A massive 3-day outbreak sequence occurred throughout at least 26 states, being Florida, Oklahoma, the Carolinas, Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Illinois, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Louisiana, Kentucky, and quite surprisingly, the states of Colorado, Minnesota, and New Jersey. At least 74 people were killed in the outbreak, although most of the 26 states affected had no injuries or fatalities. Multiple rope tornadoes were reported across more than half of the United States, most of them having minimal or no damage, but some tornadoes grew too powerful, or tracked way too long to be part of that rope trend.
Numerous EF0s were confirmed within the outbreaks, but however, there were almost thirty significant and five violent tornadoes, alongside 16 killer tornadoes. Five of the 16 killed more than five people along their paths, where the deadliest tornado of the outbreak killing 23 people and leaving a considerable portion of all the injuries in the outbreak.
| Confirmed Total |
Confirmed EF0 |
Confirmed EF1 |
Confirmed EF2 |
Confirmed EF3 |
Confirmed EF4 |
Confirmed EF5 |
| 166 | 123 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 5 | 0 |
Notable Tornadoes[]
All 3 days had at least 4 notable tornadoes, some of which were worse than others.
Many notable tornadoes were within this outbreak, including one deadly tornado in Montana.
March 10[]
| EFU | EF0 | EF1 | EF2 | EF3 | EF4 | EF5 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 34 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 48 | |
| Deaths: 22 | Injuries: 425+ | |||||||
Rupert, PA[]
| EF2 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 10:06 AM EDT – 10:17 AM EDT | ||
| Intensity | 215 km/h (130 mph) (1-min) | ||
This tornado began 3 miles southeast of Rupert, a small community just bordering Bloomsburg, and started moving northwest at 40mph. It wasn't notable for how much damage it caused, it was notable more like for how it was actually a landspout and how it gained that much strength within 4 minutes and the fact it was an anticylonic EF2 landspout "tornado". The tornado ripped all corn out of its field, and destroyed the silos in that picture. The silos got destroyed at 10:09 AM, and the tornado hit Bloomsburg, destroyed nine homes, left 28 damaged, and totaled 4 cars. When it then hit a forest, at least 8,400 trees were uprooted, toppled, and/or possibly thrown up to 40 feet away. The tornado killed a man in an automobile when it hit his house, and the house's roof fell on his car and he got killed in the impact, unaware of the storm that was even heading his direction. The tornado lasted 11 minutes, tracked 7.6 miles, and caused almost minimal damages for a tornado this strong.
This was the strongest anticyclonic tornado in Pennsylvania's history, in fact one of only three it has had since reliable records began in 1950, until mid-2017. It killed one person, injured four, and left ~$650,000 in damages.
Phillipsburg, MT[]
| EF3 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 11:49 AM MDT – 11:52 AM MDT | ||
| Intensity | 220 km/h (140 mph) (1-min) | ||
A very brief, yet rare and destructive and deadly tornado hit the small village with a population of 984 at the time, as it tracked only 1.6 miles, and slammed into Philipsburg at 8:49 AM Mountain Daylight Time. In its path, at least 30 homes were destroyed, 64 damaged. At least 2 people were killed, one in an automobile and the other in a regular brick home, as 17 injuries occurred with this twister. This is actually one of the very few deadly tornadoes in Montana history, and this is by far one of the strongest tornadoes in Montana history. Moreover, it was also one of the northernmost known EF3s on record so early in the season.
In total, about $7 million in damage was confirmed.
Fruitland-Perryville, Missouri[]
| EF3 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 5:22 PM CDT – 6:20 PM CDT | ||
| Intensity | 260 km/h (160 mph) (1-min) | ||
dThis long-tracked semi-nighttime wedge tracked into Fruitland, Missouri exactly 25 years after another F3 tore through the town. [The 1990 tornado directly killed nobody, but left 5 people injured, as the fatality was actually from a hailstone when that tornado was at peak intensity]. The tornado formed 10 miles southeast of Fruitland in an open field, moving northwest at around 40mph. It gained strength rapidly, as the tornado threw a car and killed both occupants inside of it after it was thrown at least 750 feet. The tornado then destroyed many crops in a farm, completely ripped a barn off of its foundation, killed all of the livestock. It turned a slight bit away from downtown Fruitland, but directly hit the Weiss Park Home Community. At least 36 homes were destroyed, as the tornado enveloped up to 1 mile wide. With that, at least 53 other homes were damaged horribly. In the Weiss Park Home Community, at least 5 people were killed, 44 injured. It went through many fields before finally hitting multiple suburban areas of Perryville then turning away. At least 600 homes were damaged, as at least 250 of them were destroyed before the tornado left Perryvile. Some of the structures that suffered major damage and/or were entirely destroyed included the St. Vincent High School, the St Vincent de Paul Church [where 19 injuries occurred but no fatalities when 65 people took shelter in the church], and the First State Community Bank. Several other notable structures were destroyed. Coincidentally, all 3 of those notable structures were destroyed when the tornado was slowly dissipating, and while it was also turning away from the Perryville area. It killed 6 people in Perryville overall, left at least 200 injuries in Perryville alone.
At the very end, the tornado tracked 38.4 miles, killed 13 people, left at least 252 others injured, destroyed about 300 structures, and left around 650 more structures damaged. This added up to at least $130 million in damages, as $8.4 million of the damage was in/near Fruitland, which is around 6 times worse than the 1990 tornado that directly hit Fruitland. This was one of only five tornadoes to claim any more than 10 fatalities in its path.
Hubly-Mason City-Teheron-Easton, Illinois 2015 Tornado[]
| EF4 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 6:56 PM CDT – 7:22 PM CDT | ||
| Intensity | 275 km/h (170 mph) (1-min) | ||
An 800-metre stovepipe tornado formed in Hubly, Illionis, which was about 5 miles southeast of Mason City, moving northeast at 55mph. The tornado gained plenty of intensity before hitting Mason City, as it caused very high-end EF2 damage to Hubly. It was already 330 metres wide at that point, destroyed 11 homes, left nine damaged as of that moment. Nobody was immediately killed in Hubly, but 13 people were injured. It was over open fields and trees until it hit Mason City. The twister then hit the outskirts of the city, destroyed about 100 homes, damaged around 300 other homes. It made a sharp turn for Teheron and Easton. At least four structures were damaged in Teheron at EF2 to EF3 intensity. Five people were injured in Teheron, one person killed. It then hit Easton at EF3 strength, destroyed 17 homes, left 46 damaged, and killed two people in Easton, injured fourteen. It would then dissipate about two miles west of Easton.
It tracked at least 23.6 miles within its 26-minute life, killed seven people, three of which were in Mason City and claimed 117 injuries, 59 in Mason City alone. At least $40 million of damage was tallied within its path.
Hillcrest-Rochelle, IL Tornado[]
| EF2 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 7:29 PM CDT – 7:40 PM CDT | ||
| Intensity | 195 km/h (120 mph) (1-min) | ||
A tornado formed near Hillcrest, Illinois and directly hit town just 40 seconds after forming. In Hillcrest, various areas of EF1 damage, along with a few areas of EF2 damage were confirmed, along with seven injuries and the sole fatality in a vehicle. The Rochelle Township High School along with the stadium behind it suffered significant to severe damage, as the entire stadium was obliterated, along with nine tennis courts nearby. The tornado was around 1/5 of a mile wide at peak width. The photo in the left contains the tornado hitting the stadium, destroying every structure in the stadium quickly. At least 29 homes were destroyed in Rochelle, 255 damaged. The tornado dissipated shortly after leaving Rochelle.
Overall, 1 person was killed, with 20 injured, as $33 million in damage was done. The tornado tracked 9.09 miles, was up to 1/5 of a mile wide, and destroyed a total of 32 homes, damaging nearly 350 homes in total.
March 11[]
| EFU | EF0 | EF1 | EF2 | EF3 | EF4 | EF5 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 88 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 109 | |
| Deaths: 38 | Injuries: 800+ | |||||||
At least 9 notable tornadoes occurred on March 11th, including two EF4s and four EF3s.
Cimarron-Spearville, Kansas[]
| EF4 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 8:06 AM CDT – 8:52 AM CDT | ||
| Intensity | 320 km/h (200 mph) (1-min) | ||
This gigantic EF4 tornado struck three large towns, as it formed right in the outskirts in Cimarron, causing low-end EF2 damage to 11 homes, damaging 27 other homes. This left two people injured in Cimarron, nobody killed as of that moment. Eventually, it intensified quickly and widened rapidly. Not even ten minutes after forming, it was already 2 miles wide, so while it was over US Route 400, it slammed into the "Forget Me Not" farms. At least 49,000 livestock out of 75,000 were killed, as all 42 structures in the farm were entirely destroyed. Two employees were killed, which is very rare to see in a farm, and 9 other employees were injured. Within the farm, the tornado already caused $1.6 million. All structures within a 2-mile circular diameter of that farm [which was at the edges of the tornado and also because of the insane width] were almost instantly destroyed. It luckily turned away from Dodge City. However, two people were killed on Route 253 in an automobile. The tornado threw it at least 1,500 feet, and mangled it almost beyond recognition. Only the license plate could actually be recognized. It then hit Spearville and caused total devastation. At least 90% of Spearville has entirely leveled, because the storm could still easily "swallow the town whole", including the truck stop, which was busy at that point, with 11 semi-trucks being horribly mangled, and all truckers taking shelter were injured, none killed. But in the city, all of the buildings received at least EF2 damage, which is the first time that happened in Spearville history. This happened after an EF4 [170mph] killed two people in Spearville, and 6 years after an EF3 [160mph] killed five people and left 36 injured in 2009. The tornado did a lot worse than the other two tornadoes combined, as seven people were killed in Spearville, 83 others injured. It kept going into open fields and died out just 1 mile southwest of Rozel.
Overall, this tornado killed four people, left 94 others injured, and left at least $35 million in property damages, including the wind farms. At least $40 million in damage was confirmed along its path.
Granite Falls-Hudson, NC[]
| EF3 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 9:39 AM EDT – 9:48 AM EDT | ||
| Intensity | 255 km/h (160 mph) (1-min) | ||
A deadly EF3 tornado formed in Granite Falls at around 9:39 AM Eastern Daylight Time. The twister formed in a field around 1/4 of a mile southeast of Granite Falls, and quickly intensified. It caused high-end EF2 damage in Granite Falls, damaging 364 homes and destroying 59, leaving one fatality in the town with at least 44 injuries. The town of Hudson was entirely destroyed by the giant funnel that was about 1/3 of a mile wide at that point, as a second fatality occurred in that town when a mobile home was leveled, with about 62 more injuries. One last fatality and several injuries were claimed along US 321.
Overall, at least three people were killed, with 120+ injuries confirmed and over $60 million in damages.
Burlison-Covington, TN [1st tornado][]
| EF2 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 9:02 AM CDT – 9:21 AM CDT | ||
| Intensity | 215 km/h (135 mph) (1-min) | ||
This tornado was one of three twisters to directly strike Tipton County in western Tennessee, and is the middle strength of the three. This tornado formed 4 miles west of Burlison, moving northeast at approximately 40 miles per hour. It remained over trees and a few rural areas for quite some time before hitting small parts of Burlison, population around 400 at the time, which was directly along Tennessee Route 59. Most of the homes hit received minimal to moderate damage. The worst damage in the town occurred in the Evans Estates subdivision, with 23 out of 28 homes receiving high-end EF1 or low-end EF2 damage. At that point, it was estimated that the tornado was around 250 metres wide and was rotating at speeds between 110 and 115 miles per hour. Staying at that strength for a little while, it then grew a bit stronger seconds before hitting the Thompson Subdivision about 3.5 miles west of Covington. Out of fourteen homes in that area, 12 of them were severely damaged, with, out of 31 people living there at the time, 18 were injured, but at this point, nobody has been killed yet. It then hit the Poplar Estates, significantly more populated, and multiple other subdivisions along Covington. When it reached northwest Covington, it slowly started weakening. The final building that received significant damage was a Holiday Inn Express & Suites, located just in northern Covington. Two people were killed when the building's roof collapsed on a 2002 Ford Taurus. After that, it hit a few more houses, but then rapidly died out.
The final result of this tornado was a path around 12 miles long, up to 300 metres wide, with around 55 homes receiving significant damage, and 322 more homes damaged. Two people were killed, both in a vehicle, and a combined 29 injuries were confirmed; 18 in the Thompson Subdivision alone. Around $16 million of economic losses were confirmed.
Etowah, AR-Covington, TN [2nd Covington tornado][]
| EF4 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 9:44 AM CST – 10:37 AM CST | ||
| Intensity | 320 km/h (200 mph) (1-min) | ||
This violent tornado formed just over the town of Etowah, and at first caused minor damage to the city of Etowah, Arkansas. It then moved quickly towards the city of Osceola, moving southeast at approximately 45 to 50 miles per hour. About 10 minutes after it formed, it then became a larger and stronger multi-vortex tornado, then progressing for another seven minutes before hitting any other building. Significant ground scouring was observed in open fields. Just 4.5 miles west of Osceola is when it hit its next structures. It completely pulverized an entire Shell gas station, and a Rodeway Inn just next to it, and then destroyed many buildings along US Highway 140. Continuing on its path, at this due east-southeast, a tornado emergency was immediately issued for Osceola. It was now around 1/2 of a mile wide, and a Doppler mobile radar indicated wind speeds of over 140+ miles per hour within the tornado. Multiple suburban areas of Osceola were then severely destroyed, resulting in over 150 homes destroyed, 227 damaged. In Osceola alone, four people were already killed, 47 injured. It then shifted southeast again, and continued from there, quickly gaining intensity. In between towns, one person was killed on highways, along with at least ten more injuries. It then directly hit the town of Garland, Tennessee, population 318 as of 2015, and destroyed over 75% of the entire town's infrastructure, killing eleven people and injuring at least 155. All of the people who ended up killed were in either mobile homes or ignored the warnings. It was now almost 2 miles in width, and was at its peak strength. All homes in the town received at least EF1+ damage. Seconds after, it started weakening very slowly, but was still violent and even wider than ever when it hit Covington, now nearly 2.2 miles wide. About 70% of downtown Covington was completely destroyed. It then started weakening quickly, dying out about 6 minutes after hitting Covington. More than 1,500 homes were completely destroyed, with over 540 homes damaged in Covington alone.
The final aftermath of the tornado was a path almost 40 miles long, with 23 fatalities and 488 injuries; 8 deaths and nearly 300 injuries from Covington alone. Over $400 million in damage was accumulated from this storm, and it was the most destructive tornado in almost all of Tennessee's history.
Holmeson-Perrineville-Twin Rivers, NJ[]
| EF2 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 11:29 AM EST – 11:45 AM EST | ||
| Intensity | 210 km/h (130 mph) (1-min) | ||
A rain-wrapped but still somewhat clearly seen tornado tore through the very edges of the Jackson Townships after forming at around 11:30 AM Eastern Standard Time. It intensified into an EF1 around two minutes after touching the ground, and impacted the Clarksburg subdivision at middle-EF1 strength, rotating at around 95 to 100 miles per hour. One person was injured at the location. It then intensified and hit the Perrineville community as a middle-end 120mph EF2 tornado, destroying at least 17 homes with 66 homes damaged. In Perrineville, two people were killed, with at least 23 injuries confirmed. The tornado then tore through Twin Rivers, then died out at around the centre of town. At least 22 homes were destroyed in East Rivers, with 101 with confirmed damaged.
Overall, the tornado lasted 16 minutes, killed two people, injured 29 others in total, with 39 homes destroyed in its 8.3-mile path up to 200 meters wide, and over 200 homes damaged. Around $7.5 million in damage was associated with this tornado, and this is also the first tornado to claim multiple fatalities in New Jersey since 1835.
Riverside-Lincoln, AL[]
| EF3 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 11:34 AM CST – 12:01 PM CST | ||
| Intensity | 260 km/h (160 mph) (1-min) | ||
This tornado formed just to the north of Pell City's outskirts and city limits, as a decently-sized multi-vortex tornado at first. It was already powerful once it hit the ground at 11:34 PM CST {it started formation 7 minutes later}, with a Doppler on Wheels recording wind speeds at 186km/h {115.2mph} the instant the funnel touched down. It moved into the northern parts of Riverside, causing high-end EF2 damage to multiple well-built structures, and it also swept away a mobile home in the area as well, killing the sole occupant who ignored the warnings. Four people were injured in Riverside, as the tornado continued into the plains. It then caused minor ground scouring as high as 3/16 of an inch deep, which could've given it an EF4 rating in the farmlands, but it was confirmed that the farmland was tilled quite recently, according to a personal journal left intact by the tornado, although the house was leveled near the Coosa River. This indicated the soil was already quite loose, but with rainstorms occurring just over 5 hours after the grasslands were tilled the afternoon before, that loosened it up even further. The farmer was found unscathed in his cellar. About ten minutes later, the tornado then hits northern parts of Lincoln, and swept away an entire mobile home park at EF3 strength, alongside leaving multiple homes with severe damage. Eight people were killed in Lincoln, with at least 55 other injuries confirmed as well, and nearly 100 homes destroyed, 259 damaged. It then continued into the countryside beyond Lincoln, where its last fatality occurred when another mobile home outside of town was leveled, killing one of 6 occupants, leaving the other 5 injured. Beyond that, a few more farms were also severely damaged before it died out after carving a 19-mile path in its life.
Overall, the storm killed ten people, 8 in the city of Lincoln alone, and left 64 others injured, with over $50 million of damage in its path. All ten fatalities were in mobile homes, alongside 43 of the injuries were confirmed in mobile homes as well.
WIP