From May 2 to 8, 1999, a large tornado outbreak took place across much of the Central and parts of the Eastern United States, as well as southern Canada. During this week-long event, 152 tornadoes touched down in these areas. The most dramatic events unfolded during the afternoon of May 3 through the early morning hours of May 4 when more than half of these storms occurred. Oklahoma experienced its largest tornado outbreak on record, with 70 confirmed. The most notable of these was the F5 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado which devastated Oklahoma City and suburban communities. The tornado killed 36 people and injured 583 others; losses amounted to $1 billion, making it the first billion-dollar tornado in history. Overall, 50 people lost their lives during the outbreak and damage amounted to $1.4 billion. For these reasons, the outbreak is known in Oklahoma as the May 3rd outbreak or the Oklahoma tornado outbreak of 1999.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 2002, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. The year had several large outbreaks that included the Veterans Day Weekend tornado outbreak and the Midwest to Mid-Atlantic United States tornado outbreak.
A series of at least four tornadoes hit the Southeastern United States during March 3-4, 1966. The worst event was a violent and long-lived F5 tornado, dubbed the Candlestick Park tornado after the name of a recently opened Jackson, Mississippi shopping center that was leveled by the storm. The storm would bring catastrophic damage in Mississippi and Alabama along a 202.5-mile (325.9 km) track. The outbreak killed 58, injured 521, and caused $75.552 million in damage.
On on June 7–8, 1984, a significant severe weather and tornado event took place across the central United States from North Dakota to Kansas. The tornado outbreak produced several significant tornadoes including an F5 tornado which traveled through Barneveld, Wisconsin, in the early hours of June 8. The entire outbreak killed at least 13 people across three states including 9 in Barneveld alone.
The Tornado outbreak of May 1968 was a significant and deadly tornado outbreak that struck most of the central and southern United States from May 15 to May 16, 1968. Producing 46 tornadoes, the outbreak killed at least 72 people, including 45 in Arkansas alone. The outbreak also produced two F5 tornadoes in Iowa. It was one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in the United States since the 1960s and is one of the deadliest outbreaks in Iowa history.
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 1996, 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 1998, 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.
One of several tornado outbreaks in the United States to take place during the record month of April 2011, 49 tornadoes were produced across the Midwest and Southeast from April 9–11. Widespread damage took place; however, no fatalities resulted from the event due to timely warnings. In Wisconsin, 16 tornadoes touched down, ranking this outbreak as the state's largest April event on record as well as one of the largest single-day events during the course of any year. The strongest tornado of the outbreak was an EF4 tornado that touched down west of Pocahontas, Iowa on April 9, a short-lived satellite to a long-track EF3 tornado. Between 0256 and 0258 UTC that day, five tornadoes were on the ground simultaneously in Pocahontas County, Iowa, all of which were from one supercell thunderstorm. Other tornadoes impacted parts of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee on April 9, hours before the event in Iowa.
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 2014. 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.
The tornado outbreak of June 16–18, 2014, was a tornado outbreak concentrated in the Great Plains and the Midwestern United States. Two tornadoes also occurred in Ontario. The severe weather event most significantly affected the state of Nebraska, where twin EF4 tornadoes killed two and critically injured twenty others in and around the town of Pilger on the evening of June 16. The two Pilger tornadoes were part of a violent tornado family that produced four EF4 tornadoes and was broadcast live on television. The outbreak went on to produce multiple other strong tornadoes across the northern Great Plains states throughout the next two days.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1974, 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 1968, 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. Two F5 tornadoes struck Iowa in the Charles City and Maynard areas, combined they claimed 18 lives and this was one of very few cases in history where two F5 or EF5 tornadoes hit the same state, on the same day.
A series of destructive tornadoes struck North Dakota and Iowa as part of a much larger severe weather event that took place on June 27, 1953. The worst tornado was a violent F5 tornado that obliterated farmlands east of Anita, Iowa. In all, five tornadoes touched down, killing one, injuring five, and causing $305,000 (1953 USD) in damage. Several other casualties also occurred from non-tornadic events that day as well.
During the afternoon of May 11, 1999, a violent, multiple-vortex tornado struck areas around the community of Loyal Valley in Texas, killing one person. The tornado, rated a high-end F4 on the Fujita scale, caused extreme damage along its relatively short path. Meteorologist Bill Hecke of KNCT-FM stated the tornado's intensity rivaled the Bridge Creek–Moore F5 tornado, which had struck Oklahoma a week prior, and the 1997 Jarrell F5 tornado.
During the afternoon of June 16, 1992, a violent tornado, commonly known as the Chandler–Lake Wilson tornado, tore through the town of Chandler and city of Lake Wilson in Murray County, Minnesota. The damage in Chandler was extreme enough for the local National Weather Service office to rate the damage F5 on the Fujita scale.
On May 5, 1964, a violent and long-tracked tornado most commonly known as the Bradshaw tornado struck Adams, Clay, Hamilton, York, Polk, and Antelope Counties in Nebraska. The damage in the village of Bradshaw was extreme enough that the National Weather Service assigned a Fujita scale rating of F5 to the tornado.
On May 15, 1968, an extremely powerful and violent multi-vortex tornado hit the communities of Hansell, Hampton, Charles City, Elma and Aredale, all located in the state of Iowa. It killed 13, injured 462, and was one of the largest tornadoes ever recorded in the state. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed, primarily in the town of Charles City. Damage estimates were of more than $20 million.
