2024 Super Outbreak

The 2024 Super Outbreak was the largest, costliest, and third-deadliest tornado outbreak in United States history. The outbreak primarily affected the "Dixie Alley" region of the United States, with additional destructive tornadoes occurring in the Great Lakes region on April 10. The outbreak produced a total of 486 tornadoes in 24 states, with the states of Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee being the most severely affected. April 10 was by far the most active day of the outbreak, producing 312 tornadoes, including eight which were rated EF5, and 22 which were rated EF4.

A total of 531 people were killed by the outbreak, with an additional 29 people killed as a result of powerful straight-line winds, lightning, and flash flooding. Nearly half of the fatalities from the outbreak were the result of three violent tornadoes which caused dozens of deaths in Fultondale, Alabama, Peachtree City and Covington, Georgia, and Seymour, Indiana. Several other tornadoes caused death tolls well into the double digits, particularly in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.

Due to its extent and severity, the outbreak was compared by both meteorologists and mass media to the 1974 Super Outbreak, which produced a similar number of strong to violent tornadoes across the Midwestern states and into the "Dixie Alley" region. Thirteen years after the 2024 Super Outbreak, another extremely large outbreak of tornadoes would affect the Central Plains states, producing 468 tornadoes and producing $28.5 billion in damage, becoming the second-largest and second-costliest tornado outbreak on record in the United States.

Meteorological synopsis
In the early morning of April 8, an intense low-pressure system was observed developing over the Central Plains states. As the system moved eastward over the Midwestern States it was further intensified by a warm and extremely humid mass of air and particularly sharp temperature gradient across the system. As early as April 6, forecast conditions for April 10 were notably analogous to April 3, 1974, and the Storm Prediction Center issued a 30% risk of significant severe weather over much of the Eastern United States.

By the morning of April 10, a large-scale trough extended over nearly two-thirds of the contiguous United States, and a very powerful 80–100 knot mid-level jet stream moved into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys behind the trough and created strong wind shear, along with a low pressure center moving quickly northeastward across those areas on April 27. During the afternoon of April 27, CAPE values were estimated to be in the range of 2000–3000 J/kg across Louisiana and southern Mississippi, with the moderate instability moving northeastward across the southern Tennessee Valley; additionally, temperatures across the southeastern United States ranged from the 70s°F (mid-20s°C) to the lower 90s°F (near 35 °C). Helicity levels ranged from 450–600 m2/s2, which supported some significant tornadic activity and strong to violent long-track tornadoes.

The Storm Prediction Center issued a moderate risk of severe weather for April 10 in its Day 3 convective outlook on April 8; by the morning of April 9, the moderate risk was extended from the Dixie Alley area north into the Midwestern states, while a high risk of severe weather was issued for central Alabama and western Georgia. By 0600 UTC on April 10, the high risk was expanded to cover most of Alabama and a significant portion of western Georgia and eastern and central Mississippi; while a second high-risk area was issued for southeastern Indiana, western Ohio, and far northern Kentucky. In the 1300 UTC outlook, a 45% hatched risk of tornadoes was issued for a corridor extending from Jackson, Mississippi to Atlanta, Georgia, while a small 60% hatched risk of tornadoes was issued in the 2000 UTC outlook for eastern Alabama and western Georgia.

April 8
The National Weather Service had forecast a marginal risk of severe weather for April 8 the previous day, believing that meager instability would hamper the development of any significant severe thunderstorms. On the morning of April 8, when it became clear that CAPE values were somewhat higher than had been expected, a slight risk of severe weather was issued for central and eastern Oklahoma. The slight risk was based primarily on a 15% risk of damaging wind gusts, with a small 5% risk of tornadoes issued for the Tulsa metropolitan area. At 2:16 pm CDT, a tornado watch was issued for eastern Oklahoma, with a 40% probability of two or more tornadoes, and a 20% probability of one or more significant (EF2+) tornadoes.

By 5:00 pm CDT, several supercells had developed in Oklahoma, five of which quickly developed areas of tight and persistent rotation, resulting in the issuance of tornado warnings in several counties in eastern Oklahoma. Several weak and short-lived tornadoes were reported in the late afternoon hours, including an EF1 tornado which caused considerable damage at a mobile home park near Depew, Oklahoma, resulting in one death and around 25 injuries. Most of the other tornadoes in the afternoon hours produced little damage and no fatalities or injuries. Two of the tornadic supercells continued to intensify after sunset and produced more significant tornadoes.

At around 9:30 pm, a large EF3 tornado struck the town of McAlester, Oklahoma, demolishing numerous frame houses, snapping and uprooting trees, tossing parked cars up to 120 yards, and toppling a large metal transmission tower. Three people were killed in McAlester, and an additional 78 were injured. A second strong tornado occurred in an industrial area just outside the Tulsa city limits, causing severe roof damage to several factories and partially demolishing a half-dozen warehouses. The tornado caused one death and 17 injuries, and was rated as a high-end EF2.

A total of 49 tornadoes were reported on April 8, of which 37 were confirmed. Five people were killed on the 8th, and approximately 160 were injured. The McAlester tornado was the first tornado to cause multiple deaths in Oklahoma in five years, and the costliest in the state since the EF5 tornado which struck the city of Moore on May 20, 2013.

April 9
The National Weather Service anticipated the development of numerous severe thunderstorms in the Southeastern United States on April 9 in an area extending from central Arkansas south to the Gulf Coast region. A slight risk of severe weather for the area was issued on April 7; by April 8, the slight risk was shifted slightly to the south, while an enhanced risk area was added for far eastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana.

On the morning of April 9, a moderate risk of severe weather was issued for the Ark-La-Tex area, while the enhanced and slight risk areas were expanded eastward to the Mississippi state line. The moderate risk was based on a 15% hatched risk of tornadoes and a 45% hatched risk of damaging wind gusts. At 1:25 pm CDT a tornado watch with a 70% chance of two or more tornadoes and a 40% chance of one or more significant tornadoes was issued for central and southern Arkansas. By 2:10 pm CDT, a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) tornado watch, with an 80% chance of two or more tornadoes and a 60% chance of one or more significant tornadoes, was issued for northern Louisiana and extreme eastern Texas.

An intense squall line developed over eastern Texas in the morning hours and tracked due east across Louisiana and Arkansas, before gradually weakening as it passed over Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. Severe rainfall and damaging wind gusts were reported, along with two unverified tornado reports in southern Arkansas. By the mid-afternoon hours, supercells began to develop, with one long-lived supercell tracking along the triple point and producing several strong tornadoes. The first significant tornado of the day was a large, EF2-rated wedge which struck the small community of Ajax, Louisiana at around 3:45 pm CDT, killing two people and injuring an additional 16. Soon after, another supercell to the northwest produced an intense EF3 tornado which cut through Jonesville, Texas at 3:57 pm, demolishing dozens of houses and injuring 13 people. At 4:26 pm, the same supercell that produced the Ajax tornado spawned another tornado which touched down in rural Jackson Parish. The tornado rapidly intensified and tracked through the town of Chatham, where three fatalities and 36 injuries occurred. The Chatham tornado was rated as a high-end EF3, with estimated winds of 160 miles per hour. The parent supercell produced two weak tornadoes before another large tornado developed over Morehouse Parish at 6:03 pm, and passed near the village of Mer Rouge. The tornado considerable damage at several farms and over forested areas, and was rated as an EF2 with estimated winds of 125 miles per hour.

Several supercells continued into Arkansas in the evening hours, producing additional strong tornadoes. A low-end EF2 tornado tracked through Bluff City at 7:12 pm, injuring three people, while another EF2 tornado caused severe damage to homes and businesses in Dierks, resulting in seven injuries. At 9:49 pm, the supercell which produced the Ajax, Chatham, and Mer Rouge tornadoes spawned a final EF3 tornado which tracked through northern Lonoke County and into White County, resulting in one death in the small community of Garner and 33 injuries. The final significant tornado of the day was an EF2-rated multiple-vortex tornado which tracked through rural Yell County before striking the town of Havana at 10:18 pm, resulting in nine injuries.

78 tornadoes were reported on April 9, of which 73 were confirmed. Four of the tornadoes were rated EF3, and seven were rated EF2. Six people were killed during the day, and over 210 were injured. April 9 was the most prolific day for tornadoes in the United States since June 11, 2019. The event was immediately overshadowed by April 10, which produced nearly five times as many tornadoes.

April 10
April 10 was by far the most prolific day of the outbreak sequence as well as the most active 24-hour period ever recorded in the United States. The 312 tornadoes in 16 states that occurred eclipsed even the 237 tornadoes confirmed on April 27, 2011, the previous record-holding day. Tornadoes were confirmed across much of the Eastern United States, from the Gulf Coast north to the Great Lakes region. A large outbreak of tornadic supercells occurred over Indiana, Ohio, and northern Kentucky in the early to mid-afternoon hours; while an even more intense wave of supercells tracked through Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas in the late afternoon and into the overnight hours.

The National Weather Service had anticipated the development of numerous long-track and intense tornadoes on April 10; as early as April 4, a 15% risk of severe weather was forecast for the majority of the Eastern United States. By April 6, a 30% risk of severe weather was issued for east-central Mississippi, central Alabama, and Central Georgia. A very large moderate risk area was issued for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana on April 8, with the Storm Prediction Center noting the probability of a Day 2 high risk being issued. The 0700 Day 2 convective outlook on April 9 split the moderate risk area into two separate areas: a roughly circular area covering portions of eastern Indiana and western Ohio, and a larger, egg-shaped area for portions of Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. A high risk area was issued for central Alabama in the afternoon of April 9.

On the morning of April 10, the high risk area was expanded to cover most of the moderate risk area issued the previous day, and a second high risk area was issued for east-central Indiana and west-central Ohio.

Of the 312 tornadoes confirmed on April 10, eight were rated EF5; 22 were rated EF4; and 38 were rated EF3. Of the 498 fatalities on April 10, nearly half were the result of four individual tornadoes. Several of the violent tornadoes on April 10 were noted as having exceptionally high fatality rates; in some cases more fatalities than injuries occurred. As a result of the distribution and intensity of the tornadoes on April 10, the National Weather Service and numerous media outlets compared the day's event to the Super Outbreak of 1974.

Indiana and Ohio
Supercells developed rapidly over central and southern Indiana during the late morning hours of the 10th, several of which quickly became tornadic. The first tornadoes of the day developed over central Indiana at around 11:00 am EDT. Several weak and short-lived tornadoes occurred within the hour and caused minor damage. The first intense tornado of the day was an EF3-rated multiple-vortex tornado which struck Quincy, Indiana at 12:17 pm, and was quickly followed by a high-end EF2 tornado which caused considerable damage in the town of Monrovia. The first EF5 tornado of the outbreak struck the town of Medora, Indiana at 12:40 pm, causing five fatalities and 19 injuries over its 25-mile path. The Medora tornado was quickly followed by a devastating EF4 tornado which cut through the city of Seymour at 1:23 pm, severely damaging or destroying nearly a quarter of all buildings in town, resulting in 41 deaths and 371 injuries. Another damaging EF3 tornado impacted the city of Hagerstown at 1:38 pm, causing one death and 11 injuries.

By the late morning hours, most of the supercells had continued into Ohio, with the same supercell that produced the EF3 Quincy, Indiana tornado producing a violent EF5 tornado which impacted Urbana, Ohio at around 2:30 pm, causing 17 deaths and 381 injuries. At around 2:50 pm, a destructive EF3 tornado caused widespread destruction in the Hamilton suburbs of Millville and New Miami, causing one death and 19 injuries. Around the same time, a violent and long-tracked tornado touched down in Ross County, Ohio, reaching EF4 strength as it tracked through the towns of Adelphi and Laurelville at 3:09 pm. The tornado caused three deaths and 22 injuries along its path. Two large tornadoes struck Fredericktown shortly before 3:45 pm, damaging almost every structure in town. These twin tornadoes were rated EF3 and EF2. At 4:14 pm, the same supercell that produced the Adelphi–Laurelville tornado produced another destructive EF4 tornado which tracked through Cumberland, causing catastrophic damage and 26 injuries. The final violent tornado of the Great Lakes event touched down at 5:17 pm and tracked for 51 miles through northern Ohio, reaching high-end EF4 strength near the town of Sycamore. Two people were killed in this tornado, and 31 others were injured.

Continuing into eastern Ohio and Pennsylvania, the supercells began to weaken and dissipate, with the final tornado of the event being an EF0-rated rope tornado which caused minor tree damage in Belmont County, Ohio at around 6:45 pm. 81 tornadoes occurred in the Great Lakes area, causing 79 deaths and 802 injuries

Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia
The morning hours of April 10 were humid and overcast in the Southeastern states, with temperatures in the 78 to 85 range across much of Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The cloud cover began to break at around 9:30 am CDT, and within two hours, several extremely intense supercells began to develop. At around 2:30 pm CDT, a particularly violent EF5 tornado passed to the southeast of Cleveland, Mississippi, killing six people and causing extreme ground scouring and vegetation damage. At around the same time, a violent EF4 tornado developed in rural areas of Carroll County and tracked through the city of Winona at 2:48 pm, devastating the north side of town and killing seven people. The parent supercell of the EF5 Cleveland tornado produced a very large EF3 tornado just before 3:00 pm, which cut a 1.7-mile wide path through Oakland, killing one person. As the tornadic supercells continued east towards Alabama, another EF4 tornado left a 49-mile track across northeastern Mississippi, causing 11 fatalities in and near the town of Bruce. At 4:03 pm, a long-tracked EF5 tornado touched down in north-central Mississippi, devastating the towns of Taylor, Thaxton, and Cornish, and killing 24 people. The tornado's path was 98 miles long and 1.4 miles wide at its widest point. A final EF4 tornado touched down in eastern Mississippi at 6:27 pm, leaving a 72-mile path and causing very high-end EF4 damage in the small community of Bradley. Four fatalities resulted from this tornado.

Tornadic activity was at its most severe in Alabama, where the majority of the 531 fatalities caused by the outbreak occurred. An EF5 tornado tracked directly through the town of Greensboro at around 3:25 pm, killing 19; immediately after the Greensboro tornado dissipated, its parent supercell produced a high-end EF3 tornado which caused seven deaths in the town of Lawley. Shortly after the EF4 Bruce, Mississippi tornado dissipated, the same supercell produced another violent and long-tracked tornado which caused near-EF5 damage in the towns of Sulligent, Beaverton, and Winfield, killing one person and leaving a path 58 miles long. Around an hour later, a damaging EF4 tornado tracked through the town of Hayden, damaging or destroying almost every building in the small community and causing several injuries.

Cleveland, Mississippi
This destructive and particularly violent tornado, rated EF5, tracked through northwestern Mississippi in the afternoon of April 10, destroying numerous buildings and causing extreme vegetation damage in rural areas to the southeast of the city of Cleveland. The tornado touched down at 2:23 pm CDT to the north-northeast of Grapeland, causing roof damage to a small church at EF1 strength shortly after touching down. Several farmhouses, barns, and outbuildings sustained minor to moderate roof damage further along the path before the tornado crossed over a forested area, toppling hundreds of trees. Two double-wide mobile homes were demolished along Palmer-Satterfield Road at EF2 strength, and a parked SUV was rolled into a ditch. As the tornado crossed Litton Road, it narrowed from 120 yards to roughly 90 yards wide but continued to gain intensity, demolishing a farmhouse and two nearby barns at low-end EF3 strength. Nearby trees were snapped and denuded as well.

The tornado weakened to EF1 strength as it struck the community of Longshot, where additional trees were toppled and several large and well-built houses sustained severe roofing damage. Several outbuildings including a large tool shed were damaged as well, and one man was injured. Tree branches were snapped at EF0 strength in a small wood lot to the northeast of Longshot, and a moving car was pushed off of Litton Road. The tornado then moved over empty fields for two miles before striking a farm to the west of O'Reilly, removing the roofs from several farm buildings, damaging two grain silos, and demolishing the garage of the farmhouse; damage in this area was rated high-end EF1. Approaching the community of Skene, the tornado intensified to EF3 strength,