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Weather Encyclopedia

Significant Tornado Events: 1981-1999

The Carolina Outbreak - March 28, 1984

The afternoon and evening of March 28 saw 22 tornadoes touch down over South and North Carolina. There were 57 people killed and 1,248 injured. A third of the deaths occurred in mobile homes. The damage reached $200 million.

The Pennsylvania-Ohio Outbreak - May 31, 1985

This region's worst recorded tornado event with 41 tornadoes in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario, Canada. At least 76 died in the United States, and an additional 12 perished in Canada. The damage reached over $450 million.

The Andover Outbreak - April 26, 1991

At least 55 tornadoes struck from Texas northward to Iowa. The worst tornadoes occurred in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma, the most notable being the one that struck Andover, Kansas, killing 17 people, 13 in a mobile home trailer park. There were 308 injuries and over $280 million damage.

The Widespread Outbreak - November 21-23, 1992

A late season outbreak covered a widespread area from Houston, Texas, to Raleigh, North Carolina, and from the Gulf Coast to the Ohio Valley. 94 tornadoes killed 26 people and injured 641. Total damage was over $300 million.

The Palm Sunday Outbreak - March 27-28, 1994

A devastating mid-morning tornado hit the Goshen United Methodist Church in Piedmont, Alabama, during Palm Sunday services, killing 20 people. The rest of the afternoon and evening tornadoes would go on to ravage Georgia and South Carolina, killing a total of 42 and injuring 320.

The Arkansas Outbreak - March 1,1997

At least a dozen tornadoes ravaged Arkansas, with other tornadoes touching down in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Twenty-seven people were killed. Arkadelphia, Arkansas, was particularly hard hit as were the southern suburbs of Little Rock.

These are just some of the historical tornadoes that have devastated portions of the United States over the past years. Others include the Great Southern Tornado Outbreak in 1884 and the 1974 Super Outbreak.

Oklahoma/Southeast Kansas Outbreak - May 3, 1999

A massive and deadly tornado outbreak hit Oklahoma, southeast Kansas, and some adjacent states. An F5 tornado tore through Moore and Bridge Creek, southwest suburbs of Oklahoma City, causing damage of about 1 billion. This became the largest tornado outbreak on record for tornado-prone Oklahoma, with 61 tornadoes. Total damage from the tornado outbreak was about $1.5 billion, with 47 fatalities.

Salt Lake City Outbreak - August 11, 1999

An F2 tornado struck downtown Salt Lake City , Killing one person, in the most costly and destructive tornado in Utah history.

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