Type | Tornado outbreak |
---|---|
Formed | November 15, 1989 |
Duration | 26 hours |
Dissipated | November 16, 1989 |
Tornadoes confirmed | 40 |
Max. rating1 | F4 tornado |
Fatalities | 30 fatalities, 523 injuries |
Damage | $160 million (2005 USD) |
Areas affected | Southern and Eastern United States |
Part of the tornado outbreaks of 1989 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale |
A destructive tornado outbreak struck a wide swath of the Southern and Eastern United States as well as Canada on November 15 and 16, 1989. It produced at least 40 tornadoes and caused 30 deaths as a result of two deadly tornadoes. The most devastating event was the Huntsville, Alabama F4 tornado, which killed 21 on the afternoon of November 15. Nine more fatalities occurred at a single elementary school by an F1 tornado on November 16 in Newburgh, New York, although further survey revealed that this might have been a downburst instead. This outbreak also produced the most tornadoes in a single day in New Jersey, [1] later tied on April 1, 2023. [2] Several other significant tornadoes were reported across 15 states.
Historically, tornadoes are relatively common in north Alabama, where Huntsville and Madison County are located. [3] The region was affected by the April 3–4, 1974, Super Outbreak and records show that Madison County has had 25 tornadoes from 1950 through October 1989.
The Zone and Local Forecasts issued during the early morning, Tuesday, November 14, mentioned the possibility of severe thunderstorms on Wednesday. Subsequent forecasts and statements marked with increasing certainty the ominous nature of the events to come.
The National Severe Storms Forecast Center (NSSFC) issued a Public Severe Weather Outlook at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday [4] and highlighted the unusually strong potential for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes over the Tennessee Valley. The Birmingham Forecast Office followed with a Special Weather Statement at 10:50 a.m. with the headline, "MAJOR SEVERE WEATHER THREAT POISED FOR ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA!".
A Tornado Watch was in effect for Madison and adjacent counties from 12:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Soon after the issuance of the watch, emergency management officials, storm spotters and the NWS staff at Huntsville placed into effect a coordinated plan of action in accordance with established procedures. Beginning at 12:45 p.m., WSO Huntsville issued warnings for the west part of its county warning area as an intense squall line moved into northwest Alabama. Storm spotters reported large hail and intense straight-line wind associated with this squall line.
At the time the tornado struck Huntsville, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was in effect for Madison County. That warning, issued at 4:13 p.m., was changed to a Tornado Warning at 4:35 p.m. based on a report relayed through the amateur radio spotter network of a tornado touchdown in the city. Critical weather information was disseminated over the NOAA Weather Wire Service (NWWS) and NWR and by many media outlets in Huntsville and adjacent areas providing the public with frequent weather updates on radio and "crawls" and live "cut-ins" on television. Links with spotter groups and emergency management and law enforcement officials worked well.
FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 40 |
F# | Location | County / Parish | State | Time (UTC) | Path length | Max width | Summary [5] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F0 | Lepanto | Poinsett | AR | 1730 | 0.25 mi (0.40 km) | 50 yd (46 m) | Most of the roof was removed from the gymnasium at Lepanto High School, and several homes sustained minor roof damage. |
F1 | NW of Henning | Lauderdale | TN | 1830–1835 | 4 mi (6.4 km) | 75 yd (69 m) | Two homes were damaged and numerous sheds and outbuildings were destroyed. |
F2 | Trenton | Gibson | TN | 1855–1901 | 5 mi (8.0 km) | 80 yd (73 m) | A few homes sustained roof damage, a patio was torn up, and numerous trees and several power lines were downed. |
F1 | SE of Ashland | Clay | AL | 2020 | 0.5 mi (0.80 km) | 20 yd (18 m) | One house was destroyed in the Mellow Valley area, and the three occupants were injured. |
F2 | NE of Greenwood | Greenwood | SC | 2034 | 0.75 mi (1.21 km) | 269 yd (246 m) | 47 homes were damaged in a subdivision, four of which were unroofed. One person was injured. |
F2 | NNE of Ashley to S of Lexington | Morrow, Richland | OH | 2100–2127 | 23 mi (37 km) | 75 yd (69 m) | Many homes and barns were damaged, and numerous trees were downed in Morrow County. The tornado crossed into Richland County east of Shauck, taking a roof off a home and destroying a second home and a mobile home south of Lexington. |
F1 | SW of Falmouth | Pendleton | KY | 2109 | 0.25 mi (0.40 km) | 200 yd (180 m) | Two mobile homes were destroyed, and the roof of an old school was ripped off in the community of Morgan. Two people were injured in one of the mobile homes. |
F1 | Oliver | Screven | GA | 2145 | 1 mi (1.6 km) | 50 yd (46 m) | A mobile home was carried about 35 feet (11 m) from its foundation, with parts of it being blown up to 500 feet (150 m) away. Three houses sustained roof damage, and numerous trees were downed. The five occupants of the mobile home were injured. |
F0 | De Kalb | Kemper | MS | 2150 | 5 mi (8.0 km) | 18 yd (16 m) | Two homes were destroyed. 15 other homes or barns were damaged. Several trees were downed. Listed as F2 by Grazulis. |
F4 | Huntsville to NE of Brownsboro | Madison | AL | 2230–2250 | 18.5 mi (29.8 km) | 880 yd (800 m) | 21 deaths – See section on this tornado – 463 people were injured. |
F0 | E of Roanoke | Randolph | AL | 2243 | 0.3 mi (0.48 km) | 20 yd (18 m) | Several mobile homes were damaged. |
F1 | Stevenson | Jackson | AL | 2355 | 1 mi (1.6 km) | 20 yd (18 m) | Several mobile homes and vehicles were destroyed, a school roof was damaged, and large steel utility towers were twisted. |
F2 | NW of Rome | Floyd | GA | 0005 | 8 mi (13 km) | 450 yd (410 m) | The tornado touched down near Coosa before moving across Simms Mountain and into Big Texas Valley. Many homes were damaged along the path, and numerous barns and outbuildings were either damaged or destroyed, along with multiple vehicles. In Big Texas Valley, one mobile home was overturned and another was heavily damaged. A large house about 200 yards (180 m) away from the second mobile home was demolished and six vehicles were destroyed. Many trees were downed along the path. One person sustained minor injuries. Caused $2,000,000 in damage. |
F2 | SE of Palmetto | Coweta, Fulton | GA | 0025 | 4 mi (6.4 km) | 300 yd (270 m) | Several homes were damaged and a poolhouse sustained significant damage south of Palmetto. Two mobile home parks were damaged near the Coweta–Fulton county line. |
F3 | W of Clarkesville to WSW of Tallulah Falls | Habersham | GA | 0030 | 8 mi (13 km) | 1,760 yd (1,610 m) | Six homes were destroyed, and six others were heavily damaged. Businesses were destroyed, and three mobile homes were flattened. Seventeen large chicken houses were destroyed at a poultry farm, killing 250,000 birds. Considerable damage occurred in the communities of Stonepile and New Liberty. Three people were injured. The tornado was up to 1 mile (1.6 km) wide and caused $1,000,000 in damage. |
F2 | E of Palmetto | Coweta, Fulton | GA | 0045 | 7 mi (11 km) | 300 yd (270 m) | This tornado struck the same mobile home parks just impacted by the first Palmetto tornado, resulting in several injuries. In total, 72 trailers were either damaged or destroyed, and 50 site-built homes were damaged. Numerous vehicles were either damaged or destroyed, and a few businesses were damaged as well. Four tractor-trailers were flipped on Interstate 85, injuring the drivers. Another injury occurred when a car was rolled for 100 feet (30 m). A mobile news van was thrown 400 feet (120 m) by the tornado as well. At a truck stop, gas pumps were uprooted, spilling gas on the lots. Numerous trees were downed along the path. Fourteen people were injured in total. Caused $1,200,000 in damage. |
F1 | S of Cleveland | Bradley | TN | 0045–0051 | 3 mi (4.8 km) | 30 yd (27 m) | An older unoccupied building was levelled, several outbuildings were destroyed, and a brick chimney on a house was destroyed. Numerous trees were downed. |
F# | Location | County / Parish | State | Time (UTC) | Path length | Max width | Summary [5] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F2 | Summit Point to Charles Town | Jefferson | WV | 1000 | 9 mi (14 km) | 50 yd (46 m) | A house and several buildings at Summit Point sustained structural damage. A two-inch (5.1 cm) diameter tree limb was driven through a shingle roof with half-inch-thick plywood. Further along the path, outbuildings were demolished, roofs were torn off, a cinder-block garage sustained roof loss and collapsed walls, and a mobile home was rolled several times. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted as well. Three people were injured inside the mobile home. |
F0 | NW of Amelia Court House | Amelia | VA | 1315 | 0.25 mi (400 m) | 15 yd (14 m) | A brief tornado moved along Route 616 in Amelia County. A country store sustained a blown out window and partial loss of its tin roof. A tin structure about 30 feet (9.1 m) away was leveled. A house sustained shingle loss, and a vehicle sustained minor cosmetic damage from flying debris. Several small trees were downed. An eyewitness reported seeing a funnel cloud. |
F0 | SE of Georgetown | Madison | NY | 1515 | 1.7 mi (2.7 km) | 100 yd (91 m) | Damage details unavailable. |
F1 | E of Millington | Kent | MD | 1520 | 4 mi (6.4 km) | 440 yd (400 m) | An intermittent tornado destroyed a cinder-block church building, damaged other buildings, and snapped power poles. The tornado may have continued into northwestern Kent County, Delaware. |
F0 | Romansville | Chester | PA | 1524 | 0.1 mi (160 m) | 10 yd (9.1 m) | A brief tornado damaged buildings and downed trees. |
F1 | Wilmington | New Castle | DE | 1530 | 1 mi (1.6 km) | 17 yd (16 m) | This tornado moved through the southern part of downtown Wilmington, blowing off part of a warehouse roof, ripping up part of a chain link fence, and damaging several vehicles. The tornado became a waterspout after moving over the Christina River. It then destroyed a 40-by-50-foot (12 by 15 m) boat shed, ripped two large boats from their moorings, and moved/overturned boats that were in storage. The door of a restaurant was ripped off before the tornado dissipated. One person was injured, the owner of the boat shed. |
F1 | King of Prussia | Montgomery | PA | 1545 | 1.5 mi (2.4 km) | 50 yd (46 m) | Numerous homes and offices were damaged, with one office building being damaged severely. Three mobile homes were overturned, and hundreds of trees and several power lines were downed. Three people were injured by flying glass. |
F0 | SW of Telford to NE of Perkasie | Montgomery, Bucks | PA | 1600 | 5.25 mi (8.45 km) | 50 yd (46 m) | More than 55 homes sustained mainly roof damage. Numerous trees were downed. |
F1 | Yardley, PA to W of Lawrenceville, NJ | Bucks (PA), Mercer (NJ) | PA, NJ | 1615 | 5 mi (8.0 km) | 800 yd (730 m) | In Yardley, a school sustained roof and window damage. One person sustained serious injuries when a tree fell on a vehicle. The tornado crossed the Delaware River near the northwestern part of Trenton, New Jersey, blowing the windows out of a school and collapsing a wall of an apartment complex, causing damage to 36 apartment units. Hundreds of trees were downed along the path. At least four people were injured in total. |
F0 | Peekskill | Westchester | NY | 1615 | 0.5 mi (0.80 km) | 15 yd (14 m) | Damage details unavailable. |
F0 | Williamstown | Gloucester | NJ | 1620 | 1 mi (1.6 km) | 50 yd (46 m) | A supermarket sustained partial roof loss, where one person was injured by a falling brick. A steel building was damaged, two semi trailers were blown over, and several trees were downed. |
F0 | SE of Branchville | Sussex | NJ | 1630 | 0.5 mi (0.80 km) | 50 yd (46 m) | The tornado occurred in Augusta. Damage details unavailable. |
F1 | Barryville to Grahamsville | Sullivan | NY | 1640–1658 | 1.5 mi (2.4 km) | 200 yd (180 m) | The official path length is 1.5 miles (2.4 km), but the distance from Barryville to Grahamsville is much farther. |
F0 | Roseland | Essex | NJ | 1700 | 0.2 mi (320 m) | 15 yd (14 m) | Damage details unavailable. |
F0 | Piscataway | Middlesex | NJ | 1704 | 0.5 mi (0.80 km) | 15 yd (14 m) | Damage details unavailable. |
F1 | Monroe to Coldenham | Orange | NY | 1705–1731 | 9.1 mi (14.6 km) | 100 yd (91 m) | 9 deaths – See section on this tornado – 18 people were injured. Likely a downburst, rather than a tornado according to Grazulis and Fujita. [6] [7] |
F1 | Lyndhurst/Rutherford | Bergen | NJ | 1720 | 0.5 mi (0.80 km) | 30 yd (27 m) | Damage details unavailable. |
F0 | Linden | Union | NJ | 1725 | 1 mi (1.6 km) | 15 yd (14 m) | Damage details unavailable. |
F0 | W of Long Lake | Hamilton | NY | 1730 | 1.7 mi (2.7 km) | 100 yd (91 m) | Damage details unavailable. |
F1 | Porter Corners | Saratoga | NY | 1820 | 0.3 mi (0.48 km) | 20 yd (18 m) | Damage details unavailable. One person was injured. |
F1 | S of Corinth | Saratoga | NY | 1850 | 0.1 mi (0.16 km) | 25 yd (23 m) | Damage details unavailable. |
F0 | Buskirk | Rensselaer | NY | 1930 | 0.1 mi (0.16 km) | 17 yd (16 m) | Damage details unavailable. |
F2 | Mont-Saint-Hilaire | La Vallée-du-Richelieu | QC | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | One of the latest season tornadoes ever reported in Canada. Caused $2,000,000 in damage to the community. [8] |
F4 tornado | |
---|---|
Max. rating1 | F4 tornado |
Fatalities | 21 fatalities, 463 injuries |
Damage | $100 million (1989 USD) |
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale |
On the afternoon of Wednesday, November 15, 1989, at 4:35 p.m. (21:35 UTC), a tornado struck the southern portion of the city of Huntsville, cutting a swath of destruction from southwest toward the northeast through a business section and a heavily populated residential area. A total of 21 people died as a result of the tornado and 463 were injured. Eighteen people died in the immediate aftermath of the tornado, with two other people dying in early December and another passing away in January from injuries sustained in the tornado. Total damage estimates were placed around $100 million. [5]
The tornado struck during the beginning of rush hour and touched down initially on Redstone Arsenal and then moved into a business area crossing two major north–south highways. Twelve of the 21 deaths (57 percent) occurred in automobiles, a striking similarity to the 1979 tornado that struck Wichita Falls, Texas. In the Huntsville tornado, most of those killed in cars were in the process of performing normal tasks as opposed to seeking automobiles for safety. [5]
As the thunderstorm moved into the southwest corner of Madison County at 4:15 p.m. (21:15 UTC), the staff on duty at the WSO at Huntsville International Airport observed a wall cloud and rain-free base with the thunderstorm. The wall cloud showed no signs of rotation and dissipated shortly after being spotted. Shortly after this, between 4:20 and 4:30 p.m. (21:20–21:30 UTC), meteorologists working for NASA on Redstone Arsenal observed a wall cloud and rain-free base with the thunderstorm as it moved across the southern portion of the Arsenal. Around 4:25 p.m. (21:25 UTC), they observed rotation in the wall cloud. [5]
According to information shared with the National Weather Service by Duane Stiegler with Dr. Ted Fujita's group from the University of Chicago, the initial point of damage occurred one mile south-southwest of Madkin Mountain on Redstone Arsenal near the intersection of Fowler Road and Mills Road at around 4:30 p.m. (21:30 UTC). Trees were downed and some roof gutters damaged. From eyewitness accounts of the wall cloud, circulating air may have reached the ground without a visible funnel. [5]
The tornado continued on a northeast track passing northeast of Building 5250 on the Arsenal, with little damage done to that building. The storm then moved into a sparsely developed area, but it did cause about $1 million in damage to Huntsville's garbage-burning plant which was nearing the end of construction. At this point, the tornado began to cross the old Huntsville Airport and a large portion of the adjacent municipal golf course. It was here that the tornado struck the Huntsville Police Academy, generating one of the first reports of the existence of the tornado. Two officers were injured at the Police Academy. [5]
From the golf course, the tornado entered a business-filled and heavily populated area of Huntsville. The tornado crossed Memorial Parkway (US 231 and SR 53), a major north–south traffic artery. The tornado destroyed a number of shopping complexes, office buildings, churches, and much of the Waterford Square apartment complex as it slowly crossed Airport Road. It crossed Whitesburg Drive, another relatively major north–south highway. Nineteen of the twenty-one fatalities occurred in the area between the intersection of Airport Road and Memorial Parkway and the intersection of Airport Road and Whitesburg Drive. Eleven of the deaths occurred in automobiles, four in apartments, and four in commercial buildings. [5]
From the intersection of Whitesburg Drive and Airport Road, the tornado moved up Garth Mountain, as it continued on a northeast course. This took the tornado into a heavily wooded section. As it crossed the top of Garth Mountain and moved down the east side, it struck Jones Valley Elementary School on Garth Road. Thirty-seven children, five teachers, and seven painters were in the school when the tornado struck, part of an extended daycare program conducted at the school. The lead teacher of the daycare program moved the children from the second floor of the school building into a small open area under the stairway on the first floor. This action, first suggested by the school principal as she left for the day, saved the lives of the children. One woman was killed in an automobile driving along Garth Road on the way to the school. [5]
From the school, the tornado crossed Garth Road and moved across a portion of Jones Valley Subdivision, a development of well-constructed single family homes. The tornado severely damaged or destroyed a number of homes in the Jones Valley subdivision. It continued across Jones Valley moving before moving through a low gap between Round Top Mountain and Huntsville Mountain, passing just southeast of Monte Sano. The area from Huntsville Mountain to the end of the tornado path was mostly rural, with only scattered structures. However, the tornado continued to destroy or severely damage whatever structures it encountered. [5]
The tornado topped the northern edge of Huntsville Mountain and moved down the east side, crossing US 431. It traveled through a valley in the vicinity of Dug Hill before moving up and over Chestnut Knob. From Chestnut Knob, the tornado traversed the Flint River valley referred to as Salty Bottoms, crossing the Flint River and US 72 one mile southeast of Brownsboro. It moved across the present-day location of Madison County High School (not built until 1999) and continued on an east-northeast track over Reed Mountain and Jasper Point to a small lake (known as Smith Lake) at the headwaters of the Killingsworth Cove Branch, a small creek which feeds into the Flint River. The tornado path ended at the southeast tip of the lake at 4:50 p.m. (21:50 UTC). [5]
The total path length was 18.5 miles (29.8 km) from the initial beginning on Redstone Arsenal to its end at Smith Lake. The damage path was generally about one-half mile wide; however, it reached nearly one mile in width in the Flint River/US 72 area. [5]
State | Total | County | County total |
---|---|---|---|
Alabama | 21 | Madison | 21 |
New York | 9 | Orange | 9 |
Totals | 30 | ||
A summary of damage from reports gathered by the Huntsville Times included:
F1 tornado | |
---|---|
Max. rating1 | F1 tornado |
Fatalities | 9 fatalities, 18 injuries |
Damage | $25 million (1989 USD) [9] |
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale |
The East Coldenham Elementary School disaster was a deadly severe weather event that occurred on November 16, 1989, in Coldenham, New York, near the town of Newburgh, at approximately 12:30 p.m. EST (17:30 UTC), in which a suspected F1 tornado blew down a free-standing cafeteria wall, killing nine students and injuring 18 others. Though the event was officially recorded as a tornado, conclusive evidence from a survey by a team led by Ted Fujita and others indicates that it was a downburst instead. [6] [10] [11]
Official records state that the F1 tornado touched down to the south in Monroe at approximately 12:31 p.m. EST (17:31 UTC), moving north for around nine miles (14 km) to the East Coldenham area. [5] As the storm struck the elementary school, approximately 120 children were eating lunch in the school cafeteria. One of the walls collapsed onto numerous children, killing seven instantly and injuring at least 20. Two of the injured later died in hospitals. When the tornado began to hit the school, the principal and other staff began trying to move students into the hallways in the immediate seconds before the collapse. Roughly 200 state and local police, fire fighters, and ambulance workers converged on the school to provide assistance, along with 25 ambulances, several fire rescue vans, and a helicopter. The search and rescue operations were completed by 7:15 p.m. EST (00:15 UTC) that evening. [11]
The disaster received a tremendous amount of national and international media coverage at the time of the tragedy because most major news media outlets were at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, just ten miles away, to cover the awarding of the Sylvanus Thayer Award to former President Ronald Reagan, and accordingly were on site within minutes. [12]
Huntsville is a city in Madison County and Limestone County, Alabama, United States, with a small portion extending into Morgan County. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in the state.
The 1974 Super Outbreak was the second-largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period, just behind the 2011 Super Outbreak. It was also the most violent tornado outbreak ever recorded, with 30 F4/F5 tornadoes confirmed. From April 3–4, 1974, there were 148 tornadoes confirmed in 13 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Ontario. In the United States, tornadoes struck Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and New York. The outbreak caused roughly $843 million USD in damage, with more than $600 million occurring in the United States. The outbreak extensively damaged approximately 900 sq mi (2,331 km2) along a total combined path length of 2,600 mi (4,184 km). At one point, as many as 15 separate tornadoes were occurring simultaneously.
During the evening hours of March 28, 2000, a powerful F3 tornado struck Downtown Fort Worth, Texas, causing significant damage to numerous buildings and skyscrapers as well as two deaths. The tornado was part of a larger severe weather outbreak that caused widespread storms across Texas and Oklahoma in late-March, spurred primarily by the moist and unstable atmospheric environment over the South Central United States as a result of an eastward-moving upper-level low and shortwave trough. The tornado outbreak was well forecast by both computer forecast models and the National Weather Service, though the eventual focal point for the severe weather—North Texas—only came into focus on March 28 as the conditions favorable for tornadic development quickly took hold.
The 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak which affected the Southern United States and the lower Ohio Valley on February 5 and 6, 2008. The event began on Super Tuesday, while 24 states in the United States were holding primary elections and caucuses to select the presidential candidates for the upcoming presidential election. Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Alabama, and Tennessee were among the affected regions in which primaries were being held. Some voting locations were forced to close early due to the approaching severe weather.
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.
On February 10–11, 2009, a broad-scale damaging wind event and small tornado outbreak affected the Central and Eastern United States. During the two-day period, 14 tornadoes touched down in seven states. Oklahoma was struck by six tornadoes, the most of any state. The six tornadoes in Oklahoma also tied the record for the most tornadoes ever recorded in the state during the month of February, which would later be broken in 2023. The first day of the outbreak produced the most tornadoes; the second brought mainly high wind damage and rain or snow in most of the Northeast.
The tornado outbreak of April 9–11, 2009 was a tornado outbreak that affected large portions of the Southern United States on April 9–11, 2009. At least 5 people were killed by tornadoes including three in Mena, Arkansas and two in Murfreesboro, Tennessee just south of Nashville. A total of 85 tornadoes were confirmed over the two days. Three people were killed in Texas due to wildfires caused by strong winds stemming from the same storm system. This event is sometimes referred to as the Good Friday tornado outbreak of 2009.
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.
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.
The tornado outbreak of April 22–25, 2010 was a multi-day tornado outbreak across a large portion of the Southern United States, originally starting in the High Plains on April 22, 2010, and continuing through the Southern Plains on April 23, and the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys on April 24. The most severe activity was on April 24, particularly in Mississippi. The outbreak was responsible for ten tornado-related fatalities on April 24, all in Mississippi from a single supercell that crossed the entire state.
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.
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, 360 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 216 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 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.
Airport Road is a major east–west thoroughfare in Huntsville, Alabama that connects the Jones Valley and Hampton Cove subdivisions to Memorial Parkway and the rest of the city. On average approximately 32,000 vehicles travel the 2-mile stretch of road a day.
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.
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.
On Sunday, February 10, 2013, a large EF4 multiple-vortex wedge 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.
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.
A relatively widespread, damaging, and deadly tornado outbreak struck the central and southern United States in late April 2014. The storm complex responsible for the outbreak produced multiple long-track tornadoes – seven of which were deadly, causing 35 fatalities. One additional death occurred in Florida, due to severe flooding associated with this system.
A late-season tornado outbreak in the Southern United States affected the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, from the afternoon of November 29 into the morning of November 30, 2022. The outbreak was the result of an intense upper-level trough that materialized over the aforementioned states where increased moisture, atmospheric instability, and elevated wind shear were present, creating conditions highly conducive to supercell thunderstorms. Multiple tornadic storms developed in the risk area, producing numerous tornadoes. Several of these tornadoes were strong and destructive, prompting the issuance of multiple PDS tornado warnings. Two low-end EF3 tornadoes caused severe damage near Clarks, Louisiana and Tibbie, Alabama respectively while the Flatwood and Willow Springs communities north of Montgomery, Alabama was struck by an EF2 tornado, which caused two fatalities. Numerous weaker tornadoes also touched down, including a high-end EF1 tornado that caused considerable damage in Eutaw, Alabama. In all, 25 tornadoes were confirmed.