The 1974 Super Outbreak was the second-largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period,just behind the 2011 Super Outbreak. It was also the most violent tornado outbreak ever recorded,with 30 violent tornadoes confirmed. From April 3–4,1974,there were 148 tornadoes confirmed in 13 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Ontario. In the United States,tornadoes struck Illinois,Indiana,Michigan,Ohio,Kentucky,Tennessee,Alabama,Mississippi,Georgia,North Carolina,Virginia,West Virginia,and New York. The outbreak caused roughly $600 million USD in damage. The outbreak extensively damaged approximately 900 sq mi (2,331 km2) along a total combined path length of 2,600 mi (4,184 km). At one point,as many as 15 separate tornadoes were occurring simultaneously.
This article lists various tornado records. The most "extreme" tornado in recorded history was the Tri-State tornado,which spread through parts of Missouri,Illinois,and Indiana on March 18,1925. It is considered an F5 on the Fujita Scale,holds records for longest path length at 219 miles (352 km) and longest duration at about 3+1⁄2 hours,and held the fastest forward speed for a significant tornado at 73 mph (117 km/h) anywhere on Earth until 2021. In addition,it is the deadliest single tornado in United States history with 695 fatalities. It was also the second costliest tornado in history at the time,and when costs are normalized for wealth and inflation,it still ranks third today.
The 1985 United States–Canada tornado outbreak,referred to as the Barrie tornado outbreak in Canada,was a major tornado outbreak that occurred in Ohio,Pennsylvania,New York,and Ontario,on May 31,1985. In all 44 tornadoes were counted including 14 in Ontario,Canada. It is the largest and most intense tornado outbreak ever to hit this region,and the worst tornado outbreak in Pennsylvania history in terms of deaths and destruction.
Tornadoes have been recorded on all continents except Antarctica. They are most common in the middle latitudes where conditions are often favorable for convective storm development. The United States has the most tornadoes of any country,as well as the strongest and most violent tornadoes. A large portion of these tornadoes form in an area of the central United States popularly known as Tornado Alley. Canada experiences the second most tornadoes. Ontario and the prairie provinces see the highest frequency. Other areas of the world that have frequent tornadoes include significant portions of Europe,South Africa,Philippines,Bangladesh,parts of Argentina,Uruguay,and southern and southeastern Brazil,northern Mexico,eastern and western Australia,New Zealand,and far eastern Asia.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2004. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States,Bangladesh,and Eastern India,but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe,Asia,and Australia. Tornadic events are often accompanied with other forms of severe weather,including strong thunderstorms,strong winds,and hail.
From Sunday to Monday,February 21–22,1971,a devastating tornado outbreak,colloquially known as the Mississippi Delta outbreak,struck portions of the Lower Mississippi and Ohio River valleys in the Southern and Midwestern United States. The outbreak generated strong tornadoes from Texas to Ohio and North Carolina. The two-day severe weather episode produced at least 19 tornadoes,and probably several more,mostly brief events in rural areas;killed 123 people across three states;and wrecked entire communities in Mississippi. The strongest tornado of the outbreak was an F5 that developed in Louisiana and crossed into Mississippi,killing 48 people,while the deadliest was an F4 that tracked across Mississippi and entered Tennessee,causing 58 fatalities in the former state. The former tornado remains the only F5 on record in Louisiana,while the latter is the deadliest on record in Mississippi since 1950. A deadly F4 also affected other parts of Mississippi,causing 13 more deaths. Other deadly tornadoes included a pair of F3s—one each in Mississippi and North Carolina,respectively—that collectively killed five people.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1987,primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1990,primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes,however by the 1990s tornado statistics were coming closer to the numbers we see today.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1993,primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes,however by the 1990s tornado statistics were coming closer to the numbers we see today.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1995,primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes,but by the 1990s,tornado statistics were coming closer to the numbers seen today.
The 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado was a large,long-lived and exceptionally powerful F5 tornado in which the highest wind speed ever measured globally was recorded at 321 miles per hour (517 km/h) by a Doppler on Wheels (DOW) radar. Considered the strongest tornado ever recorded to have affected the Oklahoma City metropolitan area,the tornado devastated southern portions of Oklahoma City,Oklahoma,United States while near peak intensity,along with surrounding suburbs and towns to the south and southwest of the city during the early evening of Monday,May 3,1999. Parts of Bridge Creek were rendered unrecognizable. The tornado covered 38 miles (61 km) during its 85-minute existence,destroying thousands of homes,killing 36 people,and leaving US$1 billion in damage,ranking it as the fifth-costliest on record not accounting for inflation. Its severity prompted the first-ever use of the tornado emergency statement by the National Weather Service.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1983,in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
From May 21 to May 26,2011,one of the largest tornado outbreaks on record affected the Midwestern and Southern regions of the United States. A six-day tornado outbreak sequence,most of the tornadoes developed in a corridor from Lake Superior southwest to central Texas,while isolated tornadoes occurred in other areas. An especially destructive EF5 tornado destroyed one-third of Joplin,Missouri,resulting in 158 deaths and over 1,000 injuries. The Joplin tornado was the deadliest in the United States since April 9,1947,when an intense tornado killed 181 in the Woodward,Oklahoma,area. Tornado-related deaths also occurred in Arkansas,Kansas,Minnesota,and Oklahoma. Overall,the tornado outbreak resulted in 186 deaths,8 of those non-tornadic,making it second only to the 2011 Super Outbreak as the deadliest since 1974. It was the second costliest tornado outbreak in United States history behind that same April 2011 outbreak,with insured damage estimated at $4–7 billion.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 1973,but mostly features events in the United States. According to tornado researcher Thomas P. Grazulis,documentation of tornadoes outside the United States was historically less exhaustive,owing to the lack of monitors in many nations and,in some cases,to internal political controls on public information. Most countries only recorded tornadoes that produced severe damage or loss of life. Consequently,available documentation in 1973 mainly covered the United States. On average,most recorded tornadoes,including the vast majority of significant—F2 or stronger—tornadoes,form in the U.S.,although as many as 500 may take place internationally. Some locations,like Bangladesh,are as prone to violent tornadoes as the U.S.,meaning F4 or greater events on the Fujita scale.
The first six days of December 1953 produced a destructive and deadly tornado outbreak sequence across the Southern United States. There were 19 confirmed tornadoes,including a violent F4 tornado that hit the northwest side of Alexandria,Louisiana and even more violent F5 tornado that hit Vicksburg,Mississippi. In all,the tornadoes killed 49 people,injured 404 others,and caused $45,709 million in damage. The death toll made this deadliest December tornado outbreak ever recorded and it would not be surpassed until 2021. This was also the last of the series of deadly and catastrophic tornado outbreaks to strike the US in 1953.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1949,primarily in the United States. Most recorded tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
A rare,violent,and deadly long-tracked tornado struck several villages in the Hodonín and Břeclav districts of the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic in the evening of 24 June 2021,killing six people and injuring 576 others. This tornado is the widest on record in Europe,at 3.5km maximum width. The tornado struck seven municipalities,with the worst damage in the villages of Hrušky,MoravskáNováVes,Mikulčice and Lužice.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1947,primarily in the United States. Most recorded tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1946,primarily in the United States. Most recorded tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
The 1764 Woldegk tornado on June 29,1764,was one of the strongest tornadoes ever documented in history,receiving the unique T11 rating on the TORRO scale along with an F5 rating on the Fujita scale and had winds estimated to be more than 480 kilometres per hour (300 mph). The tornado traveled 30 kilometres (19 mi) and reached a maximum width of 900 metres (980 yd). Most of the information known about this tornado came from a detailed 77-paragraph study by German scientist Gottlob Burchard Genzmer,which was published one year after the tornado occurred. The tornado completely destroyed several structures,and several tree branches reportedly thrown into the atmosphere. Many areas were covered with up to 2 centimetres (0.8 in) of ice. The storm which produced the violent tornado was dry,with almost no rain reported. Large hail,reportedly reaching 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter covered the ground. The hail caused significant crop and property damage,killed dozens of animals,and injured multiple people in a large stretch around the tornado and to the northwest of the tornado's path.
