 Aerial view of Rodessa after the disaster. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | February 17,1938,9:45 p.m. CST (UTC−06:00) |
| F4 tornado | |
| on the Fujita scale | |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 21 fatalities,≈40 injured |
| Damage | $250,000 in 1938: [1] $5.6 million in 2025 |
| Areas affected | Rodessa,Louisiana |
The Rodessa tornado hit Rodessa,Louisiana on February 17,1938. The F4 left an estimated 21 people dead and upwards of 24 people injured.
The rural location of the event has left a lot of the facts up for speculation. Despite this,it is believed that the tornado began forming five miles northeast of the town near the border of Caddo Parish and Miller County,Arkansas. The tornado moved south before changing direction,touching down,and striking the town from the east at 9:45 p.m. The tornado destroyed the entire southeastern portion of the town or what was once known as "Supply House Row",knocking over power lines and leaving an estimated 200 yard path of decimation in its wake. It is stated that the tornado only lasted two minutes,but was followed by heavy rains that would impede the search for victims amongst the rubble. [2] Only one tornado was confirmed. Despite the damage to power lines,the telephone lines were fully operational and residents began phoning nearby villages for assistance.
Immediately following the event,residents began carrying the injured to nearby settlements such as Vivian to the south and Atlanta,Texas to the west for medical care. By 10:30 p.m. 16 medical staff in three ambulances were sent from the Charity Hospital in Shreveport. By 2:00 a.m. on February 18th,the power was restored. It is thought around this time that then Governor of Louisiana Richard W. Leche was informed of the situation in Baton Rouge. He was known to have said to the Shreveport Times "That was an awful thing―a terrible disaster. Anything the state can do to help the people up there,we will be glad to do". [3] At 2:45 a.m. twenty national guardsmen were sent to assist with patrol work in conjuction with local and state police.
Later into the morning and the subsequent days the true destruction of the tornado was revealed. Multiple homes and businesses were flattened,with one car being picked up and thrown on top of the wreckage. A doctor from Vivian named Edgar Galloway said that some of the dead were so disfigured that identification would be difficult. It is thought that the final death toll was 21 ±1-2 people with the number of injuries being less certain. The Shreveport Times claims that the injury count following the event was 24,while other sources state that the number was as high as 60. [4] These numbers were likely worsened by the weak infrastructure of the town as it was observed that the pieces of sheet metal that made up many homes played a roll in much of the disfigurments.
Rodessa is a village in Caddo Parish,Louisiana,United States. The population was 270 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Hurricane Cindy was a tropical cyclone that made landfall in the U.S. state of Louisiana in July 2005. The third named storm of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season,Cindy developed from a tropical wave on July 3,off the east coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. Soon after,it moved over land before emerging into the Gulf of Mexico. Cindy tracked toward the northern Gulf Coast and strengthened to reach maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h),making it a Category 1 on the Saffir–Simpson scale. The hurricane struck near Grand Isle,Louisiana,on July 5 at peak intensity,but weakened by the time it made a second landfall along southern Mississippi. Cindy weakened over the southeastern United States and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone as it merged with a cold front on July 7. The remnants of Cindy produced an outbreak of 42 tornadoes across six states. Eventually,the remnants of Cindy moved into Atlantic Canada,dissipating on July 13 over the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2005. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States,Bangladesh,Argentina,Brazil 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.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks that occurred in 2007,primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally,particularly in parts of neighboring southern Canada during the summer season. Some tornadoes also take place in Europe,e. g. in the United Kingdom or in Germany.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2003. 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.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2001. 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.
The Tornado outbreak of April 2–3,1999 was a series of tornado touchdowns that occurred on April 2–3,1999 from Kansas to Louisiana. The most powerful tornado occurred in Caddo Parish and Bossier Parish in northwestern Louisiana,where an F4 tornado killed 7 people and injured 102 others. Damages from the outbreak were estimated to be near $13.7 million. A total of 17 tornadoes were confirmed across the southern Great Plains during the two-day event.
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.
The Wallingford Tornado was a violent tornado that struck the town of Wallingford,Connecticut,on Friday,August 9,1878. The tornado,unofficially rated F4 by tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis,destroyed most of the town,killing about 34 people—estimated totals varied—and injuring at least 70,many severely. This was the deadliest tornado ever to strike the state of Connecticut,and the second deadliest ever in New England,after the Worcester tornado of 1953.
The 2006 Westchester County tornado was the strongest and largest tornado in Westchester County,New York since the 1904 Chappaqua tornado. It touched down there on Wednesday,July 12,2006,and traveled 13 miles (21 km) into southwestern Connecticut during a 33-minute span through two states. The tornado touched down at 3:30 p.m. EDT (19:30 UTC) on the shore of the Hudson River before becoming a waterspout and traveling 3 mi (5 km) across the river. Coming ashore,the tornado entered Westchester County and struck the town of Sleepy Hollow at F1 intensity. After passing through the town,it intensified into an F2 tornado and grew to almost a one-quarter mile (400 m) in diameter. The tornado continued through the county,damaging numerous structures,until it crossed into Connecticut at 4:01 p.m. EDT (20:01 UTC). Not long after entering the state,it dissipated in the town of Greenwich at 4:03 p.m. EDT (20:03 UTC). When the tornado entered Westchester County,it was the eighth known tornado to either touch down or enter the county since 1950.
On February 10–11,2009,a broad-scale damaging wind event and small tornado outbreak affected the Central and Eastern United States. During the two-day period,14 tornadoes touched down in seven states. Oklahoma was struck by six tornadoes,the most of any state. The six tornadoes in Oklahoma also tied the record for the most tornadoes ever recorded in the state during the month of February,which would later be broken in 2023. The first day of the outbreak produced the most tornadoes;the second brought mainly high wind damage and rain or snow in most of the Northeast.
From April 14–16,2011,a tornado outbreak,among the largest recorded tornado outbreaks in U.S. history,produced 178 confirmed tornadoes across 16 states,resulting in severe destruction on all three days of the outbreak. A total of 38 people were killed from tornadoes and an additional five people were killed as a result of straight-line winds associated with the storm system. The outbreak of severe weather and tornadoes led to 43 deaths in the Southern United States. This was the largest number of fatalities in an outbreak in the United States since the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak. It is locally referred to as the "Forgotten Outbreak" in Alabama as it was vastly overshadowed by the 2011 Super Outbreak less than two weeks later.
The 2011 Super Outbreak was the largest,costliest,and one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks ever recorded,taking place in the Southern,Midwestern,and Northeastern United States from April 25 to 28,2011,leaving catastrophic destruction in its wake. Over 175 tornadoes struck Alabama,Mississippi,and Tennessee,which were the most severely damaged states. Other destructive tornadoes occurred in Arkansas,Georgia,Kentucky,Louisiana,New York,and Virginia,with storms also affecting other states in the Southern and Eastern United States. In total,367 tornadoes were confirmed by NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) and Government of Canada's Environment Canada in 21 states from Texas to New York to southern Canada. Widespread and destructive tornadoes occurred on each day of the outbreak. April 27 was the most active day,with a record 223 tornadoes touching down that day from midnight to midnight CDT. Four of the tornadoes were rated EF5,which is the highest ranking on the Enhanced Fujita scale;typically these tornadoes are recorded no more than once a year.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 2013. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States,Bangladesh,Brazil and Eastern India,but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also appear regularly in neighboring southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer season,and somewhat regularly in Europe,Asia,and Australia.
In the afternoon hours of February 10,2013,a large multiple-vortex tornado devastated the cities of West Hattiesburg,Hattiesburg,and Petal,Mississippi. The tornado was one of eight that touched down in southern Mississippi and southwestern Alabama that day. It reached a maximum path width of 0.75 miles (1.21 km) in its path through the Hattiesburg area and reached estimated maximum sustained winds of 170 mph (270 km/h) in Oak Grove neighborhood of West Hattiesburg. It destroyed many structures and impacted University of Southern Mississippi and two high schools. Mississippi was declared a federal disaster area by President Barack Obama,and a state of emergency was issued by Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant.
The December 2015 North American storm complex, also known as Winter Storm Goliath,was a major storm complex that produced a tornado outbreak,a winter storm,a blizzard and an ice storm in areas ranging from the Southwestern United States to New England. Tornadoes struck the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in Texas while several other states,especially Missouri,were affected by heavy rain and snow causing severe floods. As the system moved through the Great Lakes,heavy rain,ice pellets and heavy snow fell in the entire region. Wintry mix moved through southern Ontario and Quebec had significant snowfall on December 29. Almost 60 people were killed during the storm system's progression and aftermath,making it one of the deadliest such systems of 2015 in the United States.
An unusually prolific and very destructive late-winter tornado outbreak resulted in significant damage and numerous casualties across the southern and eastern half of the United States between February 23–24,2016. Lasting over a day and a half,the outbreak produced a total of 61 tornadoes across eleven states,which ranked it as one of the largest February tornado outbreaks in the United States on record,with only the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak having recorded more. In addition,it was also one of the largest winter tornado outbreaks overall as well. The most significant and intense tornadoes of the event were four EF3 tornadoes that struck southeastern Louisiana,Pensacola,Florida,Evergreen,Virginia,and Tappahannock,Virginia. Tornadoes were also reported in other places like Texas,Florida,and Pennsylvania. Severe thunderstorms,hail and gusty winds were also felt in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic states on February 24 as well.
A prolific and deadly winter tornado outbreak struck areas across the Southeast United States between January 21–23,2017. Lasting just under two days,the outbreak produced a total of 81 tornadoes,cementing its status as the second-largest January tornado outbreak and the third-largest winter tornado outbreak since 1950. Furthermore,it was the largest outbreak on record in Georgia with 42 tornadoes confirmed in the state. The most significant tornadoes were three EF3 tornadoes that heavily damaged or destroyed portions of Hattiesburg,Mississippi,and Albany and Adel,Georgia. A total of 20 people were killed by tornadoes—mainly during the pre-dawn hours of the outbreak—making it the second-deadliest outbreak in January since 1950,behind the 1969 Hazlehurst,Mississippi tornado outbreak that killed 32 people. In addition,the tornado death toll was higher than the entire previous year. In the aftermath of the outbreak,relief organizations assisted in clean-up and aid distribution. Total economic losses from the event reached at least $1.3 billion.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2020. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States,Argentina,Brazil,Bangladesh,and eastern India,but can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe,Asia,Argentina,Australia and New Zealand. Tornadic events are often accompanied by other forms of severe weather,including strong thunderstorms,strong winds,and hail. There were 1,243 preliminary filtered reported tornadoes in 2020 in the United States in 2020,and 1,086 confirmed tornadoes in the United States in 2020. Worldwide,at least 93 tornado-related deaths were confirmed with 78 in the United States,eight in Vietnam,two each in Canada,Indonesia,and Mexico,and one in South Africa.
A significant late-season tornado outbreak took place on November 4,2022,across Northeast Texas,southwestern Arkansas,southeastern Oklahoma,and northwestern Louisiana with multiple large,destructive tornadoes occurring over a span of several hours. Major damage was reported in Sulphur Springs,Powderly,Caviness,Paris,Cason,Daingerfield,Athens,New Boston,Texas,and Idabel,Oklahoma,with the latter two communities being placed under tornado emergencies. Two fatalities occurred in Cason,Texas,and Pickens,Oklahoma,respectively. Numerous PDS tornado warnings were issued as well. An additional tornado embedded within a narrow,but intense line of showers with damaging winds was also confirmed in Illinois the following morning as the system progressed eastward. Strong winds affected most of the western Great Lakes throughout the day before moving into Canada that evening. Two fatalities and at least 34 injuries were confirmed from tornadoes,and an additional fatality occurred near Stilwell,Oklahoma,from drowning.