Published: April 1, 2021
One of the most shocking weather months in U.S. history happened 10 years ago this April.
A record-breaking 758 tornadoes across more than two dozen states touched down in April 2011. It came in the form of several severe weather and tornado outbreaks and was capped off by a super outbreak that alone was responsible for more than 300 deaths.
A total of 363 people were killed by tornadoes during the multiple outbreaks that month.
The 758 tornadoes for the month easily topped the previous monthly tornado record of 542 twisters set in May 2004. April 2011 also had 3,324 severe thunderstorm wind reports, which is roughly triple the April average since 2000.
The combination of damage from tornadoes, high winds and large hail meant that five separate severe weather outbreaks in the month caused $1 billion or more in damage, according to NOAA.
Confirmed tornadoes and ratings from April 2011.April 2011's Worst Outbreak
The most destructive outbreak of the month spawned 349 tornadoes in 21 states April 25-28, from Texas to the East Coast. Two-hundred and seven tornadoes hit on the peak day of April 27 alone. Fifteen of those were rated violent tornadoes of either EF4 or EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
Hardest hit was the Deep South, particularly Alabama, Mississippi, northwest Georgia and Tennessee. But tornadoes were reported as far north as New York and Pennsylvania.
EF5 tornadoes struck Smithville and Philadelphia in Mississippi and Hackleburg/Phil Campbell and Dekalb County in Alabama.
The remains of a Ford Explorer in Smithville, Mississippi. The April 27, 2011 tornado hurled the SUV about one-half mile, into the town's water tower (in the picture background) and continued on another one-quarter mile until impact.An EF4 tornado tore through both the Tuscaloosa and west Birmingham, Alabama, metro areas. The parent supercell spawning the Tuscaloosa/Birmingham tornado tracked 380 miles in just under 7.5 hours from eastern Mississippi to western North Carolina.
All but five of the 324 tornado-related deaths in this outbreak happened on April 27. Alabama had the highest toll with 240 lives lost.
Damage from the super outbreak cost an estimated $12.1 billion (CPI-adjusted), making it the costliest severe weather outbreak dating to 1980, according to NOAA.
Radar composite from 3:40 p.m. to 11:40 p.m. EDT of the supercell responsible for the Tuscaloosa and west Birmingham tornadoes on April 27, 2011.The Other April 2011 Destructive Outbreaks
April 4-5: Massive Wind Damage
The month began with an outbreak of severe storms that produced a massive area of wind damage reports from the lower Mississippi Valley to the Southeast and mid-Atlantic coasts. Nearly four dozen tornadoes were embedded in this large-scale wind damage event, according to NOAA.
The total damage cost of this outbreak was estimated to be $3.3 billion (CPI-adjusted), NOAA says.
April 8-11: Midwest, South Severe Weather
Another round of severe storms fired up from portions of the Midwest into the South as we entered April's second week. The severe weather affected several states, including the Carolinas, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa and Wisconsin.
EF3-rated tornadoes caused heavy damage in Mapleton, Iowa, on April 9, and Merrill, Wisconsin, on April 10.
NOAA estimated that this four-day episode of severe weather costs $2.6 billion (CPI-adjusted).
April 14-16: Three-Day Severe Weather Siege
Severe weather shifted back southward in mid-April with a three-day outbreak producing tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail from Texas and Oklahoma to the Southeast coast, Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic.
There were an estimated 177 tornadoes in this widespread event, according to NOAA.
A total of 38 deaths were blamed on tornadoes. The deadliest tornado was an EF3 that alone killed 12 people in Bertie County, North Carolina, on April 16.
NOAA estimated the damage cost from this outbreak to be $2.4 billion(CPI-adjusted).
All reports of severe weather in April 2011, including tornadoes (red dots), damaging winds (blue dots) and large hail (green dots).April 19-20: Midwest, South Outbreak
After a couple of quieter days, the atmosphere reloaded with more destructive storms from the Ohio Valley into the South over two days.
There were over 1,000 reports of severe weather in 16 states, which produced an estimated damage cost of $1.2 billion (CPI-adjusted).
April 22: St. Louis tornado
The first "violent" tornado of April 2011 happened in the St. Louis metro area on the evening of April 22.
An EF4-rated tornado tore through the Bridgeton area of northwest St. Louis. St. Louis Lambert International Airport suffered damage along the 22-mile-long path of this twister which ended in Madison County, Illinois.
The good news is that no lives were lost despite the heavily-populated area that this powerful tornado tracked across.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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