Tornadoes of 1971

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1971, 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.

Tornadoes of 1971
Map detailing tornado tracks of the February 1971 Mississippi Delta tornado outbreak
TimespanJanuary - December 1971
Maximum rated tornadoF5 tornado
Tornadoes in U.S.889[1]
Damage (U.S.)Unknown
Fatalities (U.S.)159
Fatalities (worldwide)>159

Events

Numbers for 1971 were above average for the 1950–1970 period, having a total of 889 confirmed tornadoes. Several very deadly tornadoes occurred, bringing the death total up to 159 people for the yearly total. Over 2700 people were injured by the end of 1971.[1]

United States yearly total
Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 188 380 239 71 10 1 889

January

There were 19 tornadoes were confirmed in the United States in January.[2]

January 15
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 1 3 6 0 0 0

An outbreak of 10 tornadoes hit Florida and Georgia.[3] One F2 tornado killed one and injured one outside of Americus, Georgia.[4] Overall, the outbreak killed one and injured four.[3]

January 28
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 1 1 0 0 0

Two tornadoes touched down in Hawaii. This first tornado, which was rated F1, struck Wahiawa, damaging few buildings. The other tornado was an even stronger F2 tornado that struck several buildings north of Kailua-Kona, injuring four.[5]

February

83 tornadoes were reported in the United States in February.[6]

February 21–22
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 2 4 7 3 2 1
Main article: February 1971 Mississippi Delta tornado outbreak

A deadly tornado outbreak struck portions of the Lower Mississippi River Valley and the Southeastern United States on February 21–22, 1971. The two-day outbreak produced at least 19 tornadoes, and probably several more, mostly brief events in rural areas;[7][8] killed 123 people across three states; and "virtually leveled" entire communities in the state of Mississippi.[9] Three violent, long-lived tornadoes—two of which may have been tornado families[10]—in western Mississippi and northeastern Louisiana caused most of the deaths along 300 miles (483 km) of path.[8] One of the tornadoes attained F5 intensity in Louisiana, the only such event on record in the state, although the rating is disputed.[11][12] The outbreak also generated strong tornadoes from Texas to Ohio and North Carolina. The entire outbreak is the second deadliest ever in February, behind only the Enigma tornado outbreak in 1884 and ahead of the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak. February 21 was the fourth-deadliest day for tornadoes in Mississippi on record.[8] At one point, the National Weather Service WSR-57[13] radar in Jackson, Mississippi, reported four hook echoes, often indicative of tornado-producing supercells, simultaneously.[8]

March

40 tornadoes were reported in March in the United States.[14]

April

75 tornadoes were reported in the United States in April.[15]

April 26–May 1
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 2 14 9 4 2 0

A tornado outbreak sequence caused 10 deaths across Kentucky and Illinois. Two F4 tornadoes were reported in Columbia and Russell Springs, Kentucky. In all, 31 tornadoes touched down across the Midwest, Great Plains, and Southeast. There were 187 injuries to go with the 10 fatalities.[1]

May

166 tornadoes were reported in the United States in May.[16]

May 4–13
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 11 34 22 8 1 0

A large outbreak sequence produced 76, including several deadly, tornadoes across the United States. There were six fatalities and 242 injuries.[16]

June

199 tornadoes were reported in June in the United States.[17]

July

100 tornadoes were reported in the United States in July.[18]

August

50 tornadoes were reported in the United States in August.[19]

August 30
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 0 2 0 0 0

A rare F2 tornado caused severe damage north of Colfax, Washington.[20] Later that day, another F2 tornado caused at least $3 million in damages and injured 41 people in Tempe, Arizona, the highest number of injuries from a single tornado in Arizona history. The worst damage occurred at the Holiday Village Mobile Home Court, where 35 trailers were destroyed. There was one indirect fatality, a man who died of a heart attack during the storm.[21][22]

September

47 tornadoes were reported in the United States in September.[23]

October

38 tornadoes were reported in the United States in October.[24]

November

16 tornadoes were reported in the United States in November.[25]

December

56 tornadoes were reported in the United States in December.[26]

December 14–15
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 2 19 17 2 0 0

A very destructive outbreak of 40 tornadoes pummeled the Great Plains, Midwest, and Mississippi Valley, including the Dallas-Fort Worth and Springfield, Missouri metropolitan areas. One long-tracked F2 tornado on December 14 passed through the Western suburbs of Springfield, Missouri, killing one and injuring 22. Overall, the outbreak killed two and injured 119.[27]

See also

References
  1. "Tornado History Project: 1971". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  2. "Tornado History Project: January, 1971". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  3. "January 15, 1971 Tornadoes". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  4. "Tornado History Project: 19710115.13.3". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  5. "Tornado History Project: January 28, 1971". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  6. "Tornado History Project: February, 1971". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  7. NOAA 1971b, p. 55
  8. NOAA & Saltsman 1971, p. 15
  9. NOAA 1971b, p. iii; 1
  10. Grazulis 1993, p. 1121
  11. Grazulis 1993, pp. 324–8
  12. "Other Violent Tornadoes in Mississippi History". National Weather Service Office in Jackson, Mississippi. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. March 2, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  13. NOAA 1971b, p. 14
  14. "Tornado History Project: March, 1971". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  15. "Tornado History Project: April, 1971". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  16. "Tornado History Project: May, 1971". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  17. "Tornado History Project: June, 1971". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  18. "Tornado History Project: July, 1971". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  19. "Tornado History Project: August, 1971". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  20. "Washington F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  21. "Tornado History Project: 19710830.4.3". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  22. Narramore, Jen (August 30, 2019). "Tempe, AZ F2 Tornado – August 30, 1971". Tornado Talk. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  23. "Tornado History Project: September, 1971". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  24. "Tornado History Project: October, 1971". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  25. "Tornado History Project: November, 1971". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  26. "Tornado History Project: December, 1971". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  27. "December 14-15, 1971 Tornadoes". Tornado History Project. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
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