A thunderstorm,also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm,is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere,known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are sometimes called thundershowers. Thunderstorms occur in a type of cloud known as a cumulonimbus. They are usually accompanied by strong winds and often produce heavy rain and sometimes snow,sleet,or hail,but some thunderstorms produce little precipitation or no precipitation at all. Thunderstorms may line up in a series or become a rainband,known as a squall line. Strong or severe thunderstorms include some of the most dangerous weather phenomena,including large hail,strong winds,and tornadoes. Some of the most persistent severe thunderstorms,known as supercells,rotate as do cyclones. While most thunderstorms move with the mean wind flow through the layer of the troposphere that they occupy,vertical wind shear sometimes causes a deviation in their course at a right angle to the wind shear direction.
A supercell is a thunderstorm characterized by the presence of a mesocyclone;a deep,persistently rotating updraft. Due to this,these storms are sometimes referred to as rotating thunderstorms. Of the four classifications of thunderstorms,supercells are the overall least common and have the potential to be the most severe. Supercells are often isolated from other thunderstorms,and can dominate the local weather up to 32 kilometres (20 mi) away. They tend to last 2–4 hours.
The 1990 Plainfield tornado was a devastating tornado that occurred on the afternoon of Tuesday,August 28,1990. The violent tornado killed 29 people and injured 353. It is the only F5/EF5 rated tornado ever recorded in August in the United States,and the only F5 tornado to strike the Chicago area. There are no known videos or photographs of the tornado itself;however,in 2011,a video surfaced online showing the supercell that spawned the tornado. The Plainfield tornado was part of a small outbreak that produced several tornadoes in the Northern United States and Ontario and Kansas.
The Late-May 1998 tornado outbreak and derecho was a historic tornado outbreak and derecho that began on the afternoon of May 30 and extended throughout May 31,1998,across a large portion of the northern half of the United States and southern Ontario from southeastern Montana east and southeastward to the Atlantic Ocean. The initial tornado outbreak,including the devastating Spencer tornado,hit southeast South Dakota on the evening of May 30. The Spencer tornado was the most destructive and the second-deadliest tornado in South Dakota history. A total of 13 people were killed;7 by tornadoes and 6 by the derecho. Over two million people lost electrical power,some for up to 10 days.
The tornado outbreak of January 1–2,2006, was one of the largest tornado outbreaks ever recorded in the month of January. The outbreak affected much of the Central and Southern United States and produced 20 tornadoes. The tornadoes caused considerable damage in the states of Kentucky and Georgia. There were no tornado related fatalities and only minor injuries were reported.
The 2007 Groundhog Day tornado outbreak was a localized but devastating tornado event that took place in central Florida early on February 2,2007. Early morning temperatures had risen well above average for the season;combined with increased moisture and a powerful jet stream,this created enough instability and wind shear for thunderstorms to rotate and spawn tornadoes. Due to the conditions,a long-tracked supercell formed and produced three tornadoes over one hour and seventeen minutes. The supercell resulted in a 70-mile (110-kilometer) trail of damage.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2001. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States,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,and Australia. Tornadic events are often accompanied with other forms of severe weather,including strong thunderstorms,strong winds,and hail.
A series of destructive severe thunderstorms struck southeastern Queensland,Australia,on 29 November 1992. The storms produced strong winds,flash flooding and large hailstones in the region,including the capital city of Brisbane. The storms also spawned two of the most powerful tornadoes recorded in Australia,including the only Australian tornado to be given an official 'F4' classification on the Fujita scale and the last violent tornado in Australia until 21 March 2013.
A multi-day tornado outbreak affected the central plains of the United States from May 22–27,2008. It was also one of the largest continuous tornado outbreaks on record. A total of 173 tornadoes were confirmed,with the most intense activity occurring across the Great Plains. One person was killed when a large wedge tornado struck Windsor,Colorado,and two more deaths were reported in Pratt County,Kansas. One person was also killed near Hugo,Minnesota on May 25 and nine were killed by an EF5 tornado that destroyed most of Parkersburg,Iowa and a small subdivision of New Hartford,Iowa. Another fatality,caused by lightning related to the storms,occurred in central Kansas.
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.
The March 2009 tornado outbreak sequence was a series of tornado outbreaks which affected large portions of the Central,Southern,and Eastern United States from March 23 to March 29. A total of 56 tornadoes touched down during the event,two of which were rated as EF3.
The Upper Great Lakes severe weather outbreak of August 23,1998 was a severe weather outbreak that affected parts of Wisconsin,and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The outbreak occurred on August 23,1998,and caused millions of dollars in damage to the region. One fatality is attributed to this severe weather event,when a severe thunderstorm knocked a tree onto a camper killing its sole occupant. A supercell spawned a F3 tornado that ripped across Door County causing $6.5 million in damages. It was the 8th most costly tornado in Wisconsin history injuring two people,destroying multiple structures and disrupting the regional economy and tourism. Two storms moved through the Fox Valley producing a minimal F0 tornado,but devastating amounts of hail. Damages from the hail were estimated to be around $5 million and damaged many structures and vehicles. Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration from President Bill Clinton for the disaster,but was denied.
From May 10–13,2010,a major tornado outbreak affected large areas of Oklahoma,Kansas,Missouri,and Arkansas,with the bulk of the activity in central and eastern Oklahoma. Over 60 tornadoes,some large and multiple-vortex in nature,affected large parts of Oklahoma and adjacent parts of southern Kansas and Missouri,with the most destructive tornadoes causing severe damage in southern suburbs of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and just east of Norman,Oklahoma,where the fatalities were reported from both tornado tracks. The outbreak was responsible for three fatalities,all of which occurred in Oklahoma. Damage was estimated to be over $595 million in central Oklahoma alone.
The 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado was a large and exceptionally powerful F5 tornado in which the highest wind speeds ever measured globally were recorded at 301 ± 20 miles per hour (484 ± 32 km/h) by a Doppler on Wheels (DOW) radar. Considered the strongest tornado ever recorded to have affected the metropolitan area,the tornado while near peak intensity devastated southern portions of Oklahoma City,Oklahoma,United States,along with surrounding suburbs and towns to the south and southwest of the city during the early evening of Monday,May 3,1999. Parts of Bridge Creek were rendered unrecognizable. The tornado covered 38 miles (61 km) during its 85-minute existence,destroying thousands of homes,killing 36 people,and leaving US$1 billion in damage,ranking it as the fifth-costliest on record not accounting for inflation. Its severity prompted the first-ever use of the tornado emergency statement by the National Weather Service.
The 2010 New Year's Eve tornado outbreak was a three-day-long tornado outbreak that impacted the central and lower Mississippi Valley from December 30,2010 to January 1,2011. Associated with a low pressure system and a strong cold front,37 tornadoes tracked across five states over the length of the severe event,killing nine and injuring several others. Activity was centered in the states of Missouri and later Mississippi on December 31. Seven tornadoes were rated EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale;these were the strongest during the outbreak. Non-tornadic winds were recorded to have reached as high as 80 mph (130 km/h) at eight locations on December 31,while hail as large as 2.75 in (7.0 cm) was documented north-northeast of Mansfield,Missouri. Overall,damage from the outbreak totaled US$123.3 million,most of which was related to tornadoes. This is the most prolific tornado outbreak in Missouri in the month of December.
The following is a glossary of tornado terms. It includes scientific as well as selected informal terminology.
The May 2022 Canadian derecho was a high-impact derecho event that affected the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor,Canada's most densely populated region,on May 21,2022. Described by meteorologists as a historic derecho and one of the most impactful thunderstorms in Canadian history,winds up to 190 km/h (120 mph) as well as around four tornadoes caused widespread and extensive damage along a path that extended for 1,000 kilometres (620 mi).
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2023. 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 thunderstorms,strong winds,and hail.
