Tornado

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as twisters or cyclones, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology, in a wider sense, to name any closed low pressure circulation. Tornadoes come in many shapes and sizes, but they are typically in the form of a visible condensation funnel, whose narrow end touches the earth and is often encircled by a cloud of debris and dust. Most tornadoes have wind speeds less than 110 miles per hour (1 !m"h#, are about $%0 feet ( & m# across, and travel a few miles (several !ilometers# before dissipating. The most e'treme tornadoes can attain wind speeds of more than (00 miles per hour ()*( !m"h#, stretch more than two miles ((.$ !m# across, and stay on the ground for dozens of miles (more than 100 !m#. +arious types of tornadoes include the landspout, multiple vorte' tornado, and waterspout. ,aterspouts are characterized by a spiraling funnel-shaped wind current, connecting to a large cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud. They are generally classified as nonsupercellular tornadoes that develop over bodies of water. These spiraling columns of air fre.uently develop in tropical areas close to the e.uator, and are less common at high latitudes./ther tornado-li!e phenomena that e'ist in nature include the gustnado, dust devil, fire whirls, and steam devil. Tornadoes have been observed on every continent e'cept Antarctica. 0owever, the vast ma1ority of tornadoes in the world occur in the so-called 2Tornado Alley2 region of the 3nited 4tates, although they can occur nearly anywhere in 5orth America.They also occasionally occur in south-central and eastern Asia, northern and east-central 4outh America,4outhern Africa, northwestern and southeast 6urope, western and southeastern Australia, and 5ew 7ealand.Tornadoes can be detected before or as they occur through the use of 8ulse-9oppler radar by recognizing patterns in velocity and reflectivity data, such ashoo! echoes, as well as by the efforts of storm spotters.

There are several scales for rating the strength of tornadoes. The :u1ita scale rates tornadoes by damage caused and has been replaced in some countries by the updated 6nhanced :u1ita 4cale. An :0 or 6:0 tornado, the wea!est category, damages trees, but not substantial structures. An :% or 6:% tornado, the strongest category, rips buildings off their foundations and can deform large s!yscrapers. The similar T/;;/ scaleranges from a T0 for e'tremely wea! tornadoes to T11 for the most powerful !nown tornadoes.9oppler radar data, photogrammetry, and ground swirl patterns (cycloidal mar!s# may also be analyzed to determine intensity and assign a rating.

Etymology The word tornado is an altered form of the 4panish word tronada, which means 2thunderstorm2. This in turn was ta!en from the <atin tonare, meaning 2to thunder2. =t most li!ely reached its present form through a combination of the 4panish tronada and tornar (2to turn2#> however, this may be a fol! etymology. A tornado is also commonly referred to as a 2twister2, and is also sometimes referred to by the old-fashioned collo.uial term cyclone. The term 2cyclone2 is used as a synonym for 2tornado2 in the often-aired 1?(? film, The Wizard of Oz. The term 2twister2 is also used in that film, along with being the title of the 1??& tornado-related film Twister.

Funnel cloud

This tornado has no funnel cloud; however, the rotating dust cloud indicates that strong winds are occurring at the surface, and thus it is a true tornado .

A tornado is not necessarily visible> however, the intense low pressure caused by the high wind speeds (as described by @ernoulliAs principle# and rapid rotation (due to cyclostrophic balance# usually causes water vapor in the air to become visible as a funnel cloud or condensation funnel. There is some disagreement over the definition of funnel cloud and condensation funnel. According to the Glossary of Meteorology, a funnel cloud is any rotating cloud pendant from a cumulus or cumulonimbus, and thus most tornadoes are included under this definition.Among many meteorologists, the funnel cloud term is strictly defined as a rotating cloud which is not associated with strong winds at the surface, and condensation funnel is a broad term for any rotating cloud below a cumuliform cloud. Tornadoes often begin as funnel clouds with no associated strong winds at the surface, and not all funnel clouds evolve into tornadoes. Most tornadoes produce strong winds at the surface while the visible funnel is still above the ground, so it is difficult to discern the difference between a funnel cloud and a tornado from a distance.

Characteristics
Size and shape

Most

tornadoes

ta!e

on

the

appearance of a narrow funnel, a few hundred yards (meters# across, with a small cloud of debris near the ground. Tornadoes may be obscured completely by rain or dust. These tornadoes as even might are especially e'perienced not see
A wedge tornado, nearly a mile wide.This tornado hit Binger, Oklahoma.

dangerous, meteorologists

them. Tornadoes can appear in many shapes and sizes. 4mall, relatively wea! landspouts may be visible only as a small swirl of dust on the ground. Although the condensation funnel may not e'tend all the way to the ground, if associated surface winds are greater than )0 mph (&) !m"h#, the circulation is considered a tornado. A tornado with a nearly cylindrical profile and relative low height is sometimes

referred to as a 2stovepipe2 tornado. <arge single-vorte' tornadoes can loo! li!e large wedges stuc! into the ground, and so are !nown as 2wedge tornadoes2 or 2wedges2. The 2stovepipe2 classification is also used for this type of tornado, if it otherwise fits that profile. A wedge can be so wide that it appears to be a bloc! of dar! clouds, wider than the distance from the cloud base to the ground. 6ven e'perienced storm observers may not be able to tell the difference between a low-hanging cloud and a wedge tornado from a distance. Many, but not all ma1or tornadoes are wedges. Tornadoes in the dissipating stage can resemble narrow tubes or ropes, and often curl or twist into comple' shapes. These tornadoes are said to be 2roping out2, or becoming a 2rope tornado2. ,hen they rope out, the length of their funnel increases, which forces the winds within the funnel to wea!en due to conservation of angular momentum. Multiple-vorte' tornadoes can appear as a family of swirls circling a common center, or they may be completely obscured by condensation, dust, and debris, appearing to be a single funnel. =n the 3nited 4tates, tornadoes are around %00 feet (1%0 m# across on average and travel on the ground for % miles (*.0 !m#.0owever, there is a wide range of tornado sizes. ,ea! tornadoes, or strong yet dissipating tornadoes, can be e'ceedingly narrow, sometimes only a few feet or couple meters across. /ne tornado was reported to have a damage path only feet ($ m# long. /n the other end of the spectrum, wedge tornadoes can have a damage path a mile (1.& !m# wide or more. A tornado that affected 0allam, 5ebras!a on May $$, $00), was up to $.% miles ().0 !m# wide at the ground.B(C =n terms of path length, the Tri-4tate Tornado, which affected parts

of Missouri, =llinois, and =ndiana on March 1*, 1?$%, was on the ground continuously for $1? miles ((%$ !m#. Many tornadoes which appear to have path lengths of 100 miles (1&0 !m# or longer are composed of a family of tornadoes which have formed in .uic! succession>

however, there is no substantial evidence that this occurred in the case of the Tri-4tate Tornado. =ndeed, modern reanalysis of the path suggests that the tornado may have begun 1% miles ($) !m# further west than previously thought.

Electromagnetic, lightning, and other effects

Tornadoes emit on the electromagnetic spectrum, with sferics and 6-field effects detected.There are observed correlations between tornadoes and patterns of lightning. Tornadic storms do not contain more lightning than other storms and some tornadic cells never produce lightning. More often than not, overall cloud-to-ground (DE# lightning activity decreases as a tornado reaches the surface and returns to the baseline level when the tornado lifts. =n many cases, intense tornadoes and thunderstorms e'hibit an increased and anomalous dominance of positive polarity DE discharges.6lectromagnetics and lightning have little or nothing to do directly with what drives tornadoes (tornadoes are basically a thermodynamic phenomenon#, although there are li!ely connections with the storm and environment affecting both phenomena. <uminosity has been reported in the past and is probably due to misidentification of e'ternal light sources such as lightning, city lights, and power flashes from bro!en lines, as internal sources are now uncommonly reported and are not !nown to ever have been recorded. =n addition to winds, tornadoes also e'hibit changes in atmospheric variables such astemperature, moisture, and pressure. :or e'ample, on Fune $), $00( near Manchester, 4outh 9a!ota, a probe measured a 100 mbar (h8a# ($.?% in0g# pressure decrease. The pressure dropped gradually as the vorte' approached then dropped e'tremely rapidly to *%0 mbar (h8a# ($%.10 in0g# in the core of the violent tornado before rising rapidly as the vorte' moved away, resulting in a +-shape pressure trace. Temperature tends to decrease and moisture content to increase in the immediate vicinity of a tornado.

Types
Multiple vortex

A multiple-vortex tornado outside allas, Texas on April !, "#$%.

A multiple-vortex tornado is a type of tornado in which two or more columns of spinning air rotate around a common center. Multivorte' structure can occur in almost any circulation, but is very often observed in intense tornadoes. These vortices often create small areas of heavier damage along the main tornado path. This is a distinct phenomenon from a satellite tornado, which is a wea!er tornado which forms very near a large, strong tornado contained within the same mesocyclone. The satellite tornado may appear to 2orbit2 the larger tornado (hence the name#, giving the appearance of one, large multi-vorte' tornado. 0owever, a satellite tornado is a distinct circulation, and is much smaller than the main funnel.

Waterspout

A waterspout near the &lorida 'eys in "#(#.

A waterspout is defined by the 5ational ,eather 4ervice as a tornado over water. 0owever, researchers typically distinguish 2fair weather2 waterspouts from tornadic waterspouts. :air weather waterspouts are less severe but far more common, and are similar to dust devils and landspouts. They form at the bases of cumulus congestus clouds over tropical and subtropical waters. They have relatively wea! winds, smooth laminar walls, and

typically travel very slowly. They occur most commonly in the :lorida Geys and in the northern Adriatic 4ea. =n contrast, tornadic waterspouts are stronger tornadoes over water. They form over water similarly to mesocyclonic tornadoes, or are stronger tornadoes which cross over water. 4ince they form from severe thunderstorms and can be far more intense, faster, and longer-lived than fair weather waterspouts, they are more dangerous.

Similar Circulations Gustnado

A dust devil in Ari)ona

A gustnado, or gust front tornado, is a small, vertical swirl associated with a gust front or downburst. @ecause they are not connected with a cloud base, there is some debate as to whether or not gustnadoes are tornadoes. They are formed when fast moving cold, dry outflow air from a thunderstorm is blown through a mass of stationary, warm, moist air near the outflow boundary, resulting in a 2rolling2 effect (often e'emplified through a roll cloud#. =f low level wind shear is strong enough, the rotation can be turned vertically or diagonally and ma!e contact with the ground. The result is a gustnado.They usually cause small areas of heavier rotational wind damage among areas of straight-line wind damage.

Safety
Though tornadoes can stri!e in an instant, there are precautions and preventative measures that people can ta!e to increase the chances of surviving a tornado. Authorities such as the 4torm 8rediction Denter advise having a pre-determined plan should a tornado warning be issued. ,hen a warning is issued, going to a basement or an interior first-floor room of a

sturdy building greatly increases chances of survival. =n tornado-prone areas, many buildings have storm cellars on the property. These underground refuges have saved thousands of lives. 4ome countries have meteorological agencies which distribute tornado forecasts and increase levels of alert of a possible tornado (such as tornado watches and warnings in the 3nited 4tates and Danada#. ,eather radios provide an alarm when a severe weather advisory is issued for the local area, though these are mainly available only in the 3nited 4tates. 3nless the tornado is far away and highly visible, meteorologists advise that drivers par! their vehicles far to the side of the road (so as not to bloc! emergency traffic#, and find a sturdy shelter. =f no sturdy shelter is nearby, getting low in a ditch is the ne't best option. 0ighway overpasses are one of the worst places to ta!e shelter during tornadoes, as the constricted space can be sub1ect to increased wind speed and funneling of debris underneath the overpass.

Tornadoes of !*"!
&rom +ikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Synopsis

,ap of all killer tornadoes within the -nited .tates in !*"!. Only affected counties with fatalities are highlighted along the tracks.

The year began with an unusual number of tornadoes during Fanuary $01$. The first ma1or tornado outbrea! occurred on Fanuary $$-$(, when a spring-li!e system moved across the southern Mississippi valley, producing at least two dozen confirmed tornadoes acrossAr!ansas, Gentuc!y, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama. As a whole, Fanuary was the third most active on record, behind 1??? and $00*. 9espite this, a significant contrast in activity occurred for the month of :ebruary. 9espite a slow beginning, the month of :ebruary

ended with a significant tornado outbrea! on the $*th and $?th. Another ramp-up in activity occurred in early March, with one of the largest outbrea!s ever recorded in the 3nited 4tates for that time of the year. This outbrea! produced 1&0 reported tornadoes, and affected areas across =ndiana and Gentuc!y in particular. 3sing the ad1usted preliminary tornado count (*%H of the total preliminary reports in order to remove overcount#, $01$ attained record tornado activity on March $( with (1? reports, eclipsing the previous record of (1 . A relative lull in tornado activity occurred in mid-March, but activity soon rose again by the end of the month when an 6:$ !illed one person on March $( near <ouisville, Gentuc!y. The beginning of April also started off active, with a tornado outbrea! occurring in 5orth Te'as, including the 9allas-:ort ,orth Metrople'. An 6:$ caused significant damage in the city of Arlington, where a state of disaster was declared. An 6:( also caused significant damage in :orney, Te'as> despite this, no fatalities were reported throughout the outbrea!. :rom April 1(-1&, an outbrea! producing over ?% confirmed tornadoes swept across the Midwest, Gansas and /!lahoma in particular. A tornado emergency was issued for the city of ,ichita late on April 1) as an 6:( moved across the southeastern portion of the city. A couple hours later, an 6:( in /!lahoma !illed si' people when it hit the city of ,oodward 1ust after midnight. /ne 6:) tornado was confirmed in Gansas on April 1), where it stripped trees of bar! and destroyed a farmstead. /n April (0, several tornadoes swept across /!lahoma and Gansas.

United States yearly total

3nofficial totals through May *
Confir Confirm Confirm Confirm Confirm Confirm Confirm med ed ed ed ed ed ed

Total 360*

EF0 139

EF1 92

EF2 51

EF3 20

EF4 4

EF5 0

Note: A tornado was confirmed on March 1 but have not yet been rated> (0 tornadoes were confirmed on April 1( and April 1) but have not yet been rated

January
anuary !"##

/adar image of the severe thunderstorm that spawned an 0&" tornado near ,ission Bend, Texas on 1anuary #

/n the morning of Fanuary ?, a mid-level area of low pressure moved east-northeast across the @ig @end of Te'as and triggered the development of a surface low in southeastern Te'as before noon local time. Along the eastern side of this system, warm, moist air from the Eulf of Me'ico was drawn northward and created an environment favoring supercell thunderstorms, though widespread clouds limited the e'tent of activity.A line of strong thunderstorms developed in southeastern Te'as around ?I00 a.m. D4T moved slowly eastward. /nly isolated reports of damaging winds and a few tornadoes accompanied this line and no tornado or severe thunderstorm watches were issued.:ive tornadoes touched down in association with this line of storms, one of which was an 6:1 that caused significant damage to a home near Mission @end, Te'as. 9eveloping into an upper-level system over the Ar!-<a-Te' region on Fanuary 10, the ris! for more widespread severe weather was evident> however, only isolated reports were received that day. Dontinuing eastward, additional severe weather was e'pected along coastal 5orth Darolina on Fanuary 11 before the system moved into the Atlantic /cean. 0owever, a severe storm developed in 4outh Darolina and moved into western 5orth Darolina, outside the area anticipated to support tornadoes, and soon spawned a tornado around %I$$ p.m. 64T. ;ated as a low-end 6:$, the tornado trac!ed for $.% mi ().0 !m# and damaged or destroyed dozens of structures near6llenboro. Ten people were in1ured by the storm. Dontinuing northeast, the thunderstorm spawned another, more intense 6:$ tornado around &I0) p.m. that caused e'tensive damage in the 4outh :or! community. There, several mobile homes were completely destroyed and a few homes sustained significant damage.
EF 0 EF 1 1 EF 2 2 EF 3 0 EF 4 0 EF 5 0

6ight people in the community were in1ured by the tornado. Another 6:0 tornado touched down less than $0 minutes later before the event ended.

anuary #$
As a line of intense thunderstorms moved southward throughout much of the /hio ;iver +alley and 4outheast, many tornadoes were reported. The first tornado of the day occurred near Madison, =ndiana, and was rated an 6:0 on the 6nhanced :u1ita scale> only minor damage was reported. The second tornado occurred in :loyd Dounty, =ndiana, which
EF EF EF EF EF EF 0 1 2 3 1 4 0 5 0

5 10 9

destroyed portions of homes and trees> it was later rated an 6:1. The third tornado touched down near Dlar!sville, =ndiana, and was rated an 6:0 due to the minor damage it caused. /ne of the first confirmed tornadoes on Fanuary 1 was an 6:1 near 4t. Matthews, Gentuc!y, which in1ured a truc! driver on =-$&%. The most significant tornado was an 6:$ southwest of 4cottsville, Gentuc!y that tore the roof from one home and destroyed numerous wea!er structures. Another 6:$ tornado destroyed a mobile home and badly damaged several permanent homes near 4andy 0oo!, Mississippi. A total of 1) tornado reports were called in this day.

anuary %%"%&

A home in 2enter 3oint, Ala4ama mostly destroyed 4y an 0&5 tornado

9uring the late afternoon of Fanuary $$, a particularly dangerous situation tornado watch was issued for much of Ar!ansas and parts of Tennessee and Mississippi. At roughly sunset, severe storms developed along a pronounced line in central Ar!ansas with the southern cells prompting tornado warnings. An intense cell developed near :ordyce, Ar!ansas early that evening with severe damage reported according to GAT+ coverage.

A tornado emergency was issued downstream for ;ison. An inspection conducted by the 5ational ,eather 4ervice in <ittle ;oc!, Ar!ansas reveals that the tornado was rated an 6:$. 4everal more tornadoes touched down before the storms reformed into a s.uall line near midnight. /vernight, another round of tornadoes developed in Alabama ahead of the s.uall line. 6arly that morning, more very severe tornadoes hit the western and northeast parts of @irmingham. 4evere damage was reported in those areas, as well as in Dhilton Dounty, some of the same places hit e'tremely hard by the catastrophic April $ , $011 outbrea!. At least $ people were !illed. After an inspection conducted by the 5ational ,eather 4ervice in @irmingham, Alabama, the tornado was rated an 6:(, the strongest so far that month.Across Alabama, insurers estimated damage from the tornadoes to have been at least J(0 million.

anuary %'"%$
in Te'as and <ouisiana with a strong storm system that dumped heavy rain across Te'as. /ne of these tornadoes, rated 6:1, struc! Austin, Te'as and caused significant damage to homes and businesses.<osses throughout the city amounted to J1.% million. A
22 7 0 0 0 0 EF EF EF EF EF EF 0 1 2 3 4 5

day later on Fanuary $&, four more tornadoes were confirmed and on Fanuary $ , one tornado was confirmed. Throughout the entire outbrea!, $? tornadoes were confirmed, however, all were wea!.

February
Fe(ruary %) *+ndonesia,
/n :ebruary $), a strong tornado struc! 4outh 4ulawesi province in =ndonesia, !illing five people and damaging ?* structures.

Fe(ruary %-"%!
EF EF EF EF EF EF 0 1 2 3 4 1 5 0

8 13 16 1

A shopping center in 6arris4urg, 7llinoisdestroyed 4y an 0&8 tornado

A severe weather system that started in Dentral 5ebras!a and Dentral Gansas brought straight-line winds, golfball-size hail, torrential rain, and significant tornadoes to GansasA mid-section. There was a small confirmed tornado touchdown near 5orth 8latte, 5ebras!a. <ate on :ebruary $*, an 6:$ tornado struc! the small town of 0arveyville, Gansas near Tope!a, !illing one person and in1uring 1$ others. The townAs only church was completely destroyed, several homes received moderate to severe damage, and every building in the small community received a form of damage. /ther tornado touchdowns were reported near 0utchinson, Gansas earlier in the day. As the storms moved into Missouri and Ar!ansas overnight, the threat grew stronger. At (I00 am D4T on :ebruary $?, @ranson, Missouriwas reporting severe damage to the town from an 6:$ tornado with homes destroyed and several houses sustaining severe damage as the storms roc!eted through the Missouri"Ar!ansas border corridor at more than &0 mph (?% !m"h#. Many people were in1ured there.Three other deaths occurred in southern Missouri. The storms continued to grow stronger as they progressed eastward, and they impacted =llinois, =ndiana, Gentuc!y, and /hio on :ebruary $?. A moderate ris! of severe weather was issued, with strong tornadoes possible. /ne was .uic!ly reported south of 6vansville, =ndiana. An 6:) tornado slammed into0arrisburg, =llinois early that morning. The southern and eastern parts of the city were heavily damaged with one neighborhood severely damaged, another neighborhood leveled, and part of a commercial shopping strip destroyed. 4even people were !illed by that tornado./ther severe damage, due to two tornadoes, was reported in Middle Tennessee east of5ashville that afternoon, where three people were !illed.

March
March %"&
EF EF EF EF EF EF 0 1 2 3 4 2 5 0

22 17 15 9

amage in downtown +est 9i4erty, 'entucky from an 0&5 tornado

A moderate ris! of severe weather was issued for March $ a day in advance for a large area from near Tuscaloosa, Alabama to 9ayton, /hio as an intense storm system trac!ed across the region in a very high shear environment. =ntense tornadoes are possible. /n the morning of March $, it was upgraded and a high ris! of severe weather was issued for Middle Tennessee and central Gentuc!y, later e'tended into central and southern =ndiana and southern /hio. The 4torm 8rediction Denter mentioned the potential for significant tornadoes. Multiple 894 tornado watches were issued shortly thereafter. :or only the second time in history (the first being April $ , $011#, 9r. Ereg :orbes, severe weather e'pert for The ,eather Dhannel, issued a T/;ID/5 (short for 2tornado condition inde'2, a scale to rate the ris! of tornadic activity over a given region based on atmospheric conditions# rating of 10> this time for the <ouisville, Gentuc!y region. Tornadoes began early> shortly after ?I00 am D4T, an intense tornado north of 0untsville, Alabama resulted in severe damage to houses and heavily damaged a high school. A long-lived tornadic supercell also formed 1ust north of the /hio ;iver that afternoon, resulting in e'treme damage to numerous communities in southern =ndiana, including Marysville and 0enryville.At around &I00 pm 64T, an 6:( tornado affected the ,est <iberty, Gentuc!y with e'tensive damage to its downtown area. @y *I$0 pm 64T, the ,eather Dhannel was posting that & tornadoes had been reported, and the outbrea! was not yet over. There was a final tornado-related death toll of )0 people -- $$ in Gentuc!y, 1( in =ndiana, ) in /hio and 1 in Alabama. An additional storm-related death occurred in Eeorgia.

March #'
As a wea! disturbance moved across the /hio +alley, energy associated with the system, combined with abnormally warm temperatures, led to the formation of severe thunderstorms from Michigan to the Eulf 4tates, where the 4torm 8rediction Denter had
EF EF EF EF EF EF 0 1 1 0 2 1 3 1 4 0 5 0

already issued a 4light ris!. As the day progressed, isolated thunderstorms began to form and .uic!ly strengthened into tornado-producing cells across the state of Michigan, with Tornado ,arnings being issued for <enawee, ,ashtenaw, <apeer, and Monroe Dounties. After surveying the area, the 5ational ,eather 4ervice confirmed three tornado touchdowns on March 1% across Michigan. The first was an 6:0, causing minor tree and powerline damage. The second was rated an 6:$, uprooting many trees and causing minor structural damage ( miles ().* !m# south of Dolumbiaville, Michigan, % miles (*.0 !m# northwest of <apeer, Michigan. The final was an rated an 6:( on the 6nhanced :u1ita 4cale, with winds between 1(% to 1)0 miles per hour ($1 K$(0 !m"h#. This tornado impacted the 9e'ter area, where severe structural damage was recorded.

March #-"%&
4everal tornadoes touched down on March 1* near 5orth 8latte, 5ebras!a. Two tornadoes were rated as 6:(s. /n March 1?, several more tornadoes touched down in 4outhwest Te'as, including one about $% miles southwest of 4an Antonio, Te'as which was rated an 6:1. /ther tornadoes touched down in <ouisiana and Mississippi on March $0 and March $1. There was even a small tornado in eastern 5orth Darolina on March $1. /n March $(, several tornadoes were reported across =llinois, =ndiana, Alabama, and Gentuc!y, including an 6:1 1ust south of <ouisville, Gentuc!y. /ne fatality occurred with an 6:$ in =llinois on March $(. =n all, )& tornadoes were confirmed.

April
.pril &
4evere thunderstorms developed that afternoon over parts of the southern 8lains. The most severe weather was in the 9allas-:ort ,orth Metrople' where at least 1% tornadoes were reported. 4evere damage has been reported in the 9allas area and all the way to the
22 15 7 2 0 0 EF EF EF EF EF EF 0 1 2 3 4 5

4hreveport area in Te'ar!ana region, with houses reportedly destroyed. :lights at the 9allas-

:ort ,orth =nternational Airport and at 9allas <ove :ield were grounded. 8assengers and airport employees were moved into shelters as the storm system created multiple funnel clouds. =n <ancaster, 1ust south of 9allas, the 4chneider 5ational facility was impacted and semi truc!s were thrown into cars and tossed in the air. 5o severe in1uries or deaths were immediately reported. The city of Arlington was hit with an 6:$ tornado and declared a state of disaster shortly afterward. As the storms trac!ed east, an especially destructive storm resulted in very severe damage, including reports of an elementary school heavily damaged and houses flattened with an 6:( in :orney and reports of several other houses being damaged or destroyed with an 6:$ near ;oyse Dity. An 6:0 was also confirmed in Daddo 8arish in northwest <ouisiana, where minor damage occurred.

.pril ! */ur0ey,
A destructive tornado struc! a construction site in 6lazLM 8rovince, Tur!ey, !illing at least si' people and in1uring seven others. All of the fatalities too! place at a housing comple' within the construction site in Maden. 4everal homes were reportedly destroyed nearby along the tornadoAs 11 !m (&.* mi# path.

.pril #&"#1
An impressive low pressure area began trac!ing into the Dentral 8lains on April 1(, and a high-end slight ris! of severe weather was issued with isolated strong tornadoes possible. Dentral /!lahoma was hit by large hail and several tornadoes. /ne tornado caused damage in 5orman, /!lahoma, where there were severall reports of in1uries. /ther tornadoes were reported in rural areas.
EF EF EF EF EF EF 0 1 2 3 5 4 1 5 0

33 20 3

0&8 amage on April "8th

:or only the second time in history (previously for April , $00&#, a day two high ris! of severe weather was issued by the 4torm 8rediction Denter. =n the discussion, the 48D stated that a ma1or tornado outbrea! was li!ely across central Gansas and north-central /!lahoma during the afternoon and overnight hours of April 1). =t was later e'panded to include a second high ris! area across much of 5ebras!a, where a rare )%H tornado probability was given during the morning update of April 1). 9uring the morning hours, the high ris! area was e'panded again to combine the two separate areas into a single large one. 4everal 894 Tornado ,arnings were issued. Many tornadoes have been reported, but most of them were in rural areas with little damage despite being considered 2large and e'tremely dangerous2. A possible tornado struc! and damaged the Ereater ;egional Medical Denter in Dreston, =owa. The hospital was triaging and moving patients. A temporary hospital was set up at 4outhwest Dommunity Dollege. At least four apparent tornadoes were reported near 9odge Dity, in southwestern Gansas. Two were reported in ;ush Dounty. /ther tornadoes began touching down in /!lahoma as well. <ate in the evening, a long trac!ed supercell trac!ed across a long swath of southcentral Gansas and into ,ichita around 10I1% pm D9T (0(1% 3TD# causing damage across the southern part of the city and McDonnell Air :orce @ase. The eastern side of ,ichita was badly damaged by an 6:( tornado. 4upercells were also responsible for several tornadoes 1ust west and north of Ereensburg, Gansas and 0esston, Gansas, towns that had been previously hit by (6#:% tornadoes in $00 and 1??0, respectively. A tornado touched down near <yons, G4 and produced 6:) damage in 6llsworth Dounty, $% miles southwest of 4alina. Fust after midnight, a tornado entered the southwest side of ,oodward, /G, !illing si', including four in a mobile home par!.

.pril &2"May #
At least five tornadoes touched down during the afternoon and evening hours of April (0 across portions of /!lahoma and Gansas, where a 4light ris! of 4evere ,eather was issued by the 4torm 8rediction Denter several hours earlier.
EF EF EF EF EF EF 0 1 2 1 3 0 4 0 5 0

10 6

A slight ris! of 4evere ,eather was issued across two areas on May 1, with the first encompassing portions of 5ebras!a, =owa, 4outh 9a!ota, Minnesota, and ,isconsin, and the second covering portions of Gentuc!y, =ndiana, /hio, and ,est +irginia. Across Minnesota, a brief tornado touchdown was recorded, while numerous tornado touchdowns, funnel clouds, and wall clouds were reported across =ndiana and =llinois.

May
May 1 * apan,
/n May &, an :$ tornado trac!ed through the town of Tsu!uba, =bara!i roughly )0 mi (&) !m# away from To!yo, Fapan, !illing one and in1uring forty-five others. The tornado destroyed )0-%0 houses and left roughly twenty thousand people without electricity. A second tornado, rated :1, struc! Mo!a, Tochigi and in1ured one person.