Between April 25 and April 28, 2011, the largest tornado outbreak in recorded history produced 360 confirmed tornadoes across 21 US states, killed 324 people, and caused over $10 billion in damage — surpassing even the 1974 Super Outbreak by tornado count.
April 27 alone saw 216 confirmed tornadoes in a 24-hour period — more than any other day on record. The setup was catastrophic: a strong upper-level trough moving across the Southeast, a warm front lifting north, wind shear values exceeding 60 knots in the low levels, and Gulf moisture streaming north with dew points in the 70s. Every ingredient tornadoes need was maximized simultaneously.
The deadliest tornado of the outbreak. Long-track EF5 that destroyed the towns of Hackleburg and Phil Campbell, including the Wrangler jeans distribution center. Read the full story →
Virtually destroyed the small town of Smithville, Mississippi (population 900). Killed 16 residents in the town center. Read the full story →
Struck DeKalb County, Alabama, destroying hundreds of homes across the town of Rainsville. One of the highest death tolls of any northeast Alabama tornado.
Traveled through rural Neshoba County, Mississippi. Fewer deaths only because the path avoided larger population centers, but damage was total in villages it crossed.
Among the 11 EF4s recorded that day, the most consequential was the Tuscaloosa–Birmingham EF4, which killed 64 people across an 80-mile path through two Alabama metros. Some damage indicators along its path were consistent with the low end of EF5. Read the full story →
Other notable EF4s that day: Cordova, AL (13 killed); Cullman, AL (6 killed); Ohatchee, AL (22 killed); Argo–Shoal Creek, AL (7 killed). Every one of these would have been the story of the year in a typical outbreak.
April 27, 2011 killed 316 people — the highest single-day tornado death toll since the Tri-State disaster of 1925 (695 killed). Total outbreak deaths across the four days reached 324. To put it in context: more Americans died from tornadoes on April 27, 2011 than in any other single day since March 18, 1925.
Warning times were actually good — most tornadoes had 15+ minutes of NWS lead time. Yet the death toll was catastrophic. Contributing factors:
Just 25 days after the Super Outbreak ended, an unrelated EF5 tornado struck Joplin, Missouri, killing 158 people. Joplin was not part of the Super Outbreak, but the two events together made 2011 the deadliest US tornado year since 1936. Read the Joplin story →
→ Simulate an EF5 direct hit