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2011 Super Outbreak

The 2011 Super Outbreak was the largest, costliest, and one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks ever recorded, taking place in the Southern, Midwestern, and Northeastern United States from April 25 to 28, 2011, leaving catastrophic destruction in its wake.[7][8][9][10] Over 175 tornadoes struck Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, which were the most severely damaged states. Other destructive tornadoes occurred in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, and Virginia, with storms also affecting other states in the Southern and Eastern United States. In total, 360 tornadoes were confirmed by NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) and Government of Canada's Environment Canada in 21 states from Texas to New York to southern Canada. Widespread and destructive tornadoes occurred on each day of the outbreak. April 27 was the most active day, with a record 216 tornadoes touching down that day from midnight to midnight CDT (05:00–05:00 UTC). Four of the tornadoes were rated EF5, which is the highest ranking on the Enhanced Fujita scale; typically these tornadoes are recorded no more than once a year.[9]

For other uses, see Super Outbreak (disambiguation).

Meteorological history

April 25–28, 2011

360 tornadoes
(Record for a continuous outbreak)

EF5 tornado

3 days, 7 hours, 18 minutes

Tornadic – 210 mph (340 km/h) (Hackleburg–Phil Campbell) EF5 on April 27)

990[1] hPa (mbar); 29.23 inHg

4.5 in (11 cm)
Saltville, Virginia on April 27

324 (+24 non-tornadic); 3,100+ injuries[2][3][4][5]

$10.2 billion (Costliest on record for a tornado outbreak)[6]

Southern, Midwestern, & Eastern United States

In total, 348 people were killed as a result of the outbreak, including 324 tornado-related deaths across six states and 24 fatalities caused by other thunderstorm-related events such as straight-line winds, hail, flash flooding or lightning.[11][12] In Alabama alone, 238 tornado-related deaths were confirmed by the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) and the state's Emergency Management Agency.[2][11] April 27's 316 fatalities were the most tornado-related fatalities in the United States in a single day since the "Tri-State" outbreak on March 18, 1925 (when at least 751 people were killed).[13][14][15][16] Nearly 500 preliminary local storm reports were received for tornadoes over four days, including 292 in 16 states on April 27 alone.[17] This event was the costliest tornado outbreak in United States history, with total damage reaching $10.2 billion (equivalent to $14 billion in 2023).[18] In 2023, tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis created the outbreak intensity score (OIS) as a way to rank various tornado outbreaks. The 2011 Super Outbreak received an OIS of 378, making it the second worst and most violent tornado outbreak in recorded history.[19]

Meteorological history

April 25, 2011, 6:48 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

April 25, 2011, 7:59 p.m. CDT (UTC-05:00)

71 minutes

130 mph (210 km/h)

4 fatalities, 16 injuries

April 27, 2011, 2:30 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

April 27, 2011, 3:00 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

30 minutes

205 mph (330 km/h)

3 fatalities, 8 injuries

April 27, 2011, 2:40 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

April 27, 2011, 3:38 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

58 minutes

190 mph (310 km/h)

6 fatalities, 48+ injuries

April 27, 2011, 3:05 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

April 27, 2011, 5:40 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

2 hours, 35 minutes

210 mph (340 km/h)

72 fatalities, 145+ injuries

April 27, 2011, 3:40 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

April 27, 2011, 5:56 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

2 hours, 16 minutes

170 mph (270 km/h)

13 fatalities, 54+ injuries

April 27, 2011, 3:42 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

April 27, 2011, 4:23 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

41 minutes

205 mph (330 km/h)

23 fatalities, 137 injuries

April 27, 2011, 4:01 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

April 27, 2011, 4:57 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

56 minutes

190 mph (310 km/h)

14 fatalities, 50+ injuries

April 27, 2011, 4:43 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

April 27, 2011, 6:14 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

1 hour, 31 minutes

190 mph (310 km/h)

64 fatalities, ~1,500 injuries

April 27, 2011, 5:05 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

April 27, 2011, 5:31 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

26 minutes

180 mph (290 km/h)

1 fatality

April 27, 2011, 5:30 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

April 27, 2011, 6:55 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

1 hour, 25 minutes

145 mph (233 km/h)

7 fatalities, 52+ injuries

April 27, 2011, 5:42 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

April 27, 2011, 8:35 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

2 hours, 53 minutes

175 mph (282 km/h)

7 fatalities, 17 injuries

April 27, 2011, 6:19 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

April 27, 2011, 6:55 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

36 minutes

>200 mph (320 km/h)

25 fatalities, unknown injuries

April 27, 2011, 6:28 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)

April 27, 2011, 9:15 p.m. EDT (UTC−05:00)

1 hour, 47 minutes

180 mph (290 km/h)

22 fatalities, 85 injuries

April 27, 2011, 8:15 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00)

April 27, 2011, 9:07 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00)

52 minutes

190 mph (310 km/h)

20 fatalities, 335 injuries

List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks

List of F5 and EF5 tornadoes

List of F4 and EF4 tornadoes

List of F4 and EF4 tornadoes (2010–2019)

Tornadoes of 2011

List of disasters in the United States by death toll

Tornado records

– Deadliest tornado in North America, and made March 18, 1925, the deadliest tornado day recorded in United States.

Tri-State Tornado

– Deadliest tornado outbreak in Alabama history, including an F4 tornado that tracked through Tuscaloosa.

1932 Deep South tornado outbreak

– Infamous tornado outbreak occurring on April 5–6, 1936. Deadliest U.S. tornado outbreak since the March 1925 (Tri-State Tornado) outbreak, thus surpassing the March 1932, April 1974, and April 2011 outbreaks in total fatalities.

1936 Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak

– F4 tornado that hit the northern Birmingham suburbs on April 15, 1956.

April 1956 Birmingham tornado

– Infamous tornado outbreak that occurred on April 3–4, 1974, similar in severity to the 2011 Super Outbreak; though the 2011 event surpassed the 1974 Super Outbreak as the largest recorded outbreak.

1974 Super Outbreak

– F5 tornado that hit the northern Birmingham suburbs on April 4, 1977.

April 1977 Birmingham tornado

– March 27, 1994, outbreak that produced an F4 tornado in St. Clair, Calhoun and Cherokee Counties in north-central Alabama.

1994 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak

– F5 tornado that struck western parts of Birmingham on April 8, 1998.

April 1998 Birmingham tornado

– F4 tornado that hit southeast suburbs of Tuscaloosa on December 16, 2000.

December 2000 Tuscaloosa tornado

Chiu, Samantha (2013). Mesoscale and Stormscale Ingredients of Tornadic Supercells Producing Long-track Tornadoes in the 2011 Alabama Super Outbreak. M.S. Thesis (Thesis). Urbana-Champaign: University of Illinois. :2142/45431.

hdl

The Influence of Terrain during the 27 April 2011 Super Tornado Outbreak and 5 July 2012 Derecho around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Thompson, Richard L.; M.D. Vescio (1998). . 19th Conference on Severe Local Storms. Minneapolis, MN: American Meteorological Society.

"The Destruction Potential Index – a method for comparing tornado days (DPI)"

NWS Service Assessment

Archived May 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine

Hook–Echo.com Tornado Outbreak Overview

Time lapse visualization of the April 25–28 tornado outbreak

Interactive map of all the tornado paths during the April 25–28 outbreak

(NWS Morristown, TN)

Videotaped presentations on the 27 April 2011 Super Tornado Outbreak in east Tennessee and southwest Virginia

Emergency Tornado Aid


Memorials


Pictures from Tuscaloosa, Alabama


Video