Weather Whys; February 1884 Tornadoes

This is weather-wise. Few people think of February as a month when dangerous thunderstorms and tornadoes are likely to strike. But February 19th is a day which will live in infamy in American meteorological circles. On that day, in the year 1884, an outbreak of tornadoes swept through the southeastern United States, and four years later to the day, a massive twister moved 62 miles across the landscape of South Central Illinois, bringing devastation to the town of Mount Vernon. The southeastern tornado outbreak of 1884 consisted of 60 twisters that struck between 10am and midnight on the 19th. Even though the tornadoes didn't move through any major metropolitan areas, an estimated 800 people lost their lives as a result of the storms. The regions that suffered the worst devastation were in parts of North and South Carolina, as well as Georgia.

Researchers found several distinct swaths in those states where families of tornadoes had struck fairly close to one another. While the devastation from that outbreak was relatively minor in comparison with the super outbreak of April 3rd and 4th, 1974, it was still a major occurrence at the time. Indeed, until the super outbreak, no one believed such an event would ever happen again. In contrast, the Mount Vernon tornado was a relatively isolated event, but the energy associated with that storm was so incredible it was able to sustain a major tornado over a path of more than 60 miles. We'd like to know what you think of WeatherWise, please write us at WeatherWise KGOU Radio, the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, 73019-0250. WeatherWise is made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation. But WeatherWise, I'm Drew Barlow.