The WEATHER of 1991Tornadoes: Record Pace ContinuesWeatherwise Magazine - February-March 1992By Preston W. Leftwich, Larry F. Wilson, and Hugh G. Crowther
[Preston W. Leftwich, Larry F. Wilson, and Hugh G. Crowther are
meteorologists with the National Severe Storms Forecast Center
in Kansas City, Missouri.]
The annual tornado total topped 1,000 for the second year in a
row but only the fourth time since 1950. The nation's
preliminary count of 1,125 nearly matched 1990's record of
1,133. All but five states reported tornadoes in 1991.
Seven states set annual records. Kansas, with 11, exceeded
the previous high (98) from 1955. Colorado had 76, toppping
the 58 in 1982. New Mexico (31) and Montana (30) broke records
of 18 (1972) and 20 (1988), respectively. California, with 16,
broke its previous record of 14, set in 1982. Idaho's 11 broke
its 1986 record (10) and Oregon's 5 broke its 1984 record (4).
The national total of 333 tornadoes in May exceeded the
previous record for May (329) set in 1982. With the busy
spring, the year's total had already surpassed the 1,000 mark
by the end of July, nearly a month faster than 1990's pace.
Although more than 86 percent of the tornadoes in 1991 were
"weak" (FO or F1), there were several noteworthy outbreaks
during the year. During March 21-29, tornadoes were widespread
across the central and southestern states; 117 were recorded,
14 of them F3 or stronger. April 26 was the busiest day of the
year, with 54 tornadoes striking the southern and central
Plains. Five violent tornadoes touched down in Kansas and
Oklahoma. There were tornado-related fatalities that day, 17
of them in an F5 tornado near Wichita, Kansas. Kansas was hit
hard again on May 15-16 when 43 tornadoes touched down in that
state.
January -- The 1991 tornado season had a big start on January
14 when 11 tornadoes occurred in southern Texas. The first
tornado of the year touched down that day on a ranch just
southeast of Giddings, Texas, at 5:00 p.m. This tornado
destroyed or damaged several buildings and hung pieces of roof
tin 30 to 40 feet above the ground in nearby trees. Another
tornado struck a mobile home park in Columbus, Texas, at 6:18
p.m., fatally injuring a man and thus becoming the first killer
tornado of 1991. This same tornado destroyed the historic,
150-year-old William Harbert plantation. At about the same time
an F2 tornado moved through Smithville, Texas, killing 10 young
calves in an open field.
On January 15, 3 tornadoes struck south Florida. At 3:15
p.m. a teacher suffered minor injuries when a tornado picked
her up and threw her to the ground at an elementary school in
Miami. A second tornado formed 20 minutes later from the same
parent thunderstorm, touched down in Hialeah, and damaged
several buildings and an outdoor flea market. Another tornado
moved across the North Perry airport in Hollywood around 6:00
p.m., destroying or damaging 22 small airplanes. It then
injured one person and damaged several buildings at Broward
County Communiuty College.
Nine tornadoes occurred in Texas during the morning of
January 18. Most of them caused only minor damage, but one of
them hit an elementary school in Katy at 8:00 a.m., damaging
the roof and breaking many windows. One teacher was injured
while walking to school, but no students were hurt; school
administratiors had advised parents to delay arrival of their
children. At about 8:50 a.m. another tornado destroyed three
mobile homes and damaged at least ten others in a suburb of
Houston. Three people were injured.
On January 29 a tornado in Louisiana damaged approximately 50
businesses just north of New Orleans Internation Airport. The
next day a small tornado touched down 10 miles east of Albany,
Georgia, and tracked to 5 miles northeast of Sylvester. It
uprooted large trees, disrupted electric power, and damaged
numerous buildings.
There were 29 tornadoes in January. Texas had 20, setting
a new record for the month. Florida was second with 7, while
Georgia and Louisiana each had 1.
Febrary -- Just 11 tornadoes were reported during the month.
Two outbreaks of severe weather during the middle of the month
accounted for 9 of them.
Thunderstorms along a warm front produced severe weather from
the Tennessee Valley to the southern Appalachians between late
afternooon on the 13th and early morning on the 14th. Weak (F1)
tornadoes were reported at Delta, Missouri; north of Cisco,
Georgia; and east of Liberty, South Carolina. The Georgia
tornado killed or injured several cows.
Thunderstorms along and ahead of a cold front produced severe
weather from south-central Texas to northwestern Louisiana and
southwestern Arkansas between midday on the 18th and daybreak on
the 19th. Early afternoon thunderstorms in Louisiana spawned a
weak (F1) tornado west of Shreveport and a strong (F2) tornado
near Smiley. A little later on the 19th thunderstorms over
east-central Texas spawned a moderate (F3) tornado near
Denning, a moderate (F2) tornado northwest of San Augustine, and
a weak (F1) tornado west of San Augustine. The tornado near
Denning caused half a million dollars damage, mostly by
destroying two chicken houses. That was not all the bad news
for Texas chickens that night: strong thunderstorm winds
destroyed several more chicken houses at Patroon and another
four at Goober Hill.
On the last day of the month, afternoon thunderstorms
associated with a powerful storm system moving off the Pacific
Ocean spawned two weak (F0) tornadoes over California -- one
near El Toro and the other near Goshen.
For the month, Texas had five tornadoes, California two, and
Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, and South Carolina one each.
March -- For the second consecutive year, March was an
active tornado month. The 157 tornadoes far surpassed both the
86 in 1990 and the normal of 53. Tornadoes occurred on 16 days,
but most noteworthy were the 6 days with 15 or more tornadoes.
March also had the most killer tornadoes (6) of any month in
1991, resulting in 13 deaths.
The month entered like a lion with 27 tornadoes on the 1st-
3rd in the Southeast. Morning tornadoes on the 2nd and 3rd
caused damage and a few injuries in Georgia near Ashburn and
Blackshear. A mid-morning tornado at Georgetown, Florida, on
the 3rd caused over $1 million damage.
March saved its real roar, however, for the 21st-29th, when a
recurring barrage of severe thunderstorms pounded the central
and southeastern United States with 117 tornadoes. During the
period, strong and violent tornadoes were common; there were 14
F3s and an F4.
The late-month barrage began with an outbreak on the 21st in
Oklahona that continued on the 22nd through Iowa and Arkansas
into the Tennessee Valley. Over 400 reports of large hail,
damaging winds, and tornadoes were logged on the two days. On
the 21st Oklahoma reported 11 tornadoes, including an F3 at
Ada. The strongest of 5 tornadoes in Arkansas injured 12 people
near Valley Springs. There were 12 tornadoes in Iowa on the
22nd, most small and short-lived. One tornado, however, reached
F3 intensity and traveled 43 miles from near Huxley to Eldora,
Iowa, causing over $1 million damage near Nevada, Iowa.
The 22nd was the deadliest day of the month, with 3 killer
tornadoes in the Tennessee Valley. A late afternoon tornado
(F3) killed four people and produced $15 million damage near
Selmer, Tennessee, while a second tornado (F2) killed one person
and caused $5 million damage at Hohenwald, Tennessee. A third
tornado (F2) killed one person and injured twelve near
Lickskillet, Kentucky.
A second outbreak of tornadoes occurred on the 26th and 27th
as a deepening storm system raked the area from Oklahoma and
Kansas to Michigan. Over 500 severe local storm reports,
including 52 tornadoes, were collected during these two days.
On the 26th, Kansas was buffeted by 14 tornadoes, including an
F4 southwest of Hutchinson that inflicted $20 million damage
and caused five injuries along a 13-mile path. Also on the
26th, Lawrence, Kansas, was assaulted by hailstones larger than
baseballs, causing $18 million damage to cars and buildings.
On the 27th, a powerful storm pummeled parts of the Great
Lakes area, producing over 300 severe weather reports,
including 29 tornadoes. Michigan bore the brunt of the severe
local storms; thunderstorms raced across the state, producing
15 tornadoes and widespread wind damage. Despite 4 F3
tornadoes, no deaths were reported in Michigan. The most
damaging tornado of the outbreak was an F2 near Metz, Indiana,
on the 27th that killed 1 person, injured 24, and inflicted $26
million damage along a 26-mile path. Another F2 tornado caused
1 fatality, 5 injuries, and $5 million damage along a 35-mile
track near Dunkirk, Wisconsin. A tornado (F3) at Romeoville,
Illinois, injured 7 people and totaled $6 million damage.
On the 29th, a final outbreak produced 21 tornadoes from
Alabama to North Carolina and Virginia. Among them was the
month's deadliest single tornado, which struck near Munford,
Alabama, around daybreak, killing 5 people and injuring 13.
Other morning tornadoes struck towns near Atlanta, Georgia.
Over $8 million damage and 27 injuries resulted from strong
tornadoes (F2 and F3) that hit Douglasville and Austell.
March tornadoes occurred in 25 states. Kansas led (with 17),
as it had in March 1990 when the F5 Hesston tornado was one of
its 23. Oklahoma tied a March record by recording 16 tornadoes,
while Michigan came close to a record by reporting 15 tornadoes.
Iowa followed with 13, and California set a March record by
tallying 12 tornadoes, exceeding the previous recorded of 9 set
in 1978.
April -- The deadliest month of the year on average, April
maintained its reputation during 1991. Five killer tornadoes
-- all on the 26th -- caused 21 fatalities.
Eight tornadoes occurred in Kansas and Oklahoma on April 2.
Most were weak and caused little damage. An exception was an
F2 tornado that touched down nine miles west of Camp Houston,
Oklahoma, at 6:45 p.m. Along its five-mile path it damaged
power lines, storage bins, and stock trailers.
On the 9th tornadoes caused damage in Kentucky, New York, and
Pennsylvania. Two tornadoes touched down simultaneously at 9:30
p.m. northwest of Carlisle, Pennsylvnaia. One of them damaged
30 mobile homes, uprooted trees, and injured three people with
flying debris.
By far the most devastating tornado outbreak of the year
occurred on April 26 in Kansas and Oklahoma. A hint of things
to come was given by an F2 tornado that touched down in
Tonkawa, Oklahoma, at 5:45 a.m. This tornado damaged 17 homes
and did major damage to a garden center. Tornado activity
shifted to Kansas later in the morning as another F2 tornado
caused major damage at a nursery near Cherryvale at 9:45 a.m.
Two F2 tornadoes damaged several farm houses in Washington
County, Kanassa, during the early afternoon.
The first violent tornado of the day began 1a 24-mile track 2
miles south-southeast of Clearwatrewr, Kansas, at 4:57 p.m. This
tornado quickly reached F3 intensity and developed a multi-
vortex structure. At times, spotters observed three vortices
revolving around each other. As the tornado moved across
McConnel AFB, it destroyed two apartments, several homes, and
an elementary school. There were 16 injuries at the school.
The tornado grew to F4 intensity as it moved northeast. Four
people, including two children, were killed as they were caught
outside trying to reach shelter at a housing complex.
This violent tornado moved into the southern part of Andover,
Kansass, around 5:40 p.m., destroying 84 houses and 14
businesses. The tornado reached F5 intensity as it hit a
mobile home park. Although 13 people were killed in the mobile
home park, 200 people survived by going to the park's tornado
shelter. The most intense and deadliest tornado of the year
finally weakened north of El Dorado, Kansas, after a 69 mile
track.
Another violent tornado touched down 6 miles west of Arkansas
City, Kansas, at 5:30 p.m. It destroyed several homes along its
25-mile track to south of Hackney. A woman was killed when the
tornado hit her mobile home near Tisdale, Kansas.j Also at 5:30
p.m., a tornado touched down abvout 2 miles east of Garber,
Oklahoma. This tornado grew to F4 intensity as it moved
east-northeast. it damaged farms. downed many trees, and
destroyed a large oil rig as it traveled 66 miles on the
goround. Fortunately, only six minor injuries occurred.
Later in the evening five strong (F2-F3) tornadoes formed in
southeastern Kansas. One of them, which formed northeast of El
Dorado, trapped a news camera crew beneath an overpass on the
Kansas Turnpike. The crew filmed the tornado as it passed
nearly overhead and threw a car and a trailer truck off the
road. The film was later seen on national televison. Another
tornado killed a woman and seriously injured her husband in
their mobile home near Howard, Kansas, around 6:26 p.m.
Tornado activity continued into the evening in Oklahoma. A
woman was killed when a tornado picked up her car and tossed it
250 yards into a field. Another tornado reached F4 intensity
during its 32-mile track from near Terlton to a mile north-
northwest of Skiatook. This tornado killed a man when his car
was swept off the Cimarron Turnpike.
Yet another violent tornado struck Oklahona that evening. An
F4 struck Oologah at 8:45 p.m., causing structural damage
(totaling $12 million) to every building in the Oologah School
Complex.
Nationwide, 202 tornadoes were recorded in Apri. Kansas and
Texas led the nation with 39 tornadoes. All but 7 Kansas
tornadoes were on the 26th. Oklahoma had 23. New York's total
of 4 broke the old record of 1 set in 1985, and Pennsylvania's
11 broke a record of 5 set in 1954.
May -- May 1991 was a record month for tornadoes. The
national total of 333 tornadoes surpassed the previous record
of 329 set in 1982. Tornadoes were reported on everyday except
the 6th and the 9th. Although tornadoes were frequent in May,
they were generally weak and short-lived. Of the 333 tornadoes,
only 27 were strong and none was violent. Also, there were no
tornado-related fatalities during the month. On May 10 a
strong (F3) tornado touched down north of Pep, Texas. This
tornado contained multiple vortices and reached a maximum width
of one-half mile. Twenty-five people were injured on May 11 when
two strong tornadoes struck the north side of Rapid City, South
Dakota.
Kansas was struck by 24 tornadoes on May 15. Sixteen of them
touched down within 10 miles of Garden City between 4:58 and
5:45 p.m. The next day 19 more tornadoes touched down in
Kansas. One of these, an F3, produced $1 million damage along
practically the same path as the April 26th storm southeast of
Wichita.
Overall, Texas led the nation with 72 tornadoes in May. In
addition five states equaled or exceeded monthly records.
Kansas had 54 tornadoes, breaking its record of 47 set in 1959.
Colorado, with 38, far exceeded its previous May record of 16.
Montana had 7 tornadoes, breaking the old record of 4 set in
1986. One tornado in Oregon tied the May record last equaled
in 1984.
June -- One or more torandoes occurred every day in June.
The total of 215 greatly exceeded the 30-year mean of 166;
however, all but 7 of the tornadoes were weak (F0 or 1). June
averages 5 killer tornadoes, but there was only 1 this year, in
New York on the 12th.
On the first two days of June, 23 tornadoes touched down.
Most were in the central states, with 9 in Texas and 6 in
Nebraska. Guernsey, Wyoming, was struck by an unusual mid-
morning tornado (F1) on the 2nd that damaged five houses.
During June 5-6, 30 tornadoes occurreed along an active dry
line in eastern New Mexico and western Texas. Hobbs, New
Mexico, was hit by 3 tornadoes (all F2) on the afternoon of the
6th, which caused five injuries and damaged houses and mobile
homes. Softball-sized hail also fell near Roswell, New Mexico,
on the 6th. The costliest tornado in June moved through the
western Nebraska town of Minatare on the afternoon of the 9th.
This F3 tornado inflicted $3 million damage as it damaged or
destroyed 50 houses, but miraculously no one was killed or
injured.
The only tornado death in June occurred on the afternoon of
the 12th as a line of severe thunderstorms moved across
southeast New York. A man was killed in Briarcliff Manor when
a brief tornado touchdown (F0) tossed a tree onto his car.
Widespread wind damage was reported across Westchester County,
New York.
On the afternoon of the 16th, a rare tornado tore threough
the San Luis Valley of south-central Colorado. The tornado
damaged a sawmill near Saguache as it moved southeast for six
miles. It was the first documented tornado in the area in 66
years.
In the early morning hours of June 26th, a pair of tornadoes
(F1) dipped down from a violent squall line that pounded
Marshall County, Minnesota, and caused $2 million damage. One
of the tornadoes had a 10-mile track and toppled an 80-foot
windmill northeast of Warren, Minnesota. Winds to 94 m.p.h. were
clocked at Stephen, Minnesota.
Of historical interest, the Louis Vieux Elm of Louisville,
Kansas, was partially damaged by thunderstorm winds on June
10th. The tree is the largest American elm in the nation and was
used by pioneers on the Oregon Trail in the mid-1800s as a
reference and gathering point. The tree suffered 25 percent
damage but is expected to survive.
Tornadoes occurred in 28 states in June. Texas reported the
most (36), while Colorado had 31 and Nebraska 25. New records
for June included New Mexico (21 vs. 9 in 1965), and Montana
(15 vs. 9 in 1975).
July -- Seven tornadoes touched down in Minnesota on July 5.
An F1 tornado struck a campground near Leader, Minnesota,
around 6:35 p.m. A nine-year old boy was killed when a tree
fell on his tent. Another tornado reached F3 intensity when it
touched down 10 miles northwest of Brainerd, Minnesota. Several
boats at a marina were destroyed, several cmaper-trailers were
damaged, and a number of antique cars were damaged at a show at
Brainerd International Raceway.
On July 7 widespread convectively induced windstorms,
collectively called a "derecho," rapidly moved across the
northern Plains into the Great Lakes area. During this
outbreak of intense thunderstorms, tornadoes touched down in
Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. One F2 tornado touched down
near Highland, Michigan, around 8:00 p.m. This tornado damaged
20 homes considerably and carried a 30-foot recreational vehicle
40 feet before dropping it into a ravine.
By far the moost frequent and most damaging events in this
outbreak were extremely strong thunderstorm wind gusts. A 103-
m.p.h. gust whipped Sioux Center, Iowa Winds of 83 m.p.h. were
measured at Madison, Wisconsin, and airplanes and buildings at
the nearby Dane County Regional Airport suffered $30 mmillion
damage. Kent and Oakland counties in Michuigan recorded 85
m.p.h. winds. At one point 835,000 customers were without
electric power in Michigan, the biggest blackout ever in that
state. As the storms moved eastward during the night, winds as
high as 69 m.p.h. were recorded in Erie, Pennsylvania.
A tornado touched down at 4:42 a.m. on July 13 at Port
Manatee, Florida, and took an unusual northeast-southwest path
-- opposite the normal directon. This F12 tornado damaged
three buildings and flipped a 23-foot barge and a flatbed truck.
Nationwide there were 64 tornadoes recorded during the month
of July. Minnesota led with 11 and Florida had 7. Six
tornadoes occurred in Montana, while 5 occurred in both Colorado
and South Dakota. Utah's 3 tornadoes broke the previous monthly
record of 1 that last occurred in 1990. Single tornadoes in
both Nevada and Delaware tied previous records last equaled in
1987 and 1988, respectively.
August -- Tornado activity was below the 30-year monthly
average for the second month in a row. A total 9 of46 tornadoes
were recorded, 43 of them weak.
Hurricane Bob produced a brief flurry of weak tornadoes on
the evening of August 18. As the eye passed offshore of the
Outer Banks of North Carolina, four weak tornadoes were
confirmed near Hatteras, Buxton, Avon, and Salvo, North
Carolina, respectively. All occurred around 7:00 p.m. EST, and
all damaged property as they traveled narrow paths less than 100
yards long. Hurricane Bob spawned 2 F1 tornadoes as it moved
over the extreme eastern tip of Long Island near mid-day on
August 19. One of them touched down briefly on the National
Golf Links at Sebonak Neck, New York. Many trees were blown
down, some rotating in midair. A man at the golf course reported
that his ears popped and basement windows were blown outward.
On August 24 an F1 tornado struck the Avra Valley southwest
of Marana, Arizona. Two people were injured and three mobile
homes were destroyed.
The 10 tornadoes in North Carolina in August broke the old
state record of 4 set in 1964. Indiana was second with 4
tornadoes, and Florida, Iowa, and Michigan each reported 3.
September -- For the third consecutive month, the monthly
total fell shy of the mean. In September 24 tornadoes occurred
in 13 states. Iowa reported 5 while Florida had 4. Wyoming
tied a September record with 2 while the 1 in Idaho also tied
a record.
A tornado (F1) touched down near the Ft. Myers, Florida,
airport on the 7th, damaging 14 houses and 34 commercial
buildings. The twister had a two-mile path and injured seven
people.
All of Iowa's twisters came on the 12th as a cluster of
thunderstorms raced across the state at 60 m.p.h. The
strongest tornado (F2) of the month inflicted damage to
buildings between Oxford and Tiffin, Iowa.
A late season tornado (F1) destroyed four barns near
Goodrich, North Dakota, on the 15th. Another unusual
characteristic of the storm was its east-to-west movement.
October -- Nationwide, there were 21 tornadoes recorded in
October. Texas led the nation with 8, while Oklahona was second
with 7.
During the afternoon of October 1, a tornado caused an
estimated $250,000 damage to a construction site four miles
south of Lolita, Texas. At 5:09 p.m. on October 4, a small
tornado touched down five miles south of Hopedale, Illinois,
ripping roofs off several homes and a warehouse. On October 11
a rare tornado for the San Joaquin Valley of Californai touched
down briefly between Hanford and Corcoran.
Early on the morning of October 28, 3 tornadoes touched down
in northeastern Oklahoma. The strongest was first observed 5
miles east of Colcord at 5:10 a.m. It caused significant roof
damage to several homes and downed many trees and power lines
in Oklahoma. Then it moved northeastward across the state line
near Cherokee City, Arkansas. As the tornado passed near
Gravitte and Sulphur Springs, Arkansas, it destroyed several
mobile homes, a camper trailer, and a chicken house.
November -- There were 20 tornadoes reported in November.
Louisiana led with 6, Texas had 4, and Oregon had a record 3.
The rare Oregon tornadoes occurred on November 12. The first
touched down at 2:30 p.m. near Troutdale. Later, tornadoes
touched down near Tualatin and Silverton.
An outbreak of 14 tornadoes struck between late morning on
November 19 and daybreak on November 20. A tornado was
observed as far north as Marion, Illinois. This strong (F3)
tornado destroyed 45 homes and damaged 273 others. Tornadoes
during the late evening damaged houses and mobile homes in
northeastern Louisiana and west-central Mississippi. Shortly
before daybreak on November 20, a tornado injured 12 people and
destroyed 25 homes at Brooksville, Mississippi.
At 5:10 p.m. on November 29, a small tornado struck 5 miles
south of Butler, Missouri. Several mobile homes were
extensively damaged. Major damage also occurred to homes and
barns. At approximately 6:00 p.m. another tornado touched down
just west of Nixa, Missouri. It quickly gained F3 intensity as
it moved northeastward. The tornado killed a man when it
flipped a pick-up truck off a highway southeast of Springfield,
Missouri. The ensuing traffic pileup injured 10 more. The
tornado became an F4 as it plowed through two subdivisions on
the southeastern edge of Springfield. A second man was killed
as the tornado destroyed his house. Total damage was estimated
to be more than $15 million.
December -- Only 3 tornadoes occurred during December. A
weak tornado touched down near Topton, Mississippi, on the 2nd.
The other tornadoes occurred in rather unusual places. On
December 12, a weak tornado touched down in central Illinois.
The last tornado of the year occurred around 10:00 a.m. at
Goleta, California, as a waterspout moved ashore. Flying debris
from this tornado caused light damage and two minor injuries.
Its occurrence tied the monthly record for California (1) last
