Tornadoes of 2016

Tornadoes of 2016

A bar graph of the 2016 United States tornado count through April 19
Timespan January 6 – Currently active
Maximum rated tornado

EF3 tornado

  • 6 locations
    on 4 different days
Tornadoes in U.S. 255
Damage (U.S.) Unknown
Fatalities (U.S.) 10[1]
Fatalities (worldwide) 15

This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2016. 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, winds and hail.

There have been 363 tornadoes reported in the United States in 2016,[2] of which at least 256 have been confirmed. Worldwide, 15 fatalities have been reported so far: 10 in the United States and five in Uruguay. So far, 2016 has been an average year, but near record tornado numbers occurred in February.

Synopsis

Fatal tornadoes in 2016
January 17
February 23
February 23
February 24
February 24
April 27
Approximate touchdown location of killer tornadoes in 2016
Summary of tornadoes[3]
  • January 17 – Florida (2 deaths)
  • February 23 – Louisiana (2 deaths)
  • February 23 – Mississippi (1 death)
  • February 24 – Virginia (3 deaths)
  • February 24 – Virginia (1 death)
  • April 27 – Texas (1 death)
Total Fatalities: 10

Tornado activity was expected to be low during the first quarter of 2016 due to a major El Niño event that would last into early spring.[4] However, this did not come to fruition, as 2016 had the second most active first two months of the past 10 years, only behind 2008.[5] A significant outbreak impacted the southeastern and South Atlantic states on February 23 and 24; 59 confirmed tornadoes occurred, including four which were rated EF3. Seven fatalities occurred as a result of the outbreak. The generally above-average trend continued, to a much lesser degree, throughout the month of March, which saw 71 confirmed tornadoes. April, by contrast, was below average in terms of tornadic activity, with 75 confirmed tornadoes across the United States in the space of the month. On April 15, a large F3 multiple-vortex tornado struck the city of Dolores in Uruguay, demolishing over 400 buildings and causing four fatalities.

Events

United States yearly total

Confirmed tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita rating
EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5 Total
103 117 28 6 0 0 255

January

There were 20 tornadoes reported in the United States in January, of which at least 16 were confirmed.

January 16–17

EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
0 1 2 0 0 0

Several tornadoes were reported in the Tampa Bay area late in the evening of January 16 and into the early morning of January 17. The most significant tornado of the event, rated EF2, completely destroyed a mobile home and caused severe damage to a barn in the Duette area, resulting in two fatalities. Another high-end EF2 tornado damaged numerous structures in Siesta Key, including one home that had its second floor completely destroyed.[6]

January 21

EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
2 3 1 0 0 0

Six tornadoes touched down across the Deep South, five of which occurred in Mississippi. The strongest tornado of the event was a low-end EF2 near Sumrall, which caused considerable damage to a house and a garage.

February

There were 138 tornadoes reported in the United States in February, of which at least 93 have been confirmed. This makes it the most active February since 2008.[7]

February 2–3

EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
2 7 3 0 0 0

Several tornadoes were reported across western Alabama and eastern Mississippi on February 2, including a large wedge tornado that struck Collinsville, Mississippi, tearing roofs off homes in the town and causing major structural damage at a church complex. Another EF2 tornado struck the west side of Scooba, causing damage to homes and the East Mississippi Community College campus. The most significant tornado of the day was a very high-end EF2 wedge tornado that destroyed numerous mobile homes and heavily damaged frame homes near McMullen, Alabama before it struck the nearby town of Carrollton, downing many trees. The following day, a high-end EF1 tornado caused considerable damage at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Overall, the event produced 12 tornadoes and no fatalities.[8][9]

February 15–16

EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
8 11 2 1 0 0

A small but damaging two-day tornado outbreak affected Florida and the Gulf Coast region of the United States. The event began on February 15, as multiple tornadoes affected an area extending from Louisiana to the Florida Pandhandle. This included a high-end EF2 tornado that caused major damage in and around Wesson, Mississippi. Later that evening, a large EF3 tornado struck the town of Century, Florida and destroyed numerous homes and mobile homes in the area. An EF1 tornado caused considerable damage in Sylvarena, Mississippi, while an EF2 completely destroyed a volunteer fire department building in Johnsonville, Alabama. Tornado activity continued the following day, as a few weak tornadoes occurred in the Miami metropolitan area and in North Carolina as well. The outbreak resulted in a total of 22 tornadoes and no fatalities.[8]

February 23–24

EF3 damage to an apartment building in Pensacola, Florida.
EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
22 28 5 4 0 0

The second largest February tornado outbreak on record impacted the Gulf Coast and East Coast regions of the United States beginning on February 23. The first significant tornadoes of the outbreak moved across southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi that evening, leaving significant damage and three deaths. The towns of Livingston and Laplace, Louisiana sustained heavy damage from strong EF2 tornadoes, and another EF2 near Purvis, Mississippi killed one person in a mobile home.[10] An EF3 tornado also caused major structural damage in Paincourtville, Louisiana before destroying an RV park in Convent, killing two people at that location. Three simultaneous waterspouts were observed over Lake Pontchartrain during the event as well.[11] Later that night, a large supercell thunderstorm developed over the Gulf of Mexico and moved ashore, producing a destructive EF3 tornado in Pensacola, Florida. The tornado injured three people and destroyed homes, townhouses, apartments, and a GE warehouse.[12]

The outbreak continued the following day as strong tornadoes impacted the East Coast states of Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina on February 24, killing four people. An EF1 tornado struck the town of Waverly, Virginia, killing three people in a mobile home, including a two-year old child.[13] An EF3 tornado struck the town of Evergreen, Virginia, causing severe damage and killing one person at that location. An EF2 tornado caused major damage to homes near Oxford, North Carolina, and another EF2 tornado touched down near White Horse, Pennsylvania, damaging up to 50 structures in the area. Another EF3 tornado occurred later that night near the Virginia town of Tappahannock, destroying multiple homes along its path. About 35,000 people in Virginia, 4,000 in Washington, D.C., and 47,000 in the Carolinas lost power due to the storms. Seven people were killed by tornadoes during the outbreak, and a total of 59 tornadoes were confirmed.[14]

March

93 tornadoes were reported in the United States in March, of which at least 71 have been confirmed.

March 1

EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
2 0 1 0 0 0

An EF2 tornado struck the McCalla, Alabama area, causing major damage to numerous homes and injuring four people. An EF0 tornado caused minor tree damage in the northern part of Opelika, Alabama, and another EF0 near Sylacauga, Alabama caused minor damage to homes and destroyed outbuildings.[15]

March 7–8

EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
3 5 0 0 0 0

A historic flood event occurred in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, but the system also produced eight tornadoes in Texas. The first EF1 tornado touched down during the evening of March 7th, near Cool and damaged or destroyed several homes. The second EF1 tornado occurred in Stephenville the next morning and damaged several businesses and an apartment complex, causing one injury. It was embedded in a large swath of straight-line winds that damaged other areas of Stephenville. The third EF1 tornado touched down near Tolar shortly after the Stephenville tornado and heavily damaged six manufactured homes, causing two injuries.[16] Three other EF0 tornadoes touched down in The Colony, Benbrook and near Andice later in the morning.[17][18] Shortly after noon on the 8th, an EF1 tornado damaged several homes, manufactured homes, and ten power poles in Navarro and Henderson counties.[19] That evening, the eighth and final tornado of the event touched down near Fredonia and was rated an EF1.[20] Flooding occurred the night of March 7th in areas west of Fort Worth, Texas, and severe flooding occurred in Louisiana starting during the night of the 8th and spreading to other locations in the following days. Evacuations were ordered in Haughton, where 30 homes were flooded, and at least 40 buildings and the Webster Parish Courthouse were flooded in Minden. In addition, evacuations also took place in Greenwood, Hammond, Rayville and Homer in Louisiana, Petal and Seminary in Mississippi, Dermott, Arkansas, and near Lake Mexia in Texas. Record river flooding also occurred on a stretch of the Sabine River due to record releases from the Toledo Bend Reservoir, and other record or near-record crests occurred on many other rivers across the South. Rain totals of up to 24 inches were recorded in northern Lousiana, with the highest total near Monroe, Louisiana.[21]

March 15

High-end EF2 damage to a house on the outskirts of East Moline, IL.
EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
3 3 3 0 0 0

During the morning of March 15, the Storm Prediction Center introduced an enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms for west central Illinois, southeastern Iowa, and northeastern Missouri, with a 10% chance of tornadoes for the same areas.[22] The enhanced risk area was expanded westward in subsequent outlooks.[23] That night, a small tornado outbreak occurred in eastern Iowa and western Illinois.[24] A high-end EF2 tornado tracked near Rapids City, Illinois, injuring 10 people and destroying homes in a semi-rural subdivision near East Moline, while an EF0 touched down near McCausland, Iowa, causing minor tree damage. Another EF2 caused considerable damage near Trivoli, Illinois in Peoria County, and an EF0 caused damage in the city of Peoria and Peoria Heights. An EF1 occurred near Curran, Illinois, causing damage to homes west of Springfield, and another EF0 touched down north of Deer Grove, Illinois. A large tornado touched down in Good Hope, Illinois, initially causing EF0 roof damage in town before reaching EF2 strength further to the northeast, heavily damaging multiple farmsteads. Two other EF1 tornadoes touched down in Clinton County, Iowa, one of which struck a mobile home park near Low Moor, injuring three people. A total of nine tornadoes were confirmed from this event.[25][26]

March 30–April 1

EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
6 19 3 0 0 0

Early in the evening of March 30, several tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma and Arkansas, the first of which was an EF2 that caused heavy damage to homes, businesses, and industrial buildings in the northern part of Tulsa, injuring four people. A second EF2 tornado from the same parent supercell severely damaged homes near Claremore, and destroyed barns at Will Rogers Downs. The following day, numerous weak tornadoes touched down in southern Middle Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama, causing mostly minor damage. However, an EF2 tornado destroyed mobile homes and downed many trees near Hartselle and Priceville, Alabama. Tornado activity continued on the morning of April 1, as a few weak tornadoes occurred in parts of Alabama and Georgia. Overall, this outbreak produced 28 tornadoes and no fatalities.[27]

April

109 tornadoes have been reported in the United States in April, of which at least 90 have been confirmed.

April 15 (Uruguay)

On April 15, an F3 wedge tornado struck the city of Dolores, Uruguay,[28] destroying at least 400 homes and buildings.[29] Five people were reported dead and more than 250 were injured.[30][31][32] Uruguay declared a state of emergency for the city of Dolores, and the tornado was later rated F3.[29][33][34] Storms, including floods, affected the rest of the country, with five more deaths in other departments.[35]

April 26–27

EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
16 30 0 0 0 0

On the afternoon of April 26, the Storm Prediction Center issued a PDS tornado watch for most of the state of Oklahoma as well as portions of central Texas. A 10% hatched risk area for tornadoes extended from Nebraska to Texas, and multiple intense tornadoes were expected.[36] However, the wind profile that evening did not support sustained supercell thunderstorms. As a result, only scattered weak tornadoes occurred, though EF1 tornadoes caused minor to moderate damage in parts of Oklahoma City and Tulsa.[37][38] Weak tornado activity continued the following day in Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Kentucky,[39] including an EF0 and an EF1 that caused minor damage in the western part of Omaha. An early morning EF0 blew a large tree over onto a mobile home near Tomball, Texas, killing an elderly woman inside. Overall, the outbreak produced at least 46 tornadoes and one death.[40]

April 29–30

EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5
2 4 3 0 0 0

A storm system produced nine tornadoes across parts of Oklahoma and Texas on the evening of April 29. Two EF1 tornadoes destroyed mobile homes near Elgin and Ninnekah, Oklahoma, and an EF2 caused major damage to some businesses in Lindale, Texas. The parent supercell that produced the Lindale tornado went on to produce a large and long-track EF2 tornado that knocked over a cell phone tower, destroyed mobile homes, and severely damaged a frame home to the east of town. A third EF2 tornado injured three people during the early morning hours of April 30 when it completely destroyed a mobile home near Call, Texas.[41]

May

Three tornadoes have been reported in the United States in May, one of which has been confirmed.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Annual U.S. Killer Tornado Statistics". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Latest U.S. Tornado Statistics". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Annual U.S. Killer Tornado Statistics". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. February 26, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  4. ↑ Erdman, Jon. "El Nino Still Strengthening, Likely Into Spring 2016, NOAA Says". weather.com. The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Tornado count of 2016". spc.noaa.gov. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Assocication. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Two dead after tornadoes in Tampa area". nbc-2.com. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  7. ↑ http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/tornadoes/201602
  8. 1 2 "NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit". Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  9. ↑ http://www.weather.gov/media/chs/products/PNS/PNS_20160205_2208.pdf
  10. ↑ "February 23, 2016 Tornadoes". NWS Jackson. NWS in Jackson, MS. February 24, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  11. ↑ Fritz, Angela. "Tornadic waterspout trio caught on video over Lake Pontchartrain". washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  12. ↑ "NWS Damage Survey for the 2/23/16 Tornado Event". NWS Mobile. NWS in Mobile, AL. February 24, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Weather service confirms EF-1 tornado killed 3 in Waverly town". WWBT 12. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  14. ↑ "Tornado Outbreak Kills at Least 7; More Than Two Dozen Twisters Confirmed". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  15. ↑ "March 1, 2016 Severe Weather Reports". Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  16. ↑ "NWS Damage Survey for March 7th and 8th Tornadoes". Iowa Environmental Mesonet. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Fort Worth, Texas. March 8, 2016. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  17. ↑ "NWS Damage Survey for March 8th Tornado Event". Iowa Environmental Mesonet. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Fort Worth, Texas. March 9, 2016. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  18. ↑ "NWS Damage Survey for 03/08/16 Tornado Event in Williamson County". Iowa Environmental Mesonet. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Austin/San Antonio, Texas. March 9, 2016. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  19. ↑ "NWS Damage Survey for March 8th Tornado Event". Iowa Environmental Mesonet. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Fort Worth, Texas. March 10, 2016. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  20. ↑ "NWS Damage Survey for 03/08/2016 Tornado Event". Iowa Environmental Mesonet. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in San Angelo, Texas. March 10, 2016. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  21. ↑ Vagell, Quincy; Dolce, Chris; Erdman, Jon. "Over 23 Inches of Rain Triggers Record Flood Along the Sabine River, Others in the South (FORECAST)". weather.com. The Weather Channel. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  22. ↑ Rich Thompson; Aaron Gleason (March 15, 2016). "Mar 15, 2016 1300 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook". Norman, Oklahoma: Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  23. ↑ Ryan Jewell (March 15, 2016). "Mar 15, 2016 2000 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook". Norman, Oklahoma: Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Hail and tornadoes reported as storms cross the Quad Cities area". wqad.com. WQAD News 8. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Tornado Damage Surveys / March 15, 2016 Event Summary". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Quad Cities, Iowa/Illinois. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Survey Results for Fulton, Peoria and Sangamon Counties for March 15th Tornadoes". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Lincoln, Illinois. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Multiple Tornadoes Touch Down in the South; Mississippi Teen Dies in Crash on Wet Road". weather.com. The Weather Channel. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Meteorological report on Dolores" (PDF) (in Spanish). Uruguayan Institute of Meteorology. 15 April 2016.
  29. 1 2 "Tornado kills 4, injures hundreds in Uruguay". CNN. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Severe tornado causes 4 dead in Dolores" (in Spanish). El Mundo. 16 April 2016.
  31. ↑ "Powerful Tornado Strikes Uruguay, Killing 4 and Injuring Hundreds". The Weather Channel. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Five now dead after Uruguay tornado". Buenos Aires Herald. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Four dead, 200 injured and dozens of houses destroyed by the tornado in Dolores" (in Spanish). EL PAIS. 16 April 2016.
  34. ↑ "Uruguay Declares State of Emergency Over Deadly Rare Tornado". TeleSUR. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Seven dead due to storms in Uruguay" (in Spanish). El Observador. 17 April 2016.
  36. ↑ Steve Corfidi; Jaret Rogers (April 26, 2016). "Apr 26, 2016 1630 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook". Norman, Oklahoma: Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  37. ↑ http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/watch/ww0109.html
  38. ↑ "20160426's Storm Reports (1200 UTC - 1159 UTC)". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  39. ↑ "20160427's Storm Reports (1200 UTC - 1159 UTC)". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. April 27, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  40. ↑ https://apps.dat.noaa.gov/StormDamage/DamageViewer/
  41. ↑ https://apps.dat.noaa.gov/StormDamage/DamageViewer/
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