Tornado Outbreak sequence of May 21-26, 2018

The Tornado Outbreak sequence of May 21-26, 2018 was catastrophic and deadly outbreak that caused a secondary record of a confirmed 563 tornadoes. In total, the outbreak caused 807 fatalities, 7,204 injuries and $16.4 billion in damages. The deadliest tornado was the Hackleburg, AL EF5 that killed 141. The costliest tornado also was the Hackleburg EF5.

After the dissipation of Hurricane Isaac the cyclone from Isaac produced the deadly outbreak dropped an almost record tornadoes in a 5 day span. The 21-26 of May saw an almost record outbreak, only beat by the 2018 Super Outbreak from 3 weeks earlier.

The strongest tornado was the Smithville, Mississippi EF3 with wind speeds over 295 mph (474 km/h).. The weakest tornado was an EF0 near Davie, Florida with 30 mph winds. The first 3 days of the outbreak occurred in Dixie Alley, then, on May 24, the storm shifted out west into the Great Plains and the Rockies. The first confirmed tornado of the outbreak was an EF2 near Macon, Georgia and the last tornado was an EF1 near Barstow, California.

Besides 807 tornadic deaths, 12 indirect tornadic deaths occurred because of lighting strikes, trees falling onto houses, and car accidents. 26 states recorded at least 1 tornado, with 16 states recording EF3+ tornadoes. 3 states recorded an EF5 tornado, where a majority of the deaths from the outbreak occurred. The most active day of the outbreak was May 24, while the least active was May 26.

Synopsis
In all, the outbreak caused 202 EF0's, 183 EF1's, 109 EF2's, 42 EF3's, 21 EF4's, and 4 EF5's for a total number of 561 tornadoes.

Smithville, Mississipi
Main Article: 2018 Smithville, Mississippi Tornado

The tornado first touched down at 12:17 PM CDT 6 miles east of Troy. A house was minorly damaged at EF0 intensity. After traveling for about 30 miles in just 15 minutes, the now EF2 hit Amory, 9 miles southwest of Smithville. As the EF3 with at more than 295 mile winds in a couple sub-vortices neared Smithville, a couple of houses were hit, killing 29 while only causing severe damage. A mobile dopler radar recorded main vortice wind speeds between 150 and 165 mph, other non main vertices were recorded now over 200 mph, indicating not only mainly EF3 winds, other vortices had EF5 intensity, the tornado was quickly dying out.

Another 5 were killed at EF2 intensity when their mobile was completely destroyed. At 12:51 with the record EF3 only 6 minutes before dissipation, the tornado started picking up cars, killing only 2 in the process. At 12:57 after being on the ground for only 40 minutes, the tornado dissipated 6.1 miles west of Splunge.

In all, the EF3 caused 34 fatalities, 198 injuries, and $35 million in damages. The NWS confirmed that the path length was a record 2.8 mile wide tornado. At first, the tornado was given an EF5 rating based on wind speed. After no EF5 damage was found, the tornado was downgraded to an EF3 based on damage. This tornado has been compared to the 2013 El Reno, Oklahoma tornado since that tornado was a then-record 2.6 mile wide EF3 rated with >296 mph winds. Just like this twister, the El Reno tornado was originally given an EF5 before being downgraded to an EF3. The EF3 rating still stands today even though the rating is heavily disputed.

After finding no evidence of EF5 damage due to winds excess of 290 mph, the NWS stated that due to the tornado staying over mostly rural farmland, the worst damage caused was rated high-end EF3. The path reached 18.67 miles and a record 2.8 miles wide.

Vilonia, Arkansas
Main Article: 2018 Vilonia, Arkansas Tornado The tornado first touched down at 3:18 PM CDT 3.6 miles north of Guy. As an EF1, the tornado caused severe damage to a trailer park near Greenbrier. High-end EF2 damage occurred when multiple homes were hit, including a mobile home causing a fatality. Nearing Vilonia as an EF4 with 185 mph winds, a tornado emergency was declared for Vilonia. Hundreds of homes were obliterated as the tornado caused 81 fatalities.

At 4:57 PM CDT, the tornado was tracking just east of Vilonia, causing another 10 fatalities when another neighborhood was obliterated. The last fatality occurred when the tornado tossed a car under an overpass, killing a person sheltering under the pass. Another 123 were injured as the tornado caused high-end EF4 damage near Floyd.

At 5:39 PM CDT, the monster dissipated just outside of Romance. In all, the monster caused 95 fatalities, 198 injuries, and $1.65 billion in damages. Multiple other violent and deadly twisters touched down in the days following the Vilonia EF5.

Many scientists have compared the tornado to the 2011 and 2014 tornadoes that struck Vilonia. The EF2 and EF4 could have caused as much damage as the EF5, but the EF5 had more damage and deaths.

A state of emergency was declared for Arkansas on the 23rd.

The following day, the NWS have the violent tornado a preliminary rating of a high-end EF4. Two days later, the rating was upgraded to an EF5. The path length reached reached 93.49 miles and 0.6 miles wide.

Hackleburg, Alabama
Main Article: 2018 Hackleburg, Alabama Tornado

Ponca City, Oklahoma
Main Article: 2018 Ponca City, Oklahoma TornadoThe tornado first began in a field east of Enid and moved northeast. It rapidly intesified and did EF3 damage to a home south of Breckenridge. It then did damage to wind turbines. EF3 damage occured to four homes north of Garber, as they were left with only interior walls standing or were flattened. The tornado moved into open fields and widened to about a mile wide.

Chasers noted that it exhibited violent motion, ground-scouring occurred, and trees were debarked. It continued northeast and came to Billings, where it intensified to a high-end EF4. Several homes were left as piles of rubble and in a few cases partially swept away. Extreme wind rowing of debris occurred northeast of town, and grass was scoured to the bare soil. As the tornado crossed I-35, a car was thrown 800 yards and crushed, killing the occupant.

All that remained of the vehicles mangled frame, and the remainder of it was never found. The tornado turned a bit more north and then back to its northeasterly course. As it crossed Salt Fork and the Arkansas River, more trees were snapped and completely debarked. A few trees were reduced to debarked stumps. A tornado emergency was issued as it approached Ponca City. On the west side of town, numerous homes were swept away completely—some of which had extensive anchor bolting—and an EF5 rating was applied to many of them. Pavement was scoured from roads, too.

Now at peak intensity, it went through the town center. The scope of the damage was extreme, as numerous buildings were reduced to rubble or swept away, and several buildings sustained EF5 damage. Vehicles were thrown hundreds of yards and in some cases crushed beyond recognition and wrapped around debarked trees. More homes sustained EF4 to EF5 damage on the east side. Debris was very finely granulated and wind rowing of debris was intense. In eight cases, the slab foundations of homes either buckled or were partially swept away. High-velocity debris impacts tore out large chunks of asphalt from a road and left large divots in a field. More large and well-built homes showed EF3 to EF4 damage before the wedge crossed East Lake Ponca.

Violent motion and horizontal vortices were seen by chasers. More ground scouring and tree debarking occured as the tornado approached Kaw City, where three more homes were swept away at EF5 strength. It then entered very rural areas, and the only damage done was ground scouring. The small town of Foraker took a direct hit, and every building in town took EF2 to EF3 damage. It didn't damage any more structures until crossing into Kansas. Many buildings in Elgin sustained EF4 damage. One well-constructed home was swept away with debris pushed about 100 yards from the foundation, but damage was only rated high-end EF4 there as the vehicles at the home weren't moved far and shrubs weren't denuded.

Past Elgin, it began gradually turning north. It contracted in size, and did EF2 damage to trees and outbuildings. It passed northwest of Peru, turned due north, and weakened 2 hours and 45 minutes after touching down. It tracked 102.5 miles, killed 17 people, and did almost $2 billion in damages. It is considered among many one of the most violent tornadoes ever recorded.

Freeport, Kansas
Main Article: 2018 Freeport, Kansas TornadoThe tornado began in fields north of Freeport and moved into Argonia where EF2 to EF3 damage occurred to most buildings in the center of town. It grew to just over a mile wide and turned slightly right as it moved through rural areas north-central Sumner County. Chasers noted extremely intense motion and horizontal vorticies with the tornado. A large, well-built home south of Riverdale was completely swept away, earning an EF5 rating.

A tornado emergency was issued as the tornado moved into Belle Plaine. Incredible damage took place as several homes were flattened or swept away. Two dozen homes sustained EF5 damage, as well as the post office and library in town. A car was thrown 400 yards and crushed beyond recognition. Debris was finely granulated, wind-rowing was extreme, and six people were killed. The tornado left town and did EF4 damage to a home on E 100th Avenue. The tornado shrunk to about half a mile wide and did EF5 damage to a home on N Weber Road, which was swept away. It crossed the Arkansas River and debarked several trees completely, some of which were reduced to stumps. High-end EF3 damage occurred to two homes on N River Road before it moved into very rural areas again. Intense ground scouring occurred.

Eventually the tornado came to a residential area south of Douglass where EF3 to low-end EF4 damage was noted. It began to turn north and produced EF2 damage before ending a few miles east of Douglass.

Guin, Alabama
Main Article: 2018 Guin, Alabama Tornado

Fort Rice, North Dakota (1st Tornado)
Main Article: 2018 Fort Rice, North Dakota Tornadoes

Fort Rice, North Dakota (2nd Tornado)
Main Article: 2018 Fort Rice, North Dakota Tornadoes

Spencer, South Dakota
Main Article: 2018 Spencer, South Dakota Tornado