Monday, 13 January 2020: 3:30 PM
Ballroom East (Boston Convention and Exhibition Center)
This presentation will survey the 2019 tornado and severe thunderstorm season across the United States, including trends, and a look closely at several significant tornado and severe thunderstorm outbreak days. Through mid October, the 2019 tornado count is well above normal due to an extremely active severe weather period in late May. Somewhat counter intuitively, the total annual severe hail reports are below normal. The above normal tornado activity during 2019 resulted in 38 direct fatalities, which is in strong contrast to the historically low total of 5 fatalities in 2018.
The 2019 tornado season began with a major severe weather event over the Mississippi River Valley on 23 February, which produced approximately 50 severe weather reports, including an EF3 tornado that struck Columbus, MS resulting in a fatality and 19 injuries. Around a week later on Sunday 3 March 2019, a major tornado outbreak occurred that afternoon and evening over AL, GA and SC, with particularly strong tornadoes from east-central Alabama extending eastward into Central Georgia. An intense, EF4 tornado devastated the rural communities of Beauregard and Smiths Station Alabama along a 42 mile path that extended into Georgia resulting in 23 fatalities and 97 injuries. On 13 April, widespread severe weather occurred from East TX across LA, MS and AL resulted in over 220 severe weather reports including 54 tornado reports. Widespread severe storms struck the Eastern United States on 19 April with 674 sever reports, including 57 tornadoes, stretching from GA and FL in the South, northward across SC, NC, VA, MD, and PA. Fortunately, most of the tornadoes where relatively weak, and there were no fatalities and only a handful of injuries with these storms. A significant tornado outbreak occurred over the Central United States on 30 April, with Oklahoma and Missouri particularly hard hit. There were 75 tornado reports, with 2 fatalities in Northeast Oklahoma. The first half of May was a period of normal Springtime severe weather activity, but on late May a period of extremely active severe weather began, with significant severe weather over the West Texas and Oklahoma on 20 May. There were 220 severe reports on the day including 38 tornadoes. On 22 May strong tornadoes occurred from eastern OK across much of Missouri, with with an 9 mile, EF3 tornado passing just north of Joplin Missouri on the 9th anniversary of their devastating EF5 tornado in 2011, and a subsequent 12 mile EF3 producing 3 fatalities near Golden City, Missouri. Major severe weather events occurred nearly every day, leading up to a significant tornado outbreak on 27 May with clusters of tornadoes over northeast Colorado, and Northern Illinois, Indiana and across southern Ohio. The storms over southern Ohio were particularly intense, with 3 EF3 and one EF4, but resulting in only a single fatality, the last reported thus far in 2019. The next day, 28 May, a large 32 mile EF4 tornado occurred just west of the Kansas City Metro near the community of Linwood, Kansas resulting in no fatalities, but 18 injuries and extensive damage in those communities impacted.
The 2019 tornado season began with a major severe weather event over the Mississippi River Valley on 23 February, which produced approximately 50 severe weather reports, including an EF3 tornado that struck Columbus, MS resulting in a fatality and 19 injuries. Around a week later on Sunday 3 March 2019, a major tornado outbreak occurred that afternoon and evening over AL, GA and SC, with particularly strong tornadoes from east-central Alabama extending eastward into Central Georgia. An intense, EF4 tornado devastated the rural communities of Beauregard and Smiths Station Alabama along a 42 mile path that extended into Georgia resulting in 23 fatalities and 97 injuries. On 13 April, widespread severe weather occurred from East TX across LA, MS and AL resulted in over 220 severe weather reports including 54 tornado reports. Widespread severe storms struck the Eastern United States on 19 April with 674 sever reports, including 57 tornadoes, stretching from GA and FL in the South, northward across SC, NC, VA, MD, and PA. Fortunately, most of the tornadoes where relatively weak, and there were no fatalities and only a handful of injuries with these storms. A significant tornado outbreak occurred over the Central United States on 30 April, with Oklahoma and Missouri particularly hard hit. There were 75 tornado reports, with 2 fatalities in Northeast Oklahoma. The first half of May was a period of normal Springtime severe weather activity, but on late May a period of extremely active severe weather began, with significant severe weather over the West Texas and Oklahoma on 20 May. There were 220 severe reports on the day including 38 tornadoes. On 22 May strong tornadoes occurred from eastern OK across much of Missouri, with with an 9 mile, EF3 tornado passing just north of Joplin Missouri on the 9th anniversary of their devastating EF5 tornado in 2011, and a subsequent 12 mile EF3 producing 3 fatalities near Golden City, Missouri. Major severe weather events occurred nearly every day, leading up to a significant tornado outbreak on 27 May with clusters of tornadoes over northeast Colorado, and Northern Illinois, Indiana and across southern Ohio. The storms over southern Ohio were particularly intense, with 3 EF3 and one EF4, but resulting in only a single fatality, the last reported thus far in 2019. The next day, 28 May, a large 32 mile EF4 tornado occurred just west of the Kansas City Metro near the community of Linwood, Kansas resulting in no fatalities, but 18 injuries and extensive damage in those communities impacted.
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