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.
From May 4–6,2007,a major and damaging tornado outbreak significantly affected portions of the Central United States. The most destructive tornado in the outbreak occurred on the evening of May 4 in western Kansas,where about 95% of the city of Greensburg in Kiowa County was destroyed by an EF5 tornado,the first of the new Enhanced Fujita Scale and such intensity since the 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado. The supercell killed 13 people,including 11 in Greensburg and two from separate tornadoes. At least 60 people were injured in Greensburg alone. It was the strongest tornado of an outbreak which included several other tornadoes reported across Oklahoma,Colorado,Kansas and South Dakota that occurred on the same night.
A tornado emergency is an enhanced version of a tornado warning,which is used by the National Weather Service (NWS) in the United States during imminent,significant tornado occurrences in highly populated areas. Although it is not a new warning type from the NWS,issued instead within a severe weather statement or in the initial tornado warning,a tornado emergency generally means that significant,widespread damage is expected to occur and a high likelihood of numerous fatalities is expected with a large,strong to violent tornado.
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.
From May 3 to May 11,2003,a prolonged and destructive series of tornado outbreaks affected much of the Great Plains and Eastern United States. Most of the severe activity was concentrated between May 4 and May 10,which saw more tornadoes than any other week-long span in recorded history;335 tornadoes occurred during this period,concentrated in the Ozarks and central Mississippi River Valley. Additional tornadoes were produced by the same storm systems from May 3 to May 11,producing 363 tornadoes overall,of which 62 were significant. Six of the tornadoes were rated F4,and of these four occurred on May 4,the most prolific day of the tornado outbreak sequence;these were the outbreak's strongest tornadoes. Damage caused by the severe weather and associated flooding amounted to US$4.1 billion,making it the costliest U.S. tornado outbreak of the 2000s. A total of 50 deaths and 713 injuries were caused by the severe weather,with a majority caused by tornadoes;the deadliest tornado was an F4 that struck Madison and Henderson counties in Tennessee,killing 11. In 2023,tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis created the outbreak intensity score (OIS) as a way to rank various tornado outbreaks. The tornado outbreak sequence of May 2003 received an OIS of 232,making it the fourth worst tornado outbreak in recorded history.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 2011. Extremely destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States,Bangladesh,Argentina 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.
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.
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.
During the late afternoon and early evening of April 27,2011,a violent,high-end EF4 multi-vortex tornado destroyed portions of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham,Alabama,as well as smaller communities and rural areas between the two cities. It is one of the costliest tornadoes on record,and was one of the 367 tornadoes in the 2011 Super Outbreak,the largest tornado outbreak in United States history. The tornado reached a maximum path width of 1.5 miles (2.4 km) during its track through Tuscaloosa,and again when it crossed I-65 north of Birmingham,attaining estimated wind speeds of 190 mph (310 km/h) shortly after passing through the city. It then went on to impact parts of Birmingham at high-end EF4 intensity before dissipating. This was the third tornado to strike the city of Tuscaloosa in the past decade,and the second in two weeks.
The 2011 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado was a large,long-lived,and devastating EF5 tornado that impacted several towns in rural northern Alabama before tearing through the northern suburbs of Huntsville on the afternoon and early evening of April 27,2011. It was the deadliest tornado of the 2011 Super Outbreak,the largest tornado outbreak in United States history. The second of four EF5 tornadoes to touch down on April 27,the tornado reached a maximum width of 1.25 miles (2.01 km) and was estimated to have had peak winds of 210 mph (340 km/h).
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.
The 2013 Moore tornado was a large and extremely violent EF5 tornado that ravaged Moore,Oklahoma,and adjacent areas on the afternoon of May 20,2013,with peak winds estimated at 210 miles per hour (340 km/h),killing 24 people and injuring 212 others. The tornado was part of a larger outbreak from a slow-moving weather system that had produced several other tornadoes across the Great Plains over the previous two days,including five that had struck portions of Central Oklahoma the day prior on May 19.
On December 23,2015,an outbreak of supercell thunderstorms produced tornadoes across northern Mississippi and middle Tennessee,resulting in 13 tornado-related deaths and numerous injuries. Other tornadoes occurred as far north as Indiana and Michigan. Scattered tornado activity continued over the next two days before the outbreak ended. This was the first of two deadly tornado outbreaks to impact the southern United States during December 2015 with the other occurring just a day after this one ended.
The 2011 Smithville,Mississippi tornado was a fast-moving and devastating tornado that affected areas of rural Mississippi and Alabama,including the town of Smithville,Mississippi during the afternoon of April 27,2011,resulting in catastrophic damage and 23 fatalities. This tornado was a part of the 2011 Super Outbreak,the largest tornado outbreak in United States history,and the third of four EF5 tornadoes to touch down on April 27,2011,during the outbreak's most prolific day for tornadoes. The tornado reached an estimated maximum width of 3⁄4 of a mile with estimated wind speeds over 205 mph (330 km/h).
A widespread and deadly tornado outbreak affected the Southeastern United States on Easter Sunday and Monday,April 12–13,2020. Several tornadoes were responsible for prompting tornado emergencies,including the first one to be issued by the National Weather Service in Charleston,South Carolina. A large squall line formed and tracked through the mid-Atlantic on April 13,prompting more tornado warnings and watches. A total of 15 watches were produced during the course of the event,two of which were designated Particularly Dangerous Situations.
A large tornado outbreak struck the Southern region of the United States on March 21–22,2022,before transitioning to the Eastern United States on March 23. The outbreak started with numerous supercell thunderstorms and severe squall lines developing in central Texas and southern Oklahoma,prompting the issuance of numerous tornado warnings,including multiple PDS tornado warnings. An EF3 tornado caused considerable damage in Jacksboro,Texas,while an EF2 tornado from the same storm caused a fatality in Sherwood Shores. Other strong tornadoes caused damage near College Station and in the Austin and Houston metropolitan areas. Severe and tornadic activity continued into the next day as the system moved eastward with numerous tornadoes reported in Mississippi and Alabama. On the evening of March 22,a supercell moved through the New Orleans metropolitan area,with an EF3 tornado producing severe damage in Arabi,resulting in one death and at least two injuries. Widespread flooding also accompanied the decaying squall line in Alabama. Tornadoes occurred on March 23 over the Eastern United States,associated with the same system,including EF2 tornadoes near Pickens,South Carolina,and Gladesboro,Virginia. In all,85 tornadoes were confirmed.
The 2011 Rainsville,Alabama tornado was a catastrophic EF5 tornado that struck parts of northeast Alabama on the late afternoon of April 27,2011. It was the fourth and final EF5 of the historic 2011 Super Outbreak,the largest tornado outbreak ever recorded. The multi-vortex tornado remained on the ground for 36 minutes,carving a path of 36.63 miles (58.95 km) long through DeKalb County,causing 25 deaths,an unspecified yet sizable number of injuries,and an estimated $10+ million in damage.
On the evening of March 24,2023,a large,violent and destructive multi-vortex wedge tornado struck the communities of Rolling Fork and Silver City,Mississippi,killing 17 people and injuring at least 165 others. The tornado was the strongest and deadliest of a widespread tornado outbreak in the Southern United States between March 24–27,2023. The tornado damaged or destroyed much of Rolling Fork,with the most intense damage leading the National Weather Service to assign a high end EF4 rating on the Enhanced Fujita scale,with maximum windspeeds estimated at 195 miles per hour (314 km/h). This made this the strongest tornado since the 2015 Rochelle–Fairdale tornado.
