Portal:Tornadoes
Note: Tornadoes are very dangerous and potentially deadly. Always take tornado warnings seriously and immediately seek shelter. |
The Tornadoes Portal
Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that are in contact with the Earth and either a cumulonimbus or a cumulus cloud. Tornadoes are often referred to as twisters, whirlwinds, or cyclones. While most tornadoes attain winds of less than 110 miles per hour (180 km/h), are about 250 feet (80 m) across, and travel a few miles (several kilometers), the wind speeds in the most intense tornadoes can reach 300 miles per hour (480 km/h), are more than two miles (3 km) in diameter, and stay on the ground for dozens of miles (more than 100 km). Various types of tornadoes include the multiple vortex tornado, landspout, and waterspout. Other tornado-like phenomena that exist in nature include the gustnado, dust devil, fire whirl, and steam devil. Most tornadoes occur in North America (in the United States and Canada), concentrated in a region nicknamed the Tornado Alley. Tornadoes also occur in South America, South Africa, Europe, Asia, and Oceania.
Selected tornado article -
On June 13, 1998, a tornado outbreak occurred across much of the United States. The day saw 45 tornadoes touchdown primarily across Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. The outbreak saw the Storm Prediction Center outline two Moderate Risk areas in parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, and in parts of Kansas and Nebraska. Additionally, two far more expansive Slight Risk areas were delineated across much of the Central and Eastern United States. By 06:00 UTC June 14, tornadoes had struck parts of six states, including downtown Sabetha, Kansas and parts of North Oklahoma City and the vicinity. (Full article...)
Selected tornado list -
This is a list of all tornadoes that were confirmed by local offices of the National Weather Service in the United States in April 2010. (Full article...)
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Related portals
2025 tornado activity
From the evening of May 16, 2024, to midday May 17, 2024, a derecho struck the Gulf Coast of the United States from Southeast Texas to Florida, causing widespread damage, particularly in the city of Houston and surrounding metropolitan area. At least seven people were killed by the storms, dubbed the Houston derecho by the National Weather Service, which brought winds up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) along with four tornadoes. (Full article...)
List of 2024 tornado articles
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Tornado anniversaries
February 23
- 2016 – The first day of a two-day tornado outbreak affected the Southeastern United States. An EF3 tornado killed 2 people and injured 75 in Paincourtville and Convent, Louisiana. An EF2 tornado killed one person near Baxterville, Mississippi. Another EF3 tornado moved through northeastern Pensacola, Florida, causing three injuries.
February 24
- 1926 – A few strong tornadoes hit Arkansas and Mississippi. An F2 tornado killed seven people near Lake Village, Arkansas and Greenville, Mississippi. Three others were killed by tornadoes near Cruger and in Teasdale, Mississippi. Nearly every building in Teasdale was destroyed.
- 2001 – A tornado outbreak affected parts of the central and Southeastern United States, resulting in seven deaths and 90 injuries. An F3 tornado killed six people and injured 43 in and near Pontotoc, Mississippi. One other fatality was from an F2 tornado near Salem, Fulton County, Arkansas. Another 30 were injured by an F3 tornado in Baldwyn, Mississippi.
February 25
- 1929 – Several strong tornadoes killed 27 people across the Southern United States. Most of the deaths were from an F4 tornado that killed 19 people and injured 42 in Duncan, Mississippi. An F2 tornado in the Dallas area killed two people and scattered oil from ruptured tanks for several miles.
- 1934 – A tornado outbreak killed 19 people across the Southeastern United States. Two F3 tornadoes on parallel tracks killed 12 people in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. An F4 tornado killed 4 people in and near Shady Grove, Alabama.
Did you know…
- ...that the 2013 Moore tornado that struck Moore and Newcastle, Oklahoma, is the most recent EF5 tornado as of February 2025?
- ...that the 2021 South Moravia tornado, an IF4 tornado with winds between 207–260 mph (333–418 km/h), was the strongest tornado to hit the Czech Republic in modern history?
- ...that five of the six people killed in the 2011 Cullman–Arab tornado were members of the same family?
- ...that Picher, Oklahoma, was hit so hard by a tornado in 2008 that it would become a ghost town in 2015?
- ...that the 2022 Andover tornado injured only three people, despite damaging more than 1,000 buildings?
General images -
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Trees that were completely debarked and denuded near Buckeye, Arkansas. (from Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021) -
Major structural damage to a house near Hartford (from 2021 Western Kentucky tornado) -
A satellite view of the extratropical cyclone that was responsible for the tornado outbreak on December 11. (from Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021) -
A multi-ton freight car that was thrown from the tracks in Barnsley (from 2021 Western Kentucky tornado) -
Radar collage of a supercell that spawned a tornado family during the outbreak (from Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021) -
Debris and destroyed homes along Alexander Street in Dawson Springs (from 2021 Western Kentucky tornado) -
Low-end EF4 damage to a business in downtown Cayce (from 2021 Western Kentucky tornado) -
Radar 3D volume scan of the supercell showing debris lofted over 30,000 feet (9.1 km) in the air as the tornado struck Mayfield (from 2021 Western Kentucky tornado) -
High-end EF3 damage to homes in the Creekwood subdivision in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Numerous fatalities occurred in this area. (from Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021) -
Derecho moving across eastern Nebraska and western Iowa (from December 2021 Midwest derecho and tornado outbreak) -
Radar collage of a supercell that spawned a tornado family during the outbreak (from 2021 Western Kentucky tornado)
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Widespread destruction in a residential area of Dawson Springs (from 2021 Western Kentucky tornado) -
A liquor store that was destroyed in the western part of Bowling Green, Kentucky. (from Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021) -
EF3 damage to businesses in downtown Dresden, Tennessee. (from Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021) -
Aerial view of EF3 damage in Mayfield the day after the tornado (from 2021 Western Kentucky tornado)
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Featured Article or List -
Although historically the U.S. state of Connecticut is not typically known to fall casualty to tornadoes, more than 100 of these powerful storms have affected the state in modern history, resulting in at least 48 deaths, 780 injuries, and more than $500 million in damage. This list of tornadoes in the state is likely incomplete, as official records date back only to 1950 for tornadoes in the United States.
As with most of the northeastern United States, the number of tornadoes peaks in the summer months, normally in July or August. Hartford County has had the most tornadoes in the state, although since 1950 Litchfield County has reported the most tornadoes. Several areas have been struck more than once, and Waterbury has been struck by no less than four tornadoes since 1955. (Full article...)
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Related WikiProjects
The scope of WikiProject Severe weather is to write articles about severe weather, namely thunderstorms and tornadoes. Their talk page is located here.
WikiProject Weather is the main hub for all articles that are weather-related. WikiProject Weather strives to improve articles in a variety of weather topics, including Tropical Cyclones, Severe Weather, General meteorology, Non-tropical Storms, Climate, Floods, Droughts and wildfires, Meteorological instruments and data, Meteorological Biographies, and Space Weather. If you would like to help, please visit the project talk page.
WikiProject Meteorology is a collaborative effort by dozens of Wikipedians to improve the quality of meteorology- and weather-related articles. If you would like to help, visit the project talk page, and see what needs doing. The project is currently being merged into WikiProject Weather.
WikiProject Tropical cyclones is a daughter project of WikiProject meteorology. The dozens of semi-active members and several full-time members focus on improving Wikipedia's coverage of tropical cyclones.
Wikipedia is a fully collaborative effort by volunteers. So if you see something you think you can improve, be bold and get to editing! We appreciate any help you can provide!
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