Tornadoes of 1991

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1991, 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, however by the 1990s tornado statistics were coming closer to the numbers we see today.

Tornadoes of 1991

Damage from the Andover tornado of April 26, 1991
Timespan	January–December 1991
Maximum rated tornado	F5 tornado Andover, Kansas on April 26
Tornadoes in U.S.	1,132^[1]
Damage (U.S.)	unknown
Fatalities (U.S.)	39^[2]
Fatalities (worldwide)	>134
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993

Synopsis

Fatal United States tornadoes in 1991

class=notpageimage| Approximate touchdown location of killer tornadoes in 1991 Summary of tornadoes^[3] January 14 – Texas (1 death) March 22 – Tennessee (4 deaths) March 22 – Kentucky (1 death) March 22 – Tennessee (1 death) March 27 – Wisconsin (1 death) March 27 – Ohio, Indiana (1 death) March 29 – Alabama (5 deaths) April 26 – Kansas (17 deaths) April 26 – Kansas (1 death) April 26 – Kansas (1 death) April 26 – Oklahoma (1 death) April 26 – Oklahoma (1 death) June 12 – New York (1 death) July 5 – Minnesota (1 death) November 29 – Missouri (2 deaths) Total fatalities: 39

The tornado season of 1991 looks generally very average on paper. The spring months of March, April, May and June all saw very large numbers of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks. The fall, sometimes referred to as a "second season", was very quiet. The Andover, Kansas outbreak of April 26, 1991 was famous for its violent tornadoes, incredible video and is the signature event of this tornado season. 1991 saw one F5 tornado touch down in Kansas.

Events

Confirmed tornado total for the entire year 1991 in the United States.

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	Total
0	688	295	103	39	6	1	1132

January

There were 29 tornadoes confirmed in the US in January.

February

There were 11 tornadoes confirmed in the US in February.

March

There were 157 tornadoes confirmed in the US in March.

March 22

An outbreak produced 23 tornadoes, with six fatalities being confirmed in Kentucky and Tennessee. An 11-year-old boy was killed in Olmstead in Logan County, Kentucky when an F2 tornado picked up a mobile home and slammed it against a tree.^[4]

March 26–29

 

The Abbyville, Kansas F3 tornado

An outbreak produced 50 tornadoes over a two day span. An F4 tornado passed near Hutchinson, Kansas on March 26, while two people were killed by tornadoes in Wisconsin and Indiana on March 27. After only two weak F0 tornadoes touched down on March 28, another outbreak of 21 tornadoes struck the Southeastern United States on March 29.^[5] An F1 tornado struck Munford, Alabama, where it destroyed several trailer homes, killing five people, four of them in one family.^[6] An F3 tornado moved through Clarkdale, Georgia, destroying 15 townhouses, damaging 120 others, and injuring 25 people.^[7] An F2 tornado destroyed 16 homes and heavily damaged 39 others in Ladonia, Alabama, injuring 16 people.^[8] In all, 73 tornadoes touched down during the outbreak sequence.

April

There were 204 tornadoes confirmed in the US in April.

April 26

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	12	13	16	7	4	1

Main article: 1991 Andover tornado outbreak

This violent tornado outbreak of 53 tornadoes took place on April 26, 1991, killing 24 people and injuring hundreds more. The killer Andover tornado was rated F5, while four others were rated F4, including the monstrous Red Rock tornado. At the time, the Red Rock tornado generated the highest wind speeds, detected by mobile doppler radar, until the May 3, 1999, Bridge Creek-Moore F5 tornado. This is also the outbreak from which the infamous video was shot by a news crew hiding under an overpass in Kansas. This early viral video spread the myth that sheltering underneath an overpass was safer during a tornado. The television crew was hit by a F2 tornado.

May

There were 335 tornadoes confirmed in the US in May.

May 10

Three tornadoes formed in Lazbuddie, Texas.

May 15

An outbreak of five tornadoes struck Western and Northwestern Oklahoma. The strongest was an 800–900 yard wide F3 tornado that tracked 11.5 miles near Laverne, injuring three people. The same cell also dropped hail up to the size of grapefruits.^[9]

June

There were 216 tornadoes confirmed in the US in June.

June 14

An F0 tornadic waterspout (starts as a tornado) reported near Lake Okeechobee, Florida created a surreal nighttime sight of a tornado and lightning while only doing minor damage. A famous photo of the event, which includes a mixture of brown and black color of the tornado accompanied with a lightning strike, was taken by Fred Smith, who was photographing the tornado from his backyard.^[10][11]

July

There were 64 tornadoes confirmed in the US in July, including one in Cass County, Minnesota, on July 5, 1991. This particular tornado started as a waterspout, came ashore and destroyed a dock, uprooted trees and overturned a boat. This tornado was also featured on some tornado-themed documentaries.

August

There were 46 tornadoes confirmed in the US in August.

September

There were 26 tornadoes confirmed in the US in September.

October

There were 21 tornadoes confirmed in the US in October.

November

There were 20 tornadoes confirmed in the US in November.

November 29

 

F4 damage from tornado

An F4 tornado tore through areas near Springfield, Missouri, killing two people.

December

There were 3 tornadoes confirmed in the US in December.

See also

• Tornado
  • Tornadoes by year
  • Tornado records
  • Tornado climatology
  • Tornado myths
• List of tornado outbreaks
  • List of F5 and EF5 tornadoes
  • List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of 21st-century Canadian tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of European tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks in Asia
  • List of Southern Hemisphere tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of tornadoes striking downtown areas
• Tornado intensity
  • Fujita scale
  • Enhanced Fujita scale

References

1. "U.S. Annual Tornado Maps (1952 - 2011): 1991 Tornadoes". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
2. "Annual U.S. Killer Tornado Statistics". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
3. "Severe Weather Database Files (1950-2021)". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. July 11, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
4. "Tornadoes Kill 3 in Tennessee and Kentucky". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 1991-03-23. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
5. "Storm Prediction Center WCM Page". www.spc.noaa.gov. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
6. Storm Events Database March 29, 1991 (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved February 21, 2022. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
7. Storm Events Database March 29, 1991 (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved February 21, 2022. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
8. Storm Events Database March 29, 1991 (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved February 21, 2022. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
9. US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Norman, OK". www.weather.gov.
10. "Tornado History Project: Florida in June 1991". www.tornadohistoryproject.com. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
11. "Who Originally Took This Somewhat Famous Photo?". Stormtrack. Retrieved 2019-10-21.

External links

• U.S. tornadoes in 1991 - Tornado History Project