Tornadoes of 1954

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Tornadoes of 1954
1954 Tornadoes.png
Tornado tracks of 1954.
Timespan1954
Maximum rated tornadoF4 tornado
  • 7 locations
    on 6 different days
Tornadoes in U.S.550[1]
Damage (U.S.)$85.805 million (1954 USD)
Fatalities (U.S.)36
Fatalities (worldwide)>36

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1954, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.

Events[]

1954 broke the record for the most active tornado season just one year after 1953 set the mark. Unlike the previous year, however, many tornadoes were weak and the death toll for the year was much lower. April, May, and June all saw more than 100 tornadoes, the first time any month had officially seen more than 100. April was the most active of three with 113 tornadoes. Meanwhile, the deadliest month was May, which had 13 fatalities.

United States Yearly Total[]

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 89 226 189 39 7 0 550

January[]

There were two tornadoes confirmed in the US in January.[1]

January 30 (Nova Scotia)[]

A tornado accompanied by hail and lightning struck White Point Beach, Nova Scotia near Liverpool, although the damage done is unknown.[2]

February[]

There were 17 tornadoes confirmed in the US in February.[1]

February 15–16[]

FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 1 1 2 0 0

Three strong tornadoes struck Arkansas. On February 15, an F3 tornado hit areas northwest of Clarksville, Arkansas, injuring 24. An F2 tornado than hit rural Sevier County, Arkansas with no casualties. On February 16, a half-mile wide F3 tornado than struck , killing one and injuring four. An additional F1 tornado struck Downtown Gaffney, South Carolina with no casualties. Overall, the four tornadoes killed one and injured 28.[1]

February 19–21[]

FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 3 7 0 0 0

An outbreak of mostly strong F2 tornadoes struck the Southeast. On February 19, an F2 tornado struck Tunica, Louisiana killing one and injuring four. On February 20, a long-tracked F2 tornado moved through Sumrall and Sanford, Mississippi, injuring 10. Another F2 tornado moved through areas northwest of Little Rock, Mississippi, injuring another 10. Overall, the 10 tornadoes killed one and injured 34.[1]

March[]

There were 62 tornadoes confirmed in the US in March.[1]

March 13[]

FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 2 0 2 0 0

An outbreak of four tornadoes struck Alabama and Georgia.[3] A 1480 yard wide F3 tornado caused major damage in Fort Mitchell, Alabama and Fort Benning, killing two and injuring 20.[4] Another long-tracked F3 tornado struck Roberta, , and Macon, Georgia, killing five and injuring 75.[5] An F1 satellite tornado was also observed northeast of Butler with no casualties.[6] Another weak, but fatal, long-tracked F1 tornado struck Centerville, Elberta, Northern Warner Robins, Georgia and Robins Air Force Base, killing one and injuring five.[7] This came just 10 months after F4 and F2 tornadoes caused considerable damage and casualties to these same area.[8][9][10] Overall, the four tornadoes killed eight and injured 100.[3]

March 24–25[]

FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 16 8 3 1 0

An outbreak of 28 tornadoes struck the Great Plains and Arkansas. On March 24, an F1 tornado injured four people in Frisco, Texas. Later, an F3 tornado moved through Centerton, Bentonville, and Leetown, Arkansas, injuring four. An F2 tornado struck Lanagan and Longview, Missouri, injuring one. Another F3 tornado injured two south of Jenkins, Missouri. Overnight on March 25, a violent F4 tornado moved through rural Texas County, Missouri, killing two. Overall, the outbreak killed two and injured 11.[1]

April[]

There were 113 tornadoes confirmed in the US in April. This was the first month in recorded history to have over 100 tornadoes.[1]

April 5–7[]

FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 1 10 7 2 1 0

An outbreak of 21 tornadoes occurred across the Midwest.[1] On April 5, a large F4 tornado in Missouri tracked into Iowa and hit Northboro, injuring two.[11] Later, a half-mile wide F2 tornado northeast of Scranton, Iowa injured one. Another large F3 tornado tracked through areas near Coin, Iowa. On April 7, four people were injured by an F2 tornado south of Avoca, Wisconsin. The worst tornado of the outbreak then occurred: a long-tracked F3 tornado tore through Saunemin, Limestone, and Bourbonnais, Illinois, killing one and injuring 13. The final tornado of outbreak was a brief, but strong F2 tornado that injured two in Swartz Creek, Michigan. In all, the tornadoes killed one and injured 22.[1]

April 25–May 3[]

FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 11 39 37 10 3 0

A massive tornado outbreak sequence struck a large portion of the US, with April 30 and May 1 being the most prolific days with 29 and 19 tornadoes touching down respectively. On April 30, a long-tracked, half-mile wide F2 tornado traveled 68.8 miles through , Burke, and San Augustine, Texas, injuring 25. Later, a narrow, but long-tracked F3 tornado moved through Atlanta, Texas, Queen City, Texas, and Fouke, Arkansas, injuring one. A second long-tracked F3 tornado grew to a mile-wide as it tracked northeast through Malta, Texas and Mineral Springs, Arkansas into Nashville, Arkansas before turning southeast and striking Rosston, injuring two along its 111.6 mile path. The first fatal tornado then occurred in rural Sabine Parish, Louisiana, where an F2 tornado killed one and injured six. Later a long-tracked F4 tornado, the first violent tornado of the outbreak, touched down north of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and proceeded through four mostly rural counties in Iowa with no casualties.[1]

May 1, was the most violent and the deadliest day as a tornado outbreak struck Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The tornado activity began with a violent, long-tracked .25-mile wide F4 tornado that traveled 68.6 miles through Vernon, Texas and Manitou, Oklahoma, injuring two. This tornado may have reached F5 intensity as vehicles were thrown more than 100 yd (300 ft), and three farms were entirely swept away.[12] A fatal F3 tornado then struck rural areas in Tillman and Cotton Counties in Oklahoma, killing three and injuring three. A narrow, but violent, long-tracked F4 tornado than touched down in Southeastern Oklahoma City north of Lake Thunderbird and proceeded mainly northeast for 59.2 miles through the towns of McLoud, Sparks, Davenport, Stroud, and Milfay, injuring 65.[1] The tornado also destroyed the town of Meeker,[13] where no fatalities took place thanks to a timely warning of the storm by TV meteorologist Harry Volkman. One resident told a reporter "God bless Harry Volkman."[14] This eventually resulted in the government lifting its ban on tornado warnings.

In the end, 100 tornadoes were confirmed, making it one of the largest outbreak on record at the time. Four people were killed, and 167 others were injured.[1]

May[]

There were 101 tornadoes confirmed in the US in May.[1]

May 10[]

FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 1 1 1 0 0

Two brief, but strong tornadoes struck Connecticut. The first one struck Ellington at F3 strength, injuring two. An F2 tornado than hit rural areas east of Hartland. An additional brief, weak F1 tornado also touched down north-northwest of Normangee, Texas.[1]

May 30–June 3[]

FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 3 14 18 3 1 0

Another large and deadly tornado outbreak sequence struck the US. May 30 produced only two tornadoes, but one of them was the only violent tornado of the outbreak. The F4 tornado hit Kalamazoo, Warnerville, Nebraska, and Eastern Norfolk, killing six and injuring 23.[15] Weaker, but more prolific tornado activity occurred on May 31 with an F2 tornado striking Onarga, Illinois, injuring two people. More tornado activity occurred on June 1, with Western North Texas receiving the brunt of the storms. An F3 tornado moved through Paducah and areas east of , killing one and injuring 14. Another F3 tornado struck Iowa Park and Northern Pleasant Valley northwest of Wichita Falls, killing one and injuring four. The third, and final, F3 tornado then briefly touched down right over Downtown Burkburnett, injuring three. June 2 featured one more fatal tornado when a large, 1000 yard wide F2 twister killed one and injured eight in Enloe, Texas, although tornado activity lasted until June 3. Overall, 39 tornadoes were confirmed along with nine fatalities and 65 injuries.[1]

June[]

There were 107 tornadoes confirmed in the US in June.[1]

June 9[]

FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 2 0 0 0 1 0

Two brief F0 tornadoes touched down in Idaho before an F4 tornado tore through areas northeast of Lake City, Iowa, killing one.[1]

June 17[]

FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 1 1 1 0 0

A brief but strong F2 tornado struck Southeastern Muncie, Indiana. Later, a strong F3 tornado moved through Altona, Pender, and Thurston, Nebraska, killing one. An additional weak, but large half-mile wide F1 tornado struck the east side of Lake City, Minnesota. In the end, the three tornadoes killed one person.[1]

July[]

There were 45 tornadoes confirmed in the US in July.[1]

August[]

There were 49 tornadoes confirmed in the US in August.[1]

August 11[]

FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 1 0 1 0 0 0

An F0 tornado caused considerable damage on the southwest side of Fort Pierce South, Florida. Later, an unusually fatal F2 tornado killed one and injured one north of .[1]

September[]

There were 21 tornadoes confirmed in the US in September.[1]

September 14[]

A tornado touched down over Mindanao's Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines, which injured eight individuals. Eight households, many walls and trees also sustained damages.[16]

September 18[]

Just over a month after the previous tornado, an isolated, brief, but stronger F3 tornado touched down on the northeast side of Fort Pierce South, Florida, killing two and injuring two.[1]

September 30[]

FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 0 2 0 0 0

A brief, but fatal F2 tornado struck the southeastern side of Robertsville, Ohio, killing one and injuring three. Another brief F2 tornado struck Southern Sharpsville, Pennsylvania.[1]

October[]

There were 14 tornadoes confirmed in the US in October.[1]

October 10–11[]

FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 3 0 2 0 0

Five damaging tornadoes touched down across five states over a two-day span in October. On October 10, an F1 tornado struck in the southern suburbs of Chicago. Early on October 11, an F3 tornado struck Catherine, Kansas. That afternoon, another F3 tornado hit Mt. Pleasant and the northwest side of Franklin, Indiana, killing two. Another F1 tornado struck east-southeast of Galloway in the southwestern suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. The final tornado was a large, .25 mile wide F1 tornado near . Overall, the five tornadoes killed two.[1]

November[]

There were 2 tornadoes confirmed in the US in November.[1]

December[]

There were 17 tornadoes confirmed in the US in December.[1]

December 5[]

Main article: Tornado outbreak of December 5, 1954
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 4 8 2 0 0

An outbreak of 14 tornadoes struck Alabama and Georgia. The first tornado was a long-tracked F3 tornado hit the northern side of Opelika, Alabama before striking Hamilton, , and Manchester, Georgia, injuring seven on a 51-mile path. After that, another F3 tornado hit Ohatchee, Wellington, , , and Piedmont, Alabama, injuring 26. Next, an F2 tornado struck Blakely, Georgia, injuring two. After that, another long-tracked F2 tornado hit areas north of Eufaula, Alabama before striking Lumpkin and Ellaville, Georgia, killing one and injuring 35 along its 71.5 mile path. Later, an F2 tornado moved directly through Buena Vista, Georgia, injuring seven. An F1 tornado east of Talbotton, Georgia injured six while another F1 tornado north of injured two. The final tornado of the outbreak was a short-lived, but strong F2 tornado that struck areas northeast of East Point, Georgia in the southwestern suburbs of Atlanta, killing one and injuring 40. In the end, two people were killed and 125 others were injured.[1]

December 28–29[]

FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 1 1 1 0 0

Three tornadoes caused injuries in Mississippi.[1] On December 28, an F3 tornado moved directly through Laurel, injuring 25.[17] At the same time, a brief, but damaging F1 tornado injured two southeast of . Early the next day, an F2 tornado struck areas west of Shuqualak, injuring nine. In all, the three tornadoes injured 36 people.[1]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af "1/1-8/1/1954 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved 4 January 2022."8/2-12/31/1954 Tornadoes". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  2. ^ Government of Canada, Public Safety Canada (21 December 2018). "Canadian Disaster Database". cdd.publicsafety.gc.ca. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b "March 13, 1954 Tornadoes". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Alabama-Georgia F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Georgia F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Georgia F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Georgia F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  8. ^ Mackie, Matt. "Midstate residents remember EF4 tornado in Warner Robins 65 years ago". WGXA. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
  9. ^ National Weather Service (February 2020). Georgia Event Report: F4 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  10. ^ National Weather Service (February 2020). Georgia Event Report: F2 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Iowa F4". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  12. ^ Grazulis, Thomas P. (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN 1-879362-03-1.
  13. ^ "1954 Oklahoma Tornadoes".
  14. ^ Carey, Frank (March 28, 1955). "Tornado Forecasting Improvements Expected to Forestall Much Damage". The Ponca City News. Associated Press. p. 10. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  15. ^ "Nebraska F4". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  16. ^ "P.I. Tornado Injures 8". Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo-Yokohama Edition. Tokyo, Japan. September 14, 1954. p. 6. Retrieved January 3, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)icon of an open green padlock
  17. ^ "Mississippi F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
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