In the early hours of December 11,2021,two large and strong tornadoes would hit the city of Bowling Green,located in Warren County,Kentucky. The first tornado cut a swath of EF3 damage through city and directly killed sixteen people,while the second tornado produced EF2 damage but no injuries or fataliites. The tornadoes touched down as part of a larger tornado outbreak that hit the southern United States,and the first tornado was the second-deadliest of the entire outbreak.
The first tornado would touch down to the west of Rockfield,slowly becoming more intense as it crossed over KY 1083. One person would be killed near Rockfield before the tornado moved on,tracking towards Bowling Green. Seven people,all members of the Brown family,were killed as the tornado completely destroyed the family's home along Moss Creek Avenue at EF3 intensity.
In this area,the tornado heavily damaged or destroyed many homes and killed fourteen people. The tornado would then exit the Bowling Green area,moving over rural properties and passing south of Plum Springs,before directly impacting the industrial community of Sunnyside at high-end EF3 intensity,producing major damage caused by winds estimated at 165 miles per hour (266km/h). The tornado would continue to damage structures at a lesser intensity in rural Warren County before lifting twenty-nine minutes after touching down. The tornado killed a direct total of sixteen people,and an indirect death caused by cardiac arrest during recovery efforts was also attributed to the tornado .
The second tornado formed shortly after the first,touching down to the west of the Bowling Green–Warren County Regional Airport before tracking to the south of Bowling Green,where it would produce EF2 damage to areas around the Barren River. Despite heavily damaging several structures,including at the NCM Motorsports Park,the second tornado was only on the ground for five minutes and caused no injuries or deaths.
The tornadoes devastated multiple areas in and around Bowling Green,leaving over 1,500 people without power in the weeks following the event. Seventeen people were killed in total,and sixty-three others were injured;every casualty was a result of the initial EF3 tornado.[note 1] Monetary damage from both tornadoes would total over $2.5 million (2021 USD),and an intensive recovery effort followed,with federal funding being sent to Warren County which would help with the cleanup after the tornadoes. The city of Bowling Green also applied for a Disaster Recovery Grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency,which planned to install additional storm shelters in Bowling Green in the event of another tornado.
After the tornadoes,the Bowling Green-Warren County Long Term Recovery Group was set up to help fund recovery efforts,and is still active as of December 2024. Several other large companies like Dollar General also donated to the city of Bowling Green.
On December 8, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) outlined a slight risk of severe weather across a broad area of the Mississippi Valley. Despite the potential for a higher-end severe threat to materialize, forecasters expressed uncertainty regarding the extent of instability, degree of directional wind shear, and late timing of potential storms.[1] The following day, the SPC noted the increased potential for organized severe thunderstorms in the region extending from southeastern Arkansas northeast into southern Indiana, upgrading that area to an enhanced risk.[2]
As an intense upper-level trough progressed across the High Plains, with robust instability and moisture return across the Mississippi Valley, the SPC expanded the enhanced risk and introduced a moderate risk area from northeastern Arkansas into southern Illinois on the morning of December 10. Forecasters indicated that atmospheric conditions favored the development of nocturnal supercells capable of producing long-tracked, strong tornadoes.[3]
At 3:00p.m. CST (21:00UTC), the SPC issued a tornado watch across the highest risk area (encompassing central and eastern Arkansas, west Tennessee, northwestern Mississippi, southeastern Missouri, and southern portions of Illinois and Indiana), the first of eleven issued over subsequent hours over the middle Mississippi Valley.[4] Initial storms developed across central Arkansas around 2:00p.m. CST (20:00UTC), with even weaker activity developing over central Missouri a little over 1+1⁄2 hours later; additional clusters of thunderstorms developed over southwestern Missouri (forming between Bolivar and Carthage, eventually back-building into northeastern Oklahoma) and central Arkansas (forming southwest of Hot Springs) between 5:00 and 5:30p.m. CST (23:00–23:30UTC).[5] Though this activity lacked much vigor at its onset due to a strong capping inversion,[6] the convective cells began to show organization as they progressed eastward.
One such storm—which formed from the initial mid-afternoon activity near Arkadelphia, Arkansas—matured into a long-lived supercell as it progressed in an unstable, deeply moist, and highly sheared environment;[7] this cell ultimately persisted for more than 550 miles (890km) over several hours from eastern Arkansas to northeastern Kentucky, producing two large and intense tornadoes along its track, among eleven tornadoes in total. The cell started showing signs of surface-based rotation southwest of Searcy, Arkansas, around 5:30p.m. CST (23:30UTC). At 5:51p.m. CST, the National Weather Service office in North Little Rock issued the first tornado warning associated with the storm for portions of Jackson, Lawrence, White, and Woodruff counties.[8] One of the first tornadoes associated with the storm, an EF0, touched down in western Poinsett County (near Weiner) around 6:40p.m. CST; about fifteen minutes later, storm spotters reported a large tornado near Greenfield, prompting a PDS tornado warning for portions of Poinsett, Craighead and Mississippi counties (including areas to the south of Jonesboro).[9]
Doppler radar analysis estimated that the supercell maintained a nearly continuous high-end rotational vorticity signature, averaging 94mph (151km/h; 82kn) for approximately four hours and 20 minutes, a rarity among thunderstorms that produce mesocyclonic vorticity exceeding such speeds (averaging 1.5% of all supercells). The only velocities below said average recorded along the storm track were observed between 8:44 and 9:01p.m. CST [02:44–3:01 UTC] as the storm crossed from Obion County, Tennessee into Hickman County, Kentucky. This time frame coincides with the start of the Western Kentucky tornado, implying the supercell underwent a mesocyclone re-strengthening phase during this period. During this intense tornado's lifetime, peak gate-to-gate velocities of 128mph (206km/h; 111kn) were recorded at 9:58p.m. CST (04:58 UTC) over northeastern Marshall County, Kentucky.[10][11][12]
Elsewhere, multiple lines of intense storms, some featuring embedded supercells, developed across the Mississippi Valley region through the overnight hours and generated other strong and long-lived tornadoes.[13][14] By the pre-dawn hours of December11, a decrease in instability led to a gradual weakening of a line of thunderstorms stretching along the associated cold front from eastern Kentucky southward into central Alabama.[15][16]
The tornado first touched down south of the intersection of Wimpee Smith Road and Petros Browning Road,where EF0 tree damage occurred. Near Tommy Smith Road,the tornado quickly began to strengthen and reached EF2 intensity north of Rockfield. Many trees were downed,a 1,700-pound (770kg) horse trailer was thrown 300 feet (91m) into a ravine,while multiple barns and farm buildings were completely destroyed in this area. Just northeast of this point,high-end EF2 damage occurred as the tornado crossed KY 1083,where multiple homes and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. This included one house that sustained complete removal of its roof and exterior walls,and was left with only an interior hallway standing. Based on scouring of corn stubble in fields,and analysis of damage patterns visible in aerial drone video taken in this area,damage surveyors determined that the tornado displayed an unusual internal structure during this initial portion of its path. There appeared to be a smaller circulation that produced an intense,narrow path of damage embedded within a broader,weaker circulation that caused less intense damage.[17]
The tornado weakened to EF1 strength as it crossed Van Meter Road and Fuqua Road,but continued to cause extensive tree damage. A one-story home also sustained minor roof damage along Fuqua Road. Additional EF1 damage occurred as it crossed LC Carr Road and Blue Level Road,where some barns and outbuildings were damaged,homes sustained siding and gutter damage,and trees were snapped. The Zomi Agape church sustained considerable roof damage,and insulation from the building was strewn in all directions. As the tornado began to enter the western fringes of Bowling Green,it rapidly intensified and became strong again as it produced EF3 damage to homes along Rembrandt Court. Here,multiple homes were destroyed and left with only interior rooms standing,one of which was moved 15 feet (4.6m) off of its foundation.
Nearby,the tornado moved across Old Tramm Road and Powell Street,where some one-story homes and duplexes were destroyed,a couple of which were leveled or swept clean from their foundations. However,it was noted that a large storage building was destroyed across the street from these residences,and pieces of heavy equipment were thrown into them. Damage surveyors determined that the extent of the destruction noted at the homes and duplexes was more due to heavy debris impacts,rather than extreme winds,and a rating of high-end EF2 was applied in this area as a result. It then crossed the I-165 into more densely-populated areas of the city as an EF3 tornado.[17] By this time,during live severe weather coverage on ABC/Fox affiliate WBKO;the station's tower camera was pointed toward the western sections of Bowling Green as the tornado approached. It captured a massive power failure in that part of the city as several transmission lines were knocked down by the tornado,before the station's studio facility (located along US 68/KY 80 and I-165) briefly lost electricity as the twister passed just north of the station.[17]
After crossing the interstate,the rapidly-intensifying tornado struck the Creekwood subdivision,where devastating damage occurred as numerous homes were completely destroyed. Some of the worst damage in the subdivision occurred along Moss Creek Avenue,where dozens of homes were leveled or swept from their foundations. Damage surveyors noted that these homes were built on poorly-constructed cinder block foundations,and damage in this area was rated high-end EF3. Dozens of cars were flipped,severely damaged,and thrown into homes,and wooden 2x4s were impaled into the ground and through vehicles. Many other homes along this segment of the path sustained major structural damage,sustaining loss of roofs and exterior walls,while large trees were snapped,twisted and denuded. Numerous fatalities occurred in the Creekwood subdivision,including an entire family of 7 that was killed in the destruction of their home.[18][19]
Just east of this area,the tornado crossed Spring Creek Avenue and weakened to high-end EF2 strength as it moved through another residential area. Many homes had their roofs torn off in this area,and some sustained collapse of exterior walls and were pushed off of their foundations. A two-story apartment building on Hillridge Court had its roof and many top floor exterior walls torn off,and numerous trees and power poles were snapped. Some townhouses were severely damaged near the Veterans Memorial Parkway,one of which was shifted off its foundation as well. High-end EF2 damage continued as it widened and crossed Russellville Road,damaging or destroying numerous businesses on both sides of the road. A plumbing supply company was destroyed,with the garage portion of the business blown in and collapsed. Some semi-trucks were flipped and severely damaged nearby,and a metal billboard was twisted and destroyed. A car rental business,a Marathon gas station,and some other buildings were also destroyed,while a Sonic Drive-In,Royal Motor Cars,two auto parts stores,a Shell gas station,and a Mexican restaurant were badly damaged. Trees and power poles were snapped,a dumpster was thrown 250 yards (230m),and metal light poles were bent to the ground. Multiple homes in the nearby Springhill and Crestmoor subdivisions had roofs and attached garages ripped off,and large trees were uprooted.[17]
High-end EF3 damage to homes in the Creekwood subdivision in Bowling Green,Kentucky. Numerous fatalities occurred in this area.
The tornado narrowed and weakened some as it moved through the Chuck Crume Nature Park,and into neighborhoods near Cedar Ridge Road as a low-end EF2. Damage to homes in this area was less severe,but numerous large hardwood trees were snapped and uprooted,some of which fell on houses and vehicles. A metal power pole was also toppled to the ground. It then clipped the south edge of the Western Kentucky University campus,where the buildings were not directly hit by tornadic winds,but debris was found speared into the exterior walls of a few structures. The tornado increased in intensity again as it moved along the US 31W just south of downtown Bowling Green,heavily damaging or destroying several businesses at high-end EF2 to EF3 strength. An equipment rental business sustained some of the most intense damage in this area,sustaining roof loss and collapse of multiple brick exterior walls. A liquor store and a smoke shop were destroyed,while a boba tea lounge,a strip mall,and an automotive business were heavily damaged.
A couple of two-story apartment buildings nearby sustained severe roof damage,one of which was struck by debris from a nearby gas station.[20] A truck was flipped onto its side,numerous power lines were downed,and many trees were snapped,uprooted,or denuded throughout this corridor as well.[21] Weakening back to low-end EF2 intensity,it crossed Broadway Avenue as it moved through neighborhoods surrounding Magnolia Street. Large trees were snapped or uprooted in this area,houses had their roofs and porches torn off,and a butcher shop suffered significant roof and window damage.[17]
The tornado then crossed Collett Avenue and weakened to high-end EF1 intensity,following Nutwood Street and Covington Street to the east-northeast before moving through the Briarwood Manor and Indian Hills subdivisions. Damage along this segment of the path consisted of mainly minor to moderate damage to homes,including shattered windows,garage doors blown in,gutters torn off,and roof shingles removed. However,a few houses sustained more severe damage,with half or more of their roofs blown off. Many trees and power lines were downed,cars and garden sheds were overturned,while fencing and detached garages were destroyed. The damage path turned more to the northeast as the tornado impacted the Indian Hills Country Club golf course,where trees were damaged,snapped,and uprooted.
It then crossed the Barren River and regained low-end EF2strength as it destroyed a brick silo and inflicted considerable roof damage to some houses and apartment buildings to the south of Old Porter Pike. EF2 damage continued to the northeast of this area at the GM Corvette Assembly Plant. Large rooftop HVAC units were torn off,and extensive roof damage occurred at the plant,with metal sheeting,insulation,and other debris scattered hundreds of yards. Chain link fencing on the property was destroyed,while light poles,power poles,and road signs were blown over as well. A small security checkpoint building at the facility was totally destroyed,with large pieces of the building being thrown several hundred yards. A gas station canopy,a Wendy's sign,and some storage garages were also damaged near the plant,and a fully loaded tractor-trailer was flipped onto its side and pushed about 15 yards (14m) from where it originated into the front of a restaurant.[22] Past the Corvette plant,the damage path turned in a more easterly direction again,and the tornado weakened back to EF1 intensity as it moved through the intersection of Bristow Road and Friendship Road. A barn and a greenhouse were destroyed within this vicinity,and power poles were downed. Houses in this area sustained mainly roof,gutter,and siding damage,though one home had a large section of its roof torn off. Shortly beyond this point,it turned sharply back to the northeast and caused additional EF1 damage as it moved across Kelly Road,where some trees were downed and an outbuilding was damaged.[17]
A liquor store that was destroyed in the western part of Bowling Green,Kentucky.
The tornado then rapidly intensified again and reached peak intensity in the Sunnyside community as it struck an industrial park near US 68,damaging or destroying multiple large industrial buildings at high-end EF3 strength. The well-built TMS Automotive warehouse was leveled by the tornado,with large metal structural supports torn from their anchor plates. A metal flag pole near one business was bent to the ground,leveraging its heavy concrete footing out of the ground in the process,and some light poles were bent over as well. A box truck was also thrown and destroyed,part of which was found 100 yards (91m) away.
The tornado then weakened to EF2strength,but continued to inflict heavy damage as it struck a Crown Verity plant;a cookware manufacturer,near the north side of US 68. The building sustained major damage,with large amounts of metal debris strewn through nearby fields. EF1 damage was noted along Mizpah Road,where fencing and trees were downed,a flag pole was bent,and some additional industrial buildings had damage to their exteriors,with metal siding and insulation scattered across fields. A house had the top part of its brick chimney blown off in this area too. It caused one more area of EF2damage as it approached US 31W,completely destroying an outbuilding along Freeport Road and blowing the debris 100 yards (91m) downwind. A house and another outbuilding sustained less severe damage nearby,and some trees were snapped. The tornado then weakened to EF1intensity and crossed Oakland Road,moving through the small community of Tuckertown,where houses sustained roof damage,an outbuilding collapsed,some other outbuildings and silos were damaged,and trees were downed. It followed US 31W to the northeast,causing more EF1 damage to trees,barns,and the roofs of homes. EF1 damage continued into Edmonson County,where trees were downed near the Dripping Springs community. The tornado then lifted and dissipated at 1:38a.m. CST (07:38 UTC) near Cedar Spring,after causing one final area of EF1-strength tree damage along KY 259. The path length of the tornado was 29.26 miles (47.09km).[17]
In total,17 people were killed and 63 people were injured by this tornado.[23]
As the EF3 tornado moved through areas just south of downtown Bowling Green,a second tornado formed as a result of a separate,smaller circulation within the same parent supercell. It first touched in the southeastern part of Bowling Green at 1:19a.m. CST (07:19 UTC),near the Bowling Green–Warren County Regional Airport. It first damaged a small metal storage building along Searcy Way,then caused significant roof damage to a well-built airplane hangar as it moved across the airport grounds. Damage along this initial part of the path was rated EF1. An anemometer at the airport recorded an 63mph (101km/h) wind gust as the tornado passed by,though it was not directly hit by the tornado.
The tornado continued at high-end EF1 strength as it moved to the northeast,parallel to I-65. It grew to 200 yards (180m) wide,striking apartments and townhouses at The Hub apartments. These structures sustained extensive roof and window damage,with garages at the complex suffering the most intense damage. Trees were also downed in this area. Additional damage to trees and roofs occurred in a neighborhood just north of Lovers Lane Park. The tornado became strong as it crossed Mount Victor Lane,where a house was heavily damaged and shifted off of its foundation,and damage to that residence was rated low-end EF2. It weakened again as it crossed the Barren River just east of the path of the main EF3 tornado,which followed moments later. Homes and apartment buildings along McFadin Station Street suffered considerable roof and siding damage,and trees and power lines were downed,with damage in this area being rated EF1. Just beyond this point,extensive tree damage occurred and a barn was destroyed near Porter Pike. The tornado then reached peak strength,producing EF2 damage as it struck NCM Motorsports Park on the south side of the interstate.[17]
The main building,a series of automobile repair garages,and some metal storage buildings sustained extensive damage at this location,with large sections of roofing and exterior walls ripped off of the structures. Structural debris was scattered over a half-mile to the east-northeast,and several cars were moved and damaged by flying debris. At this point the tornado was roughly 225 yards (206m) wide,and the damage track of the main EF3 tornado near the Corvette plant was visible just across the interstate. The tornado weakened as it paralleled the interstate,causing EF1 damage along McGinnis Road and Bristow Road. An unanchored mobile home was destroyed,numerous trees were downed,and siding,gutter,and roofing damage was observed at several homes along this segment of the path. Just beyond this point,the tornado caused some additional EF0 tree damage before it dissipated near mile marker 29.2 along I-65 at 1:24a.m. CST (07:24 UTC),southeast of Plum Springs,after traveling 6.1 miles (9.8km).[17][24]
Aftermath
Damage
The first tornado would destroy approximately 475 homes in the Warren County area,damage that would later receive a maximum rating of EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.[25] The tornadoes would cause power outages in Bowling Green;1,500 customers were still without power a week after the tornadoes.[26] The city of Bowling Green applied for a Disaster Recovery Grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency,which planned to install additional storm shelters in Bowling Green in the event of another tornado.[27]
Casualties
Initially,it was believed that fifteen people had died in Bowling Green from the first tornado;[28] another person was later found killed.[29] A man who was helping with disaster recovery the day following the tornado suffered a cardiac arrest and died as a result.[30][31] A family of four were also killed in Bowling Green,including a four-year old. Eleven of the tornadic deaths took place on one street,and seven of those killed were children.[32][33][34]
The National Weather Service would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the families who lost loved ones and experienced tremendous devastation to their properties.
—National Weather Service, Louisville, Kentucky
A year after the tornadoes, a candlelight vigil was held for the victims across several points in Bowling Green.[36]
List of confirmed fatalities from the first tornado
↑ Rich Thompson (December 10, 2021). "Tornado Watch 552". Storm Prediction Center. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
↑ Brian Squitieri; Jeremy Grams (December 10, 2021). "Mesoscale Discussion 1984". Storm Prediction Center. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
↑ Evan Bentley (December 10, 2021). "Mesoscale Discussion 1982". Storm Prediction Center. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
↑ Brian Squitieri; Jeremy Grams (December 10, 2021). "Mesoscale Discussion 1986". Storm Prediction Center. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
↑ "Tornado Warning (AR) #1". National Weather Service Little Rock, Arkansas. December 10, 2021. Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2021– via Iowa Environmental Mesonet.
↑ "Tornado Warning (AR) #2". National Weather Service Little Rock, Arkansas. December 10, 2021. Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2021– via Iowa Environmental Mesonet.
↑ Evan Bentley (December 10, 2021). "Mesoscale Discussion 1988". Storm Prediction Center. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
↑ Brian Squitieri; Jeremy Grams (December 10, 2021). "Mesoscale Discussion 1998". Storm Prediction Center. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
↑ Elizabeth Leitman (December 11, 2021). "Mesoscale Discussion 2018". Storm Prediction Center. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
↑ Elizabeth Leitman (December 11, 2021). "Mesoscale Discussion 2020". Storm Prediction Center. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
↑ "NWS Damage Survey for 12/11/2021 Tornado Event". Iowa Environmental Mesonet. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Louisville, Kentucky. December 22, 2021. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
↑ "NWS Damage Survey for 12/11/21 Tornado Event". Iowa Environmental Mesonet. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Louisville, Kentucky. December 22, 2021. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 2012. Extremely 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, Argentina, and Australia.
On March 2 and 3, 2012, a deadly tornado outbreak occurred over a large section of the Southern United States into the Ohio Valley region. The storms resulted in 41 tornado-related fatalities, 22 of which occurred in Kentucky. Tornado-related deaths also occurred in Alabama, Indiana, and Ohio. The outbreak was the second deadliest in early March for the U.S. since official records began in 1950; only the 1966 Candlestick Park tornado had a higher death toll for a tornadic system in early March.
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.
On November 17, 2013, the deadliest and costliest November tornado outbreak in Illinois history took shape, becoming the fourth-largest for the state overall. With more than 30 tornadoes in Indiana, it was that state's largest tornado outbreak for the month of November, and the second largest outbreak recorded in Indiana. Associated with a strong trough in the upper levels of the atmosphere, the event resulted in 77 tornadoes tracking across regions of the Midwest United States and Ohio River Valley, impacting seven states. Severe weather during the tornado outbreak caused over 100 injuries and eleven fatalities, of which eight were tornado related. Two tornadoes—both in Illinois and rated EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale—were the strongest documented during the outbreak and combined for five deaths. In addition to tornadoes, the system associated with the outbreak produced sizeable hail peaking at 4.00 in (10.2 cm) in diameter in Bloomington, Illinois, as well as damaging winds estimated as strong as 100 mph (160 km/h) in three locations.
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.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2017. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Brazil, 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, Argentina and Australia. Tornadic events are often accompanied with other forms of severe weather, including strong thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail. There were 1,522 reports of tornadoes in the United States in 2017, of which 1,418 were confirmed. Worldwide, 43 fatalities were confirmed in 2017: 35 in the United States, five in China, two in Paraguay, and one in Brazil.
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.
A small but damaging outbreak of 15 tornadoes impacted the Southeastern United States on February 7, 2017. The most damaging tornado of the outbreak was a large and powerful EF3 tornado. The tornado caused considerable damage along its path and left approximately 10,000 homes without electricity. 33 injuries occurred in the area after the tornado hit near Chef Menteur Highway with hundreds of structures sustaining moderate to significant damage along the ten-mile path. In response to the disaster, Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency.
The tornado outbreak of February 28 – March 1, 2017 was a widespread and significant outbreak of tornadoes and severe weather that affected the Midwestern United States at the end of February 2017 and beginning of March. Fueled by the combination of ample instability, strong wind shear, and rich low-level moisture, the event led to 71 confirmed tornadoes and thousands of other non-tornadic severe weather reports. The most notable aspect of the outbreak was a long-tracked EF4 tornado—the first violent tornado of 2017 and the first violent tornado during the month of February since the 2013 Hattiesburg tornado—that tracked from Perryville, Missouri to near Christopher, Illinois, killing one person. Three EF3 tornadoes were recorded during the event, including one that caused two fatalities in Ottawa, Illinois, one that caused a fatality near Crossville, and one that heavily damaged or destroyed homes in and around Washburn. In addition to the deaths, 38 people were injured by tornadoes and an additional 30 were injured by non-tornadic impacts, mainly by fallen trees.
The tornado outbreak sequence of May 2019 was a prolonged series of destructive tornadoes and tornado outbreaks affecting the United States over the course of nearly two weeks, producing a total of 400 tornadoes, including 53 significant events (EF2+). Eighteen of these were EF3 tornadoes, spanning over multiple states, including Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio, with additional tornadoes confirmed across a region extending from California to New Jersey. Two EF4 tornadoes occurred, one in Dayton, Ohio, and the other in Linwood, Kansas. Four tornadoes during this outbreak were fatal, causing a total of eight fatalities. The deadliest of these occurred on May 22 near Golden City, Missouri, where an EF3 tornado took three lives, including an elderly couple in their eighties. The damaging series of tornadoes that occurred in Indiana and Ohio on the evening of May 27 during this event is sometimes locally referred to as the Memorial Day tornado outbreak of 2019, which became the fourth costliest weather event in Ohio history. The near continuous stream of systems also produced to widespread flash and river flooding, along with damaging winds and large hail.
A significant severe weather and tornado outbreak affected the Southern United States between December 16–17, 2019. Discrete supercells developed in the early morning on December 16 and moved northeast, spawning multiple strong, long-tracked tornadoes in cities such as Alexandria and in Laurel before congealing into an eastward-moving squall line. During the outbreak, the National Weather Service issued several PDS tornado warnings as well as a rare tornado emergency for Alexandria. In addition to this, the Storm Prediction Center issued six tornado watches for the outbreak. The event happened to take place on the same date of another outbreak in a similar area 19 years earlier.
A small but deadly tornado outbreak affected West and Middle Tennessee on the night of March 2 and into the morning of March 3, 2020, including a high-end EF3 tornado that hit Nashville and Mount Juliet, becoming the 6th costliest tornado in United States history, and a violent EF4 tornado that impacted areas in and just west of Cookeville. A total of 25 people were killed by the tornadoes, with an additional 309 being injured, and more than 70,000 lost electricity. The path of the Nashville tornado was very similar to the one that hit East Nashville in 1998. A few additional tornadoes were also confirmed in Alabama, southeastern Missouri, and western Kentucky. Total damage from the event reached $1.607 billion according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.
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.
On the afternoon of March 3, 2019, a violent and long-tracked EF4 tornado struck portions of eastern Alabama and western Georgia, causing extreme damage along its path. This tornado was the deadliest tornado in the United States since the 2013 Moore tornado, killing 23 and injuring 97. This tornado was part of a larger tornado outbreak that affected the Southeastern United States on this same day. This outbreak produced numerous tornadoes across Alabama and Georgia. This was the deadliest and strongest tornado of this outbreak, and the 8th deadliest in Alabama state history.
A deadly late-season tornado outbreak, the deadliest on record in December, produced catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across portions of the Southern United States and Ohio Valley from the evening of December 10 to the early morning of December 11, 2021. The event developed as a trough progressed eastward across the United States, interacting with an unseasonably moist and unstable environment across the Mississippi Valley. Tornado activity began in northeastern Arkansas, before progressing into Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
During the late evening of Friday, December 10, 2021, a violent, long-tracked and devastating EF4 tornado, sometimes referred to as the Western Kentucky tornado, Mayfield tornado, or The Beast, moved across Western Kentucky, United States, producing severe-to-catastrophic damage in numerous towns, including Mayfield, Princeton, Dawson Springs, and Bremen. This tornado was the second significant tornado in an exceedingly long-tracked tornado family; it began just inside northern Obion County, Tennessee – a few miles after another long-tracked tornado that traveled through northeast Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel, and northwest Tennessee – and dissipated in western Obion County. After crossing into Kentucky, the tornado moved through eleven counties of the Jackson Purchase and Western Coal Field regions, at times becoming wrapped in rain during its almost three-hour lifespan that covered 165.6 miles (266.5 km). It was the deadliest and longest-tracked tornado in an outbreak that produced numerous, strong tornadoes in several states; this tornado caused 57 deaths.
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.
An early-season tornado outbreak impacted the Southeastern United States on January 12, 2023. The result of a mid-level trough moving through, moisture and the presence of a strong low-level jet aided in the development of numerous severe and tornadic thunderstorms. Early in the outbreak, a strong EF2 tornado caused considerable damage in Winston County, Alabama, while another EF2 tornado struck just south of Greensboro. A destructive high-end EF2 tornado struck Selma, causing widespread damage and two injuries. The same storm produced a long-lived EF3 tornado that moved through or near Old Kingston, Titus, Equality, and Lake Martin, resulting in seven fatalities and several injuries in Autauga County alone. Another EF2 tornado from the storm struck areas in or around Five Points and Standing Rock before crossing into Georgia. After the dissipation of that tornado, nine more tornadoes, five of which were strong, caused heavy damage across west-central Georgia, especially in LaGrange, Griffin, and Experiment, the second one of which was impacted by four tornadoes in the span of 10 minutes, including two that were rated EF2 and EF3 respectively. Another EF2 tornado from the storm caused major damage and another fatality in the Jackson Lake area as well; an indirect death from the tornado also occurred the following day. Elsewhere, other tornadoes caused damage in Sumter and Mobile counties in Alabama, as well as parts of Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and the Carolinas. In all, 43 tornadoes were confirmed.
Throughout the evening hours of December 10, 2021, a large and destructive tornado struck areas in and around the cities and communities of Monette and Leachville in Arkansas, Braggadocio and Hayti in Missouri, and Tiptonville and Samburg in Tennessee, killing eight people and injuring 16 others. The tornado was the second strongest and third deadliest of the tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021. The tornado reached peak intensity twice, the first time east of Braggadocio and the second time in Tiptonville, leading the National Weather Service to assign a rating of low-end EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, with maximum wind speeds estimated at 170 mph (270 km/h).
A multi-day period of significant tornado activity along with significant derechos occurred across the Midwestern United States and the Mississippi Valley as well as an additional tornado in the Canadian province of Quebec. From May 19–27, 2024, two derechos occurred and tornadoes were reported across large portions of the Central United States, with multiple Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) watches issued across the sequence. On May 19, strong tornadoes occurred with isolated supercells in Colorado and Oklahoma while a derecho produced widespread wind damage and weak tornadoes across Kansas into the early morning hours of May 20. Limited tornadic activity took place on May 20, but another outbreak along with widespread damage struck mainly Iowa and Wisconsin on May 21. Five fatalities were confirmed with a large, violent, long-tracked EF4 tornado that went through Greenfield, Iowa. Scattered to widespread severe weather and tornadoes occurred over the next two days, including an EF2 tornado that injured 30 people on the west side of Temple, Texas. Another derecho formed in southwestern Nebraska late on May 23 and moved eastward, producing widespread wind damage and weak tornadoes through Nebraska and Iowa and northwestern Illinois before withering away in the northern part of the state during the morning hours of May 24.
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