The largest tornado outbreaks in US history have produced 150+ tornadoes in single 24-48 hour periods. The April 27, 2011 Super Outbreak set the modern single-day record with 216 confirmed tornadoes. Here's the complete list of the biggest US tornado outbreaks.
| Rank | Date | Tornadoes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 25-28, 2011 | 360 (4-day sequence) | 324 |
| 2 | April 27, 2011 (single day) | 216 | 316 |
| 3 | April 3-4, 1974 | 148 | 335 |
| 4 | May 4-5, 2007 | ~90 | 13 |
| 5 | February 5-6, 2008 | 87 | 57 |
| 6 | May 22-24, 2011 | ~85 | 178 |
| 7 | April 14-16, 2011 | ~78 | 39 |
| 8 | March 12-14, 2020 | ~65 | 25 |
| 9 | April 11, 1965 (Palm Sunday) | 47 | 271 |
| 10 | December 10, 2021 (Quad-State) | ~40 | 89 |
The largest tornado outbreak in recorded history. 360 confirmed tornadoes across 21 US states over 4 days. April 27 alone produced 216 tornadoes - a single-day record. Full story →
Until 2011, the largest US tornado outbreak. 148 confirmed tornadoes across 13 US states in 24 hours. Six F5 tornadoes touched down. Xenia, OH was the signature event. Full story →
47 tornadoes across 6 US states in a single afternoon. 17 F4 tornadoes touched down. 271 killed. Full story →
66 tornadoes across Oklahoma and Kansas. The Bridge Creek-Moore F5 produced the highest wind speed ever measured (301 mph). Full story →
Unusual mid-winter outbreak that produced 87 tornadoes and 57 deaths across the Southeast. Union University in Jackson, TN was heavily damaged.
Rare late-fall outbreak that killed 89 people. The Mayfield, KY EF4 traveled 165 miles - one of the longest tornado paths on record for December.
| Rank | Date | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 3-4, 1974 | 335 |
| 2 | April 25-28, 2011 | 324 |
| 3 | April 5-6, 1936 | ~500 (Tupelo + Gainesville) |
| 4 | April 24, 1908 | ~324 |
| 5 | April 11, 1965 (Palm Sunday) | 271 |
| 6 | February 21, 1971 | 121 |
| 7 | April 11-12, 2020 Easter Sunday | 34 |
| 8 | December 10, 2021 (Quad-State) | 89 |
Every major outbreak shares similar atmospheric ingredients:
When these ingredients align over a wide area for many hours, dozens of supercells develop simultaneously - producing outbreak-scale tornado events.
Modern outbreaks are detected and warned days in advance:
This is why modern outbreaks kill far fewer people than 1974 or 1936 events, despite similar tornado counts.
Research suggests that the frequency of major outbreaks may be increasing, especially in the Southeast. As tornado activity shifts east (Tornado Alley 2.0), outbreak-heavy geography is moving into more populated regions.
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