Tornado Case Studies
Tornado Case Studies
Key Terms
• thunderstorms • Fujita scale
• anvil clouds • wind shear
• supercell thunderstorm • updraft
• microburst • Tornado Alley
• dry thunderstorm • Doppler Radar
• lightning • mesocyclone
• separation of charges • funnel cloud
• tornadoes
3. Why would an anvil cloud form when the cloud grows to reach the tropopause?
6. What is a supercell?
7. What is a microburst?
9. What is a tornado?
13. How do air masses and air movements favor tornado-spawning severe
thunderstorms in Tornado Alley?
3
Chapter 14 Study Guide
Case Studies
With 695 confirmed fatalities, the 18 March 1925 tri-state tornado has been the deadliest
single tornado in U.S. history. Possibly being an F5 tornado, it traveled through
southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois before moving into southwestern Indiana. Its
continuous path of over 219 mi (352 km) has been the longest ever recorded in the world.
And with a width of 1 mi (1,600 m), it has been one of the widest. The tornado was also
accompanied by extreme downburst winds throughout its journey, widening the path of
destruction sometimes to 3 mi (4.8 km). Due to its huge size, people observed an unusual
rolling, boiling cloud on the ground but often did not recognize it for what it was. Failing
to sense the danger, normally weather-wise farmers were fooled, and the tornado was
upon them before they reached a save shelter.
The tornado was first sighted at about 1 p.m. northwest of Ellington, MO. It moved
northeastward to kill at least 11 people in the state. At 2:30 p.m. the tornado crossed the
Mississippi River into Illinois, destroying the town of Gorham leaving 34 people dead. It
continued on at a speed of 100 km/h (62 mph). Within 40 minutes 7 the tornado passed
through 7 more towns, taking 541 lives and injuring 1,423 more. With 234, the town of
Murphysboro has held the record for highest number of tornado fatalities in a city in U.S.
history. The tornado left at least 613 people dead in Illinois, the most in a single state in
U.S. history. Crossing the Wabash River into Indiana, the tornado nearly completely
destroyed Griffin, before continuing on to devastate half the town of Princeton. The
tornado finally dissipated at about 4:30 p.m. after 71 people lost their lives in that state.
Reports repeatedly pointed out that schools were severely damaged or destroyed. Nine
schools were destroyed in which 69 students died. Another U.S. record for this disastrous
tornado. Perhaps, these sturdy, public buildings were deemed safe, but they were no
match for the awesome destructive power of the tornado. The tornado also caused fires to
break out which were difficult to fight with broken water infrastructure, somewhat
reminiscent of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Thousands were left without shelter or
food. Looting and theft was also reported, something that occurs after many disasters and
perhaps explains why the National Guard nowadays closes off disaster areas so
rigorously. The region recovered from this disaster only slowly, also something that still
holds true for some of the recent disasters.
The tri-state tornado was actually part of a large outbreak with several other destructive
tornadoes on that day in Indiana but also in Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and Kansas.
At least 747 lives were lost on that day.
4
Chapter 14 Study Guide
Figure 14.C1 Tornado tracks of the 3 – 4 April 1974 Super Outbreak of 148 confirmed
tornadoes, with 30 of them being an F4 or F5. (source: Wikipedia/NWS)
With 24 F4 and 6 F5 tornadoes, the 3 – 4 April 1974 outbreak has been the most violent
tornado outbreak ever recorded. Until 28 April 2011, it also was the largest outbreak for a
24-hour period. 148 confirmed tornadoes spread over 13 U.S. states from Alabama to
Michigan and even New York state, and Ontario, Canada. (Fig. 14.C1). With a death toll
of 319, this outbreak was the deadliest since the 1936 Tupelo-Gainesville tornado
outbreak, and not surpassed until the 25 – 28 April 2011 outbreak. It was also one of the
most costly, with an estimated $3.5 billion (2005 dollars) in damages.
Somewhat reminiscent of the weather situation leading into the 25 – 28 April 2011
outbreak (Fig. 14.36), on 1 April 1974, a powerful low-pressure system developed across
the North American Interior Plains. While moving into the Mississippi and Ohio Valley
areas, a strong flow of very moist mT air from the Gulf of Mexico moved in to intensify
the storm. Cool, dry cP air pushed a cold front on the western side. The jet stream had
developed an southward excursion, with the returning leg now blowing oblique along the
cold front and across the Low. By 3 April, the central low pressure was 988 mbar. NOAA
officials predicted a severe weather outbreak on 3 April but underestimated the degree of
severity.
5
Chapter 14 Study Guide
On 3 April, severe weather watches were issued for the Great Lakes area. Snow was
falling in parts of the Midwest and heavy rain in Michigan and Ontario. By the afternoon
severe thunderstorms formed in Missouri that produced baseball-size hail. Numerous
supercells and clusters of thunderstorms developed in two zones, one across Illinois and
the other across Tennessee, Alabama and northern Georgia. The worst of the outbreaks
shifted toward the Ohio Valley between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m., producing 4 F5 tornadoes.
During the evening hours, outbreaks strengthened farther south across Alabama,
Tennessee and eastern Kentucky. Additional supercells developed across northern
Indiana and southern Michigan. Activity in the south moved toward the Appalachian
during the night before the final tornado occurred in the morning of 4 April, after 18
hours of continuous tornado activity. Later studies found that long-lived single supercells
spawned multiple tornadoes in succession.
Apart from the 30 F4 and F5 tornado, the Super Outbreak also counted 35 F3 tornadoes,
31 F2, 37 F1 and 15 F0. An F5 striking Xenia, OH was the most deadly single tornado,
killing 34 and destroying 1/4 of the city and damaging another 1/4. A TV weather
specialist in Dayton, OH alerted viewers in Montgomery and Greene County (where
Xenia is located) about a possible tornado, showing the characteristic hook echo in the
radar image, several minutes before the tornado struck. An amateur recording of the
tornado that is now on YouTube shows that it was actually composed of several vortices
within the larger circulation. Some point out that the Super Outbreak occurred after a
strong La Niña but a clear correlation between La Niñas and Super Outbreaks has yet to
be established scientifically.
Figure 14.C2 Tornado damage in Tuscaloosa, AL from the 27 April 2011 EF4 tornado during
the 2011 Super Outbreak. (source: wikipedia)
6
Chapter 14 Study Guide
With 552 confirmed fatalities, the year 2011 has gone into U.S. tornado history as the
second-deadliest season, second only to the year of the 1925 Tri-State Tornado. Nearly
ten times as many people died from tornadoes in 2011 as during the previous 11 years
combined. 2011 has been the worst tornado season since 1953 when two of several F5
tornadoes that year killed about 115 people each. The worst tornado episodes in 2011
were the 25 – 28 April Super Outbreak that killed 322 people across the Southeastern
U.S. (Figs. 14.29, 14.36, 14.C2 and 14.C3) and the 22 May Joplin, MO tornado that left
160 dead (Figs. 14.28, 14.C4 and 14.C5).
The first fatal tornado of that year was an EF2 in Franklin Country, TN on 28 February
that was part of an outbreak of 35 tornadoes across the Midwest and South. An EF3
destroyed homes in Eminence, KY. Concentrated tornado activity also occurred in parts
of Missouri and Illinois.
During the 4 – 5 April derecho and tornado outbreak, 46 tornadoes (8 EF0, 32 EF1 and 6
EF2) touched down in across the southern U.S. from Kentucky to Georgia. Derechos
gusting at 145 km/h (90 mph) developed along an extremely long squall line across 20
states, killing at least 9 people and causing numerous power outages. Nearly 100,000 and
147,000 customers lost power in Tennesee and Georgia. April then saw two more major
tornado outbreaks: on 14 – 16 April, 148 tornadoes wreaked havoc in the southern Great
Plains and the South from Oklahoma into the Carolinas and north into Maryland and
Pennsylvania. This outbreak left 24 people dead in North Carolina, becoming the worst
outbreak there in 25 years. And on 19 – 24 April, another series of 89 tornadoes,
including one EF3 and one EF4 struck the Midwest and the southern Great Plains.
Significant damage was reported in Missouri, Illinois and Oklahoma before the supercells
merged into a large squall line. On 22 April, a violent EF4 struck St. Louis, MO causing
extensive damage, including to numerous facilities at Lambert–St. Louis International
Airport. Windows were blown out of the terminal buildings and airplanes were flipped in
the field.
Then came the 25 – 28 April Super Outbreak across the southern U.S. and well as the
Midwest and Northeast. The outbreak counted 300 confirmed tornadoes that cost 322
lives (but the numbers may not yet be final). This outbreak ranks as one of the worst in
U.S. history. The event produced 15 EF 4 and EF5 tornadoes, third only to the 1974
Super Outbreak and the 1965 Palm Sunday Outbreak. The weather situation setting the
stage is discussed in Fig. 14.36 and related text. The situation was quite similar to the one
setting the stage for the 1974 Super Outbreak. The SPC had a moderate risk of severe
weather for 3 consecutive days, centered over Arkansas and Tennessee. On 25 April,
several tornadoes occurred in Texas and Oklahoma. In the afternoon, the SPC issued
particularly dangerous situation (PDS) tornado watch for Arkansas and parts of Missouri,
Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana. Tornadoes were scattered but an intense tornadic cell
tracked near Little Rock, AR and an EF2 caused extensive damage in Vilonia, killing at
least 4 people. Two days later, a large tornado struck Tuscaloosa, AL, killing at least 52
7
Chapter 14 Study Guide
people (Fig. 14.C2 and 14.C3). Damage was “catastrophic”. That tornado hit
Birmingham shortly thereafter (Fig. 14.29). The funnel was so wide that TV crews were
unable to zoom out to catch the entire tornado from miles away. The long-lived supercell
of the Tuscaloosa and Birmingham tornadoes was responsible for a long string of
tornadoes from Mississippi to North Carolina. Apparently, pink debris balls could be
identified by severe weather experts on the radar images of 27 April, so much debris was
sucked in by the tornadoes. In Alabama was hardest hit, with 204 fatalities. Tuscaloosa,
hospitals were so full that people with broken bones were sent away.
Figure 14.C3 The southwest-to-northeast tracks of the tornadoes striking the Tuscaloosa and
Birmingham area, AL on 27 – 28 April 2011 during the 2011 Super Outbreak. (source: NOAA
(19)
)
The month of May saw 327 more confirmed tornadoes in the U.S.. The worst outbreak
occurred 21 – 26 May in the Midwest and Oklahoma. On 21 May, two systems of
thunderstorm developed over Kansas when the first EF3 tornado touched down in
Reading, KS, killing one. A moderate risk was issued for 22 May for much of the
Midwest south to Oklahoma. The first tornadic supercell developed that afternoon over
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, causing damage especially around Minneapolis. An intense
tornado also tracked toward Harmony, MN and a tornado emergency was issued. At
about 5 p.m., a very large, multi-vortex tornado formed (Fig. 14.C4) and devastated
Joplin, MN. Homes, businesses, public buildings, including the Irving Elementary
School, and even entire communities were flattened. Some buildings were simply blown
away, and the hospital was heavily damaged (Fig. 14.28, 14.C5). The EF5 22 May
Joplin Tornado left 160 dead and more than 1,000 injured.
Later on 24 May, supercells began forming over Kansas and Oklahoma, and the NWS
predicted a dangerous tornado outbreak. An EF5 caused destruction in rural Oklahoma
from Binger to Guthrie and killed 9. Three EF4 also develop from these storms. An EF3
and several other tornadoes struck late on 25 May in Indiana. The setup for the
Harrisburg ArtsFest was destroyed.
8
Chapter 14 Study Guide
Figure 14.C4 Storm over Joplin, MO minutes before the EF5 tornado formed. (source:
Wikipedia/NOAA)
On the late morning of 1 June, several severe thunderstorms began developing along the
tail end of a cold front in the Northeast. By early afternoon a tornado watch was issued
for New England and adjacent states. A for the region rare tornado outbreak began in the
late afternoon, with several tornadoes confirmed in Maine and Massachusetts. An EF3
tornado struck Springfield, MA and continued its destructive path for another 39 mi (63
km). Major damage occurred in the area, roof collapsed in downtown businesses and
damages brick buildings. Some homes were destroyed. Trees were stripped of the leave
or uprooted and looked like those in Tuscaloosa and Joplin. The Springfield tornado
cost 4 lives and was the first killer tornado in Massachusetts since 1995.
9
Chapter 14 Study Guide
Figure 14.C5 Before an after aerial views of Joplin, MO. The area was hit 22 May 2011 by an
EF5 tornado. (source: New York Times (18))
10
Chapter 14 Study Guide
derecho event impacted the Chicago Metropolitan Area, with damage reported in
Wheeling, IL.
Figure 14.C6 A tornado west of Osceola, Polk County, NE on Highway 92. (source:
Wikipedia/NOAA)
11