1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado
The June 2010 Northern Plains tornado outbreak was one of the most prolific summer tornado outbreaks in the Northern Great Plains of the United States on record. The outbreak began on June 16, with several tornadoes in South Dakota and Montana. The most intense storms took place the following day across much of eastern North Dakota and much of Minnesota. The system produced 93 tornadoes reported across four states while killing three people in Minnesota. Four of the tornadoes were rated as EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, the most violent tornadoes in a 24-hour period since there were five within 15 hours in the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak. This was the region's first major tornado outbreak of the year and one of the largest on record in the region, comparable to a similar outbreak in June 1992. The 48 tornadoes that touched down in Minnesota on June 17 marked the most active single day in the state's history.[1] June 17 was the second largest tornado day on record in the meteorological summer, behind the most prolific day of the 2003 South Dakota tornado outbreak on June 24, 2003.
The Storm Prediction Center issued a moderate risk of severe weather for June 17, 2010, citing a 10% threat for tornadoes, 45% threat for large hail and 45% threat for damaging wind, initially thinking tornadoes would quickly reform into a straight-line wind event. The moderate risk area extended from around Fargo, North Dakota, to Des Moines, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, including the Twin Cities area, with a slight risk area extending across the Upper Midwest. Surface dew points reached the low 70s °F (low 20s °C) with surface temperatures well into 80s °F (near 30°C) across Minnesota. Surface-based CAPE values were forecast to reach 2000–3000J/kg.[3]
The first tornadoes were reported across eastern North Dakota during the mid-afternoon hours where a tornado watch was issued for most of the state as well as extreme northwestern Minnesota closer to the Manitoba and northwestern Ontario borders where many tornadoes, some strong to violent, touched down late that afternoon.[4] After several tornadoes affected areas near the Grand Forks area and closer to the Canada–US border, the activity eventually shifted into northwestern Minnesota by the late afternoon hours while storms over northern Iowa moved across southern Minnesota near the Interstate 90 corridor producing many tornadoes. Other storms developed over central Minnesota near Interstate 94 but most activity missed the Twin Cities area. The supercells eventually reached the Wisconsin border later that evening and reformed into a squall line, rapidly ending the severe weather outbreak. Isolated tornado reports also occurred across Wisconsin and Iowa. Three people were killed according to KARE-TV including one in Mentor (Polk County), one in Almora (Otter Tail County)[5] and one near Albert Lea (Freeborn County) an area that sustained heavy damage from a long-tracked EF4 tornado.[6] Large tornadoes were sighted in Kiester in Faribault County and near Ellendale and Blooming Prairie in Steele County, Minnesota.[7]
The town of Wadena was also hard hit; the high school was heavily damaged by a tornado that prompted a tornado emergency. Extensive damage was also reported in various other communities in Minnesota as well as in North Dakota from either tornadoes or widespread damaging winds such as in the Rochester, Minnesota, area where several buildings, including homes, were heavily damaged on the northern side of the town. A local emergency was declared in Rochester by the mayor following the storms.[7] The three tornado fatalities in Minnesota were the most for a single outbreak since 1978, and the three EF4 tornadoes were the most on a single day since 1967.[8]
A moderate risk of severe weather was issued for parts of southern Iowa, northern Missouri and northwestern Illinois during the mid-morning of June 18 citing mostly the threat for damaging winds (45%), though a few tornadoes would be possible as CAPE values of 4000 j/kg were forecast across the Missouri and mid-Mississippi Valleys, especially behind the main derecho.[9] Such did not materialize, however.
Considerable damage in the community with several houses heavily damaged, the local community center lost its roof and mobile homes and grain bins were destroyed. Two people were injured and damage amounted to $750,000.[13]
A brief tornado touched down along the southwest side of Hettinger, breaking windows in an apartment building and slightly lifting a car off the ground. Damage from the tornado reached $25,000.[18] One of two non-supercell tornadoes spawned during the outbreak.[19]
A house was completely swept away with only an empty basement remaining near Holmes. A welding building and several farm buildings were destroyed. Trees were snapped and debarked, one of which had a metal chair embedded into it. One person sustained minor injuries.
1 death – Large multiple-vortex tornado flattened several houses and blew them away along Otter Tail County Road 143, one of which had an occupant killed. Numerous other houses were damaged or destroyed. Farm buildings were also obliterated by the tornado, which was up to 1.3 miles (2.1km) wide. Trees were also debarked and vehicles were thrown into the air. Five others were injured.
1 death – A Cenex station was hit killing one person. The gas station and four vehicles were destroyed by the multiple-vortex tornado. Many trees, farm buildings and a farm house were also heavily damaged. Cabins, RVs, and cottages were heavily damaged along Maple Lake. Boats and docks were picked up by tornado and tossed.
See article on this tornado – 1 death – Dozens of farms were affected and several houses were destroyed or leveled by this large wedge tornado. Some farmsteads were entirely destroyed by the tornado. Three hog confinements were destroyed with several hogs escaping. A wind energy facility was also damaged and vehicles were tossed. There were also additional major infrastructure damage along with gas leaks. Trees were also debarked and many farm structures were destroyed across the county. 14 others were injured, some severely.
A manufactured home was destroyed, injuring a resident. Sheds, outbuildings and grain bins were also destroyed. It crossed paths with the 0110 UTC tornado.
Major damage in the north side of town with 75 homes damaged and ten severely damaged or destroyed. Other buildings including a Menards store and other businesses around it were damaged. Several trees were blown down.
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado
Around 3:20p.m. CDT (2120UTC), a supercell thunderstorm developed over Stevens County, Minnesota, and initially tracked north-northeastward before turning fully northeast. Once over Otter Tail County, the storm intensified and a brief EF1 tornado touched down around 4:48pm CDT (2248UTC) roughly 12mi (19km) south of Bluffton.[19] The rear-flank downdraft of the storm quickly obscured the tornado from view; however, it was later determined the tornado was on the ground for 1.5mi (2.4km), uprooting small trees and snapping limbs of larger ones.[22] At 4:56pm CDT (2256UTC), a tornado warning was issued for portions of Becker, Clearwater, Hubbard, Otter Tail and Wadena Counties.[23] Only two minutes after the warning was issued, a new tornado touched down about 3mi (4.8km) southwest of the city of Wadena.[19] Within three minutes of forming, the multiple vortex tornado rapidly intensified, reaching EF4 intensity with winds estimated at 170mph (270km/h). Before crossing the Otter Tail-Wadena County border, the storm's width had reached 1.1mi (1.8km).[24] The tornado then struck the western side of Wadena, causing widespread severe damage. Two houses were blown away from their foundations and many other houses and businesses were destroyed by this large wedge tornado. Many other structures were damaged to lesser degrees as well. Wadena-Deer Creek High School lost large sections of its roof and suffered extensive damage to its interior. A bus garage and an apartment complex were also damaged and school buses were thrown into the air. Trees were also debarked and snapped throughout the town. Cars were tossed by the tornado and headstones were toppled at a cemetery in Wadena. About 20 people were injured. Damage from the tornado reached $32million, making it the most destructive of the outbreak.[25][26] In light of the damage in the city, a tornado emergency was declared for Sebeka and Nimrod; however, substantial damage never took place in these areas.[23] Continuing northeastward, the tornado gradually weakened before dissipating at 5:16pm CDT (2316UTC), ending its 10mi (16km) track.[26] Around 5:30pm CDT (2230UTC), a third tornado, rated EF0, touched down within the supercell, this time roughly 1.5mi (2.4km) south-southwest of Nimrod. Over the following 18minutes, this storm made several touchdowns along a 14.8mi (23.8km) track that continued into Cass County.[19] Damage from this tornado was largely limited to broken tree limbs.[27] Continuing northeast, the supercell eventually dissipated over Cass County around 6:30pm CDT (2330UTC).[19]
Canadian Prairies flooding
North of the tornadic supercells, heavy rain affected areas of the southern Canadian Prairies where at least 4 to 6in (100 to 150mm) of rain fell across southern Alberta and Saskatchewan on June 16– 17 causing widespread flooding. A state of emergency was declared at the Blood Tribe Indian Reserve where people were stranded in homes due to flood waters.[28] Nine municipal governments in Alberta also declared state of emergencies due to the flooding as did some areas of southern Saskatchewan. Portions of the Trans-Canada Highway were closed for 3km (1.9mi) due to flooding along the border between Saskatchewan and Alberta on June18 and remained shut down until June26.[29] At times, 30,000 to 40,000 acres (12,000 to 16,000ha) of land around the highway was submerged by flood waters.[30] Other roads and bridges were flooded and in some cases washed away. The Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park was also left inaccessible.[29] In and around Medicine Hat, Alberta, most residents were forced to evacuate as water reached depths of 2ft (0.61m). Agricultural areas sustained considerable losses throughout the region as entire harvests were lost to the floods and much of the growing season had past leaving no time to re-plant crops.[31] Throughout Alberta, losses reached C$69million ($70.3million), including C$54million ($55million) in Medicine Hat alone. A total of 340 homes were affected by the floods, 11 of which had to be condemned. Additionally, 490ft (150m) of the Trans-Canada Highway had been washed out.[30][32]
Due to the prolonged shut down of the Trans-Canada Highway, many businesses along the road experienced hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost profits. Some stores reported a 95percent decrease in income, roughly C$4,000 daily.[30] On June25, some residents in Medicine Hat were given C$3,000 in aid from the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program. In the weeks after the disaster, reconstruction of roadways and bridges washed out by the floods began. Engineers estimated that it would take four to five weeks to repair the Trans-Canada Highway.[32]
June 18 Midwest derechos
A NWS enhanced radar image of the two derechos in the Midwest on the night of June 18th, 2010.
Following the prolific tornado outbreak, a mesoscale convective system developed across eastern Nebraska in the Omaha area during the morning hours of June18. It gradually intensified before moving into the Des Moines area near midday.[33] The bow echo intensified into an intense progressive derecho over eastern Iowa and propagated eastward into northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin that afternoon. Extensive damage was reported from the derecho, including in the Chicago metropolitan area as the derecho reached that region shortly before 4:00 pm CDT (2100 UTC).[34] Nearly 300,000 customers lost power and windows were blown out of high-rise buildings in downtown Chicago.[35] Some counties utilized warning sirens due to the derecho's extreme winds, despite the fact that there was no formal tornado warning.[36]
The derecho continued eastward, maintaining its strength over southern Lower Michigan and northern Indiana in the early evening hours. Winds as high as 90mph (140km/h) were reported in southwest Michigan with widespread damage over the region).[34] The storm knocked out power to nearly 300,000 customers of Commonwealth Edison in the Chicago area. Windows were blown out of several high rises in downtown Chicago, including the tallest building, the Willis Tower. [37] More than 100,000 lost power in the immediate Detroit region including in Oakland and Wayne Counties,[38] over 75,000 in the Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo regions [39] and over 50,000 in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan.[40] The derecho finally weakened and rapidly dissipated as it reached Lake Erie.
During the evening hours of June18, a second, weaker derecho formed over Iowa and began following a path similar to the first one, and by 8:45 pm CDT (0145 UTC) the storm was moving across Illinois causing damage in areas already affected by the initial derecho event before weakening and dissipating.[34] One fatality was reported from the event in northern Indiana and in Dexter, Michigan.[34] This storm also produced dangerous lightning with two homes hit by lightning in Dexter and Scio Township in Michigan.
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.
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.
The tornado outbreak sequence of June 3–11, 2008 was a series of tornado outbreaks affecting most of central and eastern North America from June 3–11, 2008. 192 tornadoes were confirmed, along with widespread straight–line wind wind damage. Seven people were killed from a direct result of tornadoes; four in Iowa, two in Kansas, and one in Indiana. Eleven additional people were killed across five states by other weather events including lightning, flash flooding, and straight-line winds. Severe flooding was also reported in much of Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa as a result of the same thunderstorms, while high heat and humidity affected much of eastern North America; particularly along the eastern seaboard of the United States from New York City to the Carolinas.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2009. 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. In the U.S., there were 1,304 reports of tornadoes received by the Storm Prediction Center (SPC), and 1,159 tornadoes were confirmed to have taken place. Worldwide, 73 fatalities were caused by tornadoes; 22 in the United States, 20 in India, 11 in Argentina, eight in the Philippines, four each in Canada and Brazil, two in Greece and one each in Serbia and Russia.
The May 2009 Southern Midwest Derecho was an extreme progressive derecho and mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) event that struck southeastern Kansas, southern Missouri, and southwestern Illinois on May 8, 2009. Thirty-nine tornadoes, including two of EF3 strength on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, were reported in addition to high non-tornadic winds associated with the derecho and MCV. Due to the abnormal shape of the storm on radar and the extremely strong winds, many called this an "inland hurricane." A new class of storm, the Super Derecho, has been used to describe this event after analysis in 2010. Embedded supercells produced hail up to baseball size in southern Missouri, a rare event in a derecho. A wind gust of 106 mph (171 km/h) was recorded by a backup anemometer at the Southern Illinois Airport after official National Weather Service equipment failed. This derecho was the last of a series of derechos that occurred at the beginning of May.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 2010. The majority of tornadoes form in the U.S., but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. A lesser number occur outside the U.S., most notably in parts of neighboring southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer season, but are also known in South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 2011. 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, and Australia.
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.
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.
An extended period of significant tornado activity affected the Midwest and Southern United States from April 19 to April 24, 2011, with 134 tornadoes being spawned across six days. The outbreak sequence produced an EF4 tornado that tore through the St. Louis metropolitan area on April 22, while other tornadoes caused damage in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, Oklahoma, and other parts of Missouri during the period. No fatalities were reported in this outbreak sequence. This event was directly followed by the largest tornado outbreak in the history of the United States.
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.
A significant and destructive tornado outbreak that affected parts of the Midwestern United States and lower Great Plains in mid-May 2013. This event occurred just days after a deadly outbreak struck Texas and surrounding southern states on May 15. On May 16, a slow moving trough crossed the Rockies and traversed the western Great Plains. Initially, activity was limited to scattered severe storms; however, by May 18, the threat for organized severe thunderstorms and tornadoes greatly increased. A few tornadoes touched down that day in Kansas and Nebraska, including an EF4 tornado near Rozel, Kansas. Maintaining its slow eastward movement, the system produced another round of severe weather nearby. Activity significantly increased on May 19, with tornadoes confirmed in Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois. In Oklahoma, two strong tornadoes, one rated EF4, caused significant damage in rural areas of the eastern Oklahoma City metropolitan area; two people lost their lives near Shawnee. The most dramatic events unfolded on May 20 as a large EF5 tornado devastated parts of Moore, Oklahoma, killing 24 people. Thousands of structures were destroyed, with many being completely flattened. Several other tornadoes occurred during the day in areas further eastward, though the majority were weak and caused little damage.
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 notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2015. 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 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, winds and hail. There were 1,178 tornadoes reported in the United States in 2015 according to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC), of which at least 1,178 have been confirmed. Worldwide, 109 fatalities have been reported: 45 in Pakistan, 36 in the United States, 14 in Mexico, seven in China, three in Myanmar, two in Brazil and one each in Italy and Russia.
The tornado outbreak sequence of May 5–10, 2015 was a six-day outbreak of tornado activity that affected the Great Plains of the United States in early May 2015. On May 6, strong tornadoes impacted the Oklahoma City area, along with rural parts of Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, South Dakota, and Nebraska. The outbreak coincided with major flooding, with large amounts of rain falling in parts of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. The National Weather Service forecast office in Norman, Oklahoma issued a "flash flood emergency" for Oklahoma City following record-breaking rainfall that occurred in the area that evening. The outbreak sequence resulted in five tornado-related deaths, along with two flood-related deaths. A total of 127 tornadoes were confirmed and rated as a result of this outbreak sequence. Damage from the outbreak was estimated at $1.5 billion.
The tornado outbreak of April 8–9, 2015 was a relatively small but damaging outbreak of tornadoes that occurred in parts of the Great Plains and in the Midwestern United States. 27 tornadoes were confirmed during the two days, most of them weak, however a select few of them were powerful and damaging.
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 July 19 and 20, 2018, an unexpected strong tornado outbreak affected Iowa and nearby areas. The event was triggered mostly by three supercells that produced several tornadoes across southeastern Iowa east and southeast of Des Moines. Two of the tornadoes reached EF3 intensity, affecting Pella and Marshalltown. These were the strongest tornadoes to hit Iowa since June 22, 2015, when another EF3 tornado struck near Lovilia. Of the 37 injuries, 13 occurred in Pella, and 23 in Marshalltown, and one the following day in Indiana. The event was also notable due to the Table Rock Lake duck boat accident that killed 17 people and injured 7 others at Table Rock Lake, Missouri.
↑ John Chris Broyles and Jonathan M. Garner (June 16, 2010). "Jun 16, 2010 0600 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
1 2 "Severe Weather Statement: Tornado Warning". National Weather Service Office in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Iowa Environmental Mesonet National Weather Service. June 17, 2010. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
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