbreak sequence | May 21–31, 2004 | Great Plains – Midwest | 389 | 7 | Very large outbreak sequence. Produced the second-widest tornado on record, a 2.5 mile-wide F4 that destroyed 95% of Hallam, Nebraska, killing 1. An F3 killed 1 person and destroyed 80% of Marengo, Indiana. An F4 near Weatherby, Missouri killed 3. See also: List of May 2004 tornado outbreak sequence tornadoes | ||
2004 Roanoke, Illinois tornado | July 13, 2004 | Central Illinois | 4 | 0 | High-end F4 tornado destroyed an industrial plant and swept away several homes. | ||
Hurricane Frances tornado outbreak | September 2004 | Eastern United States | 103 | 0 | Produced a large outbreak of mostly weak tornadoes, though in South Carolina, the towns of Gadsden and Millwood sustained considerable damage from F2s. An F3 touched down near Camden. | ||
Hurricane Ivan tornado outbreak | September 2004 | Eastern United States | 120 | 7 | Largest hurricane-related tornado outbreak ever recorded. An F2 struck Macedonia, Florida, and killed 4. Many strong tornadoes touched down in Virginia, including an F3 that struck Remington. | ||
Tornado outbreak of November 22–24, 2004 | November 22–24, 2004 | Southern United States | 104 | 4 | Produced multiple strong tornadoes across the South. An F3 struck Olla and Standard, Louisiana, killing 1. An F2 severely damaged the Talladega Superspeedway and struck Bynum, resulting in another fatality. | ||
Tornado outbreak of March 21–22, 2005 | March 21–22, 2005 | Southern United States | 26 | 1 | An F3 near Donalsonville, Georgia, killed one person, and an F2 struck Screven, Georgia, resulting in major damage. Many other weaker tornadoes touched down as well. | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 5–7, 2005 | April 5–7, 2005 | Southern United States | 39 | 0 | Several strong tornadoes touched down across the Southern US, including an F3 that struck Mize, Mississippi. Another F3 caused major damage near Monterey, and an F2 struck Port Fourchon, Louisiana. | ||
2005 Hurricane Cindy tornado outbreak | July 6–8, 2005 | Southeastern – Eastern United States | 44 | 0 | Produced an F2 that severely damaged the Atlanta Motor Speedway. | ||
August 2005 Wisconsin tornado outbreak | August 18, 2005 | Wisconsin – Minnesota | 28 | 1 | Largest tornado outbreak in Wisconsin history. An F3 caused major damage in Stoughton and killed 1. An F2 also caused severe damage in Viola. | ||
Hurricane Katrina tornado outbreak | August 26–31, 2005 | Southeastern – Eastern United States | 54 | 1 | Widespread outbreak produced mostly weak tornadoes. Worst damage occurred in Georgia, including an F2 that caused major damage and one fatality near Roopville. The towns of Helen and Fort Valley also sustained major damage from F2s. | ||
Hurricane Rita tornado outbreak | September 22–26, 2005 | U.S. South | 101 | 1 | Produced numerous tornadoes across the South. An F3 caused major damage near Clayton, Louisiana. An F1 killed one person in a mobile home near Isola, Mississippi. | ||
Evansville Tornado of November 2005 | November 6, 2005 | Middle Mississippi – Ohio Valley | 8 | 25 | Nighttime F3 struck the Evansville, Indiana area, killing 25 people. Was part of a small outbreak that also produced strong tornadoes that struck Munfordville and Wheatcroft, Kentucky. | ||
November 2005 Iowa tornado outbreak | November 12, 2005 | Iowa – Missouri | 14 | 1 | Rare November outbreak in the Great Plains. Strong tornadoes struck Ames, Woodward, and Stratford. | ||
Tornado outbreak of November 15, 2005 | November 15, 2005 | Central – Southeastern United States | 49 | 1 | F3 devastated a campground near Benton, Kentucky, and killed one person. A multiple-vortex F4 also hit Madisonville and Earlington, Kentucky, causing major damage. An F2 caused severe damage in Paris, Tennessee. | ||
Tornado outbreak of November 27–28, 2005 | November 27–28, 2005 | Central – Southeastern United States | 55 | 2 | F3 near Plumerville, Arkansas, tossed multiple cars on a highway, killing one person. An F2 near Briar, Missouri, killed another. Another F3 caused major damage near Cherry Hill, Arkansas. | ||
March 2006 tornado outbreak sequence | March 9–13, 2006 | Central United States | 99 | 11 | Strong outbreak caused deadly tornadoes across the Midwestern United States. Two separate F2s struck Springfield, Illinois, resulting in major damage. An F3 near Renick, Missouri killed 4 people, and a double F4 occurred near Monroe City. | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 2, 2006 | April 2, 2006 | Central United States | 66 | 28 | Long-tracked F3 devastated the towns of Marmaduke, Arkansas, and Caruthersville, Missouri, killing 2. A deadly F3 killed 16 people in Newbern, Tennessee, while another F3 killed 6 in Bradford. | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 6–8, 2006 | April 6–8, 2006 | Central – Southeastern United States | 73 | 10 | Worst damage and all fatalities occurred in Tennessee. An F3 caused major damage near Charlotte, and another F3 devastated the town of Gallatin, killing 7. Two F1s killed 3 people in the McMinnville area as well. Many other weaker tornadoes also touched down. | ||
Easter Week 2006 tornado outbreak sequence | April 13–19, 2006 | Midwestern United States | 54 | 1 | Produced an F2 that struck downtown Iowa City, resulting in major damage. An F1 killed one person in a mobile home near Nichols, Iowa. Multiple other tornadoes affected rural areas, a few of which were strong. | ||
Tornado outbreak of May 9–10, 2006 | May 9–10, 2006 | Midwestern United States, Southern United States | 30 | 3 | An F2 caused considerable damage in Childress, Texas. An F3 near Westminster, Texas, killed 3 people. Other strong tornadoes occurred in Louisiana and Mississippi. | ||
Tornado outbreak of August 24, 2006 | August 24, 2006 | North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota | 14 | 1 | Small but intense mid-Summer outbreak produced a long-tracked F3 that struck Nicollet and Kasota, Minnesota, killing one person. Two other F3s caused major damage in rural areas near Eureka and Wolsey, South Dakota. | ||
2006 Westchester County tornado | July 12, 2006 | Southern New York and Fairfield, Connecticut | 1 | 0 | Rare F2 tornado in Westchester County, New York | ||
Late–September 2006 tornado outbreak | September 21–23, 2006 | Central United States | 48 | 0 | Numerous strong tornadoes hit the Midwest, mostly in rural areas. An F4 struck Crosstown, Missouri, and an F3 struck the north edge of Metropolis, Illinois. | ||
Mid-November 2006 tornado outbreak | November 2006 | Southern United States | 32 | 10 | Several strong tornadoes occurred across the South. An F3 killed eight people in Riegelwood, North Carolina, and an F2 caused major damage in Montgomery, Alabama. Two F3s also affected rural areas in Mississippi. | ||
2007 Groundhog Day tornado outbreak | February 2, 2007 | Florida | 4 | 21 | Single supercell produced three of the tornadoes, including two EF3s, and all 21 deaths. Was the second-deadliest tornado event in Florida, behind the outbreak of February 22–23, 1998. | ||
2007 New Orleans tornado outbreak | February 13, 2007 | Southern United States | 19 | 1 | Produced two EF2s that caused major damage and one fatality in New Orleans, Louisiana. Another EF2 also caused major damage near the town of Breaux Bridge. | ||
Tornado outbreak of February 23–24, 2007 | February 23–24, 2007 | Southern United States | 20 | 0 | Produced several strong tornadoes, especially in Arkansas. The town of Dumas was devastated by an EF3. Another EF3 occurred near Strong. | ||
February–March 2007 tornado outbreak sequence | February 28 – March 1, 2007 | Kansas, Missouri, Alabama, Georgia | 49 | 20 | Numerous strong to violent tornadoes across the Midwest and South, including a destructive EF4 in Enterprise, Alabama, that killed 9 people, 8 of which were students at a local high school that was destroyed. Another EF4 struck Millers Ferry killing one, and a nighttime EF3 devastated Americus, Georgia, killing 2. An EF2 destroyed a mobile home park near Newton, Georgia, killing 6. | ||
Late-March 2007 tornado outbreak | March 28–31, 2007 | Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado | 80 | 5 | An EF3 tornado devastated the town of Holly, Colorado, killing two people. Other strong tornadoes hit the rural portions of the Great Plains, especially Texas. | ||
April 2007 nor'easter | April 13–15, 2007 | Southern United States | 36 | 2 | Produced a moderate outbreak of tornadoes across the South. An EF1 caused considerable damage and killed one in Fort Worth, Texas. An EF3 caused major damage and caused another fatality near Mayesville, South Carolina. | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of April 20–26, 2007 | April 20–27, 2007 | United States, Mexico | 92 | 10 | An F4 struck Piedras Negras, Coahuila, killing 3 people. The parent supercell produced an EF3 that struck Eagle Pass, Texas, killing 7 people. The towns of Tulia and Cactus, Texas, sustained major damage from EF2s. | ||
May 2007 tornado outbreak | May 3–5, 2007 | Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska, Illinois | 123 | 14 | Very large outbreak across the Great Plains. Produced a large and deadly nighttime EF5 that destroyed 95% of Greensburg, Kansas, killing 11. Other strong tornadoes occurred in Oklahoma and elsewhere in Kansas. | ||
Tornado outbreak of August 26, 2007 | August 26, 2007 | North Dakota, Minnesota | 11 | 1 | Localized outbreak produced a large EF4 that devastated the town of Northwood, North Dakota, killing 1. An EF3 caused damage near Rugh Lake, and an EF2 occurred near Reynolds. | ||
Mid-October 2007 tornado outbreak | October 17–19, 2007 | Midwest, Ohio Valley, Great Lakes, U.S. South | 63 | 5 | EF3s caused major damage in Owensboro, Kentucky, and Nappanee, Indiana. Another EF3 affected rural areas near Vesta, Indiana. EF2s caused fatalities in parts of Missouri and Michigan, including one that struck Williamston, Michigan, and killed two people. | ||
January 2008 tornado outbreak | January 7–9, 2008 | Southwest Missouri, northwest Arkansas, northeast Oklahoma, Midwest, U.S. South | 72 | 4 | Rare January outbreak produced strong tornadoes as far north as Wisconsin, where an EF3 caused major damage in the town of Wheatland. Another EF3 caused severe damage in and around Lawrence, Illinois as well. An EF3 killed three people near Strafford, Missouri, and an EF2 killed one near Appleton, Arkansas. Several EF3s impacted Mississippi and Alabama, including one that caused major damage in the town of Caledonia, Mississippi. | ||
2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak | February 5–6, 2008 | Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Indiana, Texas | 87 | 57 | One of the deadliest modern outbreaks to hit Dixie Alley struck the Midwest and South, producing many strong and violent tornadoes. Included the longest-lived Arkansas tornado on record, an EF4 that traveled 122 mi (196 km) in two hours, killing 13 people and devastating the towns of Clinton, Mountain View, and Highland. One long-track EF3 tornado caused 22 deaths alone in Tennessee, mainly in Castalian Springs and Lafayette. A pair of EF3 and EF4 tornadoes also struck areas in and around Jackson, Tennessee, killing three in the area, and an EF2 moved through Memphis, killing 3. | ||
2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak | March 14–15, 2008 | Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina | 45 | 3 | Strong tornado hit downtown Atlanta for the second time in history, killing one person. An outbreak of tornadoes, some strong, moved across the South the next day, killing two people. | ||
Tornado outbreak of May 1–2, 2008 | May 1–3, 2008 | Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, Mississippi Alabama, Tennessee | 62 | 6 | Tornadoes struck the Midwest and South, including an EF3 that hit Damascus, Arkansas, killing five people. | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 7–15, 2008 | May 7–15, 2008 | Oklahoma, Missouri | 147 | 26 | A long-track EF4 tornado killed 21 people in Picher, Oklahoma, and Neosho, Missouri. Other strong to violent tornadoes struck the Eastern and Southern states. See also: List of tornadoes in the tornado outbreak sequence of May 7–15, 2008 | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 22–31, 2008 | May 22–31, 2008 | Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Texas | 239 | 13 | Large outbreak produced strong to violent tornadoes across the Great Plains and Midwest. An EF3 wedge struck Windsor, Colorado, killing one and causing severe damage. An EF5 tornado caused extreme damage in Parkersburg and New Hartford, Iowa, killing 9. A nighttime EF3 killed two people in a vehicle near Cairo, Kansas. Another EF3 also killed one in Hugo, Minnesota, and destroyed many homes. See also: List of tornadoes in the tornado outbreak sequence of May 22–31, 2008 | ||
Tornado outbreak sequence of June 3–11, 2008 | June 3–12, 2008 | Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas | 192 | 7 | Third series of widespread tornado outbreaks. Tornadoes hit the Omaha-Council Bluffs area and the Chicago area. An EF3 tornado in Little Sioux, Iowa, struck the Boy Scouts of America's Little Sioux Scout Ranch, killing four people. Additionally, a violent EF4 tornado also hit Manhattan, Kansas. See also : List of tornadoes in the tornado outbreak sequence of June 3–11, 2008 | ||
2008 Tropical Storm Fay tornado outbreak | August 18–27, 2008 | Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina | 50 | 0 | Produced several tornadoes, including an EF2 near Wellington, Florida. | ||
November 2008 Carolinas tornado outbreak | November 15, 2008 | North Carolina South Carolina | 8 | 2 | Small, late-night tornado outbreak killed two people in the Carolinas. | ||
February 2009 tornado outbreak | February 10–11, 2009 | Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana | 15 | 8 | Produced the strongest February tornado on record since 1950 in Oklahoma. An EF4 hit Lone Grove, killing eight people. Other tornadoes caused damage in the Oklahoma City area. | ||
Mid-February 2009 tornado outbreak | February 18–19, 2009 | Georgia, Alabama | 13 | 1 | Small outbreak produced a few strong tornadoes and killed one person. | ||
March 2009 tornado outbreak sequence | March 23–29, 2009 | Eastern United States | 56 | 0 | Produced the destructive Magee, Mississippi, and Corydon, Kentucky, tornadoes. | ||
Tornado outbreak of April 9–11, 2009 | April 9–10, 2009 | Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina | 85 | 5 | Produced numerous strong tornadoes across the South, including an EF3 tornado that hit the Mena, Arkansas, area, killing three people, and an EF4 that hit Murfreesboro, Tennessee, killing two. | ||
May 2009 Southern Midwest derecho | May 8, 2009 | Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina | 39 | 6 | Most of the damage was caused by a derecho. |
2010s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – 2010–2019 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outbreak | Dates | Year | Region | Tornadoes | Fatalities | Map | Event Summary |
March 2010 Carolinas tornado outbreak | March 28 | 2010 | Southeastern United States, The Bahamas | 13 | 3 | Substantial damage to the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina and three deaths in the Bahamas. A damaging EF3 struck High Point, North Carolina. | |
Tornado outbreak of April 22–25, 2010 | April 22–24 | 2010 | Great Plains, Southern United States | 88 | 10 | Extremely large, long-tracked tornado moved from Tallulah, Louisiana, to north of West Point, Mississippi. Traveled 149.25 mi (240.19 km), the fourth-longest such path in Mississippi history, killing 10 people, four of them in Yazoo City. Other strong to violent tornadoes occurred as well, causing severe damage. | |
Tornado outbreak of April 30 – May 2, 2010 | April 30–May 2 | 2010 | Midwest, Southern United States | 58 | 5 | EF3 killed one person and extensively damaged Scotland, Arkansas. Overnight EF3 killed two people in a mobile home near Ashland, Mississippi, before crossing into Tennessee, killing one more near Pocahontas. The same storm also produced an EF2 with one death near Abbeville, Mississippi. | |
Tornado outbreak of May 10–13, 2010 | May 10–13 | 2010 | Great Plains | 91 | 3 | Numerous strong tornadoes touched down, especially in Oklahoma. Violent EF4 near Moore and Choctaw killed two people, destroying many homes, businesses, and automobiles in the area. A separate EF4 also badly damaged areas near Norman and Little Axe, killing one person in a mobile home. | |
Late-May 2010 tornado outbreak | May 22–25 | 2010 | Central United States | 79 | 0 | Fairly large tornado outbreak that affected the Great Plains. Most of the tornadoes remained over open country, but some caused considerable damage to rural farms and other structures. This outbreak produced a violent EF4 wedge tornado that caused severe damage near Bowdle, South Dakota. | |
Tornado outbreak of June 5–6, 2010 | June 5–6 | 2010 | Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan | 53 | 8 | An EF4 tornado hit Millbury and Lake Township in Ohio, killing seven people and becoming the second-deadliest US tornado of 2010. Several other destructive tornadoes touched down in Illinois, where one other person died. | |
June 2010 Northern Plains tornado outbreak | June 16–17 | 2010 | North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa | 61 | 3 | Was one of the largest Minnesota outbreaks in history and the largest June outbreak in U.S. history. Four large EF4 tornadoes caused extensive damage throughout the states of Minnesota and North Dakota. Several other Northern Plains states also were impacted by strong tornadoes. | |
2010 Brooklyn/Queens tornadoes | September 16 | 2010 | New York | 14 | 2 | Two tornadoes (EF1 and EF0) embedded in a large area of damaging winds moved through the New York City area and caused significant damage, killing one person. The tornadoes were part of a small outbreak that affected the Eastern United States and killed two people. | |
October 2010 Arizona tornado outbreak | October 6 | 2010 | Arizona, Utah | 9 | 0 | One of the strongest and most prolific tornado events west of the Rocky Mountains. Rare tornado outbreak struck the state of Arizona, producing a few strong and destructive tornadoes, including one rated EF3—one of the most intense ever recorded in the state. One other tornado touched down in Utah as well. | |
October 2010 North American storm complex | October 23–27 | 2010 | Central United States, Eastern United States | 69 | 0 | Massive and powerful storm system produced a widespread derecho with 69 embedded tornadoes. System also produced a blizzard and a windstorm. | |
2010 New Year's Eve tornado outbreak | December 31–January 1 | 2010 | Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois | 36 | 9 | An early morning EF3 tornado struck Cincinnati, Arkansas, killing four people. Another EF3 struck Fort Leonard Wood in southeastern Pulaski County, Missouri, and another killed two elderly women near Rolla. Additionally, an EF1 tornado killed two women near Lecoma and a high-end EF3 tornado caused extensive damage in Sunset Hills, killing another person. | |
Derecho and tornado outbreak of April 4–5, 2011 | April 4–5 | 2011 | Southern United States, Eastern United States | 46 | 1 | Many tornadoes, including six EF2s, touched down across the southern and eastern United States. One of the tornadoes killed a person in a mobile home near Eastman, Georgia. | |
Tornado outbreak of April 9–11, 2011 | April 9–11 | 2011 | Iowa, Wisconsin, Texas, Missouri, Alabama | 49 | 0 | Produced many strong tornadoes in Iowa and Wisconsin. In Iowa, the towns of Mapleton, Early and Varina sustained major damage. In Wisconsin, Merrill, Cottonville and Kaukauna sustained severe damage as well. | |
Tornado outbreak of April 14–16, 2011 | April 14–16 | 2011 | Midwest, Southern United States | 178 | 38 | Very large three-day outbreak produced the largest North Carolina tornado outbreak on record. An EF3 tornado struck downtown Raleigh, killing six people, and another EF3 wedge killed 12 in the small town of Askewville. Deadly EF3s also devastated the towns of Tushka, Oklahoma and Leakesville, Mississippi. | |
Tornado outbreak sequence of April 19–24, 2011 | April 19–24 | 2011 | Midwest | 132 | 0 | Large tornado outbreak produced 132 tornadoes, one of which was a destructive EF4 that struck St. Louis. A few other strong tornadoes caused damage in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio, most of which were embedded in a squall line. | |
April 2011 Super Outbreak | April 25–28 | 2011 | Southern United States | 360 | 324 | The largest continuous and fourth-deadliest outbreak in U.S. history caused the most tornado-related deaths since 1936. April 27 was also the deadliest tornado day in the U.S. since March 18, 1925, and the second-deadliest Alabama outbreak on record, with 238 deaths in the state, behind only the 268 people killed on March 21, 1932. The outbreak produced 15 violent (EF4-EF5) tornadoes all on April 27, behind only the 1965 Palm Sunday Outbreak (17) and 1974 Super Outbreak (30). Numerous, violent, long-tracked tornadoes, four of them EF5s, and eleven EF4s struck eastern Mississippi, north and central Alabama, northwestern Georgia, and eastern Tennessee. There were a total of 71 more tornadoes of significant strength, 55 of which on 4/27 alone. There were 31 killer tornadoes during the outbreak, 28 of them on 4/27 including 14 of the 15 violent tornadoes. One of the longest-lived tornadoes on record, an EF5 traveled 132 mi (212 km) across northwest Alabama, devastating Hackleburg and other communities, killing 72 people, making it the deadliest Alabama tornado on record. Another long-tracked tornado produced EF4 damage in the Tuscaloosa–Birmingham area, killing 64. This outbreak is called the 2011 Super Outbreak due to the amount of tornadoes in one day (216 on 4/27 CDT), amount of violent tornadoes, and the severity and degree of the outbreak. | |
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 21–26, 2011 | May 21–26 | 2011 | Great Plains, Midwest | 241 | 178 | Was one of the largest and deadliest U.S. outbreaks on record. A catastrophic, multiple-vortex, rain-wrapped EF5 tornado on May 22 killed 158 people in Joplin, Missouri—the deadliest single tornado in the U.S. since the 1947 Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornado which killed 181, and the seventh-deadliest U.S. tornado event on record. A major outbreak on May 24 produced two high-end EF4 tornadoes near the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and an extremely violent EF5 tornado that killed nine people near El Reno–Piedmont. Another EF4 on that day struck Denning, Arkansas, killing four people, and a killer EF3 also struck Reading, Kansas. | |
2011 New England tornado outbreak | June 1 | 2011 | New England | 7 | 3 | Long-track EF3 tornado struck multiple cities and towns, including Springfield, West Springfield, Westfield, Brimfield, Wilbraham and Monson, Massachusetts, the latter of which was the hardest hit. Caused three deaths in Massachusetts, the first tornado-related deaths there in 16 years. A few other weak tornadoes were also documented. | |
Tornado outbreak of June 18–22, 2011 | June 18–22 | 2011 | Midwest | 78 | 0 | Produced a series of strong tornadoes in Nebraska and Kansas, most of which remained in rural areas. However, some of the tornadoes caused severe damage to homes and farmsteads. A series of five tornadoes also damaged the Louisville area. | |
Tornado outbreak of November 14–16, 2011 | November 14–16 | 2011 | Southern United States | 23 | 5 | Small but deadly tornado outbreak killed five people in the Carolinas. Other tornadoes caused damage across the South, including an EF2 that caused severe damage in Auburn, Alabama. | |
Tornado outbreak of January 22–23, 2012 | January 22–23 | 2012 | Southern United States | 25 | 2 | This outbreak produced its worst damage during the late overnight and early morning hours. In Alabama, multiple strong tornadoes touched down, including an EF3 that severely impacted the Birmingham metro and killed one person. Maplesville, Alabama and Fordyce, Arkansas, sustained major damage from EF2 tornadoes as well. | |
2012 Leap Day tornado outbreak | February 28–29 | 2012 | Great Plains, East South Central States, Ohio Valley | 39 | 15 | Several tornadoes formed on February 28 and 29. The strongest tornado, an EF4, hit Harrisburg, Illinois, killing eight people on February 29, just the second F4/EF4 to occur on Leap Day (the other in 1952). An EF2 tornado caused extensive damage in Branson, Missouri. Other deadly tornadoes struck Kansas, Missouri, and Tennessee. | |
Tornado outbreak of March 2–3, 2012 | March 2–3 | 2012 | Southern United States, Ohio Valley | 65 | 41 | A major outbreak produced many strong tornadoes from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast. A long-track EF4 devastated multiple towns in southern Indiana, especially Henryville, killing 11 people, and a long-tracked high-end EF3 destroyed downtown West Liberty, Kentucky, killing 10. Another EF4 killed four people near Crittenden, Kentucky, and an EF3 killed three people in Moscow, Ohio, destroying 80% of the town. Other strong tornadoes struck Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. | |
Tornado outbreak sequence of March 18–24, 2012 | March 18–24 | 2012 | Great Plains, Southern United States, Ohio Valley | 63 | 1 | Slow-moving system produced 63 tornadoes across the Central and Eastern US, including an EF2 that killed one person in Illinois. Four strong tornadoes also caused damage in the North Platte, Nebraska area. | |
Tornado outbreak of April 3, 2012 | April 3 | 2012 | Texas, Louisiana | 20 | 0 | Tornadoes caused severe damage across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, including an EF3 that destroyed many homes in Forney. Arlington and Lancaster also sustained major damage from EF2s. | |
Tornado outbreak of April 13–16, 2012 | April 13–16 | 2012 | Great Plains, Great Lakes region | 113 | 6 | EF3 tornadoes caused significant damage in both Wichita, Kansas, and Woodward, Oklahoma, with six people killed in the latter of the two locations. Also, an EF4 tornado destroyed structures near Kanopolis Lake, Kansas. | |
2012 Tropical Storm Debby tornado outbreak | June 23–26 | 2012 | Florida | 25 | 1 | Was the second-largest Florida tornado outbreak on record, after the outbreak caused by Hurricane Agnes on June 18–19, 1972. Produced 25 tornadoes and one fatality in Venus, Florida. Severe damage occurred in or near Winter Haven, Pass-a-Grille in St. Pete Beach and Lake Placid. | |
2012 Hurricane Isaac tornado outbreak | August 27–September 4 | 2012 | Midwest, Southern United States, Mid-Atlantic states | 34 | 0 | Produced several tornadoes across the eastern U.S., including EF2s in Corning, Arkansas, and Pascagoula, Mississippi. | |
Late December 2012 North American storm complex | December 25–26 | 2012 | Southern United States | 26 | 0 | Produced several significant tornadoes, including two EF3 tornadoes in Texas and Mississippi, one of which was long tracked. A large EF2 wedge tornado also struck downtown Mobile, Alabama. | |
Tornado outbreak of January 29–30, 2013 | January 29–30 | 2013 | Midwest, Southern United States | 65 | 1 | One of the largest January outbreaks in U.S. history produced tornadoes from Oklahoma to Georgia, including a large EF3 that devastated the town of Adairsville, killing one person, and EF2s that hit the towns of Galatia, Coble and Mt. Juliet, causing severe damage. First tornado-related death in the U.S. since June 24, 2012. | |
Tornado outbreak of February 10, 2013 | February 10 | 2013 | Midwest, Southern United States | 8 | 0 | Was a small, localized outbreak, but one that produced a violent, destructive EF4 tornado in Hattiesburg, the first in the area since 1908, destroying many buildings and injuring 82 people, but fortunately no fatalities. An EF2 caused considerable damage in the Pickwick area as well. Six other weak tornadoes were confirmed. | |
Tornado outbreak of April 7–11, 2013 | April 7–11 | 2013 | Midwest, Southern United States | 28 | 1 | A destructive EF2 struck Hazelwood, Missouri, and another EF2 caused major damage near Scotland, Arkansas. A long-tracked EF3 affected rural areas of Mississippi and Alabama, killing one person. | |
Tornado outbreak of May 15–17, 2013 | May 15–17 | 2013 | Texas, Louisiana, Alabama | 25 | 6 | Produced several significant tornadoes, one of which was a large EF4 that killed six people and destroyed numerous homes in Granbury, Texas, the first violent tornado to strike Texas since 1999. Additionally, a large EF3 wedge caused significant damage in the town of Cleburne, while an EF1 heavily damaged downtown Ennis. | |
Tornado outbreak of May 18–21, 2013 | May 18–21 | 2013 | Midwest, West South Central States | 67 | 26 | Produced several significant tornadoes, especially in Oklahoma, where two violent tornadoes struck on successive days. An EF4 killed two people in the Shawnee area on May 19 and, only one day later, a devastating EF5 wedge tornado devastated Moore, killing 24 people. Other strong tornadoes struck elsewhere in Oklahoma, particularly in Carney on May 19, and in Kansas, Illinois and Ontario. | |
Tornado outbreak of May 26–31, 2013 | May 26–31 | 2013 | Midwest, West South Central States | 115 | 9 | Produced the widest tornado on record, a massive, multiple-vortex EF3 on May 31 near El Reno, Oklahoma, killing eight people, including Tim and John Samaras and Carl Young of the TWISTEX team, and producing Doppler-indicated winds greater than 295 mph (475 km/h) over open fields, among the highest winds measured on Earth.[93][94] Additionally, a large, intense EF3 remained nearly stationary for about an hour on May 28 west of Bennington, Kansas, producing Doppler-measured winds into the EF4 range above ground level. Other strong tornadoes struck Nebraska, Michigan, New York, Arkansas (one of which—though rated EF1—killed a person), Illinois and Missouri, as well as across Kansas and Oklahoma. | |
June 12–13, 2013 derecho series | June 12–13 | 2013 | Midwest, Southern United States | 26 | 0 | Widespread severe weather event began with a few strong tornadoes in Iowa and Illinois, including an EF3 that caused major damage in the Belmond area. Storms grew into a large derecho with numerous embedded weak tornadoes. A second derecho the following day produced a few embedded tornadoes as well. | |
October 2013 North American storm complex | October 3–7 | 2013 | Midwest, Great Plains | 22 | 0 | Powerful and dynamic storm system produced a small but intense late-season tornado outbreak, mainly across Nebraska and Iowa. Two of the tornadoes reached EF4 intensity, including one that caused severe damage in Wayne, Nebraska. Other strong tornadoes struck Creighton and Macy. | |
Tornado outbreak of November 17, 2013 | November 17 | 2013 | Midwest | 73 | 8 | Many large and strong to violent tornadoes touched down across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Two EF4s struck Illinois, one of which devastated the town of Washington and killed three people. The other impacted the New Minden area, killing 2 others. An EF3 struck Brookport, killing three people. The outbreak produced the only known violent (EF4–EF5) tornadoes to strike Illinois in the month of November. | |
April 2014 North Carolina tornado outbreak | April 25 | 2014 | North Carolina | 11 | 1 | Localized but intense outbreak produced an EF3 that caused major damage near the town of Washington. An EF2 in Edenton resulted in a fatality. | |
Tornado outbreak of April 27–30, 2014 | April 27–30 | 2014 | Midwest, Southern United States | 84 | 35 | Deadly outbreak that mainly affected the Dixie Alley. A high-end EF4 devastated the towns of Mayflower and Vilonia, Arkansas, killing 16. Another EF4 killed 10 people and caused major damage in Louisville, Mississippi. An EF3 killed 2 when a trailer park was destroyed in Coxey, Alabama. Another EF3 struck Tupelo, Mississippi, killing 1 and causing severe damage. Many other strong tornadoes also occurred. | |
Tornado outbreak of May 10–12, 2014 | May 10–12 | 2014 | Great Plains | 44 | 0 | A destructive EF2 damaged 80% of the structures in Orrick, Missouri. An EF3 caused major damage to farms near Sutton, Nebraska, and another very large EF3 damaged every structure in the town of Beaver Crossing, Nebraska. | |
Tornado outbreak of June 16–18, 2014 | June 16–18 | 2014 | Midwest | 76 | 2 | Outbreak spawned a cyclic supercell in Nebraska that produced four consecutive EF4s, including two twin tornadoes that devastated the town of Pilger and surrounding areas, killing 2. Three nighttime tornadoes (including an EF3) struck Madison, Wisconsin, and its suburbs. A large and slow-moving EF3 clipped the town of Coleridge, Nebraska. An EF2 caused major damage in Wessington Springs, South Dakota, and a violent EF4 obliterated a farm outside of Alpena. | |
Tornado outbreak of December 23–24, 2014 | December 23–24 | 2014 | Southern United States, Midwest | 10 | 5 | Small but damaging outbreak produced a large EF3 that caused major damage in Columbia, Mississippi, and killed 3 people. An EF2 killed 2 others near Laurel. Another EF2 caused considerable damage near Amite, Louisiana. | |
Tornado outbreak of April 8–9, 2015 | April 8–9 | 2015 | Midwestern United States | 27 | 2 | Long-tracked, very high-end EF4 tornado moved across several counties in northern Illinois, causing major damage near Rochelle and devastating the small town of Fairdale, where two people were killed. Was part of a relatively small outbreak of mostly weak tornadoes, though an EF2 caused considerable damage near Mount Selman, Texas. (2 significant, 1 violent killer) | |
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 5–10, 2015 | May 5–10 | 2015 | Great Plains | 127 | 5 | EF3s caused major damage in Bridge Creek, Oklahoma and Oklahoma City. A large EF3 caused significant damage and killed one person near Cisco, Texas, and a high-end EF2 severely damaged the town of Delmont, South Dakota. A nighttime EF3 killed two people and caused major damage in Van, Texas, while an EF2 killed two more at a mobile home park in Nashville, Arkansas. | |
2015 Texas–Oklahoma flood and tornado outbreak | May 23–25 | 2015 | Great Plains | 75 | 16 | Produced a destructive early-morning F3 that devastated the Mexican border city of Ciudad Acuña, killing 14 people. An EF2 killed one person near Cameron, Texas, while an EF3 killed another near Blue, Oklahoma. This was the deadliest North American tornado outbreak of 2015, and was accompanied by catastrophic flooding. | |
Tornado outbreak of June 22–23, 2015 | June 22–23 | 2015 | Great Lakes, Midwestern United States | 28 | 0 | An EF2 and an EF3 caused significant damage in and around Albia, Iowa. An EF2 caused major damage in Edgington, Illinois, while another EF2 severely damaged a large campground near Sublette. A nighttime EF3 damaged or destroyed numerous homes in Coal City. | |
Tornado outbreak of November 16–18, 2015 | November 16–18 | 2015 | Great Plains | 61 | 0 | Unusual nocturnal late-season tornado outbreak spawned multiple strong tornadoes across the lower Great Plains states. Two EF3 tornadoes caused major damage near Pampa, Texas, one of which destroyed a large chemical plant complex. A long-tracked EF3 began near Liberal, Kansas and dissipated near Montezuma, causing significant damage in rural areas. | |
Tornado outbreak of December 23–25, 2015 | December 23–25 | 2015 | Southern United States, Midwestern United States | 38 | 13 | Produced multiple strong to violent long-track tornadoes across Mississippi and Tennessee, including an EF4 that tracked through parts of both states, causing major damage in Holly Springs, Mississippi and killing 9 people along its path. A high-end EF3 caused major damage near Clarksdale as well, killing two. Another EF3 destroyed many structures in the small community of Lutts, Tennessee, and an EF2 killed two people near Linden. A high-end EF2 caused considerable damage in the southwestern part of Birmingham, Alabama. | |
December 2015 North American storm complex | December 26–28 | 2015 | Southern United States | 32 | 13 | Outbreak of 32 tornadoes severely impacted the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. A large EF4 devastated parts of Garland and Rowlett, killing 10 people. An EF3 destroyed many homes in Ovilla and Glenn Heights, while an EF2 killed two people in Copeville. An EF1 killed caused a fatality near Blue Ridge as well. | |
Tornado outbreak of February 23–24, 2016 | February 23–24 | 2016 | Southern United States, Eastern United States | 61 | 7 | The second largest February tornado outbreak on record produced many significant tornadoes across the Gulf Coast and East Coast states. An EF2 caused major damage in Laplace, Louisiana. An EF3 caused major damage in Paincourtville and Convent, Louisiana, killing two people, while an EF2 killed one person near Purvis, Mississippi. An EF3 caused severe damage in Pensacola, Florida, and an EF1 killed 3 people in Waverly, Virginia. An EF3 also destroyed multiple homes near Tappahannock, Virginia, while another EF3 killed one person in Evergreen. | |
Tornado outbreak of May 7–10, 2016 | May 7–10 | 2016 | Western United States, Great Plains, Ohio Valley | 57 | 2 | Four-day outbreak of 57 tornadoes produced a high-end EF2 tornado near Wray, Colorado. A violent EF4 tornado killed one person near Katie, Oklahoma, a damaging EF3 wedge tornado destroyed numerous homes near Sulphur, and an EF3 caused another fatality near Bromide. The town of Mayfield, Kentucky sustained major damage from an EF3 tornado as well. | |
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 22–26, 2016 | May 22–26 | 2016 | Western United States, Great Plains | 98 | 0 | Outbreak sequence produced numerous strong tornadoes across the Great Plains. Numerous significant tornadoes spawned by a cyclic supercell thunderstorm caused heavy damage near Dodge City, Kansas. EF3 tornadoes also caused damage near Big Spring, Turkey and Garden City, Texas. An EF4 wedge tornado caused major damage near Abeline and Chapman, Kansas. | |
Tornado outbreak of August 24, 2016 | August 24 | 2016 | Indiana, Ohio, Ontario | 23 | 0 | Unexpected and unusual late-season tornado outbreak produced an EF3 that severely damaged or destroyed many homes and businesses in Kokomo, Indiana. Another EF3 caused major damage to farms near Woodburn, Indiana. EF2 tornadoes inflicted heavy damage near Cecil and Defiance, Ohio, while another EF2 severely damaged structures in Windsor, Ontario. | |
Tornado outbreak of November 27–30, 2016 | November 27-30 | 2016 | Central United States, Southern United States | 46 | 6 | Four-day outbreak produced several strong nighttime tornadoes in Dixie Alley. An EF3 killed 4 people and caused major damage in Rosalie and near Ider, Alabama. Another EF3 killed two people and severely damaged the town of Ocoee, Tennessee, while a high-end EF2 caused major damage to homes in businesses in Athens. An EF2 caused considerable damage at the eastern fringes of Huntsville, Alabama, and an EF3 destroyed several structures near Neel. | |
Tornado outbreak of January 21–23, 2017 | January 21-23 | 2017 | Southeastern United States | 81 | 20 | This was the second-deadliest and second largest January tornado outbreak on since reliable records began in 1950, as well as the largest tornado outbreak on record in the state of Georgia. An early morning EF3 produced major damage in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, killing 4. An EF3 near Adel, Georgia obliterated a mobile home park and killed 11 people along its path, while a large EF3 wedge tornado struck Albany and killed 5. Many other strong tornadoes caused damage across the Southern United States as well. | |
Tornado outbreak of February 7, 2017 | February 7 | 2017 | Southeastern United States | 40 | 1 | An EF3 tornado caused major damage in eastern New Orleans, making it the strongest tornado ever recorded in the city's history. Was part of a localized outbreak of tornadoes that impacted the Southern United States, mainly Louisiana. An EF2 caused damage near Killian, Louisiana, while an EF3 occurred near Watson. An EF1 struck the town of Donaldsonville, killing one person there. | |
Tornado outbreak of February 28 – March 1, 2017 | February 28 – March 1 | 2017 | Midwestern United States | 72 | 4 | A major tornado outbreak occurred across portions of the Midwestern United States and Ohio Valley, leading to 72 tornadoes in total. EF3 tornadoes destroyed homes in and around Washburn and Ottawa, Illinois, with two people killed in Ottawa. A long-track EF3 killed one person near Crossville as well. The most significant tornado was a long-track EF4 that caused major damage in the Perryville, Missouri area and killed one person. | |
Tornado outbreak of March 6–7, 2017 | March 6–7 | 2017 | Midwestern United States | 63 | 0 | Following a significant outbreak just a week prior, a second tornado outbreak affected many of the same areas. Many homes were damaged or destroyed in the town of Oak Grove, Missouri as a result of an EF3 tornado. An EF1 that struck near Bricelyn, Minnesota was the earliest in state history. EF2 tornadoes caused heavy damage in the Iowa towns of Seymour, Centerville, and Muscatine. A long-track EF2 tornado also struck Parthenon, Arkansas. | |
Tornado outbreak and floods of April 28 – May 1, 2017 | April 28 – May 1 | 2017 | Southeastern United States, Central United States | 69 | 5 | This outbreak affected the Southeastern United States and portions of Central United States. Two destructive wedge tornadoes; rated EF3 and EF4 affected areas outside of Canton, Texas, killing two people each. An EF2 struck the town of Durant, Mississippi and killed one person as well. The outbreak was accompanied by deadly flooding. | |
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 15–20, 2017 | May 15 – May 20 | 2017 | Central United States, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley | 134 | 2 | Large tornado outbreak sequence produced the longest-tracked tornado in Wisconsin history; an EF3 that caused major damage near Chetek and Conrath. An EF3 caused severe damage in Pawnee Rock and near Great Bend, Kansas. A high-end EF2 destroyed homes and businesses in the southern part of Elk City, Oklahoma, killing one person. Another EF2 struck Muskogee, Oklahoma, and many other weak tornadoes also occurred. | |
Tulsa tornadoes of 2017 | August 6 | 2017 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 4 | 0 | A high-end EF2 tornado caused significant damage in Tulsa, injuring 30 people. This event also produced three EF1 tornadoes. | |
Tornado outbreak of April 13–15, 2018 | April 13 – April 15 | 2018 | Southern United States, Eastern United States | 70 | 1 | This tornado outbreak produced multiple strong tornadoes throughout the Southern and Eastern United States. A large EF2 caused significant damage in Mountainburg, Arkansas, and another EF2 severely impacted Meridian, Mississippi. An EF1 killed one person in Red Chute, Louisiana, and a high-end EF2 caused major damage in Greensboro, North Carolina. An EF3 destroyed many homes in Elon, Virginia as well. | |
2018 United States–Canada tornado outbreak | September 20 – September 21 | 2018 | Great Lakes, Ontario, Quebec | 37 | 0 | This outbreak produced several strong tornadoes in the Great Lakes region of the United States, and in eastern Canada as well. A high-end EF2 destroyed multiple homes in Morristown, Minnesota, and another EF2 impacted Faribault. A high-end EF3 destroyed numerous homes in Dunrobin, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec, injuring numerous people. A high-end EF2 also caused severe damage in Nepean, Ontario. | |
Tornado outbreak of November 30 – December 2, 2018 | November 30 – December 2 | 2018 | Southern United States, Midwestern United States | 49 | 1 | Late-season outbreak produced an EF3 that caused major damage an injured 22 people in Taylorville, Illinois. An EF1 killed one person in Aurora, Missouri, and a long-tracked EF2 caused major damage at Tenkiller Ferry Lake in Oklahoma. Another EF2 caused significant damage in Van Buren, Arkansas, while an EF3 injured four people at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. This was the largest December tornado outbreak in Illinois state history. | |
Tornado outbreak of March 3, 2019 | March 3 | 2019 | Southeastern United States | 41 | 23 | Over the course of 6 hours, this tornado outbreak produced a total of 41 tornadoes, which touched down across portions of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. The strongest of these was an EF4 tornado that devastated rural communities from Beauregard, Alabama to Talbotton, Georgia, killing 23 people and injuring 97 others. Its death toll represented more than twice the number of tornado deaths in the United States in 2018, and it was the deadliest single tornado in the country since the 2013 Moore EF5 tornado. Several other significant tornadoes occurred, including EF2 tornadoes caused severe damage near Eufaula, Alabama and in Cairo, Georgia. An EF3 destroyed homes near Tallahassee, Florida as well. | |
Tornado outbreak of April 13–15, 2019 | April 13–15 | 2019 | Southern United States, Northeastern United States | 70 | 3 | An expansive tornado outbreak occurred from Texas to the Northeast, lasting 40 hours. The town of Alto, Texas was struck by two separate strong tornadoes, including an EF3 that killed 2 people. Another EF3 destroyed many homes in Franklin, Texas A high-end EF2 tornado struck Hamilton, Mississippi, late on April 13, destroying multiple structures causing another fatality. A high-end EF2 struck Starbrick, Pennsylvania as well. | |
Tornado outbreak of April 17-19, 2019 | April 17–19 | 2019 | Southern United States, Northeastern United States, Carolinas | 94 | 0 | Multi-day tornado outbreak produced tornadoes from Texas to Virginia. A high-end EF2 tornado caused severe damage in Morton, Mississippi. An EF3 tornado caused major structural damage to homes near Rocky Mount, Virginia, and injured two people. Several strong tornadoes also occurred in Pennsylvania and the Carolinas as well. The squall line that spawned several of the event's associated tornadoes caused four non-tornadic fatalities. | |
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 2019 | May 17–29 | 2019 | Great Plains, Ohio Valley, Northeastern United States | 392 | 8 | This long-lasting outbreak sequence produced many significant tornadoes. An early morning EF2 tornado hit near Adair, Iowa, killing 1 and injuring another. A large EF3 passed near Golden City, Missouri killing 3 and injuring 1. A damaging nighttime EF3 stuck Jefferson City, Missouri just before midnight, and resulted in 1 death and 32 injuries. On May 25 A brief but intense EF3 tornado hit a mobile home park and a motel in southern El Reno, Oklahoma, causing 2 fatalities and 19 injuries. Another EF3 destroyed many homes in Celina, Ohio, killing one 1 person and injuring 8 others. Dayton, Ohio and its suburbs were hit by an EF4, an EF3, and an EF2 tornado in quick succession, causing widespread destruction and over 166 injuries. An EF4 wedge tornado also struck the outskirts of Lawrence and Linwood, Kansas, destroying many homes and injuring 18 people. | |
Tornado outbreak of October 20–22, 2019 | October 20–22 | 2019 | Great Plains, Ohio Valley, Northeastern United States | 36 | 0 | A fall tornado outbreak caused major damage in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, including a destructive EF3 that destroyed many homes and businesses in Dallas. A high-end EF2 tornado also caused significant damage in Garland, Texas. A large EF2 wedge tornado also struck Siloam Springs, Arkansas. | |
Tornado outbreak of December 16-17, 2019 | December 16–17 | 2019 | Deep South | 38 | 3 | A two-day tornado outbreak extending from Louisiana to Georgia produced numerous strong tornadoes. Most of the activity was on December 16, including eight EF2 tornadoes and five EF3s. A long-tracked EF3 tornado killed one person near Rosepine, Louisiana and prompted a tornado emergency for Alexandria, where major damage occurred. An EF2 tornado killed two people near Town Creek, Alabama. Additional EF3 tornadoes caused severe damage in Sumrall and Laurel, Mississippi. December 17 was less intense, producing four weak tornadoes and an EF2 tornado which caused significant damage in and near Mystic, Georgia. |
2020s
List of United States tornado outbreaks – 2020 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outbreak | Dates | Year | Region | Tornadoes | Fatalities | Map | Event Summary |
Tornado outbreak of January 10–11, 2020 | January 10–11 | 2020 | South Central United States, Southeastern United States | 80 | 7 | An EF1 tornado killed one person near Nacogdoches, Texas. A high-end EF2 tornado obliterated two trailer homes near Haughton, Louisiana, killing three people. Another high-end EF2 tornado caused significant damage near Carrollton, Alabama, killing three people. Another 11 EF2 tornadoes touched down from Missouri to South Carolina. (13 significant, 3 killer) | |
Tornado outbreak of February 5–7, 2020 | February 5–7 | 2020 | South Central United States, Southeastern United States | 37 | 1 | A long-tracked EF2 tornado struck Enterprise, Mississippi, and three other EF2s touched down in other parts of the state. An EF1 destroyed mobile homes and killed one person near Demopolis, Alabama. A high-end EF1 tornado caused considerable damage in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and an EF2 caused significant damage near Kannapolis, North Carolina. (7 significant, 1 killer) | |
Tornado outbreak of March 2–3, 2020 | March 2–3 | 2020 | Southeastern United States | 15 | 25 | This small but devastating outbreak resulted in many fatalities in Tennessee. An EF2 tornado killed one person near Camden. A long-tracked EF3 tornado struck Nashville, causing five deaths and becoming the 6th costliest tornado in US history. A catastrophic EF4 tornado also impacted Double Springs and Cookeville, causing an additional 19 deaths. (6 significant, 1 violent, 3 killer) | |
2020 Easter tornado outbreak | April 12–13 | 2020 | Southeastern United States | 140 | 32 | This major and deadly outbreak produced many strong to violent tornadoes across the Deep South into the Mid-Atlantic states. An EF3 tornado damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes in Monroe, Louisiana on April 12. Two intense supercell thunderstorms developed across southern Mississippi, producing three intense tornadoes, including two EF4 tornadoes near Bassfield, Mississippi, killing 12. The second tornado produced high-end EF4 damage and devastated the small towns of Soso and Moss, reaching a maximum width of 2.25 miles (3.62 km) wide, the widest tornado in the state's history and the third widest in the world. Later that night, an EF2 tornado killed eight in Sumac, Georgia and an EF3 tornado killed two in the eastern suburbs of Chattanooga. Through the night on April 12 into the morning of April 13, multiple EF3 tornadoes touched down in South Carolina, including one that severely damaged the town of Seneca, killing one person. An EF4 tornado killed five in Hampton County, South Carolina as well, becoming the first violent tornado ever recorded in the South Carolina Lowcountry. (35 significant, 3 violent, 9 killer) | |
Tornado outbreak of April 22–23, 2020 | April 22–23 | 2020 | South Central United States, Southeastern United States | 45 | 6 | Several strong tornadoes touched down across the Great Plains and Deep South. A high-end EF2 struck Madill, Oklahoma, killing two. An EF3 tornado impacted Onalaska, Texas, killing three. An EF2 killed one person and damaged the Louisiana State University of Alexandria campus as well. (11 significant, 3 killer) | |
Hurricane Isaias tornado outbreak | August 3–4 | 2020 | East Coast of the United States | 39 | 2 | This outbreak of tornadoes occurred as a result of the passage of Hurricane Isaias. An EF3 tornado destroyed a mobile home park near Windsor, North Carolina, killing two and injuring 14. It was the first tropical cyclone-spawned tornado rated F3/EF3 since 2005. An EF1 tornado caused considerable damage in downtown Suffolk, Virginia, and an EF2 caused major damage to businesses near Courtland. A high-end EF2 injured five people and caused severe damage to homes near Palmer as well. A low-end EF2 tornado touched down in Dover and tracked 35.5 miles (57.1 km) through Delaware, becoming the longest tracked tornado in the history of the state. Another EF2 tornado also damaged a daycare center and injured six in the northeastern suburbs of Philadelphia.(8 significant, 1 killer) |
Canada
Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, and other areas
Event | Date | Area | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tenochtitlan-Tlatelolco tornado | 13 August 1521 (Julian Calendar) | Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco | – | – | First recorded tornado in Americas[96] |
Hondo Coal Mine tornado | 10 May 1899 | Coahuila, Mexico | – | ≥22 fatalities | Deadliest Mexican tornado, also struck the city of Sabinas.[97] |
1940 Bejucal tornado | 26 December 1940 | Cuba | – | 12 fatalities | Reportedly spawned during hurricane |
Easter tornadoes of 1953 | 5 April 1953 | Bermuda | – | 1 fatality, 9 injuries | Four separate tornadoes |
1992 Panama City tornado | 6 July 1992 | Panama City, Panama | – | 12 fatalities, >50 injuries | Perhaps deadliest Panamanian tornado |
2007 Piedras Negras tornado | 24 April 2007 | Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico | 1 | 3 | Violent rain-wrapped F4 tornado destroyed over 300 homes and multiple businesses in Piedras Negras. |
Dominican Republic tornadoes | 20 April 2008 | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | – | ≥2 fatalities | At least 700 people were forced to seek temporary shelter when tornadoes damaged houses |
2015 Ciudad Acuña tornado | 25 May 2015 | Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico | 1 | 14 | Early morning tornado damaged or destroyed over 750 homes and businesses in Ciudad Acuña. |
2019 Havana tornado | 28 January 2019 | eastern Havana, Cuba | 1 | 6 fatalities, 193 injuries | Late-night EF4 tornado affected the neighborhoods of Regla and 10 de Octubre as well as the town of San Miguel de Padron |
2020 Apodaca tornado | 8 May 2020 | Apodaca, Nuevo León, México | - | 2 fatalities | EF2 Tornado |
See also
- List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
- List of Canadian tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
- List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
- List of Connecticut tornadoes
- List of District of Columbia tornadoes
- List of Rhode Island tornadoes
- Tornado records
- Tornadoes in Bermuda
- Tornadoes in the United States
- List of tornadoes striking downtown areas
References
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{{cite web}}
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- ^ http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1951/6/table
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- ^ http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/outbreaks/the-waco-tornado-outbreak-1953
- ^ http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/outbreaks/the-flint-worcester-tornado-outbreak-1953
- ^ http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1953/6/27/table
- ^ http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1953/12/table
- ^ a b c http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1954/table
- ^ a b Grazulis, Thomas P. (1993). Significant tornadoes, 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: Environmental Films. pp. 187, 985. ISBN 1-879362-03-1.
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{{cite web}}
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- ^ http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1956/2/table
- ^ "Tornado History Project: February 24, 1956". Tornadohistoryproject.com. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
- ^ "Tornado History Project: February 25, 1956". Tornadohistoryproject.com. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
- ^ a b http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1956/4/table
- ^ http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1956/5/table
- ^ a b c http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1957/4/table
- ^ a b c http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1957/5/table
- ^ http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1957/6/table
- ^ a b http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1957/11/table
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- ^ http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1958/6/4/table
- ^ Lietz, Joshua. "Tornadoes in November 1958". Tornado History Project.
- ^ http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1959/2/table
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- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climatic Data Center / Storm Prediction Center. Storm Data.