A multi-day period of significant tornado and severe weather activity occurred across the Southern United States,Ohio Valley,and southern High Plains in mid-June 2023. Starting on June 14,tornadoes occurred in Texas,Alabama,and Georgia,where they caused large-scale damage to trees and structures.[3] The tornado outbreak continued on June 15,where tornadoes occurred in five states,including one EF3 tornado which moved directly through the center of Perryton,Texas,causing major damage and three fatalities.[4] More tornadoes touched down on June 16 in the southern and northeastern United States,including an unusual anticyclonic tornado in Mobile and Baldwin counties in Alabama,where the tornado itself was associated with the anticyclonic bookend vortex of a powerful mesoscale convective system. More tornadoes occurred on June 17 and 18,including another EF3 tornado near Louin,Mississippi that destroyed numerous homes and other buildings,killed one person,and injured twenty-five others. This outbreak sequence was unusual in the sense that it produced strong tornadoes in the Deep South in June,despite the region's peak tornado season being March through mid-May,along with the autumn months.[5][6]
On June 12,the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued a level 3/enhanced risk of severe weather for June 14 across the Mid-South and eastern Gulf Coast states,and also highlighted the threat for significant severe weather across the risk area.[7] Mid-level atmospheric flow was beginning to become broadly confluent,while a low pressure system situated north of the Great Lakes began to weaken and move east. Higher moisture content was confined to the south of a remnant surface front,and convective instability increased in the risk area due to the eastward advection of warm elevated mixed-layer air across the Mississippi River Valley. A 5 percent tornado risk was introduced in the SPC's Day 2 outlook for June 14 across Mississippi,Alabama,and Georgia,and also included a 30 percent risk for wind and hail,which the latter included a significant threat.[8] In the morning hours of June 14,the SPC upgraded the enhanced risk to a moderate risk,and included a significant 10 percent risk for tornadoes across southeastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia,as well as a significant 45 percent risk for wind and a significant 30 percent risk for hail across the southern United States.[9] A few hours later,tornado watches were issued for Alabama and Georgia,[10][11] and a Particularly dangerous situation severe thunderstorm watch was issued for northeastern Louisiana,southeastern Arkansas,and Mississippi.[12]
On June 15,the SPC released an outlook with a moderate risk of severe weather for portions of the High Plains. This outlook included a 10 percent risk for tornadoes along the panhandles of both Texas and Oklahoma. A shortwave trough began to move into the central U.S. Concurrently,an associated 80 kt upper-level jet moved into the southern plains. At the surface,a low area also deepened across the southern High Plains,the same area a prominent cold front was headed. Ahead of the front,surface heating and increasing low-level convergence promoted significant convection.
From June 16–19,the same mid-level trough associated with previous storms continued to rotate around the Mid-Atlantic. Short-wave perturbations related to convergent air movement between a 50kt jet and the strong trough displayed signs of strong storms across the deep south,from Arkansas to Alabama. 3000 J/kg of CAPE was also present,promoting rapid intensification of storms in evening hours.[13] Extreme instability led to unexpected and explosive storm development on almost all dates of the outbreak sequence,sometimes resulting in tornadoes,hail,and wind damage well outside of areas outlined by the Storm Prediction Center. This included 12 tornadoes that occurred in a 0% risk area in Ohio on June 15,three of which were strong.[14]
A tornado struck the northwest side of Abbeville, where an office building and two homes had substantial roof damage, one of which had siding torn off and sustained damage to its porch. Numerous trees were either snapped or uprooted, concrete memorial monuments were knocked over, and multiple outbuildings were destroyed as well.[16]
This high-end EF1 tornado impacted the south edge of Eufaula, where the side of a metal building was ripped off, a church was damaged, and buildings an apartment complex had roofing material torn off. A log cabin style home was unroofed, other homes sustained less severe roof damage, and numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, one of which landed on and damaged a home. The tornado dissipated over Walter F. George Lake.[17][18]
This strong tornado first touched down on the eastern banks of Wright Patman Lake. A home had part of its roof blown off and an industrial building was heavily damaged, with its roof and multiple walls being destroyed. Hundreds of large trees were snapped or uprooted, and multiple vehicles were flipped on US 59 before the tornado dissipated near the Arkansas state line.[19]
Two homes sustained major roof damage, several large metal-framed sheds were destroyed, a barn collapsed, and a double-wide manufactured home lost its roof and some exterior walls. A few other homes and mobile homes were damaged to a lesser degree. A chain-link fence was damaged, a wooden fence was blown down, and many large trees were snapped or uprooted along the path. The tornado dissipated immediately after crossing into Baker County.[20]
A brief tornado damaged a church, a manufactured home, and the roof of a house. Several stands of trees were also damaged. This tornado occurred simultaneously with another EF1 tornado at a distance of less than 500 yards (460m).[23]
A grain silo was partially destroyed, several houses and manufactured homes were damaged, and trees were damaged as well. This tornado occurred simultaneously with another EF1 tornado at a distance of less than 500 yards (460m).[24]
A tornado snapped or uprooted numerous trees and removed small amounts of roof fascia and shingles from a few homes. The tornado was accompanied by a large swath of straight-line wind damage along its southern flank.[27]
June 15 event
List of confirmed tornadoes – Thursday, June 15, 2023[note 1]
An unusually strong and long-lived landspout tornado remained over mostly open grassland. It snapped power poles along SH 70, which was the basis for the low-end EF2 rating. Some prairie scrub brush was ripped out of the ground as well. An EF0 landspout tornado occurred simultaneously with this tornado.[29]
A strong tornado touched down in the northern part of Toledo, causing extensive damage in the Point Place neighborhood. The second floor of a medical laboratory building was mostly destroyed, an automotive business suffered major damage, and a storage barn collapsed. Windows were blown out of a strip mall and a gas station convenience store as well. Numerous power poles and large trees were snapped, some of which fell onto homes, power lines, and vehicles. The tornado lifted over the Maumee River.[30][31]
This tornado touched down in Detroit Beach and moved northeast through Woodland Beach. Numerous trees and tree limbs were downed in both communities, some of which landed on cars and homes. Minor tree limb damage occurred near the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station before the tornado moved offshore and dissipated over Lake Erie.[33]
This landspout tornado, which occurred simultaneously with the larger EF2 Perryman landspout tornado, remained over mostly open grassland as it tracked about a 1⁄2 mile (0.80km) south of the stronger tornado. No damage was reported.[36]
A waterspout developed over Maumee Bay and moved onshore as a tornado at Maumee Bay State Park, toppling several dead trees, snapping tree branches, and damaging a boardwalk.[37][38]
A brief tornado formed and moved into the southwest side of Comanche. Trees were downed and outbuilding was damaged just outside of town, while an apartment building was damaged in town.[40]
A strong tornado damaged five homes, a couple of which were totally unroofed, including one that had its attached garage and second floor exterior walls ripped off. Barns and outbuildings were completely destroyed, debris was scattered across fields, and trees were twisted and snapped. A vehicle was damaged by flying debris, and as many as 10 cattle were killed.[41][42]
A small, unanchored block foundation home and a mobile home were swept away and completely destroyed by this large and slow-moving tornado, and debris was scattered across a nearby field. A well-built home sustained considerable roof damage, a nearby detached garage had much of its roofing torn off, and several other homes had less severe roof and window damage. Multiple outbuildings were damaged or destroyed, many trees were snapped or uprooted, and power poles were snapped as well.[46][47]
A brief tornado partially removed the metal roof of an outbuilding, and metal roofing was thrown into a field. Shingles were torn off the roof of a home and a power pole was snapped.[48][49]
Storm chasers documented a photogenic cone tornado that moved over open county grasslands before crossing into Oklahoma, where it caused damage to trees.[50][51]
This large EF2 tornado heavily damaged several houses and was over a mile wide at times. One house was shifted off its foundation and had a garage wall blown out, while a car at another home was lifted and moved. Barns, outbuildings, and silos were heavily damaged or completely destroyed, and debris was scattered up to 0.25 miles (0.40km) away. A piece of slate roofing was also torn off of a building and impaled into a tree, projectiles were left embedded in the ground, and a metal flag pole was completely bent over. Many trees were snapped, uprooted, or stripped of their limbs, and power poles were also snapped along the path.[56]
A large high-end EF1 tornado formed north of North Fairfield and moved south into town, where homes had roofing material torn off or were damaged by falling trees, a large sign was ripped off a building, and power and light poles were damaged. The most intense damage occurred outside of town, where a mobile home and the second floor of a two-story house were heavily damaged, and many trees and several power poles were snapped. Multiple silos were heavily damaged, outbuildings had their roofs removed, and an old barn collapsed.[58]
This tornado struck a grain facility at the beginning of its path, damaging or knocking over large metal silos and storage tanks. A small office building, an outbuilding, and some equipment was also damaged at this location. Damage along the remainder of the path was limited to downed trees and tree limbs.[58]
The roof of a house was damaged, a barn lost part of its roof, and a chicken coop was damaged as well. An outbuilding had its walls and garage door pushed out, with insulation thrown into a field. In addition, several trees were downed, with their branches snapped.[5][61]
This tornado was embedded in a larger area of straight-line wind damage, and first snapped trees and downed tree limbs as it moved southeastward along an intermittent path through West Pensacola and Warrington. Additional tree damage occurred at the Pensacola Country Club before it crossed Pensacola Bay, passing just west of Gulf Breeze. The tornado strengthened and then moved onshore at Pensacola Beach, inflicting significant damage to homes that were built to withstand major hurricanes. This included several homes that had siding and a substantial amount of roofing torn off, and several others that had garage doors blown in and destroyed, leading to the failure of exterior walls. One home that was under construction had its entire top floor and roof removed, and a large dumpster weighing several hundred pounds was tossed up to 70 yards (64m). At least two boats were tossed, one of which was found 30 yards (27m) from its boat lift, while the second was thrown an unknown distance into the water and then floated to Deer Point, which is located about 1 mile (1.6km) away. The tornado then moved offshore into the Gulf of Mexico before dissipating.[63]
June 16 event
List of confirmed tornadoes – Friday, June 16, 2023[note 1]
A large metal building lost roof panels, a metal porch roof was torn off a house, and an outbuilding had its roof peeled back. An airplane was pushed sideways and moved at Perry–Foley Airport and a sign was also damaged at that location. Trees were snapped and uprooted as well.[73]
Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, and several utility poles and power lines were downed. The tornado may have been anticyclonic based on radar.[75]
An unusual anticyclonic tornado snapped and uprooted multiple trees. The tornado was itself associated with the anticyclonic bookend vortex of a powerful mesoscale convective system.[76]
This tornado touched down at the outskirts of Smithfield and moved directly through town, where large tree branches were downed and several homes had roof damage. The tornado continued southeastward through areas outside of town before it dissipated.[80]
The underskirt of two manufactured homes were damaged, and multiple trees and tree branches were snapped. The corner of a farm outbuilding was torn off and metal debris from the structure was thrown across a road.[82][5]
A house sustained roof damage at the beginning of the path, while power poles were snapped, tree branches were broken, and trees were uprooted farther along the path. A barn was damaged just north of Laverne, and straight-line winds south of the tornado caused damage in town.[87][5]
A strong tornado impacted areas in and around the rural community of Prairie View, where five chicken houses were completely destroyed and multiple others sustained damage. One outbuilding was flattened and another had its roofing material removed. Roofing was ripped off a house, a two-car garage was blown off its foundation, and many trees were snapped or uprooted.[92]
The roofs of small outbuildings and homes were damaged. A chicken coop was blown apart, part of which was tossed into the window of a nearby manufactured home. A carport was blown sideways, and trees were damaged.[93]
A brief tornado snapped numerous tree branches and downed a few trees. A few trees were downed onto a home and a vehicle, and an outbuilding had a portion of its roof peeled back.[6]
This tornado touched down in Ridgeland, where an old historic church collapsed after it was pushed off its foundation blocks, while a newer and more well-built church had shingle damage. A few homes also sustained shingle damage and tin was torn from a couple of businesses, some of which was thrown into power lines. A power pole was also downed and a fence was blown over.[6]
A low-end EF2 tornado impacted a chicken farm, destroying three of the five chicken coops. Nearby barns and outbuildings were damaged as well, and numerous trees were snapped or uprooted. One tree fell on and damaged a manufactured home.[97]
Several homes sustained minor to moderate roof damage, one of which also had its porch damaged. An outbuilding collapsed and many trees were downed, including numerous hardwood tree trunks that were snapped at low-end EF2 intensity in a wooded area. A fence around a basketball court was toppled as well.[6]
1 death – This large, strong tornado first touched down in an industrial area north of Bay Springs, where multiple large industrial buildings were damaged and a few loading trucks were flipped over. More intense damage occurred at a nearby lumber company, where several well-built metal buildings were completely destroyed and several others were heavily damaged. The tornado then continued to the northeast, destroying outbuildings, toppling wooden double-pole transmission line supports, and completely flattening large swaths of trees in wooded areas. The most significant damage occurred east of Louin, where nearly a dozen frame homes suffered severe structural damage or were destroyed and one person was killed. Some of the homes had their roofs and exterior walls completely removed, while a couple were left with only a few interior walls standing. Multiple mobile homes were also destroyed, a few of which were thrown considerable distances and obliterated. Major tree damage occurred, and four chicken houses were completely destroyed at a chicken farm. The tornado continued through remote forested areas to the northeast of Louin before it dissipated. In addition to the fatality, 25 people were injured.[5][6]
June 19 event
List of confirmed tornadoes – Monday, June 19, 2023[note 1]
A tornado touched down in Columbia and snapped or uprooted trees. One tree caused roof damage to a home upon falling, and many tree branches were downed as well.[6]
This tornado touched down at a condominium complex in Miramar Beach, where a condo building had a storm shutter torn off and fencing was blown over at a tennis court. Several houses and a business sustained roof damage elsewhere in town, many trees and tree branches were downed, and fences were damaged or destroyed.[98]
A farm building with reinforced hurricane straps had its entire roof ripped off and wrapped around trees. A home's attached garage had about half of its roof removed, and multiple trees were snapped or uprooted. A small outbuilding was destroyed and another outbuilding was damaged.[64]
A high-end EF2 tornado caused significant damage as it moved through Moss Point, where numerous homes were damaged and some had roofs and exterior walls torn off. The Merchants & Marine Bank and the First Missionary Baptist Church were both severely damaged and had their roofs torn off, and some apartment buildings also sustained severe damage, one of which had its roof and some second floor exterior walls removed. Moss Point High School, Moss Point Vocational Center, and multiple businesses had considerable roof and exterior damage, detached garages were completely destroyed, and RVs were overturned. Many trees were snapped or uprooted in town, signs were destroyed, and power poles were snapped as well. Six people were injured.[99][5]
A large and intense cone tornado touched down northwest of Perryton and moved southeastward toward town. The tornado first crossed Loop 143 and struck a mobile home park,completely destroying multiple mobile homes,killing one person,and igniting a fire in the remaining rubble. Several cars were rolled,and debris was scattered throughout the area. The tornado continued southeast into residential parts of Perryton,where dozens of frame homes and mobile homes were heavily damaged or destroyed and severe tree damage occurred. The tornado then reached its peak intensity and moved directly through downtown Perryton at the intersection of US 83 and SH 15,destroying multiple retail stores,downing a cell tower,and bending a 200-foot self-supported microwave tower in half. Several brick buildings partially collapsed or were severely damaged in the downtown area,including a food bank where another person was killed. Streets were littered with debris,vehicles were destroyed,and heavy machinery was knocked over at a grain facility. The Perryton City Shop and a nearby metal building were badly damaged,and a third fatality occurred at Perryton Printing Co,which was almost completely leveled and had only a few interior walls left standing. Buildings were also destroyed at a lumber and hardware business,and a church was heavily damaged. The tornado then damaged or destroyed additional homes in neighborhoods east of downtown Perryton and then moved into an industrial area at the east edge of town,destroying large industrial buildings. Along Loop 143,a guyed communications tower was toppled,two tanker trucks were tossed,and numerous metal fuel tanks were thrown,seven of which were found in a pond outside of town. The tornado then caused minor ground scouring as it exited Perryton and tracked into an open field,damaging a grain silo and some farming equipment before it rapidly weakened and dissipated. In all,the tornado damaged or destroyed nearly 200 homes and injured at least 100 people. [29][5][100]
Non-tornadic effects
Storm that was responsible for significant straight-line wind damage in Tuscaloosa County,Alabama
The storm system that caused significant damage in Pensacola also affected western Alabama. On the evening of June 16,a storm cluster affected parts of Pickens,Greene,and Tuscaloosa counties,leaving a sizable damage swath. Winds were estimated at 50–75mph (80–121km/h),with peak gusts of 90–95mph (145–153km/h). This resulted in thousands of trees being downed from the town of Gordo to the Ralph community,where hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted along a six-mile-wide path. Several homes in Ralph sustained roof damage,and several garages and outbuildings sustained heavy damage. Debris near Ralph led to the closure of all lanes,eastbound and westbound,on I-20/59. Power outages affected thousands of residents in Tuscaloosa County,which lasted for a few days,and disrupted cell service in many areas.[110][111][112]
A satellite tornado is a tornado that revolves around a larger, primary tornado and interacts with the same mesocyclone. Satellite tornadoes occur apart from the primary tornado and are not considered subvortices; the primary tornado and satellite tornadoes are considered to be separate tornadoes. The cause of satellite tornadoes is not known. Such tornadoes are more often anticyclonic than are typical tornadoes and these pairs may be referred to as tornado couplets. Satellite tornadoes commonly occur in association with very powerful, large, and destructive tornadoes, indicative also of the strength and severity of the parent supercell thunderstorm.
From May 3 to May 11, 2003, a prolonged and destructive series of tornado outbreaks affected much of the Great Plains and Eastern United States. Most of the severe activity was concentrated between May 4 and May 10, which saw more tornadoes than any other week-long span in recorded history; 335 tornadoes occurred during this period, concentrated in the Ozarks and central Mississippi River Valley. Additional tornadoes were produced by the same storm systems from May 3 to May 11, producing 363 tornadoes overall, of which 62 were significant. Six of the tornadoes were rated F4, and of these four occurred on May 4, the most prolific day of the tornado outbreak sequence; these were the outbreak's strongest tornadoes. Damage caused by the severe weather and associated flooding amounted to US$4.1 billion, making it the costliest U.S. tornado outbreak of the 2000s. A total of 50 deaths and 713 injuries were caused by the severe weather, with a majority caused by tornadoes; the deadliest tornado was an F4 that struck Madison and Henderson counties in Tennessee, killing 11. In 2023, tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis created the Outbreak Intensity Score (OIS) as a way to rank various tornado outbreaks. The tornado outbreak sequence of May 2003 received an OIS of 232, making it the fourth worst tornado outbreak in recorded history.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2018. 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.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2020. 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.
As Hurricane Isaias moved up the East Coast of the United States, a damaging outbreak of 39 tornadoes impacted areas from South Carolina to Connecticut between August 3–4, 2020. The most significant tornado of the outbreak was a large and intense EF3 tornado that obliterated a mobile home park near Windsor, North Carolina, killing two and injuring 14. This was the strongest tornado in the United States to be spawned by a tropical cyclone since 2005. In the end, the outbreak killed two and injured 26.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2021. 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.
Hurricane Ida generated a tornado outbreak as it traversed the Southeastern, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeastern United States. Thirty-five confirmed tornadoes touched down from Mississippi to Massachusetts; one person was killed in Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania, and several people were injured in Alabama, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The most active and destructive part of the outbreak occurred during the afternoon of September 1, when several strong tornadoes struck Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, including an EF3 tornado which impacted Mullica Hill, New Jersey. The same storm later dropped an EF1 tornado that prompted a tornado emergency for Burlington, New Jersey and Croydon, and Bristol, Pennsylvania, the first of its kind in the Northeast, as well as the first such alert associated with a tropical cyclone or it's remnants. This outbreak severely impacted New Jersey and the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, a region which had been significantly impacted by strong tornadoes from another outbreak that occurred just over a month prior, as well as several weak tornadoes from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred two weeks earlier. Overall, the 36 tornadoes killed one person and injured seven others.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2022. 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.
On May 12, 2022, a severe squall line followed by a derecho took place across the Midwestern United States. Two fatalities occurred from the first line of storms while three more deaths occurred from the derecho itself.
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, 27 tornadoes were confirmed.
From April 1 to 3, 2024, a significant and very large tornado outbreak, which also included a derecho, affected much of the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. The National Weather Service issued dozens of severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings across West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Oklahoma, Kansas Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri during the event. A total of 32 million people were estimated to be under watches or warnings, and over 150,000 people were estimated to be without power. and 15 people were injured. The event was given an outbreak intensity score of 28 points, ranking it as a significant tornado outbreak, and five people were killed by non-tornadic events as well.
↑ National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma (2024). Oklahoma Event Report: EFU Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
↑ National Weather Service in Portland, Oregon (2023). Oregon Event Report: EF0 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
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