This was a very profilic outbreak and it's actually dubbed as one of the most photogenic outbreaks of all-time. Multiple photogenic torandoes touched down. 16 were EF0s and EF1s, and only three EF1s caused damage, but there were also six EF2s, three EF3s, and one EF4 killer tornado. This outbreak featured 10 significant, 1 violent, and 7 killer tornadoes. Most of the twisters were in Kansas, but a few reports were seen in Oklahoma and northern Texas.
| Confirmed Total |
Confirmed EF0 |
Confirmed EF1 |
Confirmed EF2 |
Confirmed EF3 |
Confirmed EF4 |
Confirmed EF5 |
| 27 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Notable Tornados[]
Seven notable twisters happened in this whole outbreak, and killed a total of at least 29 people.
February 2nd[]
Attica, KS Twister[]
| EF3 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 4:22 PM CDT – 5:09 PM CDT | ||
| Intensity | 220 km/h (140 mph) (1-min) | ||
This large EF3 tornado formed 22 miles outside of Attica, Kansas. Tracking through the ground at 50 miles an hour, it formed as a weak EF0 tornado, and then intensified slowly. It took almost 25 minutes to become near its peak strength. It hit two barns and one 2-story house just 1/2 a mile outside of Attica. This photo over here is that happening but it's taken from 3 miles away. At that point, it was a 135mph EF2+ tornado that was 300 metres wide. Nobody got killed in that house, but all 6 occupants were injured. Two out of 13 walls on the 2nd story were swept away. The tornado hit Attica at peak strength, hitting 39 homes, as 11 were completely destroyed. The twister killed four people in an SUV when the four attempted to escape it. The SUV was thrown around 75 feet away and slammed into a tree, killing the occupants. One fatality also occurred in a mobile home when it was completely swept away, and a poorly-built home was also completely swept away, killing one occupant and injuring three. The twister left town at 5:00 PM CDT, and remained over open field for the remainder of its journey. It died out quickly after leaving, but not before destroying a cell tower and throwing an 18-wheeler around 15 feet, injuring the driver.
At the very end, at least 6 fatalities and 59 injuries were the result of this twister, along with $5.8 million in damages.
El Reno, OK[]
| EF2 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 5:49 PM CDT – 6:11 PM CDT | ||
| Intensity | 275 km/h (170 mph) (1-min) | ||
A large quarter-mile EF2+ tornado formed 10 miles west of El Reno. The twister rapidly intensified when it touched the ground, as wind speeds were recorded up to 170mph, but it was over open ground at the time. When it was 3 miles outside of El Reno, it started deintensifying, and by the time it hit, it had wind speeds of 130mph, as multiple subdivisions were slammed with not only the tornado, but with traffic. At least 19 homes were destroyed, 84 damaged, as two fatalities occurred when a mobile home was flattened. At least 12 other mobile homes were also destroyed, 53 damaged. Another 36-year-old man was killed when the tornado hit his home and collapsed his entire roof in, killing him instantly. It died just 4 minutes after leaving town. However, it totaled 96 cars, left 102 people injured, 75 in cars, 23 in mobile homes, and four in normal residences, 3 people dead along with an 18.2-mile path and $8.4 million in damage.
February 3rd[]
Copperas Cove, TX [1st Tornado][]
| EF0 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 7:49 AM CDT – 7:52 AM CDT | ||
| Intensity | 100 km/h (65 mph) (1-min) | ||
A very brief EF0 tornado lasted for 3 minutes, traveled 2.42 miles, as a 20-year-old man got killed when his 1997 Geo Metro got crushed by a tree as he tried to escape the tornado, as eight barns had their roof removed, and a mobile home also sustained major damage, injuring all five occupants. In its 2.4-mile path up to 75-metres wide, it killed one person via an automobile, and injured five others.
Overall, around $100,000 in damage was done, five people were injured, and one person was killed by the tornado. This was one of only 6 fatal EF0 tornadoes in the whole year. A deadly EF0 is very rare in general, but it can still sometimes happen.
Copperas Cove, TX [2nd tornado][]
| EF3 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 9:22 AM CDT – 9:39 AM CDT | ||
| Intensity | 255 km/h (160 mph) (1-min) | ||
A large EF3 tornado up to 650 metres wide passed through the suburban areas of five minutes after forming. The twister first hit a barn, obliterating the entire structure. The tornado also hit the suburbs of Copperas Cove, as it caused severe damage to multiple structures. A high school also experienced extremely violent roof damage, and a gym wall was ripped off the building, along with the whole roof and 23 of 42 second-floor walls. The entire football field was completely annihilated. A few trees were debarked, most of them uprooted, and the twister hit peak strength just 3 miles outside of downtown. There, it hit a mobile home park, obliterating five mobile homes and damaging 12, leaving only one intact. It also hit multiple 2-story suburban homes, and then died out just 5 minutes after turning away from the town hall, and destroyed multiple other suburban areas before entirely dying.
In all, the twister tracked 14.1 miles, killed 9 people, left at least 131 injured, as at least 200 homes were ultimately destroyed, as ~750 were damaged. It was the most damaging twister in the whole outbreak, leaving $53 million in damages. Seven of the fatalities occurred in the mobile home park, one in the school when an 17-year-old male student attempted escaping the twister, but got crushed by a wall from the 2nd story, killing him instantly, and another when a 58-year-old man got impaled by a wall from his house.
Wynnewood, OK Tornado[]
| EF2 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 9:59 AM CDT – 10:05 AM CDT | ||
| Intensity | 210 km/h (130 mph) (1-min) | ||
This EF2 tornado lasted just 6 minutes and was only 150 metres wide, but it still had killer potential. The twister rapidly intensified after touching down 1/2 a mile west of Wynnewood. Between there and Wynnewood, five barns were heavily destroyed, as one home sustained EF3+ damage. However, it was poorly-built, so it was rated down to EF2. The occupant was killed in that home, as another occupant died in a mobile home just at the edge of town. When the town was hit, at least ten homes were destroyed, 36 damaged. It left town at 10:03 AM, hit at least four barns before rapidly deintensifying and dying at 10:05 AM CDT. It left at least six barns destroyed, 11 damaged, as 10 homes were sustaining EF2+ damage, 36 recieving very low-end EF0 to high-end EF1 damage. Around 30 trees were toppled in its short 4.9-mile path.
Two fatalities and 21 injuries were the result of this tornado, 14 injuries via suburban homes, five from the mobile home, and two from a poorly-built 1960s 2-story home. At least $1.1 million in damage was tallied.
February 4th[]
Dwight-Alta Vista, KS Tornado[]
| EF4 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 1:59 PM CDT – 2:20 PM CDT | ||
| Intensity | 320 km/h (200 mph) (1-min) | ||
A deadly and extremely large EF4+ tornado slammed into two small villages, tracked 17 miles, but remained in open country for about half of its path, as it formed 4 miles outside of Dwight, Kansas. The twister was at first a measly 75 metres wide as a landspout-like EF1 tornado, but rapidly intensified. Within the 5 minutes it formed, it was already half a mile wide and rotating at around 165 miles an hour, still intensifying and growing. It then hit the village of Dwight, as it was already on the verge of extremely-low end EF4/extremely high-end EF3 strength [166mph]. It first tore 95% of the roof off a convenience store before ripping off three of the eight walls on that store. Luckily, the store was closed due to bad weather. The twister then slammed into a neighbourhood, as it entirely leveled around 35 homes and left 62 damaged. It was now over 0.6 miles wide, and rotating at 170 miles per hour. One fatality occurred in Dwight, as 33 injuries were tallied. It spent the next 9 miles nearing Alta Vista, as in Alta Vista, 95% of town sustained EF3 damage or higher. Only four homes were left intact. More than 80 homes were splintered, 316 damaged. Four more people were killed in Alta Vista. It still continued out to the country and tore over 100 barns apart, 96 being ripped clean off their foundation before being flattened in mid-air, as 13 farm residences were almost entirely demolished, as only one recieved anything lower than EF3+ damage. When the farmers came out of their shelter, they saw nothing left other than six walls, three on one barn, and one tractor. At least $15 million worth of farm equipment at a closed Tractor Supply Inc building were completely ruined by the tornado, as the building seemingly exploded due to the twister's powerful 200mph wind. The tornado died just 40 seconds after destroying the Tractor Supply Inc, and was one of the biggest tornadoes ever recorded in that area, as it was also the most rapid dissipation of any tornado with wind speeds higher than 155 miles an hour in Kansas history other than 2005.
The tornado tracked 17 miles, was up to 1.14 miles wide just before it died, as five people were left dead, at least 98 were injured. Overall, 130+ homes were completely destroyed, as almost 400 homes were damaged. Entire farms were completely swept away, and it caused over $47 million in damages, the 2nd most damaging tornado of this outbreak.
Auburn, KS[]
| EF2 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 4:14 PM CDT – 4:25 PM CDT | ||
| Intensity | 220 km/h (135 mph) (1-min) | ||
A high-end EF2 tracked through Auburn, as it formed as a small EF0 tornado but quickly intensified but still stayed in its ropy shape. Within 5 minutes, the twister hit Auburn, as a larger neighbourhood got damaged entirely. At that point, it was an extremely low-end 114mph EF2, but then gained strength. Another neighourhood got hit, this time a good portion of it having no roofing left at all, as five homes recieved EF3 damage, but weren't properly anchored. Two people got killed in that neighbourhood, as 13 homes were destroyed, 59 damaged. A school was directly hit, as the whole roof and one wall were ripped off. The twister destroyed two mobile homes, killing a man, and injuring 6 occupants.
It tracked just 9 miles, but killed 3 people, left 35 injured, as 17 homes were destroyed, 92 damaged, as the damage toll was $6.3 million.
Results[]
More than 400 homes were sustaining at least EF2 damage, 29 people killed, around 500 injured, as at least $115 million in property damage was tallied, almost one-eighth of that final pricetag being a farm equipment store!