Tornado Outbreak of January 26-28, 2020 (Dixie)

The Tornado Outbreak of January 26-28, 2020, also known as the 2020 Super Outbreak and The Great Storm of 2020, was one of the largest, costliest, and deadliest tornado outbreaks ever documented in the United States, occurring in the Southeastern United States. The event impacted the states of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. In total, 251 tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service in 11 states in the Southeastern United States. Widespread and destructive tornadoes occurred on each day of the outbreak, with January 27 being the most prolific day with 168 tornadoes being recorded. Five of the tornadoes during the outbreak were destructive enough to be rated EF5, which is the highest ranking possible on the Enhanced Fujita scale; typically these tornadoes are only recorded about once each year or less, and during the spring and early summer months.

In total, at least 300 people have been killed as a result of the outbreak as well as over 3,000 injured. Other fatalities have occurred due to other thunderstorm-related events such as straight-line winds, hail, flash flooding or lightning. Fatality estimates are preliminary as reports continue to surface. Upon further completion of surveys performed by the National Weather Service, will the total number of fatalities be known.

The tornado outbreak shattered multiple records, including the most tornadoes in a winter outbreak at 251 tornadoes confirmed. This beat the previous record of 127 from the January 21–23, 1999 tornado outbreak. It was also the deadliest January outbreak with over 300 fatalities, over exceeding the previous record of 32 set in the 1969 Hazlehurst tornado outbreak. Over 450 preliminary local storm reports were received for tornadoes over four days, including 234 on January 27 alone. The five EF5 tornadoes that occurred during this outbreak are the only to have officially received such rating during the month of January in the United States. This event was one of the costliest tornado outbreaks and one of the costliest natural disasters in United States history (even after adjustments for inflation), with estimated total damages of $10.7 billion (2020 USD).

List of tornadoes in the Tornado Outbreak of January 26-28
"See also: List of tornadoes in the Tornado Outbreak of January 26-28"

"Confirmed tornadoes by  Enhanced Fujita rating"

Meteorological synopsis
This unusual outbreak was caused by a robust upper-level trough that developed in eastern Oklahoma on January 26. An extratropical cyclone developed ahead of this upper-level trough in western Missouri, which steadily moved northeast. The storm mode on January 26 was predicted to include a moderate possibility of discrete tornadic supercells developing during the early afternoon and lasting well into the evening, eventually transitioning into a mesoscale convective complex, shifting the threat from tornadoes to damaging winds and hail during the early nighttime hours of January 27.

As the storm system moved eastward toward the Ohio, Mississippi, and Tennessee Valleys on January 27, a very powerful 90 - 115 knot mid-level jet stream moved into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys behind the trough and created strong upper-level wind shear, along with a low pressure center moving quickly northeastward across those areas on January 27. Due to exceptionally unseasonably warm temperatures in the South, some of which reached the mid 80°F's, combined with CAPE values that were estimated to be in the range of 2000–3000 J/kg across southern Mississippi and southern Alabama, a broad area was highly unstable, and extremely favorable for cyclic supercells to occur throughout the day, producing long-tracked tornadoes beginning during the late morning hours of January 27, and into the early morning hours of January 28. These conditions southeast of the Appalachian Mtns. remained favorable for long-tracked tornadoes ahead of the cold front which continued to push east towards the Eastern United States.

There was a total of 38 severe weather watches that were issued by the Storm Prediction Center over those 2 days in the outbreak area. This included 28 tornado watches - 5 of which were Particularly Dangerous Situation watches.

January 26
An area of favorable conditions for severe storms was being monitored by the NWS which maintained the possibly for supercell storms to form from the eastern Red River Valley down to southeastern Texas during the afternoon through the late evening hours. The SPC issued a moderate risk of severe weather, centered over eastern Texas into extreme western Louisiana. By the early afternoon, tornado watches had been issued, stretching from the Oklahoma/Texas border, down to San Antonio, Texas. Soon after, tornadoes were reported in Texas, some which caused significant to violent damage across the state. As the evening approached, the storm transitioned into a mesoscale convective complex, with a few isolated tornadoes and extreme wind damage across eastern Texas and western Louisiana. As the cold front swept through central Texas and Oklahoma, another line of storms developed, producing a wide swath of damage in areas already affected from the previous line of storms. The derecho consistently produced winds at 70 miles per hour from Texas into western Louisiana, and from Oklahoma into Arkansas. One weather station in College Station, Texas recorded a wind gust of 97 miles per hour. A total of 57 tornadoes were confirmed on the 26th.

January 27
A broad area of instability persisted in the southeastern United States as expected, as temperatures lingered in the upper 70°F's with dew points in the high 60°F's. A high risk for severe storms was issued for the entire day, as storms were expected to produce long-tracked tornadoes, and multiple cyclic supercells. An outflow boundary caused by the previous evenings derecho pushed through triggering early morning supercells in Louisiana and Arkansas. These supercells would prove persistent, as some would last for the rest of the day, sweeping through the Mississippi, Tennessee, and Ohio Valleys, reaching areas as far east as Virginia and Georgia in the Appalachian regions.

Wind shear and low-level moisture continued to persist as a second round of supercells fired up just ahead of the cold front as it swept through Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia in the afternoon hours. These supercells would track east throughout the rest of the day and into the following day, passing over areas previously affected by the first round of supercells earlier in the day. A total of 168 tornadoes were confirmed on the 27th.

January 28
As the supercells lasted into the early morning hours, a few tornadoes, some violent, were spawned between the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic Coast across Georgia and the Carolinas. The storms finally morphed into a strong line, pushing east off the shore into the Atlantic Ocean where some isolated areas of wind damage were reported. A total of 26 tornadoes were confirmed on the 28th.

Venus/Cedar Hill, TX
"Main article: 2020 Venus/Cedar Hill tornado"

Katy-Cypress-Egypt, TX
"Main article: 2020 Katy-Cypress-Egypt tornado"

Terrell, TX
"Main article: 2020 Terrell tornado"

Tyler-White Oak-Judson, TX
"Main article: 2020 Tyler-White Oak-Judson tornado"

Damascus/Heber Springs, AR
"Main article: 2020 Damascus/Heber Springs tornado"

Kilmichael/Aberdeen, MS
"Main article: 2020 Kilmichael/Aberdeen tornado"

Hattiesburg, MS
"Main article: 2020 Hattiesburg tornado"

Sylacauga, AL
"Main article: 2020 Sylacauga tornado"

Columbus, GA
"Main article: 2020 Columbus tornado"

Huntsville, AL
"Main article: 2020 tornado"

Kingsport, TN
"Main article: 2020 Huntsville tornado"

Houston/Amory, MS
"Main article: 2020 Houston/Amory tornado"

Meridian, MS/Demopolis, AL
"Main article: 2020 Meridian/Demopolis tornado"

Thomaston-Montgomery-Franklin, AL
"Main article: 2020 Thomaston-Montgomery-Franklin tornado"

Athens-Harvest-Meridianville, AL
"Main article: 2020 Athens-Harvest-Meridianville tornado"

Lawrenceburg, TN
"Main article: 2020 Lawrenceburg tornado"

Birmingham, AL
"Main article: 2020 Birmingham tornado"

Chapel Hill/Murfreesboro, TN
"Main article: 2020 Chapel Hill/Murfreesboro tornado"

Bridgeport, AL/Chattanooga, TN
"Main article: 2020 Bridgeport/Chattanooga tornado"

Albertville/Crossville, AL
"Main article: 2020 Albertville/Crossville tornado"

Cumberland Mtn., TN/VA
"Main article: 2020 Cumberland Mountains tornado"

Georgetown/Weston, GA
"Main article: 2020 Georgetown/Weston tornado"

Jasper, GA
"Main article: 2020 Jasper tornado"

Barnesville, GA
"Main article: 2020 Barnesville tornado"

Central/Powdersville, SC
"Main article: 2020 Central/Powdersville tornado"

Augusta, GA
"Main article: 2020 Augusta tornado"

Charleston, SC
"Main article: 2020 Charleston tornado"