This is a list of all tornadoes that were confirmed by local offices of the National Weather Service in the United States in April 2011. It was, by a wide margin, the most active tornado month in United States history, with 780 tornadoes being confirmed from April 4 to April 30. The first tornado event of the month accompanied a large-scale damaging wind event, during which eight people were killed by falling trees. The severe weather outbreak also produced 46 tornadoes, mainly across Arkansas, Kentucky, and Mississippi. Tornado activity continued into early April 5, where an EF2 tornado in Dodge County, Georgia, resulted in one fatality. A couple tornadoes, EF1 and EF2, struck Pulaski County, Virginia, on April 8, ahead of a second outbreak from April 9–11. This outbreak significantly impacted the Upper Midwest, including Iowa and Wisconsin. Iowa was struck by numerous tornadoes on April 9, including three rated EF3 and one rated EF4, mainly affecting Sac, Buena Vista, and Pocahontas counties. Sixteen tornadoes touched down in Wisconsin on April 10, including an EF3 tornado that struck Merrill, ranking the outbreak as the state's largest April event on record as well as one of the largest single-day outbreaks ever. Although no one was killed, nineteen people were injured during the outbreak.
From April 25–28, 359 tornadoes occurred across 21 states in the Southern, Midwestern, and Northeastern United States in what became known as the 2011 Super Outbreak. Numerous tornadoes touched down across Texas and Arkansas on April 25, including an EF3 tornado near Hot Springs Village, Arkansas that caused significant damage and killed one person and a long-track EF2 tornado in the Vilonia, Arkansas area that killed four people and injured 16 others while staying down for over an hour.[1][2] April 26 saw mostly weaker tornadoes and no fatalities, with the notable tornadoes of the day being an EF2 tornado that tracked across parts of Texas and into Louisiana and a brief EF3 tornado that struck Campbell Army Airfield.[3][4][5] From the 27th to early on the 28th, a series of devastating, long-tracked, violent tornadoes killed over 300 people throughout an area extending from Mississippi to Virginia. This included eleven tornadoes rated EF4 and four rated EF5. One particularly devastating and long-lived EF5 wedge tornado tore across northern Alabama and into Tennessee, killing 72 people, while a large, long-tracked EF4 wedge tornado caused catastrophic damage in densely populated areas of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Alabama, killing 64 people. Over 215 tornadoes occurred on April 27 alone.[6][7]
Numerous other small towns including Smithville, Mississippi; Cordova, Alabama; Rainsville, Alabama; Ohatchee, Alabama; Cullman, Alabama; Trenton, Georgia; Ringgold, Georgia; Apison, Tennessee; and Glade Spring, Virginia sustained devastating, direct hits from intense tornadoes during the outbreak, with several producing death tolls well into the double digits. 319 tornado-related deaths occurred from April 27–28, bringing the total death toll from April 25–28 to 324 from 31 separate tornadoes; 24 additional fatalities occurred from separate thunderstorm impacts.[6][7] The outbreak continued during the overnight and into the morning of April 28, with 47 more tornadoes occurring from Florida to New York. Most of the tornadoes very relatively weak and caused comparatively minor damage. Much of the tornado activity ceased by mid-morning, with only ten tornadoes occurring during the afternoon as the outbreak came to an end.[6][7] This exceptional outbreak was followed by three weak tornadoes in Texas on April 30 to end the month.
During the course of the month, 363 people were killed as a direct result of 43 different tornadoes, while over 3,700 people were injured; most of the casualties occurred on April 27.
Numerous trees were snapped, a small trailer was tossed 20 yards (18 m), and four chicken houses were destroyed, killing hundreds of chickens. Two people were injured.[8]
Many trees were snapped or uprooted, of which one fell on a home, puncturing the roof. A large storage building was destroyed, and a second home sustained minor damage.[8]
The tornado began on the west side of Whelen Springs and traveled to about three miles (4.8 km) west of town. Shingles and siding were blown off a house, and its television antenna was blown over. Numerous trees were blown down, one of which landed on a tractor shed at the residence. A canning shed was destroyed, with bottles and jars being scattered, farm gates were destroyed, and a few power poles and power lines were downed.[8]
An old gas station cover was blown down, several homes sustained minor roof damage, a carport was collapsed on a vehicle, and several trees were snapped or uprooted. A small metal outbuilding sustained structural damage.[8]
A farm building was destroyed, the second story of a house was removed, and a garage was leveled. Several additional homes sustained roof damage, two mobile homes were overturned, and four chicken barns were either destroyed or heavily damaged. Numerous farm buildings and grain bins were destroyed, and numerous trees were snapped or uprooted. A mobile home was shifted slightly off its foundation. One person was injured.[8]
One mobile home was overturned and destroyed, another was shifted off its foundation, a camper trailer was overturned, and several houses sustained shingle damage. Several trees were blown down.[8]
An industrial warehouse building along U.S. 41 was heavily damaged, with large sections of roofing removed, small sections of exterior walls blown in, and a rooftop HVAC unit blown away. Elsewhere, steel utility poles were bent almost to the ground, several barns were destroyed, and two homes lost their metal roofs. Dozens of trees were uprooted along the path, which passed just north of Pembroke. Seven people were injured inside the warehouse.[8]
A number of trees were snapped or uprooted. Metal roofing was blown off a barn and a residence, one small but well-constructed shed was pushed onto its side, and another small shed was destroyed.[8]
A tree was blown onto a restaurant, the metal roof was blown off a cinder block dugout on a baseball field and a mobile home, and three large grain bins were moved off their foundations. A tractor trailer was blown over, and several trees were snapped or uprooted.[8]
Several businesses sustained significant roof damage, signs and overhangs were torn off, and dozens of trees were snapped or uprooted, several of which fell on homes and vehicles.[8]
Hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted, several structures sustained significant roof damage, and several outbuildings and barns were heavily damaged.[8]
The tornado began just inside the Williamson County line near Nolensville and moved east toward Smyrna. Numerous power poles were snapped, hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted, some small storage buildings were destroyed, numerous homes sustained roof and siding damage, and several fences were blown down. A tractor trailer and several cargo trailers were overturned.[8]
Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, some of which fell on homes and a vehicle. Shingles were pulled from one house, and a tin roof was ripped from a shop.[8]
Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, a hunting camp was heavily damaged, a mobile home was tossed down a ravine and destroyed, and a covered travel trailer was blown on to its side.[8]
The tornado began in Tensas Parish, Louisiana before dissipating in Claiborne County, Mississippi. Numerous homes, farms, and outbuildings sustained significant damage, a water treatment plant and antebellum home were majorly damaged, a grain silo received a huge dent, and an 18-wheeler was flipped over. Hundreds of trees were snapped and uprooted, and numerous power poles were snapped. One person was injured.[8]
A large garage had a portion of its roof peeled off, a supporting post was snapped, one side of the building was blown inward, and metal doors on the opposite side were blown outward. A smaller garage sustained major damage to a metal door. A large section of metal and wood roofing was removed from a barn, a door was removed from a smaller storage shed, and a house sustained minor damage. A few trees were uprooted.[8]
A gas station awning was destroyed, the back wall was blown out of a volunteer fire department building, a church had its steeple blown off and sustained extensive shingle damage, and numerous homes sustained various degrees of roof damage. Several trees were snapped or uprooted, some of which fell on vehicles and houses.[8]
A carport was lifted off a home, causing significant damage, and other buildings sustained minor to moderate roof damage. Significant tree damage was observed.[8]
A trailer was lifted and thrown into a camper. Sheet metal, tin roofing, and an awning were tossed and wrapped around a tree. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted.[8]
Roofing was removed from a few commercial buildings, windows were blown out of two houses, large sections of two fences were blown down, large tree limbs were snapped, and several trees were blown down.[8]
Several hundred trees were snapped or uprooted, six chicken houses were heavily damaged or destroyed, a horse stable was destroyed, and three outbuildings were heavily damaged.[8]
About 35 to 40 homes sustained roof or shingle damage, carports collapsed on vehicles, and the windows were blown out at a community building. Numerous trees were felled, some of which landed on houses and barns.[8]
Approximately 100 trees were blown down, snapped, or uprooted, inflicting minor to moderate damage to nine homes. The garage was blown out of one of the houses, shifting the home off its foundation and causing significant damage.[8]
1 death – A double-wide mobile home was completely destroyed, killing one of the occupants. Several trees were blown down or uprooted, and the roof and front porch of a second mobile home were destroyed. Two people were injured.[8]
Over 200 houses were damaged in Pulaski, of which at least 30 were destroyed. Some homes had entire roofs removed and upper floors destroyed. A couple were knocked off their foundations. Many trees were snapped. Nine people were injured.[10]
A well-constructed barn lifted and moved, a well-anchored carport was destroyed, and many large trees were twisted or uprooted. Two houses and a vehicle were also damaged.[13]
Two mobile homes were flipped over, injuring three of the occupants in one. Several houses sustained minor structural damage, and other mobile homes received mainly minor underskirting and roof damage. The roof was blown off a vehicle shed, and trees were downed.[16]
A large tornado caused severe damage in Mapleton. Over 100 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed, representing about 60% of the town. Most garages and other small structures were destroyed, large trees were uprooted, and windows were blown out of vehicles. Fourteen people were injured. A state of emergency was declared as a result of the tornado.[20]
This tornado occurred between Arthur and Ida Grove, where two grain bins and two outbuildings on a farmstead were either heavily damaged or destroyed, and a house and garage sustained shingle damage. Several trees were downed, and power poles and lines were damaged.[22]
A large wedge tornado damaged or destroyed several houses and downed power lines. It initially moved northeast toward Early before making a sharp turn north-northwest to just east of Schaller. This tornado occurred simultaneously to and just west of the following tornado.[23][24]
This tornado formed as a satellite to the previous tornado. It executed a brief loop and then moved due north before dissipating. It remained primarily over open country.[23][26]
A farmstead was severely damaged, with numerous outbuildings destroyed and a home losing its roof. Outbuildings at another farmstead were damaged, as was an outbuilding at an ethanol plant. At least five power poles were snapped, and trees were downed as well.[27]
A very large, long-tracked wedge tornado leveled several farmhouses and damaged several others. Numerous farm buildings, silos, farm equipment, and livestock shelters were also damaged or destroyed. Numerous power poles and lines were blown down, along with many trees. The tornado remained on the ground for an hour and reached a maximum width of 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in Pocahontas County. It was associated with six satellite tornadoes, including two simultaneous in Buena Vista County and four simultaneous in Pocahontas County, with five tornadoes on the ground at one time from 02:56–02:58 UTC. This tornado took a very erratic path, turning eastward and northward along a northeasterly track, producing an unusual and varying debris field; the track ended just west-southwest of Havelock.[23][28]
Several outbuildings were damaged or destroyed on two farmsteads, a camper was flipped into a garage, causing damage to both, a large anchored empty tank was flipped, and several buildings in a livestock confinement area were heavily damaged. A house sustained roof damage and broken windows, a grain bin was blown into a semi truck, and a semi trailer was flipped onto another grain bin. Several trees were snapped or uprooted, corn stubble was scoured, and power poles and lines were damage.[30]
This was the first satellite tornado to the long-track EF3 tornado that began at 02:08 UTC. The tornado moved due east before hooking to the north-northwest into Buena Vista County and dissipating. Farm buildings were heavily damaged, and trees were downed.[23][31]
The strongest tornado of the outbreak, rated low-end EF4, was an intense satellite tornado that occurred on the west flank of the large EF3 wedge tornado that began at 02:08 UTC. The tornado moved to the east-southeast, absorbing the 02:56 UTC EF2 tornado that formed as another satellite. One house was flattened and swept off its foundation by this tornado. A combine, estimated at 30,000 pounds (14,000 kg), sitting in a machine shed was tossed roughly 100 yards (91 m), and many trees were debarked.[23][35][36]
This satellite tornado to the long-track EF3 wedge tornado was on the ground at the same time as the following tornado. Relatively minor damage occurred. Both tornadoes moved generally northward just to the southeast of the 02:08 parent EF3 tornado and the 02:56 UTC EF2 satellite.[23][37]
This satellite tornado to the long-track EF3 wedge tornado was an anticyclonic tornado paired with the previous cyclonic tornado. Relatively minor damage occurred. Both tornadoes moved generally northward just to the southeast of the 02:08 parent EF3 tornado and the 02:56 UTC EF2 satellite.[23][38]
This satellite tornado to the long-track EF3 wedge tornado took a curved path northward on the west side of the parent tornado and was quickly absorbed by the eastward moving EF4 satellite. One home was severely damaged.[23][39]
One house was damaged as the tornado remained over mostly open fields. This tornado occurred east of the track of the 02:08 UTC EF3 wedge tornado that had just dissipated to the northwest.[23][40]
Two farmsteads were impacted, with many trees downed. At one, a garage was destroyed, and a barn was heavily damaged as well. This was the earliest tornado to touch down in Eau Claire County on record; the previous earliest was May 10.[42]
Severe damage occurred on the north side of Merrill, especially at and around the Merrill Municipal Airport, where hangars and airplanes were destroyed. Throughout Merrill, 65 houses and 12 businesses were damaged or destroyed, with several homes losing nearly all exterior and some interior walls. One person was thrown 200 feet (61 m) after the tornado destroyed his home; he sustained serious injuries. Another person sustained minor injuries. An industrial park sustained heavy damage, and a few other homes and barns were damaged outside of Merrill. Many trees were downed along the path as well.[44][45][46]
Numerous houses sustained roof and structural damage, and mobile homes were either heavily damaged or destroyed, along with barns and sheds. A camping trailer was also overturned and sheet metal was wrapped around trees. A lake association building was completely destroyed, a cement silo was knocked over, vehicles were flipped, and numerous center-pivot irrigation systems were twisted or destroyed. Numerous trees were downed along the path.[44][47][48]
Several houses sustained roof damage, the roof was torn off a mobile home, and several center-pivot irrigation systems were destroyed. Trees and power poles were downed as well.[50]
This tornado produced extensive tree damage along the path, affecting over 1,600 acres (6.5 km2) and knocking down or damaging over one million trees. One cabin was destroyed by falling trees.[51]
Multiple barns and other farm buildings were heavily damaged or destroyed, and highway signs were damaged. The roof was torn off a house in Readfield, and the steeple was torn off a church. Many trees were snapped or uprooted along the path.[52]
Hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted, some of which fell on cabins. A roof was torn off of a home, several barns and garages were destroyed, and power lines were downed as well.[53]
Near Poy Sippi, a house was damaged, and a barn was destroyed. Along the north shore of Lake Poygan, another barn was flattened. Near Boom Bay in Winnebago County, two homes lost portions of their roofs, while several other houses sustained minor damage. Two small mobile homes were rolled as well. Many trees were snapped or uprooted along the path.[54]
Lawn furniture was sucked from under a porch and thrown against a fence, an outdoor spa was damaged, and a wooden structure received light damage. Trees and tree branches were snapped as well.[56]
Over 180 houses were impacted in Kaukauna, several of them losing large sections of their roofs. In total, seven homes were destroyed, 24 homes and four businesses sustained major damage, and 160 other homes sustained minor damage. A church sustained roof damage and had air conditioning units torn off, and large trees were snapped or uprooted.[57]
A waterspout moved onshore from Lake Winnebago and damaged two homes. A three-season room on one of the houses was ripped off the structure. It also tore off a section of the roof of a large metal outbuilding and snapped the tops of trees.[59]
Five houses were damaged, one of them heavily, and a wall was torn from a pharmacy. A garage was shifted off its foundation, and several trees were downed.[61]
Eight homes, a pipe manufacturing plant, and two metal buildings were damaged in Cash, while four U-Haul trailers were blown across the highway. Several more homes sustain mainly minor roof damage to the northeast of Cash, although one home sustained significant damage to the roof and second story. Northwest of Lone Oak, five mobile homes were damaged or destroyed, and another site-built home sustained significant damage. Trees were downed along the path.[64]
This brief tornado was embedded in a larger microburst. Several homes and other buildings were damaged, mostly by falling trees, and the windows were blown out of a vehicle. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted as well.[65]
A brief tornado damaged a pump house on a farm, throwing insulation and lumber up to 100 yards (91 m) away. Trees, grass, and weeds were blown down.[66]
Several houses sustained minor damage, mainly to roofs, a business had shingles removed, and a storage building was damaged. Several trees and power lines were knocked down, including six large pecan trees.[69]
^"Heavy Rain/Severe Weather on April 23–27, 2011". National Weather Service Office in Little Rock, Arkansas. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. May 14, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
^"Damage Survey Results For Ft. Campbell, KY". National Weather Service Office in Paducah, Kentucky. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. May 5, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiajakalamanaoapaqarasatNational Climatic Data Center (April 2011). "April 2011"(PDF). Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena with Late Reports and Corrections. 53 (4). Asheville, North Carolina: United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original(PDF) on February 8, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
^ abcdefghiAll dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time and dates are split at midnight CDT for consistency.
^ abcdefghiAll damage totals are in 2011 USD unless otherwise stated.
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