List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks

Tornadoes in the United States 1950-2019

These are some notable tornadoes, tornado outbreaks, and tornado outbreak sequences that have occurred in North America.

1. The listing is U.S.-centric, with greater and more consistent information available for U.S. tornadoes. Some North American outbreaks affecting the U.S. may only include tornado information from the U.S.
2. Exact death and injury counts are not possible, especially for large events and events before 1950.
3. Prior to 1950 in the United States, only significant tornadoes (rated F2 or higher or causing a fatality) are listed for the number of tornadoes in outbreaks. These ratings are estimates from tornado expert Tom Grazulis and are not official.
4. Due to increasing detection, particularly in the U.S., numbers of counted tornadoes have increased markedly in recent decades although number of actual tornadoes and counted significant tornadoes has not. In older events, the number of tornadoes officially counted is likely underestimated.
5. Historical context: Much of the tornado activity in the American Midwestern area is relatively unknown and significantly under-reported prior to the middle of the 1800s as few people lived there to record the yearly activity. The American government did not acquire the Midwestern states area until the 1803 Louisiana Purchase from the French government. The Louisiana Purchase area included major tornado activity areas of north Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, and lower Minnesota. Large groups of settlers and pioneers only began populating the region after 1820. As these areas began being more populated, existing tornado activity there became more known and reported through newspaper and telegraph.

Where applicable, a count of the number of significant (F2/EF2 and stronger), violent (F4/EF4 and stronger), and killer tornadoes is included for outbreaks.

United States

1643–1859

1860s

1870s

1880s

1890s

1900s

1910s

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Canada

Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, and other areas

See also

• Tornadoes portal

• Lists of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• List of Canadian tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of 21st-century Canadian tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• List of Connecticut tornadoes
• List of tornadoes in Washington, D.C.
• List of Rhode Island tornadoes
• Tornado records
• Tornadoes in Bermuda
• Tornadoes in the United States
• List of tornadoes striking downtown areas
• List of tornadoes in Cleveland County, Oklahoma

Notes

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8. "Tornado Photo: 1884 South Dakota". Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
9. "A Deadly Tornado Left A Wake Of Destruction Across Philadelphia And Camden On August 4, 1885 | Weather Concierge". August 3, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
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52. "April 14-15, 1956 Storm Summary". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
53. "May 12–14, 1956 Storm Summary". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
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75. "Palm Sunday 1965 Tornado Outbreak". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
76. "April 10-12, 1965 Tornadoes". Tornado History Project. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
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99. "April 17-19, 1970 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
100. "May 11, 1970 Tornadoes (Exclude Oregon)". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
101. "February 21-22, 1971 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
102. "December 14-15, 1971 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
103. "April 5, 1972 Tornadoes". Tornado History Project. Storm Prediction Center. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
104. "April 5, 1972 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
105. "June 18-19, 1972 Tornadoes (Exclude Nebraska, South Dakota, Illinois, and Oklahoma)". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
106. "September 28-30, 1972 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
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110. "May 6-8, 1973 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
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112. "May 22-31, 1973 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
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114. "April 1-2, 1974 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
115. "April 3-4, 1974 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
116. "June 8, 1974 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
117. "January 9-12, 1975 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
118. "May 16-17, 1975 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
119. "July 23, 1975 (Exclude New Mexico)". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
120. "March 20-21, 1976 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
121. "March 26, 1976 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
122. "April 4-5, 1977 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
123. "May 4, 1978 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
124. "April 10-12, 1979 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
125. "October 2-3, 1979 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
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128. "Canadian National Tornado Database: Verified Events (1980-2009) - Public". Open Canada. Environment Canada. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
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130. "Los Angeles Herald, Number 224, 12 May 1899". Retrieved May 7, 2017.
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132. "Authorities assess tornado damage in Cuba - Prensa Latina". April 16, 2022.

References

• Grazulis, Thomas P. (1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991, A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN 1-879362-03-1
• --- (1997). Significant Tornadoes Update, 1992–1995. ISBN 1-879362-04-X
• --- (2001). The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-3258-2
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climatic Data Center / Storm Prediction Center. Storm Data.
• National Weather Service (April–June 1954). Storm Data Publication (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information – via Storm Events Database.
• National Weather Service (April 1957). Storm Data Publication (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved November 18, 2021 – via Storm Events Database.
• National Weather Service (October 1964). Storm Data Publication (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information – via Storm Events Database.
• National Weather Service (February 1965). Storm Data Publication (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information – via Storm Events Database.
• National Weather Service (April 1966). Storm Data Publication (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information – via Storm Events Database.

External links

• North America listing by The Tornado Project
• Central America and Caribbean listing by The Tornado Project
• Deadly Skies: Canada's Most Destructive Tornadoes (CBC)
• All US Tornadoes From 1950–present
• US Tornado Paths by Day and Zip code