 | |
| Type: | Tornado Outbreak |
| Active: | March 4th-7th, 2024 |
| Duration of tornado outbreak1: | 3 days, 15 hours, 38 minutes |
| Maximum rated tornado2: | EF5 tornado |
| Highest winds | 235 mph |
| Tornadoes confirmed: | 84 |
| Damage: | $7 billion |
| Injuries: | 1031 |
| Fatalities: | 452 |
| Areas affected: | Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas |
|
1Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
The Tornado Outbreak Sequence of March 4-7, 2024 was a devastating, destructive tornado outbreak that affected the states of Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Arkansas.
A large storm system which formed in early March over the Central United States was responsible for the tornado outbreak. The outbreak produced a total of 84 tornadoes, including 2 that were rated EF5 and 2 that were rated EF4.
Confirmed Tornadoes[]
| Confirmed Total |
Confirmed EF0 |
Confirmed EF1 |
Confirmed EF2 |
Confirmed EF3 |
Confirmed EF4 |
Confirmed EF5 |
| 84 | 43 | 20 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Notable Tornados[]
March 4[]
Shelbyville, Missouri[]
| EF3 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 3:47 AM CST – 3:57 AM CST | ||
| Intensity | 235 km/h (145 mph) (1-min) | ||
This nighttime EF3 tornado touched down at 3:47 AM CST just west of Shelbyville, Missouri and quickly moved east while it strengthened. Just 2 minutes later without much warning the tornado struck the southern edge of the city Shelbyville at EF2 strength having narrowly missed the town center, it ended up damaging several homes and killing 5 people who were asleep in their homes, unaware of the tornado. The fast-moving tornado moved onto open areas where it reached it's peak intensity as an EF3, inflicting heavy damage to the open farms and fields it went through before it weakened and dissipated after only 10 minutes on the ground.
Despite being a short-lived tornado which tracked a total of 8.4 miles, it was still notable for striking at night and killing 5 people, it was also the first major tornado of the outbreak.
Chapman-Woodbine, Kansas[]
| EF2 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 1:19 PM CST – 1:53 PM CST | ||
| Intensity | 195 km/h (120 mph) (1-min) | ||
The rest of March 4th remained pretty quiet until this long-tracked EF2 tornado touched down in Clay County, Kansas at 1:19 PM CST. It moved southeast and kept it's strength on it's path. After spending a long time in Clay County, the tornado struck the city of Chapman at EF2 intensity, where damage was done towards houses and several cars. 2 people were killed in Chapman by debris. After leaving Chapman, the tornado kept moving southeast as it went through Dickinson County.
Eventually, the tornado made a sudden left turn and hit the outskirts of the town of Woodbine still at EF2 intensity, before it took another slight left turn and onto the open lands where it remained for the rest of it's life before dissipating at 1:53 PM CST after a long track of 61 miles.
The tornado killed a total of 2 people and caused around $450,000 in damages.
March 5[]
Cuba, Missouri[]
| EF4 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 2:59 PM CST – 3:30 PM CST | ||
| Intensity | 305 km/h (190 mph) (1-min) | ||
This violent EF4 tornado touched down at 2:59 PM CST in a forest and upon touchdown it strengthened into an EF1. The thin, rope tornado kept it's shape as it moved through the forests and this went on for miles until the tornado suddenly gained strength and quickly transformed from a thin rope EF1 to a wedge EF4, inflicting violent damage in the forests, then taking a slight turn to the right as it continued through the forests. The tornado was now only about 3 miles southwest of Cuba, Missouri and residents were quickly alerted as the tornado moved towards Cuba.
At around 3:12 PM, the tornado entered Cuba, Missouri still at EF4 strength. The tornado demolished several homes as it entered the city, before moving towards the central commercial district where further violent damage was inflicted. The tornado then crossed the commercial district before moving back into residential areas before exiting the city entirely. 14 people were killed in Cuba, 9 of these fatalities coming from the commercial district of the city. The tornado then reached it's peak intensity, reaching speeds of around 190 miles per hour and becoming a mile-wide wedge, dealing severe damage to the forests in it's path. The tornado kept going through the forests for several more miles before it began to weaken. At 3:30 PM CST, the tornado dissipated. The tornado's track was 33.7 miles long.
The tornado killed 14 people and caused $20 million in damages.
Edina, Missouri[]
| EF5 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 5:11 PM CST – 5:45 PM CST | ||
| Intensity | 340 km/h (210 mph) (1-min) | ||
This violent EF5 tornado touched down about a mile south of the small town of Leonard at 5:11 PM CST and moved quickly north, a couple minutes later the tornado hit the town of Leonard at EF2 intensity, damaging a few homes but no damage otherwise. After leaving the town of Leonard, the tornado moved over open areas where it began to strengthen rapidly. Within minutes of entering the open areas the tornado reached EF4 strength and started to cause serious damage on the open fields and farms.
The tornado continued north in the open areas for several miles, then it began to scour the ground and debarked several trees, clear indicators the tornado had reached EF5 intensity. The tornado continued moving north with the city of Edina now directly in it's path. At about 5:33 PM CST the tornado entered Edina and immediately began completely demolishing homes. While in Edina, the tornado tore a large well-built home to pieces and carried a 50 ton Volvo excavator and tossed it 500 yards from it's original position. By the time the tornado left Edina, the whole east side of the city was almost completely destroyed. 49 people were killed in Edina.
After leaving Edina, the tornado continued to inflict EF5 damage in the forests and fields. The tornado killed 2 people after it carried their car as it crossed the road, 2 more people were killed when the tornado destroyed their farmhouse, which was completely stripped off it's foundation. Finally, the tornado weakened into an EF2 and after traveling for a couple more miles it finally dissipated after a track of 27.5 miles.
The tornado killed a total of 53 people and caused about $50 million in damage.
Richland-Keota, Iowa[]
| EF3 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 6:04 PM CST – 6:21 PM CST | ||
| Intensity | 255 km/h (160 mph) (1-min) | ||
This violent EF3 tornado touched down at 6:03 PM CST from the exact same cloud that earlier produced the EF5 tornado which struck Edina, Missouri. The tornado quickly strengthened into an EF3 upon touchdown as it moved north towards the town of Richland, Iowa. This fast moving tornado was rain-wrapped as it struck Richland, going right through the center of the town and destroying and damaging several homes, businesses and other structures. 4 people were killed in Richland.
The tornado continued slightly northeast into open areas for several miles, weakening as it entered the town of Keota. By the time the tornado arrived to Keota it had significantly weakened and did no more then EF1 damage to the town, however 2 people were still killed. Just as the tornado exited town, it dissipated at around 6:21 PM CST.
The tornado killed 6 people and caused about $2.5 million in damage
July 6[]
Cawker City, Kansas[]
| EF2 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 6:47 AM CST – 7:01 AM CST | ||
| Intensity | 180 km/h (115 mph) (1-min) | ||
This unusually-tracked EF2 touched down at 6:47 AM CST just west of Cawker City, Kansas and moved east straight into Cawker City as an EF1, causing slight damages into the city. After leaving the city, the tornado moved into Waconda lake and became a brief waterspout, it took a sudden turn north while in the lake before it found it's way back to land. The tornado continued north for a bit where it strengthened to an EF2, then suddenly turned again, going northeast.
After tracking northeast for 4 miles it had weakened slightly to an EF1, then the tornado made two left turns and started tracking northwest and suddenly strengthened to an EF2 once again and the tornado's sudden change in direction resulted in an unfortunate group of storm chasers right getting caught in it's path after the tornado came back on the road that they driving on, their SUV was sucked into the tornado and was thrown hard, killing all 3 chasers aboard. The tornado kept tracking northwest for several miles before it weakened and then moved around erratically again, before dissipating at 7:01 AM CST after a track of 19.5 miles.
3 people were killed by this tornado, minimal damages were caused.
York-Dorchester-Hallam-Cortland-Sterling-Johnson-Auburn, Nebraska[]
| EF5 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 2:37 PM CST – 4:09 PM CST | ||
| Intensity | 380 km/h (235 mph) (1-min) | ||
A rogue supercell would be responsible for producing what would be an extremely violent, long-tracked, EF5 wedge tornado. The tornado touched down at 2:37 PM CST in York County, Nebraska about 13 miles northwest of York and within just 2 minutes, the tornado had rapidly intensified into a wedge and was already at around EF4 strength, dealing severe damage in the fields. Unfortunately, the tornado moved southeast and was headed straight for York.
At 2:48 PM CST, the tornado entered the city of York, Nebraska at what would be EF5 strength. It completely swept away small homes in the suburbs near the city, the tornado then moved directly to the center of the city to the commercial district. It was over here that the tornado produced massive EF5 damage, tearing apart at least 3 well-built commercial buildings completely off their foundations and dealing severe damage to others, the tornado also destroyed the York County courthouse to the point where only 2 walls were left standing. After leaving the commercial district, the tornado continued leveling houses in the suburbs before finally leaving the city. A total of 241 people were killed in York.
The tornado continued on in the open fields and farms still an EF5, where it scoured the ground and leveled trees. The tornado was at EF5 strength for several miles but slightly weakened as it struck the town of Dorchester as an EF4, destroying majority of the town and killing 14 more people. After several more miles, the tornado once again began to scour the ground, reaching peak EF5 strength once again and at this point the tornado was measured to have a width of 1.5 miles and windspeeds of around 235 miles per hour.
The tornado then went through the town of Hallam as an EF5, 20 years after it was struck by a large EF4 back in 2004. Hallam was nearly completely leveled and once again would have to rebuild. 8 people were killed in Hallam. The tornado also struck the outskirts of the town of Cortland, where 5 more people were killed.
The tornado tracked on for several miles, weakening into an EF3 as it entered the town of Sterling, damaging and destroying several houses. The tornado continued as an EF3 for a while, but as it got closer to the town of Johnson, it picked up strength and once again became a EF5 tornado. The tornado then entered the town of Johnson and caused devastation, completely leveling houses once again and killing 23 people. While in Johnson, it had taken down a power line, which would later start a large fire that would engulf the whole southern part of town. 6 civilians and 3 firefighters were killed in the fire, their deaths would be counted in the tornado's death total.
After leaving Johnson, the tornado continued for a few miles before it weakened to an EF3 again for the last time. The tornado struck the city of Auburn as an EF3, inflicting damage to the Auburn High School and many other structures and killing 8 people. The tornado rapidly weakened after leaving Auburn, continuing for a few more miles. Finally at 4:09 PM CST, the monster tornado dissipates after 114.5 mile long path.
The tornado killed a total of 308 people and caused about $2.6 billion in damage, making it the deadliest and costliest tornado in Nebraska history.
Manning, Iowa[]
| EF4 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 3:51 PM CST – 4:18 PM CST | ||
| Intensity | 320 km/h (200 mph) (1-min) | ||
This violent multi-vortex EF4 tornado touched down at 3:51 PM CST in Shelby County, Iowa. The tornado moved to the northeast and began to strengthen, showing multi-vortex characteristics. The now EF3 tornado picked up a car as it crossed a road and destroyed it, killing the 2 occupants inside.
The tornado tracked on for a couple more miles before reaching peak intensity as a high-end EF4, inflicting serious damage as it got closer to the city of Manning. At 4:04 PM CST, the large tornado enters Manning, immediately destroying a couple of shops and businesses. The tornado continued through the northwest side of the city, badly damaging and tearing the roof off the Manning Child Care Center. Then the tornado went through residential areas where it destroyed or badly damaged several homes, before leaving the town. 37 people were killed in Manning.
The tornado continued to track northeast for several miles before it dissipated at 4:18 PM CST after a track of 18.7 miles. The tornado killed a total of 39 people and caused $23 million in damage. The tornado was initially rated EF5, but quickly downgraded to EF4 after surveys, the rating remains controversial as many believe the tornado did in fact cause EF5 damage.