January 2008 tornado outbreak

The January 2008 tornado outbreak was an unseasonably strong tornado outbreak that began on January 7, 2008 and continued for nearly four days, with the hardest hit area being southwestern Missouri, northwestern Arkansas, and the surrounding area. In addition, a strong supercell in northern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin produced that region's first January tornadoes since 1967.[2]

January 2008 tornado outbreak

EF3 tornado damage in Wheatland, Wisconsin.
Type	Tornado outbreak
Duration	January 7–11, 2008
Tornadoes confirmed	72 confirmed
Max. rating^1	EF3 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak^2	3 days, 11 hours, 48 minutes
Damage	$88 million (+ $41 million non–tornadic)[1]
Casualties	4 fatalities, 62 injuries
Areas affected	Central and Southern United States
^1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale ^2Time from first tornado to last tornado

More tornadoes occurred across the Mississippi Valley on January 8 and after a break in the activity on January 9, another round of severe weather took place in the Southern United States (primarily Alabama and Mississippi) on January 10. Several damaging tornadoes were reported that day, although no one was killed. In total, over the four-day period, 72 tornadoes were confirmed and four people were killed.

Meteorological synopsis

An unseasonably warm air mass was entrenched over much of central and eastern North America with record highs for much of the region. Several record high temperatures were broken across several states and Canadian provinces from January 7 to January 9 as temperatures rose into the 70s (21–25 °C) as far north as the Ohio Valley with dewpoints in the high 50s and low 60s (14–17 °C) providing additional fuel for storm development.

In addition, many areas near the Great Lakes region reached the mid to upper 60s (17–20 °C) which allowed the northern cells to form, while several areas in southern Ontario and Quebec near the Canada-US border reached near 60 °F (16 °C).[3][4]

Tornado tracks across Southern Missouri on January 7–8 (Courtesy of NWS Springfield, Missouri)

A strong low-pressure area over the central Great Lakes and its associated cold front combined with intense wind shear to provide a favorable environment for supercell development.[5] Despite only moderate instability (which meant only a slight risk of severe weather was issued by the Storm Prediction Center, and only modest probabilities for severe weather at first[6]), supercells developed throughout the day over much of the central US and continued throughout the evening and overnight hours, continuing into the morning of January 8. The hardest-hit area was in the Ozarks, around Springfield, Missouri, where nearly continuous supercells developed throughout the evening, resulting in numerous tornado touchdowns. In addition to the tornadoes, hail larger than baseballs and damaging straight-line downburst winds as strong as 100 mph (160 km/h) were reported. At least three people were killed in Missouri as a result of the tornadoes. Two of these deaths occurred near Marshfield and there were also six injuries.[7]

Strong tornadoes also touched down further north near Chicago and Milwaukee causing extensive damage along the Wisconsin/Illinois border as well as several injuries. Strong cells and lines also formed in Michigan prompting rare tornado warnings across central parts of Lower Michigan.[8] Scattered thunderstorms were reported in Northern, Central and Southern Ontario on the evening of January 7.[9] Tornado watches extended from eastern Oklahoma to southwestern Ontario on January 7.[10]

SPC Severe Weather Forecast for January 10, 2008 showing the moderate risk area. (Courtesy of NWS Birmingham, Alabama)

Activity shifted across the Mid-Mississippi Valley on January 8 where tornado watches were issued across Arkansas and Tennessee and later extended across the Ohio Valley to near Columbus, Ohio and Dayton, Ohio until the early morning hours on January 9. A strong tornado in Pope County, Arkansas killed person and additional tornadoes were reported just west of Memphis. During the day, most of the activity was formed into a line that extended from the Ohio Valley to Alabama although thunderstorm-related wind damage was reported as far north as upstate New York and western Pennsylvania.

After a lull in activity on January 9, a separate system across the Southern United States led to more severe weather, including tornadoes, on January 10. A moderate risk of severe weather was issued by the Storm Prediction Center.

NEXRAD view of a supercell producing an EF3 tornado near Caledonia, Mississippi, displaying relative velocity on the left, and base reflectivity on the right. (Courtesy of NWS Jackson, Mississippi)

Storms developed across Louisiana and Mississippi during the morning and noon periods moving into Alabama with additional storms developing as far north as central and eastern Kentucky where a tornado watch was issued stretching down towards eastern Louisiana and later into Georgia. Multiple strong tornadoes affected Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama that evening, including an EF3 that severely damaged the town of Caledonia, Mississippi. More stable air farther east reduced the severe weather potential. Wintry weather including snow, sleet and freezing rain on the northern side of the storm was reported from Wisconsin to Maine on January 10–11. Overall, this outbreak killed four people and injured at least 62 others.

Tornadoes confirmed

The Enhanced Fujita Scale

Confirmed tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita rating

EFU	EF0	EF1	EF2	EF3	EF4	EF5	Total
0	29	28	7	8	0	0	72

January 7 event

List of reported tornadoes – Monday, January 7, 2008
EF#	Location	County	Time (UTC)	Path length	Damage
Missouri
EF0	SW of Lowry City	St. Clair	2022	unknown	Brief tornado damaged a few trees.[11]
EF0	SE of Lincoln	Benton	2054	unknown	A pole barn was heavily damaged.[12]
EF0	NE of Auxvasse	Audrain	2155	0.5 mile (800 m)	Tornado damaged a machine shed, along with numerous trees and tree limbs.[13]
EF2	N of Purdy	Barry	2306	12 miles (19.2 km)	Intermittent tornado passed between Purdy and Monett. Houses and farm buildings were damaged along the path, and eight mobile homes were destroyed at a mobile home park.[14]
EF0	E of Pineville	McDonald	2350	0.1 mile (160 m)	Tornado caused minor tree damage.[15]
EF2	Northern Republic to SW of Brookline	Greene	2357	6 miles (9.6 km)	Tornado impacted the northern part of Republic, where many homes were damaged, 15 of which sustained major damage or were destroyed. An Elementary School sustained major roof damage towards the end of the path before the tornado dissipated.[16]
EF3	W of Strafford to E of Abo	Greene, Webster, Laclede	0029	26 miles (42 km)	3 deaths – Tornado began west of Strafford and passed north of town, destroying several frame homes and outbuildings. Additional frame homes were destroyed near Marshfield, along with barns and mobile homes. A semi-truck was flipped as the tornado crossed Interstate 44, and severe damage occurred in the nearby ghost town of Sampson. Numerous additional homes and outbuildings were destroyed, and multiple injuries occurred near Lebanon before the tornado dissipated. Two of the fatalities occurred in frame homes, and the other occurred in a mobile home. Over 50 homes, mobile homes, and outbuildings were destroyed along the path, numerous power poles and large trees were snapped, and 18 people were injured.[17]
EF0	NE of Aurora	Lawrence, Christian	0128	6 miles (9.6 km)	Farmhouses and outbuildings were damaged along the path.[18]
EF2	SW of Strafford to W of Marshfeield	Greene, Webster	0132	17 miles (29 km)	Tornado tracked just south of the previous Strafford area EF3, paralleling Interstate 44 and crossing it several times. Homes and outbuildings were heavily damaged along the path.[19]
EF0	S of Mount Sterling	Gasconade	0150	0.25 mile (400 m)	Brief tornado touchdown caused tree damage.[20]
EF3	NW of Hooker to NE of Jerome	Pulaski, Phelps	0206	7 miles (11 km)	Near the beginning of the path, a few homes and several outbuildings were destroyed in rural areas. The tornado clipped the north side of Jerome before dissipating, where one home and multiple additional outbuildings were destroyed.[21]
EF1	NW of Mayflower	McDonald, Barry	0215	7 miles (11.2 km)	A few structures were heavily damaged or destroyed, along with numerous trees.[22]
EF0	W of Clarksville	Pike	0230	5 miles (8 km)	Intermittent tornado touchdown caused some tree damage.[23]
EF1	NE of Marshfield	Webster, Dallas	0242	6 miles (9.6 km)	One house was damaged along with a few outbuildings.[24]
EF2	NW of Phillipsburg	Laclede	0300	5 miles (8 km)	Several outbuildings were destroyed and one house was heavily damaged. Numerous trees were uprooted as well.[25]
EF0	W of Seligman	Barry	0312	20 yds (18 m)	Very short-lived tornado knocked a few trees down.[26]
EF1	NW of Highlandville	Christian	0336	1.5 miles (2.4 km)	Two mobile homes were destroyed and several houses were damaged. One person was injured by flying debris.[27]
EF1	W of Vichy	Phelps, Maries	0340	13 miles (21 km)	35 to 45 structures were damaged, with one home partially moved off its foundation and portions of the roof thrown up to a quarter of a mile away. Wind gusts of up to 84 knots were recorded by the Vichy Automated Weather Station, and a few airplanes were damaged nearby at the airport. A mobile home was destroyed as well and one person was injured.[28]
EF0	E of Rogersville to NE of Diggins	Webster	0357	11 miles (17 km)	Tornado caused minor damage to trees and outbuildings along its path.[29]
EF1	SW of Mountain	McDonald, Barry	0421	9 miles (15 km)	Tornado damaged trees and structures, a few of which were removed from their foundations.[30][31]
Illinois
EF3	N of Poplar Grove to NE of Lawrence	Boone, McHenry	2130	13.2 miles (21 km)	Tornado initially caused minor damage to trees and a shed before striking an apple orchard at EF2 strength, where large trees were snapped and uprooted, a large barn was destroyed, and other buildings were severely damaged. EF3 damage occurred at a nearby farmstead as a poorly-anchored farmhouse was swept away with only the basement remaining, and large trees on the property were denuded (though overall context was not consistent with a violent tornado). Hay bales were rolled through fields as well. The tornado weakened further along the path, causing minor EF0 and EF1 damage to farmhouses, trees, power lines, barns, and sheds. The tornado strengthened again, reaching EF2 strength as it struck the small town of Lawrence, where extensive tree damage occurred, a house had more than half its roof torn off and its detached garage destroyed, other homes sustained shingle damage, and a train carrying hazardous materials was derailed, resulting in an evacuation of the town. Past Lawrence, the tornado overturned a semi-truck and caused EF1 damage to barns and trees before dissipating. It was the first tornado in northeastern Illinois in the month of January since 1950. Five people were injured.[32][33]
EF1	S of Mackinaw	Tazewell	2322	3 miles (4.8 km)	Tornado destroyed a pole barn and damaged a house, along with a few outbuildings. In addition, a chain link fence and a few tree limbs were blown down.[34]
EF0	SE of Pleasant Hill	Pike	0240	2.75 miles (4.4 km)	Intermittent tornado caused some tree damage.[35]
Wisconsin
EF3	SE of Walworth to NW of Paddock Lake	Walworth, Kenosha	2202	10.8 miles (17 km)	This was the northernmost January tornado in the US since 1967. Near Walworth, the tornado uprooted trees and caused minor EF1 damage to homes and outbuildings. The tornado rapidly intensified to high-end EF3 strength, tearing through multiple subdivisions as it struck Wheatland, where 25 homes were destroyed, 27 sustained major damage, 25 sustained minor damage, and 7 were affected in some way. Further along the path, the tornado impacted the small town of Brighton, where 4 homes were destroyed, 3 sustained major damage, 3 sustained minor damage, and 10 were affected in some way. A large barn was destroyed before the tornado dissipated near Paddock Lake. Numerous large trees were snapped and denuded along the path, and 15 people were injured. Some of the homes destroyed were leveled, though they were poorly anchored and context did not support a rating higher than EF3.[36][37]
EF1	Northern Kenosha	Kenosha	2239	2.4 miles (3.9 km)	Rope tornado tracked through the northern part of Kenosha. 5 homes were left uninhabitable, 6 sustained major damage, and 21 others sustained minor damage. Power lines were toppled and numerous trees were snapped or uprooted as well.[38]
Arkansas
EF0	S of Hiwasse	Benton	0205	unknown	Brief tornado remained over open country, causing no damage.[39]
EF0	E of Centerton	Benton	0250	unknown	Brief tornado remained over open country, causing no damage.[40]
EF1	SW of Decatur	Benton	0509	2.6 miles (4.2 km)	Tornado caused extensive tree damage.[41]
Oklahoma
EF0	SW of Watts	Adair	0208	unknown	Brief tornado remained over open country, causing no damage.[42]
EF0	N of Moodys	Cherokee	0428	unknown	Tornado caused roof damage to homes, damaged several barns, and uprooted trees.[43]
EF0	NE of Porter	Wagoner	0538	1 miles (1.6 km)	Tornado caused extensive tree damage.[44]
EF0	NE of Wagoner	Wagoner	0554	2.7 miles (4.4 km)	Tornado caused extensive tree damage.[45]
Sources: Storm reports of January 7, 2008, NWS Milwaukee, NWS Springfield, KY3 News, NWS Chicago, NWS St. Louis, NWS Tulsa

January 8 event

List of reported tornadoes – Tuesday, January 8, 2008
EF#	Location	County	Time (UTC)	Path length	Damage
Missouri
EF1	NE of Washburn	Barry	0822	7 miles (11 km)	Several houses and outbuildings were damaged, along with numerous trees.[46]
EF1	E of Cassville	Barry, Stone	0831	14 miles (22 km)	Several poultry barns, sheds, and outbuildings were heavily damaged or destroyed, and numerous trees were downed.[47]
EF1	Springfield	Greene	0837	1 mile (1.6 km)	Tornado moved through the northern part of downtown Springfield, causing a warehouse to collapse. Several homes sustained minor damage, and a Krispy Kreme sign was destroyed.[48]
EF1	Highlandville	Christian	0850	5 miles (8 km)	Tornado tracked through town, damaging several homes and a church. Several outbuildings and highway signs were destroyed as well.[49]
EF0	Branson to Hollister	Taney	0901	2.88 miles (90 m)	Tornado touched down at the Thousand Hills Resort in Branson, damaging three condominiums. In Hollister, a mobile home park was damaged.[50]
EF0	SW of Bracken to SW of Susanna	Webster	0916	7 miles (11.2 km)	Tornado embedded in a squall line caused minor tree and structure damage.[51]
EF0	SW of Tigris to SE of Mount Zion	Douglas	0917	10 miles (16 km)	Barns and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed, and multiple trees were uprooted or snapped.[52]
EF2	S of Niangua	Webster	0918	5 miles (8 km)	Several homes and outbuildings were destroyed.[53]
EF1	SW of Mountain Grove	Douglas	0943	1.5 miles (2.4 km)	One mobile home was moved from its foundation, a barn and some outbuildings were damaged, and significant tree damage occurred.[54]
EF1	SE of Dawson to SE of Bado	Wright, Texas	0945	12 miles (19.2 km)	A few barns and outbuildings were damaged along the path.[55]
EF0	W of West Plains	Howell	1020	unknown	Brief tornado damaged two outbuildings and a mobile home.[56]
EF1	SW of Eminence	Shannon	1027	1.5 miles (2.4 km)	Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, but no structures were impacted along the path.[57]
EF1	NE of Eminence	Shannon	1038	10 miles (16 km)	Two barns and a garage were destroyed, and another barn was damaged. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted as well.[58]
EF0	SW of Alton	Oregon	1059	1 mile (1.6 km)	Tornado damaged a few outbuildings south of Alton. A motorcycle shop sustained the most damage as a barn that sheltered several new motorcycles was destroyed.[59]
EF1	NE of Essex	Stoddard	1840	4.2 miles (6.8 km)	One house was heavily damaged, with part of the roof torn off and debris scattered 100 to 200 yards. Three outbuildings and an equipment shed were destroyed, and a trailer was thrown about 75 yards. Approximately ten power poles were snapped in half, vehicle windows were blown out, and a few large trees were snapped. A pump house was blown into a propane tank, causing a propane leak as well.[60]
Arkansas
EF2	SW of Appleton to W of Beverage Town	Pope, Conway, Van Buren	1440	20.5 miles (33 km)	1 death – Major damage occurred near Appleton, with 42 homes damaged in that area. Of these, seven were destroyed, six had minor damage, and the rest had moderate to heavy damage. In addition, six chicken houses, two barns, and a number of outbuildings were destroyed, a travel trailer and motor home were overturned, and hundreds of trees were blown down. A man was killed when his mobile home was destroyed in this area. Near Jerusalem, 3 homes were destroyed, and 12 others suffered damage ranging from light to heavy. Ten other structures, such as chicken houses and barns were destroyed, with 13 such structures damaged. A church was destroyed and an adjacent cemetery was damaged in this area as well. Three natural gas well sites were also damaged but there was no release of gas. The tornado moved into the Ozark National Forest, where hundreds of trees were blown down before it dissipated. Two other people were injured.[61]
EF0	SE of Princedale to SE of Twist	Cross	1926	11 miles (17.6 km)	A mobile home lost its roof, irrigation sprinklers were blown over, and trees and power lines were knocked down.[62]
EF1	S of Deckerville	Poinsett	1952	250 yds (225 m)	Brief touchdown damaged two houses and destroyed a shed. Numerous trees were downed and debris was scattered across a nearby field.[63]
EF1	S of Osceola	Mississippi	2020	3.5 miles (5.6 km)	Numerous home sustained roof damage and many trees were downed. A metal farm equipment building was shifted from its foundation, and a vehicle was destroyed as well.[64]
Tennessee
EF1	NE of Double Bridges to NW of Bonicord	Lauderdale, Dyer	2058	7 miles (11 km)	Multiple homes were damaged, including two that had their roofs blown off, one of which was shifted off of its foundation. Outbuildings, fences, garages, and machine sheds were destroyed as well. A mobile home was also destroyed, and many trees and power lines were downed.[65]
Mississippi
EF0	S of Church Hill	Jefferson	2130	4 miles (6.4 km)	Trees were downed in a convergent pattern.[66]
EF1	NW of Harrisville to E of Everett	Simpson	2337	20 miles (32 km)	A house had a large section of its roof torn off, and nearby outbuilding was blown away and destroyed. Another home and several outbuildings sustained lesser damage. Extensive tree damage occurred along the path.[67]
EF0	SE of Puckett	Rankin	0011	unknown	Several trees were downed and a home sustained shingle damage.[68]
Sources: Storm reports of January 8, 2008, NWS Little Rock, NWS Paducah, NWS Jackson (MS), NWS Memphis

January 10 event

List of reported tornadoes – Thursday, January 10, 2008
EF#	Location	County/ Parish	Time (UTC)	Path length	Damage
Mississippi
EF1	SE of Rocky Springs	Claiborne	1727	4 miles (6.4 km)	Tornado snapped and uprooted hundreds of trees in a rural area. Power lines were downed as well.[69]
EF3	SW of Goodman to SW of Boyette	Holmes, Attala,	1751	10 miles (16 km)	Large wedge tornado initially caused minor to moderate tree damage and tore a section of roof from a house before reaching maximum intensity near Goodman. Multiple mobile homes were obliterated and vehicles were thrown, including a pickup truck that was tossed 150 yards. Two wood-frame homes had their roofs torn off and sustained total collapse of most of their cinder-block exterior walls, and three steel high-tension power poles were snapped off at their bases along Highway 51. Hundreds of trees in the area were snapped, denuded, and partially debarked as well. Additional less intense tree damage occurred near Boyette before the tornado dissipated. Three people were injured.[70]
EF3	W of Ethel SE of Ackerman	Attala, Choctaw	1828	24 miles (38 km)	Large wedge tornado snapped hundreds of trees near Ethel before causing considerable damage to structures near McCool, where a cinder-block building was mostly destroyed by a mixture of wind and falling trees, and a frame home had an added-on room ripped off. Other structures in the area sustained lesser damage. The tornado momentarily weakened and narrowed, causing only tree damage before re-intensifying as it struck a dairy farm near Weir, where 300 cattle were injured, ten fatally. A well-built milking parlor building at this location was destroyed with all masonry exterior walls collapsed, and numerous wood and metal livestock buildings were completely destroyed along with a grain bin. Additional tree damage occurred further along the path before the tornado dissipated. Three people were injured.[71]
EF0	N of Fannin	Rankin	1839	1.5 miles (2.4 km)	Tornado damaged some pine trees.[72]
EF0	SW of Pearl River Resort	Neshoba	1942	2 miles (3.2 km)	One home sustained damage to its porch, while another home had shingles torn off. Two outbuildings lost their roofs, and several trees were snapped and uprooted.[73]
EF1	S of Iuka	Tishomingo	1954	3.5 miles (5.6 km)	Tornado tore metal panels off of two large sheds, caused minor damage to two homes, and snapped and uprooted numerous trees.[74]
EF3	W of Kolola Springs to NE of Malloy (AL)	Lowndes, Lamar (AL)	2013	14 miles (22.4 km)	At the beginning of the path, a house, a shed, and several trees and power poles were damaged. The tornado then intensified as a shed was completely destroyed, and a combine stored inside was thrown into trees nearby. The tornado reached its maximum strength as it struck Caledonia, resulting in major damage. Multiple homes lost roofs and exterior walls, some of which were shifted off of their foundations. A church was completely destroyed, another church sustained minor damage, and a daycare center sustained major damage. A school building in town was severely damaged, including the destruction of its gymnasium. A nearby Vocational Tech building was almost completely destroyed, and several vehicles including a school bus were thrown into the structure. Cars in the school parking lot were tossed up to 100 yards away and mangled, and several school buses were damaged, one of which lifted and deposited onto the roof of the school. The tornado exited Caledonia, and several homes had roofs torn off and exterior walls collapsed further along the path. A horse stable was destroyed, and a large metal high-tension truss tower was toppled as well. Several mobile homes were destroyed and vehicles were tossed 50 yards away in this area. Tree damage occurred before the tornado crossed into Alabama at EF2 strength, where mobile homes were destroyed, two homes had their roofs torn off, two wooden barns were destroyed, and large trees were uprooted before the tornado dissipated. 11 people were injured.[75]
EF1	NW of Prairie Point	Noxubee	2058	1.5 mile (2.4 km)	Five power poles were downed, two of which were snapped.[76]
EF0	N of Prairie Point	Noxubee	2102	1 mile (1.6 km)	A few tree tops and tree limbs were snapped.[77]
Alabama
EF0	W of Dixons Mills	Marengo	1908	800 yds (750 m)	Several trees were snapped and four homes sustained minor damage.[78]
EF0	SE of Pickensville	Pickens	2140	unknown	Brief tornado damaged a metal store barn and downed several small trees.[79]
EF1	E of Gordo	Pickens, Tuscaloosa	2145	1.76 miles (2.8 km)	One barn was destroyed and numerous chicken houses were damaged. Minor tree damage occurred as well.[80]
EF3	Windham Springs to Wiley	Tuscaloosa	2220	4.9 miles (7.8 km)	In Windham Springs, a church was destroyed and trees were snapped, a few of which were found with nails and wooden splinters embedded into their trunks. A general store was destroyed in the rural community of Wiley, with nearby vehicles flipped and one building on the property swept away. A credit card was found speared into a drink cooler at the general store as well.[81]
Louisiana
EF1	W of New Roads	Pointe Coupee	1910	0.25 mile (400 m)	Tornado damaged several industrial buildings, with windows broke, large metal doors blown in, and large sections of roof torn off. Debris was scattered up to a quarter-mile away, and a railroad crossing arm was broken as well.[82]
Kentucky
EF1	SW of Park City	Barren	2002	1.8 miles (3 km)	Tornado snapped and uprooted trees, destroyed 8 barns, caused minor roof damage to a home, and tore the porch off of another home.[83]
Tennessee
EF2	E of Waynesboro	Wayne	2055	1.29 miles (2.1 km)	Numerous trees were downed and a large metal barn was completely destroyed, with sheets of metal found in trees half a mile away. Other barns had their roofs torn off, an anchored dog house was blown away, a wooden plank was speared into the ground, and several homes had shingles torn off.[84]
Sources: Storm reports of January 10, 2008 NWS Birmingham, NWS New Orleans, NWS Jackson (MS), NWS Jackson (MS) Preliminary Storm Report, NWS Nashville, NWS Louisvlle

January 11 event

List of reported tornadoes – Friday, January 11, 2008
EF#	Location	County/ Parish	Time (UTC)	Path length	Damage
Alabama
EF1	S of Blue Springs	Barbour	0700	3.5 miles (5.6 km)	Four houses and a mobile home were damaged, and trees were uprooted. Flying debris punctured a hole in the roof of one home.[85]
Sources: NWS Birmingham

Non-tornadic events

An image of a snowman taken three weeks prior to the melt.

The storm system was also responsible for heavy flooding rains across much of the Midwest from Michigan to Missouri as well as dense fog across Wisconsin, Ontario and Quebec which was caused by rapid snow melt stemming from the January thaw.[86] flooding was reported across several towns and roads which forced the evacuation of some residents. Record-breaking temperatures were reported all across Southern Ontario and surrounding areas.[87][88][89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97] The thick fog lead to numerous accidents including two pile-ups involving in total 100 vehicles on Interstate 90 near Madison, Wisconsin which killed at least two and injured dozens more while additional fatal accidents occurred elsewhere.[98] It also disrupted air travel across several airports.[99] Rainfall had exceeded locally 4 inches (100 mm) of rain from Missouri to Indiana and Michigan.

High winds and rain have battered Central, southern and eastern Ontario and southern and central Quebec on January 8, and 9. Power outages and wind damages were reported in some areas. As much as 140,000 Hydro One customers were without power in Ontario and at least 100,000 Hydro-Québec customers in Quebec. Winds were gusting in near on in excess of 100 km/h in some localities including the Greater Toronto Area while the highest peak being 133 km/h recorded near Sandbanks Provincial Park in Prince Edward County. One tractor trailer was overturned and nearly fell into the Saint Lawrence River on the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge[100][101][102][103][104]

See also

• 1967 St. Louis tornado outbreak – Similar rare tornado outbreak in January in the Midwest
• List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• List of tornadoes striking downtown areas
• Tornadoes of 2008

References

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11. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=73648
12. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=77525
13. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=79599
14. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=72552
15. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=72547
16. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=73646
17. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=73744
18. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=73611
19. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=73756
20. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=79622
21. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=73790
22. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=72549
23. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=79607
24. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=73709
25. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=73711
26. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=72550
27. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=73675
28. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=73791
29. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=73763
30. http://www.crh.noaa.gov/sgf/?n=010808_tornadoes_mcdonald
31. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=72548
32. "Tornadoes of January 7, 2008". Crh.noaa.gov. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
33. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=73813
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External links

• Rare January Tornado in Northern Illinois Monday Afternoon Rated EF3 (NWS Chicago)
• Pictures and Information For Rare January Tornadoes in Southeast Wisconsin (NWS Milwaukee)
• Severe Weather and Flooding of January 7–8, 2008 (NWS Lincoln IL)
• Summary of Severe Weather/Tornado Surveys January 7–8th (NWS St. Louis)
• Unusually Early Severe Weather Outbreak Hits the Ozarks (NWS Springfield MO)
• Severe Weather on January 7–8, 2008 (NWS Little Rock)
• Jan 7–8 Severe Weather Event (NWS Tulsa)
• Overview of January 8 storms (NWS Paducah)
• Video of a train being derailed by a tornado near Harvard, IL (YouTube)