FAMOUS LARGE TORNADO OUTBREAKS IN
THE UNITED STATES
Ranked according to severity
1. SUPER OUTBREAK
* April 3-4, 1974
* Large part of the eastern U.S.
* 148 tornadoes in 24 hours
* 315 deaths
* 6,142 injuries
* Damage $600+ million
* 12:00 pm - 7:00 am
2. ENIGMA OUTBREAK
* February 19, 1884
* Southeast U.S.
* 60 tornadoes
* 420 deaths (but ranges from 182 to 1200 thus the enigma)
* Damage $3 million
* 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
3. PALM SUNDAY OUTBREAK
* April 10-12, 1965
* Arkansas Into Midwest/Great Lakes states
* 51 tornadoes (6 in Wisconsin)
* 260 deaths (3 in Wisconsin)
* 3148 injuries (65 in Wisconsin)
* Damage $200+ million
* 6:30 pm On April 10th - 1:00 am on April 12th
4. TRI-STATE OUTBREAK
* March 18, 1925
* Longest track on record by single tornado across SE Missouri, Srn Illinois, SW Indiana began at 1:00 pm and ended at 4:16 pm covering 219 miles
* At least 6 other tornadoes occurred in Kentucky and Tennessee
* 740 deaths (689 of these due to the Tri-State tornado)
* Well over 2000 injuries
* Damage $18+ million
* 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm
5. TUPELO - GAINESVILLE OUTBREAK
* April 5-6, 1936
* Deep South (especially Tupelo, MS and Gainesville, GA)
* 17 tornadoes
* 446 deaths
* Well over 2000 injuries
* Damage $18 million
* 8:00 pm - 9:00 am
6. ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI OUTBREAK
* May 27, 1896
* Eastern Missouri/Southern Illinois (especially St. Louis, MO)
* 18 tornadoes
* 306 deaths
* Damage $15 million
* 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm
7. ARKANSAS/TENNESSEE OUTBREAK
* March 21-22, 1952
* Arkansas and Tennessee (especially Judsonia, Arkansas)
* 28 tornadoes
* 204 deaths
* 1000+ injuries
* Damage $15 million
* 3:00 pm - 1:00 am
* First tornado watch ever issued by NWS
8. DEEP SOUTH OUTBREAK
* March 21-22, 1932
* Deep South (especially Alabama)
* 33 tornadoes
* 334 deaths (268 of these in Alabama)
* Damage $5 million
* 3:00 pm - 1:00 am
9. LOUISIANA/MISSISSIPPI OUTBREAK
* April 24-25, 1908
* Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia
* 18 tornadoes
* 310 deaths (143 of these by one tornado that moved from LA to MS)
* Damage $1 million
* 2:30 am - 1:00 am
10. EASTER SUNDAY OUTBREAK
* March 23, 1913
* Eastern Nebraska/Western Iowa (especially Omaha, NE)
* 8 tornadoes
* 181 deaths (94 of these in Omaha)
* Damage $4 million
* 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
11. APPALACHIANS OUTBREAK
* June 23, 1944
* West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland
* 4 tornadoes
* 153 deaths
* 846 injuries
* Damage $5 million
* 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
12. MISSISSIPPI DELTA OUTBREAK
* February 21, 1971
* Especially Mississippi, also Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee
* 10 tornadoes
* 121 deaths
* 1524 injuries
* Damage ?
* 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm
13. PENNSYLVANIA/OHIO OUTBREAK
* May 31, 1985
* Pennsylvania/Ohio
* 27 tornadoes
* 75 deaths
* 850 injuries
* Damage $450 million
* 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm
14. RED RIVER VALLEY OUTBREAK
* April 10, 1979
* Northern Texas/Southern Oklahoma
* 11 tornadoes
* 59 deaths
* 1916 injuries
* Damage $63 million
* 3:00 pm - 8:00 pm
15. NORTHERN ILLINOIS OUTBREAK
* April 21, 1967
* Especially Nrn Illinois, also Missouri, Iowa, Lower Michigan
* 52 tornadoes
* 58 deaths
* 1109 injuries
* Damage $100+ million
* 12:30 pm - 9:00 pm
16. CAROLINAS OUTBREAK
* March 28, 1984
* North Carolina/South Carolina
* 22 tornadoes
* 57 deaths (37% in mobile homes)
* 1248 injuries
* Damage $200 million
* 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm
17. NOVEMBER OUTBREAK
* November 10-11, 2002
* Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania south to Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia
* 92 tornadoes
* 35 deaths
* 200 injuries
* 1:00PM-2:00AM
* Highest November deaths on record
18. MAY OUTBREAK
* May 4, 2003
* Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee
* 90 tornadoes
* 37 deaths
* 2:00pm - 10:00pm
* Period from May 4-11 - 400 tornadoes, 40 deaths, record $2.2 billion in damage
* All of May 2003, total of 562 tornadoes, average is 229.
19. OKLAHOMA OUTBREAK
* May 3, 1999
* Oklahoma, Kansas
* 70 tornadoes (50 in OK), largest outbreak in OK on record.
* 55 deaths
* 2000 injuries
* Damage $2 billion
* 2:00pm - 10:00pm
20. FLORIDA OUTBREAK
* February 22-23, 1998
* central Florida
* 7 tornadoes
* 42 deaths, deadliest outbreak in FL history
* 260 injuries
* Occurred during a strong El Nino
* 9:00 pm - 3:00 am
21. PALM SUNDAY OUTBREAK
* March 27, 1994
* Alabama, Georgia
* 12 tornadoes
* 40 deaths
* 460 injuries
* Damage ?
* 10:45 am - 8:15 pm
22. NOVEMBER OUTBREAK
* November 21-23, 1992
* Southeast Texas to Mid Atlantic and Ohio Valley
* 94 tornadoes
* 26 deaths
* 641 injuries
* Damage $291 million
* Began 1:30 pm Nov. 21 , Ended 7:25 am Nov. 23
23. PLAINS OUTBREAK
* April 26, 1991
* Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska
* 54 tornadoes
* 21 deaths (13 in Andover, KS)
* 308 injuries
* Damage $277+ million
* 2:30 pm - 11:00 pm
24. UPPER MIDWEST OUTBREAK
* June 7-8, 1984
* Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin
* 42 tornadoes (9 in Wisconsin)
* 13 deaths (9 in Barneveld, WI - hit at 12:47 am June 8)
* 319 injuries (202 in Wisconsin)
* Damage $100+ million
* 2:00 pm - 2:00 am
25. JANUARY OUTBREAK (MIDWEST)
* January 24, 1967
* Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin
* 30 tornadoes (1 in Wisconsin-F3)
* 7 deaths
* 268 injuries
* Damage ?
* 11:45 am - 8:45 pm
26. EARLY JANUARY OUTBREAK (MIDWEST)
* January 7, 2008
* Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin
* 48 tornadoes (2 in southeast Wisconsin, EF3 near Wheatland in Kenosha county, one EF3 in northeastern Illinois, and two EF3 tornadoes in Missouri)
* 3 deaths
* 25 injuries (15 in Wisconsin)
* 3:00 pm - midnight
27. JANUARY OUTBREAK (MIDWEST)
* February 5-6, 2008
...ranking unknown at this time since info below is very preliminary...
* Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky
* 64 tornadoes (as of Feb 11th, 2008, subject to change) at least several EF4 and several EF3 tornadoes.
* 59 deaths
* injuries - unknown attm
* Damage ?
* evening of the 5th into early morning hours of the 6th
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