Tornadoes of 1977

Tornadoes of 1977

Birmingham, AL F5 tornado damage.
Timespan January 3 - December 25, 1977
Maximum rated tornado

F5 tornado

Tornadoes in U.S. 680[1]
Damage (U.S.) >$1 billion
Fatalities (U.S.) 28
Fatalities (worldwide) >28

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1977, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.

Synopsis

Numbers for 1977 were below average, both in terms of number of tornadoes and number of fatalities; however, there were over 700 injuries related to tornadoes.

Events

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
166 332 135 37 9 1 680

January

5 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in January.[2][3] A very rare F3 tornado struck Irvine, California during a drought.[4]

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 0 0 1 0 0 680

February

17 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in February.[5][6]

March

64 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in March.[2][7]

March 28

F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 5 6 1 0 0

A small, widespread tornado outbreak caused an F2 tornado to strike the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Another F2 struck the downtown area of Lafayette, Louisiana. An F3 struck 5 to 10 houses northwest of Camden, Mississippi. Overall, there were only 10 injures, but no fatalities.[8]

April

88 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in April.[9][10]

April 4

F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
1 9 6 4 0 1

Violent F5 tornado struck the Smithfield area in northern Birmingham, Alabama, sweeping away many homes and killing 22 people. Outbreak extended from Mississippi to North Carolina, with several strong tornadoes documented. The storm system also caused the crash of Southern Airways Flight 242, which happened on the same day, in the same area. Not only an F5 tornado occurred, but an F3 tornado struck the Lindale, Georgia area, where 12 trailers were completely swept away off their foundations killing 1 person. Many people don't know that Ted Fujita flew over the damage and toyed with rating the tornado an F6.[11]

May

22 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in May. A rarely strong F4 tornado devastated the Oklahoma Panhandle.[12] Another large tornado struck a small town in Missouri.[4][13]

May 4–5

A low-pressure system swept across the Great Plains and Great Lakes regions, producing 3 F4 tornadoes: two in Missouri and one in Atlanta, Illinois. An F3 hit Harrisonville, Missouri. Overall, there were no fatalities, but several injuries.

May 16–21

Main Artcle: May 16–21, 1977 tornado outbreak sequence

A very large tornado outbreak moved across Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. This outbreak included one of the strongest tornadoes ever in the Oklahoma Panhandle, which struck the small town of Keyes, Oklahoma. An F2 tornado touched down in Moore, Oklahoma and moved through Oklahoma City. An F3 touched down very close to the Altus, Oklahoma AFB.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20]

June

132 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in June.[21][22]

July

99 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in July.[23][24]

August

82 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in August.[25][26]

August 21

An F3 tornado killed 6 and injured 56 in Neoga, Illinois.[27]

September

65 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in September.[28][29]

October

25 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in October.[30][31]

November

24 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in November.[32][33]

December

23 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in December.[34][35]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  2. 1 2 "January, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  3. ↑ "January, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  4. 1 2 "Weather Events of 1977". Weatherwise 31. 1978.
  5. ↑ "February, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  6. ↑ "February, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  7. ↑ "March, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  8. ↑ "March 28, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  9. ↑ "April, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  10. ↑ "April, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  11. ↑ "Smithfield Tornado 4/4/1977". Srh.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  12. ↑ "May, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  13. ↑ "May, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  14. ↑ "May 16, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  15. ↑ "May 17, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  16. ↑ "May 18, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  17. ↑ "May 19, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  18. ↑ "May 20, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  19. ↑ "May 21, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  20. ↑ "1977 Oklahoma Tornadoes". Srh.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  21. ↑ "June, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  22. ↑ "June, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  23. ↑ "July, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  24. ↑ "July, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  25. ↑ "August, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  26. ↑ "August, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  27. ↑ http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/19770821.17.30
  28. ↑ "September, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  29. ↑ "September, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  30. ↑ "October, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  31. ↑ "October, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  32. ↑ "November, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  33. ↑ "November, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  34. ↑ "December, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  35. ↑ "December, 1977". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
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