October 2010 Arizona tornado outbreak
The October 2010 Arizona tornado outbreak was the largest single-day tornado-event in Arizona history, with eight tornadoes touching down. An additional tornado also touched down in Utah.
 A home damaged by an EF2 tornado in Bellemont, Arizona | |
| Type | Tornado outbreak |
|---|---|
| Duration | October 6, 2010 |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 9 confirmed |
| Max. rating1 | EF3 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 1:58 a.m. – 1:05 p.m. MST (11 hours, 57 minutes) |
| Highest gust | 86 mph |
| Largest hail | 3.0 inches (7.6 cm) |
| Damage | $2.81 billion from Hail, $1.6 million from Bellemont Tornadoes |
| Casualties | 11 injuries (7 tornadic)[1] |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
Meteorological synopsis
On October 5 and 6, 2010, a strong area of low pressure situated off the coast of California produced a southerly flow of warm, moist air into Arizona. Warm surface temperatures and clear skies throughout the day on October 5 allowed for significant instability, resulting in scattered severe thunderstorms during the late afternoon, evening and overnight hours. These storms produced widespread damaging hail, ranging up to 3.0 in (7.6 cm) in diameter, and hurricane-force wind gusts of 86 mph (138 km/h). Throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area, 2 in (5.1 cm) hail caused considerable damage to hundreds of thousands of structures. A tornado watch was issued by the Storm Prediction Center earlier that day. Tornado Warnings were issued during the evening and overnight/early morning hours by the local NWS offices in Phoenix and Flagstaff when strong rotation was visible within the t-storms on radar. In the days that followed, nine tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service.
Confirmed tornadoes
| EFU | EF0 | EF1 | EF2 | EF3 | EF4 | EF5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
October 6 event
| List of reported tornadoes - Wednesday, October 6, 2010 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EF1 | N of Washington Park | Coconino | AZ | 34.483°N 111.29°W | 08:58 | 14.06 miles (22.63 km) | 400 yards | Many trees were knocked down with several forest roads blocked. |
| EF2 | NNW of Sedona to Bellemont to NNW of Humphreys Peak (1st tornado) | Coconino | AZ | 34.9863°N 111.871°W | 11:53 | 34.14 miles (54.94 km) | 400 yards | Unusually long-lived tornado remained on the ground for 51 minutes along a path 34.14 mi (54.94 km) long, ranking it as the longest tracked tornado in Arizona history. Over 100 houses and several businesses were damaged, including at least 21 houses that were destroyed. Massive tree damage was also reported with thousands of trees snapped, and campers isolated as a result. An RV dealer was impacted, with many vehicles destroyed. Seven people were injured. |
| EF2 | NNW of Sedona to Bellemont to NNW of Humphreys Peak (2nd tornado) | Coconino | AZ | 34.9976°N 111.877°W | 12:54 | 32.02 miles (51.53 km) | 800 yards | Long track (second longest in the state's history), large wedge tornado essentially tracked over the same areas as the previous EF2 tornado. A train was derailed, damaging 28 rail cars. Forest damage was severe and many roads were blocked, and thousands of trees snapped. Power poles were also snapped. |
| EF2 | NW of Sedona to Western Bellemont | Coconino | AZ | 34.9824°N 111.927°W | 13:50 | 18.55 miles (29.85 km) | 500 yards | Yet another tornado hit Bellemont. It remained in forested areas with severe tree damage. |
| EF2 | NNW of Sedona | Coconino | AZ | 34.981°N 111.876°W | 16:10 | 2.77 miles (4.46 km) | 200 yards | Significant tree damage occurred in the area. This was the fourth straight EF2 tornado to touch down in the same general area, although it didn't go nearly as far. |
| EF0 | SE of Bumble Bee | Yavapai | AZ | 34.1358°N 112.055°W | 17:30 | 7.26 miles (11.68 km) | 50 yards | Tornado remained over grasslands east of Interstate 17. This was the only Arizona tornado to not move through Coconino County that day. |
| EF3 | W of Moenkopi | Coconino | AZ | 35.9342°N 111.001°W | 19:05 | 0.01 miles (0.016 km) | 1100 yards | Very large tornado, estimated at 0.625 mi (1.006 km) wide, tracked over an unpopulated region. Three metal truss transmission towers were destroyed - one of which was flattened - on the Navajo Nation. Aside from this, no other damage took place and a track could not be determined as the area covered by the tornado was remote wilderness. This was one of three F3/EF3 tornadoes in the state since 1950. |
| EF0 | S of Munds Park to ESE of Flagstaff | Coconino | AZ | 34.9404°N 111.665°W | 19:05 | 17.05 miles (27.44 km) | 200 yards | Tornado visually observed in several locations with minimal damage. Houses sustained damage to windows and siding. |
| EF0 | WSW of Canyonlands National Park | Wayne | UT | 38.28°N 110.28°W | 20:00 | 1.24 miles (2.00 km) | 10 yards | About 30 juniper trees were snapped or uprooted in a remote forested area. |
| Sources: SPC Storm Reports for 10/06/10, NWS Flagstaff, NCDC Storm Data, Tornado History Project | ||||||||
Hailstorms
Prior to the tornado outbreak, widespread hail impacted the Phoenix metropolitan area. Three supercells caused considerable hail damage to over 150,000 homes[2] in Phoenix, Glendale, Peoria, Mesa and Scottsdale. In some instances, record or near-record-sized hailstones were measured and the largest stone reached 3.0 in (7.6 cm) in diameter.[3] Overall, the hail caused $2.81 billion (2010 USD) in damage and injured one person.[4]
See also
References
- http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/2010/10/6/table
- "After 2010 Phoenix-area hailstorm, damage and disputes". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
- "Tornado Outbreak Strikes Northern Arizona". National Weather Service in Flagstaff, Arizona. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. October 12, 2010. Archived from the original on October 12, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
- "NCDC Storm Events Database". National Climatic Data Center. 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2017.